SPEAKER_00: Ministering to the heart of Western Arkansas's River Valley for over 165 years, welcome to Chapter and First, the Bible Teaching Ministry of Fort Smith's First Baptist Church.
SPEAKER_00: You'll find sermons and teachings from Pastor Greg, our ministry staff, and guest speakers.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening.
SPEAKER_01: Wow.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus says, Praise the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Grateful for that.
SPEAKER_01: This week, as I was uh preparing for my part of this uh armor of God, which is the shield of faith, I started just thinking back when I was growing up of a time or times when I felt safe, when I felt protected.
SPEAKER_01: It was funny, I you know, I'm from Lawton, Oklahoma, and um growing up, there was a lot of times, which happens here too, but the tornado sirens would go off.
SPEAKER_01: And now back when I was little, you didn't have all the stuff on the TVs.
SPEAKER_01: So when the turret the tornado sirens were go off, it was like panic time.
SPEAKER_01: And um my house did not have a cellar.
SPEAKER_01: So we would get in, now I know this doesn't sound like it's safe, but we would get in the car when the sirens are going off, and we would drive, and the church was only about a block and a half, but the church, the bottom floor was underground, it was a basement.
SPEAKER_01: And I'll never forget those times we would get in the car and it would be rain, it would be raining so hard.
SPEAKER_01: There was one time I remember it was hailing, and we were driving down the street, I'm screaming, I'm crying in the car, headed to the church, we go running in the church, we go down in the basement, and then I started playing with my friends.
SPEAKER_01: I felt what?
SPEAKER_01: Safe.
SPEAKER_01: Or those other times I'd be laying in bed, and uh I could see out my window the lightning, and I could hear the thunder, I could even feel the thunder.
SPEAKER_01: And I remember laying in bed scared to death, and so I would get up and I would sneak down the hallway, and I would crawl in bed with my parents.
SPEAKER_01: The room was next door.
SPEAKER_01: It's not any safer in their room, but there was something about what?
SPEAKER_01: Getting in bed with my parents that within a couple minutes, guess what?
SPEAKER_01: I was safe and I was asleep.
SPEAKER_01: The picture today is as we look, if you have your Bibles, take out your Bibles to Ephesians 6.
SPEAKER_01: We're going to continue our series in Ephesians.
SPEAKER_01: But the shield of faith is a part of the armor of God described as we've been looking in Ephesians.
SPEAKER_01: After summarizing the gospel, Paul gives the Ephesians some more instructions.
SPEAKER_01: Paul concludes this message in the book of Ephesians with this.
SPEAKER_01: And we've been reading this.
SPEAKER_01: This is just the first part of this.
SPEAKER_01: Finally, be strong in the Lord and his mighty power.
SPEAKER_01: Put on the full armor of God so that you can take stand against the devil's schemes.
SPEAKER_01: When Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God in Ephesians, he concludes after saying that he goes through each piece of the armor.
SPEAKER_01: And we've been talking about each piece today.
SPEAKER_01: I want to talk, I want to dive into the shield of faith.
SPEAKER_01: So if you will, we're going to read Ephesians 6, 16.
SPEAKER_01: Read that with me as we look at it.
SPEAKER_01: In every situation, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
SPEAKER_01: In every situation.
SPEAKER_01: Other translations say, above all, in all circumstances, but in every situation, take up the shield of faith.
SPEAKER_01: Now, when I say the word shield, many of you are thinking, kind of like I did when I first thought of Captain America, right?
SPEAKER_01: Little shield that he runs around, he uses it as a weapon, he also can throw it, it does it, but it's just the small round circle.
SPEAKER_01: Our mind goes to that, and that's a little bit of what we're talking about today.
SPEAKER_01: Some people's mind even might even go to that pointed the Renaissance era shield.
SPEAKER_01: But this shield, when Paul is speaking and he says the word shield, it takes the listeners straight to a Roman soldier.
SPEAKER_01: It takes them to a shield a lot different than that shield, the little small shield.
SPEAKER_01: This shield that they're looking at is in some of the situations, it says it can be even as big as a door.
SPEAKER_01: But here's a picture of one right here.
SPEAKER_01: It is a shield that kind of has two purposes.
SPEAKER_01: The first purpose you can see is maybe to use to back off somebody from your area or away from you.
SPEAKER_01: But more importantly, it what?
SPEAKER_01: It protects your body from attack.
