Veteran’s Day 2018 – Am I A Soldier of The Cross?
Please stand as we read our newest memory Scripture together …
Isaiah 9:6
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
And our memory refresher verses for today are …
Romans 6:22-23
“Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Please open your Bibles to Revelation 12:7-12
Today is Veteran’s Day and we are thankful for those who have served and who are now serving in the defense of our country and the freedom which we all enjoy.
We should all be thankful that we have a strong military that is under the control of a civilian government.
There are other countries where the military is under the control of a single dictator which can be tragic and is capable of enslaving an entire population.
Jesus said in Matthew 24:6a, 7a “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars … and nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom ….”
Well, we certainly do have wars and rumors of wars. We see wars between nations and civil wars within nations.
But, there is a war that far surpasses even the great wars of WWI and WWII and all other wars combined.
Let’s read a little bit about that in Revelation 12:7-12
This is the war that is greater than all of the wars of earthly nations; past, present and future. Every person who has ever lived to the point where they understand the difference of right and wrong has been a participant in this war.
There are three basic groups in this spiritual war.
1) Those who don’t know or who don’t care
2) Those who are soldiers of the devil’s hordes
3) Those who are soldiers of the Cross
1) Those who don’t know or don’t care either are unaware of the eternally lost condition of their soul or who are so wrapped up in the things of this world that those things drown out the still, small voice that calls them to Jesus.
This could be someone who Jesus describes in Matthew 13:22b as, “…someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.”
2) Then there are those who are soldiers of the devil’s hordes
These are those who fixated on evil.
These are those who are described in Proverbs 6:16-19 when it says, “There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.”
3) Finally, there are those who are “soldiers of the Cross” or soldiers in the Army of the Lord God Almighty.
These are those who are described in our Scripture reading for this morning where it says in Revelation 12:7, “They triumphed over [the devil] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
Really? Are we really supposed to be soldiers for Jesus? The apostle Paul certainly thought so!
Philippians 2:25
“But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.”
Now, Paul is not talking about Epaphroditus being a Roman soldier or one of the Temple guards. He is saying that Epaphroditus is a soldier fighting for the kingdom of God.
Epaphroditus is defending the Word of the Lord.
It also says in 2 Timothy 2:3-4
“Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer."
And in the greeting found in Philemon 1:1-2a it says,
“Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker - also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier ...”
So, I have to ask myself, “Am I a soldier of the cross? Am I a soldier of Jesus?”
I found this amazing old hymn written in the 1700’s by Isaac Watts entitled, “Am I A Soldier of The Cross?”
This song asks some hard-hitting questions. Let’s go through those questions putting ourselves in the place of the questioner; “Am I a solder of the cross?”
Verse 1 of the song asks that very question …
"Am I a soldier of the cross, a follower of the Lamb,
and shall I fear to own His cause, or blush to speak His name?"
So, I must ask myself, Am I a soldier of the cross?
Am I a follower of the Lamb, the Christ the Son of the Living God?
Am I afraid to take the cause of Christ and make it my cause as well?
Am I embarrassed to speak the name of Jesus as my Lord and Savior?
In Mark 8:38 NIV Jesus says,
“If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when He comes in His Father's glory with the holy angels.”
Romans 1:16 NIV
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”
Wow!
Verse 2 asks an incredible question …
"Must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease,
while others fought to win the prize, and sailed through bloody seas?
Wow! That one hits me right between the eyes! Isn’t that what we really want?
Don’t we really want to be happy and comfortable until the Lord calls us home?
Can’t we let others fight the hard battles? Don't we often say, “I’m not called to that!”
What if I get mocked and ridiculed?
What if I get reprimanded?
What if I get fired?
Others can witness. Others can spend time fasting and praying and equipping themselves with the armor of God by digging into the Bible.
I’m good enough. I’m saved. I don’t need any more and I’m sure that the Lord will send someone else to tell them about Jesus if I don’t.
