Our Shield

[0:00] Proverbs 13 verse 5! Every word of God is pure.

[0:13] He has a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.! Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank You. We can come and feed off Your word and be nourished and nurtured by it.

[0:25] Lord, we pray. The Holy Spirit would have His way. That Your word would have free course and be glorified. That You would be lifted up, Lord Jesus, and draw all men unto Yourself.

[0:36] That You would be our focus now. Help us, Lord, to trust in You. To be encouraged in our faith. To find new strength for each new day.

[0:47] For Your glory we pray. Amen. Are you under attack? Are you under attack?

[1:00] Yes, you are. Yes, you are. Every one of you are. Are you feeling vulnerable? Weak? Are you feeling in danger? Defenseless? Maybe you need a defense.

[1:12] Maybe you need a shield. Maybe you need a protector. There is a place of safety and protection for you. And the word of God says, Every word of God is pure.

[1:25] He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him. Ephesians 6.16 tells us of the armor of God. And of one part it says, Of the shield of faith.

[1:39] It's the last mention of the word shield in the word of God. Ephesians 6.16 says, Above all, taking the shield of faith, Wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

[1:55] The first mention of shield is Genesis 15. Verse 1. Where it says, After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision saying, Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield.

[2:10] And thy exceeding great reward. You know, it's interesting. It's something to take note of. The first mention and the last mention in the word of God. Abram, God said, I am thy shield.

[2:25] Paul says in Ephesians 6, Taking the shield of faith. Firstly, consider, God is a shield. I am thy shield.

[2:36] He's called Abraham. At least 14 verses describe our Lord God as our shield. As a shield.

[2:47] For example, here's Psalm. Psalm 28 verse 7. It says, The Lord is my strength and my shield. Psalm 115.11 it says, Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord.

[3:02] He is their help and their shield. Psalm 119.114 it says, Thou art my hiding place and my shield. I hope in thy word.

[3:14] Psalm 144.2 says, My goodness and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer, my shield, and he in whom I trust.

[3:25] Psalm 33.3 it says, But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me, my glory and the lifter of my hand. Not only does the word of God tell us that God is a shield, it says God's salvation is a shield.

[3:43] In Psalm 18.35 it says, Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation. And thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.

[3:55] God is a shield. God's salvation is a shield. And thirdly, God's truth is a shield. We read in Psalm 91 verse 4, that encouraging psalm. Would do well to take that and read that today.

[4:09] The whole psalm, Psalm 91, full of encouragement and support. It says in Psalm 91.4, He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust.

[4:24] His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. A buckler was a small shield. And the shield, the shield that the Roman soldiers carried, was huge.

[4:35] It was, it was some four foot by two foot. It was like a door, like a wooden door. And it was covered with thick leather, that protected the shield, from the impact of any projectiles.

[4:47] And the soldiers used to, web the shield, so it would also, fizzle out any burning arrows. And God's word tells us, that no matter what gets thrown at you, that God is your shield.

[5:01] He is your shield. He has that tremendous shield, that defends us, and covers us, from all the enemy's attacks, that he sends against us. Every word of God is pure.

[5:14] He is a shield unto them, that put their trust in him. Faith is the shield of the Christian soldier. Faith is taking God at his word.

[5:26] We see that our shield is also, our very Lord himself. I am thy shield, he says to us. It is his salvation, it is his truth.

[5:38] What a precious shield, and protection, you have today, that you trust him. Yet this faith, our Lord, and his salvation, and truth, this shield, it does not mean, that we are sheltered, from all of life's troubles, and difficulties.

[5:56] It does not mean, that we are destined, to live a carefree, prosperous life, filled with comforts, and luxuries. Faith doesn't necessarily mean, that you will enjoy prosperity, as the world describes it.

[6:12] Or that you will receive, perfect health. Or that you will be immune, from pain, from some trouble, from some grief, and loss in your life. Some hardship, some suffering.

[6:24] Yet this genuine faith, will see you through, those times. This genuine faith, will see you through. It's not something passive, it's something, that is also active.

[6:37] Someone has said, faith never stands around, with its hands in its pockets. Faith is active, it's a doing word, it's a verb. It's about, that active trust.

[6:50] Paul was a man of faith. Paul was a man of faith. That great man of God, that we read of, that was, the chiefest of sinners, totally transformed, and turned around.

[7:02] And of course, we read of Paul, the life of faith. What can we learn, of the life of faith, from Paul? Would it be that, Paul would say, faith is about, diamond rings, and luxury cars, and Rolex watches, and tailored suits, and Italian leather shoes.