SPEAKER_01: They even say, I was reading, it even says a lot of them are covered in different things.
SPEAKER_01: You can see here, many times they would be painted.
SPEAKER_01: They could show your rank, they could do all kinds of stuff.
SPEAKER_01: This shield to a Roman soldier was extremely important to them.
SPEAKER_01: And it's something I thought was pretty neat because we're talking about the flaming arrows.
SPEAKER_01: Another thing about this shield is a lot of them would cover it with cloth or even like a uh a skin of some sort so that they could dip it in water so it would be wet.
SPEAKER_01: So if back then a lot of times a lot of wars happened with fire, fire was a a huge uh war piece to just catch if they can catch something on fire, they win.
SPEAKER_01: And so it was a huge piece of seeing that the flaming arrows were not affected by the shield because the shield had water and it would it would it would put it out.
SPEAKER_01: And so the picture of the shield is very important.
SPEAKER_01: It's clearly the shield was vital to all soldiers, it provided a blanket of protection.
SPEAKER_01: It is meant, like scripture says, to be taken up in all circumstances.
SPEAKER_01: But we look at it here in the scripture and it says, take up the shield, and there's another word that went with it.
SPEAKER_01: Take up not just the shield, but it says the shield of faith.
SPEAKER_01: So many times we we we hear the word faith.
SPEAKER_01: Do we really know what it means?
SPEAKER_01: I mean, if we're not careful, it's a church word.
SPEAKER_01: And sometimes it can easily just roll off our tongue.
SPEAKER_01: In fact, listen to this depending on the translation that you use, the word faith is found over 240 times in Scripture.
SPEAKER_01: The word faith, and I want to start with a question: what is faith?
SPEAKER_01: What is faith?
SPEAKER_01: The word faith really contains two aspects.
SPEAKER_01: I think the first aspect is uh an intellectual assent.
SPEAKER_01: It is believing something is true.
SPEAKER_01: And then the second part is trust.
SPEAKER_01: Trust is actually relying on the fact that something is true.
SPEAKER_01: So I we we see this quite a bit, we hear about it, but I want to take this as an example.
SPEAKER_01: We got a chair here.
SPEAKER_01: And the intellectual ascent would be looking at that chair and wondering well, that chair has four legs, it looks pretty sturdy.
SPEAKER_01: Um I think if I sat in that chair, it possibly could hold me up.
SPEAKER_01: That was the purpose of the built of this chair, and I can look around this chair the whole time and I can be saying, Wow, this is a good chair.
SPEAKER_01: But intellectually, I'm looking at this chair like, okay, but it is not until I do what that I trust the chair.
SPEAKER_01: Set in it, right?
SPEAKER_01: Now, both both pieces taken care of now.
SPEAKER_01: I had the intellect to look at it to see is it something that will hold me, and then I had the what?
SPEAKER_01: The trust is set in it.
SPEAKER_01: That's what faith is.
SPEAKER_01: It's not just the intellect of looking at it, but it's the trust that takes us to listen to this.
SPEAKER_01: Hebrews 11:1 says this.
SPEAKER_01: Now, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
SPEAKER_01: The assurance, being confident, the conviction, the passion, and the belief.
SPEAKER_01: The beginning point of faith is believing in God's character.
SPEAKER_01: He is who he says he is.
SPEAKER_01: The ending point of belief is God's promises.
SPEAKER_01: He will do what he says when we believe that God will fulfill his promises, even though we don't see the promises materializing, coming about, we demonstrate true faith.
SPEAKER_01: Remember Thomas?
SPEAKER_01: Word got out to Thomas.
SPEAKER_01: This is after Jesus had died on the cross and he was resurrected.
SPEAKER_01: Remember what word got out to Thomas and said, Hey, Thomas, Jesus is alive.
SPEAKER_01: You remember what Thomas said?
SPEAKER_01: What did Thomas say?
SPEAKER_01: Until I see and put my hands in his wounds.
SPEAKER_01: I can't believe.
SPEAKER_01: What was Thomas lacking?
SPEAKER_01: Faith.
SPEAKER_01: He knew everything about Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: He spent with Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus even said he was going to do what?
SPEAKER_01: He would come back.
SPEAKER_01: But he wanted to what?
SPEAKER_01: See.
SPEAKER_01: And that's what makes this verse here in John 20 when Jesus said this, because you have seen me, you have believed.
SPEAKER_01: Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.
