Today-Nov.
11, 2014-is a special day in a special year. Today is the day when we pause to
remember and give thanks for those who fought in wars past to preserve our
freedom and those who still work to protect our freedoms today. This year we
also remember three significant events in history: the 100th
anniversary of the start of WWI, the 75th anniversary of the start
of WWII and the 70th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy
during WWII.
Anniversaries
are times of celebration and reflection. In particular, Remembrance Day is a
time to reflect on wars past and present. We live in chaotic times, but the
world has been in chaotic times since the beginning of time. We have been
fighting wars since the beginning of time, and we are still fighting wars
today. Since the end of World War II, there have been more than 250 wars worldwide.
In
particular, we are fighting the war on terror, especially the group known as
ISIS. We are fighting a hostile enemy in a hostile environment. This enemy will
use every weapon at its disposal to try to gain victory-including kidnapping
and murdering innocent civilians. This environment, like all environments of
war, is hostile. In this environment, conflict is inevitable.
Here
in Canada, we might think that we are immune to this. After all, the last time
a war was fought on our soil was over 200 years ago during the War of 1812.
Unfortunately, having this view is like looking at ourselves through
rose-coloured glasses. The recent shootings at the National War Memorial and
Parliament Hill and the recent hit-and-run death of a soldier in Quebec should
serve as reminders that no one is immune from the forces of evil and terror.
No
one in his or her right mind wants war. The cost in terms of money, property
damage, injuries and death is astronomical, and those of you who have been in
battle know what I am talking about. We must love our enemies if at all
possible, but sometimes we need to heed the words of an old Irish blessing that
goes like this. “May God bless those who love us, and those who do not love us,
may He turn their hearts. If he does not turn their hearts, May he turn their
ankles so we may know them by their limping.”
Unfortunately,
there are times when war is necessary. When I was preparing this message, I
came across the message I delivered here on Remembrance Day in 2006. In that
message, I mentioned that pacifists believe that if we prepare for war, we will
get war. In their view, the only way to achieve peace is to eliminate the
causes of war, but sometimes this means going to war. Sometimes war is the only way to get rid of
dictators and terrorists like Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Hussein, bin Laden and
ISIS. The goal of pacifists is admirable and in fact we must try to avoid war if
possible, but sometimes war is necessary and inevitable. Sooner or later war
destroys those who resort to it, especially with nuclear weapons.
War
is hell. It might be necessary at times, but it is not “good”. It is evil. We
find strength not in our weapons, but in our faith in God. War is a tragic fact
of life in our world. God prefers peace, but he often sends his people into
war. He does so under three conditions:
1. To liberate oppressed people.
2. To punish evildoers
3. To defend themselves.
True
pacifists believe in fighting with the weapons of the Holy Spirit. The pacifist
position has always been a respected minority position among Christians. Jesus
was not a pacifist. Just look at what he did to the moneychangers in the
temple! He even told his disciples to be armed with swords-not for fighting
snakes, but for self-defence. That’s why Peter was able to cut off the
soldier’s ear in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before Christ was
crucified.
Our
spiritual battle plan is similar to a military battle plan. We have objectives,
strategies and tactics. Satan and Jesus plan their attacks and direct their
forces just like a military general does. We have to put on spiritual armour
just like soldiers have to put on battle armor. Our armour is Christ himself.
He fights Satan on our behalf just like armed forces fight battles on behalf of
their political masters. The real battle in life is against Satan and evil in
all of its forms. Our opponents bring evil into our lives just like enemy
armies bring evil onto a physical battlefield.
Life
is a battleground. Those of you who have fought in times of war know what it is
like to be on a real battlefield. You were armed and ready for battle against
the forces of evil just like each and every one of us has to be ready to fight
the same battle. You had to be watchful, and so do we. We have to watch out for
obstacles that will make us stumble on our walk of life, and our veterans had
to deal with obstacles such as barriers, barbed wire and mines. Our struggle with
evil will result in certain victory because of God’s promise to be with us in
good times and in bad times. Our
veterans had to keep their minds on their duties in order to improve their odds
of success and survival. We as Christians have to increase our chances of
success in spiritual warfare by keeping our minds on God’s word. Our veterans
had no guarantee that they would win their battles, but they didn’t give up.
They persevered in spite of harsh conditions, and so can we because we are bold
soldiers in God’s army.
Veterans
fought to free people from the bondage of occupation by hostile forces.
Spiritual warfare also involves freeing people from bondage-the bondage of sin
and evil. There were many times when our veterans cried out in despair for God
to protect them. After all, there is an old saying that “there are no atheists
in foxholes.” Christian warriors are also encouraged to turn to God in faith.
In both cases, evil in all of its forms is resisted. God helps us in our
struggles. He will stand with us during the battles of life just like he stood
with our veterans in wars past and just like he stands with the members of our
armed forces today. He will give us the ammunition and the equipment we need to
fight the battle.