[7:21] I don't know if anyone's wearing, any such things today, but, God bless you anyway. But Paul, Paul wasn't about, all of that, razz and batazz, all of that, glitz, and gloss, and glamour, and that show, that some, would talk about today, and call it faith.

[7:40] They would call that faith today. They would sport, and brag, of such things today, and say, look at my faith, because of the things, that I have. They would say, such things as, these things, show my faith.

[8:00] And so, if you are poor, or sick, you don't have faith. That's a lie. It's wrong. It's wrong teaching. The word of God, says no such things.

[8:10] We just heard, say to our Lord, he hath nowhere, to lay his head. You know, we know, that we read, of the real life of faith, of the Paul, of the Bible. For example, we could turn, to 2 Corinthians 11, from verse 23.

[8:26] We read, of Paul's life, a real life, of real faith. It was different, alright. It was different. Paul talks, of his labours, more abundant.

[8:36] Of his stripes, you know, his back lashed, with stripes, above measure. Of being in prisons, more frequent. Of being in deaths, oft. Just imagine, if they put Paul, on the big screen today, if they put him, on the census stage, and they suddenly, cast the spotlight, on the apostle Paul, and they said, um, apostle Paul, this, is your life.

[9:02] Would it be, that there would be something, that the people would, um, see as some kind of success, as the world would turn it? Rather, but maybe, it would be, they feature, his floggings.

[9:17] He's been beaten, with rods. Oh, he's been stoned, of his suffering shipwreck, three times. Paul's faith, took him places, through testing times.

[9:29] We would, see Paul, perhaps as they, cast that spotlight, on Paul, they would say, apostle Paul, this is your life. A night of the day, in the deep, in the middle of the ocean, in journeys often, in perils, in perils, in perils, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of his own countrymen, in perils, by the heathen, in perils, in the city, in perils, in the wilderness, in perils, in the sea, in perils, among false brethren.

[10:02] Paul's faith, was something, dynamic. We ran into Paul's faith, in weariness, in painfulness, in watchings often, in other words, sleepless nights, in hunger, in thirsting, in fastings often, in cold, and nakedness.

[10:23] Certainly, Paul's faith, was not exactly, a life of luxury. But that was faith. That was faith. Faith. Biblical faith.

[10:34] And to top it all off, Paul had the delight, and enjoyment of that, which comes upon me daily, the care, of all the churches. Not only, worrying about himself, but about others, that were in, his ministry.

[10:50] That, heart that he had. Biblical faith. Biblical faith. It wasn't about, amassing fortune, and fame. It was about, the long, hard yards.

[11:03] Check out, the Bible record, of Biblical faith. We read it, the men and women, of faith, of Hebrews 11. Of real faith. Real, gutsy, radical faith.

[11:13] Hebrews 11. Check that out later. Hebrews 11. We see, we see, what, that faith took them, through all kinds of trial, and testing. God's, faith filled people, had the gumption, to get up, and keep on, keep on going.

[11:30] That gumption, that, determination, that perseverance, to, plow through, no matter what, came their way. Because, they had the shield, of faith.

[11:41] The shield, of faith. Active, real, radical, lived out, walked out, living, breathing, faith. Demonstrated, faith in the flesh, faith under fire, faith, through that time of combat.

[11:57] Every word of God, is pure, he is a shield, unto them, that put their trust, in him. Faith. It's about trust, it's about faith.

[12:08] What does this faith do? Faith saves, number one, faith saves, Ephesians 2, for by grace are you saved, through faith, that, not of yourselves, it is the gift, of God, not of works, lest any man, should boast.

[12:24] Friends, if you're thinking, that by working, by doing, by your, being something, you're saved, you're wrong. Salvation is not, of our works, it's not, by any doing, of our own, in any part, but simply, believing, the record, that God has given us, of his son, of his saviour, of our saviour, for our sin, of our trusting, implicitly, by the grace of God, in Calvary's tree, and what our God, has done for us there, finished, finished, finished, a completed work, a done, completed act, of God's having, taken, and paid, our sins, covered, for them, paid for them, salvation, is in reach, of all, who will, make that, all important call, to trust him, take that step, trust him, make that call, call, on the name, of the Lord, and you will be saved, excuse me, salvation, is a life, change, a destination, change, faith, saves, secondly, faith, justifies, in Romans 5, one it says, therefore being justified, by faith, we have, peace, with God, through our Lord,

