A soldier's faith

The ministry of The Soldier’s Sanctuary has always had a motto.

2 Timothy 2:3-4

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth, entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”

This is the charge that the apostle Paul gave to Timothy and it is also the charge that God has given unto you and I. Paul’s telling Timothy that life as a faithful follower of Christ is a life of Service. It is a life of surrender. It is a life of sacrifice. Paul is saying that upon your ordination, you have enlisted into the service that bears a lifelong commitment.

This is not just the charge to Timothy as an ordained minister. It is also the charge to every member of this church.

I’m not just talking to the men here. This Charge is also for the women and for you kids.

The calling we all have is to endure hardness, to persevere. The fact is each and every one of us will face storms in our lives. Sometimes at work, it may seem that we’ve been given more work to do than we’ve been given day to do it. Sometimes we are held accountable for results in things we have no control over.

Sometimes at school you will have to deal with bullies. You will have to deal with the peer pressure to do the wrong things like smoking, cheating, and skipping school. You will have to deal with the social pressures of fitting in.. From The clothes you wear to the ways you spend your time after school.

For moms, you get to have all of the stress of maintaining a home as well as the stresses your husband brings home from work and the baggage your kids bring home from school.

There are times when the road of life gets a little tough. Sometimes the burdens we carry can get heavy and wear us down.

My message for you today is this “Trying times are no time to quit trying.” When your problems seem like giants is keep a Godly attitude. Remember, King Saul thought Goliath was too big to fight; David thought he was too big to miss.

My message for the soldiers sanctuary is that each and every one of us need to follow the examples of the soldiers of the bible.

There are many examples of Soldiers in the Old and New Testaments. We look at Matthew and we find a Centurion who begged Jesus “Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.”

Jesus answered “I will come and heal him.” But the soldier answered him “Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.”

“For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.”

Quick notes: The soldier sought Jesus, not to heal a relative. This was not his own flesh and blood, but it was his servant. I don’t know if this was a private in the centurion’s army or a hired servant. What I do know is this centurion humbled himself before the Lord because he really cared about his servant. Jesus said of him “Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”

Jesus said this to his followers and held up the centurion’s faith as a testimony, as an example of what right looked like.

There is nothing in the bible that says this centurion was a Jew or studied the Old Testament. In fact he was probably a gentile, being a hated Roman. In fact, he wasn’t a follower of Jesus. He had heard of the Jesus and traveled to Capernaum in desperation. None the less, this soldier had faith.

What about our faith? Let me ask you this. How many of you have faith in Jesus Christ? What do you believe that faith will do? Do you believe that your faith in Jesus Christ is strong enough to get through Saint Peter’s gates after your soul leaves your lifeless body 6 feet under?

If we have faith that’s capable of passing from one form of life to another… and strong enough to conquer death, hell, and the grave…. then why don’t we have faith that conquers the stress of going to work or school or faith that God will keep his promises or meet our needs?

Faith is a funny vehicle.. Some people trust their faith will get them to Heaven when it very seldom is capable of getting them to church!

There is another soldier I would like to introduce you to. His name is Caleb. Please turn in your bibles to Numbers 13: 17-21

In these passages, we will examine the actions of a soldier called Caleb. I will skip some of these verses to focus on him. Caleb was a great soldier. He lived and fought well into his old age. Caleb had been there with Moses when he led Israel out of Egypt. He was there when God divided the waters of the Red Sea. He had seen all that God had done and he believed.

Israel is in many ways, a picture of the church. The struggles they faced as they journeyed through the wilderness shows us there is much more to salvation than just being set free. After the Lord had delivered them out of Egypt and Pharaoh’s hand, they still struggled. They were free but life was still hard.

Have you noticed how hard life is after salvation? God had a land flowing with milk and honey prepared for them. It would be a land of giants and a land of battles, but it was theirs if they wanted it. Now, as you know - Israel chose to wander in the wilderness. Here's another great picture of the Christian life. God saves us, and promises us that we can have a life of victory, joy, and peace. Instead we often choose to live our lives deflated, defeated, and depressed. Where is our faith?

**Here, Moses is sending a spy party to look at this land that God has promised to give them. Moses is asking them to gather strategic information.

Verse 17

Nu 13:17 And Moses sent them (Caleb was amongst those sent) to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain:

Nu 13:18 And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many;

Nu 13:19 And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds;

Nu 13:20 And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.

Nu 13:21 So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.

Skip down to verse 25

Nu 13:25 And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.

Nu 13:26 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land.

Nu 13:27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sent us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.

Nu 13:28 Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.

*** God had promised them this land. But where was their faith? What was more real, God’s promise or the threat of the inhabitants, these giants.

Skip 29

Nu 13:30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

*** Caleb was a man who faithfully believed God. Of course he had seen the giants. He didn’t care. What was real to him was the fact that God had kept his word and had delivered them out of the hands of all of their enemies and had provided for them manna to eat while they wondered in the wilderness.

Nu 13:31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.

Isn’t this just like people? Claiming to be the children of God, seeing with their own eyes that what God had promised them was true, and still having no faith.

“ A man who gives in when he is wrong is wise; a man who gives in when he is right is a coward.”

