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A Soldier That Stands
Lester Roloff

Lester Leo Roloff (1914–1982) was an American fundamentalist Independent Baptist preacher whose fiery sermons and extensive ministry left a significant mark on 20th-century evangelicalism. Born on June 28, 1914, near Dawson, Texas, he was the youngest of three sons to Harry Augustus and Sadie Isabel McKenzie Roloff, raised on a cotton farm in a strict Baptist environment. Converted at age 12 during a revival at Shiloh Baptist Church in July 1926, he began preaching at 18. He attended Baylor University, famously bringing a Jersey cow named Marie to sell milk for tuition, and later studied at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. In 1936, he married Marie Brady, and they had two daughters, one biological and one adopted. Roloff’s preaching career began in small Texas churches, including pastorates in Houston and Corpus Christi, where he launched The Family Altar radio program in 1944, eventually broadcast on 180 stations. After filling in for a revival in 1950 following B.B. Crim’s death, he founded Roloff Evangelistic Enterprises in 1951, shifting to full-time evangelism. He broke with the Southern Baptist Convention in 1956 over theological differences, aligning with Independent Baptists, and established Alameda Street Baptist Church in Corpus Christi. Known for preaching against homosexuality, communism, alcohol, and modern vices, he also founded homes for troubled youth, starting with the Rebekah Home for Girls in 1968.
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In this sermon, the speaker shares a personal testimony of a girl who was lost and struggling with addiction at a young age. However, she found salvation in Jesus Christ who led her into the right path and washed away her sins. The speaker then leads the congregation in praising and rejoicing for the imminent return of Jesus. The sermon transitions to a prayer for the school and a message titled "A Soldier That Stands" which emphasizes the importance of staying faithful to God's word and the need for prayer support for Brother Lester Roloff's battle with the Welfare Department. The sermon concludes with a call to hold onto the Bible and its teachings, encouraging missionaries and preachers to stick to the sword of God's word for victory.
Sermon Transcription
Presenting the truth from the Word of God, this is the chapel platform which originates from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. As the call for deeper prayer and discipleship goes forth, God has used many speakers on the chapel platform to share the truth from the Bible at the various preaching services here. Our speaker preached on Monday morning, May 6, 1974, at a chapel service held at the university. The late Dr. James Conley led the hymn. After the hymn, Dr. Bob Jones III introduced our speaker, the late Dr. Lester Roloff. Dr. Roloff is remembered for the children's homes he founded by God's leading in the Corpus Christi, Texas area. His text is 2 Samuel 23, verse 10. He challenges us into deeper intimacy with our Lord, especially in knowing God's will for readiness. Dr. Roloff's message, appropriate for a remembrance of veterans' training, readiness, duties, work, and sacrifices is titled, A Soldier That Stands. Turn, please, to number 49. Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise. Let's stand, please, to sing it. On several occasions during the last few months, we've brought special prayer requests to you, asking that you remember Brother Lester Roloff, the battle he's having with the Welfare Department and now the State Supreme Court in Texas. You've been praying, I know. And we told you on other occasions that there would be a day in May, two days in May, when he would be here with us. He will be here today and tomorrow to speak in chapel. We're honored to have him. He's a veteran of more than 40 years in the battle for the Lord. You can't serve the Lord in the battle for the faith, against sin, all those years without picking up a lot of scars along the way. There's much for us to learn, those of us who are young in the battle, from veterans of the faith. We're honored to have him. He's a man of great compassion and tenderness. God's anointing is upon him. You hear him on the radio station here. Many of you are personally acquainted with his work. Some of you have formerly been in his various works. He has homes for girls and boys, home for the alcoholics, home for adults. God's given him a varied and a ministry with great impact upon the lives that he touches. I've seen, if I knew nothing more than this man, than what I've seen of his results, I would say he's a man that we must hear in Bob Jones University. You can't be around him without feeling that you're in the presence of one who walks closely with the Lord. He does indeed. And I think that today and tomorrow will be highlights in your lives. God's given him great victory. He's given him a tender heart, but he's given him a fighter's heart. When sin is the issue and the righteousness of Christ is the cure, this man is like a tiger. He's the kind of man we're proud to present to you and honored to have here on this platform. He's God's choice servant. I believe that your heart's going to be touched these days. I know it will be. Brother Olaf, we're delighted to have you and some of the girls you've brought here from home. You come now and speak to us. Thank you, Dr. Jones and students. It's a delight and a blessing. I feel that as I stand here after the kind words of the president of this institution, that I can say without a doubt that I'm standing in one of the most historic bulwarks for truth in the world today, in precept and in practice. Bob Jones University, and I might as well say, as I said last year, I've always had a secret desire, though I've never sought to forward myself into any speaking engagement, but I've longed through the years to be more closely associated with Bob Jones. God heard and answered that prayer. Bob Jones University and the president and Dr. Jones, who's with