TAKING UP THE SHIELD OF FAITH

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on February 11, 2024 under 2024 |

Bethany Bible Church Sermon Message from February 11, 2024 from Ephesians 6:16

Theme: In all circumstances, we must take up the shield of faith against the fiery darts of the devil.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

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There was a man who lived long ago in the times of our Lord Jesus. In fact, he lived in Jesus’ hometown. He was a very important man; because he was the ruler of the local synagogue. His name was Jairus.

And he was also very desperate.

He had a twelve-year-old daughter at home—his only child—who was very sick. In fact, she was at death’s door. He had heard that Jesus—the miracle-working Prophet and Teacher—was back in town. He had heard about the amazing things Jesus did; and that many people were even saying that He was the long-awaited Messiah—the Son of God in human flesh. And so with great urgency, Jairus found Jesus and begged Him to come to his home and heal his precious girl. Jesus, of course, went.

As Jesus and His disciples made their way to the man’s house, a huge crowd of people followed along. They had all heard about Jesus too, and they all pressed in to be close to Him. Many of them also—no doubt—wanted something from Him. It was probably a trip across town that was made much longer and much harder because of all the people. And somewhere in the crowd—perhaps just barely able to keep up—was a woman. She herself was very sick and weak. In fact, it may have taken all the strength that she had just to follow along and draw near Him.

She had a bleeding disease. She had suffered from this disease for as long as Jairus’ sick girl had been alive. Twelve long years. It took all the money she had to try to get well, and the doctors still couldn’t do anything to cure her. But she knew that if she could just get close enough to Jesus to touch the hem of His garment, then she would be well. As she finally got close enough, she struggled through and stretched her hand out through the bodies and legs of the crowd. She finally touched the border of His garment. It was just a touch. But instantly, she was healed.

We’re told that Jesus immediately stopped and asked who it was that had touched Him. It seemed like a crazy question. After all, everyone was touching Him right then. But He was asking specifically who it was that had reached out and touched Him by faith. He knew it had happened, and it stood out to His attention. And when the frightened woman confessed that it was her, He commended her and said, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

Dear brothers and sisters; Jesus drew attention to her faith not just for her benefit alone, but also for that man Jairus. You see; Jairus was there among that crowd, leading the way to his dying daughter. He too would have become aware of what the woman did. He too would have heard what the Lord said to her. And it was at that very moment—as the Lord Jesus finished speaking those very words to the woman who had just been healed—that someone came to Jairus with the sad news that it was too late. “Your daughter is dead”, he told Jairus. “Do not trouble the Teacher.”

Can you imagine what a dreadful blow this must have been to that man? But we’re told that, as soon as Jesus heard that news, He turned to Jairus and said—and please consider these words carefully—“Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” That man Jairus had just seen Jesus heal a woman who had been sick for as long as his daughter had been alive. And Jesus was now calling Jairus to consider carefully what he had just seen Him do … and to therefore have faith in Him. The news that his daughter had died came as a dreadful blow—like a flaming arrow to the heart; but Jairus was not to respond to that news by quitting, or walking away, or giving up the faith that had caused him to seek Jesus in the first place. When Jesus said the words “only believe”, He meant for Jairus to—right then—take hold of his faith in Him and in what He could do, and to let it be his strong defense.

And so, Jairus acted in faith. He was not afraid. He believed; and his belief was made evident in the fact that he continued to take Jesus to his home—in spite of that terrible news of doubt that had been sent to him. And Jesus came … and raised his daughter from the dead.

That story is told to us in Luke 8. It’s a story of a story within a story. And the key thing to notice is what Jesus told Jairus: “Do not be afraid; only believe …” It was a call to take hold of faith in what Jesus could do; and to let the arrows of doubt and despair that were fired at him bounce off.

I can’t think of a better illustration than this one of the principle that we find in our passage this morning. Ephesians 6:16 tells us;

above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one … (Ephesians 6:16).

* * * * * * * * * *

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been looking together at the spiritual armor that God provides for us. Ephesians 6:10-17 says;

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God … (vv. 10-17).

