Duty First
Thesis: The Christian Soldier needs to learn to put Duty to God First and THEN incorporate into their lives 3 core values: Courage, Commitment, and Selfless Sacrifice FOR THE Commander In Chief.
Scripture Texts:
1 Corinthians 16:13: 13Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 14Do everything in love.
I Peter 4:19: 19So then, those who suffer according to God¡¦s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
Romans 12:1: 1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God¡¦s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God¡Xthis is your spiritual act of worship.
Introduction:
Sixty years ago America was engulfed in a struggle for survival. Swindoll notes, ¡§We were sandwiched between two massive military powers bent on world domination. Our fighting forces were at their peak, performing at heroic levels of determination. Every magazine , every newspaper, every radio news report (there was no television), and virtually every conversation between neighbors and fellow employees included words about the war. It was, except for the bloody Civil War, the most significant war in our nations history. Such a conflict called for stouthearted leaders who were not afraid¡Kwho could see the big picture ¡Kwho were able to make tough and lonely decisions as well as motivate others who were willing to carry them out to the point of sacrifice. Happily, Americans were not alone during those difficult and demanding years. Across the Atlantic the people of the United Kingdom remained staunch allies. A major part of the reason they stood with us so firmly was the courageous commitment of England¡¦s prime minister, a man whose leadership was nothing short of remarkable. William Manchester refers to that man in his excellent volume. The Last Lion- Winston Spencer Churchill¡¨ (3,4).
For Winston Churchill backing away from or surrendering was never an option with Germany. He showed courage and determination in the midst of devastation from the bombings to battlefield. He knew that sacrifice of one for another was the key to the greater success of the nation. He knew that uniting the people of Britain against the enemy would bring victory.
In his first address to the House of Commons on May 13, 1940, he said, ¡§I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.¡¨ And again on June 4, 1940:
Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender¡K (Swindoll, 6).
Churchill reflects the character traits of a true soldier. He demonstrates to us today the importance of having 3 core values which drove him into the fight with evil and also lead to their victory against the forces of evil. These three values I saw in Churchill are also taught at West Point.
The 3 fundamental Values of West Point are courage, commitment, and selfless sacrifice. The military icon seeks to institute these values into their officers so that when they graduate they are prepared to lead others into battle.
West Point¡¦s recent history, in particular the move away from what is now considered ¡¥abusive¡¦ leadership. ¡¥No one is going to be in their faces yelling at them when they make a mistake,¡¦ a second class squad leader says. ¡¥But we¡¦re going to be right there making sure they do things right. That¡¦s harder on them and us.¡¦ ¡¥You don¡¦t want them doing things just because they¡¦re afraid to mess up,¡¦ another squad leader says. ¡¥You want them to do things because they don¡¦t want to let people down.¡¦ This theme is repeated over and over again at West Point¡¨ (24).
Courage is the ability or attitude of dealing with a dangerous, difficult, or painful situation instead of withdrawing or fleeing from it. This quality at West Point is driven into the cadets over and over. They know that this quality is an absolute must in warfare. This mindset of being brave and fearless in the face of dangerous situations is a key to overcoming the danger. To deal with it you must face it and defeat it.
Commitment is the act of being given a charge or trust to deliver something for safe keeping. It is the idea of to entrust someone with something of value. Webster says this about the word commit- The basic term here, implies the delivery of a person or thing into the charge or keeping of another. The idea is interesting to West Point each graduate will leave West Point and be placed in a leadership position over another human being. They are being entrusted with someone who is very valuable therefore they are to do everything within their ability to lead and protect them effectively. They must commit to do their very best in extremely dangerous and difficult situations because the life of others and the cause of the fight warrants it.
Selfless Sacrifice is the decision to die to what self wants and to commit with courage to working as a unified team unit. They are drilled over and over at West Point that life is not about you. Service to country is about denying what you want for the sake of the whole. Selfless denotes the idea of being devoted to others benefit over one¡¦s own desires, wants or interests. It is the character of being unselfish.
These three values are essential and are the essential points drilled into the cadet¡¦s mind set. If these values are ingrained into the cadet then when they are placed into a warfare type situation with all its chaos and difficulty they will make right decisions as they carry out of the task designated by their leaders and the Commander in Chief.
