I want to thank you for coming out on this cold February morning. We salute our heroes today. [There are] icy roads and what a winter its been! Im grateful you took the chance, your car started, and that you made it here safe and sound. That film (Flight 93) really is an experience that hopefully none of us will ever be in. Thats the essence of what were talking about in this series called Heroes. That flight was [filled with] ordinary people who ended up doing an extraordinarily brave thing. There are times when God calls on ordinary people like you and me to do something extraordinary. We can do something extraordinary because we serve a supernatural God. We have been challenged from His word and from heroes of the faith to be more than what we are, to recognize that our lives-when used by God-can make an impact, and we can change our world. So, as we approach the sermon this morning, were thinking, Why are we saluting military, police, and firemen? Its not Memorial Day or Veterans Day. You know what? It doesnt have to be. It is a just because day. I recently had a friend who rather spontaneously decided to tell me what my friendship meant to them and how Id inspired them to be more than what they were over the years. I was very humbled by the words spoken of how Id invested in their lives. Because of that investment, it has contributed largely to who they are and what they have been able to accomplish. I was very humbled by that but also very appreciative of that simple thank you. Our service this morning is not going to be elaborate. Its not going to be full of pomp and circumstance. Its just a simple acknowledgment of thanks. I think sometimes those are the best kind of thanks. You say, Why would we honor our police, firemen, and military in this series that weve been on? Well, its a natural outflow, really. We have learned in this series that when you stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves, when you protect and defend the innocent, when you oppose evil-you stand up against it, youre doing the work of God. Our law enforcement who are fighting crime here at home or those who are fighting terrorists overseas, [we honor them as heroes]. It never amazes me how low the terrorists can go, but just this past week, you heard the nauseating story about how in Iraq, they put bombs on two disabled women and put them in a crowd of people. They then detonated them. How low can you go? How evil can you be? Thats what our troops are up against there. I think of the people in our church who have left and who are heroes. We honor them, so it is fitting and appropriate that we do that this morning. As an example to a hero of faith, Im going to turn in our Bibles to the Book of Acts. The Apostle Paul in the 14th chapter is on a mission. He is on a mission to share the Gospel with everyone he can. He wanted to tell all he could about the Good News of Jesus Christ. His companion there is Barnabas, which means son of encouragement. He is such an encourager that they changed his name to son of encouragement. The two of them are doing some amazing things as they leave that which is familiar. Theyve traveled in Jewish circles, and now they are going into Gentile cities where they dont have the law. They dont have the Old Testament. They dont know of the Prophets. They are just learning who God is, and Paul is bringing a very basic message of hope, peace and faith. While in a city called Lystra, in Acts 14:8, we read an account of him healing a man who was born without the ability to walk. People see this, and they are astounded at the miracle. They come to the conclusion that these men in fact are not men; these men are gods who have come down to us in human flesh. According to their religion, that must mean that Barnabas is Zeus, and Paul-since he is the chief spokesman-is Hermes or Mercury. So the high priest goes to get bulls to sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas. When Paul and Barnabas see this, they are appalled by that. Were not here for us! We didnt heal this man. We dont have that kind of power. Were here to testify to the living God who created the Heavens and the earth-who made you. We have a message from Him to you. Dont worship us! Were simply the messengers! In spite of this, they still can hardly keep the crowd from worshipping them. Then, some enemies of the Gospel come in from a city called Iconium and Antioch. It says in Verse 19 (page 1094 of pew Bibles) that they won the crowd over. They began to work the crowd; they began to lobby the crowd; they began to tell lies and distortions about the Apostles Paul and Barnabas. These are bad men! These are evil men! These are men who are opposed to God! These are men who cause trouble wherever they go! Then in a matter of moments, this crowd that had once worshipped them was now trying to destroy them. In fact, the very next verse says they stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. One moment, he was a hero. One moment, he was worshipped and praised. The next moment, that fickle crowd wanted to take his life. How quickly people forgot the miracle. How quickly people forgot the gift. Ive shared with you in the past that my family and I were on vacation in New York right after the events of 9-11. It was a vacation we had previously planned [before the events of 9-11], so we decided to go through with it, keep our flight, and not let what had happened ruin our vacation. We happened to be there the first day in Manhattan where they opened up Ground Zero to the public. We were able to walk right up to the ruins, look inside, and see the devastation. We could smell the smell and see-a couple months-later how they were still pouring water every 15 minutes on the wreckage and debris. The smoke was still ascending into the air all those weeks later. It was an astonishing thing. One thing that was really astonishing to see was if you were wearing a uniform, you were a hero. If you were in a policemans uniform, a firemans uniform, or a military uniform, people were coming up to you in droves, posing with you