Vimy Ridge
Remembrance Day • Sermon • Submitted
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· 7 viewsA comparison to Canada's battle for Vimy Ridge in 1917 to the christians battle for the mind today
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The year was 1917 and the world had been at war for almost 3 years
The month was April and the soldiers on the western front had just come through the coldest winter yet
The location was a small 7 kilometer stretch of land in the northern part of France that no one had ever heard of before, History would record it as the battle for Vimy Ridge
Although small, it was a strategic piece of real estate which, since the beginning of the war hand been under the control of the Germans and they were determined to keep it that way
To that end they had established a 3 stage defense consisting of a large area of rolled barbed wire backed up by fortified machine gun nests and covered by artillary
3 full divisions of the German 6th army were stationed there to make it what most historians refer to as “the strongest position on the German defense line”
For 3 years the British and French had tried to break through and as a result had suffered more than 150,000 dead or wounded
Late in 2016 the Canadians were brought in to relieve the British troops and to try their hand at this impossible mission
For the first time in the war all 4 divisions of the Canadian Army were brought together for this offensive totally over 100,000 men
At 5:30 a.m. local time on April 19th, 1917 (Easter Monday) the battle for Vimy Ridge began as 20,000 Canadian soldiers set out in the first wave with what they called a “creeping barrage”
It was almost 36 non-stop hours of the some of the fiercest fighting of the war before these men reached their objective, the crest of Hill 145, officially putting Vimy Ridge into the hands of the Canadians
There would still e another 2 days of fighting before the following waves secured what was known as “The Pimple”, a smaller ridge at the northern end of Vimy
The result was that the area was secure, the Germans were pushed back 3 kilometers and had suffered some 20,000 casualties with another 4,000 being taken prisoner
When the dust had settled Canada had lost 3,598 brave men and another 10,602 had been injured
WWI historian and Canadian Pierre Berton wrote, “They said it couldn’t be done but we did it
The victory at Vimy Ridge changed the course of WWI and began what has become known as the 100 day offensive which ultimately brought the Allies total victoy
Today, November 11th 2018, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the armistice ending WWI yet at the same time we are reminded that there is a war that still rages, a spiritual war in which we are all conscripted to fight
My text for you this morning is
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Whether we like it or not and whether we want to be or not we are in the battle of our lives, and the results of this battle will absolutely play a major role in the outcome of this war
Just like what the Canadian army faced at Vimy Ridge, Paul says that we are facing a stronghold of the enemy
The Greek word that Paul uses for “stronghold” is the word “ochuroma” and it is a word used to describe a fortress, or fortified position, a defensive position that is extremely well protected
So the bad news is that the enemy has his claws into this crucial piece of real estate and he is determined to keep it and so he has it very well protected
The good news is that Paul says that we have the weapons to demolish this stronghold, to defeat the enemy and take it back
So what is this valuable piece of real estate?
Well the answer just might surprise you because just like Vimy Ridge it’s not what you might look for
This valuable piece of real estate that we are to fight for is “your mind”
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
Romans 8:5
The influence of darkness into the intellect of man are everywhere around us because the enemy knows that if he can control what and how you think, he can control you
And so similarly to The Germans at Vimy Ridge, the enemy has set up a 3 stage defensive system to keep control of your mind
If we are going to demolish these things we first have to understand what they are
In our text Paul identifies them
The first line of defense is the “logismo” or the arguments
The word literally means “the act of computing” or in other words the way that things, in this case information, gets processed
The enemy’s first defensive line is the way that we process all the information that comes at us or in modern terms, our worldview
Depending on how, where, when we were raised we all have different factors determining how we think but if the enemy can make sure that we do so with a secular worldview instead of a Godly worldview he knows that we’ll never break through this defense
If we do the second line is ready for us and that is “hypsoma” or the pretensions that keep us from knowing God
Again the literal translation for this is “self-conceit” and focuses on our pride
The enemy knows that as long as he can keep our minds focused on us, we are not advancing against him
How many times does the Word tell us that we need to “die to self” and that begins in the mind, in the way that we think about God, ourself, and others
The third defensive line is the “neoma” or the “every thought” and Greek expert William Mounce describes the word this way, “The heart, soul, affections, feelings, disposition; a conception of the mind, thought, purpose”
Essentially it is who you are, your personality and what you think about your purpose on this planet.
These are the 3 defensive lines that the enemy has established and, trust me on this, they are very well entrenched and fortified and cannot and will not be overcome easily but are going to require fierce and continuous fighting if we are to come out on top
So how do we do that? how do we fight and ultimately demolish these strongholds of the enemy?
The answer is simpler than you may think for the answer is we fight with “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” ()
And just like the Canadian army brought 4 divisions to bear at Vimy Ridge, this morning I want to give you 4 divisions of the Word of God that we are going to need to demolish these strongholds
The first wave of God’s Word that we are going to need in our lives is the that it is truth
Not that it contains truth or has some truth to it
In the same way that God IS love, His Word IS truth!
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Living life according to the Word of God and the teachings of Jesus Christ is the only way to acknowledge that His Word is truth and when we do that we inflict massive casualties on the enemy and begin to breakdown the hold that he has on our mind
The second wave is that God’s Word sanctifies
If living by His Word is the only way to proclaim the truth, the only way to live by His Word is to read it and meditate upon it
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word.
Psalm
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
Without an intimate knowledge of God’s Word it is not possible to live by or be sanctified by it
Part of the reason for that is the third wave, God’s Word judges, not just our actions but crucially to this fight, it judges our thoughts and our motives
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Actions don’t always reveal what is going on in the heart and mind and so, apart from the Word, not only are we capable of fooling others but we might even be fooling ourselves into believing that we are winning the battle when the whole time we’re not even in the fight
The Word of God pricks our conscience to let us know where it is that we are not lining up with the truth
And finally, the 4th wave is that God’s Word transforms us
The enemy cares very little if we are informed about or by the Word of God, he knows that such information only leads to increase our self-conceit and brings us deeper into his bondage
But when we allow the Word to transform us, he knows that the battle has been lost, that the strongholds have been torn down and that he has to retreat
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
There are many reasons why I am proud to be a Canadian and Vimy Ridge is right near the top of that list
I hope one day to visit that site for myself and see the monument
But beyond a source of pride, I believe that the battle for Vimy Ridge is a great reminder today of the battle for the control of our mind
Will you stay in the trenches doing nothing and allow the enemy to keep his victory?
Not only over you but over those who are in your circle of influence
Or will you fight? Will you get into God’s Word and demolish these strongholds bringing complete and thorough victory through Jesus name?
But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.
In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. The Message
Let’s pray
Let’s pray