I sometimes sit and think I wish I could require new believers to spend 4 years in a Spiritual West Point. Why? So many Christians do not have these three core values ingrained into their hearts and minds. The result is Christianity is losing ground against the enemy of this world. I see us lose ground daily because of apathy ¡V selfishness- cowardice- fear!
I believe for Christianity to take ground against the enemy there needs to be an emphasis placed on these three values today. We need to understand what they are and we need to adopt them as our personal core values.
Why? So that we are prepared to enter into this Spiritual War and so we are victorious!
Paul the apostle states: Ephesians 6:12 ¡§For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.¡¨
T.S. ¡V Lets look at our three core values and understand what they look like and act like.
I. To be a spiritually successful soldier for the Lord you need to assert courage in this spiritual war.
a. 1 Corinthians 16:13: ¡§Stand firm in the faith, be men of courage.¡¨
i. Courage is the ability or attitude of dealing with a dangerous, difficult, or painful situation instead of withdrawing or fleeing from it. This quality at West Point is driven into the cadets over and over. They know that this quality is an absolute must in warfare. This mindset of being brave and fearless in the face of dangerous situations is a key to overcoming the danger. To deal with it you must face it and defeat it.
ii. Be strong!
We are not here to play, to dream, to drift.
We have hard work to do and loads to lift.
Shun not the struggle,
face it: ’tis God’s gift.
Be strong!
Say not the days are evil. Who’s to blame?
And fold the hands and acquiesce, O shame!
Stand up, speak out
and bravely, in God’s name.
Be strong!
It matters not how deep entrenched the wrong,
How hard the battle goes, the day is long:
Faint not, fight on!
Tommorrow comes the song.
-- Maltbie D. Babcock
b. D-Day at Omaha beach - Normandy, France
On the early morning of June 6, 1944, then 2nd Lieutenant Burkhalter landed on Omaha beach in Normandy. After seeing the movie Saving Private Ryan, I realize no words I could come up with could possibly explain what he had to go through, so I won’t even try. Instead, I¡¦ll use his words. In one of his old trunks, I found a letter that he wrote to his wife Mabel shortly after the invasion. In a classic wartime coincidence, a copy of the letter was wired to the Miami Daily News where a photo of John checking the identification of a dead German soldier had arrived several hours earlier. The letter and photo were printed on Sunday, August 6th, 1944 :
Headline : God Was On The Beach On D-Day : Chaplain Burkhalter Tells Power of Prayers.
"Dear Mable,
It is mid-afternoon here in France several weeks after D-Day. Shells from heavy artillery are humming overhead and the sounds of shells bursting are coming from all directions in the not-so-far-off distance. The regiment I’m with forms part of the front line.
I entered France on D-Day with the "Fighting First Division." This Division has well-trained, courageous and experienced men. Our officers are of the highest order, men of great courage and experience who are war-wise and have seen a lot of battle. The First Division was the first to enter France in World War I and first to enter France in this war; they were the assault troops in the American sector on D-Day. There are not many close-up photographs of the First Division on D-Day because the beach was too hot for photography in those early morning hours and also all through the afternoon. Picture-taking was better in the days that followed.
When my part of the Division landed, there were impressions made on my mind that will never leave it. Just before landing we could see heavy artillery shells bursting all up and down the beach at the water’s edge under well directed fire. As I stood in line waiting to get off the LCI to a smaller craft to go into shore, I was looking toward land and saw a large shell fall right on a landing craft full of men. I had been praying quite a bit through the night as we approached the French coast but now I began praying more earnestly than ever. Danger was everywhere; death was not far off. I knew that God alone is the maker and preserver of life, who loves to hear and answer prayer. We finally landed and our assault craft was miraculously spared, for we landed with no shells hitting our boat.
Ernie Pyle came ashore the morning after the assault and after seeing the results of what took place the day before he wrote in his article for the Stars and Stripes, "Now that it’s all over, it seems to me a pure miracle we ever took the beach at all."
