A Shield Against All the Darts of the Wicked

Text: Ephesians 6:16
Series: Sermons 2001 Rewritten
Date:
Speaker: Ed Rangel
Location: Waupaca Church of Christ
Bible Version: NASB 1995
Sermon Type: Expository

Learning Objectives

1. Understand that false doctrine is one of Satan’s darts.
2. Learn to answer error with Scripture, not emotion, tradition, or religious personalities.
3. Examine major false claims in light of biblical authority.
4. Strengthen confidence in the sufficiency of God’s word.
5. Respond to Scripture’s teaching on salvation and faithful living.

Thesis

God’s word is the shield that guards the Christian from Satan’s religious lies, and every doctrine must be tested by what Scripture says, not by feeling, tradition, personality, or human authority.

Introduction.

1. The devil throws darts. a. Some darts are temptations. b. Some darts are accusations. c. Some darts are doubts. d. Some darts are false doctrines.
2. False doctrine is not harmless. a. It is not just another religious opinion. b. It is not spiritual variety. c. It is a weapon aimed at the soul.
3. Ephesians 6:16 says to take up “the shield of faith.” a. Faith is not blind feeling. b. Faith rests on what God has revealed. c. Romans 10:17 says faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
4. Jesus showed us how to answer Satan. a. In Matthew 4, every temptation was answered with “It is written.” b. He did not answer Satan with emotion. c. He did not answer Satan with tradition. d. He answered with Scripture.
5. The church must learn the same discipline. a. The shield is not “my preacher said.” b. The shield is not “my family always believed.” c. The shield is not “that sounds loving.” d. The shield is the written word of God.

I. The Bible Shields Us Against Human Religious Authority.

A. Christ is the foundation and head.

1. One dart says, “Peter was the first pope.” a. Scripture does not teach that. b. First Corinthians 3:11 says no foundation can be laid except Jesus Christ. c. Colossians 1:18 says Christ is head of the body, the church.
2. Peter himself was not treated as supreme ruler over the church. a. In Galatians 2:11, Paul opposed Peter to his face. b. In Acts 10:25–26, Peter refused worship from Cornelius. c. Peter acted as an apostle under Christ, not as a pope over Christ’s church.
3. The issue is authority. a. Christ is the head. b. Christ is the foundation. c. Christ rules the church through His word.

B. Human titles do not outrank Scripture.

1. Another dart says, “Dr. Know-It said so.” a. A scholar can be wrong. b. A preacher can be wrong. c. A commentary can be wrong. d. A family tradition can be wrong.
2. Romans 3:4 says, “Let God be found true, though every man be found a liar.” a. Man’s authority is limited. b. God’s word is final. c. Truth is not settled by reputation.
3. First Corinthians 4:6 says not to exceed what is written. a. Scripture sets the boundary. b. Religious respectability does not authorize error. c. If the doctrine goes beyond the word, leave it.

C. The Bereans show the right attitude.

1. Acts 17:11 says they examined the Scriptures daily. a. They did not reject teaching without examination. b. They did not accept teaching without examination. c. They tested the message by Scripture.
2. That is the shield working. a. Not suspicion for its own sake. b. Not gullibility. c. Honest testing by the word of God.
3. Christians today need the same habit. a. Open the Bible. b. Check the claim. c. Keep what Scripture teaches and reject what Scripture exposes.

II. The Bible Shields Us Against Claims That Bypass Scripture.

A. Claims of modern miraculous authority must be tested.

1. Some claim the same miraculous power as the apostles. a. They claim healing power. b. They claim visions. c. They claim direct messages from God.
2. Second Corinthians 12:12 speaks of “the signs of a true apostle.” a. Apostolic signs had a confirming purpose. b. They were not stage performances. c. They confirmed divine revelation.
3. First John 4:1 says to test the spirits. a. Do not believe every spirit. b. Test whether they are from God. c. Religious claims must be measured by revealed truth.

