Sermon Tone Analysis

War an Peace

Epic historical novel by Leo Tolstoy, originally published as Voyna i mir in 1865-69.

This panoramic study of early 19th-century Russian society, noted for its mastery of realistic detail and variety of psychological analysis, is generally regarded as one of the world's greatest novels.

War and Peace is primarily concerned with the histories of five aristocratic families--particularly the Bezukhovs, the Bolkonskys, and the Rostovs--the members of which are portrayed against a vivid background of Russian social life during the war against Napoleon (1805-14).

The theme of war, however, is subordinate to the story of family existence, which involves Tolstoy's optimistic belief in the life-asserting pattern of human existence.

The heroine, Natasha Rostova, for example, reaches her greatest fulfillment through her marriage to Pierre Bezukhov and her motherhood.

The novel also sets forth a theory of history, concluding that there is a minimum of free choice; all is ruled by an inexorable historical determinism.

/War and Peace/ is a historical novel that chronicles the tumultuous events in Russia during the Napoleonic war in the early nineteenth century.

Focusing on an aristocratic way of life that had already started to fade at the time that Leo Tolstoy wrote the book in the 1860s, it covers a comparatively short span of time—fifteen years—but it renders the lives of disparate characters from all segments of society with vivid, well-realized details.

The story captures a generation on the brink of change, with some defending the existing class structure with their lives while others realize that the old way of life is disappearing.

Part history lesson, part grand romance, part battlefield revisionism, and part philosophy lecture, /War and Peace/ has captivated generations of readers with its gripping narrative and its clear, intelligible understanding of the human soul.

*Book I* \\ /War and Peace/ is a massive, sprawling novel that chronicles events in Russia during the Napoleonic Wars, when the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte conquered much of Europe during the first few years of the nineteenth century.

Bonaparte unsuccessfully tried to expand his dominion into Russia, only to be turned back in 1812.

The novel opens in July of 1805, with Russia allied with England, Austria, and Sweden to stave off Bonaparte's aggressive expansion.

the church in heaven, enjoying a state of triumph, her warfare with evil being over; - distinguished from church militant.

the Christian church on earth, which is supposed to be engaged in a constant warfare against its enemies, and is thus distinguished from the church triumphant, in heaven

 

\\ *The Church Militant.

*

/"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12)./

The devil hates the good and persecutes those trying to set themselves free of his power.

God permits devil to tempt people for their own benefit, as struggle with temptations helps man improve and strengthen spiritually.

An ancient thinker was right, saying, "Without the devil and temptations, there would have been no saints."

Although the devil out of malice often sets off physical persecution of the faithful, it needs to be clearly understood and remembered that he can seize and ruin a man only *through sin*!

Mean and experienced psychologist, the devil artfully adjusts his tactics of temptation to individual weaknesses of the man he wants to incline to sin.

So he tempts lascivious people primarily with fleshly sins; people attached to material goods - with love of money; vainglorious people - with pride; pusillanimous and cowardly - with fear of persecutions, and so on.

When the devil succeeds to incline a man to sin, then the devil wins; when a man repulses the temptation, then the man is the winner.

Our entire life is woven out of episodic wins and losses.

The summary will be made at the end of a man's life.

The pages of the Holy Scripture, secular and church histories, lives of saints and ordinary life stories contain, in a billion variations, reflections of visible details of the spiritual warfare between the devil and man.

In this regard, the most expressive and bright example of writings describing this warfare, is the book of Apocalypse, or Revelation.

This book was written by the Holy Evangelist John the Theologian on the island of Patmos during his exile under the Roman emperor Domitian.

It is primarily dear for depicting the spiritual struggle between the powers of good and evil in its maximum fullness and comprehensiveness, and due to it a faithful person can see that he or she fights the evil not alone but with the help of God and the entire *Heavenly** Church*.

This book is especially valuable for revealing the *extreme result *of the warfare we are all willy-nilly involved in: utmost defeat of the devil, his punishment and punishment of all armies of evil, and eternal reward to all who fought him and did not surrender.

What can be more comforting than knowing that good and life will be victorious after all!

!

The Church Militant

Last Updated: October 15,1996

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!! What is the Church Militant?

The doctrine of the communion of saints teaches that there are three parts to the Holy Church:

* The Church Suffering, or the poor souls in purgatory who await their release into heaven

* The Church Triumphant, or the Saints in heaven who dwell in bliss with Our Lord in heaven

* The Church Militant, or the Church present in the mortal world.

The Church Militant is comprised of those Catholic Faithful throughout the world.

Our Lord desires the Church Militant to be active in their faith, to diligently seek to cooperate with His grace, and to follow His Divine will as He reveals it.

