Convocation
As some of us reflect on the past lives of fallen warriors this Memorial Day, let us never forget that a soldier never dies in vain when he is defending the United States of America. Whether he fought and died in 1775 as a Continental or died fighting in the jungles of Vietnam in an unpopular war during the '60's or he is battling against the evil forces of Islamic terrorism in the deserts and mountains of the Middle East today, the men and now women of our most highly esteemed legions who themselves have paid the ultimate price with their lives for the sake of Liberty and Country must receive our eternal gratitude.
They are the titans of history from which the words of their deeds are written by their sweat and blood. Nations rise and fall by the glory and horror of war and the sacrifices made by those who have put their bodies and minds in harms way whether intentionally or not should not be forgotten by a populace who receive the fruit of their labors. By the grace of the fighting man, America has been saved. By the grace of the fighting man, America will be avenged.
God has given us the mind to shape and to mold things that are material. From this mind we create the weapons of war. The logistics to carry the war. The doctrines to be victorious in war. And yet the mind requires food as the body requires sustenance and the food of the mind is Bible Doctrine. The Word of God is the mind of Christ and we are commanded to have this mind in us. Precept upon precept; line upon line; here a little, there a little. Bible doctrine fortifies the mind and gives one strength when all alone.
Some might say "if God is so powerful why does He allow men to die"? My friends, man was created in the image of God. We are not gods but like God we have free will. God respects free will and will not utilize his divine power to alter our decisions. This truly is the Grace of God. If man uses his free will to wage war then we must use our free will to defend ourselves. Thus, when war comes God will not intervene to prevent men from killing each other as this would violate the very essence of his divine sovereignty. God respects man's decisions, for good or for ill. But be of good cheer, the Lord has not forgotten the dead:
50I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed 52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."[g] 55"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"[h] 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor 15:50-57
Do these words comfort you? Though you may weep silently to yourself in the night for the loss of your loved one know this: God has made provision for their bodily resurrection. Even now, when someone dies in Christ during a time of peace or a time of war though he is far from you their spirit is face to face with the Lord. As it is written:
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. Psalms 116:15
With the death of each Saint, God is forging his own army for the Second Advent of Christ and when Christ receives the order from the Father to commence D-Day operations on earth sometime in the future, then the Saints will march in the glory of their new bodies for one last battle which so happens to be the greatest battle of all: Armedgeddon. Not a single Saint will perish for we will be indestructible. Veterans of the Armedgeddon Campaign. Now that will be something to talk about!
For now, let us remember those who have fallen asleep.
They are the titans of history from which the words of their deeds are written by their sweat and blood. Nations rise and fall by the glory and horror of war and the sacrifices made by those who have put their bodies and minds in harms way whether intentionally or not should not be forgotten by a populace who receive the fruit of their labors. By the grace of the fighting man, America has been saved. By the grace of the fighting man, America will be avenged.
God has given us the mind to shape and to mold things that are material. From this mind we create the weapons of war. The logistics to carry the war. The doctrines to be victorious in war. And yet the mind requires food as the body requires sustenance and the food of the mind is Bible Doctrine. The Word of God is the mind of Christ and we are commanded to have this mind in us. Precept upon precept; line upon line; here a little, there a little. Bible doctrine fortifies the mind and gives one strength when all alone.
Some might say "if God is so powerful why does He allow men to die"? My friends, man was created in the image of God. We are not gods but like God we have free will. God respects free will and will not utilize his divine power to alter our decisions. This truly is the Grace of God. If man uses his free will to wage war then we must use our free will to defend ourselves. Thus, when war comes God will not intervene to prevent men from killing each other as this would violate the very essence of his divine sovereignty. God respects man's decisions, for good or for ill. But be of good cheer, the Lord has not forgotten the dead:
50I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed 52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."[g] 55"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"[h] 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor 15:50-57
Do these words comfort you? Though you may weep silently to yourself in the night for the loss of your loved one know this: God has made provision for their bodily resurrection. Even now, when someone dies in Christ during a time of peace or a time of war though he is far from you their spirit is face to face with the Lord. As it is written:
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. Psalms 116:15
With the death of each Saint, God is forging his own army for the Second Advent of Christ and when Christ receives the order from the Father to commence D-Day operations on earth sometime in the future, then the Saints will march in the glory of their new bodies for one last battle which so happens to be the greatest battle of all: Armedgeddon. Not a single Saint will perish for we will be indestructible. Veterans of the Armedgeddon Campaign. Now that will be something to talk about!
For now, let us remember those who have fallen asleep.
posted by Bruce R. McConnell | 10:00 PM
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