The Believer's Armor, Part 4: The Shield of Faith B

So, the only way to quench the darts of Satan is to believe God. The Bible says Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. 2 Corinthians 1.24 says, By faith ye stand.

That's right. It's the shield that causes us to stand faith in God. Welcome to Grace to You with John MacArthur.

I'm your host, Phil Johnson. If you're a Christian, do you realize that you are under attack every day? You have an enemy named Satan. He's relentless and he is vicious. He tempts you to sin. He seeks to discourage you, and he wants you to doubt the reality of your own faith.

So how do you fend off his attacks? Find out as John MacArthur shows you how to use the shield of faith, a vital piece of the believer's armor. Now before we get started, John, here's a question I haven't asked you for a while. What's on your reading list these days? I always pay attention to the books that you're going through because it gives me a lot of helpful direction in my own reading.

So what has captured your attention lately? You know, I've been reading a little book. I can't remember the title of it, but it has to do with The Christian Walk, written by one of the Westminster theologians I've been reading, John Piper's book on Providence. It's 650 pages, but it's really a biblical theology.

I'm 400 pages in. It's really a monumental work. It traces God's operation in the world from the beginning to the consummation, and it shows how God's providence orders everything. It's just loaded with Scripture.

It's dense, but it's incredibly rich. There are a few other books on doctrinal themes that I have been reading, some sections on the atonement. I'm always enjoying reading Christian biographies from time to time. I have read recently a couple of smaller works on John Knox because I do well when I have some heroes who make me feel small and insignificant. John Knox was heroic.

John Knox would be one such man, or William Tyndale for that matter. I guess that sums up the fact that I read mostly theology and Christian biography of people that I know God has blessed in profound ways and put his hand on, and I want to keep doing that. I read a relatively new book on Spurgeon, too, which I found to be very helpful, and also a wonderful book on his sort of friend across town, Reverend Brown, who pastored in a more low-income part of London but had an amazing impact there.

So those kind of biographies are wonderfully encouraging to me, and they help me keep my focus on the right kind of models and examples. Yes, and all those men had an incredible trust in the Lord. And friend, that is exactly what today's message is going to help you do, trust the Lord even more. So let's jump right to it.

Here's John MacArthur. We come again to Ephesians chapter 6. Ephesians chapter 6, and we're looking at this wonderful section on the armor of the Christian. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies, or wicked spirits in the heavenlies. Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand, therefore, having your loins girded about with truthfulness, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith, with which ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Now here we have the great text in the book of Ephesians that delineates for us the warfare of the Christian.

Our manner of life in this world will be conflict. We are set against the enemy. We are fighting against the devil and his demons who are actively involved in an aggressive attack on the truth of God and the character of God and his people. Now we need to ask ourselves, what are the fiery darts?

What is it we're trying to stop? They're seducing temptations, that's all. He's simply referring to temptation. Satan fires shafts of impurity, shafts of selfishness, doubt, fear, disappointment, lust, greed, vanity, covetousness, it all comes down to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. He literally bombards the believer with the arrows, the fiery darts of seductive temptation to elicit out of us ungodly, non-Christ-like evil responses. And the only defense we have at this point, Paul says, is the shield of faith. Because sometimes it just rains temptation. We live in a world where it really does.

It really does. All around us, we must have the shield of faith. Now what does he mean by the shield of faith? We understand the Roman picture.

We got the picture of the army and the arrows flying around. Why is faith a shield against temptation? How does faith parry the arrows? How does faith secure the victory? Well, first of all, let me say that the term faith means believing God. And that is the bottom line of the Christian faith.

That is the bottom line of everything we believe, everything we hold to, everything we have our confidence in. The whole of Christianity is an act of believing that God is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Believing that He wrote the Bible. Believing that Christ is God. Believing that He died. Believing that He rose.

Believing that He's coming. Believing that by believing we can enter into His kingdom. The whole thing, that's why Habakkuk 2.4 says, the just shall live by His faith. Romans 1.17 says, the just shall live by faith. Galatians 3.11, the just shall live by faith. Hebrews 10, the just shall live by faith.

Now when God says something that many times, you get the message. The just live by faith. Faith is our life. It is a matter of believing God. Now everybody lives by something. Everybody has faith in something. You get in your car, you have faith that'll get you where you're going without blowing up.

We're not just talking about that. Like the man on the ad in the magazine, they have that monstrous bulldozing earth mover, that huge thing, and the man stands there with his arms folded like this and says, I call her faith because she can move mountains. I always remember reading in Reader's Digest about the people who drank the water in the town of Kansas. It was coming to them on some kind of a pipe system out of a great big huge reservoir storage tank. And what was so fascinating about it was they drained the storage tank when they converted to another system and they found all kinds of dead animals in the bottom of the storage tank.

