10 Christians Sergeant York Part 2 by Rev. Christie Bature: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

10 Christians Everyone Should Know: Sergeant York

Sergeant York was very, very committed to the Lord. After his New Year's conversion, Alvin was hungry to know more about God and Christ.

Are you hungry to know more about God and Christ? Mary Magdalene stayed at the tomb after Peter and the other disciple went home. Because she tarried in the presence of God, she experienced something new, something greater than everybody else. She spoke with angels and was the first to see Jesus resurrected. If you are hungry to know more about God, as you study his word and pray, he will keep opening your eyes to see new things, fresh revelations, in his presence.

Though Alvin had the Bible, his mother's example, and a few ministers in the community for guidance, he felt he needed more. Those who are always just waiting for pastor to preach, only knowing what they hear, should dig for God by themselves. Search for God by yourself. Press into God for yourself.

Conversion Under Melvin Russell

Evangelists came to the Wolf River Valley only rarely, since it took a tough climb over steep hills to reach it. Early in 1915, Melvin Russell, a circuit riding minister, came to preach at Wolf River Methodist Church, the only church in the valley. God bless the men and women who made such sacrifices in those days so the gospel could keep propagating.

Once the preaching got underway, Russell warned his audience in vivid terms about the terrors of hell and the joys of heaven for all who followed Christ. Heaven and hell are real. There is plenty enjoyment in heaven and plenty suffering in hell.

Sunday morning, the last day of the revival, Alvin walked forward and asked God to forgive him for his years of sinful behavior. He began faithfully attending church and studying the Bible diligently.

Be a diligent student of the Bible. Make time for the Bible, sit down with the Bible. Read. I encourage you in the name of Jesus.

Growing and Serving

By the time Russell came back to preach again in December, Alvin had become one of the most faithful and active members of the congregation, in just one year.

What are you doing with your faith? Make up your mind to grow this year. Your growth, your improvement, your effect in the body must be measurable, must be visible.

York was there to lead the singing when Russell returned. He wasn't just reading the Bible or growing as a believer, he was serving in the house of God.

Which department are you serving in? Are you waiting for somebody to beg you, to cajole you, or to pay you before you serve? This man went from being one of the roughest men in his community to serving in church, and discovered he could sing. Where are you laying down your life, your time, your talent, your capacity, your resources for the kingdom?

At the end of the week, a new congregation was established in Pall Mall. The 27 charter members elected Rosie Pile as first elder and Alvin York as second elder.

Gracie Williams

Gracie Williams had known Alvin all her life but hadn't been interested in him. He was rude and violent, he drank too much, he fought all the time. Over the past year, Alvin's own father, Big John, had also become a changed man. He quit drinking and fighting, came to church, led the singing, and became second elder.

Don't ever say a person is beyond the help of God. God can change anybody. Preach the word, speak the word, extend the love of God to people.

In time, Alvin asked Gracie to marry him. He could imagine building a house for his bride on his mother's land and raising a family on the banks of the Wolf.

A word to young men who want to marry: don't marry a girl and bring her to live in your mother's or father's house. Either get your own house or rent one. Because you are in love, you will not see the shortcomings of your spouse, but your family members are not in love with your darling. They can interfere, knock your heads together, tell lies.

Alvin still found time to hunt and to compete in shooting matches. It was a good life, earning $1.60 for a 10-hour day cutting trees, breaking rocks, and hauling gravel.

That is contentment. Pray this for yourself: bring me to the place of contentment. It is a powerful place to live from. You will have so much peace, so much joy. Everything you have will be enough.

Called to War

That future disappeared in an instant on June 5, 1917, with a red postcard from Washington ordering Alvin York to register with the local draft board. The United States had declared war on Germany that April.

Based on what he understood of Christ's message, York, the former brawler, now opposed war in any form and petitioned for a military deferment as a conscientious objector. Because his church was not recognized by the government, his petition was denied. He was ordered to Jamestown for a physical, passed, and had to postpone his marriage to Gracie, promising to stay true to her until he came home.

Four days after receiving his final orders, he said goodbye to Gracie, his family and friends, and walked the 12 miles to Jamestown to report for duty. He became Private York, serial number 1910421, and after two months of basic training was assigned to Company G, 328th Battalion, 82nd Division.

Unknown to York, his mother and Pastor Pile had pursued his appeal, and the War Department offered him an exemption if he filled out the proper forms. But he couldn't decide between the belief that thou shalt not kill and his duty to defend freedom, so he asked his company commander for advice.

Those who are too proud to ask for advice will only destroy their lives. Those who feel that asking for advice makes them small cannot go far. It is very important to ask for advice when you don't know what to do. Pray, then seek advice from somebody.

Together they went to their battalion commander, Colonel George Buxton, a committed Christian, who told York to go home and think it over, reminding him of Ezekiel 33:6: if the watchman see the sword come and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, if the sword come and take any person from among them, his blood will be required at the watchman's hand.

York struggled with his decision until the end of his 10-day leave. Alone on a hillside the last night, he prayed, and a great peace came into his soul. He later recalled: "I knowed I would go to war. I knowed I would be protected from all harm, and that so long as I believed in him, he would not allow even a hair of my head to be harmed."

Into the Trenches

Living conditions in the trenches were miserable almost beyond description: lice, rats, barbed wire, fleas, shells, bombs, corpses, blood, mud. Even in so hellish a place, Private York was sure the Lord would take care of him. He wrote in his diary: "There is no use of worrying about shells, for you can't keep them from busting in your trench."

If you can't alter things, just ask God to help you. No matter how you worry about the situation you are in, you can't do anything about it, so ask God to help you. Dig into God so deep that you are sure his word will be true for you, that you know in your knower that God is with you.

Declare it: God help me. Help me with my anger, my impatience, my anxiety, my depression, my fear, my relationship, my finances, my business, my children, my spouse. We forfeit help when we don't ask for it. God is our helper. You will experience the help of God this week, as many times as you call upon him.

The Front Line

On July 8, York was promoted to private first class. Within two months, his battalion headed for Saint-Mihiel for its first taste of active combat. After only two days, the Allies chased the Germans out of the salient. It was the first time York had been on the offensive, and the first time he saw anyone killed by enemy fire.

Allied leaders then planned a massive offensive in the Meuse-Argonne sector, throwing 600,000 Americans and 225,000 French soldiers at the enemy to defeat Germany before winter. On October 5, Corporal Alvin York marched into the Argonne Forest to root out the enemy. Rain turned the road to knee-deep mud. A machine gun nest hidden in the brush opened fire, mowing down members of his company while Alvin watched in horror. To stop and fight enemies they couldn't see would only make them more of a target, so they hurried forward.

How many of us back off in the face of war and trouble? How many of us give up? Don't slow down for the enemy, if you slow down he will get you more, you become a bigger target. Don't stand and lament because the enemy has done something. Keep moving, keep moving, keep moving.