I Corinthians 2:6-16
“Veterans of the Kingdom of God: Spirit Led, Kingdom Focused”
Last Friday was Veterans Day and today, we are celebrating the veterans who have a connection with people from our congregation. Veterans are men and women who have been called to protect our nation. This morning we are honoring those men and women who have served our nation. We know that many of our veterans come home from war with scars and injuries from oversea conflicts. However, we are grateful for their willingness to serve and sacrifice for our nation. Today we want to say thank you.
We also honor and thank those families who have stood by their soldiers; Spouses, parents, grandparents and friends who have sacrificed while their loved one was overseas. These people have prayed many prayers asking God to protect their loved ones when they went off into conflict. Many have had to go the extra mile to take care of the family and to support the community while their spouse was performing their duty.
A solder must have great faith when he or she signs the paper that reveals their willingness to serve in the military. I will never forget the day when Keith and other soldiers said goodbye to their families and they boarded the buses for war. Many families have gone through those experiences and wondered if their loved one would return home. The hugs are given to their little girls and their focus must then be on their mission to protect their country the United States of America. These are emotional times that have been a part of many families throughout the centuries.
On this day we also praise God for not only hearing our prayers but giving protection and care during dangerous times. It is good that we say thank you to our veterans but it is also important that we say thank you to our God. Paul writes: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” Ephesians 1:3. Chuck Swindoll was trying to illustrate how we sometimes forget to give God the thanks he deserves. He tells the story of a man he visited in a dismal veterans hospital:
The day I arrived to visit, I saw a touching scene. This man had a young son, and during his confinement in the hospital, he had made a little wooden truck for his boy. Since the boy was not allowed to go into the ward and visit his father, an orderly had brought the gift down to the child, who was waiting in front of the hospital with his mother. The father was looking out of a fifth-floor window, watching his son unwrap the gift.
The little boy opened the package, and his eyes got wide when he saw that wonderful little truck. He hugged it to his chest. Meanwhile, the father was walking back and forth waving his arms behind the windowpane, trying to get his son’s attention.
The little boy put the truck down and reached up and hugged the orderly and thanked him for the truck. And all the while the frustrated father was going through these dramatic gestures, trying to say, ‘It’s me, son. I made the truck for you. I gave that to you. Look up here!” I could almost read his lips.
Finally the mother and the orderly turned the boy’s attention up to the fifth-floor window. It was then the boy cried, “Daddy! Oh, thank you! I miss you, Daddy! Come home, Daddy. Thank you for my truck.” And the father stood in the window with tears pouring down his cheeks. How much like that child are we. There are many people in our life we need to thank, but the life was have comes from God and God deserves our thanks.
FOLLOWING THE GUIDANCE OF OUR LEADER. Jacque and I went to a yellow ribbon ceremony in Des Moines just before Keith was deployed, where the commander of the Iowa National Guard spoke. He said that his troops would be well-trained. The commanders priority was to bring all his troops home safely and this could be best done by having soldiers who followed orders. He warned of the dangers of not following those orders and taking short-cuts along the way. He said that most injuries occurred when soldiers did things their own way.
Keith spoke about when their truck was hit with a bomb that immediately you begin to do those things you have been trained to do. This is something they had gone over many times. A soldier doesn’t need to think but he or she follows through by doing each step they have been trained to do. The training might be boring but it prepares the soldier for war.
Just as a soldier needs to follow the orders and training of the commander, if we are going to live our lives as followers of Jesus, it is important for us to follow after the one chosen to lead us and that is the Holy Spirit. Paul writes: “We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. Now, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began” I Corinthians 2:6-7. When Adam and Eve sinned the result was death was brought into this world and war began. This war was one in which evil was trying to destroy any hope that we might have in this world. Evil and sin wanted to control the hearts and lives of humanity. It wanted to imprison humanity for all eternity.
God was not going to give up his creation to Satan without a fight. A war was going to take place where humanity would be able to be set free from the bondage of sin and evil. God was going to lead his church into battle and with the church there was going to be a message of hope that is found in Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus came to save this world from sin, so that the world might bring glory to God and honor him.