So
how can we fight the enemies of today and win? The answer is simple. We have to
use weapons that are similar in nature to weapons used by soldiers in times of
war. These similar weapons were outlined by the apostle Paul in the reading
from Ephesians 6:10-17, which we heard read a few moments ago. Each piece of
this armour of God is an ethical quality which is derived from the character of
Christ and which is ours through faith.
First,
we have to put on our helmets. Just like a physical helmet protects soldiers in
battle, a spiritual helmet protect Christian soldiers. A soldier on the
battlefield has confidence that his helmet will protect his head, and a
Christian soldier has confidence that nothing can separate him or her from the
love of God. As Paul says in Romans 8:31-39, if God is for us, who can be
against us?
Next,
we are to arm ourselves with weapons. In the case of a soldier on the
battlefield, these weapons include guns and grenades. On the spiritual
battlefield, the weapon is the truth of the Word of God.
We
are to wear a belt. A soldier’s belt allows him to carry his weapons. A
spiritual warrior wears the belt of truth-truth about himself or herself,
relationships, God and God’s love, our spouses and children and relatives. The
belt of truth allows us to live truthfully and not to live a lie. The belt of
truth is the best weapon to use for fighting evil.
We
are also to arm ourselves with shields of protection. A soldier on the
battlefield today or a police officer on duty wears a bulletproof vest and a
helmet. Riot police are also equipped with face shields and full-length body
shields. A Christian soldier has the resources of the greatest shield of
all-Jesus Christ. He stands with us and fights with us and for us against
Satan’s attacks.
A
good soldier also needs good footwear. Soldiers wear boots that have to meet
tough regulations. Christians are to wear the sandals of peace. Just like a
soldier’s boots provide traction for every type of terrain, the good spiritual
boot called the Gospel gives Christians the stability of sure footing when we
face pain and fear. These spiritual boots will allow us to take the gospel
anywhere and everywhere, just like a soldier’s boots will allow him to go
anywhere and everywhere.
Even
the best equipment does not offer a 100% guarantee of safety, survival and
victory. Today we remember those who made the supreme sacrifice to ensure
victory in wars past. We have heard the list of donations that have been made
and wreaths that have been purchased. All of these wreaths and all of the
donations are in memory of those who fought and died in battle. To many of us,
these people are just names on a sheet of paper or on a cenotaph, but to those
who made the donation or purchased the wreath, these people were husbands,
fathers, sons and brothers, many of whom went off to war and never came home. They
are still remembered and missed by those they left behind. They are remembered
on the cenotaphs in communities throughout this country and on the rows of
crosses at Normandy, Pusan and thousands of other cemeteries in this nation and
around the world. They were people who
hated war but made the Supreme Sacrifice.
As
I mentioned at the beginning of this message, 2014 marks the 100th
anniversary of the start of WWI, the 75th anniversary of the start
of WWII and the 70th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy
during WWII. Have we as a society learned anything from these events? Have we
as a society learned anything from war at all? The answer to both of these
questions is both yes and no. Warfare has taught us that it is something to be
avoided if at all possible. In the words of the late Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr., “The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor
chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows. One day we must come to see that
peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive
at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means. How much
longer must we play at deadly war games before we heed the plaintive pleas of
the unnumbered dead and maimed of past wars?”
One
thing we as society have not learned from war is that we live in a world where
the ambitions and greed of a few can cost the lives of thousands. Nazi Germany
was a good example. Hitler’s greed for land and his ambition to get rid of the Jews cost millions
of lives. Today we can look at ISIS
and see how their goal to create an Islamic state is costing lives and the
money that is needed by countries such as Canada, the United States, the United
Kingdom, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia and others to fight this evil.
Is
it even possible to live peaceably with others? In a recent newspaper column,
Billy Graham was asked why nations can’t get along with each other. He was also
asked if warfare could be eliminated if poverty was eliminated. He stated in
his reply that “Even if all poverty were somehow eliminated we’d still have
conflicts and wars. This is because our real problem us deeper than economic
inequality, or other social or economic problem. Our real problem is within
ourselves, within our own hearts and minds.”
As
long as there is greed and evil in this world, there will be war. War will only
cease when we live according to the way God wants us to live, and that will
only happen when Christ returns. Until then, there will always be a Remembrance
Day, because there will always be a need to remember the lessons of war as well
as those who made the Supreme Sacrifice.
Bibliography
1.
Jeremiah,
David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood,
TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)
6.
Pastor Rick
Renner, “Spiritual Warfare is real.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
9.
Pastor Rick
Renner, “Are You Dressed in the Whole Armor of God?” retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
10. Bruce Epperly, “Justice for Veterans and the
Vulnerable: A Veterans’ Day Reflection.” Retrieved from www.patheous.com
11. Dunnam, M.D. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 31:
Galatians/Ephesians/Philippians/Colossians/Philemon (Nashville, TN: Thomas
Nelson Inc.; 1982)
12. Craig Condon, “We Will Remember.” Retrieved
from the author’s personal sermon library
No comments:
Post a Comment