I can’t think of a better day to talk about Heroes…than on Memorial Day.
The US Military announced just yesterday, another 8 American casualties in Iraq…one of those was a 20 year old Marine from Spartanburg. I don’t care how you feel about the war, you cannot deny the bravery of those who go and give the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Those are our real heroes.
We had a little mishap on a job last week where a flag holder got broken on the front of someone’s house. The homeowner noticed it after we left and called me to get that taken care of. He said, “We’re going out of town for the week, but please make sure that my flag is flying for Memorial Day.”
It’s an important day…It’s not just a day off of work, it’s a day of thankfulness for those who paid the highest price for our freedom. Over 1 Million Men and Women have died for our country in the last 200 years.
ILL - Abraham Lincoln, as he peered across the battlefield called Gettysburg where so many had given their lives…his greatest fear was that he would be the last president of the United States. “That from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause which they gave the last full measure of devotion...that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom..."
ILL - You’ve heard so much in the news lately about Pat Tillman, NFL standout turned Army Ranger…who was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan, and is the subject of one of the most embarrassing cover-ups in military history. The details surrounding his death don’t diminish the impact of his courage. As a matter of fact, when Tillman decided to enter the Army after September 11th, his words were, “I want to join the army. My great grandpa’s been overseas. Other people in my family have been in the military. And I haven’t done a damn thing. It’s time for me to do something for my country. I really believe that this is something I’m supposed to do.” The week after his death, The Vice President of the Cardinals in a news conference said, “In sports, we have a tendency to overuse terms like "courage," "bravery" and "heroes." Then someone special like Pat Tillman comes along and reminds us what those terms really mean."
I’ll be honest with you and say that I’ve been really looking forward to the long weekend…some much needed time off…and a couple of day to just “check out” from all the stresses of my job…but Saturday morning was somewhat of a spiritual experience for me as I stood on a ladder, repairing a flag holder for a guy who I realized loves our country much more than me.
COURAGE
•The Dictionary defines courage as: “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty”
•I think a lot about people like Anne Frank, who a Jewish girl who wrote a diary while in hiding with her family and four friends in Amsterdam during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II.
•I think about the safety personnel who entered the World Trade Center with no thoughts of their own safety.
•I think of the university professor at Virginia Tech, a holocaust survivor, who put his own body in front of the door in order to protect his students…but lost his own life.
•But you don’t take classes on Bravery in school. You don’t just wake up one morning and of the sudden you are brave!
•Courage is born out of something deep inside of you. It is born out of Purpose.
PURPOSE
•Purpose is having an understanding of your reason for existence.
•It’s like that Pat Tillman line, “I just know it’s something I’m supposed to do”
•The sub-title of “The Purpose-Driven Life” is “What on Earth am I here For?”. Everyone wants an answer to that question!
•But where do you find this sense of purpose that allows you to take a courageous stand for something valuable.
FAITH
•It comes from FAITH…not necessarily a spiritual, Christ-centered faith like we teach here, but the belief that what you are standing for is REAL and worth Dying for.
•It’s been my privilege as a pastor to conduct funeral for several wartime veterans. It’s a somber experience listening to that 21 gun salute…and then the seeing the flag presented to a grieving widow with the words “From a grateful nation”
•IT’s a testimony for their bravery…but it’s a salute to their acknowledgement of their purpose, and their faith that what they are standing for is worth dying for.
WHAT ARE YOU STANDING FOR? What is is it that you are so passionate about that you would go anywhere you had to go, do anything you had to do, to accomplish the mission that is in your heart?
For the past six weeks we’ve been studying the lives of the faithful men and women of the Old Testament. Let’s read a little further in Hebrews 11:
Hebrews 11:32-35 - And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. They exercised their Belief.
I want you to imagine the hearers of this message. The Hebrews…the remnant of God’s chosen people. I don’t know if you’ve ever been around a lot of Jewish people, but they are passionate about their heritage. And through Christ, this is our heritage of faith as well. But these words would have been like a Memorial day for them. When they heard Gideon, and Barak, and Jepthah…when they heard about David and Samuel…they were filled with pride.
When they heard about “shutting the mouths of lions, they would have thought of Daniel in the lion’s den.
When they heard about “quenching the fury of the flames, they would have thought of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who would not bow down to Nebacunezzer’s Gods and would not eat the food sacrificed to those Gods.
1. Bottom line is they listened to God…and they Did what he said!
a. James 2:14-19 - 14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
Hebrews 11:35-38 - Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned[f]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
2. They were willing to die for what they knew was true.
a. Remember Faith is the “Substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen”
b. 1 Peter 4:16 - However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.
c. You’ll never get on the cover of Time Magazine because of your faith. Man’s View of People of faith is low…but God’s view is different.
d. Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
e. Galatians 1:10 - Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
f. I’ve got one goal in life…That goal is to make God Smile. I want to hear when I stand before him in Heaven, “Well Done, My Good and Faithful Servant”
g. 2 Timothy 3:12 - In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
h. A lot of people think that IF they live right…and have faith…Deliverance is guaranteed.
i. I remember praying with a good friend in a hospital room who they thought would surely die. I remember praying specifically for God’s healing. And God healed him! That was 10 years ago and he’s alive today.
j. But I’ve also prayed that same prayer and for some reason, God didn’t answer with the answer I wanted.
k. Why? I don’t know. One day I’ll ask him face to face…but until then I just assume that God had some purpose that I didn’t know about. But it won’t cause me to lose faith in God, because he doesn’t bow down to my expectations!
l. Daniel 3:16-18 - Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
m. They stood their ground. What are you standing for?
i. Are you standing for God…or standing for men?
ii. Are you standing for something permanent, or for something perishable?
Hebrews 11:39-40 - These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
3. They knew that what they stood for was bigger than themselves.
a. These were men and women who stood their ground with the determination that there would be victory...they gave their all. They gave their lives; in a battle they would never see the end of during their mortal physical lives.
b. In a huge way, the soldiers who fight for our country are not fighting for themselves…they fight for America.
c. They lived for a promise, we live with the assurance that the promise has been fulfilled. Those heroes of faith in the Old Testament DID not experience God the way WE can experience Him through Christ.
d. IF The heroes of Israel had not fought the fight of faith, Israel would have perished and Christ would not have come. But they never saw the promise fulfilled.
e. But they stand as a lesson to us…Even if YOU don’t see victory. God sees your faith. Here People who never thought of their own notoriety are commended for their faith.
f. God offers you Courage…he offers you Purpose…He wants to use you to change the world in an extraordinary way, and all it takes is listening to Him…and doing what he says.
Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
You SAY, “I don’t have that kind of faith”
It’s a step. Take that Step today. Tell God you believe and you want to walk with Him.
The more you obey, the more your faith grows.
The more you pray, the more your faith grows.
