The Shield of Faith

There are a variety pack. Some are obvious, others are subtle to how we defend ourselves against all of the attacks of the enemy today on Truth for Life.

Alister Bragg teaches us how the shield of faith can be used to extinguish the fiery darts of the devil that I invited her to turn again to Ephesians 6 where are text for today is the 16th verse in all circumstances take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one know in order to trace a way through this verse I want us to do as follows. I wanted something first of all, about the identity of the individuals that Paul is addressing here. In other words, the call to arms which he is issued is a call that the issues to the Salvation Army.

We might put it that way, not the Salvation Army of the red buckets and the and the bells.

Although many of them were in this army, but rather to those who are included in Christ through the gospel have tried to make this distinction all the way along because it is possible that some in listening to the Bible being taught or applying it without an understanding of this important distinction. He is not issuing a general call to the population of Ephesus to try and be good or brave or self-reliant to have faith in oneself or to have faith in faith itself. He is addressing specifically those who he says have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is very important to realize this is possible for this passage to be taught along the lines of try and be as much like Jesus as you possibly can because it will be good for you and and and others will benefit also is not an attempt to try and become something.

It is the reality that in Christ we have been made something and that when we came to trust in Christ. He closed does with the gospel armor. He closed out with his righteousness. He died in our place. We came to understand that and if you like the theme of the Salvation Army if they had had it available to them. Then they probably would've chosen in Christ alone as they ran for for that is the testimony of the members of this spiritual force. Enough said on that we need to be clear as to the identity of the members of this army.

It of course raises the question and purposefully so. And necessarily so am I in Christ, a member of this army have. I heard the word of truth, the gospel of my salvation. And if I come to believe to believe in terms of believing in it entirely resting really seemingly for when the Bible speaks in those terms is not speaking simply about intellectual assent to an awareness of certain things that are true of an individual who has lived and died, but it is rather that which comes to rest entirely upon it. I have nothing else in my defense, I have no possible way of making me alive only if he shines into my heart and stirs me up in this way, then I may be able to testify to these things.

That's enough said concerning identity knowledge look at the hostility that this army faces know you will notice, and we have tried to emphasize this all the way through that the source of this facility is not abstract evil is not abstract evil you look at the verse at all the flaming darts of the evil one.

Not all the flaming darts of evil. The definite article evil is an adjective, and one is the noun. He is the evil one who Lizzie Wiley is the devil he's already been identified. The schemes of the devil. Your wrestling here. In this way. In other words the devil himself who came and seduced and deceived Adam and Eve in the garden who then came and tempted the Lord Jesus in the wilderness. He along with his allies mentioned further up your text attacks the followers of Jesus.

That's what Paul is pointing out now every follower of Jesus will know this not only because they read it in the Bible because they have experience regarded by many as a kind of superstitious folklore. In fact is you think about going out into tomorrow back to your workplace and are you talk about these things takes great bravery on the part of the Christian zero you know or what were really up against is our spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places. You see, the record of the temptation of Jesus by Satan in the wilderness, the record of his temptation of Adam and Eve in the garden in the fall of man into sin.

For as by one man came, sin, and so death through sin. You see, this is not some kind of special little idea of for people who are into this stuff to hold onto.

This is actually foundational to our understanding of not only biblical history but human history. How do we explain human history. How do we explain the manifold evil. How do we explain the disruption. The chaos all that is going on. Despite all the length of time of human history. All of the advances in arts and science, and everything else and yet the same amazing phone certain of the animosity and pain and horror darkness while the people may oppose what the Bible says the Bible is clear in what it says that were dealing with something that is not only cosmically true. You will notice that in your text against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. It is not only cosmically true but also personally true and that's the point that Paul is making here. That's why he says in all circumstances, the believers are to be alert to all the flaming darts of the evil one know he's picking up a picture from from contemporary warfare. It's not contemporary chores, but we've seen at pictures and we've seen movies whereby the. The arrows are then wrapped with some kind of material which is then satellite and then it is positioned in such a way as to be fired as an onslaught against the enemy, hoping to penetrate and to destroy. Oftentimes it's not the picture of an individual archer with one little arrow but it is a picture of all troop of individuals all launching their arrows at one time coming from here and there and everywhere. So is it possible to soften up their opponents so that others may then come along with them and through them and penetrate their defenses and come in for the kill. Is it where come in for the hand-to-hand combat, which we noted back in verse 12 for we do not wrestle if you remember that we said this is a word here that speaks of hand-to-hand combat. Now, obviously were not talking here about the physical presence of a devil in the context of my car or whatever else it is, but nevertheless, the extent to which his devilish impact is almost tangible should not be set aside the evil one has an almost unlimited arsenal into which he can reach and from which he can fire one of his favorite arrows is in a simple question. Did God really say, did God really say, well of course no he didn't actually really say what he asked. He said you can enjoy everything here but don't touch this, the evil one came and said that he really say that you can eat any of the fruit of the guard. Now I'll put words in his mouth. He still doesn't yet have you noticed Jehovah's Witnesses on the street, diligent people do not just that they love the word really.

