VETERANS OF WAR
Gen. 5:21-24
INTRO.- In Rom. 13:7 we are admonished to give honor to whom honor is due. Sometimes we wait until someone is gone to give them their due honor. Then it’s too late for them to appreciate our appreciation.
ILL.- A Tisket, a Tasket, I’m Comin’ Outta the Casket! Imagine a funeral. The preacher’s giving the eulogy. And suddenly, the "guest of honor" pops up out of the coffin! It really happened. George Sogwe of South Africa decided to fake his death as a test. "I wanted to know what people say about me when I’m dead," he said. "I’m satisfied they spoke the truth about me and not lies."
One friend said, "George says he’s gonna keep the coffin for his real funeral … which may be held sooner than he thinks, if he keeps pulling stunts like this!"
Most of the time, people are dead and gone before we ever honor them properly. How sad! The same thing is often true when it comes to honoring our Veterans of the armed services. Most are dead before we ever pay them any significant tribute. Sometimes, that’s unavoidable, of course. War is a killing field.
Listen to this story about a vet who kept a nearly 60-year-old promise to an army buddy.
ILL.- It’s the story of a friendship forged during one of the worst battles of World War II, and a promise made almost 60 years ago, a promise that was finally kept Thursday, Aug. 2, 2001. HAROLD HUGGINS, a veteran of 10 major campaigns in World War II and the last survivor of his battalion, traveled halfway across the country by train on one last mission in memory of his best buddy.
"I had this on my mind for 57 years, trying to locate his sister and loved ones out there in California," says Huggins. "Part of him lives in me."
Huggins, from Albany, Ill., and Mack McClain from Marysville, Calif., were best friends in the army. They wound up together at Anzio Beach, Italy, scene of one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. Mack had a premonition that he wouldn’t make it out of there alive, so he gave Harold some mementos, a belt, some photos, and said: "’Give this to my sister, tell her that I love her,’ Huggins recalls. ’You can even give her a kiss.’"
Harold promised if anything happened to Mack he would do what was asked. One day later, Mack was killed in an artillery barrage. After the war, Harold looked for Mack’s sister but he never found her until Harold’s daughter sent out e-mails to various veterans groups. Some California vets found Mack’s sister, Grace, whose last name changed when she married.
"We have always hoped and prayed that we would meet somebody that would tell us about Mack," says Grace.
Thursday, Aug. 2nd, at the place where his buddy’s name is engraved in marble at the veterans memorial in Marysville, Calif., Harold Huggins kept that promise he made 57 years ago, meeting Mack’s sister for the very first time and giving her that kiss that Mack asked Harold to deliver, turning over those mementos from his fallen friend.
For an old soldier who wouldn’t give up his search for a buddy’s long lost sister, there’s a feeling of mission accomplished. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. I like that.
Brothers and sisters, Harold Huggins’ story is the story of a true veteran. It’s the story of undying devotion, love, and commitment. It’s the kind of devotion that should be seen in the lives of those who commit themselves to their spiritual Commander-in-Chief, the Lord Jesus Christ!
It is also the kind of devotion and commitment that we should have to one another; to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank God for Harold Huggins and his dedication.
Today, we want to honor our Armed Service Veterans. All veterans, would you please stand and tell us the branch of service in which you served and what war, if any?
May God bless you for serving our country!
I want to talk about another kind of veteran. THE VETERAN IN GOD’S ARMY. And whether we realize this or not, we all are on "active duty" in the Lord’s Army.
PROP.- Today I want to take a look at one old grand veteran of the faith. Enoch. Remember him?
1- Enoch’s draft
2- Enoch’s devotion
3- Enoch’s duty
4- Enoch’s demise
I. ENOCH’S DRAFT
ILL.- A son said to his father, "Here’s my report, Dad, along with one of your old ones I found in the attic." His dad looked it over and said, "Well, son, you’re right. This old report card of mine doesn’t look any better than yours. I guess the only fair thing to do is give you what my father gave me."
Fatherhood. What can we say about it? It’s a very responsible position, or should be. And most men who become fathers begin to realize this.
Gen. 5:21-22 "When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years."
