In Or Out Of The Fort
Ephesians 6:10-17
Ever since I was kid I have always been a big History Buff. I always have enjoyed studying and learning about our nations history.
For example:
Take out a one dollar bill and look at it.
The one dollar bill you’re looking at first came off the presses in 1957 in its present design. This so-called paper money is in fact a cotton and linen blend, with red and blue minute silk fibers running through it. It is actually material. We’ve all washed it without it falling apart. A special blend of ink is used, the contents we will never know. It is with overprinted symbols and then it is starched to make it water resistant and pressed to give it that nice crisp look.
If you look on the front of the bill, you will see the United States Treasury Seal. On the top you will see the scales for balance - a balanced budget.
In the center you have a carpenter’s T-square, a tool used for an even cut. Underneath is the Key to the United States Treasury. That’s all pretty easy to figure out, but what is on the back of that dollar bill is something we should all know.
If you turn the bill over, you will see two circles. Both circles, together, comprise the Great Seal of the United States. The First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin and a group of men come up with a Seal. It took them four years to accomplish this task and another two years to get it approved. If you look at the left hand circle, you will see a Pyramid. Notice the face is lighted and the western side is dark.
This country was just beginning. We had not begun to explore the West or decided what we could do for Western Civilization.
The Pyramid is uncapped, again signifying that we were not even close to being finished Inside the capstone you have the all-seeing eye, an ancient symbol for divinity.
It was Franklin’s belief that one man couldn’t do it alone, but a group of men, with the help of God, could do anything. "IN GOD WE TRUST" is on this currency.
The Latin above the pyramid, ANNUIT COEPTIS, means "God has favored our undertaking."
The Latin below the pyramid, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, means "a new order has begun."
At the base of the pyramid is the Roman Numeral for 1776.
If you look at the right-hand circle, and check it carefully, you will learn that it is on every National Cemetery in the United States. It is also on the Parade of Flags Walkway at the Bushnell, Florida National Cemetery and is the centerpiece of most hero’s monuments. Slightly modified, it is the seal of the President of the United States and it is always visible whenever he speaks, yet no one knows what the symbols mean.
The Bald Eagle was selected as a symbol for victory for two reasons: first, he is not afraid of a storm; he is strong and he is smart enough to soar above it. Secondly, he wears no material crown. We had just broken from the King of England.
Also, notice the shield is unsupported. This country can now stand on its own. At the top of that shield you have a white bar signifying congress, a unifying factor. We were coming together as one nation.
In the Eagle’s beak you will read, "E PLURIBUS UNUM," meaning "one nation from many people."
Above the Eagle you have thirteen stars representing the thirteen original colonies, and any clouds of misunderstanding rolling away.
Again, we were coming together as one. Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons. He holds an olive branch and arrows. This country wants peace, but we will never be afraid to fight to preserve peace.
The Eagle always wants to face the olive branch, but in time of war, his gaze turns toward the arrows.
They say that the number 13 is an unlucky number. This is almost a worldwide belief. You will usually never see a room numbered 13, or any hotels or motels with a 13th floor. But, think about this:
13 original colonies,
13 signers of the Declaration of Independence,
13 stripes on our flag,
13 steps on the Pyramid,
13 letters in the Latin above,
13 letters in "E Pluribus Unum",
13 stars above the Eagle,
13 plumes of feathers on each span of the Eagle’s wing,
13 bars on that shield,
13 leaves on the olive branch,
13 fruits, and if you look closely, 13 arrows.
And for minorities: the 13th Amendment.
Ask people, "Why don’t you know this?" Your children don’t know this and most of their history teachers don’t know this.
Too many veterans have given up too much to ever let the meaning fade.
Many veterans remember coming home to an America that did not care.
Too many veterans never came home at all.
Tell everyone what is on the back of the one dollar bill and what it stands for, because nobody else will.
Aside from that little piece of History, one of the things I find really neat about this area is all of the forts.
You have Fort Morgan, all the Forts over at Pensacola NAS.
We have had forts all over this country since the day the Pilgrims first landed, up to right now. Some were made of wood, stone, brick and mortar. They were made a strong as possible to hold out the enemy and protect those on the inside from the enemy who only wanted to do them harm.
But the thing is, not many battles were actually won at the Forts. The battles were won by going out into the fields and taking the fight to the enemy.
If you stay in the fort you may protect yourself but you will never gain any ground. All you are doing is holding down the Fort.
One of the most famous forts in American History would probably have to be the Alamo. This was where just a few brave men held an army of several thousand Mexican soldiers for 13 days.
They were able to inflict many casualties upon the enemy and create precious time that was need for Gen. Sam Houston, who was building the army that would eventually defeat Santa Anna, and in turn make Texas part of the United States.
As kids most of us remember great hero’s from this battle such as Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie and Col Travis. But what we fail to remember is that they all died there holding down the Fort.
These forts remind me a lot of today’s Churches. Now don’t get me wrong, just like the early settlers needed these forts for their protection, we Christians need our Churches. But sometimes it seems that all we want to do is come in and hold down the (Fort) Church.
The Church is there when we get outnumbered or discouraged, It gives us a place to regroup and re-supply ourselves so we can get back out there and re-join the battle on the battle field.
If all we do is stay in the Church then that is all the ground we will ever gain. We will end up like our Hero’s from the past.
We will all die right here in the Fort.
Jesus has given us all we need to go to war with the enemy:
Ephesians 6:10-17
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
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.
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Unless we put on this armor of God and use it in our battle, what will we win? What will we gain?
Folks the battle is outside, let’s get suited up and go fight.
By the way, even though the back of the book says We Win. We still have to fight the good fight until the war is over.
So the next time you want to just Hold up in the Fort and let someone else go do the fighting, Remember the Alamo.