[13:44] Jesus Christ, justified, justified, made right, in the sight of God, this is faith, faith that, makes us steadfast, when the battle, ranges the hottest, that gives us the courage, to stand, when the flesh, desires to run, a faith that, clears the slate clean, the faith, that says, that you are declared, righteous, before God, Romans 8, verse 1, it says, there is therefore now, no condemnation, to them, which are in, Christ Jesus, but it doesn't leave it there, it doesn't stop there, there's no full stop there, it says, who walk not, after the flesh, but, after the spirit, now it's sad to say, some modern Bibles, take that part of the verse out, that's a dreadful, dreadful omission, a dreadful, dreadful, disgusting thing, to do to the word of God, the Bible says, there is therefore now, no condemnation, to them, which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not, after the flesh, but, after the spirit, it's important to note that, faith justifies, and faith, makes a change, there's a conversion, faith says, faith justifies, faith will prevail, it says in the back of the book, 1 John 5, 4, it says, for whatsoever, is born of God, overcometh, the world, and this, is the victory, that overcometh, the world, even, our faith, faith will prevail, faith will prevail, we're in a battle, and there's a shield, there's a shield, for us, a shield, that is sufficient, to quench, some, of the fiery darts, of the wicked, amen, no, that's wrong,

[15:39] I tricked you, I tricked you, faith, is sufficient, to quench, some, all, all, all, of the fiery darts, of the wicked, all, of the fiery darts, of the wicked, God had filled, though you may face, suffering, though you may face, losses, and crosses, and hardships, and grief, the shield of faith, is able, to quench, all, of the fiery darts, of the wicked, Paul and Silas, knew that faith, when they're in the prison cell, singing from their hearts, even in the midst, of the darkest of nights, faith made them sing, at the midnight hour, God had filled, their hearts with faith, they knew that God, was with them, let us learn, to rejoice in the Lord, to follow, their example, but be assured, flaming arrows, will come, flaming fiery missiles, will be cast at you, because your enemy, has still, his dastardly work to do, he's not clocked off yet, you know, the enemy, is still firing, those fiery missiles, your way, he's still, attacking, and so we must go, on the offensive, brother and sister, we must go, on the offensive, the fiery darts, he will look, for the, chinks, in your armor, he will look, for those weak spots, he will look, for those besetting sins, he will look, for those weaknesses, in your spiritual life, he will, um, concentrate, on that Achilles heel, if you like, that, that, that weakest path, that where you are weak, where you are tempted, raise the shield, raise the shield, have confidence, in God, and his word,

[17:31] Satan can stride, what he likes, at you, your faith, in Christ, will keep you, sure, and safe, the shield, the shield, that the Roman soldiers, used, uh, protected them, from the arrows, of the enemy, and the shield, of faith, will protect you, Christian soldier, the shield, of faith, just as the, Roman soldiers, soaked, their shield, in the water, uh, that leather, would then, uh, retain some of the moisture, and the fiery missiles, would be extinguished, and we've got, the water of the word, we've got God's word, uh, that can be, a short, uh, shield to us, our Lord can, protect us, from the enemy's, flaming arrows, it says, he is a shield, unto them, that put their trust, in him, do you trust him, do you trust him today, I urge you, trust him, trust him today, trust him like George Mueller, who said, the only way, to learn strong faith, is to endure, strong trials,

[18:41] I have learned my faith, by standing firm, amid severe testings, it could be, that your faith, will be tested, right, it could be, that you'll go, through a trial, of your faith, yet, God helping you, your faith, will be refined, purified, made, even more, glorious, for God's glory, as believers, we can expect, to be under attack, expected, don't fall asleep, at the sentry post, don't fall asleep, stay, away, on duty, stay ready, stay, in the battle zone, alert, resisting, the enemy, it could mean, a number of darts, are going to come, in your direction, in the days ahead, brother, sister, do not be deterred, when the darts come, when sin problems come, don't fall for it, flee from temptation, put yourself, in the safe place, don't give place, to the devil, don't put yourself, in that situation, of temptation, don't do, that which you are, tempted to do, if you know, something is sinful, turn from it, turn from it, turn from it, decide by faith, that you will stand, when difficulties come, when afflictions, when doubts, when depressing circumstances, are, sending those fiery darts, at you, the enemy wants, to destroy your faith, he wants to throw doubts, and troubles at you, he wants to attack, your virtue, and godliness, he wants to soil, your testimony, so that you'll feel, condemned, so that you'll feel, lousy, you'll feel like, you're not a good enough,