Here's the here's the pitch. Find out what the Bible really says.

Find out what it really says you may have heard that it says this will will tell you what it really says flaming darts of the Warner subtle, trying to get us to doubt his word trying to get us to question his love, trying to get us to resist his will and the picture is not of thoughts that are self generated or cultivated from within by the picture is that which is by way of accusation or insinuation that comes out of nowhere, out of nowhere, or is these in a baseball analogy out of left field. I don't really know about what that means. And so I had to look it up and then I realize that is not actually a very good analogy because if you the definition of out of left field is something which is unexpected or or strange, so doesn't fit this only imparted fits because the attacks of the arrival of the arrows of the evil one, unexpectedly, but are not strange. In fact, what would be strange would be the absence of the attack. Hans Peter rewrites to the his readers in his first letter says do not do not regarded as strange. This fiery trial through which are growing in regarded as though something strange were happening to you know Christian biography lines up with human experience, making it clear to us that some of the choicest servants of the Lord Jesus have battled with all kinds of flaming arrows doubt depression on holy unworthy, unbidden thoughts. Surely there is a measure of this and what we refer to as panic attacks.

Surely there is a measure of this in the awareness that comes to us of deep-seated feelings of guilt that drag us from 16 September bag through a decade or two decades or three decades or as far back as you could go and out of nowhere on a beautiful sunny day when everything is fine and were singing together here it comes what it is come from. It was a flaming dart, the evil one says you call yourself a believer. Don't you remember what the sad part is, yes, I do remember God however does not remember, that's why we saying what we say when Satan damns me to despair and tells me of the Guild within upward. I look and see here and there he met Anand to all my sin.

So the response to the evil one is is what about to discover flaming darts whether imaginations desires and passions jealousies lost temptations, the evil one will employ everything and anything that seeks to undermine our identity in Jesus and our unity in Jesus our identity in Jesus and our unity in Jesus. Remember he's writing to the church he's he's already written to them and encourage them to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and he recognizes that one of the ways in which the evil one would score a great victory in Ephesus would be if he could get them first to doubt their identity in Jesus and then secondly to disrupt their unity in Jesus emerges in passing. God is been very good to us as a church. In this regard. But we don't take it for granted and we don't presume upon and I was with a minister just in the last few days have from down south and it is very clear to me that the sorry tale of the last five or six years of his life could not ultimately be explained in terms of kind of a corporate disruption or in any superficial way that that the church in which he had served had clearly been under a sustained spiritual bar arrives and from what I can tell he had responded to it in a way that was naïve really unhelpful and as a result of that led to chaos and disruption and sadness. What I brings is that if the his facility is there to determine what then is the activity that is called for. How is the hostility to be handled well, as he's already pointed out, the first thing is, is not to be handled in our own strength is Lutheran is great him puts it in a if a did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing were not the right man on our side. The man of God's own choosing. In other words, the only way in which we can deal with this hostility is to find our strength, our spiritual resources in the Lord Jesus reminded ourselves that Christ has won the victory that the evil one is a defeated fall Newton and as seldom sung him has one verse which goes like this. When Satan appears to start up our path and fills us with fears we triumph by faith he cannot take from us though often he has try the heart cheering promise the Lord will provide.

He has provided us with the armor and here is what we are to do. We are to take up notice the verb to take up this shield of faith, having fastened on the belt having put on the breastplate, having put on the readiness of the gospel shoes take up so the breastplate is fastened to the belt is foundational to you and the shoes are on you.

Any soldier who is now enlisted and engage in warfare, even if he is having a cup of tea. He is breastplate belt shoes on when the alarm sounds. He reaches for the shield that support take up the shield of faith.