!! The Duty of the Church Militant

As the Church Militant, we are led by Our Lord in a carefully orchestrated spiritual battle, which victory is assured through Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Even though victory is assured, we are called to actively participate in the battle.

It may not seem like what we are doing is of great importance, but there are so few these days who fear God and seek to do His will, that all the actions of God-fearing people have a critical impact on the battle.

The soldier may not see the whole battle plan, but he has his part to do.

This does not mean that we will always be successful in the battle.

In every battle the soldiers sustain wounds and fall.

This is why frequent confession and Holy Communion is necessary for the fight.

The former heals our wounds while the latter sustains our strength.

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*III.

THE CHURCH, VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE; MILITANT AND TRIUMPHANT** *

      There is only one Church.

This is clear from Ephesians 4:3-6.

When we speak of the Church Triumphant, the Church Militant, the Church Visible, or the Church Invisible, we are speaking of different ways of thinking about the one Church.

The Church Triumphant and Militant are two parts of the Church Invisible.

The Church Visible may or may not be part of the Church Invisible.

“While all believers are most intimately joined by faith to Christ, their Savior, they are for this very reason also most intimately joined to one another by the bond of a common faith, a common hope, and a mutual love, and thus they constitute, no matter how far apart locally they may be from each other, a single body, a great communion, which we call the Church.”

(Koehler, p. 238)

      The Church is called the body of Christ, the communion of saints, the people of God, the bride of Christ, the household of God, the chosen people, and other names.

The word “church” is the translation of the word /ekkleesia/ (from which we get the word ecclesiastic) which means called out assembly, gathering, congregation.

Jesus says in Matthew 16:18  “I will build my church.”

The English word “church” probably comes from a word that means belonging to the Lord.

This is what we call the /Holy Catholic Apostolic Christian Church/.

It is holy because each person in this Church belongs to God and has been made righteous by the perfect, imputed righteousness of Christ.

It is Catholic or Universal, because it includes all believers from all places and all times.

(“Because Rome usurped this term ‘catholic,’ and wrongly applied it to its particular denomination, which is by no means universal, Luther substituted the word ‘Christian’ in the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed.”

[Koehler, p.240])

It is Apostolic because it is founded on the Word of God and the foundation of the Holy Prophets and Apostles and teaches and believes that Word that comes from the Apostles of Christ.

It is Christian, because it consists of people who have put their faith in the finished work of Christ, the Lamb of God.

 

*A.

The Triumphant Church *

* *     The Church is the “whole family of God on heaven and on earth” (Eph 3:15).

We who are alive are connected to those who have gone on to their reward.

Those who are in heaven are referred to as the Church Triumphant.

In the song, “The Church’s One Foundation” we sing,

Yet she on earth hath union with God the Three in One,

And mystic, sweet communion with those whose rest is won.

Oh happy ones and holy, Lord give us grace that we,

Like them the meek and lowly on high may dwell with Thee.

There is no question regarding the outcome of the battle between Christ and Satan.

Believers are on the winning side in this conflict.

Christ defeated the powers of sin, death, Hell, and the Devil once and for all on the cross and rose triumphantly over the grave, preaching his victory even to the souls in prison, who were disobedient in the time of Noah (I Peter 3:18-20).

Those who are in heaven are called triumphant because they have entered into the full enjoyment of that victory.

They no longer wrestle against the “rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil.”

(Eph.

6:12).

They have entered into rest; they have been faithful unto death and have received the victor’s crown.

They are part of the same Church we belong to, they have finished the course, they have run the race, they have kept the faith.

They testify to us, “do not fall back, do not give up, run with perseverance the race marked out for you.

Get rid of the encumbrances; throw off the things that entangle.

Fix your eyes on Jesus”  (Hebrews 12:1-2).

*B.

The Invisible Church *

      “The Christian Church accordingly consists of all those who truly believe the Gospel, that is, God’s gracious message that for the sake of Christ’s vicarious satisfaction they freely (cariti) have forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation; or, more briefly expressed, who believe in Christ, the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world, John 1, 29. . .

.

According to the Scripture only faith in the Christ who died for the sins of the world makes a person a member of the Church, not the external connection with a local church, nor the external use of the means of grace, nor the external profession of the Christian faith, nor the administration of offices in visible churches, nor the effort to imitate Christ’s example by outwardly following him, Acts 5,14.”

(P.

541)

      It follows then that this Church is invisible.

Since the faith that saves a person and makes him a member of the Church is not visible, the Church itself is invisible.

No one can say of another; here is one who is a member of the Church.