Christian Army Values - Keeping The Faith, A Soldiers Pledge

5.31.2009.Sermon.Keeping the faith

By William Akehurst, BA

HSWC

1 Timothy 6:12

Paul’s writings show us how to act and live in light of a military background.

So, Lets take a look at our Military for a moment

www.goarmy.com

Living the Army Values

IT MEANS YOU LIVE UP TO A HIGHER STANDARD

Many people know what the words Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage mean. But how often do you see someone actually live up to them? Soldiers learn these values in detail during Basic Combat Training

(BCT), from then on they live them every day in everything they do — whether they’re on the job or off. In short, the Seven Core Army Values listed below are what being a Soldier is all about.

Basic Combat Training: BCT All must go through training before they are ready for battle

1. Loyalty: Bear true faith and allegiance to Nation and Constitution

2. Duty: Fulfill your obligations

3. Respect: Treat people as they should be treated

4. Selfless Service: Put others before self

5. Honor; live up to the Army values

6. Integrity: doing what is right (legally and morally)

7. Personal courage: face fear, danger or adversity

Lets put this in a Christian perspective

Loyalty: Bear true faith and allegiance to the LORD

Duty: Fulfill your obligations…as unto the LORD

Respect: Treat people as they should be treated (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you)

Selfless Service: Put others before self (Love your neighbor as yourself)

Honor: live up to the Godly Values

Integrity: doing what is right (legally and morally and spiritually)

Personal courage: face fear, danger or adversity (Walk by faith)

As a soldier:

Stand upright

Keep the faith- protect it, live for it, do not defile it.

Walking by faith

Responsible soldiers: worthy of their position

Must act as a soldier, must keep to the code

Be Holy for I am Holy

Go and Sin no more

Soldiers fight for freedom

We fight for our faith

We battle the enemy: sin, the devil

The battle is won: Jesus is victory

Faith: Justified by faith

Keep the faith, be responsible soldiers

Be holy as I am holy; Go and sin no more

We must live and act as Christian soldiers, obedient to the LORD. Putting off that which is of this world (carnal) and putting on, taking on that which is eternal (spirit)

Soldier must obey his commander

Respect authority

Be a good soldier of the cross

Sin should have no dominion

Rom 8:1 who walk in the Spirit

* * *

All soldiers hold to the code: don’t leave a fallen soldier behind

We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus our LORD.

That said, if we are not to leave the ‘fallen’ behind, shouldn’t we be telling them about God’s gift of eternal life, hope and forgiveness through Jesus Christ, our commander?

* * *

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

Keeping the faith. Contending for the faith. Fighting the good fight.

KEEPING THE FAITH

To be a soldier, you must act and conduct yourself like a soldier

KEEPING = PROTECTING

Are we keeping the faith? Are we keeping=protecting it?

OUR ORDERS and OUR CONDUCT

As a soldier, You take orders from the commander and are to be obedient to those orders

OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS SOLDIERS

The Lord said, "Be holy as I am holy” We are ordered to conduct our lives in line with holiness

Jesus to woman who was to be stoned to death, "Go and sin no more"

WE ARE TO CHOOSE LIFE, NOT DEATH

CHOOSE TO LIVE FOR CHRIST

NOT CHOOSE TO LIVE FOR SIN

LIFE=CONFESSION, CHRIST, FORGIVENESS

DEATH=SIN, UNFORGIVENESS, UNRIGHTEOUSNESS

1 Peter 1:13-15 13Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

PREPARING FOR BATTLE

Basic Combat Training (BCT)

The Armor of GOD

DEFENDING AND CONTENDING

Jude 1:3

[ Contend for the Faith ] Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

James Dobson and Focus on the Family are "CONTENDERS IN THE FAITH"