SPEAKER_01: Faith is believing God's character.
SPEAKER_01: Believing He is who He says he is.
SPEAKER_01: But also believing His promises.
SPEAKER_01: He says He will do what He says.
SPEAKER_01: Why is the definition of faith so important?
SPEAKER_01: Why are we taking time to even talk about faith?
SPEAKER_01: Because the Bible says this without faith, it is impossible to what?
SPEAKER_01: To please God.
SPEAKER_01: Without faith, we cannot be saved.
SPEAKER_01: Without faith, the Christian life cannot be to the intent that Christ has called us to be.
SPEAKER_01: So many times we sit in here, we think we are so smart.
SPEAKER_01: Myself included.
SPEAKER_01: And God just saying, listen.
SPEAKER_01: I've got it.
SPEAKER_01: I know what I'm doing.
SPEAKER_01: So that leads us to the next question.
SPEAKER_01: How does a Christian live by faith?
SPEAKER_01: First off, faith begins with God.
SPEAKER_01: It is his gift, not the results of any human effort or achievement.
SPEAKER_01: Did you hear that?
SPEAKER_01: This faith that we have is because God loves us so much.
SPEAKER_01: Failure to trust God started way back in the garden.
SPEAKER_01: You remember the picture of the garden?
SPEAKER_01: Can you imagine living in the garden?
SPEAKER_01: It says that Adam and Eve walked with God in the coolness of the evening.
SPEAKER_01: Whoo, where's that at?
SPEAKER_01: You know the idea, and just all the stuff, all the things that they got to see God show them.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, they could eat from whatever.
SPEAKER_01: But then it takes us back.
SPEAKER_01: They knew who God was.
SPEAKER_01: They walked with God daily, but when the temptation first came, the fruits there, and what did the serpent say?
SPEAKER_01: If you take this fruit, you will become like God.
SPEAKER_01: What would it do you see the picture of faith?
SPEAKER_01: Can I really trust what God told me?
SPEAKER_01: Do you think God's keeping something from me?
SPEAKER_01: Do you think if I eat this I can become like God?
SPEAKER_01: Do you see that?
SPEAKER_01: The part of faith is she knew who God was.
SPEAKER_01: However, she was having a hard time, what?
SPEAKER_01: Believing in what God said.
SPEAKER_01: The Apostle Paul also says, and I think it's extremely important looking as we do this, we walk by faith and not by sight.
SPEAKER_01: Now, this is a hard concept.
SPEAKER_01: That was in 2 Corinthians.
SPEAKER_01: That's a hard concept because so many times we live in the moment and as we walk by faith, we want to see all the things happening, and we want to make sure what?
SPEAKER_01: That we are in control and that we are seeing results.
SPEAKER_01: Faith does not put our trust in a bank account.
SPEAKER_01: We just saw a debate.
SPEAKER_01: It doesn't put our faith in the headlines of the news.
SPEAKER_01: Or, like we're hearing a lot just recently in our church, doctors' reports.
SPEAKER_01: We don't look at the troubles we can see now.
SPEAKER_01: Rather, we fix our gaze on things that we cannot see.
SPEAKER_01: When the world seems to be falling apart all around us, our faith stands secure on the solid foundation of God's promises.
SPEAKER_01: The other day, and I got permission to share this.
SPEAKER_01: The other day, one of our ours, Karen Bull, she was in the hospital, she's got cancer.
SPEAKER_01: It's not good, but I was in the hospital with her, and we're just sharing back and forth, and I'm asking different questions, and then Karen says this.
SPEAKER_01: This cancer that I've been diagnosed with has not changed my ending date.
SPEAKER_01: What is she saying by that?
SPEAKER_01: This cancer did not change my ending date.
SPEAKER_01: For when she was created, her ending date was already formed.
SPEAKER_01: This did not take God by surprise.
SPEAKER_01: When she says, This does not change my ending date, what is she saying?
SPEAKER_01: This is tough, this is hard, these are things I don't understand, but I'll tell you this, God.
SPEAKER_01: I'm trusting that you are faithful.
SPEAKER_01: So many times we think faithful just means, oh, life's gonna be real easy.
SPEAKER_01: And I think sometimes we're not gonna see the true faithfulness, the promise, until we go to heaven.
SPEAKER_01: And I think that's why scripture speaks that life is so short, but eternity is so long.
