10 Christians Everyone Should Know, Sergeant York Part 4 by Rev. Christie Bature: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

10 Christians Everyone Should Know: Sergeant York, part 4

Sergeant York's story is a classic case of the stone the builders rejected becoming the

chief cornerstone, from a man who used to fight on the streets and drink to stupor, to a

choir master, a soldier, and a national hero.

Building the school

York never went to school, so when he became a national hero he used the position to

build schools for the less privileged. He raised about $40,000 in three months with

pledges for $50,000 more, but he was not raising it for himself.

Always aim to live higher than yourself. Live for a cause that is higher than

yourself instead of always looking for your own stomach, comfort, fame, or importance.

Alvin still had scarcely enough personal income to get by even as he publicly turned

down one fortune after another and raised thousands of dollars for his school. Many

people raise money for a cause and then use it for themselves. If you are raising money

to build an orphanage, build the orphanage.

Family loss and the first book

Alvin and Grace's first son had hydrocephalus and lived only 4 days, almost every minute

in his mother's arms.

Doing good and following God does not insulate you from problems. Jesus said in

this world we will have trials and tribulations. A prayer was offered for every parent

who has lost a child or whose child came out with challenges, that the peace, comfort,

wisdom, and provision of God would be with them.

Within a month Gracie was expecting again. York's book, "Sergeant York and His People,"

was published April 10, 1922. Booksellers didn't want another war book, but sales

eventually rose to a respectable, steady level. The family moved into a new home, a gift

of the Nashville Rotary Club.

If we will wait, work hard, work steady, work smart, ask the Holy Spirit to help us,

and are patient, everything good will come, without cutting corners or pushing in our

own power.

The school opens, then the lean years

York signed the charter for the Alvin C. York Industrial Institute in 1926 and broke

ground on the property. Henry Ford donated tractors to help build it.

Being kind to people who can give you nothing back is one of the best ways to ensure

your name is never forgotten. You don't have to start your own foundation, you can

team up with others to make a difference.

By November the school was teaching 75 to 80 children a day, but book sales were

disappointing as the Roaring Twenties made the war seem like ancient history, and

readers wanted to hear about killing Germans, not his religious conversion.

When God brings a season into your life, maximize it, because every man has his

window.

York's finances were dire with a growing family. He sold the rights to his war diary,

and the resulting book became a serial success in 1928, followed by a nationwide

speaking tour. In 1929, 108 students walked into York's completed school building.

Further loss and the stock market crash

A second son, 19 months old, died of meningitis in his mother's arms. Andrew Jackson

York was born the following year, making four boys. The stock market crash of 1929

devastated speaking fees and the school's income, until the Tennessee legislature agreed

to take over its funding. York took a job with the Civilian Conservation Corps to make

ends meet through the lean years that followed.

Hollywood and the decision to be flexible

In 1940, with war raging in Europe, Hollywood producer Jesse Lasky asked York again

about a movie, having been turned down flat for 20 years with York insisting, "Uncle

Sam's uniform ain't for sale." Lasky believed a film focused on patriotism and the price

of freedom could sway public opinion toward helping Britain and France, and it would

also fund York's next dream, a Bible institute.

Every time the chance of making money came, he tied it to a cause bigger than

himself.

On rigidity versus flexibility

York had been rigid about refusing a movie for 20 years, but shifted when the

circumstances changed.

• A stand that was right years ago is not automatically right now, yet many people

  hold on rigidly anyway

• Staying rigidly in an abusive marriage, believing a person will change while losing

  your mind, heart, joy, and peace, without putting boundaries in place, is not

  faithfulness, it is rigidity

• Abuse is not only physical: there is mental, psychological, emotional, verbal,

  financial, and sexual abuse

• Refusing medical help out of rigid belief when your body is telling you something is

  wrong is also rigidity

If a stand was taken with the information available at the time, and that information

or reality changes, you are free to be flexible. There is nothing shameful about it.

Even God is shown to be flexible: when the daughters of Zelophehad appealed to Moses, God

changed the law, Numbers 27. When Hezekiah was told he would die and cried to the

Lord, God added 15 years to his life, 2 Kings 20.

The movie and its impact

York accepted the movie deal after 20 years of refusing, with Gary Cooper playing York

and battle scenes recreated in California. "Sergeant York" premiered in 1941 to a massive

Broadway sign and advance ticket sales rivaling "Gone with the Wind." It became the

highest-grossing picture of 1941, earned 11 Oscar nominations, and won two, including

best actor for Gary Cooper.

His movie would not have had this kind of impact if it had not been tied to a

vision. Always ask God for timing: is this door that is opening you, is this person

that is showing up you?

One of the greatest things you can do is scrutinize your own motives when praying about

timing. Whenever we ask God for his timing, his will, his direction, his purpose, his

calling, mercy steps in, and even if we are on the wrong path, the mercy of God will

steer us gently to the right one.

The publicity from the film gave York a national platform. He hosted a radio show, wrote

a newspaper column, visited military bases, spoke at war bond rallies, and chaired his

county's draft board.

Later years and death

York suffered a mild stroke in the summer after the war ended, but refused to go to the

hospital and resumed his busy routine, later suffering two more strokes that left him

dependent on a walking stick.

Take care of yourself. Seek help when something doesn't feel right, whether physical,

emotional, spiritual, or mental.

In 1954, York collapsed from a cerebral hemorrhage and was paralyzed from the waist down

for the rest of his life. The IRS pursued him for taxes on movie royalties even though he

had given most of the money away and had no records to prove it, and a nationwide appeal

settled his tax bill.

At his 76th birthday in 1963, York warned that America was veering from the path that

had brought her peace and prosperity: "If this country fails, it will fail from

within. I think we've just got to go back to the old time religion."

York died on September 2, 1964, and was laid to rest before 8,000 people, the largest

gathering in his valley's history. His wife Gracie died 20 years later. York Institute

still stands today with an enrollment of 650 on a 400-acre campus, recognized as one of

the best rural schools in America.

Force is the only language a nation understands once it turns its back on God

• When a man turns his back on God, he uses force in his family
• When a woman turns her back on God, she uses force to try to achieve what she wants
• When a nation or system turns its back on God, the only language it knows is force,

  abduction, and slavery

Once God is removed from the picture, only brutality remains. Turn people to God wherever

you have influence, especially children in your care, before the world gets the chance

to corrupt them.

If it fails, it fails from within

• If a family fails, it fails from within: is your pride, your anger, or your

  unforgiveness worth the extinction of your family?

• If a country fails, it fails from within
• If a church fails, it fails from within
• If a system or organization fails, it fails from within, such as rehab centers whose

  own staff sabotage recovery by smuggling in drugs

Pay attention to the structures where you are, whether family, business, or government,

and bring your quota to making sure they survive.

Live for a cause above yourself, so that when you are long gone, your life will still

be speaking, still making a difference, still having an impact.