Spiritual Warfare: The Armor of God: Shield of Faith Hebrews 11:1-3
There is the Belt of Truth, realizing that the only standard of truth is
Jesus. As we fasten the Belt of Truth
about ourselves, we are called to remember to wrap Christ completely around
ourselves—so that all that we say, all that we do, and all that we even think
is reflective of Jesus’s presence in our lives.
It means we ensure that every action and every decision is governed by
our Lord and Savior.
There is the Breastplate of Righteousness. Covering both our heart and lungs it reminds
us that any righteousness we possess comes from God and God alone—through the
outpouring of the blood of Christ, causing us to be seen as righteous in the
eyes of God and through the infilling of the breath of God, the Holy Spirit, as
we surrender our lives over to God, actually transforming us into more
righteous children of God. As the
breastplate bears the crest of the king, when we wear the Breastplate of
Righteousness, we are giving advance notice to folks that as we arrive, we are
about the work of our King. That work is
the work of righteous justice—God’s efforts to make things right and set them
in line with His original creation—perfect harmony with Him and with one
another.
Last time we reflected on the Armor of God, we considered footwear, as
Paul called us to put on our feet whatever would make us ready to proclaim the
Gospel of Peace. As our chancel area was
filled with a variety of shoes, we recognized that there are many different ways
that we might proclaim the Gospel of Peace—through spoken word, through music,
through dance, through works of justice, through acts of compassion, through
the ministry of presence…. We also
acknowledged that the Gospel of Peace is many things, but above all else, it is
the Peace that Jesus brings—Peace between us and God, Peace between each other,
the call to be Peacemakers, and the ability to find Peace in the midst of the
storm.
Today, if you haven’t already figured it out, we have come to talk about
a shield. Not Captain America’s shield,
though, but God’s shield, stronger and more solid than even a shield made out
of rare Vibranium. Paul puts it this
way, “With all of these (the belt, the breastplate, and the footwear), take the
shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows
of the evil one.”
Make no mistake, the enemy is going to attack. The enemy is going to hurl
everything it can at the children of God.
It knows it has lost the war, but battle for battle, the enemy is going
to try and take down as many of God’s faithful as it can. Evil knows that it cannot destroy the people
of God on its own, as long as they are loyal to their Creator, Savior, and
Sustainer. However, the enemy will
attempt to make the faithful become faithless through fear.
Biblical scholar Edward Murphy points to the threat of the flaming
arrows. Historically, he says, some
archers in battle would coat the tip of their arrows with tar or pitch, light
them, and then launch them. These arrows
would sail through the air and if they missed the soldier, they would surely
hit the shield. While not damaging the
shields, the tar or pitch would spread out on the shield causing it to flame
brilliantly, often causing the soldier holding the shield to drop it and run in
fear, opening themselves up to other forms of attack.[1] If they had just stayed behind their shield,
as scary as it might have been, many would have remained safe.
What kind of flaming arrows are does the enemy launch at us? A cancer diagnosis…a job layoff…the loss of
someone we love dearly…an empty bank account and an unexpected bill…a broken
relationship…the betrayal of a friend…a failed attempt to overcome an addiction
or giving in to temptation…one more wave of depression…judgmental
condemnation…feelings of doubt about the reality of the grace of God in our
lives or that we’ve truly been forgiven…
So faced with these flaming arrows, Paul tells us to take up the Shield
of Faith. Here’s a difference between
Cap’s shield and the shield that the folks of Paul’s time would have carried. With Cap’s round shield there is a lot of
body unprotected. The soldiers of Paul’s
time carried shields that were a good bit bulkier. Their shields were about 4 foot in height and
plenty wide enough for a soldier to completely crouch behind and find themselves
protected from any flaming arrows or any other attack being hurled at them.
That’s why Paul ties the images of faith with a shield. It is faith that keeps us completely
protected regardless of what arrows or attacks the enemy fires at us and quenches
the fear that we will be overtaken. What
faith is that? It is the faith that
nothing that comes against us…medical diagnosis, employment problems, financial
troubles, betrayals, or even death can separate us from the love of God found
in Christ Jesus our Lord. It is the
faith that in the midst of one wave of depression after another, in the face of
one storm after another, that our future is not one of darkness, but one of our
wellbeing and hope…it is a future in which we have the faith that God will take
all things and bring them to blessing.
It is a faith that in Christ we have received forgiveness and we no
longer stand condemned…that Christ has done all the work needed for our forgiveness
and that there is no sin that is beyond His redemption. It is a faith that God’s Spirit is still
being poured out upon us, giving us the strength we need to overcome any
addiction and any temptation, that there is no temptation that God will allow us
to face that He will not also provide the way out that we may endure and remain
faithful. It is a faith that every
promise of God is true, and among those promises is found the promise that we
will never be left alone. With this kind
of faith, there is no attack that can come against us that cannot be endured
and survived.
The shields of both Captain America and the soldiers remind us of yet one
more consideration that ties to the Shield of Faith…and to the promise that we
will never be left alone. That is, that
we are stronger together and not meant to go into battle alone. Remember the scenes from the shield
montage? Among them were the combination
of powers with Cap’s shield—the idea that teammates accomplished together what
they could not have done alone…Iron Man’s repulsor beam deflected at angles off
the shield, the combination of Cap’s shield and the physical maneuvering of
Black Widow launching her into the air, and a shockwave of wind and power from
Thor’s hammer striking the shield. Similarly,
the shields that Paul would have had in mind, those of the soldiers of his day,
were built with their handles offset to one side. The reason for this was to enable the
soldiers as they took their defensive stand to set their shield up against and
joined with the shield of his fellow soldier, and as one joined to the next, a
defensive wall formed, protecting not only each solider, but forming a stronger
barrier that would protect all.
As we fight this war, my brothers and sisters, we are not meant to fight
it alone. We each put on the armor and
we each carry a Shield of Faith. We are
called to join together, to let our faith interlock with the faith of our
brothers and sisters in Christ, that together we form a barrier of faith in
which we are able to support and hold one another, forming a barrier that no
flaming arrow can penetrate, a barrier that allows our brothers and sisters to
help us stand firm behind our faith when the flames make us want to run. We stand together, arm in arm, hand in hand,
our faith joined and interlocked with one another, as the Body of Christ,
claiming the victory that has already been won.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…Amen.
[1]
Murphy, Edward F., Handbook for Spiritual
Warfare, Revised. “A Look at Each Piece of the Armor.”
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