Faith Like a Snail Shell

Faith

Ephesians 6:10–20 ESV

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the                    of                , with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, ¹⁹ and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Faith is often compared to                    because it                         .

Today I wish to think of faith as a protective snail shell, here’s why:

1. Faith is                                  

   1. A snail without a shell is not a snail

   2. Snail shells have a specific ubiquitous pattern

2. Faith is Organic

   1. A snail grows its own shell

   2. The shell is made from the stuff a snail feeds on

   3. Snails don’t scavenge for other animal’s shells

3. Faith is Home

   1. The shell is a place of safety for the snail

4. Faith is                                     

   
   

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How the Snail Grows its Shell

Snails, unlike hermit crabs, make their own shell. the shell is part of its body much like a turtle shell is a part of the turtle.

Snails, however, do not spawn shells from nothing - their bodies produce shells by using specific nutrients and diet for the stuff the shell is made of. Namely they need                       to grow and repair their shells.

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How the Christian Grows its Faith

Hearing the word

Romans 10:14–17 ESV

¹⁴ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never                ? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵ And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ¹⁶ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” ¹⁷ So                 comes from                      , and                       through the                                           .

Digesting the Word

Colossians 3:16 ESV

¹⁶ Let the word of Christ                 in you richly,                          and                                   one another in all wisdom,                       psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

dwell

ἐνοικείτω

• οικος = house

• Literally “in the house”

Example Uses:

Luke 19:5 ESV

⁵ And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your                 today.”

Matthew 8:14 ESV

¹⁴ And when Jesus entered Peter’s                , he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever.

To let something oikos in your life is to let the bible move in with you. No restrictions. Say to the teachings of the Bible: you can live here, this is your house! —Not making exceptions or restrictions, but letting it live in us richly and luxuriously in our lives. What do we mean by living luxuriously?

teaching

διδάσκοντες

• practical rather than ideas

• like saying “show me how”

Example Uses:

Luke 11:1 ESV

¹ Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord,                 us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

Luke 12:12 ESV

¹² for the Holy Spirit will                 you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

“This is what the Bible has done for me!”

admonishing

νουθετοῦντες

• to warn

• to instruct with alternatives

• “get a move on”

Example Uses:

2 Thessalonians 3:14–15 ESV

¹⁴ If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. ¹⁵ Do not regard him as an enemy, but              him as a brother.

Romans 15:14 ESV

¹⁴ I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to                          one another.

1 Thessalonians 5:14 ESV

¹⁴ And we urge you, brothers,                          the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.

Don’t confuse admonishment with rebuke. νουθετοῦντες Is not the time to put down, it’s the time to redirect.

“this is what the Bible can do for you!”

singing

ᾄδοντες

• making music

• humming melodies

Example Uses:

Revelation 14:3 ESV

³ and they were                       a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that              except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.

Ephesians 5:19 ESV

¹⁹ addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,                       and                                         to the Lord with your heart,

Interestingly there are two separate Greek terms that get translated as singing and their contexts mark them as distinct types of music making. Mark and Matthew’s account of the last supper end with the Disciples and Jesus singing, but it is the term “ὑμνήσαντες” which is where we get the word “hymn” from. This is a formalized song that other people would probably know as well. It’s sung communally and as a congregation, you can see this also in Acts 16:25 “25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,” and 1 Corinthians 14:26 “26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” 

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Faith is a Spiral

“We can think of spiritual growth not as a linear progression but as a                          process. It resembles a journey around a mountain. I come back to the same side of the mountain and see what is essentially the same view, except that now I see it from a                                                  and with greater clarity. Our growth is cyclical like that.”

-Michael Mangis, Signature Sins: Taming Our Wayward Hearts (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008), 180.

"Praise God! As I see what God has wrought, I am filled with astonishment and with confidence in Christ as Leader. We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and his teaching in our past history."

-Ellen White, Selected Messages, Book 3 Section 5—Principles of Salvation

This sermon prepared and written by Pastor Eliezer Roque Cisneros