Bible Veterans: No Greater Love

[00:00:01] Speaker A: Hello and welcome to Tal Paul's preaching. You are listening to episode 21. This episode is titled Bible Veterans no Greater Love and was recorded on Sunday, November 10th of 2019, just a day before the 100th anniversary of Veterans Day. In honor of the 100th anniversary of Veterans Day, in this episode we explore some Bible veterans that exemplify some of our military's famous mottos. [00:00:37] Speaker B: All right, well, let's open in prayer. Let's bow our hearts to the Lord Heaven. Father, we love the time that we get to sit at your feet. And Lord, will you open our minds and open our hearts? Teach us what you would want us to hear. Lord, we look to you for all goodness and everything good. We thank you for all that you give, Lord. We pray for our country, Lord. It's not looking better and better, it's looking worse and worse. And so we just need to. We trust that you're in control and that you would turn the hearts of our leaders, they would turn back to youo and do what's right. Lord, we pray for the adoption of my grandchildren coming up on National Adoption Day. We pray for all of those. Lord, you have adopted us as sons and daughters into youo kingdom and we praise youe for that. And we look to do that with these girls as well, Lord, as we open your word and would you open our eyes that we would see you and remember everything that you've done for us? This we pray in Jesus name. Amen. Well, one Sunday morning, a pastor noticed little Billy and he, he was staring up at a large plaque on the wall in the foyer of the church. And it had the names and pictures and small American flags were sticking out of the side of this large plaque. And the seven year old had been staring at the plaque for some time. So the pastor walked up and stood beside him and he said quietly, good morning, Billy. Good morning, Pastor replied the young man, still focused on the plaque. And what is that on the wall, Pastor asked Billy. Well, son, it's a memorial to all the men and women who have died in the service. And soberly, they stood there together, gazing at the large plaque on the wall. And little Billy's voice was barely audible when he finally managed to ask which service? The 9 o' clock or the 11? Well, tomorrow is Veterans Day, and of course we should always remember and pray and thank our vets and active military service people for all that they have done for us. Veterans Day originated as armistice day on November 11, 1919, 100 years ago tomorrow, the first anniversary of the end of World War I, in honor of the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 that signaled the end of World War I. And so veterans Day is set aside to pay tribute to all American veterans, living or dead, but especially giving thanks to the living veterans who serve their country honorably during war or in peacetime. And therefore, today I'm going to talk about veterans as they relate to people in the Bible. Now, first up is Esther. And I know what you're thinking. Esther is probably the last person you would think of as when you think of military in the Bible. But she has some surprising veteran attributes and I think we can learn from that. Well, Esther, from the book by her name, Esther. She's a Jewish orphan and she's brought up by her uncle Mordecai. And the king of Persia needs a new wife. He got rid of the old one. She was disobedient. And that's how it worked back then. So they held a year long beauty pageant and Esther won it. She became queen, you could say that she got drafted into service if you want. And Esther is Jewish, but nobody knows that she's an Israelite other than Mordecai. And Esther, well, wicked Haman, every time you hear that villain's name, you should boo. You know, boo Haman, you. He's that type of guy. Well, he hated Mordecai because Mordecai refused to bow down and worship Haman. And so he doesn't just want to eliminate Mordecai, he wants to wipe out all of the Jews. That's how much he hated Mordecai. Well, he gets the king to actually sign a decree to put the Israelites to death. That's some serious trouble. That's some doom and gloom for Esther and Mordecai because back in those days, decrees could not be changed. It's not like today when everything the president does, they take them to court and they sue them. It didn't work like that back then. When a king decreed something, it was set in stone. The king does not know that Esther is Jewish and that he has basically given the decree to end her life. Now, the king was feared and greatly respected in those days, very much unlike today, we don't respect people in office very much anymore. And so Esther could not go directly to the king. She needed permission to even go to the king. Well, this is where Esther becomes like a marine. The few, the proud, the brave. Esther is very brave. She is courageous under very dire circumstances. And Esther is also smart like a marine. You know, they have a saying, adapt, improvise and overcome. And so Esther does just that. She adapts, she improvises and she overcomes. And she uses her favor with the king to throw, throw him a party. Now who doesn't like a party thrown for them? So the king. That is a great idea. You are going to throw me a party. Well, we honor those in charge because God ultimately is in control. And he can turn the king's hearts, and he can turn presidents or leaders throughout the world, he can change and turn their hearts. And it was in the middle of the night that the king of Persia here, he could not sleep. And I'm sure it was from the Lord. So what