We get the impression from these verses that Enoch didn’t begin to walk with God until after he became a father. Sad to say, this is true for many men. Many men don’t think about their relationship to God until they become a father. Fatherhood makes us think more clearly, more spiritually at times. Not for all, but for most. Fatherhood is an awesome responsibility.
It may be that Enoch did not get drafted in the Lord’s army until he was 65 years old. That is, he did not wake up to his relationship to God until he was 65 years old. Sometimes it takes men even longer than 65 years to wake up.
ILL.- I have personally baptized into Christ several men in their 80’s. One old gentleman named Pete told me he was somewhat ashamed of himself, having waited that long to decide to follow the Lord. He said he had wasted most of his life. AND HE HAD. Old Pete only lived about six months after I baptized him into Christ, but during that time he lived for the Lord as best he could. He was always in church. Always had a smile. Always had a good word for people.
Men and woman, please, please, don’t wait too long to get drafted into the Lord’s army! Don’t play around all your life, doing your own thing and then decide when your 50 or 60 or 70 to do something about giving your life to Lord.
ILL.- I was 20 years-old when I made my public confession of Christ and was baptized into Him. But I guarantee you, I was accountable long before that. I could have made that decision earlier in life if the right person or persons had come into my life. If I had been around the right people and atmosphere.
Don’t wait until later in life to decide for the Lord. If you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world, and you want Him to save you, then let Him do it now! Join up now!
II Cor. 6:2 Paul said, "I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation."
The sooner you get involved in the Lord’s army, the better off you will be. IT PAYS TO BE IN THE LORD’S ARMY!
II. ENOCH’S DEVOTION
ILL.- One fine Spring Sunday morning, a Priest was gazing out of a window at a nearby Trout Stream. "Today would be a good day to sneak off and go fishing", he thought. The weather was perfect, his fly rod had new line, he had very recently heard reports of a good Trout run, and the Associate Priest was more than ready to handle the Mass. So, within minutes, the Mass was underway and the Priest was quietly sneaking out the backdoor, rod, and net in hand, heading upstream.
But he didn’t go unobserved. An Angel was watching his every move and went straight to God. "The Priest lied so he could sneak away and go fishing", the Angel reported to God. Smiling, God said, "So he finally gave in to temptation".
The Angel nodded, "Should I alert the congregation, Sir, and allow him to be caught?" "No, give him complete privacy", God said. "Should I command the fishes to avoid him, so he gets skunked and catches nothing?", the Angel asked. "No", God said, calmly, "We want the Priest to catch something. In fact, command the largest Trout in the stream to take the bait and give the Priest the fight of his life".
Confused, but loyal, the Angel did as God instructed and within minutes, the Priest had hooked a massive Trout. The fight was spectacular. The Priest was using every trick in the book to successfully land the fish. He loosened the drag so the giant fish could run and not snap the line. He slowly walked the bank, up one end and down the other, allowing the huge fish freedom and time to tire out. Finally, after an exhausting ten minute ordeal, the massive Trout cruised into the shore and the Priest proudly scooped him up in the waiting net.
The Angel quickly turned to God, "Should I make a hole in the net so the fish is released?" "No", God said, calmly, "The Priest will release the fish". "What?", the Angel said, shocked, "The Priest lands the biggest fish in the stream, by far the biggest catch of his life and, forgive me God, but you actually expect him to release it?"
Smiling knowingly, God assures the Angel, "The Priest is supposed to be in Church. He can’t carry the giant fish into Mass and he certainly can’t talk about it to anyone".
The morale of the story is that we all have things that we like to do, things that we are completely devoted to: hunting, fishing, football, baseball, basketball, golf, cars, crafts, Christmas shopping, etc. BUT ENOCH WAS A MAN COMPLETELY DEVOTED TO HIS GOD!
Gen. 5:22 "Enoch walked with God."
With whom do you walk? And where do you walk? Enoch walked with God. I’m sure he walked with God daily, hourly, constantly. There was constant communion between Enoch and God, like that of best and most loving friends. And they were!
In a sense, Enoch could read God’s mind because his mind was on God all the time. Enoch walked with God. WHAT ABOUT YOU? How devoted are you to Him?
III. ENOCH’S DUTY
ILL.- A Presbyterian deacon once asked one of Campbell Morgan’s grandsons if he intended to become a preacher like his grandfather, his father, and his uncles. (All of Morgan’s four sons went into the ministry.) "No, sir!" said the boy. "I’m going to work!"