SPEAKER_01: Because our promises and our rewards will not be here on earth all the time.
SPEAKER_01: And you know what Karen also said as I was talking to her?
SPEAKER_01: She says, I've taught my grandkids about my faith all these years.
SPEAKER_01: I want them to see me live out my faith at the end.
SPEAKER_01: Now we're praying for a miracle.
SPEAKER_01: We're praying that the Lord heals Karen, but wow, what faith.
SPEAKER_01: What an example of faith.
SPEAKER_01: Rather than looking at life with our earthly eyes, faith sees through the lenses of God's promises.
SPEAKER_01: God, I don't understand, I don't know why, but I'm gonna trust you.
SPEAKER_01: What a place to be in.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it takes all the pressure off.
SPEAKER_01: It takes it where if a doctor comes in, the pressure's off, the doctor's not in control.
SPEAKER_01: When the guy comes in and says, your job is we got to do away with your job, that guy's not in control.
SPEAKER_01: And I'll say this, guys, there is a lot of people in our church that are hurting.
SPEAKER_01: I would be willing to bet majority here could raise their hand.
SPEAKER_01: So that leads me to the next question is why do we struggle with a lack of faith?
SPEAKER_01: That takes us back to Ephesians 6.16.
SPEAKER_01: In every situation, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
SPEAKER_01: That last little phrase.
SPEAKER_01: You can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
SPEAKER_01: Paul describes right here the devil's attacks to flaming arrows.
SPEAKER_01: Arrows that ignite everything they touch, arrows that spread fear, doubt, guilt, disobedience, anger, lust, rebellion, anxiety, revenge, hate, and I could continue.
SPEAKER_01: They're endless.
SPEAKER_01: It is not common for a Christian to experience these feelings and thoughts regularly.
SPEAKER_01: Satan will keep firing these arrows, looking for weaknesses in the armor.
SPEAKER_01: The other day we were riding in the car, and I'm just having a rough day.
SPEAKER_01: I'm driving down old Greenwood and I hit every light.
SPEAKER_01: I'm like, really?
SPEAKER_01: I'm in a hurry, I'm hitting every light, my wife's over there, and every light, I'm reminding her.
SPEAKER_01: Man, I am hitting every light.
SPEAKER_01: And then we go a little bit.
SPEAKER_01: I'm hitting every light, and it's one of those, I want to see how fast I can get up to 40, and I'm only supposed to do 35.
SPEAKER_01: I know.
SPEAKER_01: Get up how fast, and then what do I do?
SPEAKER_01: Then I have to slam on my brakes because the lights come on, you know?
SPEAKER_01: And then I turn to go to and it's everywhere I go, I'm hitting the lights.
SPEAKER_01: And then we go into the store, and just it just seemed like my patience was being tested.
SPEAKER_01: And it not only was it being tested, it was affecting everybody in the car.
SPEAKER_01: Deacon says something, I chew him out.
SPEAKER_01: I'm just in rare form because of my patience.
SPEAKER_01: And I'll never forget, Lisa looks over at me and she goes, Would you please learn what the Lord's trying to teach you?
SPEAKER_01: Because why?
SPEAKER_01: Because the devil finds our weaknesses, and then what's he do?
SPEAKER_01: That's where the arrow's going.
SPEAKER_01: And here's the crazy thing is, my weaknesses are not your weaknesses.
SPEAKER_01: Your weaknesses aren't my weaknesses.
SPEAKER_01: But I'll tell you this: the devil knows all of our weaknesses.
SPEAKER_01: And that's what makes this shield so important.
SPEAKER_01: The devil wants to take us down.
SPEAKER_01: Doesn't it?
SPEAKER_01: It just sounds horrible to begin with.
SPEAKER_01: Fiery arrows.
SPEAKER_01: It takes us back to the idea of the shield being covered with something wet, so it doesn't what?
SPEAKER_01: Burn.
SPEAKER_01: Unlike the shield, faith is not a thing that we visually hold on to.
SPEAKER_01: Our faith in Christ can guard us during our trials, during our temptations.
SPEAKER_01: But a shield is only effective when it's raised.
SPEAKER_01: That's why as we are praying through this series, we get, I get, that we're under attack.
SPEAKER_01: And boy, we try to go after things.
SPEAKER_01: Without any kind of protection.
SPEAKER_01: God, I got this today.
SPEAKER_01: And boy, sometimes if we're not careful, we think we've got it.
