The month of April always signifies a change for me. As the days get cooler, the nights and the mornings darker, there is a noticeable shift away from that summer feeling. The season takes on a more somber mood, a reflective mood. The sense of sobriety is only added to with the occasions we observe in April. Easter is often celebrated in April, along with ANZAC Day.
Both of these sacred occasions we observe, have a very similar key attribute that we celebrate: sacrifice.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Lamb of God was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. It was through his sacrifice we have forgiveness from our sin, and freedom from ourselves.
While the ANZACs were not holy nor were they a deity, they were glorified and enshrined in Australian folklore as common people who loved their nation, and sacrificed themselves for it.
As Christians and believers, and fellow soldiers in God’s army, I wonder whether we would be counted worthy for the sacrifices that we’ve made?
The Call to Sacrifice
Paul said in 1 Corinthians, “be therefore imitators of me as I am imitating Christ” (1 Corinthians 11v1). As Christians we called to be ‘Christlike’ to follow the example of Jesus, to live our life as Christ lived his. In the area of sacrifice, Jesus reigns supreme. Being God himself, being sinless and guilt-free, he paid the ultimate sacrifice for us. If anyone had walked the road of sacrifice, it was Jesus. And Jesus’ call to us as disciples is to follow in his footsteps of sacrifice:-
The amplified bible says it like this:
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]. 25 For whoever wishes to save his life [in this world] will [eventually] lose it [through death], but whoever loses his life [in this world] for My sake will find it [that is, life with Me for all eternity] (Matthew 16v24-25)
As Paul writes in his letter to Timothy, it is the call of every believer to be a soldier in God’s army. Paul goes even further to explain that a good solider is one who is able to endure hardship (2 Timothy 2v3). We heard recently from Pastor Scott Lamb’s sermon about what it means to endure hardship as a soldier in the Kingdom of God. Any soldier in any conflict faces immense hardships. From the enemy yes, but even from the environment, from circumstances, from letdowns and abandonment.
If you’ve read or seen any documentaries or stories from war history, you will understand that a solider fighting in a war, battles many things in their endeavour to achieve their mission. The First and Second World Wars were fought over years and seasons, continents and countries, which means vast terrain and unfamiliar climates. In Europe soldiers had to contend with snow and freezing conditions, suffering from trench foot and frostbite. In Africa, the heat and the sandstorms would play havoc with the soldiers. Sand in your eyes, sand in your hair, waking up to sand in your mouth. And those sent to fight in the Pacific had to ensure endless nights of rain and humidity, never able to be dry, fighting off mosquitoes and disease. These were men who have lived their whole lives in one climate, to be thrown across the other side of the world to deal with conditions they had never experienced before.
You might think, well that’s a lot for anyone to deal with. Yes - but it gets worse. Not only were they dealing with the enemy trying to kill them (from the land, sea and sky), not only were they contending with the elements of nature and trying weather conditions, but they were also dealing with let downs and abandonments. It was not an uncommon situation for battalions and platoons to find themselves isolated and cut off from the rest of the army. Often without supplies, without ammunition, defenceless. And not only were they physically cut off from their regiment, but they were abandoned. Told sorry you’re on your own. We can’t help you. No one is coming to rescue you, it’s up to you. Requests for help and support were denied.
Paul describes experiencing something similar to this:
From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. (2 Cor 11v24-28)
Life as a Christian is not a bed of roses. It’s not a life of comfort and ease. And in a society that places extreme importance and emphasis on that, it can be easy to find ourselves wandering towards the world to find a sense of security, of pleasure or simply comfort.
We get tired of constant fighting, we get weary of the battles and confrontations, we just want to rest for a little while, let our guard down for a night, take a short break. But in a battle you can’t afford to. Falling asleep while on duty will get you killed. Letting your guard down for a moment can mean the death of your comrade beside you.
The Love Connection
So after all that’s been described to be the life of a solider, it sounds like a job many of us would rather not sign up for! I mean who would voluntary put up their hand for that? What would compel them to do that?
Jesus makes a statement about sacrifice and he links it to love:
Jesus said ‘Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.’
(John 15v13)
The precursor to sacrifice is always love. The bible says that ‘for God so LOVED the world THAT he gave his only son’.
It was through God’s love that he made the sacrifice to save us. The love he had for sinful and lost humanity compelled Jesus to the cross. No one voluntarily commits himself to suffering and hardship - it goes against our selfish and self-preserving ways. But bring love into the equation and things change.
Many of the soldiers who have fought for our country, were compelled to fight because of love. For some it was the love of their country and empire and protecting our way of life. For others, it was in order to protect their families and loved ones back home from possible invasion and enemy control. Either way, it meant putting others before themselves. It meant them taking on some of the pain, suffering and hardship, so others didn’t have to.
The bible says: we love Him, because He first loved us. (1 John 4v19) In order for us to live a life of sacrifice and take up our cross as a true solider of God, we must first love him beyond doubt. The love in our hearts must be strong and vibrant and we must remember what is was God has saved us from. We must remind ourselves of the pain and suffering of Jesus on the Cross and know he did that for us.
In the book of Revelations, Jesus calls out the church of Ephesus as a church which had lost their first love:
“To the [a]angel of the church of Ephesus write,
‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 2 “I know your works, your labor, your [b]patience, and that you cannot [c]bear those who are evil.
And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. 4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. (Revelations 2v1-5)
I find it interesting that in verse 5 it says, remember from where you have fallen, repent and DO THE FIRST WORKS. This indicates to me, that when love is lost, there are works that can be lost with it. As our love wains, no longer are we content to endure hardship, no longer are we willing to go the extra mile, but we start preserving our own time, energy and resources for us, no longer committed to the cause. We lean towards the life of ease, and further away from service and sacrifice.