We are not called to go into battle as Christians to protect our own interests but we are called to go into battle into the world to protect the interests of God. What is God interested in? God desires that all men and women come to know him as Savior and Lord. People come to Jesus through the ministry of the church, therefore, we not only have a responsibility of sharing the gospel with our children and our neighbors but we have a responsibility of being involved with ministry throughout the world.
The message that God has given to us to share is a message of salvation. There is a way by which people can be broken free from the chains of sin and death. However, it is challenging bringing this message to the world. It will cost us financially and it could even cost our life but if we believe in the cause then we will be willing to take the risk for the Kingdom of God.
COST IS GREAT. The cost for any military campaign is great. Jesus said: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends…If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” John 15:13 and 18. A military unit is caught in a fire-fight and they find themselves trapped. What do they do? They call for help and they know that there are soldiers who are willing to come to the battle to help out. They have signed up for the fight and when the fight comes, they are there to take on the enemy.
If we give our life to Jesus Christ and we ask him to save us from our sin, we also need to know that there is a cost involved when we become a part of the Kingdom of God. Just as I have a responsibility to my nation, I also have a responsibility to the Kingdom of God. Yet this is a good responsibility because I know that when I give myself for the Kingdom of God, I am making a difference in the world. We have the ability to point people to the saving power of Jesus Christ. Jesus can save people from eternal Hell but we have to be willing to be a part of the fire-fight for the souls of those who are lost.
Every time a soldier puts on the uniform, he or she knows that they are serving their nation. When we bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the world, we know that we are serving God. We are committed to God and we are committed to doing those things that are good and right in the world. We are standing up to those things that are evil and sinful.
FOLLOWERS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE SOLDIERS OF THE CROSS. When we follow the way of Jesus Christ we become a soldier of the one who was willing to lay down his life for the world. Paul writes: “But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs” Philippians 2:25. Paul considered himself as a man who was risking his life for the kingdom of God and Epaphroditus was coming along side of him into battle. We do not send soldiers out on the battle field along and as soldiers of the cross we do not go out to battle on our own.
Paul was sharing with Timothy of the importance of being a soldier for the Kingdom of God when he wrote: “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs – he wants to please his commanding officer” 2 Timothy 2:3-4. Our goal in life is to do those things that please Jesus and the only way we can do this is by following after the Spirit. Paul goes on in this same chapter that he is doing all of this so that people might hear and respond to the Gospel. Our whole purpose in going into battle is to bring the message of Jesus Christ into the world, so that people might become a part of the kingdom of God.
SOLDIERS OF THE CROSS WILL EXPERIENCE SCARS. You cannot be a soldier and not have scars. Not all soldiers receive a purple heart but all of them experience scars from the battlefront. There are lots of emotional scars that a soldier needs to carry because of the things they have experienced during their time on the battlefront. Many are able to go on with life but some struggle throughout their lifetime with those battle scars. Where do those battle scars come from? Oftentimes they come from staying faithful when the battle becomes most difficult. Soldiers will refuse to leave their comrades when the battle becomes intense. Soldiers will follow their orders because they know that it is their duties too do so.
Soldiers of the cross will come out with scars as well because they stick with people when they are going through spiritual battles in this life. When we stay with people who are hurting; people who are caught in a lifetime of sin; people from foreign countries where we don’t understand the language or the culture; there is always a chance that we might get wounded along the way. There is always a risk coming along side of a person who has their own personal battles and chances are you will get wounded but this is a part of the spiritual war we are called to fight in.
I am excited for those who are going to Haiti this week. I am sure God has prepared some great opportunities; however, I’m sure those who have ministered in Haiti over the years like Pam or even Geri, could talk about some disappointments that have occurred. People sometime take advantage of you and they will take advantage of your grace and love. It is part of the cost of being a soldier and going into battle against the force of evil. Scars are to be expected but the good news is that although we may loose a few battles along the way; God promises us that we are going to win the war.