[20:29] Christian, it's the enemy brother, it's the enemy sister, stand, by faith stand, having done all, stand, stand on that, battlefield, and don't compromise, he wants to, discourage, and defeat, but praise god, the shield of faith, is able to quench, how many, how many, all, all, all, of the fiery darts, of the wicked, the shield of faith, this shield, cannot be pierced, this shield, cannot be destroyed, though the enemy's, attacks, come, the hardest, and the fiercest, yet, you can stand, and be assured, of his safety, the lord, is your defender, your protection, you know, there's so many verses, I was just looking, the last few days, at how he's our fortress, he's our deliverer, he's our stronghold, he's our refuge, he's our hiding place, from his sisters, read the Psalms, and get a hold, of those promises, of who God is for you, and come, and take shelter, under those, protecting wings, don't step outside, then, a quote, from Spurgeon, a British subject, may be safe, although surrounded, by enemies, in a distant land, not that he has strength, to contend alone, against armed thousands, but because, he is a subject, of our queen, a despot, on his throne, in other words, a dictator, a horde, of savages, in their desert, have committed, a helpless traveler, to pass unharmed, like a lamb, among lions, although, like lions, looking on a lamb, they thirsted, for his blood, because they knew, his sovereign's, watchfulness, and feared, his sovereign's power, it goes on, the feeble stranger, has a charmed life, in the midst, of his enemies, because, a royal arm, unseen, encompasses him, as with a shield, a royal arm, unseen, encompasses him, as with a shield, the power, thus wielded, by an earthly throne, may suggest, and symbolize, the perfect, protection, of omnipotence, a British subject's, confidence in his queen, may rebuke, the feeble faith, of a Christian, oh ye, of little faith, why, did you doubt, he goes on, though there be fears, within, and fightings, without, he who bought, his people, with his own blood, cannot, lose, his inheritance, and will not, permit any enemy, to wrest from his hand, the satisfaction, of his soul, you, are, his, we have, a greater, than the king, or queen, of a country, on this world, we have the king, more glorious, the king of glory, we have the king, of kings, as the one, who is our sure defender, who is himself, our shield, he is our safety, so how do we have, this faith, that I'm speaking of today, it's a faith, simple, a faith, a faith, that can grow, as we trust him, as we walk with him, as, it grows brighter, and brighter, the path, of the just, as we spend time, with our Lord, with his word, as we seek his way, we'll keep that shield, in good shape,

[24:31] and this shield, really, truly, our Lord, it's his word, it's his protecting power, every word of God, is pure, he is a shield, unto them, that put their trust, in him, will you put your trust, in him, will you trust him, with your life, with your time, and your eternity, will you trust him now, trust him now, trust him now, will you, respond to his stirring, his promptings, his convicting, and challenging power, to respond, and to bow the knee, to, turn, in faith, and repentance, or will you, try to still have it, your own way, will you still try, to somehow, sit on the fence, and think you can have, a little bit of Christianity, just enough to, kind of get you, over the line, just enough, to get you, through the gate, at the end of your life, but not enough, to truly, walk with the Saviour, not enough, to take up your cross, daily, and follow him, is your faith, such that it is, limited, to just what's, comfortable, just what's, convenient, will it be, saving faith, that the truth, is on fire, in your heart, blazing, consuming, taking the dross, and burning it up, not that you can, claim credit for it, but because you love him, you will obey him, because you love him, you will follow him, the word, talks about, the unity of the faith, our faith, is a wonderful unity, when God's people, get together, when we stick together, it's like the Roman soldiers, as they gather together, in this formation, they had those shields, virtually interlocking, side by side, by side, like a tortoise shell, like a tortoise shell, they're just totally, covering, the formation, of soldiers, as we stick together, there's a unity, of our faith, as the Roman soldiers, would stand, alongside one another, in combat, as they raised, their shields, above them, above all, taking the shield, of faith, it was over them, it was in front of them, and it was all around them, it was a wall, of protection, for the army, for the fellow soldiers, and there's a strength, when you get together, with God's people, there's a strength, when you interlock, your arms, with fellow believers, who love the Lord, and want that same, godly, life, where two, or three are gathered together, he is there, in the midst, he is here, today, and it's with our togetherness, as God's people, that the shields, can be tall enough, to hide behind, when facing the enemy, the Roman soldiers, brought that wall, of protection, as they brought, their shields together, and we turn, as the church, of the living God, as just an assembly, in this location, of God's people together, we can shelter, and we can help, one another, we can help, one another, when you're weak, another can help you, when I'm weak, you can help me, we need, one another, you're not strong enough, to go it alone, you need a church, a need, a fellowship, to shelter together, as a unified wall, unity of the faith, that fellowship, where we can pray, for one another, when you've got a need, you know, there's someone you can call, there's someone you can talk to, brother pray for me, sister pray for me, you know, there's people you can meet with, that you can care, for one another, that you can care, for one another, outside of this building, this isn't the church,