Love will always cost you something, because it crosses our selfish human heart. Love always means putting others before ourselves. Our flesh screams for self-preservation, but the spirit compels us to self-sacrifice.
In the book of Matthew, Jesus says: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
And John echoes these sentiments in 1 John 4v10 - 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Our love towards God manifests itself in our love towards others. If our actions towards people are not fuelled by love then it’s possible our love for God has waxed cold.
The Reward of Sacrifice
The good news as soldiers of Jesus Christ, is that the one who enlisted us is worthy. Jesus does not treat his soldiers like the leaders of this world may do. He does not abandon us, he fights alongside of us. He does not leave us without provisions for sustenance, he is Jehovah Jireh our provider. He does not leave us empty handed but gives us the weapons to wage spiritual warfare. And he is not unjust to forget the suffering, hardships and victories we have won for Him. “For God is not unjust to forget your work and [d]labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” (Hebrews 6v10)
If you’ve ever read a gravestone of a fallen soldier, it’s a touching, sobering and haunting experience all at once. There is a sacredness and a glory reserved only for those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
As in the poem ‘For the Fallen’ that we hear every ANZAC day, “They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old, Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we shall remember them”. The sentiment of this poem is that those who have paid the ultimate price live in our memories in a sense of immortality. Even though they died a physical death years before, their memory, their names, their stories are not forgotten. In this way they are glorified through their sacrifice.
Likewise there is a reward that awaits us for the sacrifices and hardships we have endured as Soldiers of Jesus Christ.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians that “everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.” (1 Cor 9v25)
The bible outlines 5 Crowns that will be given or awarded to Christians in eternity. These are crowns which do not perish, which do not fade, but remain forever.
So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother [h]or wife or children or [i]lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.
Women of Sacrifice
When it comes to the history of the two World Wars, little is said about the role of women and most of the focus is on the stories of the brave men who fought and paid with their lives. But that doesn’t mean that women did pay a price, that women were exempt from sacrifice.
Many women enlisted as nurses and ambulance drivers and were posted around the globe, tending to the wounded men. These women were faced with the horrors of war, staring death in the face each and every day, trying to provide some solace or relief to those who were suffering. Often this also meant that the women faced the same environmental and weather issues as the soldiers, and similarly were asked to do the impossible task at hand with limited supplies and insufficient resources.
Other women were required to take on the hard physical labour of farming and manufacturing in order to continue to feed those at home and abroad. Many women were left without husbands, fathers, and sons to help raise their children, earn a living and as such were required to work out of the home to protect their families from starvation.
Women may not have paid the ultimate price themselves but they paid an equally high price letting their husbands and their sons go off to war, without knowing whether they would ever return. Sacrificing what they wanted, a future and a family for their children - for the greater good. For some, their men returned - however not the same as when they had left, changed by the war, scarred beyond repair in both the physical, emotional and mental sense.
So high was the price some women paid, that a remarkable story of one family was told during the making of a blockbuster movie released in 1998 called ‘Saving Private Ryan’. The movie was based loosely on the story of the Niland brothers, all 4 who served the United States Army in the Second World War. After believing that 3 of the 4 Niland brothers were dead, per the Sole Survivor Policy, the army recalled the 4th son back from overseas duty to complete his service at home. It was later found that the third son was actually alive, but captured and later found in a Japanese POW camp. Robert Rodat who wrote the script for the movie visited a monument in Keene, New Hampshire dedicated to American soldiers killed in combat; he noticed the losses included brothers. He said, "the idea of losing a son to war is painful beyond description ... the idea of losing more than one son is inconceivable".
All throughout history women have been called to play their part in sacrifice too. Moses’ mother had to watch her son from afar, being raised by another woman in order to preserve his life. Mary had to watch her son die a gruesome death on the cross. More recently the names of Amy Carmichael, Corrie Ten Boom, Susanna Wesley, Elisabeth Elliot, Ann Judson and many others tell tales of perseverance, hardship and service as soldiers of Jesus Christ.
As women we are not alone in the sacrifices we have to make on a daily basis, but are indeed surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses.
The book of Hebrews says “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works”. That means when we consider others before ourselves it creates an atmosphere where love and good works can thrive and multiply. As the saying goes, ‘one good turn deserves another’ - when we are the recipient of love and good works, we want to reciprocate that and pass it onto someone else. This is how the culture of a church is birthed.
Today my challenge to you is to endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. To understand and know the sacredness that comes from your sacrifices. That your full reward for your labours may not come in this life, but they will be known forever in the next life. To not lean towards the comforts and false securities of the world but to lean into the old rugged cross where eternal life is found.
Life comes from death - death to our flesh, death to ourselves and death to our desires. We must learn to embrace a life of sacrifice, daily taking up our cross and following Jesus. At the end of your life, what will your legacy be?
The following is the inscription that was written for my Great Uncle, who served and died in France in the First World War. The inscription was written by his mother (my great-great grandmother) on a gravestone here in Tasmania. A woman who knew the sacredness of sacrifice.
“You sleep on the bloodstained fields of France My Gallant Son, so brave
No loving hands may place a wreath upon your grave
Though I am far away dear Will, and your grave I cannot see
I am always thinking of you, as you used to think of me”
Inserted by his sorrowing Mother
Sarah Ann Baldwin - Fingal
“When I consider the cross of Christ,
how can anything that I do be called sacrifice?”
-Amy Carmichael