British Weekly Pulpit Joshua 6:12-27 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.… (A Sermon to Children): — What do we mean when we pray for the Church "militant here on earth"? We mean the fighting Church — the Church on the battlefield of the world. Christians are God's army, and every one — men, women, and children — must try to show that they are good soldiers of Jesus Christ. What do you think is required of a good soldier? I. First of all he must be BRAVE. It has been said that an English soldier or sailor never knows when he is beaten. The word coward does not seem to go well with the name Briton. But there's a better sort of courage than that of a fighting soldier; that is, the courage of a Christian, which enables him to do right at any cost; which enables him to bear sorrow and insult and loss for Jesus Christ's sake. We all like to hear about acts of bravery like that of the boy ensign, Anstruther, who at the battle of Alma planted the colours of the 23rd Regiment on the wall of the great redoubt, and then fell, shot dead, with the colours drooping over him like a pall. But the courage which is thought most of in heaven is the courage to do right. The child who is brave enough to say "No" when he is asked to do wrong; the boy or girl who can't tell a lie to escape punishment; the schoolboy who is brave enough to say his prayers with a whole bedroom of companions laughing and jeering at him — these are the heroes whose names are written in God's Book. II. What else must a good soldier be? OBEDIENT. Can you remember any one mentioned in the Bible who was a very tall, powerful, brave soldier, and yet not good soldier, because he was disobedient? King Saul. If you really love the Lord, you will keep His commandments. A soldier must not do what he likes, but what he is ordered to do. Between you and the Paradise of God there lies a long journey, the enemy's country, where the devil and his angels will fight against you; but don't be afraid, only be brave and go forward, and follow Jesus your Captain, and you will be able to say, as Paul said, "Thanks be unto God, who giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ." (British Weekly Pulpit.) Parallel Verses KJV: And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.WEB: Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of Yahweh. |
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