for pictures and shaking your hand. [People were] even giving hugs out, telling them how much they appreciated their sacrifice and diligence. There were some officers who literally had lines around them as tourists and New Yorkers waited to get close to them for a picture. There were guys who a couple of months ago, you would have walked right by them and not even have acknowledged them, and now they are heroes. Yankees and Mets caps were traded for caps of NYPD and the fire department. People were walking around with those T-shirts and those hats all over the city. These men are just being worshipped as heroes-and rightly so. Hundreds lost their lives that fateful day trying to save people. I happen to believe that had something like that-had a terrorist attack happen in our community-law enforcement and our responders in this community would have likewise put their lives on the line to save and protect us. I wonder what its like in New York today. I have not been back. I wonder if the crowds are still coming up to the officers and asking to pose for a picture. I wonder if they are still coming up to the firemen and saying thank you. We walked by many different places. We walked a lot in New York. You dont drive; you walk. We learned our lesson right away as we drove our van with our Wisconsin license plates into New York-big mistake. We didnt even do anything wrong, and they were like, Go back to Wisconsin! It was a little bit rude. If youre not in a taxi cab there, youre really not welcome, so everybody walks or takes the subways. We parked our car, and we walked everywhere. We walked to Times Square; we walked to Broadway; we walked to the parade; we walked to the Empire State Building. Other places, we would take a taxi or a bus. We walked by several fire departments and saw pictures there of those from that ladder who had been slain. It made it so real when youd walk by that station and think just a couple of months ago, these young men Im looking at were fathers, husbands and sons full of life, health and energy. Now, theyre in the ground. Maybe they are still buried in those ruins a couple blocks from where I am right now. All around those sites were flowers, candles, teddy bears, notes and cards. I wonder if theyre still there. I wonder if youd walk by those same stations and see that kind of thing. The truth of it is people are fickle, and people forget. We shouldnt forget. We should always honor and appreciate. Thats what this is about. So, they turn on Paul. They throw stones at him, and one those stones causes Paul to fall. Then another and another [are thrown]. Pretty soon, Paul is lying lifeless. Whether hes unconscious or whether he is faking in some way to pretend like hes dead so they wont continue to strike him with stones, we dont know. They drag him outside the city, and they leave him for dead. Barnabas and the others gather around him and pray. Something astonishing happens in Verse 20. It says, But after the Disciples had gathered around him… presumable to check out the extent of his injuries and to pray for him, to cry and do what they could to help, …he got up… Thats not the most miraculous thing; thats not the most miraculous thing that Paul could go through this kind of a trauma and get up. To me, the most miraculous thing about this verse is what Paul does after he gets up. It says that he got up and went back into the city. He went back in! How traumatized would you be after something like that. Would you go back to the same place that had just tried to harm you? Odds are, youd say, Man, Id try to get as far away from that place as I could! Paul goes back in, why? Because of his mission. Because of the mission. There was a call; there was a need. Christ had called him, and Christ compelled him to go. There is another time in Scripture that is very similar (in Acts 21) where Pauls journeys are taking him to the city of Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, as you know, they are hostile to the message of the Gospel. They see the message of the Gospel as something that must be stopped, as something that is not of God. Paul is determined to go there. While hes there, he meets some believers on his way in a city called Ptolemais. They meet some believers there, and eventually they go to Caesarea, to the home of Philip-the evangelist. In Verse 11 of Chapter 21 (page 1102 of pew Bibles), we meet a new character. His name is Agabus. Some of you expectant mothers out there looking for a nice Biblical name for your children: Agabus. It could work for a female too; you could call her Aggie. Then again, the name means locus, so maybe you better not. Sometimes I kind of wonder what the parents were thinking, a little locus, Well, he eats a lot and has a weird hum. What about Agabus? Whatever the reason why, here he comes. He must be a man of respect because Paul and everybody recognize him. They give him an audience. They listen to what he has to say. It says, Coming over to us, Agabus took Pauls belt… Paul has no idea what hes going to do; he just trusts him. …and he ties his own hands and feet with it and said, The Holy Spirit says, In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles. Thats not good news. The last time one of theirs was handed over to the Gentiles in this manner, it was the Lord Jesus Christ. We know what happened to Him; He was crucified. Now theyre very concerned, not only for Pauls safety-not only for Pauls ministry-but for his very life. Verse 12 says, When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. They begged him! Dont go, why? They loved him. They didnt want to see any harm brought to him. They didnt want his ministry to come to an end. Hed been a father to them. Hed been a mentor in the faith to them. Hed been a brother to them, and they didnt want to see him hurt anymore. Do you know what that verse reminds me of? That verse reminds me of the brave fathers and mothers who send their sons and daughters in harms way; the brave spouses, husbands and wives who let their loved one go off to fight the battle; the brave