Memorial Day - Passing the Torch

Temple Baptist Church - 5-25-2025

2 Timothy 2:1-4; 4:6-7

 

Introduction: 

 

Genesis 4:8  And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

 

The first war in the Bible was a spiritual one.  This set the foundation for every physical and spiritual war that would occur in the future. 

 

The first war in the Bible had a God hater, Cain, and a casualty, Abel.  Wars are fought because the ungodly hate God and the people of God.

 

Genesis 4:25-26  And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.  (26)  And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

 

2 Timothy 2:1-4  Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  (2)  And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.  (3)  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  (4)  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

 

2 Timothy 4:6-7  For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.  (7)  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

 

Hebrews 11:13-14  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.  (14)  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

 

Jude 1:3-4  Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.  (4)  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

A.  In our texts for this morning, we find older men “passing on the torch” to younger men who will continue the fight. Throughout the Word of God, from Genesis chapter 4 (Adam to Seth), one generation passes away while another rises to carry on the struggle of perpetual war.  There are physical wars and there are spiritual wars.  And someone must stand in the gap and fight.

 

B.  War is an unfortunate reality, but also an absolute necessity.  Without wars, the world in general would be subjected to slavery.  War is also an art!  You win wars through training, strategy, and will.  “Fortune favors the brave” is a Latin proverb that dates back to ancient Rome.  

 

1.  The Lord is “a man of war.”  Exodus 15:3  The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

 

2.  King David, a man after God’s own heart, was “a man of war.”  1 Samuel 16:18  Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.

 

3.  The Lord trained King David in the art of war!  Psalms 144:1  A Psalm of David. Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:

 

a)  In Basic Training, where you get into shape to fight and begin to learn weaponry, David killed a lion and a bear, but also honed his skill with a sling.  1 Samuel 17:34-36  And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:  (35)  And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.  (36)  Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.

 

b)  In Advanced Infantry Training, where you learn to use weapons of war, David slew Goliath.  1 Samuel 17:50-51  So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.  (51)  Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

 

c)  In Wars, David slew his ten thousands.  1 Samuel 18:7  And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.

 

d)  In your Bible, we find mentioned:

 

War – 225 times.

Wars – 15 times.

Warfare – 5 times.

Battle or battles – 178 times.

Fight – 115 times.

Fightings – 2 times.

Fought – 64 times.

Soldier or Soldiers – 37 times.

Kill or killed – 232 times.

 

C.  Tomorrow is Memorial Day.  A day in which we remember our war dead.  Multitudes of young men and women have given up their futures to secure ours!  Often, we hear the words: “Freedom is not free!”  Our freedom here in the greatest nation on earth is founded on the shed blood of its patriots. 

 

D.  In war, there are wounds and casualties (deaths). Speaking of soldiers, someone said, “All gave some and some gave all.” Soldiers are necessary in both war and peace. They are essential in war to win and in peace to protect. Many young men and women gave up their futures to protect ours. 

 

Over 1,300,00 known deaths with almost as many wounded.  Close to 50,000,000 have served.  As I drive down one of our country roads, I always look to the right where a modest home sits on a little hill.  I remember visiting that home where a man and his wife lived years ago.  On the fireplace mantle was the picture of a young soldier, their only son, who died in Vietnam!  A horrendous price paid by just one family, and a sorrow that never died in this life.

 

E.  Not everyone is or has been a professional soldier, but we are all soldiers.  Our warfare is not with guns and knives; it is a spiritual one.  Paul, when writing to the Corinthian church said:

 

2 Corinthians 10:3-4  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:  (4)  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

 

F.  Today, we are in a spiritual war as God's children. We must train for war, have a biblical strategy for war, and have a will to fight. As Paul continues instructing Pastor Timothy, he likens Timothy to a soldier at war.  We must recognize that we are in a perpetual state of war as God’s children. 

 

G.  Paul admonishes Timothy to be a “good soldier.” 

 

1.  A good soldier must take orders well.  We have our military instruction manual in our hands this morning.

 

2.  A good soldier must learn to use his weapons in a correct manner.  Basic Training and Advanced Infantry Training are necessities.  We have the Sword of the Spirit so let us learn to use it rightly.

 

3.  A good soldier gets along with his brothers.  Their lives depend upon each other and there is no color, ethnicity, or division in a foxhole.

 

4.  A good soldier must learn to identify and neutralize his enemies.  You do this by holding the lines.  Everyone behind is a friend, and everyone in front is an enemy.

 

5.  A good soldier stays in good shape.  The Daily Dozen, the running while singing cadence.  The forced marches with full equipment.

