Serving In The Lord's Army

-Hebrews 9:11-15

-Yesterday was Veteran’s Day in our country

-There were many celebrations nationwide

-We buried one of our veterans

-Today, we are honoring our veterans that are a part of our church

-We thank you for your sacrifice

-Time

-Comfort

-Health

-Your sacrifice was for all of us

-You have served and some of you have even fought to keep this country the land of the free and to promote and secure freedom in other lands

-I want each of you that have served in the armed forces of this nation to know that I myself and likely all of the rest of us applaud you and are grateful for all that you have done for us

-But, let me say, there are many unsung veterans among us

-Who have not served in military service, but in spiritual service

-They have served in the Lord’s army

-An army of one, for The one!

-This morning I want their service to also be recognized and applauded as well as the service of our military veterans

-Have Them Stand

-Let me reread verses 13-14 of our text

For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

-We are cleansed from dead works to serve the living God

-That is our purpose as believers

-Not to just sit in our safety and security

-Basking in God’s glory and our fellowship with Him and each other

-This morning, God has called me, in a sense, to be a recruiting agent for his army

-He needs recruiters because

-He needs recruiters because many of His children simply do not serve in His army

-There is no such thing as a spiritual draft

-God is always a God of choice

-Many of His children do not recognize the need for soldiers in His army

-But the need is great

-Note: Service is not just about doing good things, it is about doing good things for the Lord

I. God Calls All To Serve

-The truth is, we are all ministers

-There’s an old adage that is mostly true

-ILL: 80/20 Rule

-So many within the church are content (or dare I say lazy) enough to let others do their God-given responsibilities

-Some consider themselves too busy with the affairs of life to serve the Lord

-ILL: God Calls The Busy

Moses was busy with his flocks at Horeb.

Gideon was busy threshing wheat.

Saul was busy searching for his father’s lost sheep.

Elisha was busy plowing with twelve yoke of oxen.

Amos was busy following the flock.

Nehemiah was busy bearing the king’s cup.

Peter and Andrew were busy casting a net into the sea.

James and John were busy mending their nets.

Matthew was busy collecting customs.

Saul was busy persecuting the friends of Jesus.

A. Some on the homefront

-A great deal of what those in our military do is to serve within the borders of the United States

-Security

-Borders

-Airports

-Stability

-When disaster strikes

-By the homefront in spiritual service, I am talking about serving in the church

1. Church programs

-We like our church programs

-We like someone else to run them

2. Church maintenance or cleaning

-We like our church clean and maintained

-We expect our paid staff to do all of the work

-Sometimes paid staff is simply too busy

-Sometimes paid staff is not skilled enough

B. Some in foreign service

1. Ministering compassion to a hurting world

-A Cup Of Cold Water

-ILL: Adopted Soldier

A young man left the Confederate army and joined the Union. One day letters came for everyone except him. He said: "I wish I was dead; no one cares for me. My mother is dead, and my father would not own me now, because I’ve joined the Northern cause." Another young man wrote and told his own mother of this, and in a few days a letter came from Wisconsin, addressed to the stranger. He told the chaplain who brought it: "It isn’t for me; nobody would write to me." But it was for him, and it began, "My dear son." The mother of his comrade wrote him that she wanted him to be her son, and she would be his mother. He cried, "Boys, I’ve got a mother!" and when the war was over, no one was more eager to go and see his mother than that friendless boy.

2. Ministering Christ to a lost world

-They are all around us

-Even maybe sometimes in our pews

II. God Equips All To Serve

A. Through natural abilities