Colonel Oliver North
May 27, 2007 - W0721

Freedom is never free – the blood of many uniformed men and women was spilt so that we may enjoy freedom.  This Memorial Day weekend, we want to honor the sacrifice of the men and women who have paid for our freedom with their lives.  Today our guest speaker is Colonel Oliver North, a decorated military officer who served eight times in Iraq and Afghanistan and who continues to serve abroad.  He is here to share about his faith, the miracle that happened in his life, and the power of prayer.  For those who are concerned about politics, I’d like to emphasize our need to be biblical above all.  Politics aside, we need to pray for our leadership, the President, and our troops.  I want you to see beyond the left wing or right wing and remember that it takes both wings working together in order for the eagle to fly.

We’d like to start the service off today with the Pledge of Allegiance.  Unlike those who would have us remove the words, “…one nation, under God” from the pledge, I’d like to suggest that we emphasize that statement to proclaim our faith in Him and to honor Jesus, our Lord and Savior, without whose sacrifice, we would not have the privilege to live free indeed.

I pledge allegiance to the flag

of the United States of America

And to the republic for which it stands

One nation, under God, indivisible

With liberty and justice for all

COLONEL OLIVER NORTH

Heroes are often represented today by those people in spandex leotards who can leap over tall buildings in a single bound but I’d like propose that the definition of a real hero is one who puts himself/herself at risk for the benefit of others, for example, Corporal Dunham of the United States Marine Corps who, on April 4, 2004, placed himself in ultimate jeopardy when he threw himself on a grenade to save the lives of his comrades.  Corporal Dunham was a hero who sacrificed his life for someone else.  Similarly, Jesus Christ put himself in jeopardy for me; He paid the ultimate sacrifice for me and you that we may be free from the sins of this world and look forward to eternity in heaven.

I often get asked why I do what I do – return to Iraq to take picture of what’s going on there.  I do it so that you can see pictures like these [pictures shown at service].  These are the best, brightest, and bravest of this generation.  Here is a picture of a Navy Corps man; you can see him carrying a man on his shoulders away from a skirmish.  What you may not know from this picture is that this Corps man is a medic and the man he is carrying is the fourth wounded fighter that he has retrieved from the fight and is carrying to the rescue helicopter.  This soldier is putting himself in harms way each time he goes to retrieve a wounded fighter and return to the helicopter.  On this fourth trip, the helicopter crew yells at him, “Hey mate, what’d you do that for?  Didn’t you notice what he is wearing?”  This comment is referring to the fact that the fighter is wearing an Iraqi Republican Guard uniform…as if to say, “You stupid American!”  Having been in battle for over 2 weeks with virtually no sleep and on his fourth trip back with wounded, he responds, “Didn’t you notice that he was wounded?  That’s what we do!  We’re Americans!”

There’s nothing in the Bible that says we need to die the right way.  On the contrary, its admonition is that we live the right way.  Some of our opposition seems to believe it’s about dying the right way.

I have two admonitions for you:

1.      Have the courage to live the right way as an example for those around you who don’t know Jesus. 

2.      Pray.  I am the product of prayer.

Living the Right Way

In 1977, I was “deep selected” – one of only six in the history of the Marines to be promoted early twice.  There was a guy in the cubicle next to me, John Reynolds, that was known as the brightest guy on the planet.  He was a Westpoint graduate, had an MBA from Harvard, was a Rhodes Scholar, and – that dreaded thing known as – a “born again Christian.”

Despite the fact that he as a Westpoint man (I was an Annapolis graduate) and that fact that when I peaked over the cubicle walls once in a while, I’d see him reading from “that book” (the Bible) on government time(!)…I knew that he was going to be a general one day and I wanted to hook myself to him and go along for the ride.

One day, as we prepare for our final field exercise, I climbed onto the back of an armored vehicle.  I was seven feet high when the Sargeant Major called for me to get down and take the radio.  Instead of climbing down (because I was macho), I jumped -- and landed wrong. (I had been in a bad accident back in 1964 and had previously broken my back.)  I knew I was done; I had lost the feelings in my legs and had a terrible pain in my back.  The Sargeant Major yelled for me to get up but instead, Lieutenant Colonel John Reynolds popped up from the vehicle.  He climbed down and saw me writhing in pain.  He knelt next to me and said, “Corps man, I’m gonna pray for you.”  I said, “Can’t we just do this the regular way?  Call a helicopter and have them take me out on a stretcher?” But Reynolds prayed, “Lord Jesus Christ, heal this man.” Notice he didn’t say, “Please help.”  He said, “Lord Jesus Christ, heal this man,” and at that instant, the pain left my back and I was able to get up.