 

6.  A good soldier must have a determination to finish the task before him.  To fight without compromise or quitting.

 

7.  A good soldier must learn to adjust to adverse circumstances and endure hardness.

 

8.  A good soldier is proud of who and what he is.

H.  We are soldiers: either good or bad; ready or not ready; dependable or not dependable!  I look back over my short stint in the military and see many likenesses to the Christian life and the pastorate.

 

J.  One day, there will be “war no more.”  But, until that time, we must continue to fight the good fight of the faith once delivered!

 

Jude 3  Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

 

1.  We must war for our nation - Psalms 9:17  The wicked shall be turned into hell, [and] all the nations that forget God. 

 

We must not give up on America because it is a good land, a God given land, and is under constant attack from both without and within.  We must fight our outside enemies!  We must fight our inside enemies!

 

2.  We must war for the Faith - Jude 3  Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 

 

The Word of God is under constant attack, but we stand and fight for it.  It is a good fight!  It is a right fight!

 

3.  We must war for the Old Paths - Jeremiah 6:16  Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. 

 

The old ways of holiness and separation are under constant attack, but we stand and fight for them.  It is a good fight!  It is a right fight!

 

4.  We must war for our Families - Psalms 78:5 -8 For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: 6  That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: 7  That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: 8  And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.

 

Our families and children are under constant attack, and we must stand and fight for them. It is a good fight! It is a righteous fight!

These All Died in Faith

 Temple Baptist Church - 5-28-2023

Hebrews 11:13

 

Introduction:

 

A.  As we look forward to Memorial Day tomorrow, I want us here at Temple Baptist Church to keep upon our minds and hearts the sacrifices that have made the day possible. 

 

B.  I chose to pull a verse out of its context this morning to convey a thought, a practical application, that I have had on my heart all week.  I just want to use this portion of verse 13.

 

Hebrews 11:13  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them! 

 

C.  Memorial Day is a day that honors our war dead.  I want to honor them today along with all veterans throughout our nation’s history.

 

1.  “All gave some and some gave all” is a quote that we often hear around Memorial Day.  President Ronald Reagan said that these who have died gave up two lives:  the one that they had and the one that they should have had.

 

2.  As far as I can tell (in all wars) app. 1,309,552 men and women have died in defense of our freedom while app. 1,500,000 have been wounded (excluding wounded who did not require hospitalization.  These statistics also do not include POW’s.

 

D.  The Courage Of Our Military To Die And Our People To Sacrifice – “Give me liberty or give me death” has been the motto of every American fighting man in all wars.  I gave some statistics of those who died but could not count the countless millions who have served in all branches of the military.  They lay behind the bodies of their dead brothers while the bullets whizzed past their heads and returned fire.  They still join up; they still fight; and they still die.  Their crosses are around the world from Normandy to the South Pacific to North Africa to Arlington National Cemetery where the Tomb of the Unknowns (also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) are engraved with these words:  “HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY AN AMERICAN SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD.”  The willingness of our nation to sacrifice – families have sacrificed their sons and daughters; they have sacrificed their moneys and possessions; they have sacrificed their personal desires for the betterment of the nation.

 

E.  “These all died in faith.”  These who died had faith in what they were going to accomplish.  Someone once said words to this effect: If we do not fight our enemies on foreign soil, we will eventually fight them on our soil.

 

1.  They had faith that America was worth fighting and dying for.  Our principles, our wonderful homeland, our heritage, and our posterity.

 

2.  They had faith that the fight was a right fight making it worth fighting and dying for.  A people who will not fight for freedom will not remain free.

 

3.  They had faith that America would remain the “gold standard”, the “utopia” of the world.  The land that they loved.

 

4.  They had faith that, if they died, their death would not be in vain.  That others would take up the weapons of war and stand in the gap and make up the hedge of protection.

 

F.  “Not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them!”  These did not receive the promises, but saw the afar off, knew that they were right, and died for them.

 

1.  Those who died gave up their future for our future.  Young men and women who would never have the privilege to grow old.

 

2.  Those who died gave up their dreams for our dreams.  Young men and women who would never have the opportunity to dream and fulfill their dreams with success.

 

3.  Those who died gave up their opportunity for our opportunity to marry, raise children, and to prosper.  Men and women who would never know the joy of watching their children grow up and dandy their grandchildren on their knees.

 

4.  Those who died gave their all, gave their lives, for what you and I have today that they would never have.  “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. 

 

5.  Never take for granted the blessings of God upon our nation.  Never forget those who died that we might remain free!

 

G.  Hebrews 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.  (Our war dead and veterans witness to us that what we have is worth fighting for.  What we have is worth dying for.  God bless America and God bless our military!)