does he do when he can't sleep? He goes through the official records. Now if that wouldn't put him back to sleep, I don't know what would. But he's going through those official records and he finds a time when Mordecai saved his life. Mordecai overheard a plot assassinate the king and he let Esther know, and Esther signified it in Mordecai's name. And sure enough, they, they interview the two guys that were trying to assassinate him and they find out, yeah, they were trying to do, and so they hung them. But the king finds out, oh, nothing was ever done for Mordecai, who saved my life in the middle of the night. So Mordecai hasn't received yet a reward. So the king throws him a parade on the day that he's going to meet with Esther and Haman for a little party. Well, at that party, that's where Esther reveals that she is Jewish and that she is as good as dead because of this man, Haman. And God uses that love that the king has for Esther. And Haman ends up dying and Mordecai is exalted. And now that decree couldn't be changed, it couldn't go back on it. So a new decree is issued by the king that the Israelites could defend themselves. And thus the nation of Israel was saved through the brave axe, Sylvester. And the next person up is more of a military type of person that you would think of. And that person is Nehemiah. Now my wife Amanda, her father Tom was a Seabee in the navy. And the Seabees have a motto, and their motto is Construimus Batuimus. Now I probably butchered the Latin on that, but the, the Seabees motto is we build, we fight. And that is exactly what Nehemiah was all about. Nehemiah from the book called Nehemiah lamented that the border of Jerusalem was in disrepair. Now the Israelites were in the captivity of Babylon, and that had been over, and they were released and they went back to Jerusalem and they rebuilt the temple, but the city wall was in disrepair. Nehemiah 1, 3, 4. And they said unto me, the remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass when I heard those words, that I sat down and wept and mourned certain days, and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Now, the rest of that chapter one of Nehemiah is a great prayer worthy of looking at that. Nehemiah prays to God and so there's no border wall, which means there's no city. An enemy could come right through at any time and take over. A city and nation must be defensible and have boundaries to survive. And so in Nehemiah 2:17. Then I said to them, nehemiah speaking, you see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. Come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. Then I told them that the hand of my God was good upon me, and also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work. And the conclusion of the matter happens in Nehemiah 4, starting in verse 13, Nehemiah 4 13. Therefore, I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall, at the exposed places, posting them by families with their swords and their spears and their bows. After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and to the rest of the people, be not afraid of them. Remember the Lord who is great and awesome and fight for your families and your sons and your daughters and your wives and your homes. When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work. From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows, and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did work with one hand and held the weapon in the other. And each of the builders wore his sword. And at his side as he worked, wow, a tool in one hand and a Sword in the other. We build, we fight. Indeed, the temple and city that Nehemiah helped protect with a secure border lasted over 500 years until just after the times of Jesus when, when it was destroyed by The Romans In 70 A.D. nehemiah was a military minded man, a man of action and not just wishful thinking. He got things done. And when thinking about men and women of the military, we often think of honor. A motto is duty, honor, country, and another one is honor, courage and commitment. And those are both mottos that exemplify Joseph, who was honorable in all his circumstances. Now, the story of Joseph is found in Genesis chapters 37, 47. I'm obviously going to summarize. Jacob, who God renamed as Israel. He had two wives and 12 sons and Rachel, whom he loved. He went to Mary and it was Uncle Laban. He worked seven years to marry Rachel and he made a mistake and didn't lift the veil until after the ceremony found out he married the wrong daughter. He married Leah instead of Rachel, and he had to work another seven years just to marry Rachel, whom he loved. Well, Rachel herself, she only had two kids. She had Joseph and Benjamin. And so Jacob favored those two sons above the other ones. Joseph was a dreamer. I don't know if he ate a bunch of spicy food just before he went to bed or whatever the case, God not only gave him dreams, but God gave him the interpretation of those dreams. And Joseph dreams twice that he is going to rule over his brothers and, and even his parents. And that's okay to have those dreams. But Joseph goes a step further and he tells his brothers and he tells his parents, I had this dream where I'm ruling over you. And they didn't take that well. Now, Jacob favored Joseph above his brothers. And Joseph was given by his dad a very special coat, you know, a coat of many colors they call it. Joseph was also younger than most of his brothers, and so he's 17. And so Jacob uses his brother to go spy on his older brothers, find out what they're up to, if they're