B. Spirit-language without Scripture is dangerous.

1. Another dart says, “I am led by the Spirit,” while ignoring the Spirit’s word. a. The Spirit does not lead men away from Scripture. b. The Spirit does not contradict Himself. c. The Spirit does not give private permission to disobey public revelation.
2. Second Timothy 3:16–17 says Scripture equips the man of God for every good work. a. Scripture teaches. b. Scripture reproves. c. Scripture corrects. d. Scripture trains in righteousness.
3. A man who rejects the word while claiming the Spirit is dangerous. a. He may sound sincere. b. He may sound confident. c. He is still wrong if his claim contradicts Scripture.

C. Feelings cannot become authority.

1. People say, “I feel led.” a. Maybe the feeling is strong. b. Maybe the desire is sincere. c. But feeling is not revelation.
2. Jeremiah 17:9 says the heart is deceitful. a. The heart can mislead. b. The heart can excuse sin. c. The heart must be governed by God’s word.
3. God’s word must judge the feeling. a. If Scripture authorizes it, do it. b. If Scripture forbids it, reject it. c. If Scripture does not authorize it, do not dress silence up as faith.

III. The Bible Shields Us Against Doctrinal Inventions.

A. Scripture guards us from invented prophecy systems.

1. One dart says the kingdom is still future. a. Mark 9:1 says some standing there would not taste death until they saw the kingdom come with power. b. Colossians 1:13 says Christians had already been transferred into the kingdom. c. Revelation 1:9 says John was a brother and fellow partaker in the kingdom.
2. The kingdom is not waiting for a future earthly throne in Jerusalem. a. Christ reigns now. b. Christians are in His kingdom now. c. The church is not a parenthesis in God’s plan.
3. Premillennial systems move what Scripture says has already come. a. They postpone the kingdom. b. They blur Christ’s present reign. c. They make future speculation stronger than apostolic teaching.

B. Scripture guards us from minimizing the church.

1. One dart says the church is non-essential. a. Acts 20:28 says Christ purchased the church with His own blood. b. Ephesians 5:25 says Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. c. Colossians 1:18 says Christ is head of the body, the church.
2. The church is not a denomination. a. It is not a human religious brand. b. It is not optional spiritual packaging. c. It is the body of Christ.
3. A man who calls the church non-essential speaks where Christ did not speak. a. Christ purchased it. b. Christ heads it. c. Christ saves the body.

C. Scripture guards us from binding human inventions.

1. One dart says, “The Bible does not say not to.” a. That is not how faith works. b. Romans 10:17 says faith comes by hearing the word of Christ. c. Second Corinthians 5:7 says we walk by faith, not by sight.
2. Faith acts on what God has revealed. a. Faith does not act on silence. b. Faith does not invent worship. c. Faith does not add doctrine and call it liberty.
3. Biblical authority must govern religious practice. a. If God specifies the act, do that act. b. If God gives an approved example, respect it. c. If God necessarily implies something, honor it. d. Do not treat silence as permission.

IV. The Bible Shields Us Against Salvation Errors.

A. Scripture rejects faith-only salvation.

1. One dart says, “Justified by faith only.” a. James 2:24 says a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. b. That is the only place the phrase “faith alone” appears in that form. c. Scripture directly denies the doctrine.
2. James is not teaching salvation by human merit. a. He is exposing dead faith. b. He is showing that living faith obeys. c. He is proving that faith without works is useless.
3. Saving faith obeys God. a. Hebrews 11 shows faith acting. b. Galatians 5:6 speaks of faith working through love. c. Faith that refuses obedience is not biblical faith.

B. Scripture ties baptism to salvation, forgiveness, and union with Christ.

1. One dart says baptism is not essential. a. Mark 16:16 says, “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved.” b. Acts 2:38 commands repentance and baptism for the forgiveness of sins. c. Acts 22:16 connects baptism with washing away sins.
2. Romans 6:3–4 says baptism joins the believer to Christ’s death. a. We are baptized into Christ Jesus. b. We are baptized into His death. c. We are raised to walk in newness of life.
3. Galatians 3:27 says those baptized into Christ have clothed themselves with Christ. a. Baptism is not a mere public symbol after salvation. b. Baptism is not trusting water. c. Baptism is obedient faith submitting to what God commanded.

