Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

Spiritual Warfare, Part 15 Ephesians 6:10-16 The devil seeks to keep the unsaved from salvation in Jesus & keep the saved from living for Christ. The unsaved fall victim to: False religions & cults Self-righteousness, The futile pursuit of happiness & vanity

Spiritual Warfare, Part 15 Ephesians 6:10-16 Christians can also fall victim to the devil’s lies & slander and live contrary to God’s commands. Escape from pain Materialism Hedonism We must be controlled by truth even when it is uncomfortable

Spiritual Warfare, Part 15 Ephesians 6:10-16 We must be clothed with the imputed righteousness of Christ and walk in practical righteousness Our feet must be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace in order to stand firm against the devil

The Shield of Faith Not the smaller, light shields of the calvary, but the large θυρεος / thureos - 4 ft X 2 ½ ft

The Shield of Faith Ephesians 6:16 Soldiers walking together could form a moving wall Arrows would bounce off or harmlessly stick into such shields.

The Importance of Faith The shield is emphasized If you mess up with the rest, DON'T FORGET YOUR SHIELD! It is by the shield of faith that “you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one.”

The Importance of Faith It is by faith that the righteousness of Christ is applied to my life and I am made holy in God's sight It is by faith that I walk in practical righteousness of believing and obeying the Lord It is by faith in Jesus that my bondage to sin is broken and I gain God’s peace by being reconciled to Him

Defining Faith Faith is “complete trust or confidence . . . the assent of the mind to the truth of a proposition advanced by another” Properly, faith is tied to actual truth, but it can often be improperly based in the whims of emotion and thought

Defining Faith Many claim faith in propositions that actually oppose each other: Economics: Socialism & capitalism Science: Evolution & science Morality: Tolerance for all - except the opposition Theology: Good works & faith in Christ.

Defining Faith The faith of Hebrews 11:1 is not a blind leap in any sense. The Christian faith is reasonable and demonstrable being based in truth and the quest for truth Since the evidence proves God in the areas I can observe & test, it is easy to trust Him in those I cannot

Faith, Belief & Trust Faith, belief & trust are all based on the same Greek word root - πιστις / pistis and πιστευω / pisteuo To pick and choose what you want about Jesus results in the belief in a false Jesus that cannot save you Faith must have the correct object. You must have faith in the right Jesus.

Faith, Belief & Trust The correct Jesus Christ is God incarnate, Born of a virgin, Sinless, Died as a substitute sacrifice for sin Rose from the dead on the third day, Seated on the right hand of the Father Is coming again

Faith, Belief & Trust Belief, faith and trust cannot be separated from each other or you prove to be self-deceived or a liar Biblical belief in Christ does not equal intellectual assent

Faith, Belief & Trust Saving faith means that I believe that The person and work of Jesus Christ is sufficient for salvation from my sin, And on that basis I place my complete trust in God for my eternal future

Faith in Daily Life Faith in God in daily life is what extinguishes the fiery missiles of our enemy Satan will lie and slander God, but faith in God enables you to believe, trust and obey Him Faith is not passive. It must be exercised - See Hebrews 11

Faith in Daily Life Their faith continued even in circumstances that were very unpleasant Faith may suffer set backs, consider: Abraham Gideon Barak David

Faith in Daily Life Faith continues on, strives & perseveres to victory. It is not the amount of faith, but the object of faith that is important. Faith in faith is foolishness & mimics sorcery. Faith must be in the God who rewards those who seek

Have you picked up your shield? What is your faith in? Have you picked up your shield?

Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