It’s a relevant today as the day I delivered it on Remembrance Sunday 2017 in Spain.
Welcome to you all on this Remembrance Sunday. And a global welcome to all those watching on Facebook Live.
The medals are not mine, but belong to my gallant and much loved late husband Bernard. It is a blessing to wear them as widows do on occasions like this.
We remember those who have died so that we can be free. But we know that “Freedom is never free”
I’d like to begin by reading a poem, written by a soldier returning from a tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2008. It’s called “Sunset Vigil”
“The news is spread far and wide
Another comrade’s sadly died.
A sunset vigil upon the sand
As a soldier leaves this foreign land……
We stand alone, and yet as one
In the fading light of a setting sun
We’ve all gathered to say goodbye
To our fallen comrade who’s set to fly…
The eulogy’s read about their life
Sometimes with words from pals or wife
We all know when the CO’s done
What kind of soldier they’d become….
The padre then calls us all to pray
The bugler has Last Post to play
The cannon roars and belches flame
We will recall, with pride, their name….
A minute’s silence stood in place
As tears roll down the hardest face
Deafening silence fills the air with each of us in personal prayer
Reveille sounds and parade is done
The hero remembered, forgotten by none
They leave to start the journey back
In a coffin, draped in the Union Jack.
Jesus says in John 15:13 “Greater love hath no one, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
And all through our lives, and in history, we witness amazing self sacrifice by soldiers, sailors, airmen, lifeboat crew, lifeguards, policemen, firemen, ambulance crews, doctors and nurses in wartime and also peace.
This summer this came home to my family in a big way. My son had a devastating and life threatening marine accident in July.
Vigilance and quick reactions of others at sea that day and the emergency teams saved his life.
Blood Donors sacrifice their blood for us every day. I wanted to give my blood, particularly my tissue for his massive skin grafts. I would have gladly gone through the pain for my son.
And that is what Jesus did for us. What a hero. He was literally sweating blood with dread of the agony to come. But he still did it. For us. Are we worthy? Are we living our lives as we should?
We re think our lives when we remember such self sacrifice.
In John 12:24, Jesus talks about his impending death.
He said “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a grain of wheat falls to the round and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
The church is built on the blood of martyrs. Nothing brings people to Christ like understanding the love he had for us to take our punishment and go to the cross for us.
Jesus teaches us the big picture on life and death. He says “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who despises worldly life will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, my servant also will be. My father will honor the one who serves me.”
Jesus says.. My heart is troubled, and what shall I say. “Father, save me from this hour?” No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.”
Then a voice came from heaven. “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there said it had thundered, others said an angel had spoken to him.
Jesus said “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world, now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.”
He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. Being lifted up on the cross. And we all will die one day on this earth. None of us get out of here alive!
So we should make the most of every day, his way. Jesus said, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before the darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.”
So this Remembrance Sunday 2017 we remember all those who have had the courage to die to defend us in our little lives here.
We all love heroes. Jesus was the greatest hero of all.
Innocent, He took sin of the world on his back when he took that dreadful flogging and was nailed to the cross.
His blood covenant is the ONLY way we can be made right with God and escape the hell we deserve.
Our world is always full of uncertainty. War is always a threat. We are living with world debt that is impossible to ever pay off. When there is economic breakdown, politicians always go to war. It distracts the public from the dire economic problems.
The only hope is to bring the world to believe in the love of God made manifest in Jesus.
I am so blessed to be part of two international ministries reaching the world, Revelation TV and also Eternal Radio. They are unique in that they speak the truth, and that is why, with my biblical health ministry, I can preach the truth about the corruption in the pharmaceutical industry and the war industry.
2017 is an interesting year. It’s a year of reckoning. A year of judgment. It’s the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s indictment of the corrupt church of the time.
It’s also the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration. When Lord Balfour of Britain led the way for the Jews to return to their ancient homeland.
It’s also 70 years (a generation) since 1947 when the people actually returned to the land.
And 50 years since 1967 when they freed the western wall of their ancient Temple.
We can see biblical Prophecy being fulfilled.
But since these good events, the world has turned from God. And God always punishes nations for their infidelity.
Leviticus 26 tells us that each time we are unfaithful the punishment is seven times more intense.
Our governments in USA, UK and EU have taken God out of our schools, universities, our politics and our morals. There is widespread Immorality and widespread corruption. And God will judge these nations.
To see how this is happening, read “The Harbinger” by Rabbi Jonathan Cahn. This secular New York Jew had an encounter with God and came to Messianic faith in a big way. His book The Harbinger was an all-time best seller, like the Bible.
Rabbi Cahn reveals God’s wake up call which happens every seven years. It’s called the “Shemitah” year. It’s God’s warning, a time of judgment for Godless nations and reward for Godly nations.
When America banned God from the classrooms, the courts, and allowed the murder of babies in the womb, judgement came.
For instance, 9/11 took place in 2001, another year of the Schemitah. The Twin Towers, a symbol of defiance in a Godless world, fell exactly where the founding fathers first dedicated their country to God. How ironic!
There is huge and justifiable controversy as to who actually caused those THREE huge towers to fall. Yes, three. Building 7 also fell in exactly the same way, blocks away, and many hours later, for no accountable reason. Strange. But they had all been fairly recently bought and insured, by the same man.
Interestingly, the lift shafts on all three towers had been worked on six months before. The perfect place for placing thermite, a military only use explosive, in the shafts, if anyone wanted to blow up these towers.