little sons and daughters who have to say good-bye to mommies and daddies. If one of my children came home and told me they wanted to go into law enforcement, the fire-fighting business, wanted to join the military, there would be part of me that would be very proud, and there would also be the dad part of me that would be very scared. I would have to take that fear and bring it to the throne of God and ask for Gods help and strength. That is these brave people. I think we need to acknowledge them and thank them for their bravery and their sacrifice. Listen to what Paul says, Because youre obviously sad and crying, I guess I wont go… Nope. Paul is moved by them, but he says, Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem… He said, I understand the risks. I know whats at stake. I know what can happen to me, but it doesnt deter me. It doesnt slow me down. This is where I feel God is compelling me to go. I need to go. I appreciate your love; I appreciate your concern, and I love you too, but the Gospel is the most important thing to me. My mission, and so I must go. I think there are some heroes in this congregation. I think of Dani Dean, Pastor Jerrys oldest daughter. A couple of weeks ago, we called her out of church at the 11 oclock service and brought her forward. We prayed for her. She is right now preparing herself to go to Iraq. She is going to be driving a supply truck, like Brenda did, and serving our country there. I said, How are you feeling about this, Dani? She said, Im ready. I know theyre going to prepare me. I know theyre going to get me ready. I know its a dangerous place, but Im not afraid. Im ready to go. I think about Sergeant Lalor right here at our church. His job is to keep order in the jail. Hes attacked every week. Hes threatened every week. He gets up, puts on his uniform, and he goes and does his job. When I was growing up, I lived near a fire station. I mean right smack next to a fire station. There was our apartment complex, a four-family dwelling, there was another building, and then there was the fire department. The firemen there were not just firemen. They were some of my friends. This weather brings back memories because they used to plow around the flag pole this big pile of snow. The firemen would let us go out there and play king of the mountain, one of the funnest games ever invented. There is still a part of me that when I see a big hill wants to climb to the top of it and say, Go on! Thats a fun game. Theyd come out there and play with us sometimes. We had snowball fights with Hummer and Doc. These were my friends. Many times, we played basketball with them behind the firehouse in the driveway there. We shot hoops with them into my teen years. I remember so many nights lying in my bedroom, and that siren would go off. It was so loud because we were right there. It would pretty much wake you up every time. It could be a cold wintery day like this, maybe 2 or 3 oclock in the morning, and the siren would go off. Youd lay in bed going, Oh, man, Im glad thats not me going off to fight a fire at this time of night. Or there would be a thunderstorm, thunder and lightning crashing. There were dangerous conditions, and youd hear that siren. More often than not, youd hear that siren when there was a really bad thunderstorm. Almost every time, theyd go out. Id think, Oh, man, Im glad Im not going out in this scary thunderstorm to fight a fire. You know what I would think even as a little guy? I would think, I sure am glad they are there. I sure am glad theyre there. I would think if a fire ever happened in our house, man, its pretty cool they are only a hundred feet away. Thats kind of a cool thing. They could almost reach their hoses to our apartment from there. That would have helped us a lot! I appreciated the fact that they knew the danger; yet, they were willing to go. You and I go to work on Monday morning-although I dont; Mondays my day off, ha ha. When we go to work on Monday, we dont worry about boy, I hope I dont get killed at the office today! You know when they put on that uniform, they put on that badge, they put that gun in its holster and they go to work, they could be [killed] that day. They could be in a life-threatening situation that day. Of course, our brave fighting men and women are in harms way in the line of duty every day because there is a mission; there is a cause. It might be the cost of freedom; it might be the cost of protecting the innocent. That cause they put over self-preservation, and they go, just like the Apostle Paul. Notice what he says. Paul is not just foolishly trying to be careless with his life. He says, I am willing to die for the name of the Lord Jesus. Hes not simply trying to impress, trying to show off with a bunch of false bravado about how brave he is, how courageous he is. Paul says, I will die for the mission of the Lord Jesus Christ. I will risk my life to save people and to serve Him. Why was Paul so passionate? Because Paul had been given a great gift. Do you know anything about church history? Do you know anything about what Paul was? Before he was Paul, he was Saul of Tarsus. He was an enemy of the church. In fact, he was public enemy number one. His goal and his quest were not just to thwart Christianity. It was to eradicate Christianity and Christians from the face of the earth, not just through teaching and philosophy, but through violence and death if necessary. In the Book of Acts, we read about the first Christian martyr Steven. It says that men were throwing their cloaks, throwing their tunics, at the feet of the Apostle Paul-of a young man named Saul. That means that Paul was not only giving approval, but he was the instigator. He was the organizer of that lynch mob which took that innocent mans life. He was going into homes, arresting them, dragging them out, throwing them in prison and killing them if necessary. He was doing it, he thought, in the name of his god. One day, Paul was on the road to Damascus. Several others were with him, and he was seeking government papers to continue on his raid of