At the district pastor’s gathering we just attended the worship leader couple is planting a church in Jamaica Plain, MA which was actually founded by Puritans!
A short time ago their son, Tyler, saw a mom with a toddler in a stroller. The baby was about the same age as Tyler’s little brother so he went up and asked if the baby was a boy or a girl. The Mom replied, “He’s a boy for now.” Then Tyler asked, “Where’s his daddy.” And the Mom replied, “He doesn’t have a daddy. He has two mommies.”
At that point Tyler’s dad intervened found Tyler and called him away.
The Mom’s beliefs are common and fully acceptable in Jamaica Plain MA.
It is a stronghold of the evil one.
What would you do if the Lord called you to be His witness in Jamaica Plain?
Would you go?
Or would you say, “I’m a soldier of the cross as much as anyone else … I’m happy … I’m comfortable …”
Yes, let me be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease while others fight to win the prize and sail through bloody seas!
But, if that is my attitude, I am definitely NOT a soldier of the cross but I am at best AWOL and at worst a deserter.
Lord, enable me to fight to win the prize and to sail through bloody seas!
Please don’t let me sit in my recliner and pray for someone else to do what You have called me to do!
Strengthen ME for the battle!
Verse 3 asks the question …
"Are there no foes for me to face? Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace, to help me on to God?"
Are there no foes for me to face?
In this instance we must not think of the unsaved as people to be beaten into submission or killed. They are simply people who have not yet found the wonderful grace of Jesus that can bring amazing spiritual life to a spiritual corpse!
In this war we are not soldiers who bring death to the living but soldiers who bring life to the spiritually dead!
This next line, “Is this vile world a friend to grace, to help me on to God?” is a most thought provoking line.
How can a vile world be a friend to grace?
Being a witness, a soldier for Jesus, is an activity that strengthens a weak Christian.
As the Lord presents His grace to others through your witness His grace also strengthens and builds up your soul as well.
It is a spiritual exercise that grounds you deeper and deeper into the faith.
The fourth verse answers the third verse.
"Sure I must fight, if I would reign; increase my courage, Lord.
I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain, supported by Thy Word."
The phrase, “if I would reign” comes from one of our Memory Scriptures …
2 Timothy 2:11-13
“Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him. If we disown Him, He will also disown us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot disown Himself.”
“If we endure, we will also reign with Him”, and in order to endure we must fight the battles the Lord puts before us.
Here in America we have invented an “easy” Christianity. We just want to be saved and glide into heaven.
We don’t like to think about bearing the toil and enduring the pain and knowing enough of God’s Word to be supported by it, but, that is what is required.
It’s not that we are earning our way to salvation, but, if we are in the Kingdom of God we are expected to be participants in the kingdom of God.
Jesus said, “If you love Me you will obey My commands.” - John 14:15 NASB
Verse 5 says …
"Thy saints in all this glorious war shall conquer though they die;
they view the triumph from afar, and seize it with their eye."
Is the cause of Christ really worth dying for?
Can we really be conquerors if we are even martyred for Jesus?
We can’t if we’re not saints in the Biblical sense?
Saints in the Biblical sense are those who have given over their lives totally to Christ, not in the sense of physical death, but in the sense of total abandonment to Jesus and His kingdom on earth.
Those who are totally abandoned to Jesus can view the final triumph from afar through the lens of Scripture and seize it with the eye of their heart.
And when that happens they know for a certainty that the day is coming when Jesus will return and their hearts yearn for that day!
Verse 6 speaks of that very day …
"When that illustrious day shall rise, and all Thine armies shine
in robes of victory through the skies, the glory shall be Thine."
When the day of Jesus’ return comes the saints who have endured to the end will be present in the shining armies of God but that will not be the highlight of the day for those who have been faithful.
What will be the most important thing to those in the armies of the Lord of heavens hosts?
It will be the same as it always has been … THE GLORY OF GOD!
(Play video of “Am I A Soldier Of The Cross” by Doris Johnson - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXfwBETWQiU)
(Lead into communion)