us also on the platform, whom I shared the pulpit with, with Brother Bob Gray last year in the Bible conference, and that was the, I guess, entering wedge. I've known, of course, Mr. Jim Ryerson, Elmer Rumminger, and a number of our students and friends who've come here, and you have some of our new ones now, and I'm looking forward to seeing them in just a little while. But we're looking forward to in the morning. In the morning will be the Liberty Rally. We'll bring you up to date as to the jail experience, the $5,400 fine we're under now with a $5,000 bond for taking care of little girls and boys. Tonight, when the sun goes down, there'll be 600 empty beds in Texas with 2 million young people in the hippie hives and dope dives who need to be pillowing their weary heads and shattered hopes in those beds that are available without charge and never have received a dime of tax money. And I'm thankful to God that Bob Jones University has kept its nose out of the feed trough of federal and state taxes. Therefore, Bob Jones ought to be free to do as God bids it to do. And I'm thankful to the Lord for the privilege of standing with these men and this great school for religious liberty and freedom. I'm glad that the Lord has revealed and fulfilled this old book. And Dr. Jones, this is what the battle's about right here. The question really is, who's boss? And I believe I met the boss about 40 some odd years ago. His name is Jesus. And if I keep preaching, it'll have to be out of this book. And if I keep practicing, it'll have to be out of this book. I never have fulfilled all the word as I'd like, but I never have felt inclined to bring my preaching down to my practicing but to pull my practicing up to my preaching. I want the girls to quote a great chapter. It's been a blessing to my heart. Psalm 91. Psalm 91. He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress. My God, in Him will I trust. Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler and from the noise of the pestilence. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust. His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the air by night, nor for the air that flies by day, nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor for destruction that waits at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand. But it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thy knowledge shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation. There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh for He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and the adder. The young lions and dragons shall thou trample under feet. Because He has set His love upon me, therefore will I deliver Him. I will set Him on high, because He hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer Him. I will be with Him in trouble. I will deliver Him and honor Him. With long life will I satisfy Him and show Him my salvation. Amen. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is the Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. Psalm 8. Psalm 8. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth. Who hath set Thy glory above the heavens? I, the mouth of David's sucklings, hath Thou ordained strength, because of Thine enemies, that Thou mightest heal the enemy and the avenger. When I consider Thy heavens, the works of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained, what is man that Thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that Thou busiest him? For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands. Thou hast put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field, and the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth in the passage of the sea. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth. Amen. Let not mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that way. Let me not be ashamed. Let not mine enemies triumph over me. Teach me Thy way. Teach me Thy way. Thy way. Let me not be ashamed. Let not mine enemies triumph over me. The secret of the Lord is within Thy spirit. The secret of the Lord is within Thy spirit. Amen. Well, you know, Brother Johnny Davis and three of the converts of the City of Refuge will be with us tomorrow in the chapel service. These three girls were in the dope racket and in tremendous trouble, and they would have been in the prison today or dead had it not been for the City of Refuge and for the testimony that they give there about the saving grace of God. And through these valley experiences, and I'm coming to the message in just a moment, the Lord has been so real. And I want to thank you once again for praying for us, and we've been praying for Bob Jones and the litigation that they face and for this great university. I do not know of students. We've had them to come through, speak, pastor. All of them have a good record, make a good record, that come from Bob Jones University. You're fortunate to be in a school like this today. I want to remind you before I bring the message of a little word of song that we learned down in the islands. The girls travel with me down through the islands, and we land from island to island and get to preach to thousands of people that come to stand for hours to listen to the gospel. They listen to us on the radio in two or three stations there in the islands, and we've taken a number of girls and boys from down in the islands in our homes, out in Texas, and we're praying. And I want you now to get ready for the service in the morning. I'm predicting that our homes must open within the next 90 days, and I want you to pray with faith, believing, that the Lord will open the doors and give us to let the people come. We turn from one to ten away every day that are desperate in the most pitiful circumstances, so you'll be praying about that. But in and through it all, we've not forgotten that, as my friends down the islands said, there's something mighty sweet about the Lord. There's something mighty sweet about the Lord. It really doesn't matter what the people say. There's something mighty sweet about the Lord. I wish