SPEAKER_01: And we don't need help.
SPEAKER_01: And we do not pick up the shield of faith.
SPEAKER_01: Likewise, faith can only protect us if we are in a restored relationship with the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Because listen to this.
SPEAKER_01: That sin in our life, that sin we're hiding from others, that sin that's like, oh, it's better than so-and-so's, that sin in my own life, guess where the devil is shooting?
SPEAKER_01: Right after that sin.
SPEAKER_01: That's why it's always so tough.
SPEAKER_01: And it is a weak area in our life because we're dealing with that sin that the Lord is saying, if you give me that sin, this fight will be a lot easier.
SPEAKER_01: It reminds me of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Remember, Jesus was what a picture.
SPEAKER_01: 40 days just meeting with the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Fasting, just meeting with the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Then after those 40 days, the devil comes to him, Satan, and tempts him.
SPEAKER_01: And honestly, a lot of us it's easy to say, well, he is God, but he tempted him with maybe some areas that one, we know he was hungry and he was a man.
SPEAKER_01: And what a picture of how Jesus responded.
SPEAKER_01: What did he do?
SPEAKER_01: He just responded with what?
SPEAKER_01: Scripture.
SPEAKER_01: And what did the scripture do?
SPEAKER_01: The scripture put Satan in his place.
SPEAKER_01: There was no debate.
SPEAKER_01: Faith fails to protect us when we lower our shield.
SPEAKER_01: When we give into temptation.
SPEAKER_01: Believe that what the world has to offer is better than God's promises.
SPEAKER_01: Let's face it, being a Christian is not a walk in the park.
SPEAKER_01: We saw what the 12 disciples went through.
SPEAKER_01: So today, I just, as we close, I want to give you seven suggestions.
SPEAKER_01: And the reason I said seven suggestions, it's like my dad always told me, if I tell you to do it, you won't do it.
SPEAKER_01: But if I suggest it, you might do it.
SPEAKER_01: Okay, and here's the deal with the suggestion.
SPEAKER_01: You have to choose whether you want to do it or not.
SPEAKER_01: But seven suggestions that will help us or help you keep the shield of faith held up.
SPEAKER_01: And I'm going to say some of these and you're going to kind of chuckle like, oh, I knew that.
SPEAKER_01: But like my coach always told me, at the beginning of every basketball practice, the first ten minutes were drills of the basics of dribbling, passing, and shooting.
SPEAKER_01: So number one, read the Bible daily.
SPEAKER_01: Read the Bible daily.
SPEAKER_01: Number two, obey scripture in our daily life.
SPEAKER_01: James 1.22 says this do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourself, but do what it says.
SPEAKER_01: Our walk with Christ is not reading our Bible in the morning, shutting it and forgetting what we read.
SPEAKER_01: It's what?
SPEAKER_01: Taking what we read and doing what?
SPEAKER_01: Obeying it.
SPEAKER_01: Now I know that's hard said than done, but that's the picture of it.
SPEAKER_01: Number three, pray that God will prepare you in all circumstances.
SPEAKER_01: Matthew 21, 22 says, you can pray for anything.
SPEAKER_01: I don't think we realize that sometimes.
SPEAKER_01: I'm not.
SPEAKER_01: When it says you can pray for anything, it's not praying for a new car.
SPEAKER_01: Have you thought about praying?
SPEAKER_01: That God will prepare you for the circumstances that will happen this day.
SPEAKER_01: We can also see, we see it through scripture, pray for wisdom.
SPEAKER_01: Number four, resist temptation.
SPEAKER_01: James 4 7.
SPEAKER_01: Listen to this.
SPEAKER_01: Listen to the power of resisting temptation.
SPEAKER_01: James 4 7 says this.
SPEAKER_01: So humble yourself before God, resist the devil, and he will flee.
SPEAKER_01: Because why?
SPEAKER_01: Because that spot he's shooting for is covered now.
SPEAKER_01: He's got to go find another area to shoot.
SPEAKER_01: And then number five, quote scripture.
SPEAKER_01: Just like Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: The times when I was growing up, I got an area that I was just afraid to go to sleep.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it went on for weeks.
SPEAKER_01: So finally, my dad one day, I mean, all night long I'd be going, I was just scared to go to sleep.
SPEAKER_01: And so my dad came to me one day, I didn't even really understand it.
SPEAKER_01: But we worked on it, we memorized the 23rd Psalms.
