 Good morning and happy Memorial Day everyone…
So what is a “memorial”?… It’s something that draws our attention to something in the past that we don’t want to forget… Joshua 4:4-7 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe; 5 and Joshua said to them: "Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, 'What do these stones mean to you?’ 7 Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever." There are things that we know even in the very moment are going to be significant in our lives… As they prepared to cross over the Jordan Joshua knew that they would need to remember this moment and the future generations were going to need to hear the story… One way to look at it is that they were “preparing to make memories”… They put rocks on their shoulders and said lets go do something worth remembering… In your walk with God are you prepared to make memories?… Are you bearing a load upon your shoulders in anticipation of doing something worth remembering in the kingdom?… If not I believe you can have “A New Way Forward”… Exodus 28:12 12 And you shall put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. So Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders as a memorial. The High Priest had “memorial” stones on the shoulders of his vest that reminded him of the weight of the people he carries on his shoulders and brings before God… Isaiah 9:6 6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. The government is upon His shoulders and that is so encouraging to all who believe but listen to what Revelation 5 says that means for us… Revelation 5:9-10 9 And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth." Because of Jesus we have been made kings and priests and that means the lives we live are worth remembering and the loads we bear upon our shoulders are extremely important… Today we celebrate “Memorial Day” as Americans and we remember and celebrate all of the American men and women who have died defending our country as part of our armed forces… I want to lift these men and women and their families up in prayer but I also want us to remember that we are Christians before we are Americans… Like Melchizedek is greater than Abraham there is one flag that is greater than the stars and stripes… Hebrews 11:13 is talking about believers and says… 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. To me the stars and stripes are still the greatest when compared to every other flag on earth but I am a pilgrim and sojourner here awaiting my call to my heavenly home… 2 Timothy 2:1-4 1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. John 15:11-14 11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. America has gone from a nation without any structure and without any defenses to what is known as the greatest nation and democracy on earth and the nation with the greatest armed forces on earth… How does that happen?… This church was birthed without much structure or ability to defend ourselves against the attacks of the enemy but we are not who we were 10 years ago either… Most of the individual lives here have the same testimony and its okay this morning if for some of us its still true that we aren’t as strong as we’d like to be or able to fight as well as we’d like to be able to… In these two portions of scripture I think we see some key ingredients that apply to nations and churches and individual people…… 2 Timothy 2 1 be strong This aint for the weak… Jesus says His strength is made perfect in our weakness but that is in the areas of spirituality that we have no ability in like saving and regenerating but in all other areas we need to exercise and develop strength… 2 the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. To become great we have to receive knowledge AND pass it on… we have to value it so much that we seek the faithful not just anyone to commit it to… 3 endure hardship as a good soldier Don’t forget that there is a battle and we are soldiers and therefore there will be hardship… Hardship is not evidence of being out of the will of God it is actually evidence of being in His army… America and the church and your individual life is not supposed to be without trial and difficulty… 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life If you as a member of the U.S. Armed Forces how they would describe themselves almost all of them would say I am “a soldier” or “a marine” or “a sailor” or “an airman”… The point is that when the affairs of this life come into conflict with what it means to be a man or woman engaged in warfare their true identity will supersede other aspects of their life… Would you describe yourself first and foremost as a Christian?… Can you say that when the affairs of this world come into conflict with what it means to be a Christian you have no problem saying “I am a Christians before I am anything else”… I think it is important to understand that what it means to be a Christian is much more broad than maybe what we think it means to be a member of the armed forces but the idea of being completely sold out is the same for both… John 15 tells us the “why” of living this type of life… 11 that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. There is a joy that goes beyond the joy you can find any other way in this life… It is the joy of God and that joy will fill us to the brim… If the founders of America could see what has come of their dream they would cry tears of joy… God calls us to love like He loves and He says if you could see what will become of this you would cry tears of joy… 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. The Americans that we honor this weekend literally laid down their lives and we have freedom and peace because of their sacrifice… God says there is no greater love than this but even the freedom and peace we enjoy in America is only temporary… When Jesus laid down His life He offered eternal freedom and peace… John 14:27 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. To be Christian is to be a carrier of the Spirit of Christ and to be a reflection and imitation of Christ and therefore we too must show the greatest love which is to lay down our lives for our friends… I want to talk about 2 types of soldiers… 1. The Drafted I remember being afraid when I was small about being drafted… My dad was a Marine but he didn’t talk to me much about it and I thought if I got drafted I was going to go to fight in a war I didn’t want to be in and I would die… A lot of Christians act as if they’ve been drafted to fight in a war that they didn’t sign up for… I’m not just talking about when it comes the war the church is fight but sadly even in the battles that are being fought in their own lives and homes and relationships… Acts 13:1-13 1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant.6 Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, 7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, "O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? 