These men had beheld with their own eyes the promise of God. Have you ever heard seeing is believing? Not for these jokers.

Nu 13:32 And they brought up an evil report (An evil report, I have to assume is a lie or an extreme exaggeration) but they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.

Note to self “Dishonesty is a coward’s way of getting out of trouble.”

And verse 33

Nu 13:33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

They talk in verse 33 about how the giants measure up in their sight as large and how they in their sight are small compared to these. What does this say about their opinion of God?

Let me ask you this. Have you ever let your worries, whatever they may be dwarf God?

Let’s continue into chapter 14

Nu 14:1 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.

Nu 14:2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!

Nu 14:3 And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

Isn’t it a shame? The bad attitude and cowardice of the few spies had spoiled the attitude of the masses. This why it is so important to let our lights shine. A bad attitude is like a cancer. Fear is the exact opposite of faith and grew so rapidly and overcame most of the children of Israel.

This is exactly what it means to cause your brother to stumble. How ridiculous? The bible says they wept and cried… Where was there faith? Hadn’t they eye witnessed the same fulfillment of God’s promises as Moses and Caleb?

In verse 2 we find them complaining against their leaders and against God! As we read through verse 3 these jokers have lost completely almost all faith!

Skip to verse 7

And Josh and Caleb answered these saying, “The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.

Nu 14:8 If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.

Nu 14:9 Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

Can you hear the wisdom in their plea?

Let me ask you this. How do you think God felt after meeting the children of Israel’s needs over and over and after performing miracle after miracle and they still don’t have the faith to trust him?

How does it feel when you find out somebody your really close to, lets say your parents or your siblings or even your spouse doesn’t trust you?

What if you had never done anything but come to their side every time they needed you? Now you know that we as humans fall short from time to time, but God doesn’t come up short. That’s the problem, when your faith fails, in essence you are telling God that he can not be trusted!

I know what your thinking, that’s pretty bold. Your right, it is. What are the giants you face? How big do they look next to our God? When your fear of worldly giants is greater than your faith in the living God, you might as well slap God in the face and call God’s providence a dwarf.. A dwarf that can’t even be trusted?

How do you think God would react to such small faith? A lot of churches preach about a God who is nothing but love and grace. Well, it certainly is true that God does love us. And it certainly is true that true that God’s grace is greater than our capacity for sin. But that’s because God is greater than we are!

Let me tell you. This buddy Jesus or this hippie God that some preach about isn’t showing us the whole picture. Let’s see how God Felt at their lack of faith.

Verse 11

Nu 14:11 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?

Nu 14:12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.

God was pretty ticked off. Is this the reaction that you want to get from God? How do you think God feels when our faith comes up short?

Moses pleaded with God on their behalf.

Nu 14:15 Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying,

Nu 14:16 Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.

Nu 14:17 And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,

Nu 14:18 The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

Nu 14:19 Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.

Here we see Moses pleading on their behalf. It’s kinda like Jesus. Boy, isn’t it good we have some body to intercede for us when we fail God? Remember when Jesus said at the cross : forgive them father for they know not what they do” This is a picture of that.

The difference between grace and faith is this. God ‘s grace is us being given something we did not and could not earn. That’s grace. Mercy is God keeping us from getting exactly what we deserve!

Verse 20

Nu 14:20 And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word:

Nu 14:21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.

Nu 14:22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;

Nu 14:23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:

Nu 14:24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

Because the Jews lacked faith, many of them did not see the Promised Land. How does that apply to us? Look around. If your not living in the land of milk and honey and maybe you feel less than satisfied with what God has given you, maybe instead of blaming everyone else we could take a good long look in a mirror and examine our own faith.

God doesn’t fail. It’s not in his nature. We fail. It’s our faith that fails.

Let’s not end this morning message focusing on bad news. Let’s liven it up a lil. Please turn in your bibles to Joshua 14.

We find Caleb speaking to Joshua here. It is a time of relative peace for the Israelites. The once fierce general Joshua is an old man now. He is less fiery than he once was. Probably a lil smaller in stature too. You know how old people shrink? I think that’s how I see Joshua now.

How many of you have seen the Mel Gibson movie ”We were soldiers”? Remember the old Sergeant Major played by Sam Elliot? That is how I see old Caleb. This old soldier still has it.

Verse 7

Jos 14:7 Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.

Jos 14:8 Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.

Jos 14:9 And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God.

Jos 14:10 And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.

Here Caleb, the old soldier is 85 years old. And guess what? He’s itching for a fight. Why? Because God had given him a promise 45 years previously and Caleb believed him on it!

Jos 14:11 As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. The real strength he is talking about is not his ability to weild a sword, but he is talking about the strength of his faith. Even for war says this 85 year old man!

Jos 14:12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.

What an example of a soldier we have in Caleb. He never questioned God’s ability to deliver him from the hands of his enemy. Picture this: an 85 year old man climbing the side of a mountain. He’s going to claim his inheritance. He still has to climb the mountain just as we do today. When he finally got to the top he had to fight, just like we will. We too will have to fight.

This old man climbed his way up to battle Giants. What about your giants and my giants? But Caleb’s God and Caleb’s faith was greater. After the last giant fell and after the last one fled, Caleb finally received his inheritance.