SPEAKER_01: And I'll never forget.
SPEAKER_01: He would say, When the fear, when you get scared at night, just say the 23rd Psalms.
SPEAKER_01: Guess what?
SPEAKER_01: It didn't take long, and I started to go to sleep.
SPEAKER_01: You see the picture?
SPEAKER_01: How powerful God's word is.
SPEAKER_01: And to quote scripture, guess what?
SPEAKER_01: We got to memorize it.
SPEAKER_01: And then number six.
SPEAKER_01: Unity with other Christians.
SPEAKER_01: We see that in ecclesiastics.
SPEAKER_01: It reminds us of the importance of surrounding ourselves with other Christians.
SPEAKER_01: Here's a picture of that too.
SPEAKER_01: This was a huge piece of the shield with the Romans.
SPEAKER_01: They would get together.
SPEAKER_01: They'd put their shields together on top and all that.
SPEAKER_01: And look at the protection they had.
SPEAKER_01: So when one person's struggling, they can what?
SPEAKER_01: Help cover for the other.
SPEAKER_01: That's why we pour into Sunday school.
SPEAKER_01: It's not to come in and feel guilty.
SPEAKER_01: It's to find someone that will pray with you.
SPEAKER_01: That you can pray with.
SPEAKER_01: Because guess what?
SPEAKER_01: Majority of the people are going through the same problems you're going through.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, there's times people come in my office and I'm thinking, okay, this is going to sound bad, but let me finish.
SPEAKER_01: They come in my office and they tell me about their problem, about something that's happening and a problem in their life.
SPEAKER_01: And there are times I'm like, thank you, Lord, because I feel like I'm the only one that has a problem.
SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01: The idea of not that I'm glad they're having a problem, but sometimes it's nice to know that I'm not the only one that's having a problem and I'm walking through the problem with you.
SPEAKER_01: And however, so many times when I'm having a problem, it sure makes me a lot more sensitive to their problem.
SPEAKER_01: Do you see the uh the importance of the unity with other Christians?
SPEAKER_01: And then number seven, remember times when the Lord has been faithful.
SPEAKER_01: The picture of Joshua crossing the Jordan.
SPEAKER_01: He told them to pick up rocks and do what?
SPEAKER_01: Put them there because we are going to remember.
SPEAKER_01: We see it all through the Old Testament.
SPEAKER_01: When the Israelites kept going away from the Lord and they'd get back together, what would God tell them to do?
SPEAKER_01: Mark your doorpost.
SPEAKER_01: Put it out there so that you what?
SPEAKER_01: Remember my faithfulness.
SPEAKER_01: I have in my office a plaque.
SPEAKER_01: Not really a plaque, a name plaque that says Coach Passmore.
SPEAKER_01: Many of you don't know, I've taught school for seven years, coached.
SPEAKER_01: You can go today to the Oklahoma Athletic Hall of Fame, and my name is not there.
SPEAKER_01: But I have this plaque that I keep on my shelf.
SPEAKER_01: And I know people are like, why in the world would you keep that?
SPEAKER_01: Haven't you moved on?
SPEAKER_01: That piece on my shelf is a reminder of God's faithfulness.
SPEAKER_01: God started dealing with me the last little bit of my school.
SPEAKER_01: And by the way, I love teaching school.
SPEAKER_01: I got up in the mornings, I was energized, I love, but the Lord started dealing with me about ministry.
SPEAKER_01: And I'll never forget when I felt called to the ministry, I was scared to go back to the school and tell them.
SPEAKER_01: Because I mean they went out, gave me a job.
SPEAKER_01: I just school was starting back in three weeks when the church called me to be their children's pastor.
SPEAKER_01: I'll never forget, I knew in August it's it's crunch time.
SPEAKER_01: They're getting their teachers.
SPEAKER_01: So I go in to talk to the principal, mind you, the principal that hired me just retired.
SPEAKER_01: She went and got her palm red.
SPEAKER_01: This is funny.
SPEAKER_01: She went and got her prom read, and the palm redder told her that she needed to start a new career.
SPEAKER_01: So she retired to go start a new career.
SPEAKER_01: So I've got a new principal that I really don't know.
SPEAKER_01: And I'm really nervous about going in two or three weeks before school starts because he's trying to get a team together.
SPEAKER_01: I go in and I'm, I mean, I am ham-hawing around, and I'm like, well, you know, I go to church and I feel like I need to help my church.
