Lesson: The Shield of Faith

Goal:

To review the basic concepts related to shields and faith.

Objectives:

1. Children will be able to understand the meaning of what a shield is and how it is used.
2. Children will understand what faith is and why it is so very important.
3. Children will be able to state that faith is a gift and fruit of the Holy Spirit.
4. Children will be able to identify three people from the Bible that demonstrated faith in their lives.

Resources:

Symbolism of Numbers (No. 7)

Faith and Works (No. 86)

Sacrifices and Offerings of Eloah during the Millennium  (No. CB121)

The Relationship between Salvation by Grace and the Law (No. 82)

The Oracles of God (No. 184)

Relevant Scriptures:

Hebrews 11 is the faith chapter

Ephesians 6:13-18

Romans 10:17

James 2:17

Format:

Open with prayer.

The Shield of Faith.

Activity associated with The Shield of Faith.

Close with prayer.

Lesson:

Read: The Shield of Faith (No. CB129)

Questions and Answers:

Q1.      How is faith represented in the armour of God?

1. By a shield (Eph. 6:13-18).

Q2.      How do we get faith?

1. Faith is something that we ultimately get from God. Faith comes by hearing and acting by the word of God (Rom 10:17).

Q3.      Is faith a fruit of the Spirit or a gift of the Holy Spirit?

1. Faith is both a fruit of God’s Spirit and a gift of the Holy Spirit.

Q4.      Who tries to attack us with fiery darts?

1. Satan and the fallen Host (Eph. 6:16).

Q5.      How can we use our shield of faith to help us?

1. We have faith in God’s Plan and the wonderful things that await us in the future.  When we use our faith we are able to block and defeat Satan’s attacks on the Church or us.

Q6.      What other word translated from Hebrew basically means a shield?

1. Buckler is used with shield in the Old Testament. They are similar weapons that help protect the individual.

Q7.      Ultimately where does our protection come from?

5. God is our ultimate shield or protector. Other scriptures that speak of God’s protection are: Deuteronomy 33:29; 2Samuel 22:36; Psalm 5:12; 18:2,35; 33:20; 59:11; 84:9,11; 89:18; 91:4 and Proverbs 30:5.

Q8.      Will Eloah protect us if we disobey Him and do not keep His Laws?

1. No, He will not. We are told repeatedly that Eloah will protect and care for us as long as we obey and follow His Laws. Later we will see the concept of faith leading to the great reward of salvation.

Q9.      What exactly is faith?

1. In Hebrews 11:1 the Bible tells us: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”. (RSV)

Assurance is another way of saying that we have confidence or trust. And what we all have confidence or trust in is that God, through our faith in Him and his Son Jesus Christ, has promised us eternal life. The conviction of things not seen is saying that faith is like the evidence or proof of things that we cannot see.

Q10.    What does the number seven demonstrate?

1. 7 shows spiritual perfection.

Q11.    What does it mean: “the just shall live by faith”?

1.  The just are defined in the Bible as those that are righteous, innocent, and approved    of or acceptable of God. In a sense, this verse shows us the relationship between faith and living our lives in a way that is acceptable to God.  In other words, faith is tied to keeping the Laws of God.  It requires action.

Q12.    Is faith a pillar of the Law of God?

1. Yes, faith is a pillar of the Law of God and it is essential to have faith to be in the First Resurrection.  In Matthew 23:23, Jesus told us that the weightier matters of the Law are justice and mercy and faith.

Q13.    What is the first Great Commandment?

1. Love of the One True God.

Q14.    What is the second Great Commandment?

1. Love of your neighbor.

Q15.    Which Commandments can be kept by faith, and which Commandments require work or action to be kept?

1. The first three can be kept by faith, but works is necessary to the keeping of the Fourth, the Sabbath. Moreover, the second Great Commandment, to love one’s neighbour, is only demonstrated by works. Faith and works are intertwined and must always go together.

Q16.    James 2:17 tells us that faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead (RSV). What does this mean?

1. God gives us faith, but we must retain it through our obedience to His way of life – otherwise our faith will die.

Q17.    What chapter in the Bible is known as the faith chapter and why?

1. Hebrews 11 is known as the faith chapter; it speaks of many great people of God and gives examples of the way they demonstrated their faith.

