Veterans for the Lord
Pastor Jim May
In a world filled with darkness it’s great to know that you have the power of the light of God with you. While others are overcome by fear, frustration, doubt and every thing that Satan can throw against them, you can lift up your head and rejoice because you are made an over comer in Christ.
Isaiah 54:17, "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD."
Oh, we have our share of problems in this world. We cannot escape the world, but we are going to be delivered through it all.
2 Corinthians 4:6-10, "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body."
Today is Veteran’s Day and I want to talk about some real veterans this morning. I appreciate all of those who have served in the armed forces of our nation. Even today there are thousands upon thousands of American men and women in uniform who are fighting our enemies on foreign soil. There are many more who are guarding the home front doing all they can to stop the enemies of our country from doing their worst.
It’s a good thing to never forget that someone, somewhere, right this very moment, is paying the price for your freedom and that price is never cheap.
We have a young soldier on our prayer list that was wounded in Iraq and we are thankful that he is getting better. But how many more are suffering and dying that we know nothing about?
To date, there have been 3,859 confirmed deaths of American soldiers on the battlefields of Iraq. Any life that is lost is a tragedy, and to have this many lose their lives in the battle for freedom is almost more than we can bear. But what is our alternative? What happens if we do not send our troops in harm’s way?
Have we forgotten that we were attacked? No American flew a jetliner into the palace of Saddam Hussein maliciously planning to kill as many Iraqis as possible just to prove a point. America did not engage itself in a jihad to destroy the infidels in the Middle East. Everything we have done, and continue to do, is based upon the fact that we were attacked first and we cannot allow it happen again without trying to stop it in advance.
But do we have the will to stay the course? I think not. America has become too divided to stand for long against an enemy, and as you well know, there are cries from all over the nation to pull out and let our enemies continue their plans against us.
But just as it was in WWI or WWII, if we don’t stop them in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan or wherever their home bases are, then we will be faced with stopping them in New York, Washington, and Baton Rouge. Either we send our soldiers to fight in their homeland or we wait to fight them in our own backyard.
America’s enemies won’t stop just because we leave them alone. Doing so will only embolden them to become stronger and attack us with more strength and with greater frequency.
None of us likes the idea of fighting, losing our young men and women in combat, but what is our alternative? Are we just going to sit back and surrender when our enemies attack? Sadly, I believe that there are many in our nation who would do just that! But the fact is that those who would throw up their hands and quit to save their own hides are among the first who would die if our enemies took over.
It’s a fact of history that leaders, politicians, the educated elite and those in positions of wealth and power are always the first to be captured and eliminated. The common man will suffer too, but our enemies are nearly as concerned with what you and I think as they are with how those in positions of influence think. If you are going to destroy a nation, it must start with the leaders.
I thank God for our nation, and for our military forces. I thank God that they are able to stem the tide of death in the homeland of our enemies. We don’t want to see innocent people die and property destroyed but if it must happen, and it must, then its better that innocent people and property are destroyed in the lands of our enemy and not in our own hometown.
So today, I want to give honor to all those who are veterans, both past and present, on foreign fields and at home. Thank God for every one of them. I hope that we continue to produce people who are willing to pay the price. I only hope we continue to support them in every way possible.
There is another kind of veteran that I want to honor this morning as well. These veterans often go without recognition. These are the veterans of the church, the army of the Lord that goes forth every day to fight back the powers of Hell and overcome the enemy of our soul.
Every one of you that are sitting in this room; if you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and you are doing your best to serve the Lord, are among that number. You are a veteran of the Cross. You are a veteran of the war against darkness, sin and evil in this world.
No, you don’t carry a rifle or drive a tank, but you wield a double-edged sword and wear the armor of God into battle every day that you live. Your war is never over until Jesus calls you home. You carry the scars of the battle with you all the time. You pick up your cross daily and then take your place on the front lines of the battle. In this war there can be surrender and defeat is not an option.
But we do not fear for we know that our Commander in Chief has never lost a battle and has already won the war. In addition to that, God has empowered us to fight for justice and righteousness. With the blood stained banner of the cross flying high in the winds of adversity, and unbroken ranks of Holy Ghost filled men and women of God, marching ever forward to destroy the strongholds of the devil, we go forth every day pushing Satan back on every front.