The enemy had a long time to fix up the beach. The beach was covered with large pebbles to prevent tank movements, and mines were everywhere. The enemy was well dug in and had set up well prepared positions for machine guns and had well chosen places for sniping. Everything was to their advantage and to our disadvantage, except one thing, the righteous cause for which we are fighting - liberation and freedom. For the moment our advantage was in the abstract and theirs was in the concrete. The beach was spotted with dead and wounded men. I passed one man whose foot had been blown completely off. Another soldier lying close by was suffering from several injuries; his foot was ripped and distorted until it didn’t look much like a foot. Another I passed was lying very still, flat on his back, covered in blood. Bodies of injured men all around. Sad and horrible sights were plentiful.
In a recent write-up it is said of one of the colonels of the First Division that led his regiment in on the beach during the early morning, "This blue-eyed soldier had stood on the beach where thousands of men were pinned down by enemy fire, and in a quiet drawl said, ’Gentlemen, we are being killed here on the beaches; let’s move inland and be killed there.’"
In from the beach were high hills which we had to climb. We crawled most of the way up. As we filed by those awful scenes going up the hill and moving inland, I prayed hard for those suffering men, scattered here and there and seemingly everywhere.
We filed over the hill as shells were falling on the beach back of us, meaning death for others who were still coming in. Later, one of the soldiers told me that on this occasion he saw a shell land right on top of a wounded man and blow him to bits. Before going over the top of the hill we crouched for awhile close to the ground just below the top. While lying there I did most of my praying. The shells were falling all around and how I knew that God alone was able to keep them away from us. I shall never forget those moments. I am sure that during that time I was drawn very close to God.
Later, about ten of us were crossing along the edge of a field when we heard sniper bullets whiz by. We all fell to the ground. As we lay there hugging the earth, that we might escape shrapnel from shell fire and bullets from sniper’s guns, the birds were singing beautifully in the trees close by. As I lay there listening I thought of the awfulness of it all; the birds were singing and we Human Beings were trying to kill each other. We are the greatest of God’s creation, made in the image of God, and here human blood was being spilt everywhere. About three minutes later and only about forty yards away we filed by one of our own boys lying by the side of the hedge, crouched over with a hole in the back of his head. His eyes were open but he was dead, hit by a sniper. We didn’t have time to stop, we were pushing on inland making a new front as we went. Someone behind and hours later would move him.
On the afternoon of the second day we were quite a way inland and two of my assistants and I were out trying to locate bodies of dead soldiers. We always take care of the American dead first and then the enemy dead. This was the second day and we were still fighting our way ;inland, moving fast. Since we did not have any vehicles yet to send bodies back, all we could do on the move was to put the bodies in mattress covers and leave them in a marked place to be taken care of later by the rear echelons. Our business was to keep fighting on inland and pushing the enemy back. On the roadside my assistants and I saw a dead German officer. He was a tall fellow; must have been about six feet four. We turned him over and stretched him out the best we could. I looked at his face and was surprised to see how young he looked. No doubt he was in his twenties but he had the face of a boy. I thought: surely, this fellow was too young to die. It almost seemed that he had asked for it. I became conscious of an awful evil force behind it all to cause a young fellow like this to seemingly hunger and delight to kill and be killed. We slid his body into a mattress cover and left him by the side of the road.
Most of this section of France we are moving through is farming area with fields and hedges and orchards. We see cows and chickens and ducks and pigs and all that goes with farming.
On one occasion we were near some farm houses and some large shells began to fall, so several of us near a stone barn dashed into it to get out of the way of shrapnel. Just inside was a mother hen covering her little chicks. When we hurried in she became frightened and fluffing her feathers rose up to protect her young. I looked at her and silently said, "No, mother hen, we are not trying to hurt you and your little family, we are trying to hurt each other."
Nobody can love God better than when he is looking death square in the face and talks to God and then sees God come to the rescue. As I look back through hectic days just gone by to that hellish beach I agree with Ernie Pyle, that it was a pure miracle we even took the beach at all." Yes, there were a lot of miracles on the beach that day. God was on the beach D-Day; I know He was because I was talking with Him.
While in England Chaplain Burkhalter wrote his wife that he had visited many places of interest in his days off duty and among them, he was exceptionally happy to have the privilege of visiting the Baptist Headquarters in London and had a nice little visit with ’dear Dr. Rushbrooke," President of the Baptist World Alliance. He said that "Dr. Rushbrooke is such a humble and Godly man and that you could just see the Lord in his face."
