—Sunday Sermon—
I begin this message with the words of a poem that our Preschool children recorded this past week for Veterans’ Day Chapel and Celebration.
Preschool Children’s Poem
“On Veterans’ Day we honor all,
Who answered to the service call.
Soldiers young and soldiers old,
Fought for freedom brave and bold.
Some have lived while others died,
All of them deserve our pride.
We’re proud of all the soldiers who,
Fought for us, (the Red, White and Blue).”
When we read a poem like this one, There will always be a difference in the way that we will "read" it.
There will also be a difference in the way that we "think about" it.
That is because there will be “different thoughts” that come to our “different minds”.
And our thoughts will change through the years of our lives.
the words "Freedom" and "Sacrifice" will take on deeper meanings, colors, textures and feelings.
As we get older, as we get more experiences in life, if not having a military experience ourselves, we will meet more and more people who will have served in the military in one capacity or another. We will know their parents, their spouses, their children, their family, their friends, or friends of friends. We all fit into one of these categories.
These relationships and experiences will give deeper meaning and value to such words as "Freedom" and "Sacrifice".
If you were able to watch the children during worship as they recited the poem above, you would have seen children who were carefree, innocent, matter-of-fact, casual, some bored, some shy, some reserved, some unsure of the words, but all unable to know or understand the concepts of that which they recited.
Note the words in red that they could not fully understand, if at all.
“On Veterans’ Day we honor all,
Who answered to the service call.
Soldiers young and soldiers old,
Fought for freedom brave and bold.
Some have lived while others died,
All of them deserve our pride.
We’re proud of all the soldiers who,
Fought for us, (the Red, White and Blue).”
The song that they sang next was "God Bless the USA".
If you were not here to see them, you can already picture them singing. They exhibited the universal, classic way that children sing in their own unique, distinct, and individual ways. Some shy, some bold, some loud, some quiet, some annunciating every word, some missing a word here or there - all, priceless.
Our prayer for our children and children all over the world is that they experience and continue to be taught the true value of Freedom and Sacrifice. Both of those concepts were perfectly demonstrated by Jesus who said in John 17:9-17
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
[Jesus did this on the Cross for our forgiveness and to ensure us that we would go to Heaven]
You are my friends if you DO what I command.
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last…This is my command: Love each other."
EVERYONE SERVES SOMETHING OR SOMEONE
The Bible says that everyone serves.
the question is "who" and "what" are do we serve.
Who and what we serve is a very important choice.
One famous verse about commitment is by Joshua.
“If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you,
then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house-hold, we will serve the Lord.”
-Joshua 24:14-15
SACRIFICE IS A CHOICE & RESPONSE
“So then, my friends, because of God's great mercy to us
I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer. 2 Do not conform yourselves
to the standards of this world, but let God transform you
inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you
will be able to know the will of God—what is good
and is pleasing to him and is perfect."
-Romans 12:1,2
The video we watched in worship said it well;
"What great sacrifice for the heroes who left the comfort and safety of home to protect and fight for our freedom.
We are grateful for those at home waiting, loving and hoping.
We thank them for their courage.
We thank them for their commitment.
We thank them for their sacrifice."
GRACE MOTIVATED GOD THE FATHER & JESUS
(YOU are loved… YOU are appreciated… and YOU are valuable.)
“For it is by grace you have been saved, [Completely forgiven]through faith—and this not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God— not by works,
[A gift does not need to be "Paid BACK"]
so that no one can boast.
For we are God's workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
[A gift should not be paid "paid back" but should be
"Paid FORWARD"]
(Ephesians 2:8-10)
“Love each other as I have loved you.
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his
life for his friends.” (John 15:12-13)
[Jesus said this to his Disciples right before died
on the cross to forgive them of their sins.]
"I am the good shepherd… and I lay down MY life for the sheep. I lay down MY life… to take
it up again [resurrection].
No one takes it from me,
but I lay it down of MY own accord.”
(John 10:14,16-18)
“May there be peace within your walls and security…." -Ps 122:7
“The God of peace be with you all. Amen.” -Romans 15:3
DRAFTED (Called) & ENLISTED (Volunteered)
“I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” -Isaiah 9:8
“I sent all my… prophets… They said, ‘Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions…’” -Jer. 35:15
“The reason the Son of God [Jesus] appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” -1 John 3:8
God calls us and asks us to serve.