11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time." And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord. 13 Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. So all of these crazy things are happening in the battle and God is prevailing although at great risk and cost the disciples and apostles… But here at the end it says that there assistant or disciple John decides to go back to Jerusalem… I see this John as a guy who had been drafted and when he saw what it was really all about he said “I didn’t sign up for this”… We have too many Christians that when they see the real drama of the church say “I didn’t sign up for this”… We have too many husbands and wives that when they see the real drama of marriage say “I didn’t sign up for this”… We have too many singles that when they realize the high calling of God to remain pure say “I didn’t sign up for this”… The Americans that laid down their lives to give us the freedom we have would not only be in awe of how great the nation has become but they would also be disappointed by what some Americans have done with the freedom they’ve been given… God says I laid down My life not only to give you freedom and peace but also POWER to overcome and win any battle… Wednesday night we read Hebrews 7:15-16 that says… there arises another priest 16 who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. If we were drafted that means “we didn’t sign up for this” but if we have been called by God and actually accepted the call and gift of salvation then we need to learn that war is part of this thing… 2 Timothy 2:1-4 1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. Paul struggled with the disappointment of John leaving in the middle of the battle just like churches struggle when people leave and families struggle when members leave in the middle of the battle… Acts 15:35-40 35 Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. 36 Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing." 37 Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark. 38 But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work. 39 Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus; 40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God. Paul says to Barnabas lets go do what the Lord has called us to do and when Barnabas wants to take John Mark again Paul says yeah right… It got so bad that even Paul and Barnabas parted ways… When people see themselves as drafted it is hard for them to commit and it is hard for the committed to trust them… We can convince each other of all kinds of things but eventually what we truly believe will govern our behavior… 1. The Drafted 2. The Enlisted The enlisted are those who see a battle that needs to be fought and they sign themselves up for it… They see honor in fighting so that others can be safe and they recognize that some will have to die in order for others to live… Romans 12:1 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Judges 6:1-24 1 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years,2 and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains.3 So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. 4 Then they would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey. 5 For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it. 6 So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. 7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord because of the Midianites, 8 that the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, "Thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage; 9 and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 Also I said to you, "I am the Lord your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell." But you have not obeyed My voice.' "11 Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!" 13 Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?' But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites."14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?" 15 So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." 16 And the Lord said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man." 17 Then he said to Him, "If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me. 18 Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You." And He said, "I will wait until you come back." 19 So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them. 20 The Angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And he did so. 21 Then the Angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the Lord departed out of his sight. 22 Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said, "Alas, O Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face." 23 Then the Lord said to him, "Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die." 24 So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace. Gideon enlisted and the building of an altar or a place of “memorial” is evidence of that… When you enlist you will still come to find that what you face is more than you anticipated… You will still find the church is not what you imagined… You will still find that marriage initially is not what you imagined… You will still find that single hood with Jesus is harder than you anticipated… The difference between the “Drafted” and the “Enlisted” is that the enlisted say “I signed up for this”… They say “the One who brought me into this army is capable of preparing me for this upcoming battle”… Judges 6:33-40 33 Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34 But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him. 35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them. 36 So Gideon said to God, "If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said-- 37 look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said." 38 And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew." 40 And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground. The enlisted don’t magically and immediately become great warriors… They keep asking God for more training and more confirmation and more victory… I want to close this “New Way Forward” series with this… Is anyone reading this is not saved and right here right now you feel God calling you to a new life and “A New Way Forward”??? Have you been living as if we were “Drafted” and today you want to “Enlist”?… You can have “A New Way Forward”… Listen to what Paul says at the end of his life… 2 Timothy 4:8-11 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. 9 Be diligent to come to me quickly; 10 for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica--Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry. John Mark eventually enlisted and became a great man of faith and there is another named Demas who leaves in the middle of the battle for love of the world… Do you want to enlist before being drafted allows you to flee??? Maybe you have already “Enlisted” but you are feeling patriotic and today you want to “Reenlist”… See when you enlist you are given an amount of time that you must serve and then you are free to do something else with your life… Those who “reenlist” are the ones who say yes it is hard but what else would I ever want to do with my life… John 6:66-69 66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Are you ready today to ‘Reenlist” and “Relaunch Your Faith”???
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