Since his equipment has arrived, Chaplain Burkhalter has a jeep and a trailer, a square box with canvass covering, in which he carries his organ, desk, typewriter, song books, bed roll, etc. He has a clerk and four assistants working with him. He has held field services out under the trees in France, and the Lord has been very real as they felt His presence there. Chaplain Burkhalter is the proud father of a baby daughter, Mabel Jean, born March 21, after he went overseas. Mrs. Burkhalter is living with her mother in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
c. Phoebe Palmer¡¦s story: A Christian Warriors story!
i. Christian History states; During her life (1807-1874) Palmer spoke to over 100,000 people about Jesus and sparked a revival that brought nearly a million people into the church. Her influential theology paved the way for such modern holiness denominations as the Church of the Nazarene and the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana), and for Pentecostalism as well. Being a well-known female speaker made her a feminist, though what would today be considered a ¡¥conservative¡¦ one: she championed the right and duty of women to speak publicly for the Lord. But Palmer did more than talk about Jesus. She put his love into action in New York City¡¦s worst slum, pioneering a new Kind of incarnational philanthropy (16).
1. Phoebe worked on opening a settlement house in New York¡¦s worst slum called the Five Points. It is described as a place over ridden with frightening brothels, low grade bars, decayed living conditions, street gangs everywhere. Historian Paul Boyer describes it as so dangerous that Charles Dickens would visit there to help write his stories but he would always take with him two very tough policemen.
2. White notes though: ¡§But where Dickens feared to tread (calling it the hub of all that was ¡¥loathsome, drooping, and decayed¡¨) Palmer went alone to show God¡¦s love to the destitute¡¨ (20).
3. Deut. 31:6: ¡§Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.¡¨
d. The Lord tells Paul in Acts 23:11 to have courage in what God has designed and called him to do.
i. Acts 23:11: 11The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, ¡§Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.¡¨
e. Why is this character value essential?
i. Without courage no soldier would stay in the battle. They would run the other way in fear on the enemy.
f. Why is this character value important to the Christian Warrior?
i. This character is essential if we want to make a difference in someone¡¦s life. It will require courage to speak and preach about Jesus in a culture that is hostile to this message.
1. We see this hostility rising all around us today. It will become worse and only those who are fearless for Christ will be standing in the end.
a. 1 Corinthians 15:58: ¡§Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.¡¨
2. When a Christian fails to commit to the cause and the Commander in Chief they give the enemy the victory.
3. They also give the enemy more territory more victories, more lives.
4. How does this happen? The Christian soldier runs away, they have no courage to face the enemy in battle.
T.S. - Not only must the Christian Soldier have courage in the face of struggle but they need to be committed to the cause they are fighting for.
II. To be a spiritually successful soldier for the Lord you need to commit to the cause of the one you are fighting for.
a. Psalm 37:5 ¡§Commit your way to the Lord.¡¨
i. Commitment is the act of being given a charge or trust to deliver something for safe keeping. It is the idea of to entrust someone with something of value. Webster says this about the word commit- The basic term here, implies the delivery of a person or thing into the charge or keeping of another. The idea is interesting to West Point each graduate will leave West Point and be placed in a leadership position over another human being. They are being entrusted with someone who is very valuable therefore they are to do everything within their ability to lead and protect them effectively. They must commit to do their very best in extremely dangerous and difficult situations because the life of others and the cause of the fight warrants it.
ii. What is the cause of Christ?
1. To see people be set free by the enemy!
2. To see people get saved and delivered from spiritual death!
3. To see people gain everlasting life!
iii. What is this war about we are fighting in?
1. It¡¦s Good verse Evil!
2. It¡¦s Love verse Hate!
3. Its Life verse Death!
4. Its Right verse Wrong!
b. 1 Peter 4:19 19So then, those who suffer according to God¡¦s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
c. Why is this character value so essential in a soldier?
i. Without commitment no soldier would stay dedicated to the cause of why they are fighting.
1. It¡¦s even highly probable they would desert the army. Let down their fellow soldiers.
2. It¡¦s even highly probable they would become traitors.
d. Why is it so important to the Christian Soldier?
i. Without commitment the Christian soldier would experience failure in battle
1. We even see it today deserters of the church of Jesus Christ.
a. Deserting the cause of Good, of Life, of Liberty, of Freedom, for the opposite.