 

H.  Now, I want to look at what Christ Jesus did.

 

1.  Christ Jesus died for the sinner, not looking at what the sinner was but what the sinner could be.

 

2.  Christ Jesus died seeing the promises that He made afar off.  Almighty Jehovah God in the flesh, Christ Jesus, knows the end of the sinner as well as the beginning.  Christ Jesus promised everlasting life to the believer and eternal life to the saint.

 

a.  Everlasting Life as a beginning, the moment of salvation when the sinner becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus.

 

b.  Eternal Life, without beginning or end, is the very life of God given to those who are “in Christ”.

 

3.  Christ Jesus embraced the cross, despising the shame, and becoming sin for us that we might be made the righteousness in Him.

 

Conclusion: 

 

1.  Never forget the price that our men and women have paid for our freedom.

 

2.  Never forget the price that our Saviour, Christ Jesus, paid for our redemption.

Memorial Day 2022 - Fight the Good Fight of Faith

 

Temple Baptist Church - 5-29-2022

1 Timothy 6:11-12

 

Introduction: 

 

A.  Tomorrow, May 30, 2022, is Memorial Day. 

 

1.  The day in which we honor our war dead: men and women who paid the ultimate price for our freedom that we enjoy today.  

 

2.  “All gave some but some gave all.”  Their lives were cut short; they died in their youth; they had no chance to grow old; their dreams were never realized; their lives can only be lived through us; their dreams can only be realized through us!

 

3.  Those who died would have been friends, neighbors, doctors, lawyers, teachers, mill workers, miners, store owners, moms, and dads—America’s youth, America’s strength, America’s future!

 

B.  As we enjoy our freedom and blessings tomorrow, our day trips, picnics lunches, grilled favorites, do not fail to remember those who will not be there to enjoy them with us! 

 

1.  These statistics are several years old.  In all the American wars, either by our country or within our country, over 45,000,000 men and women have served in wartime with over 1,175,000 war dead and over 1,500,000 wounded in action. 

 

2.  That is a tremendous number of young lives that have been given and families forever changed while affording us the freedom that we now enjoy. 

 

3.  I knew a soldier who, as an 18-year-old was carrying a machine gun, wading through the waters of the Pacific Islands under heavy fire, watching his buddies die before his eyes and seeing the waves filled with the bodies of the dead.  He grew up that day. 

 

4.  I remember a man who, as young artillery man, coming on shore at Omaha Beach on D+2, watching them as they carried away the dead and wounded.  He grew up that day!

 

5.  I have known men who fought in WWII, through the harsh winters of Korea, walked through the jungles of Viet Nam, died in the middle east, and continue to die until this day for our freedom. 

 

6.  My thoughts go to Arlington National Cemetery and to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and read the inscription, “Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.”

 

C.  Freedom in a privilege, not a right!  Citizenship is a privilege, not a right!  There are many living in this country that enjoy the freedoms while misusing them. 

 

1.  We do not have the freedom to do wrong in this land. 

 

2.  We do not have the freedom to live here and defame this land.

 

3.  We have not right to burn the American Flag.

 

4.  America has had some sad things in its history and still is not a perfect land, but it is my country and I say, “Love it or leave it.”

 

5.  Come to America but come legal, learn the language (I do not speak Spanish), salute the flag, pay your taxes, be productive, get a job, and be a good citizen!

 

6.  You are not here because it is your right; you are here because you are privileged to live here.  This is our country, one nation under GOD, paid for with the blood of our valiant youth!  When you came to America, you joined us, we did not join you.

 

D.  War is not something that any sane man or woman wants, but we find in our text that war is sometimes a necessity. 

 

1.  Men who will not fight will not remain free. 

 

2.  Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death!”  It is the cry of the patriot and is the prerequisite for freedom.  To live free, some must sometimes die.

 

E.  God bless the memory of our war dead; God bless our troops; God bless America!

 

F.  This morning, for a few minutes, I want to look at a different type of war casualty.  You and I are in a spiritual warfare today.  It is a war just as real as physical wars are real.  We have spiritually what we have this morning because someone paid a great price.

 

1.  From the blood of Abel to those who are martyred in other countries today, blood has been shed as men earnestly contended for the faith once delivered.

 

2.  Throughout history, men and women have been tortured and died because they were not willing to recant concerning their faith.  Over 50 million died for their faith in the Dark Ages alone.

 

3.  We have the witness of both church and secular historians who have brought to us the reality of these sacrifices.  Millions upon millions have and will die for their faith. 

 

G.  Because of the sufferings and death of these and countless others like them, we are spiritually blessed!  NOW, we are the generation that needs to fight for our posterity!  A short three-fold application is given in our text:  Flee, Follow, and Fight.