[28:33] it's you and me, that we can care, for one another, that we can march, together as a church, our efforts united, to capture, enemy territory, every word, of God is, pure, he is a shield, unto them, that put, their trust in him, where will you place your trust, will you place your trust, on this temporary, passing world, on the passing, fleeting fancies, that occupy, your energies and time, and waste, those precious moments, moment by moment, that's your life, moment by moment, by moment, it's your life, make it count, place your trust in him, not in the world, not in the flesh, but in him, how can I, get faith, seek ye the Lord, while he may be found, call upon him, while he is near, let the wicked, forsake his way, and the unrighteous man, his thoughts, and let him return, unto the Lord, and he'll have mercy, upon him, and to our God, for he, will abundantly, pardon,

[29:45] Isaiah 55, stop trusting, in yourself, was the great mistake, the Pharisees made, wasn't it, they trusted, in themselves, now when they, they made some great mistakes, but essentially, they trusted, in the wrong thing, and we can trust, in the wrong thing, we can trust, in some, empty profession, we can trust, in some, token, claim, to be a Christian, we can trust, in our own works, as if by virtue, of turning up, at a church meeting, every so often, that somehow, giving you some credit, when the almighty God, that somehow, he's going to weigh it all up, at the end of the day, and think, oh, you're a pretty alright, kind of person, so you, you can answer my heaven, because of, your good works, that you've done, because you've given, something to charity, because you've, been a nice kind of guy, a nice kind of girl, that you've, somehow, as the world would measure it, you're a good person, the Bible says, you're far from it, you're far from good, you're not good, there's none, no, not one, none righteous, no, not one, there's none, that seeketh after God, there is none, that are good, friends, your only goodness, is his, if you would but trust him, your only shield, is him today, the Lord is your shield, come under his shield, outside of the shield, you're at great risk, and danger, you're at great risk, friends, today, if you're outside of the shield, of your faith, if you don't trust him, you're lost, you're lost, and condemned, and there is no hope for you, let the wicked, forsake, his way, you can't fool God, you cannot fool God, you can fool people, you can fool me, you can fool your friends, you can fool your family, but you cannot fool God,

[31:51] God is not mocked, get right with God, you know, years ago, there was an old time, assembly hall, and painted on the wooden frontage, frontage, it said, the words, get right, with God, that was the slogan, at the front of this church, and, friends, if you're not right with God, please, I urge you, make peace with him today, let the wicked, forsake his way, forsake that way, it's the wrong way, it's got to be a U-turn, it's got to be a change of direction, every word of God is pure, he is a shield unto them, that put their trust in him, let us pray, dear Lord, we thank you that you are, our shield, we that trust you, not a trusting of our own, not a trusting of ourselves, but a trusting entirely of what you have done, as you cried out, it is finished, you thought of us then, you thought of these ones, you thought of that joy, that was set before you, the joy, as the angels rejoice, over one sinner, that repents, there's a joy, in those that come, and put their trust in you,

[33:11] Lord, we pray, if there's any wandering souls here today, if there's any, who, professes, yet not possesses, of salvation, that they'll find what it is, to put their trust in you, from this moment, they can be assured, that you are their shield, that they know, beyond a doubt, that their sins have been forgiven, because you have paid for them, Lord, let it be that people might trust you today, those that you call unto yourself, those that will have their ears unblocked, that they might hear your word, that they might hear your voice, that they might know that convicting, drawing of your Holy Spirit, unto the cross today, that people might bow their hearts, their wills to you, Lord, that you might crumble us, at the throne of grace, that we might be humbled, and made low, that you can lift us up, out of our sin, into that salvation, Lord, we pray, if there's any present here today, that they'll know that convicting power, of the Holy Spirit,

[34:11] Lord, we pray, dear God, help us to love your word, help us to know, that faith, to know that trust, to know, that you are our shield, you'll help us, if there's any here today, there's tough times, we all will face, yet we know that, through it all, you are our shield, and you'll help us through, whatever comes across our path, help, Lord, struggling ones here today, people struggling with temptation, people who are, inclined, to slip, and fall, Lord, help us to put, our trust in you, not in our own efforts, or strength, for your glory, we pray, in Jesus name, Amen.