When the apostle Paul wrote those words, he was most likely considering what a Roman soldier would wear in his day. In fact, because Paul wrote this letter from prison, he may have been looking right at a soldier when he wrote it. And so far, we’ve spent time carefully considering the first three pieces of armor that Paul saw as symbolized on a soldier: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the footwear of the gospel of peace. This morning, we consider the fourth piece of armor—the shield of faith.

It’s important that we understand carefully what kind of ‘shield’ this is. For many of us, the word ‘shield’ conjures up an image of a round-shaped shield that would be strapped to a soldier’s arm—something like right out of ‘Captain America’. In fact, in many of the Sunday School drawings and Bible storybooks, that’s the very kind of shield that we see depicted.

But the kind of shield that Paul was speaking of actually didn’t look like that at all. He used a very specific word for this shield. He called it a thureos. It’s a word that is related to the Greek word for ‘door’; and that was because that’s what this kind of shield looked like. It was a large rectangular shield that was about two-and-a-half feet by four-and-a-half feet, and it was big enough for a soldier to hide his entire body behind. It was designed with special slots on the sides that allowed it to interlock with the shields of other soldiers; so that, when fit all together, they formed a strong, solid wall of defense. They were sometimes even interlocked into a large mobile fort (a testudo, or tortoise formation) that permitted a group of soldiers to march directly into enemy territory without being harmed.

And this particular type of shield had another important feature. It was made out of thick wood, with a heavy covering of leather that could be soaked in water. It was designed to not only stop arrows and stones and objects that were hurled at the soldier, but also to put out the flames of any burning object that would be thrown at him. It was soaked down enough to ‘quench’ or ‘extinguish’ the fiery darts of the enemy so that they didn’t harm or destroy the shield. The thureos was, in its time, a brilliant piece of military technology.

The apostle Paul used this very specific type of shield as a symbol of faith. In the original language, he called it “the shield of the faith”. And the faith he was speaking of was the act of putting our full confidence and trust directly and exclusively in the power and the promises of the mighty God who is declared to us in the Bible. Think back to Jairus. In that horrible moment of trial—when he heard the news that his daughter had just died—Jesus had told him, “Do not be afraid; only believe …” And at that specific moment, what Jairus was to believe was that Jesus—who was right there in his presence—was able to go to his house and raise his daughter from the dead. Jairus could know this with certainty because he had just seen what Jesus did for that sick woman. He had objective substance to real faith; and he took that faith up as a shield and protected himself with it, so that the fiery darts of doubt and despair bounced off and were extinguished.

And dear brothers and sisters in Christ; that’s what you and I must do. This verse has an important message to declare to anyone here this morning who is about to give up. You may feel like the trials and blows keep coming at you—and they seem too much for you. You’re beginning to wonder if anything that the Bible tells us is true. You’re beginning to wonder if God is really there and if He really cares for you. You may even begin to think that there’s no use to it all, and are wondering if you should just quit altogether. You may feel as if just one more attack from the devil will be enough to make you give up.

The important message from God that this verse gives us is: Don’t quit! As Jesus said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid; only believe …” It teaches us that, in all circumstances, we must take up the shield of faith against the fiery darts of the devil.

* * * * * * * * * *

Now; it’s significant that Paul says something about this piece of armor that is different from what he says about any of the others. In the translation that I’m using, it begins with the phrase, “above all”. He writes, “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one …” What is this unusual phrase meant to tell us?

If you look at different translations of the Bible, you’ll find that this phrase has been interpreted in different ways. Some translations have it saying that we should, in addition to all the other pieces of armor, take up this shield too. Others have it saying that, as the most important piece of all, we should take up this shield. Still others have it saying that, in every circumstance of battle—in every situation of warfare—we should take up this shield. So; which is it?

I think that there’s a certain measure of truth represented in all those different interpretations. But in the original language, what Paul said was simply “in all” (with the word “all” being in the plural). So I think that the best way to understand this phrase is that, “in all things”—that is, in all the specific circumstances of life that we may encounter; whatever they may be—we’re to make sure that we always take up this shield. After all, we face a fierce enemy. He’s ‘the wicked one’. He hurls his flaming arrows at us at unexpected times, and in unexpected ways, and for clever and cunning purposes. And therefore, so that we’re never caught off-guard—so that we’re never caught by surprise—we must constantly take up the shield of faith in the power and promises of God in front of us … and use it for our protection in all the circumstances of life.

