"A Few Good Men!"

“A FEW GOOD MEN!”

1 Chronicles 11:15-19, Now three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam, while the army of the Philistines was camping in the valley of Rephaim. [16] And David was then in the stronghold, while the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. [17] And David had a craving and said, "Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!" [18] So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David; nevertheless David would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord; [19] and he said, "Be it far from me before my God that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives? For at the risk of their lives they brought it." Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

PRAYER…

INTRODUCTION:

Memorial Day is a time to remember and honor…

-To remember and honor those who sacrificed their lives to keep ours free…

-To thank, if you will, those who gave in helping to secure our Country’s freedom…

Maybe even to remember and honor those who raised us…our moms and dads.

-Remembering the sacrifices they made to feed and clothe us…

-Remembering the sacrifices they made to protect and educate us…

ALL OF WHICH fall under the heading of being a “sacrifice of love.”

The sacrifices that Memorial Day commemorates, are very much a Sacrifice of Love.

ILLUSTRATION:

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service.

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5th, 1868 by General John Logan, the national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic.

It 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.

While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day.

-It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860’s tapped into the general human need to honor our dead.

-Even Boalsburg, PA is in the running as the Birth-place of Memorial Day.

All in all, it is a day that we remember and honor those who gave themselves for us…

-Securing our freedoms…

-Defending the innocent…

-Preserving the world…

All of us would agree that those who did so are GOOD MEN!

In fact, the U.S. Military are still in search for “A Few Good Men” today…

-They are always in the market for more.

-Army – Navy – Air Force – Marines – Reserves

-You can “Be all that you can be, in the Army!”

-Uncle Sam still wants you!

Well, I want to tell you that God is in the market for “A Few Good Men” too!!!

He is looking around for those who will stand tall and strong for the Him.

-For those who are not ashamed of the Gospel…

-For those who will be a voice crying in the wilderness…

-For those who will not buckle under that weight of the cares and concerns of this age…

-For those will not get entangled in the things that so easily distract us…

Titus 2:14, “…who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

Let me tell you Church that Jesus is still looking for “A Few Good Men” this morning.

-He is always in the market for people who are willing to take up the challenge to fight the good fight of faith – and who won’t shrink back!

Jesus is looking for “A Few Good Men”…

The U.S. Military is always in need of them…

And actually, David had “a few good men” too.

In fact, he had several that were dedicated to him and were loyal to his causes.

He had TWO Groups of THREE men who stood out in a crowd of 30…

-In II Samuel 23:8-12 the first group of THREE Mighty Men are described…

Josheb-Basshebeth – killed 800 men

Eleazar – while others were retreating, he fought till his sword was “welded” to his hand

Shammah – risked his life by defending a lentil field that belonged to the Lord