Note this is not a little shield like it like a little frisbee kind of shield. This shield is is 4 feet long by 2 1/2 feet wide.

This is like walking around with a door in fact in warfare in the Roman times, a wife might say to her husband. Make sure you come back with your shield and not on your shield because they would use the warriors shield as a mechanism for carrying him dead off the field of battle. Make sure you come back with it, not on what is this mean in essence that I give it to you in a sentence we are taking up the shield of faith when we are trusting the gospel to shield us from Satan's lies were taken up the shield of faith when we are trusting the gospel to shield us from Satan's lies, trusting individually and initially. Proverbs 35.

Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who take refuge in him question on my taking refuge in him.

Other refuge have I none hangs my weary soul on the use of shield to all who take refuge in their trusting in the gospel of the same time consistently and corporately, the Bible makes it very very clear that there are times when our faith falters. That's why we sang as we did that during degrees of faith in him, even between necessities as we sit side-by-side in the seats and when our faith falters.

We made will be tested to introspection to look inside ourselves and trying and scramble for an answer, but Paul is saying here. No, don't do that to dig up the shield looking to Jesus. He is both the author and the finisher of your faith, William Gerrish mistakenly was going to attribute the quote to an earlier but they were both together at the Westminster assembly grounds writes in his diary when I look upon myself. I see nothing but emptiness and weakness, but when I look upon Christ. I see nothing but fullness and sufficiency's wonderful the Bible actually refers to those who are weak in faith refers to those who are strong in faith. Jesus comforted those who are of little faith, he commanded great faith when he found Jesus said to Peter.

On one occasion, Peter. I've prayed for you that your faith may not fail, and in his pride, he collapsed. He had been given the warning, watch and pray so that you do not enter into temptation. He neither watched nor prayed and, asked one.

The absence of the warning. It was in the absence of the provision was the reaction of Peter. Some of us I think may be tempted to say of some of the flaming darts that come our way.

Well, and I think I can absorb one or two of these are known after get too concerned about is not doesn't seem to be harming anything I can let it burn for a bit. That was Augustine when he said, Lord, make me pure, but not yet is let this one burn for a little bit. Kind of like it is cozy. No when troubles are sale and dangers of freight though Fran should all fail and for those all unite, we raise the shield and we rose the troops. This is the importance love ones of being in a family as well. Families can gather together his as as a nuclear families but a church family so important to because when we find ourselves under unbelievable attack. We consider our brothers and sisters. It would you bring your shield over here and help me raise the shield rows.

The troops Sunday school songs help me always rows than soldiers rally around the banner ready steady pass the word along onward forward shout aloud. Hosanna, Christ is Capt. of the mighty front throne when that Jim Elliott and the and the rest of them were down there in Ecuador before the came to meet their demise at the hands of the cannibal savages remember what they say we rests on the R shield and our defender we going forth alone against the full strong in thy strength safe in thy keeping tender. We rest on the and then your strength we go we going faith, our own great weakness feeling and needing more each day.

Your grace to know that I think that is the honest testimony of a member of the Salvation Army.

I trust is your testimony today. I wanted to be mine shield of faith provides every one of us with a strong defense in the midst of spiritual battle that's today's message from our series called strength for the battle on Truth for Life with Alister Greg. We know that God's Word gives us a strong defense against the attacks of the enemy. That's one of the reasons why Jesus instructs us to take the message of the gospel to all of creation so that people can hear God's truth in the process confines saving faith your monthly giving is a Truth for Life, truth, partner makes the daily Bible teaching from Truth for Life available to a worldwide audience. So if you have never bridged the gap between listening to Truth for Life and partnering with us. We want to invite you to do that today by becoming a truth partner is easy to sign up. Simply go online and Truth for Life.org/truth partner to join with us in this gospel mission. When you do that, you'll play in enabling role in the work that Jesus has set before us, and to express our gratitude for your partnership with us. We invite you to request the book we been mentioning called the whole armor of God. This is a book that will prepare you for the spiritual battle that is described in Ephesians chapter 6 again. Find out more about becoming a truth partner.

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Thanks for listing today. If you've ever wrestled with fears and doubts that aren't grounded in truth could be battling against the lies of the devil. Tomorrow Alister explains three crucial ways that the helmet of salvation protects our minds from Satan's targeted attacks Bible teaching of Alister Greg is furnished by Truth for Life. Learning is for Living