you'd sing that now. There's something mighty sweet about the Lord. Sing, there's something mighty sweet about the Lord. It really doesn't matter what the people say. There's something mighty sweet about the Lord. That sounds good once more now. There's something mighty sweet about the Lord. There's something mighty sweet about the Lord. Come with me, please, to 2 Samuel, chapter 23. The last two weeks, these verses have really taken hold in my heart, and I think it is a picture of Bob Jones and the servants of the Lord that go out here, missionaries and preachers. These are the last words of a great man. The Bible calls him the sweet psalmist of Israel. The Bible said he's a man after God's own heart. And the Bible also bears me out to say he's the greatest soldier that ever lived. David fought at one time in the wrong army, but he fought. But he so fought that the people that he fought with knew that his heart wasn't in and on that side. And they came to the commanding officer and said, We believe that this fellow David needs to be discharged. Don't believe his heart's really in. The man said he's just like an angel, as far as I'm concerned. His conduct's been good. He's one of the greatest soldiers I've ever known. And David actually accepted an honorable discharge from a dishonorable army. And he went back to Ziklag. David was the kind of soldier that fought. Now, the one occasion that he didn't go to war is when he got in trouble. You remember that? He sent Uriah and the fellows up there to fight, and he stayed around the palace. A soldier is always at his best at the battlefront. No good soldier likes to be on a furlough. He'd rather be in the battle. David's bravery started in the pasture where he was brought up, out on a little ranch of some sort, keeping sheep. His dad said to him one day, David, I'm going to commit the sheep now and the lambs to your care, and I want you to look after them for me. And he said, I'll do it. He obeyed command of his dad. It cost him a real risk when a bear came and a lion came and killed both of them. His next step was going to be a visit to the battlefront. And his dad said, Son, I believe I'll let you go up to see how the boys are getting along. They had three big brothers off at war, all of them scared to death of old Goliath. You know, God will finish us up if we get scared and begin to run from our enemy. I never had thought about it until the other day. Elijah went home after he ran from Jezebel. You notice that? He killed her entire ministerial alliance and all her clergymen and manicured ministers. But brother, when Jezebel got after him, he bailed out and cried, Let me die. It's a discouraging thing, Dr. Jones, to run from your enemy. You never do defeat your enemy running from him. And in a moment, in the closing words, we're going to have a picture of a soldier that stands. David was discounted because of his size. He was one of the rejects. I mean, they didn't take him off the service. They took his three older brothers because man always looks on the outward appearance and not on the heart. And David had a great heart. And you'll never be a great soldier without a great heart. You'll never be a great Christian without a great heart. Soldiering for Christ starts with a heart transplant until your heart's broken and you're filled with love and compassion. You'll never be a great soldier. And David was standing at the battlefield and all he could see was a giant. And the giant blasphemed the name of God. And David, of course, immediately accepted the challenge to kill him. They said, You'll have to go get a permit. You'll have to get a license. And little old David said, Where do I get it? He said, Up at the State Department. That's right. Well, he said, little old fellow, he didn't have any better sense than go ask for it. He wanted to kill that giant. That's all. He didn't care what was between him and him. And he got up there and King Saul said, Sonny boy, what do you want? He said, I just want a permit to kill that giant. He said, That fellow's against God. And said, God's not going to say there's going to be a killing. And he believed it. He said, Son, I don't imagine you'd be the one to do it. And then's when he told his story. You remember that? He never had told it before. He said, Well, I know one thing. With these hands right here, I killed a lion. I killed a bear. And don't believe that's David. King said, All right. And this is what the States told me. And we're leading up to what we're going to have in the morning. He said, Son, if you're determined to go fight the giant, I'll have one of my aides to get my armor for you. And you'll have to fight with my armor. And he let him put it on. He didn't know beans about it. He put, they put that armor on him. And David was awkward around there trying to walk around with it. He said, I believe this is going to interfere with my getting them a slingshot. Amen? He said, you see, I brought my gun along. And he said, if you don't mind. But you know, the woods are full of preachers and people that always wanting to fight in somebody else's army. And you're not worth killing when you get it on. You might as well learn that God has his own army for you. And he has the way he wants you to fight and live. And why don't you do it? You know the story, don't you? David went to the battlefield and he killed the giant. But he did pick up five stones on the way for his ammunition, didn't he? And I'd like to say he got them out of the brook and those stones had been prepared. I mean, the water had rolled those stones and made them smooth and everything was ready. And David went up and killed him and then took his own sword and cut his head off. I mean, sawed right through his jugular vein. And that's exactly what we need of the enemy. Did you know that? And we're never, Dr. Jones, we're never, never, David didn't go out there and load his slingshot with Kleenexes. Solid rock! And that leads me to my text. You've got your Bible, 2 Samuel chapter 23 and verse 10, "...he arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword." You