Now; we can see the importance of this when we consider …

1. WHAT THE DEVIL FIRES AT US.

We’re told that he fires ‘fiery darts’ or ‘fiery arrows’ at us. They aren’t just ‘arrows’. Regular arrows would be bad enough. But these are ‘fiery arrows’. The apostle Paul was thinking of a tactic that had been used in ancient warfare. Arrows, or spears, or darts, or other flying missiles, were first wrapped in a kind of cloth, dipped in pitch or tar, and then set on fire. As they were flung through the air, the fire kept burning—leaving a fearsome streak of smoke and flame behind it as it flew. Their approach must have been swift and frightening to see. And when they struck anywhere near an enemy, the burning pitch or tar would splatter—spreading hot, burning flames all around and igniting everything that it covered.

This was such a common tactic that—in the Old Testament—King David used it symbolically as a warning of God’s readiness to bring swift judgment upon those who rebel against Him. He wrote;

God is a just judge,
And God is angry with the wicked every day.
If he does not turn back,
He will sharpen His sword;
He bends His bow and makes it ready.
He also prepares for Himself instruments of death;
He makes His arrows into fiery shafts (Psalm 7:11-13).

But in understanding what the apostle Paul is telling us, it’s very important that we recognize what the purpose of those ‘fiery arrows’ was. Their main purpose was to cause a reaction of fear. It wasn’t intended to strike the victim directly. That alone would, of course, be deadly. But let’s face it: If an arrow struck the body of a victim, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference whether it was a ‘flaming’ one or not. It would do its deadly work whether it was hot or cold. Rather, the main purpose of that flaming arrow is to hit the shield itself, set it on fire, and cause the soldier to throw it down in panic.

There was an ancient Roman historian named Livy who wrote about this. He explained that the arrows themselves would be fearful things, and that was why Roman soldiers bore those large shields into battle. But the greatest fear would be that the shield itself would be struck by flaming arrows dipped in pitch. The arrow would pierce through the wood of the shield, cause it to catch fire, and then become a blazing furnace on the soldier’s arm. And if that happened, the soldier would have to—in a state of panic—throw down his burning shield. And once that happened, he’d become completely vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy. Regular ol’ arrows would then easily finish the job.

How then would we define one of the devil’s ‘flaming arrows’? It would be anything that he throws at us that threatens our faith, and that causes us—in a state of fear, desperation, and panic—to cast aside our trust in the power and promises of God. Any question or problem that the devil throws at us that causes us to doubt the authority of God’s word—and that then causes us to respond fearfully by turning to something else instead of His word—qualifies as a flaming arrow. Any temptation that causes us to stumble in sin—and that then results in our doubting the sufficiency of the cross of Jesus to wash us clean of our failure—qualifies as a flaming arrow. Any circumstance that tests our endurance or that drains our strength—and that then causes us to despair so that we give up and no longer do what God calls us to do—qualifies as a flaming arrow. Even any cultural idea or movement that threatens to persecute us if we don’t conform—and that then tempts us to compromise in fear with the sins of this world in order to avoid trouble—qualifies as a flaming arrow. In short, anything that the devil can throw at us—anything at all—that tempts us to cast aside our faith in Him, or in His power, or in the trustworthiness of His promises in Scripture—qualifies as a flaming arrow.

Perhaps the greatest example of this kind of temptation is the very first one in human history. It’s the one we find in Genesis 3. We’re told;

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’? And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”” (Genesis 3:1-3).

In asking this question, the wicked one was raising the issue in Eve’s mind. He was provoking temptation in her. His first question—by itself—wasn’t the ‘flaming arrow’. But the second question was just the very kind of burning missile that prompted her to cast down her faith in the power and promises of God.

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate (vv. 4-6).

This example shows us that it’s almost as if the devil uses a two-staged attack. He raises the temptation in us first that threatens our faith in God in some way; but then fires a strategic ‘fiery dart’ at us—something that puts such questions and doubts and fears in us that it causes us to cast that shield aside and turn to something else. And then—without the shield of faith to protect us—we’re his victim.

Now; I praise God that, when we fail—when we’ve foolishly cast our shield aside—it’s not ultimately fatal to us as believers. The blood of Jesus covers our guilt before God, and we can repent of our sin. We can pick our shield back up. But there’s no question that, when we cast it aside, we suffer great loss. We lose much of our effectiveness in the service of our Lord.

