A Salute To Our Military

Bible Book: Hebrews 11

Subject: Veterans Day; America; Military

Introduction

In 1954 the United States Congress officially proclaimed November 11 as Veterans Day--a day to pay tribute to all the men and women who have served in the American armed forces. In keeping with that theme, my subject today is "A Salute to Our Military."

In giving that salute, I want to call attention to Hebrews, chapter 11. In that chapter--and the chapter which follows--three truths about military people come into focus, and those truths are applicable to the military personnel who serve our country. In Hebrews 11 we are made aware of some important truths.

I. THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR MILITARY

Hebrews 11 is God's "honor roll of faith." God could have chosen from hundreds or even thousands of people, but in that honor roll of faith he selected sixteen people to identify by name--and four of them were military. Several were military in a broad sense, but four were professional military men. Look, please, at verses 32-34:

"And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah; of David also and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens."

It is surely not coincidental that of the sixteen heroes of faith identified by name in this chapter, four of them--twenty-five percent of them--are military. The fact that our Lord would give military people such prominence in his select roll call of faith surely says something about the importance of the military in his sight.

A strong military has been important in all generations--so important, in fact, that no society can get along without them--the reason being that sinful human nature has to be restrained. If there were no military personnel willing to fight for freedom and justice, nations could not be free. Were it not for our military, America could not remain a free country.

While you and I are never to go charging off as vigilantes, at the same time the Bible teaches that wrath is to be executed upon evil-doers--and that certainly includes those who do evil to our nation.

And how is that wrath against evil-doers to be executed? According to Romans 13, it is to be done by duly constituted government authority. In that regard, Romans 13:4 says, "For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil."

Well, how do governments carry out that God-ordained responsibility to execute wrath upon evil doers? The answer is that governments carry out that function through human instrumentality. That's why we have police forces. That's also why we have the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marines, the Coast Guard, and the National Guard--to protect our nation, and to defend our nation when it is threatened or attacked. That's why our military personnel are so very important.

During the Vietnam war, a young helicopter pilot from New Hampshire went down and was killed. His parents had these words by John Stuart Mills engraved on his tombstone:

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing is worth a war is worse. A man who has nothing which he cares more about than his own personal safety is a miserable creature, and has no chance of being free unless he is made free and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

So, on this day we salute all of those who have served in America's armed forces, placing themselves in harm's way--and in many cases giving their lives--for the protection and welfare of their countrymen. We salute those who have served in the past, and those who serve today.

But this passage in Hebrews 11 not only helps us to see the importance of our military; it also reminds us of...

II. THE HONOR DUE OUR MILITARY

Regarding those heroes of faith of whom we read in Hebrews 11, with sixteen of them being identified by name, and four of those being soldiers, here's what the Bible says in the first part of Hebrews 11:38: "(Of whom the world was not worthy:)...." God places such a high value on the contribution they made that the Bible says the world was not worthy of what they did. What an honor for those military personnel and other heroes of faith to have that kind of a tribute paid them by the inspired writer in the Word of God.

In like manner, those who have served nobly in the military in the generations since then are also deserving of honor. In Romans 13:6-7 we read:

"For this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor."

How can you and I honor our military personnel, who lay their lives on the line for us?

For one thing, we can pray for them. In 1 Samuel 12:23 the old prophet said, "God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you." We need to pray regularly for our president and other leaders--and we need to pray for the people in uniform who are risking their lives for our country and for our communities.

Another way we can honor them is by providing for their material needs. In Luke 10:7 Jesus said: "...the laborer is worthy of his hire...." We've gotten our values and our priorities all mixed up in America. Things are badly out of kilter when athletes are paid hundreds of thousands, or in some cases even millions, of dollars to hit a ball, shoot a ball through a hoop, or play football, and yet those who lay their very lives on the line--and sometimes shed their blood--for our safety just barely make enough to get by. What a sad thing that our government shells out multiplied millions of dollars for unnecessary pork-barrel projects, and yet some of those who serve in the military have to get food stamps to feed their families. You and I need to let our senators and representatives hear from us--they need to know that we Americans want our military personnel to be adequately paid.