Having evidence of a man who talked the talk, walked the walk, and just prayed for me – and a miracle happened – I still didn’t get it.  I still wasn’t right in my heart.  When I got to my feet, I said the stupidest thing; I said, “Thank you sir!”  He pulled me in close – about an inch from his face – and said in front of about a dozen people, “Major, don’t thank me.  Thank your Savior Lord Jesus Christ.  You had better come to know Him!”

Sometime after that, I began reading the Bible, just like you read a book…from the beginning.  I read Genesis, then Leviticus, Exodus, and Numbers…it was not until I got to Matthew, chapter 8, when I started to understand what faith really is.  Matthew, chapter 8, talks about a Roman infantry officer who approaches Jesus to ask that He heal the officer’s servant (some translations suggest that the servant was a slave, but in any case, it was a subordinate).

  ⁵When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ⁶"Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering."

    ⁷Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."

    ⁸The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

    ¹⁰When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith….

    ¹³Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour. (Matt. 8:5-10, 13)

When I read this story, I finally understood more of what Lieutenant Colonel Reynolds was talking about and about faith.  Jesus knew that the officer had just placed himself at risk when he came to talk to Jesus.  You see, if Jesus was convicted, anyone who associated with Him would be punished like Him.  In the story of the centurion, the officer put himself at risk when he went to ask Jesus to heal his servant.  In this story, not only did he just put himself at risk but he did it for a servant/slave/subordinate.

Our soldiers today have a biblical sense of self-sacrifice.  They don’t want to die but many have been willing to do so for their comrades and country.  Are you willing – as a person who knows Jesus Christ and knows where you’re going – to subject yourself misunderstanding, rejection, and criticism, to help show another that path that they may have missed?  It takes guts.  I learned all of that because John Reynolds placed himself at risk.  You see, it’s contrary to the uniform code of military justice to proselytize (to induce someone to convert one’s faith) a subordinate and John Reynolds had done that.  Because he showed me the way, I came to know what was in that book.  One other thing I want you to know…

The Power of Prayer

The power of prayer is AWESOME!  Twenty years ago this week, I was subpoenaed to talk to the Senate.  On the first day of the hearing, my lawyer Brendan Sullivan and I were taken to a holding room across the hall from the hearing room.  We knelt and prayed.  All I had time for was, “Lord Jesus, help me.”

On the way into the chamber, a woman handed me a little card. Mr. Sullivan took it from me initially but that little card stayed propped up on the microphone stand throughout the hearing for all to see. When the media asked Mr. Sullivan what the card said, he looked at it for a while, stuck it back in his pocket, then said, “the answers.”

Some people have asked me how I stayed calm throughout the hearings and it’s easy to say, “I know the power of prayer.” But it’s true, I can feel it.

How do you get through the rough times of life?  How do you pray for others?  How do you pray for yourself?  How do you have absolute knowledge that it’ll be alright?  For those of you who want to know the rest of the story, the card reads, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

God bless you for being here.

God has a plan for every one of our lives.  Like a game of chess with just two moves, Jesus made His move, now all of heaven is waiting for you to make yours.

DISCUSSION SUGGESTIONS

1.      Did you vote for President Bush?  Do you agree with the politicians?  As a Christian, how have you been handling yourself when it comes to politics and leadership of this country?

2.      What is your definition of a hero?  Can you describe a hero that you know?

3.      Describe an example of biblical self-sacrifice that you’ve witnessed or you feel you’ve performed.

4.      Are you living life the right way, as an example for those who don’t already know the Lord?  What can do to improve your example?

5.      What role does prayer play in your life?  What does the power of prayer mean to you?

Freedom’s Never Free

By Philips Craig and Dean

Standing on a hillside
Where the river meets the sea
White crosses without number
Line the fields of peace

And each one a silent witness
Staring back at me
Every cross a story
Of another place in time
Where young men thought it worthy
To give their life for mine
And for the sake of honor
Left their dreams behind

And for the price they paid
I'm forever in their debt
Their memory will not die
'Cause I will not forget

I will stand and hold my head up high
I will dedicate my life
To the glory of the ones who had to die
I will live, live what I believe
If for no one else but me
I will remember
That freedom's never free

It was on another hillside
Outside the city gates
The battle lines were drawn
As soldiers took their place

The Father watched in silence
As a cross was raised
With freedom drawing closer
He took His final breath
He drank our cup of guilt
And took the sting from death

Heaven's Finest Soldier
clothed in human flesh
And for the price He paid
I'm forever in His debt
The cross will never die
'Cause I will not forget

I will stand and hold my head up high
I will dedicate my life
To the glory of the One who had to die
I will live, live what I believe
If for no one else but me
To remember that
Freedom's Never Free

I will walk free
I will stay free
I will live free
I will die free!