Drafted AND Enlisted
CHRISTIANS ARE SOLDIERS OF THE CROSS
"I thought I should send Epaphroditus back to you. He is a true brother, a faithful worker, and a courageous soldier. And he was your messenger to help me in my need." - Philip. 2:25 (NLT)
Many coaches use the "Going to war" metaphor with their players.
We all know what they mean, but it just men making millions of dollars to dribble a ball are not soldiers doesn't come close to real war and its affects.
"Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of ChristJesus. And as Christ’s soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army." -2 Tim. 2:3-4 (NLT)
FAITH MEANS SCARS
You cannot lay your life down without some scars.
You might not get a purple heart, but every soldier endures pain and struggle.
We will not get through this life without hurt and pain.
We will be attacked.
We might not be set on fire like the Roman Christians as torches, but we can light up our world with the faith of a soldier.
I read this article...
Jim is a Vietnam Veteran. He grew up in a Christian home and married a Christian girl. But when he came back from Vietnam, he was a different man – he had some scars. Soon his marriage fell apart. Later, he was injured at work and spent many days in the hospital in traction. His estranged wife was attending church and drove one hour every day to see him. A business acquaintance compelled him to attend a small local church called the “Church on the Way.” Soon God was working
on his heart. While his wife was living with her parents, he slept on their couch for several weeks until their marriage was restored. Later he would become a missionary. One day he was called to pastor a small Hispanic church of fifty people. In a short time, the church grew to 5,000. After the sudden death of the senior pastor, Jim was asked to become the Senior Pastor of The Church on the Way which now has 10,000 in weekly attendance.
You see, the faith of a soldier is great faith. And great faith will do great things.
• Great faith can heal marriages
• Great faith can save families
• Great faith can change communities
• Great faith can start revival
The military has a trauma system for mass casualties.
The lightly injured are called “minimal” because they don’t need immediate treatment.
The next level is “Delayed” – they need treatment but they can wait.
Then there is “Immediate” that have serious injuries but should survive if they get immediate treatment.
The final category is “Expectant” because the injuries are so severe that there is little hope.
There are many “Immediate” and “Expectants” in our world today. People who need Jesus right now! There is no other remedy. There is no other solution.
ONE SOLDIER'S TESTIMONY ABOUT JESUS
"When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw “how” he had died, he exclaimed,
"Truly, this was the Son of God!"
-Mark 15:39 (NLT)
VETERANS' DAY or VETERAN'S DAY
This month each year, we celebrate a very special holiday.
It isn't Thanksgiving, even though it is a day to give thanks.
It isn't Independence Day, even though it is a day
to celebrate freedom.
It isn't Valentine Day, even though it is a day to think about love.
The holiday we celebrate this week is called Veterans' Day.
This holiday is celebrated in many countries around the world.
In some countries it is called Armistice Day.
In others it may be called Remembrance Day.
No matter what you call it, it is a day on which we honor the men and women who have served in the military.
We also honor those who have died for the cause of freedom.
It is a time for us to say "Thank you" for the sacrifices they have made.
It is a time to think about the freedoms we enjoy because they were willing to serve.
It is a time to think about love -- the love they showed for their country and for their fellow man.
We honor the men and women who have served our country.
We honor the Vets… their Spouses… Sons... Daughters… Parents… Family Members, etc.
War causes scars and injuries of many kinds for all involved.
Reports often tell us that injured soldiers want nothing more than to get back to their buddies.
If you want the faith of a soldier, you will have to let those scars be healed and get back into the battle.
You may be facing some great battles.
But take heart.
Many have gone before you and made it through by faith.
The Army has a system called “Battle Buddies.” No one is ever to be alone in battle. You can’t even go to the bathroom alone.
We need each other.
I need your faith and you need mine.
Veterans need both.
Though both are correct,
"I prefer the spelling with the apostrophe after the plural "s"
Veterans' Day.
While Veteran's Day [Singular - The individual's Day] celebrates the individual sacrifice,
Veterans' Day [Plural - The whole team] celebrates the brotherhood and the sisterhood of the ENTIRE family of those serving.
To all of you... We thank you.
The freedoms we enjoy today… were bought with a price.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice for us.
We can know that we are forgiven by your grace through faith in your death and resurrection.
We commit to loving and serving others as you have loved and served us.
Help us to do that in Jesus’ name.
Amen!
Pastor Dave
Word of Life Church
17525 W. Bell Rd.
Surprise, AZ 85374