Introduction: There are many people living in America, who don’t know why they exist. They eat, sleep, go to work, but they are bored and unhappy, yearning for something, they know not what. As Christians we have a higher purpose. Our higher purpose is spiritual warfare, to win this world to Christ. It’s reflected in the songs we sing. We teach our children to sing “I’m in the Lord’s Army,” and then “Onward Christian Soldiers.” There are many militaristic hymns in our hymn book: (#s 472 to 486), including “The Battle is the Lord’s,” “Victory in Jesus,” “Soldiers of Christ, Arise!” Our marching orders are given to us by Jesus Christ in Matthew 28:18-20. This Psalm of David (144), teaches us four very basic facts about spiritual warfare.

I. God wants us to be warriors (Ps. 144:1).
A. God made David a warrior.
B. God wants us to be warriors, too (2 Tim. 2:1-4):
1 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
1. We are soldiers of Christ.
2. We are ordered to endure hardness.
3. We are ordered to be strong.
4. We are ordered to put our soldiering ahead of the affairs of this life,
in order to please our Captain.
5. We are given directions how to fight: make disciples of faithful men,
who will in turn make more disciples for Christ.

II. The Battle is a Spiritual battle, fought with Spiritual weapons.
A. God Himself is our rock, fortress, shield and our deliverer (144:2, 5-8).
B. We cannot win the world by politics, or compulsion. Suppose Christians
elected a Christian Congress and a Christian President. Of what use
would it be to pass a law ordering everyone to believe in Jesus?
C. The conversion of the human soul, is the work of the Holy Spirit!
(see John 3:1-8). So, preach the Word, and pray, and live a godly life!

III. It is a great honor to be asked by God to join His army (144:3-4).
A. What is man? Not much.
B. Joshua 5:13-15 tells us our correct attitude--utter humility.
C. Exodus 32:26...Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

IV. God pays His soldiers good wages (144:12-15).
A. Soldiers are usually not paid well.
B. God promises children to be proud of...
C. God promises prosperity...
D. God promises peaceful, safe communities.

Conclusion: There’s a hymn that summarizes what we need to do, and it goes like this, “Soldiers of Christ arise, and put your armor on, strong in the strength which God supplies through His eternal Son; Strong in the Lord of hosts, and in His mighty power, Who in the strength of Jesus trusts is more than conqueror.”