Christians when he encountered a bright light-a brilliant light like you and I have never seen. It knocks him off his horse, knocks him to the ground, and a voice speaks from that light. It calls him by name, and it asks him a question. The voice says, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Paul has to think, Persecuting? How can I persecute You, whoever You are? Youre divine. Youre speaking from Heaven in a light. How have I persecuted You? Who are You, Lord? He says, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Christ identifies Himself with His church. I am Jesus. Can you imagine whats going through Pauls mind when he finds out? He thinks all this time hes been fighting for the big guy upstairs. Hes been fighting against this heretic Jesus and his blasphemy and all these other heretics that are following him. Hes trying to rid Jerusalem and the surrounding regions of this plague called the way that is converting people by the thousands. It seems like the harder he works, the bigger it grows. It seems like the more he punishes and the more he persecutes, the wider it spreads. Hes frustrated, yet he fights on to end this scourge. Then you find out that the one you are fighting against is actually the big guy upstairs. I wonder if this is what was going through Pauls mind, Uh oh! Uh oh! Big trouble! Right? Do you think if anybody is going to get a lightning bolt, if anybody is going to get judged, its going to be the guy thats trying to destroy the work of God? Everybody in this room is a sinner here today. Everybody in this room struggles with sin. I dont think anybody here has ever tried to single-handedly eradicate Christianity off the face of the earth even if it meant killing other Christians. Thats what Paul did. I think if God was going to forgive Paul for that, maybe he could forgive you too for your sins. Do you think? Christ extends grace and love to Paul. This one who he could have just punished, judged and struck down, He extends grace and He gives him a mission. He gives him restoration and forgiveness. He says, Paul, I can use a guy like you. Your courage and your zeal and your passion… If you were on My side, Paul, we could impact this world. Paul will never forget the grace, the love, and the forgiveness that he received on that road. Paul says, Friends, I know youre concerned for me, but I want you to know this: Ill go to prison; Ill be beaten; Ill even die for that name, Jesus Christ, because I am so grateful for the life that I have, scars and all. We have people in this country serving our country and serving our citizenship who love America so much-they love our citizens so much-that theyd put their very life at risk to do that. They have a purpose and a mission that is greater than their own agendas. We want to honor them this morning. We are going to watch a clip right now, and this is just a very short clip of one of our Veterans talking about his experience in the war. Lets watch that together.. One of the most powerful quotes I ever read was from one of the survivors of 9-11. He was talking about how law enforcement, the EMTs, and the fire departments were responding. He said, As we were running out of the buildings to save our lives, as we were running out, they were running in. They were running in. Thats the kind of bravery and courage we salute today. Im going to ask if you are here this morning and you have served in our military or are serving in our military-maybe youre on leave; if you have been involved in the volunteer fire department or as a fireman; if you are in law enforcement, serving us in that way, would you come forward right now and stand right here facing the congregation? Im not going to ask you to make a speech. You just have to save your name and tell us where you served. If you were in the war, where did you serve? What operation or what department were you in? Were not going to embarrass you. Youre not going to have to say anything. We just want to acknowledge you. Last night, at the Saturday night service, we were lined up-as bad as the weather was-all the way across. Men from the VFW were here in their uniforms. It was a very moving thing. Come on up and dont be shy. We would appreciate that. Wed like you to say your name, where you served and maybe what years you were there or what your position was. Father, we thank You for these men and women who have come forward. We thank You for their faithfulness in responding to the call of their country and the citizens. Lord, we dont want to forget their training, their sacrifice, their hard work, their willingness to serve. We thank You this morning for their bravery. We pray also for those who are currently in service. We pray for Cricket, Joshuas mom, in Iraq. We pray for Dani Dean as well as she prepares to depart for Iraq. We pray for those in law enforcement in this congregation. Lord, Your word says that when you stand up for the innocent-when you stand up against injustice, evil, whatever form it might manifest itself in, You save and protect lives. Youre doing the Lords work, so we honor you for that. We thank You that they are a part of our church and a part of our community. We pray Your blessings upon them, upon their walk, and upon their families. We thank You that they are here safely this morning. We respect and honor them today. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen. Thank you for coming forward today and letting us demonstrate our love for you today. Ive learned-just in a few services-some of our body who are involved in this way that I didnt even realize. I hope that some of you will buy this tape and give it to some friends. You can say, This is what we did at our church this week, and this is a thank you-a little bit about what you mean to me. I wanted you to hear these words. I hope that youll do that. You could be sending the sermon to some other part of the country. You can send it on a link. Maybe well get some other churches around the country to do something similar in their churches. Maybe we can create a little ripple here. I hope so.