And everybody got retroactive dysentery. It's one thing to live by faith, but you better be sure your faith isn't the right thing. Oliver Wendell Holmes pulled up his chest one day and said, and everybody thought it was a great statement, he said, it is faith in something that makes life worth living. Faith in something. It's not faith in something. A little leaguer came into his mom and he said, Mom, I think we're going to lose the game today.

She said, no, son. Think positive, all right? I'm positive we're going to lose the game today. Faith has got to be in something that's worth putting faith in. What is faith? Faith is believing God.

Now hang on. Believing God. And every fiery dart that Satan ever shot was a lie, and if you bought it and if I bought it, we believed Him, not God. When the great missionary John Payton was translating the Scripture for the South Sea Islanders, he found there was no word in their vocabulary for believe. There was no word in their vocabulary for trust or have faith.

He had no idea how he would convey it to them since they had no word for it. One day as he was in his hut translating, a native came running and running hard and fast, ran up the stairs and in and just flapped himself in Payton's study in a chair. And then he said to John Payton, it's so good to rest my whole weight in this chair. And John Payton said, I had my word. Faith is resting your whole weight on God.

That became the word that entered into the translation of their New Testament that brought that whole civilization of natives to Christ. Believing is putting your whole weight on God. It's saying if God said it, it's true, and I'll believe it. Now how does this work in temptation?

Let me show you. God comes to the Garden of Eden, creates a perfect environment, creates a perfect man and perfect woman, perfect in the sense of sinlessness, not in the sense of an accomplished perfection, untested. And there they are and here comes Satan. Disguised as a serpent and what does he say? Has God really said? And then he says, you know, God doesn't want you to know good and evil because you'll be like him and he doesn't like competition. You can't trust God. He has ulterior motives.

You can't always believe exactly what he says. Satan was tempting them to doubt God and believe him. Eve was a sucker. Eve was a fool.

She believed the devil and you know what happened. Every temptation that ever came to you came on the tack of believe me, not God. Well you come to the New Testament, the great passage on temptation is in Matthew 4 and Luke 4, the temptation of Jesus Christ.

Christ has been fasting 40 days and 40 nights led into the wilderness by the Spirit of God as God prepared him for his ministry. At the end of that time, Satan comes to him to tempt him. And how does he tempt him? He tempts him to not believe God.

Same old deal. Don't believe God, believe me. And this is the approach. Take those stones and turn them into bread. Now there's nothing wrong with doing that. If you're the Son of God, you can make stones bread. It's not a moral thing. Some people say the sin was in eating bread. It's not a sin to eat bread. If that's true, we're all sinners.

Most of you had it for breakfast. That's not the point. There's no sin in eating bread and there's no sin in doing a miracle if you happen to be God.

Here was the approach though. Satan was saying to him, hey, what's the deal? Forty days in the wilderness, nothing to eat. Forty days out here in this God-forsaken devastation. Forty days out here, what has God done?

Abandon you? Why, God said He would take care of you. God said He would sustain you. God said He would replenish your need. And you're the Son of God.

What's going on? Grab some satisfaction. You can't wait for God.

He's forgotten you. You see, it was a temptation to distrust God, a temptation to not believe God, a temptation to take things into His own hands. And then Satan said, look, didn't God promise to make you the Messiah? Didn't God promise that every knee would bow before you? Didn't God promise that you'd be the king and all of these things? Didn't God promise you homage and worship, kiss the sun and all of that stuff?

Where is it? Look at you out here. Come with me and we'll go to the temple and you'll dive off and they'll say, wow, what a deal, this is the Messiah and you'll get all of the stuff you've been looking for. And by the way, didn't God tell you He'd give you the kingdoms of the world? You're not doing too well. You don't have any of them.

Come with me and I'll give them to you. In other words, don't believe God. He doesn't keep His word. He didn't give you the whole picture. He didn't tell you the truth. Believe me.

Do it my way. And that's the way every temptation comes to every believer every time. Satan comes along and says, oh yeah, I know the Bible says you're not supposed to have sexual relationships with somebody outside of marriage, but it's fine. Every time you sin, you've bought Satan's lie.

Every time. Somebody said, well, I know the Bible says I'm only to marry a Christian and he's not a Christian, but oh, we have this wonderful relationship. The Lord will work it all out.

We're all praying for Him. And you know, after all, the Lord is gracious and so you know what you've done? God says, don't do it. Satan says, do it, do it, do it. Who did you believe? Satan.

Satan. God says, don't read that corruption in front of you. Don't read that dirty magazine.

Don't go watch that dirty film. Don't cheat on your income tax. Don't do that at the office that isn't right.

Don't claim something you don't really have on your expense account. Don't do that. Satan says, do it, do it. You get a little more money.

You have a little more thrills. Who do you believe when you sin? You believe the devil. It's the bottom line, people.

It's so simple. When you sin, you believe Satan. When you obey, you believe God. That's the bottom line.