This which would have caused the repeated machine gun like explosions, floor by floor, that the first responders heard in the basement of the Twin Towers as these huge buildings collapsed in perfect footprint against all odds.
The Twin Towers were constructed to withstand the impact of a plane. Anyone who understands the design of a plane knows the nose cone is made of delicate metal which would crumple instantly on impact. Completely different to the holographic image of the nose driving clean through the building and out the other side… Strange..
The firemen and police first responders reported it looked exactly like a demolition job. Architect and builders agree. The public ask: “Who would have done such a thing, and sacrificed 3000 innocent people?” Who indeed? They also willingly sacrifice thousands of soldiers for their profit.
And isn’t it STRANGE that the American government had ordered fifteen war games to be carried out that very morning? This meant that no military aircraft intercepted the plane that was to fly into the centre of New York? UNCHALLENGED? Unthinkable.
Yes, on Remembrance Sunday Bible believers remember much more than just two recent world wars. We remember ALL who have died,
God comes into the picture of 9/11. Rabbi Cahn researched to find that interestingly, a little stone chapel where the Twin Towers fell was miraculously undamaged
It was protected by an old sycamore tree planted by the Founding Fathers when they dedicated America to God. The Erez tree.
The old sycamore tree was damaged but it saved the chapel. And afterwards, as the finance world rebuilt the towers, they also replaced the sycamore with a cedar tree. Which died. And replacements kept dying. Following the prophecy of Isaiah chapter nine verse 4.
Tom Dashel, leader of the US Senate, actually quoted the rebellious biblical scripture from Isaiah 9.4. “we will rebuild with cedars”. Just as the unrepentant people had done in rebellion in Biblical times.
Seven years later another Schemitah year, and judgement came again. The world economy collapsed in 2008. American had not repented and turned back to God.
The stock exchange dropped precisely seven hundred and seventy seven point 777 in one day. STRANGE? Once again that is the Biblical 7.
And America STILL defies God.
Three American political leaders including ex President Obama have shown defiance against God by quoting Isaiah 9:10 “The bricks are fallen down. We will rebuild the tower with dressed stone higher than before. The sycamores are cut down, we will replace them with cedars.”
This was defiance against God. Big business does things their way, not HIS way.
And we ALWAYS suffer the consequence.
Remember how Britain lost her Commonwealth after she renaged on the land she had promised Israel? Interesting. You defy God at your peril.
Getting back to Remembrance Sunday, 9/11 was the excuse for the American and British invasion of Iraq and the killing of millions of people including American and British troops. The Middle East has been in tribulation of BIBLICAL proportion ever since. Isis is the result. Massive immigration into Europe. Man’s politics are corrupted. The greed for cheap oil and drugs causes war after war.
Our troops and civilians die every day in wars that can never be resolved. Just like the soldier in the poem I read earlier.
Conflict will never resolve the issue. The world is too corrupt and double dealing. Especially the war industry, the oil industry and the pharmaceutical industry.
Jesus and his salvation and teachings of love and moral behaviour ARE the ONLY hope of the world. This is why we preach the truth.
As people abandon Isis, more Muslims are turning to Christ.
The good news is that there are more Christians in China and India coming to faith than those who abandon it in US, UK and EU including Britain.
There was a huge Christian rally in Lagos, Nigeria, this weekend. Hundreds of thousands have been saved.
In South Africa, millions have attended a day of prayer called by a Christian farmer, Angus Buchan.
25,000 Chinese coming to faith each week despite persecution and many dying for their faith.
We give thanks for Christian martyrs through the ages, for the church is built on their blood. Our present military heroes have died to uphold Christian values.
They have left us a legacy.
The airborne prayer of the British Forces is Biblical. The Chaplains lead the airborne troops in this prayer before they go into battle. Here is the prayer.
May the Defence of the Most High be above and beneath us. Around us and within us. In our going out and our coming in. In our rising up and our going down… All our days and all our nights, until the dawn when the Son of Righteousness arises with healing in his wings for the peoples of the world… Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Inspirational, isn’t it. Based on Malachi chapter 4. And maybe the last prayer of countless soldiers who died in the forthcoming battle.
They left a legacy. What legacy are we going to leave?
How shall WE be remembered? The Bible mentions remembrance 230 times. Every time we come to the Lord’s Table for Communion we are called again to REMEMBER. To RE-MEMBER.. Put the pieces together again. To take his body and blood into our own. To remember him.. to become one body, one blood. His body and blood. In other words to become more Christ like. Jesus said I am the light of the world, the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
As a mother who has been heart broken by the death of a daughter from cancer and the crippling of a son in a horrific marine accident. I make this stand for PEACE and sanity in fallen world. Let’s re-member the life God intended for us to live. In peace and harmony. In perfect health.
Yes we must be brave. Stand up for the truth. Fight bravely with WORDS for freedom and truth when we have to. Listen to Rabbi Jonathan Cahn each week. He is prophetic!
Let’s vow to carry the baton in our times, and run the race as God intended us to do. We always have the example of Jesus to look to and to steady us. Self sacrifice. Giving our blood. Any haematologist will tell you that the life is in the blood. Blood cleans us and nourishes us. That is precisely what Jesus does for us! He takes away our sin and our shame and gives us new life. This is what happens when we come to the Lords Table as we do now.
If you haven’t already given your life to him, do it today. The choice is yours. Eternal life or death and cosmic loneliness and darkness. It’s a very GOOD Day, Remembrance Day, to Remember that. Amen.