Q18.    Can we inherit the Kingdom of God by faith alone?

1. No, we cannot inherit the Kingdom of God by faith alone, since faith without works is dead. Similarly, we cannot inherit the Kingdom of God by works alone.  Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God” (RSV). By God’s grace we have been saved through our faith. But, faith is only active with works.  It is because of our faith that the elect walk in obedience to God within the Laws of God.

Q19.    Is faith necessary for eternal life?

1. Yes, it is. Faith is essential and totally necessary for eternal life. It is one of the three elements of the fundamentals of eternal life.

Q20.    Who is the Saviour of us all? Who is the instrument of salvation?

1. God the Father is the Saviour of Jesus Christ and, by extension, the Saviour of us all. That is why Jesus Christ is the instrument of salvation. He was the perfect sacrifice that restored us back to the Father.

Q21.    What is the end result of faith?

1.  The outcome of our faith is salvation (1Pet. 9:10).

Q22.    Who is the author of our faith? Who set the perfect example of faith?

1. Hebrews 12:2 tells us Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith.

Q23.    Does the Holy Spirit give faith as a gift?

9. Yes, faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit from 1Corinthians 12:9.

Q24.    List three examples of men or women of God that were faithful?

1. There are numerous examples of pillars of the faith in the Bible such as Messiah, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Isaac, Jacob, etc.

Q25.    Will Messiah lose any person that was given to him by God?

1. No, he will not lose one that God has given to him. John 18:9 was to fulfil the word which he had spoken, “Of those whom thou gavest me I lost not one.” (RSV)

Activities:

Activity Options:

• Worksheets

  • Place the faithful in alphabetical order; easy and complex versions available.
  • Match the faithful act to the person; easy and complex versions available.
• Faithful concentration: use the format of the matching exercises, the statements and the people into the same size boxes. Print on the same colour card stock and cut out the cards. To play, place the cards face down on the table. The first player picks up two cards, if it is a match he/she can continue to pick up cards for a total of three matches and then it moves to the next player’s turn.

• Marshmallow fight:

Supplies: about ½ bag of large marshmallows per person playing, permanent marker and 12 large marshmallows for warm-up activity. With a permanent marker make an S, M, W on one end of four large marshmallows.

Warm up: have the children sit in a circle and one by one they must pick up a marshmallow. If they pick up an M they must list a man in the Bible that was faithful, and how their faith was demonstrated. The names can be written on the board or piece of paper as a record. The child then places the marshmallow letter side down and play continues. If they pick up a W they list a woman that was faithful and an S is for a spiritual being that is faithful.

Game: play in a room with tiles where it is easy to clean the floor in case marshmallows become stuck to the floor. Place a tapeline on the floor dividing the room in two, scatter the marshmallows on each side of the tapeline. Divide the children into two teams. If the children have made shields they may use the shield in this activity. When given the cue the children can start picking up marshmallows and tossing them at the opposing team below the shoulders. Marshmallows can be used off the floor, etc. Play continues until the facilitator calls STOP.

Process the activity by again drawing children into a circle and asking questions such as: What does it feel like to be attacked? Who daily tries to attack us? What things protect us against Satan’s attacks?

Adaptations: the game can be modified to use water balloons and played outside and again emphasising safety when throwing the balloons.

• Coat of Arms:

Supplies: one worksheet of the coat of arms per child, colours, markers, pencils etc.

Activity: provide one worksheet per child; assist with reading for the younger children. Have the child draw a picture or write the answer to the questions in each of the six boxes on the shield.

Discuss the children’s work as they are willing.

• Allow children to design their own coat of arms and explain why they chose certain symbols. Their coat of arms could be drawn on a cardboard shield or a piece of construction cut in the shape of a shield.
  • References can be viewed at:

• http://www.fleurdelis.com/meanings.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Targe
• http://www.thearma.org/essays/SwordandBuckler.htm

Placing the Faithful in Alphabetical Order:

Place the names of the following spiritual beings, or men and women in correct alphabetical order

Complex list:

Place the names of the following Spiritual beings, men and woman in correct alphabetical order

Match the faithful person to their action

   Easy version: Draw a line connecting the person to the their actions

This is not a complete list of all the faithful by any means.

                                                              Complex version: Matching the person to their acts of faith