The Faith of a Soldier (Luke 3:2-14)
Gary McManus, 11/12/2023Part of the Life With Jesus is Better series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
Today Daleville Christian Church celebrates Veterans Day.
Pastor, although not military, is a student of military history
at every level, in all eras of history, but especially American
history.
War isn’t a good answer to anything but sometimes war
is the only answer to international bullying.
Not all soldiers of all armies are created equal.
America has a tradition of the “citizen” soldier.
When we look to the Bible, the soldiers-- a word
used 50 to 100 times, consider the meaning of the
word.
The most famous Gospel book soldier; the Centurian,
A Roman Army Captain who sought Jesus (Luke 7).
(See also 2 Timothy 2:3.)
It probably does not shock us Americans, that soldiers
are capable of faith, even faith if Jesus. It was a shock
to many around Jesus.
We see soldiers out listening to John the Baptizer.
(Luke, chapter 3)
Notice John’s words and what Luke says about Jesus’
message: John preached the good news to the people
(Luke 3:20)
John was levelling the playing field--no one has a
ticket already to enter the Kingdom. John was saying;
“I can get you started in the right direction right now
and right here” (Luke 3:8, also 2 Corinthians 7:10).
John was also saying: there was no preparation one
could do for this baptism.
The most important thing you can do is to WANT to do it.
The most important things is that you want to live a life
of repentance until the Mighty One comes.
(The people hadn’t heard that before.)
People’s response: “what do we do”.
(Acts 2:37, Acts 21:22 and even Jesus addresses those
questions, Matthew 6:31)
(See the larger message: Luke 1:53, Luke 3:13, Luke 3:11.)
AND SOLDIERS talk to John.
(And remember James 4:8.)
Show God that you are serious about your relationship with God.
Let’s look at some local veteran examples.
The response of the Daleville G.A.R. (Grand Army of the
Republic, the Union Civil War Veterans Association.)
Daleville Christians who were veterans were there.
Some have their names on the All Saints Banner.
We have learned more about combat injuries: traumatic
brain injury (there is concussive death, no physical wounds
are visible). Now “shell shock” can be diagnosed as
CTE, Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive
and fatal brain disease associated with repeated traumatic
brain injuries. (There is no cure for CTE.)
But even before CTE develops, there can be brain scaring
that has never been seen in other types of traumatic brin injury.
Parts of the brain are affected and would no longer function as
before.
We remember Augustus Sayford (Pastor has spoken of him
Before). Sayford was the son of the Pastor at Cross Roads.
He was killed in the battle of Port Gibson, Mississippi.
Augustus Sayford’s commander stated of Augustus: "he was
always an example for his comrades in everything that constituted
a Christian and a soldier.”
Let us remember those who served. Let us honor those who served. It is right for us to do so. Amen
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