SPEAKER_01: And I can do this and that.
SPEAKER_01: For a year I was going to do both.
SPEAKER_01: He looks me in the eyes.
SPEAKER_01: And he goes, Do you know I go to such and such church and I'm a deacon there?
SPEAKER_01: He goes, back when I got out of college, the Lord called me to college ministry, and I thought I had a better plan.
SPEAKER_01: So I taught school.
SPEAKER_01: He says, Sounds like to me the Lord's calling you to ministry.
SPEAKER_01: You need to go do that.
SPEAKER_01: This is my principal.
SPEAKER_01: So when I look at that plaque that says coach Pasmore, it's not about me being a coach, it's God's faithfulness.
SPEAKER_01: And I think it's important to see God's faithfulness in the small things and the big things.
SPEAKER_01: I think it's important to write it down where you can open it somewhere and see them all, but I also think it's important to have them around the house so that when you walk through, that you can see God's faithfulness and say, yes, Lord, I can do that because you were faithful there.
SPEAKER_01: Yes, God, I can do that because you've been faithful there.
SPEAKER_01: I think it's extremely important to remember times when God was faithful.
SPEAKER_01: So as we close, I got something I want to try.
SPEAKER_01: Don't don't tell Greg I did this.
SPEAKER_01: I got a picture here.
SPEAKER_01: I want to to show you something right here.
SPEAKER_01: If you'll give me a second to try it.
SPEAKER_01: Okay, now as a children's pastor for a lot, I don't ever get to do this.
SPEAKER_01: Okay, I got a little powder I'm putting in my hand right here.
SPEAKER_01: Okay, I'm a trained professional, don't try this at home.
SPEAKER_01: Okay, in the in the powder in my hand, watch this.
SPEAKER_01: In the powder of my hand, I can do this and I can light it.
SPEAKER_01: And you can see it's getting black, but it's still overall pretty protected, right?
SPEAKER_01: But the picture I want to show as we close, think about this.
SPEAKER_01: When it was in my hand, it was still getting hot.
SPEAKER_01: And it was blackening.
SPEAKER_01: But when I'm in God's hand and his faithfulness, it tells us it's not going to be easy, but what?
SPEAKER_01: We can trust in his promises.
SPEAKER_01: But when we what?
SPEAKER_01: Get outside of his faith, outside of his hand, outside of his promises, do you see what happens?
SPEAKER_01: The fiery flames engulf, spread like wildfire.
SPEAKER_01: So faith may not be a physical shield that we hold in our hands.
SPEAKER_01: It is the most powerful protection we have against Satan.
SPEAKER_01: So ready yourself against the attacks, because listen to this, they will come.
SPEAKER_01: By believing in God's power and his promises, you have the ability to overcome the devil.
SPEAKER_01: God rarely takes us out of the difficult situations, but he will sustain us through them.
SPEAKER_01: Daily, pick up your shield and the arrows.
SPEAKER_01: Sorry.
SPEAKER_01: Daily, pick up your shield and allow the Lord to work because He is faithful.
SPEAKER_01: Pray with me.
SPEAKER_01: Dear God, I just come before you now.
SPEAKER_01: Humbled.
SPEAKER_01: That we serve a God that loves us so much that He wants us to faithfully trust Him.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, help us be a church that puts our eyes on Him.
SPEAKER_01: And that no matter the situation, no matter the outcome, no matter the call of cancer, no matter the whatever's happening in our life, Lord, that we can be faithful to you because of the promises that you have revealed to us and you show us.
SPEAKER_01: And a lot of times those promises won't come due until we are in heaven with you.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, if there's someone here today that has not given their heart to you, Lord, I ask you to challenge, to prick their heart, help them come, ask.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, if there's someone here today that is dealing with sin, that sin is keeping them from their faith in you.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, I ask you just to help us be able to come alongside, myself included, to get rid of those sins.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, as we stand here and we worship you, Lord, we do want to give you this last part of the service because you are faithful.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you again for all that you do.
SPEAKER_00: In Jesus' name I pray.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: We pray this message has been a blessing to you and helped to strengthen your walk with Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Please know we want to minister to you and pray for you.
SPEAKER_00: Send an email to contact us at fsfbc.org and let us pray for you and help you in any way we can.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening to Chapter and First, the Bible Teaching Ministry of Fort Smith's First Baptist Church.