C. Scripture warns Christians they can fall.

1. One dart says, “A Christian cannot fall.” a. Galatians 5:4 says some had fallen from grace. b. Second Peter 1:10 says to make your calling and election sure. c. Hebrews 3 warns brethren against an evil, unbelieving heart.
2. Warning passages are real warnings. a. They are not theater. b. They are not empty threats. c. They are written because apostasy is possible.
3. Grace does not remove the need for faithfulness. a. Revelation 2:10 says to be faithful until death. b. Colossians 1:23 says to continue in the faith. c. A doctrine that cancels biblical warnings is not honoring Christ.

V. The Bible Shields Us Against Emotional Arguments.

A. Family loyalty cannot rewrite Scripture.

1. One dart says, “If my loved one was wrong, I do not want this doctrine.” a. We understand grief. b. We must speak carefully. c. But family cannot become the judge of Scripture.
2. Matthew 12:50 says the family of Jesus are those who do the will of His Father. a. Jesus did not despise earthly family. b. He did put obedience above bloodline. c. God’s will remains final.
3. Love must not become rebellion. a. We can grieve. b. We can hope. c. We cannot change the terms of salvation.

B. Conscience alone cannot prove innocence.

1. One dart says, “I do not feel guilty.” a. Feelings can be wrong. b. Conscience can be misinformed. c. A clear conscience does not always mean a clean soul.
2. Acts 23:1 shows Paul had lived in good conscience. a. Yet he had persecuted Christians. b. He had been sincerely wrong. c. His conscience needed truth.
3. The conscience must be trained by Scripture. a. Scripture exposes sin. b. Scripture corrects error. c. Scripture teaches the heart how to judge rightly.

C. Emotional religion must bow to written truth.

1. Many doctrines survive because they feel comforting. a. “Faith only” feels simple. b. “Once saved always saved” feels secure. c. “The church does not matter” feels broad and easy.
2. Comfort is not the test of truth. a. Scripture is. b. Christ is. c. Apostolic doctrine is.
3. The shield must be lifted even when the dart is emotional. a. Test the claim. b. Answer with Scripture. c. Obey what God has written.

Application.

1. For the Christian. a. Do not let false doctrine remain vague in your mind. b. Learn the Scriptures well enough to answer error. c. Keep your shield close.
2. For the congregation. a. Teach doctrine plainly. b. Test teachers carefully. c. Do not let personality outrank Scripture.
3. For parents and teachers. a. Train children to ask, “Where does Scripture teach that?” b. Do not raise them on slogans alone. c. Give them Bible, not just inherited conclusions.
4. For the sinner. a. Do not use the Bible to correct others while refusing to obey it yourself. b. The same word that exposes error also tells you how to be saved. c. Submit to Christ now.

Conclusion.

1. The Bible is a shield. a. Use it. b. Trust it. c. Do not leave it hanging on the wall while darts fly.
2. Satan’s darts often sound religious. a. Human authority. b. Spirit claims without Scripture. c. Doctrinal inventions. d. Salvation errors. e. Emotional arguments.
3. Scripture answers them. a. “It is written.” b. “Do not exceed what is written.” c. “Contend earnestly for the faith.”
4. The shield must also be obeyed. a. Do not defend baptism and refuse baptism. b. Do not expose dead faith and live with dead faith. c. Do not correct others with a Bible you will not obey.

Invitation.

1. Hear the word. a. Romans 10:17 says faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
2. Believe Christ. a. John 8:24 warns that unless you believe that Jesus is He, you will die in your sins.
3. Repent. a. Acts 17:30 says God commands all people everywhere to repent.
4. Confess Christ. a. Romans 10:9–10 teaches confession with the mouth and belief in the heart.
5. Be baptized for the remission of sins. a. Acts 2:38 commands repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
6. Live faithfully. a. Revelation 2:10 calls the Christian to be faithful until death.

Word Study.

Scripture Interlock Table.