Memorial Day 2016
“Today we remember”
John 15:13
Isaiah 2:4
Psalm 33
Pledge of Allegiance
National Anthem
Honor those families that have lost a loved one in active duty
Honor all those who are active and retired military
Show video
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It is my honor this morning to come together with my friends
My family
My brothers and sisters in Christ
To worship my God
Yahweh
Jehovah
The God of our ancestors
The God of Abraham
The God of Isaac
The God of Jacob
The Lord of the universe
Our creator
It is an extreme privilege that we live in a place in the world where we are free to do that
To join together and worship
To come together and raise our voices in praise
There are many places in this evil world where not only do the citizens of those places not have the right or privilege to do that
But they are often not only persecuted
But
Many times they give their lives in the pursuit of Christianity
And
The spread of the gospel
Once again we need to thank God that this is not how we are called to live
In this great county we live in we have been given the right to worship as we please
Live where we please
Do what we please
Many have fought and died
Protecting our freedom
The very freedom that this country was founded on
And the very freedom that set us apart from other nations
John 15:13
“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
In the context of this verse Jesus is explaining to his disciples that he must give his life for all of us
That he must fulfill his purpose
And that purpose was to pay the price of the sins of the world
And to deliver all who would believe from the penalty of their sin
He is also teaching his disciples that
They too
Must be willing to give their very lives
For their brothers and sisters and for Him
We know
Each of the disciples did give their life for the gospel
Most were martyred
Only The Apostle John lived a long life
But even he spent the last years of his life imprisoned for the cause of Christ
They like Jesus gave their lives for their brothers and sisters in Christ
They gave their lives for the freedom the gospel brings
Today we come to pay honor and tribute to our soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice
And to give honor the those disciples and heroes of our faith who paid the ultimate price
To give honor to all of those who have died in defense of freedom
And
To our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
Who – is the true picture of freedom
So my question this morning is how do we do that?
How do we, do that?
Can we ever say thank you enough?
Can we ever give enough praise?
Enough medals
Enough salutes
Enough speeches
I think the answer is no
Words and ceremonies can never express the gratitude we have for those who purchased our freedom
For those men and women who died in the service of our country
For those men and women that gave their lives and their freedom for the cause of Christianity
Or for our Savior Jesus Christ
Who gave it all
Everything he had
Paying a debt he did not owe
On a cross
Humiliated
Beaten
Rejected
Abused and killed
So that you and I could have the chance at true freedom-spiritual; freedom
Deliverance from what we deserve
Once again we come together to give thanks
But our words will never be enough
So
If our words are inadequate- if they are never enough
How do we truly show our gratitude?
How do we give thanks?
How do we let them know?
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How do we let them know?
How do we let them know that we understand the price they paid?
How do we let them know that we understand the sacrifice they gave?
How do we let them know that we want to honor them?
I believe in all my heart the best show of gratitude is action
Not what we say
But what we do
Not our words
But our deeds
We as a show of gratitude first to our Lord and Savior
Must love as he loved
We are to love each other as he loved us
We are to practice sacrificial love
Unconditional love
A love that does not see the past
A love that does not see the outside of someone
But
a love that sees their hearts
A love that listens to each other
A love that encourages one another
A love that gives of ourselves to others
This is a great way to say thank you
By living a changed life
For the disciples and those who fought to spread the gospel
We must follow suit
We must show the love of Christ and we must spread the love of Christ
This is what they gave their lives for
And this is how we show them thanks
For the soldiers
We must show thanks by striving to do as they have done
Defend our freedoms
Defend our country
Defend the foundations we were built on
Against all comers
Foreign and domestic
That is one of the best ways we show them thanks
But I also believe in my heart we must strive for peace
Christ came to give us peace
He told his disciples when he appeared to them after his resurrection
Peace be with you
And they in turn shared the gospel
They spread peace
A peace that goes beyond understanding
Our soldiers fought for peace
And it is peace that brings security
A feeling of safety
Peace in our lives
In our hearts
In our minds
Peace in our country and in our homes
And eventual peace in the world
We live in a world where war is a reality
Conflict abounds in the world
Differences over religions
Over human rights
Money
Lands
Sometimes
Over stupid things
And
Conflicts often turn to war
We know that as long as this world
This evil world we live in remains
There will be war
But I can’t think of a better tribute to those who have died
Than peace
Isaiah 2 tells us that one day that will be a reality
Isaiah is looking into the future
And he sees what is also described in the book of Revelation
Where john writes that Heave will be a place of no more tears and no more sorrow and
That to me means no more war
Isaiah sees a world
That one day
Will have peace
A new heaven and a new earth will appear
And that the things of this world will be no more
No more conflicts
No more war
No more death
Isaiah 2:4
“The Lord will mediate between nations
And settle international disputes
They will hammer their swords into plowshares
And their spears into pruning hooks
Nation will no longer fight against nation
Nor train for war anymore”
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Peace is how we truly honor these men and women of our armed forces
Peace is how we honor those who gave their lives in the name of Jesus
Peace is how we honor Jesus our Lord
I believe David gives us a perfect example of how to say thanks in Psalm 33
Let me read that for you now
Psalm 33
Let the godly sing for joy to the LORD;
it is fitting for the pure to praise him.
2 Praise the LORD with melodies on the lyre;
make music for him on the ten-stringed harp.
3 Sing a new song of praise to him;
play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.
4 For the word of the LORD holds true,
and we can trust everything he does.
5 He loves whatever is just and good;
the unfailing love of the LORD fills the earth.
6 The LORD merely spoke,
and the heavens were created.
He breathed the word,
and all the stars were born.
7 He assigned the sea its boundaries
and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
8 Let the whole world fear the LORD,
and let everyone stand in awe of him.
9 For when he spoke, the world began!
It appeared at his command.
10 The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations
and thwarts all their schemes.
11 But the LORD’s plans stand firm forever;
his intentions can never be shaken.
12 What joy for the nation whose God is the LORD,
whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.
13 The LORD looks down from heaven
and sees the whole human race.
14 From his throne he observes
all who live on the earth.
15 He made their hearts,
so he understands everything they do.
16 The best-equipped army cannot save a king,
nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.
17 Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—
for all its strength, it cannot save you.
18 But the LORD watches over those who fear him,
those who rely on his unfailing love.
19 He rescues them from death
and keeps them alive in times of famine.
20 We put our hope in the LORD.
He is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD,
for our hope is in you alone.
Close from the heart
Pray