And the shield is the double protection. I will believe God, said Christ. Get away, Satan. God will feed me when He's ready. And God will anoint me as Messiah when He's ready.

And God will give me the kingdoms of the world when He's ready. On His terms, I will not believe you. First John 5, 10 says, if you doubt God, you make Him a what?

A liar. Is God a liar? Titus 1, to God who cannot lie. God isn't lying. And yet every time you sin, you're dumb enough to believe Satan. And so am I.

We've been suckered again. Oh, I know that I ought to give this to the Lord. This is what I ought to give the Lord. But oh boy, I want to buy this. I want to do this.

I want to save this. And so we do what we think we're going to win by doing. We're going to do it, and we're going to just sort of shove God in the corner.

It'll all work out, you know. And all we've done is cheat ourselves. See?

We just cheat ourselves. God stands there with His hands open, and He says, if you ask Me for bread, will I give you a stone? No. Do I want to open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings so much you can't contain it? Do I want to give it back to you, pressed down, shaken together and running over? Do I want to bless you with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies?

Do I want to do exceeding abundantly above all you can ask or think? Do I want to give you every good and perfect thing that comes down from the Father of lights and whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning? Do I want to unload all of the substance of heaven all over you for as long as you live?

Yes, I do. And will you believe Me and obey Me so I can? Satan comes along and says, do it my way, and you'll like it.

It'll be fun. It'll fulfill you. You'll gain what you—it's a lie. He is a liar, John 8.44, the father of lies, and every time he comes, it's a lying intent. Whenever you sin, you're saying, I really don't believe God knows best. Satan knows best. Do you believe it? No. We say, oh, my God, to supply all your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus, and we all say, amen, brother, preach it. Yes, he'll supply all your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus.

No question about it. And then when we lose a job, oh, God, what are you doing to me? Desperation. The Lord has forsaken us.

See? Yes, we know the Bible says I've never seen God's people begging bread. Oh, yes, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added. And we run through life seeking all the things that should be added and missing the kingdom of God. You know, you can't just go around saying, I believe God, I have faith in God, the just to live by faith, and then grab everything you can grab. Proverbs 8.34 says, happy is the man who hears My word and keeps it.

Want to be happy? Obey. Jeremiah 15.16, Jeremiah was living in the midst of a society where nobody listened to God.

Absolutely nobody. And yet he said, thy words were found and I did eat them and thy word was in me, the joy and rejoicing of my heart. Psalm 119 from beginning to end says how wonderful it is to obey the Word of God. Revelation 1.3 says happy is the man who reads this and keeps it. First John 1.4, I write these things unto you that your joy may be full. If you want joy and blessing, abundant, obey the Word.

If you want your heart to burn in you as it did in those on the road to Emmaus, then let the Word find root in your life. Satan comes along and says, don't believe God, have fun. Don't believe God, do what you think. And every time you sin, you believe the devil. It's pretty dumb, isn't it?

We keep doing it. You know, I hate him so much I just don't want to sin because I don't even like to give him that much satisfaction, let alone forfeit the blessing of God. So the only way to quench the darts of Satan is to believe God. The Bible says Abraham believed God that was counted to him for righteousness. Who do you believe? Abraham believed God. Who do you believe? You believe God? Second Corinthians 1.24 says, by faith ye stand.

That's right. It's the shield that causes us to stand, faith in God. Believe God and you'll stand. Proverbs 30 verse 5.

Oh, it's a great statement. Every word of God is pure. He is a shield unto those who put their trust in him. Don't add to his words, lest he reprove thee and thou be found a liar. In other words, what God said is true. If you believe it and obey it, it'll be a shield.

If you mess with it, you'll suffer. See? Satan comes along and says, oh well, I know God said that, but let me add this. No.

No. He is a shield to those who put their trust in him. And then in Psalm 12 verse 6, you have a similar word. The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tested in a furnace of earth seven times purified. In Psalm 18 verse 30, we find this. As for God, his way is perfect. The word of the Lord is proven. He is a shield to all those who trust in him. As long as you believe God, your shield is up. I hope you understand this.

It's just that simple. Satan lies. You believe his lie.

The shield comes down. You get it. Trust God in everything. First John 5 for, this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Oh, that's right. We win when we believe God. We win when we trust God. You may go through doubts and anxieties and fears and worries and concerns and problems and struggles and trials and tribulations and persecutions. As long as you believe God, as you believe his sustenance, you believe his word, you believe his power, you believe his promise, that doesn't have to be a point of loss.

It can be a point of strengthening, a point of gain. In 1 Peter 5, 8 and 9, a verse we've referred to many times in this study, Peter says, be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil like a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Now listen, whom resist steadfast in faith. Steadfast in faith. You resist the devil by believing God.