know why Bob Jones University has been able to continue in spite of opposition and misunderstanding and in spite of the criticism of high standards and decent dress and with a conduct that becomes, you know why? It's because she's kept her hand stuck to the sword. You say, sword, that's right, just the Bible right here. And the Bible said the Lord wrought a great victory. When? When they kept their hand stuck to the sword. You preacher boys, how many of you preacher boys, hold up your hand, missionaries, come on, stick your hand up. Boys, you better get a hold of this and stick to it till it sticks to you. You better memorize it. Of course, I never have been a professor and never will be, but if I ever got connected with this school or any other school and they said, Brother Olaf, we'd like for you to make one suggestion, my first suggestion would be make everybody memorize one chapter of the Word of God every month. They're in school or flunk every one of them. All you've got to do, just get a hold of it. And if you'd memorize, you're going to be in school, what, 36 months, 36 chapters of the Word of God. That'd just be part of it. I mean, that'd just be your snacks between meals. Word of God. They stuck to the Word and they claimed to the Word. And then verse 12, he stood in the midst of the ground. Amen. Have you ever heard anybody say, well, he stood his ground? This word came from right here. He stood his ground. What'd he do? He didn't just stand out there twiddling his thumb, said he defended it. Amen. He stood out there in that ground and defended his ground. And then what happened? The Lord wrought a great victory and slew the Philistines. You know, the Philistines are the fellows that came along and filled up the wells that Abraham had dug. And Dr. Jones, we've got more Philistines in this generation filling up wells. I mean, putting the mud in them, putting the dirt in them. And the Bible said they filled them up with earth. And the Bible said Isaac dug again the well. And every time they'd dig a well, here'd come the Philistines, fill it up, and they'd dig another well. And that's the reason I preached the message on be not weary in well digging. Brother, it's a constant battle of digging wells. That bunch of Philistines have come along and filled up three of our wells in Texas and left 600 empty beds. You say, what are you going to do about dig them again? You say, why don't you join the Philistines? I'll kill the Philistines, but I won't join them. I remind you as I close the message, God's people have every right to expect victory. Though I've waded through tears and heartaches, and I've seen our little girls die and go to prisons and mental wards, and many are missing today, and in the morning we'll tell you the story. But I'd like for the students today, one of the greatest student bodies in the world with the greatest faculty that I know anything about, great president, and a great heritage to defend. Brother, we'd better defend our ground. We've got some holy ground we're standing on. We've been to the bush. This old fire book will stand us in good stead if we'll stay with it. We'd like to close with our testimony. This girl was in a mental hospital, doping witchcraft. I noticed the silly exorcists in town. This girl was run by doping witchcraft. This girl was walking the streets of Corpus, kicked out of the schools and on dope at the age of 12 and 13. But the testimony is, He found me. He found me when I was far away. He led me, He led me into the narrow way. He saved me, He saved me. Oh, what a happy day. He plunged me into the fountain, washed all my sins away. All ye children of God, praise the Lord, praise the Lord. All ye children of God, praise ye the Lord. Rejoice, for He's coming soon. It may be morn, it may be noon. Rejoice, for He's coming soon. Rejoice, rejoice. Our Father, finish the message and bless the students today and the faculty and the leaders of this great school. Thank you for this marvelous building that is so fabulous and wonderful and spacious and gracious. You've been so good. Continue to supply the needs for this school and protect it by your might. In Jesus' name, amen. You've been listening to The Chapel Platform. If you want a copy of today's message, just send a check for $7 to Campus Store, Bob Jones University, Greenville, SC 29614. South Carolina residents, please send $7.20. Please mention the speaker, Dr. Lester Roloff, his message titled, A Soldier That Stands, and also mention today's date. The Chapel Platform is sponsored by Bob Jones University.
A Soldier That Stands
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Lester Leo Roloff (1914–1982) was an American fundamentalist Independent Baptist preacher whose fiery sermons and extensive ministry left a significant mark on 20th-century evangelicalism. Born on June 28, 1914, near Dawson, Texas, he was the youngest of three sons to Harry Augustus and Sadie Isabel McKenzie Roloff, raised on a cotton farm in a strict Baptist environment. Converted at age 12 during a revival at Shiloh Baptist Church in July 1926, he began preaching at 18. He attended Baylor University, famously bringing a Jersey cow named Marie to sell milk for tuition, and later studied at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. In 1936, he married Marie Brady, and they had two daughters, one biological and one adopted. Roloff’s preaching career began in small Texas churches, including pastorates in Houston and Corpus Christi, where he launched The Family Altar radio program in 1944, eventually broadcast on 180 stations. After filling in for a revival in 1950 following B.B. Crim’s death, he founded Roloff Evangelistic Enterprises in 1951, shifting to full-time evangelism. He broke with the Southern Baptist Convention in 1956 over theological differences, aligning with Independent Baptists, and established Alameda Street Baptist Church in Corpus Christi. Known for preaching against homosexuality, communism, alcohol, and modern vices, he also founded homes for troubled youth, starting with the Rebekah Home for Girls in 1968.