Armor – Shield of Faith

Audio

1. THE VERSE:
   “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” eph 6:16

2. THE SHIELD:
   Roman soldiers used several kinds of shields, but there were two that were most common. The first was a small round shield, two feet in diameter. It was secured to the arm by two leather straps and was relatively lightweight. This shield was used to block the sword blows of the enemy in hand­to­hand fighting. The second shield was the thureos, which Paul refers to here. This shield was about two and half feet wide and four and a half feet high.

3. THE FIERY DARTS

   1. made of hollow reeds filled with alcohol that would split on impact revealing burning wick

   2. render other armor useless

   3. hit with a flaming dart you cry out

   4. takes others from the battle

4. THE FAITH:

   1. without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Heb 11:6

   2. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

   3. The Greek word for faith is pistis. It comes from the root word peitho, which means “to be persuaded, to convince by reason, to agree with evidence, to rely with inward certainty, to be confident.” Faith is based on the promises of God, which are so certain that waiting for them is not discouraging, and acting upon them is natural.

   4. why is Faith important

• We are justified by faith (made perfect in God’s sight). (See Romans 3:28.)

• We are saved from our sins by faith. (See Ephesians 2:8–9.)

• We are sanctified and cleansed by faith. (See Acts 26:18.)

• Our hearts are purified by faith. (See Acts 15:9.)

• We have access by faith to God’s grace. (See Romans 5:2.)

• We can “move mountains” by faith. (See Matthew 17:20.)

5. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Heb 11:3

6. How do we get faith?

   1. Eph 2:8 It is a gift from God.

7. How do we activate faith?

   1. Faith for salvation comes by hearing the Word of God. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). After salvation, faith grows as we engraft Scripture and act upon it.

   2. Chair example: real chair and invisible chair with tacks.

      1. which chair do you have faith in? why?

      2. activate that faith -sit

8. How do we build faith? – Commands of Christ

   1. Practice Secret Disciplines—Matthew 6:1–18—Faith

Kij Notes:

Latin name for the shield was the scutum. Was covered in canvas or leather (fire resistant?) Had a metal boss in the center called umbo that could be used as a punching weapon up close. The shape allowed for overlapping shields to create a wall, protecting everyone behind. Famous formation of the testudo, which allowed legionnaires in the center of the formation to lift the shields above their heads to protect against raining missiles. Also large enough to completely hide behind to hide number of troops staging an ambush until up close.

To apply biblically, a single shield is good, but partner it with many others, and it becomes almost impenetrable.

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