And, sad to say, there have even been many who had at one time professed a faith in Jesus, but have cast that faith aside—and never picked it up again.

* * * * * * * * * *

But I believe we become greatly motivated to take it up and keep hold of it, when we consider …

2. THE KIND OF PROTECTION THE SHIELD GIVES US.

Remember that, in ancient times, this particular kind of shield was covered with thick leather that was soaked in water before being taken into battle. That way, when those flaming arrows struck it, the flame was extinguished … and the soldier kept hold of his shield and remained protected by it. The whole point was for the soldier to—at all costs—keep hold of that shield and not cast it aside in panic or fear.

And for us as believers, so long as we keep hold of our faith in the person, power, and promises of God as they are clearly set forth to us in His revealed word—no matter what else may be thrown at us—then we extinguish his fiery darts and we’re safe from the devil’s attack.

The Bible makes it clear that our faith is key to our life before God. As it says in Habakkuk 2:4;

… the just shall live by his faith (Habakkuk 2:4).

Those simple words are so important that they’re repeated three more times in the New Testament. If the Bible says anything once, it’s certainly enough. But it says that ‘the just shall live by faith’ four times! We cannot do without a whole-hearted faith in God’s power and in His sure promises.

The Bible tells us what faith is. In Hebrews 11:1, it tells us “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” It’s the confidence we’re to have in the promises of God that motivates us to put them into action. It’s the conviction that He is who He says He is, and is able to do what He says He can do, and will keep the promises He has made in His holy word. It’s the vital link that joins God’s promises to our circumstances. And that’s why it says in verse 6;

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

Our faith in God’s person, power, and promises, then, is our shield. In Psalm 18:30, King David wrote;

As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him (Psalm 18:30).

And in Proverbs 30:5, the wise man Agur wrote;

Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him (Proverbs 30:5).

This isn’t a matter of simply ‘having faith’ in a sentimental and undefined kind of way. This isn’t a matter of saying, “You’ve got to believe. It doesn’t matter what you believe, just so long as you truly ‘believe’.” That’s a matter of “having faith in ‘faith’”; and that kind of faith is an utterly useless thing. Faith is only as valid as the object in which it is placed. And when we have our faith kept firmly in the person, the power, and the promises of our mighty Lord—and keep it fixed there so strongly that we rise up and obey Him no matter what the devil fires at us—then we’re protected from his attacks. His flaming missiles don’t cause us to cast our shield aside.

That kind of faith is something that terrifies him.

* * * * * * * * * *

So then; we’ve seen what the devil fires at us—that is, his flaming arrows that are designed to tempt us to cast our faith aside. And we’ve seen the protection that our faith provides us—that is, it keeps us confidently dependent upon the person, power, and promises of God—all of which are ours through Jesus Christ.

And now, what are we to do with this shield? This leads us to consider—finally …

3. OUR PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY WITH IT.

Paul says that we’re to be laying hold of it and keeping it before us. We’re to be “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one”.

When the devil fires a flaming “doubt” at us that causes us to question the authority of God’s word, we’re to lift up the shield, let it bounce off extinguished, and say, “I trust Your word, heavenly Father. Every word is tested and true and will never fail.” When he fires a flaming “accusation” at us because we’ve failed in some way, we’re to lift up the shield, let it bounce off quenched, and say, “I thank You, heavenly Father, for the blood of Your Son. By that blood I am washed clean and am justified in Your sight.” When he fires flaming “discouragement” at us that makes us want to quit when we’re weary or frustrated in the Lord’s work, we’re to lift that shield up, let it bounce off harmlessly, and declare, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” When the devil fires a “threat” at us that tempts us to compromise with the sins of this world, we’re to hold up that shield, let it bounce to the ground, and declare, “Thank You, Father, that the world is crucified to me, and I am crucified to the world.”

* * * * * * * * * *

As the apostle John has put it in 1 John 5:4;

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ; let’s heed our Lord’s words to Jairus at the moment when the fiery darts were coming at him: “Do not be afraid; only believe …” Let’s make sure that we take up the shield of faith by which we will quench the fiery darts of the wicked one … and therefore stand!

AE