Don’t ever think that just because we might face persecution, or because so many of the church have deserted their post and compromised with the world, that we are going to go into these last days as an emaciated, weak church without the power to defeat the devil.
No sir, all that is happening is that God is weeding out the quitters, the cowards and those who will not stay the course. You won’t be a part of the victorious church with a half-hearted commitment to the Lord. But if your commitment is strong and your heart is set on Jesus, you will overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the words of your testimony.
1 Peter 4:16-19, "Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator."
In these last days, God will give us the power we need to defeat the enemy.
1 John 4:4, "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."
God has provided a great heritage for his children. We are made victorious. We are given all power through the blood of Jesus. We are promised victory against our enemy. We can never fail.
God gives us power to discern right from wrong; to understand where the source of our troubles comes from and how to overcome through it all.
Psalms 18:28-36, "For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God? It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places. He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip."
Satan’s attacks are never a surprise to us, for his plans have been revealed to us through the Word of God. We already know that he is a liar and the father of it. We already know that he is like a roaring lion seeking to frighten and devour anyone who is afraid of him. We already know that he is the culprit behind every sin and all the evil in the world.
God gave us the light of the gospel and the True Light, the Lord Jesus Christ, lives inside of us. Our paths are lighted by the Word of the Lord. We can walk the paths of life with a sure footed step because God’s Word tells us where every pitfall lies so that we may avoid them. We need not fear Satan’s snares for God delivers us out of them all.
David says that God’s light has dispelled the darkness of sin and because of that we can run through a whole troop of demonic forces and leap over every wall that Satan puts in our path. Through God’s enabling power, Satan can’t touch the child of God. He can try, but unless we lay down and allow him to do what he wants, he has no power over us at all.
God’s battle plan is perfect. The plan of salvation is tried and true. The Word of the Lord is a firm foundation and God gives strength and power to all who will trust in Him.
God is my Rock. He is my sword and shield. Only Jesus has the Words of eternal life. If we look for Jesus we will find him. If we want to know him, he is not far away. Though the world cannot see him, he is easily found for those who are truly searching.
Song of Solomon 2:14, "O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely."
God gives us the sure footed path to walk upon so that our feet will not slip from his paths. He leads us into the high places in the realm of the Spirit where we can know him ever better.
It is in those high places that he teaches us how to engage in spiritual warfare. Through prayer, and through the power of the Blood of Jesus we are able to break the strongholds of Satan.
You need not fear ever losing the battle. God gives you the shield of faith and the power to overcome. You can be a real veteran of the Cross if you want to.
Do you bear in your life, and in your body, the marks of a veteran for the Lord? Have you been injured in the fight? Do you have a few sleepless nights, a few cuts to the heart, a few wounds to your spirit or times of distress?
Never fear, these are all signs of a soldier. Every soldier faces these things in the midst of battle, but a true veteran serves on faithfully.
You have a great heritage from the Lord today. You have been chosen to be a soldier in the Lord’s army. You aren’t drafted – this is an all volunteer army.
When your race is won, and your last battle has been fought, you will stand before the Commander and receive your decoration for valor, your reward for faithfulness.
One day soon, you will stand before God as a faithful veteran and you will hear those words, “Well done”. What a day that will be!
In closing let me ask a simple question: Are you serving in the Lord’s army right now? If your service was called into question would Jesus call you faithful? Are you going to be a veteran on the winning side? Is Jesus your reason for living?
During the Vietnam War there were many who could have been veterans but they chose to run away instead. Many hid behind loopholes in the law that excused them from the fight. Others ran to Canada and other foreign lands because they were fearful of the fight. In the end, they were the losers. Some of them, like Jane Fonda, even chose to be a traitor to the cause and sided with the enemy. Not one of them will be honored today, for this is Veteran’s Day, not Coward’s Day or Deserter’s Day.
The only way that we will be honored when we stand before God is to have been a veteran of the Lord’s Army that stood faithful to the end in the face of the enemy. In God’s Army, either you are a faithful veteran or a traitor to the cause worthy only of death.
I hope that you are a faithful veteran and that one day we will all celebrate with you!