I realize that many people think that preaching is not work, but our veteran of the faith, Enoch, was a worker. His work, his duty was that of preaching. He was a prophet of God who preached the message of God.
Jude 14-15 "Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: ’See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.’"
ILL.- One Sunday Mrs. Calvin Coolidge was sick and stayed home from church. President Coolidge went to church by himself. When he returned home, his wife asked, "What the minister preach about?" The President replied, "Sin." "What did he say about it?" The President said, "HE WAS AGAINST IT."
Enoch was against sin. He preached against sin and about the Lord’s judgment.
ILL.- John Wesley used to ask his young men whom he had sent out to preach two questions: "Has any one been converted?" and "Did any one get mad?" If the answer was "No," he told them he did not think the Lord had called them to preach the Gospel.
Apparently, John Wesley thought preaching should either convert people or make them mad. That may well be the kind of preaching Enoch did. He either converted people or made them mad.
I personally don’t think that’s the preacher’s calling today, however. It is my desire to accomplish several things through preaching: convict, correct, convert, encourage, edify, and rebuke. There must be some rebuke and this will upset some people. I don’t go around, intentionally trying to make people mad, however. I want to stir people, but in the right way! I want to motivate to good actions, not bad actions.
Enoch’s duty was that of serving the Lord through preaching. You have a duty to perform as well. As veterans of the faith we all have a duty to perform.
Have you discovered your duty? Have you figured out what God wants you to do for Him? If you don’t knock on the door and try your hand at some things, you’ll never find out how God wants you to serve. BE ASSURED, HOWEVER, HE DOES WANT YOU TO DO SOMETHING, TO DO YOUR DUTY!
IV. ENOCH’S DEMISE
ILL.- A bank in Binghamton, New York, had some flowers sent to a competitor who had recently moved into a new building. There was a mix up at the flower shop, and the card sent with the arrangement read, "With our deepest sympathy."
The florist, who was greatly embarrassed, apologized. But he was even more embarrassed when he realized that the card intended for the bank was attached to a floral arrangement sent to a funeral home in honor of a deceased person. That card read, "Congratulations on you new location!"
Enoch got a new location but he didn’t get it the way most of us will get it!
Gen. 5:24 "Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away."
Wow! Am I reading this Scripture right? Is it true that Enoch never experienced death? ABSOLUTELY!
Heb. 11:5 "By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away..."
We tend to think, "Lucky guy!" No, Enoch was not a lucky guy. He was a very righteous guy who walked with God and this may have had something to do with why God took him from this life instead of allowing him to experience death.
ILL.- Here is how a little girl described the story of Enoch after hearing it in Sunday School one day. She said, "It seems that every day God would come by and say to Enoch, ’Enoch, would you like to walk with me?’ And Enoch would come out of his house and down to the gate, and he’d go walking with God.
"He got to the place that he enjoyed it so much that he’d be waiting at the gate of his house every day.
"And God would come by and say, ’Enoch, let’s take a walk.’ Then one day God came by and said, ’Enoch, let’s a long walk today. I have a lot to tell you.’
"So they walked and walked and walked. Finally, Enoch said, ’It’s getting late in the afternoon. I’d better get back home!’ And God said to him, ’Enoch, you’re closer to my home than you are to your home; so you come on home with me.’ And so Enoch went home with God."
Not bad. Not bad at all. What a beautiful word picture of the story of Enoch.
Heb. 9:27 "It is appointed to men to die."
The important thing for all of us to remember in the light of our demise is preparation. How does a person prepare properly for death? There is only one way and HIS NAME IS JESUS!
CONCLUSION-----------------------------------------
Even though Enoch is long gone, he is still speaking to us today. Not much in Scripture about Enoch, but what is said about him is very powerful. He was true veteran of faith.
I have preached a lot of funerals in my lifetime, and I have noticed that occasionally, some thoughtful family member will place something in the hands of the deceased that is a memorial to their life. It may be a picture, a keepsake, a flower, a book, a Bible or something else.
When you leave this world, what will someone put in your hand as a memorial to your life? Will you be remembered for your faith in Christ when you’re gone?
Only one life, twill soon be past
Only what is done for Christ will last.