 

1.  Flee the Things that Distract us.  Luke 9:62  And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.  (There are so many things that distract us from living a consistent life for Christ.  Paul spoke of "the weight" that slows us the "sins" that beset us.  Weights are things that may not be sinful but keep us from doing the things that have eternal weight.  Then there is the distraction of sin.)

 

Philippians 1:10  That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;

 

2.  Follow the Paths that Directs us.  Jeremiah 6:16  Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.  (I often ask the question, "Were our forefathers right or were they wrong?"  I believe that they were right, and their paths are still right ones.  MAINTAIN the old ways wherein are the good ways.)

 

3.  Fight the Truth that Anchors us.  Jude 3  Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.  (Without the Truth of the Bible, people will NEVER be free!)

 

John 8:31-32  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;  (32)  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Memorial Day – 2015

Temple Baptist Church - 5-24-2015

2 Samuel 1:17-27

Introduction: 

A.  First of all, I want to recognize all of our church members who served in the Armed Forces with their branch of service.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your service to both this nation and my family.

B.  Tomorrow is Memorial Day.  I like to recognize our service men and women but tomorrow is not about us.  It is a day set aside to remember our war dead.  Each one of you who served in our armed forces gave some but those we recognize and remember tomorrow gave all.

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5th, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971. On this day we need to pause and thank God for the men and the women who served our Armed Forces to bring Liberty and Justice for all to our country. May we truly pause and remember their sacrifice, their service, and their blood.

C.  In all of the American wars, either by our country or within our country, over 45,000,00 men and women have served in wartime with app. 1,200,000+ war dead and over 1,500,000 wounded in action.  That is a tremendous number of young lives that have been given and forever changed while affording us the freedom that we now enjoy.

D.  Freedom is a privilege, not a right!  There are many in this country that enjoys the freedoms while misusing them.  We do not have the freedom to do wrong in this land.  We do not have the freedom to live here and defame this land.  America has had some sordidness in its history and still is not a perfect land, but it is my country and I say, “Love it or leave it.”

E.  War is not something that any sane man or woman wants, but war is sometimes a necessity.  Men who will not fight will not remain free.  Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death!”  It is the cry of the patriot!  It is the prerequisite for freedom!  New Hampshire’s moto is “Live free or die!”  In order to live free, men must sometimes die.  The question has been asked, “Why cannot men live in peace?”  I certainly wish that they would or could but peace is not an option that they choose.

F.  I want to look at the subject of “War” as found in the Scriptures for a while this morning.  God has much to say on the subject of war, both physical and spiritual.  And, by the way, there are causalities in both kinds of war.  Men and women have died to give us our Bible as well as our country.  Men and women have died in order to give us religious liberty.  Our spiritual heritage has been paid for by the blood of Christ and the blood of believers through the ages.

G.  I want to key in on our spiritual warfare as we are all called to be soldiers for Christ.  King David was a man after God’s own heart and was a man of war!  Because war is a reality and the Bible says that the Lord is a “man of war.”  In our text, we find David lamenting the death of Saul and Jonathan.  Why?  Because losses in war are a reality!

1.  We must war with the right Armor – Ephesians 6:10-11  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  (11)  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  (Spiritual, not physical.  Armored with the Word of God, salvation, faith!)

2.  We must war with the right Attitude – 2 Corinthians 1:8-10  For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:  (9)  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:  (10)  Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.  (A willingness to die in order to be free.  New Hampshire’s slogan is “Live Free or Die!”  There are some things worth living for and some worth dying for.  Going into battle is as much mental as it is physical.)

Philippians 2:5-8  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  (6)  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  (7)  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  (8)  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

3.  We must war with the right Action – Matthew 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  (You pick your battles!  God soldiers are good strategists!  Choose the high ground!  Take the battle to Satan!  The best defense is a good offense!)

4.  We must understand that there is Attrition in War – Hebrews 12:1-3  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,  (2)  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.  (3)  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.  (It can and will wear on you.  You are either a combatant or a causality!  Satan never gives up and quits.  He is a lot like ISIL.  You cannot reason with him; you cannot negotiate with him because he wants to destroy you, not compromise with you.)

5.  We must have Anticipation in the right outcome of War – Romans 8:36-37  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.  (37)  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  (Always remember that the battle is the Lord’s!  The final victory is assured!  We are conquerors.  We are overcomers.  We are victors.  We are not in our spiritual warfare to either lose or draw.  Good losers are just that: losers!)

Daniel 3:16-17  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.  (17)  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

Philippians 1:20-21  According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always,so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.  (21)  For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.