FOLLOWERS OF THE SPIRIT WILL WIN THE NATIONS FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD. We never know how God might use our actions to bring about His victory in a person’s life. The military has a trauma system for mass casualties. The lightly injured are called ‘minimal’ because they don’t need immediate treatment. The next level is ‘delayed’ – they need treatment but they can wait. Then there is ‘Immediate’ because they have serious injuries but should survive if they get immediate treatment. The final category is ‘Expectant’ because the injuries are so severe that there is little hope.
There are many people in the world with “immediate’ or ‘expectant’ injuries to their souls who are in need of Jesus right now. There is no other remedy and there is no other hope other than Jesus. God has called you to bring the message of hope to the world. Paul writes: “No eyes has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’ – but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit” I Corinthians 2:9-10. God has given us the secret weapon of salvation for the world. He has given us the message of God’s grace and assurance of eternal life.
God has given us the greatest of gifts and when we share the gift with the world, we are offering them hope. Many people in this world simply have not heard about the gift of God’s grace and the hope that we receive through it. What hope is there in this world for the murderer, the prisoner, the person caught in a life of sin? Can therapy handout eternal forgivingness? Can prison take away their sins? Can Mohammad or Buddha give them forgiveness? No, only the blood of Jesus Christ. We are justified or made right through the blood of Jesus and this is revealed to us through the Holy Spirit.
Today we are not saying that we have the perfect country or that our veterans are perfect people. But we do have a faith that is still seen in our soldiers today. It is a faith not in the military power of our nation but a faith in our eternal God who is our commander and chief. God give orders to his people by speaking directly to their mind through the means of the Holy Spirit.
THE MIND OF CHRIST. Paul writes: “The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ” I Corinthians 2:15-16. When a soldier goes out into battle, the soldier has been trained to do the commands of the commanding officer. When we go out into the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we have the Spirit of God going with us leading and directing our action; even giving us the words to say. The challenge for us is will we follow the direction the Holy Spirit is giving to our life.
The story is told of a poor couple who lived in Texas. They could barely eke out a living on a dry – dusty farm. Life was hard for them but through persistence they made it by – just barely. Then one day oil was discovered out in their field. All of a sudden, they were rich – but the resource had been there all the time – they just were not being tapped into.
We have an incredible resource in the Holy Spirit. We have been given this incredible resource but sometimes we are unaware of what we are able to do for the Kingdom of God because we rather rely upon ourselves rather than the power of God.
Soldiers have gone throughout the world in the name of the United States of America. Some of you went to Japan, some to Europe; others to Iraq; Vietnam; Afghanistan; Africa; Korea and other places as well. You may have done things you never thought possible but you did what was necessary because of you were a soldier in the United States Military.
God is calling us to go out into the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our Classis and the Classis in East Sioux are sponsoring a ministry in Fort Dodge led by a lady pastor by the name of Barb Huisman. The name of her ministry is Cana and she recently wrote about a dream and a nudge given to her by the Holy Spirit.
She writes: Now for the great fleece I cast for Cana's next step...a faith-based recovery house for women. So here is the intimidating dream - First Christian Church has decided to close by the first of the year and the congregation has decided to sell the building. I talked to Bill, their pastor, and planted a seed... as a legacy of mission to the community - might they consider gifting the property? And the quote in full from Steve, If your dream is not intimidating to you, it is probably insulting to God! I do not know what the next step is but God has already begun a work and we are here to complete it - not by hook or by crook but by hope and through freedom in Christ!
IF YOUR DREAM IS NOT INTIMIDATING TO YOU, IT IS PROBABLY INSULTING TO GOD! I wonder how many times I have insulted God by not picking up the Gospel and going to war as a soldier of the cross? How many times have I been afraid to dream because of my fear of failure and because I have not placed my full faith in the Spirit of God. There are many times I do not have the mind of Christ because I do not listen to what Christ wants me to do. God has given you and me a gift and it is important that the gift be use in order to bless this world with the message of salvation. Remember you might be a veteran of the United States of America but all of us need to remember that we are Veterans of the Kingdom of God. Amen.