So let me sum it up. The shield of faith is the consistent application of what we believe about God to the issues of life. Now if you don't trust him, then you don't know him well enough, right?

Because if you really knew him, you'd trust him. Oh, the more you know God, the deeper you get into the heart of God, the more you know about his truth and the word of God and the more you meditate upon his person and your prayers and meditating times, the more you know God, the greater you'll trust God and the greater you trust God, the less likely you will be to not believe him. And so it all goes back, as everything does in the Christian life, to your relationship to God.

It's there. It's down deep in the heart. If you love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, if you believe that God is who he claimed to be, if you believe all that God's promises that he gave to you are really true, then you're not going to sin because you're going to stand in the place of the greatest blessing. Everybody wants to be blessed.

Everybody wants the best. God says, I'll give it to you if you do it my way. If you do it Satan's way, you just disbelieved God. But the more you know him, the more you'll trust him, the more you'll believe him. Genesis 15 one, God said, fear not Abraham, I am thy shield.

Isn't that great? I am thy shield. Psalm 46, God is our refuge and strength, the very present help in time of trouble. Proverbs says, the name of our Lord is a strong tower and the righteous runs into it and is safe. Psalm 84 says, the Lord God is a shield. He's on your side and he wants to bless you and he wants to give you victory over Satan, but you've got to believe him and do it his way.

Keep his word and obey it. So we're ready for the battle, the belt of commitment, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of confidence that God's on our side. And then when the battle begins, we grab the shield, taking it up, and we parry the fiery darts of temptation by trusting God implicitly. Beloved, there's no reason, there's no reason to lose the battle.

None at all. Because ultimately the war is ours. Romans 8, we are more than conquerors.

That's the total picture. No sense losing along the way. If we put the armor on, we'll win. Let's pray together. As we pray, I want to borrow a prayer, a prayer from an old Puritan who expressed what's in my heart.

Pray with me. Oh God, I bless thee that the issue of the battle between thyself and Satan has never been uncertain and will end in victory. I thank thee that Calvary broke the dragon's head and I contend with a vanquished foe who with all his subtlety and strength has already been overcome.

When I feel the serpent at my heel, may I remember him whose heel was bruised but who when bruised broke the devil's head. My soul with inward joy extols the mighty conqueror. Heal me, oh God, of any wounds received in the great conflict. If I have gathered defilement, if my faith has suffered damage, if my hope is less than bright, if my love is not fervent, if some creature comfort occupies my heart, if my soul sinks under the pressure of the fight, oh, thou whose every promise is balm, whose every touch is life, draw near to thy weary warrior. Refresh me, oh Lord, that I may rise again to wage the strife and never tire till my enemy is trodden down. Give me such fellowship with thee that I may defy Satan, unbelief, the flesh, the world with delight that comes not from a creature and which a creature cannot mar.

Oh, Lord, give me a draft of the eternal fountain that lies in thy immutable everlasting love. Then shall my hand never weaken, my feet never stumble, my sword never rust, my helmet never shatter, my breastplate never fall, my strength shall ever rest in the power of thy might, and my faith shall shield me from every temptation. Father, to that prayer I add this.

If there are some in our midst this morning who've never even joined the army, they don't even know the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, God, may this be the day that they open their hearts to Christ. And for those who are Christians, Lord, who have such deep needs, who hunger to know the victory, may this be the day when they get the armor on, that they may know that victory that you've granted to all of your super conquerors through the risen Christ.

In Jesus' name we pray, amen. How can you withstand spiritual attacks in the days to come? That's what John MacArthur's study of the believer's armor here on Grace to You is all about.

He is equipping you to face the discouragement, doubt, and the temptations to sin that will come to you if you're a Christian. As a reminder, we recently published a study guide for John's series on the believer's armor. It's a great resource to use while listening to these lessons again, and it's also excellent for studying Ephesians chapter 6 with your small group. To order the believer's armor study guide, contact us today. Our number here, 800-55-GRACE, or you can shop at our website, GTY.org. The believer's armor study guide costs $11, and shipping is free.

And as with most of our resources, if you buy 10 or more, you'll receive an added discount. Again, to order the believer's armor study guide for yourself or for your home Bible study, call 800-55-GRACE or go to GTY.org. Now turning the corner a bit, let me remind you about the type of ministry you take part in when you support Grace to You financially. We recently got a letter from Stephan. He's a new believer who is using our free resources to grow in his faith. We also heard from Ewell, a longtime believer, who said that John's teaching on Galatians greatly helped him understand the doctrine of sanctification. When you support Grace to You, you minister to believers in every stage of spiritual growth, and you can partner with us. To do it, go to GTY.org or call us at 800-55-GRACE. Now for John MacArthur and the entire Grace to You staff, I'm Phil Johnson, inviting you back when John continues his series on the believer's armor with another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth, one verse at a time, on Tomorrow's Grace to You.