2. We see those who once knew the truth becoming traitors and swaying to other side.
3. Hebrews 6:4-6: 4It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
e. Men and women who decide to commit to the Lord and to take on the daunting task of fighting the good fight will discover that it was the greatest decision they could ever make.
i. Hebrews 11 talks about some of these committed Heroes of the faith:
1. 1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for. 3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God¡¦s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. 5By 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. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. 8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11By faith Abraham, even though he was past age¡Xand Sarah herself was barren¡Xwas enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country¡Xa heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 17By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18even though God had said to him, ¡§It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.¡¨ 19Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. 20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. 21By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph¡¦s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. 22By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.23By faith Moses¡¦ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king¡¦s edict. 24By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh¡¦s daughter. 25He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king¡¦s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.29By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.30By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days. 31By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. 32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated¡X38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
T.S. ¡V Commitment to the cause is a must for the Christian Soldier if he or she wants the victory and so is the necessity of selfless sacrifice.
III. To be a spiritually successful soldier for the Lord you need to offer yourself as selfless sacrifice.
i. Psalm 51:17: ¡§The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart¡K¡¨
ii. Romans 12:1: ¡§Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God¡¦s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God¡Xthis is your spiritualƒnact of worship.¡¨
iii. Selfless Sacrifice is the decision to die to what self wants and to commit with courage to working as a unified team unit. They are drilled over and over at West Point that life is not about you. Service to country is about denying what you want for the sake of the whole. Selfless denotes the idea of being devoted to others benefit over one¡¦s own desires, wants or interests. It is the character of being unselfish.
iv. Why is selfless sacrifice so important for the soldier?
1. Because if you did not have this value you would not follow orders.
2. You would do what ever you wanted to do.
3. The soldiers in the army would not be unified or working as a team.
4. Every one would do what seems fit in their own eyes.
v. Why is this so important to the Christian soldier?
1. Because we see the effect of self-centered Christianity. Everyone does their own thing.
a. It¡¦s all about themselves their own blessings!
b. It¡¦s not about the sacrifice of service to others or for some even the Commander in Chief.
2. We have Christian¡¦s soldiers all running in different directions on the battlefield in disarray.
a. Some even shooting their own brothers and sisters in Christ.
b. In some Christian battles we have Christians all declaring they speak for the commander in chief. Result they undermine the leaders of the Commander in Chief.
c. In some battle fields to day we have God¡¦s soldiers giving up ground because they cannot unite to defeat the enemy.
d. The results are more people are taken prisoner ¡V more people die the horrible death of bondage.
Conclusion:
Charles Swindoll shares this story about Abraham Lincoln:
Our sixteenth president often found relief and release by slipping into the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church and listening to Dr. Gurley, the pastor. The Civil War was ripping his heart apart. During those desperate, dark years, Lincoln was often down and discouraged. He would come to church with the expectation of finding fresh hope and encouragement. The president came with an aide, and the two of them would listen from the pastor¡¦s study, which adjoined the sanctuary, so as not to disrupt things. At one particular Wednesday-night service, after the minister finished preaching and the people began to leave, the presidential aide leaned over and asked, ¡§What did you think of the sermon?¡¨ Lincoln replied, ¡§I thought it was well thought through, powerfully delivered, and very eloquent.¡¨ ¡§Then you thought it was a great sermon? The aide continued. ¡§No,¡¨ said Lincoln, ¡§It failed.¡¨ ¡§Failed? Why did it fail?¡¨ queried the aide. Lincoln responded, ¡§Because the pastor did not ask of us something great.¡¨
Today I am going to make sure this sermon is not a failure! I am going to personally ask each of you something great. I desire for you to stand with me in light of everything represented by Memorial Day and say, ¡§I want to put Duty first and be a soldier of the Lord Jesus Christ!¡¨ If you do please stand to your feet. The next challenge I will ask you is, ¡§Will you personally decide to be men and women of courage in presenting and fighting for the truth of the Gospel in our Society today?¡¨ If so signify with a ¡§Yes!¡¨ Thirdly, ¡§Will you make the commitment to stay committed to Jesus Christ and His Word?¡¨ If so signify with ¡§I will!¡¨ And then fourthly, ¡§Will you pledge to offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God and be willing to die to self?¡¨ If you will say ¡§I do!¡¦
Lets Pray!
