From the Preacher’s Pen…
I guess that by now everyone knows that I think we have one of the greatest groups of young people ever in this congregation. Perhaps one of the areas in which our teens impress me most is their courage. It is not easy for anyone to live in a world that believes that what God defines as wrong and sinful is accepted as right and good. And yet our teens face that challenge on a daily basis and still try to maintain both their Christ-like standards and their desire to tell others of the right.
Of course, that is God’s will for every one of us but to uphold those standards when your teachers and fellow students many time do not requires great faith. Do we appreciate what great examples our young Christians are for us all?
God says that “righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). We must remember that fact!
Following the terror events of 9-11 many people, even schools, openly prayed. Today most have gone back to the old ways of rejecting God. In fact, prayers are banned from many public functions by the US Supreme Court decisions in direct violation of Constitutional law that prevents any part of the US government from making ANY laws with regard to religion in this country!
At the same time, our government affirms the “right” to murder unborn babies. How long before it is considered a “right” to murder older children? Have we perhaps gone mad?
While athletes and even teenagers violating the law are held up as “heroes” and examples for all, it seems even more amazing that some can actually do what is right and thus show the world what real heroes are. Consider a couple of examples from the world of true heroes and let’s appreciate the spiritual lesson. And let’s resolve that we will have the courage from here on to place God’s will and what is right before what men may say, do, teach and even demand from us as laws:
True Heroes
Do you remember the heroes of the September 11th United Airlines Flight 93? Three typical American men on that flight, armed only with plastic butter knives, talked one last time to their wives and families and then attacked the hijackers on board their flight. These three knew of the devastation that had already occurred on the ground in New York and Washington and sought to prevent it happening again. They were successful! But before they made that heroic attempt they did one other thing, they prayed.
A few years later on June 28, 2005, a small four-man Navy SEAL team of Operation Red Wings was pinned down by a large enemy force and called for help. At that point, no one knew that only one of those four would survive. Without hesitation, the nearest aid consisting of 11 Navy SEALs and 8 Army Night Stalkers boarded their helicopter to attempt a rescue. Upon arrival to the area, the helicopter was shot down with the loss of all 19 men.
It would take some time and great effort to eventually recover all those lost men. But when they did there was an interesting dog tag found in the helicopter wreckage. It read: I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade.
We would, like most folks, consider all those people to be heroes. But think for a moment what kind of persons God declares to be heroes. I guess our first thought would be Hebrews 11 and those oft referred to as heroes of faith. Perhaps some would think of the good example of those brave heroes Peter and John who stood before the Supreme Court of their country and declared, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20).
But what of some more modern heroes? Do we recall the New Testament Christians who died in Hitler’s concentration camps? Even today there are brethren who are persecuted for their faith in Jesus in countries like Afghanistan, China and India to what is almost our own backyard in Mexico.
And how about our young people, faithfully serving the Lord and being such a good example to us all when many of their fellow students and teachers are proud to teach and practice sin? What of our elderly Christians with their many years of service and their still constant devotion to the Savior?
Do we remember that Jesus Himself said that these modern heroes of faith are in God’s measure even greater than those of the Old Testament? “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Matthew 11:11)
Did you hear what Jesus said? It’s really the same comment that the Hebrew writer would use to conclude his list of heroes of faith: “And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:39-40).
Do you remember that dog tag I mentioned above? Do we as Christians have the courage to live like that? Do you love the Lord and the church He died for enough to say: I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade.
Heroes are just ordinary people who, in times of crisis, do extraordinary things. Let’s remember the real heroes this week! Truly, the Lord’s church is made up of those heroes. Let’s resolve to be faithful, loving, prayerful, encouraging this week and show just who and what we really are!
— Lester P. Bagley