We can honor our military by showing proper respect for them. I realize, of course, that respect is a two-way street. Not only are we obligated to give respect, but those who serve are also obligated to earn respect. There are some in every walk of life who prove unworthy and are a disappointment and an embarrassment, and they ought to be dealt with firmly. But we shouldn't let their dismal behavior sour us on the many who serve with integrity and faithfulness.

I get rather "outdone" with those self-appointed critics, those arm-chair philosophers, who sit around and constantly berate those who are sincerely trying to do a good job in serving their country. Please don't misunderstand me. There is a place for honest, constructive criticism. We ought to "call a spade a spade." We ought to correct wrongs, and in no uncertain terms. But I'm talking about those who sit around in their easy chairs and continually gripe, who constantly criticize those who are laying their lives on the line for the rest of us. I appreciate what Theodore Roosevelt said:

"It's not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming: who does actually try to do the deed: who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

We can honor our military by saying "thank you." Someone has said that the machinery of this old world would run a lot more smoothly if the oil of appreciation were applied more often. When you and I see a member of the army, navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, or National Guard, we ought to just go up to them and say, "Thank you for the job you do. Thank you for laying your life on the line for the rest of us."

Someone has rightly said, "Freedom is not free." You and I are free to worship in this church building today, unhindered and unrestricted, because of the sacrifices others have made. Rudyard Kipling wrote, "All we have of freedom, all we use or know--This our fathers bought for us long and long ago."

So, today we salute those who have served in the past, some of whom died in defending our freedom--and we salute those who are serving today in our armed forces.

Not only does the writer of Hebrews remind us of the importance of the military, and of the honor due them, he also reminds us of...

III. THE CHALLENGE FROM OUR MILITARY

Having listed those great heroes of faith, four of whom were in the military, the inspired writer goes on to say, in 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."

The lives of those who have lived so nobly before us are a challenge to us to live nobly, as well, so that their sacrifices were not in vain. President Abraham Lincoln, speaking at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, made these unforgettable statements:

"The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people. shall not perish from the earth."

We must never forget what has been done for us by those who have laid their lives on the line for you and me--many of whom died in the process. Their sacrifices challenge you and me to be what we ought for the generation that will follow us. As the song-writer expressed it, "May those who come behind us find us faithful."

But the inspired writer makes it clear that there's only one way we can rise to the challenge given us by those great heroes of faith named in Hebrews 11. Look, please, at Hebrews 12:2-4:

"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. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be weary and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin."

It was by faith that the four men named in Hebrews 11:32--Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, and David-- became great soldiers. Gideon, through faith, overcame fear and became a valiant leader of his army. Barak was also timid and hesitant, but through faith got the job done. Jephthah was born out of wedlock, and was run off by his half-brothers, yet through faith overcame his sad background and became a successful military leader. David, in spite of a tragic moral lapse, repented and got right with God and is regarded in the Bible as one of the greatest men in all of Jewish history.

In like manner, you can--through faith in the living Christ--overcome whatever obstacles beset your path. You can overcome a sordid past. You can overcome personal doubt and insecurity. You can overcome whatever moral lapses have occurred. But you can't do it in your own strength--you can only do it through the power of God, as you surrender your life in repentance and faith to the crucified, risen, living Son of God.

His power can make you what you ought to be, His blood can cleanse your heart and set you free; His love can fill your soul, and you will see

That it was best for him to have his way with thee.

Conclusion

Years ago I used to read a conservative newspaper columnist who, after discussing some vital issue of the day, would always close his column with this question: "Where do you stand?" I want to close this message by asking that same question: Where do you stand--with God? In Matthew 12:30 Jesus said: "He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." You can't plead the fifth amendment when it comes to Jesus. You can't straddle a spiritual fence. Either you're for him, or you're against him.