goofing off or if they're working hard out in the fields. Joseph, I guess you could say, was in the intelligence branch of the military if you wanted to put him somewhere. But he was hated by his brothers, both for tattling on them whenever they did anything wrong to his dad, and also for his dreams that he had that he would rule over them. And they hated him so much they wanted to kill him. So they put him in a pit and they're trying to figure Out. Well, how are we going to kill him? What are we going to tell dad? And some slavers come by, and so they sell him into slavery from the pit. And those slave traders, they take Joseph into Egypt and sell him to Potiphar. And so he is in Potiphar's service. And there Joseph is, diligent and honorable. And soon Joseph rises up and he's head over all the household. And nothing has Potiphar held back from Joseph except his wife. But his wife didn't get the message because Potiphar's wife wanted Joseph, so there's nobody else around. And she grabs Joseph, and Joseph rips off his clothes to get away, and he runs away from her. And I'm pretty sure Potiphar knew what his wife was like, because instead of having Joseph killed on the spot, he throws him in the dungeon. And in the dungeon, you know, Joseph has honor in spite of his circumstances. And he rises again. Now, I don't know how good it can be in a dungeon when you're at the top, but I guess that's better than being at the bottom. And Joseph is just kind of this godly guy. He's a. He's a Forrest Gump type of military guy. You know, someone tells him what to do, and he just does it honorably. Well, the baker and the butler, you know, they screw up and they get thrown in the dungeon for a couple days and. And they have dreams while they are there and they tell Joseph. And Joseph interprets the dreams, and exactly what he tells them comes true. Well, the baker dies, and the butler lives on, and he's returned back to his station, but he forgot all about Joseph because it wasn't God's timing. Well, Pharaoh has this dream. In fact, he has a couple dreams. They're the same thing, and he's troubled by them. He can't figure them out. Nobody can explain them to him. The brother goes, oh, my gosh, I forgot. There has been this guy down in the dungeon a couple years ago I met. He is down there for years now. He can interpret him. And Joseph shines. He's very honorable. And he not only tells the Pharaoh that you're going to go through seven years of great increase of plenty, and. And then you're going to go through seven years of nothing and famine. And he not only tells Pharaoh his dream, but he also tells him, you know, you should put away in these seven good years, you know, prepare for the future of those seven bad years. Well, Pharaoh rises Joseph up, and now he's second in command to all of Egypt because of his honorableness. Well, famine strikes, and his brothers come looking for food, and they don't know it's Joseph. They thought he was dead. They dipped his coat in blood and took it to their father. Oh, we don't know what happened to Joseph. He must have been killed. Well, Joseph tests his brothers to see if their heart has changed. And sure enough, Judah shines through. And Judah even offers his life up for the other son of Rachel, Benjamin, Benjamin's stead, because he knows what it would do to his father if Benjamin was harmed. Well, Joseph moves everyone to Egypt and sustains them through the famine. And Joseph saves his family and essentially the entire nation of Israel because of his honorable service. Now, perhaps the most loyal and obedient soldier in the Bible is Jonathan, King Saul's son. And you can find this in 1st Samuel, but especially in chapter 14. It's a good story, but Jonathan was under the terrible command of Israel's first king, Saul. Saul was so obsessed with David becoming the next king that he ran around chasing David all over the country trying to kill him. So much so that Saul neglected his duty to get anything done and battle the true enemy, the Philistines. Eventually, that neglect would come back to haunt him and the Philistines would end up killing Jonathan and Saul. We see that today with some so obsessed with who won the last election or who's going to win the next that nothing's getting done. Well, Saul told his son, Jonathan, you will never be the next king while David lives. Yet Jonathan was honorable and true to God. He and David were friends and buddies, so much so that the Bible says that their souls were knit together. And one day, Jonathan took his armor bearer. And while Saul and the rest of the army were resting, lying around, Jonathan went to fight the enemy to see what God would do. And there was this kind of a cliff and rocks in between him and the camp of the Philistines. And he tells his armor bearer, just Jonathan and an armor bearer, and he says, well, we're going to show ourselves to them. And if they say, come up, then the Lord has given them into our hand and we'll go up and fight with them. But if they say, stay right there, we're coming down to you. Well, they're gonna go to splitsville. Get out of there. Well, they say, come on up. And so Jonathan goes up with his armor bearer and he slays him. He wipes out that camp of the Philistines. While Saul is lying under a pomegranate tree, Jonathan was a loyal soldier. You know, he didn't want to advance himself. He only wanted. Wanted to do what God wanted to do. Well, let's take a look at a New Testament individual. Let's take a look at Stephen, whom I'll show you how. He was an Air Force guy long before the Air Force was even there. Well, the apostles, they were too busy with prayer and with the Word and preaching and studying God's Word. And they didn't want to leave that to minister to the people and serve the widows and the people in need. And so they, through prayer and supplication, they elect Philip and Stephen to minister to the widows. And Stephen and Philip do great job with that. Stephen was preaching the gospel and was brought before the Sanhedrin Blasphemy. And Stephen gave the history of Israel to the leaders, to the Sanhedrin. And he was making a point of how they had rejected their long awaited Messiah. You can find that in Acts chapters 6 and 7. And I'll read the last part of Acts 7, starting in verse 54. Remember Stephen's telling them about Jesus Messiah, verse 54. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart and they gnashed at him with their teeth. I mean, they just screamed. But he, Stephen, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, verse 56 and said, Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a large voice and they plugged their ears, they stopped their ears and they ran at him with one accord. Verse 58 says, and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, lord, do not charge them with this sin. And when he had said it, he fell asleep. See Stephen, he aimed high. Long before the Air Force adapted that motto of aim high, Stephen was. He was so focused on Jesus, our Lord and Savior in heaven, that while he was brutally being stoned, it just says he fell asleep. That is how peaceful his death was. Now, before I talk about the next person, I want to talk about the greatest love there is. John 15:13 says, Greater love has no man than this. That a man lay down his life for his friends. Now that means that everyone who joins the military is really showing their love, not just for the country, but for everyone else, foreign and domestic. Our military personnel, they put their life in jeopardy just by signing up. And they are not just defending and fighting for American freedoms, but for the freedoms and for the rights to the rest of the world. Our nation is blessed and mighty because of God. Which brings us to the next biblical hero. The first Marine Division has a no better friend, no worse enemy. And Jesus exemplifies that motto. We all know Jesus, our Christ. We know how God took on flesh and became a man. Jesus, he lived that same sinless life, exemplifying the righteousness of God. And he was crucified for all our sins according to the scriptures. He was dead and buried. But death could not win. And Jesus rose again on the third day. According to the scriptures and in Christ. Through Christ, we have everlasting life. That is good news, great news, really. And that is the gospel. When we accept Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin, but we are adopted and beloved by God. Jesus, no better friend, no worse enemy. In fact, many of the military models apply to Jesus and our relationship with him. These are all military models, I'm going to say, but boy, they apply to Jesus. Always faithful motto. Always prepared, always ready, always There. That's our Jesus. Anytime, any place. We can go to Jesus Anytime, any place. An army of one boy. Jesus conquered life, death and sin first. There. Freedom work. He who has planted, will preserve. Now that sounds just like something they would take right out of the Bible. He who planted, will preserve. And that's Jesus. Let the journey begin. Make peace or die. No mission too difficult, no sacrifice too great. Duty first boy, that is Jesus right there. No sacrifice too great. Peace through strength. That is the meekness of Jesus right there. Shall not perish. Jesus will not die again. And we can have that in Christ as well. Spirit of freedom that others may live. I mean, that's Jesus life and whatever it takes is another military motto. Well, Jesus is that living veteran. He lives. He conquered death and sin for us and we should honor him because he first loved us. Romans 5, 8 says, But God showed his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Our veterans and service members, they fight for our freedoms, all of our freedoms. Even when we despise them or don't care, they soldier on in their love for the nation and for us. And sadly to our shame, there are people who want to be in power, who have no respect for this country for its values, its flag or its service members. And we just pray that they will see the light because many have already died for them, for their freedoms. Like Christ, who gave himself, gave his life for you and me. Remember our military veterans. Keep them and our nation in prayer. Let's bow our hearts in prayer. Lord, we want to be all we can be. And we can only do that in you. By your power, your might, your love. Help us grow. Help us be mighty soldiers in the Lord's army. Your love is awesome. So much so that you gave your only son. You let Jesus join rank with us here on earth. And Jesus gave his life for our freedom, for our benefit. Because of your love, we gladly accept it. And we thank you for your service. Praise God. We love you and we thank you in the name of Jesus. Amen. All right. Thank you for listening to this message. We hope you enjoyed it. Our prayer is that the message, in [00:31:28] Speaker A: some way or another, helped in your [00:31:31] Speaker B: walk with God and that your relationship with God was strengthened and grew more intimate. If you would like to contact us with questions or comments, you can email us at the following that's meredletters.com or me-l e t t e r s.com thank you.