Mighty for God

[0:00] 2 Samuel chapter 23. I want to read the first seven verses and complete the poem, but I really want to spend most of our time digging in the first.

[0:30] Verse 39. So let me read verses 1 through 7. It says, And I want to focus here at verse 3 when he says,

[1:35] And that's really the best, you know, way things should be. Whenever the leaders of a nation, of an organization are fearful of God, it's beneficial for that organization and all those who belong to it.

[1:56] But when they're not, it's the reverse. It ends up being disastrous. I like to read, and one of the books I picked up recently was Hitler's Cross.

[2:07] And it's written by Erwin Lutzer, if you've heard of him before. And basically what he writes about is he talks about the church in Germany and how it interacted with Hitler during that time where he was in control.

[2:26] And talks about how a lot of pastors, the majority of pastors and churches during that time in Germany really caved to Hitler. And they, you know, brought the swastikas into their church, and they even mixed up the Lord's Prayer, and they added things about, you know, being loyal to Hitler and to the nation.

[2:47] And so there were some, thankfully, some pastors who were really adamantly against that. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, many of you have heard of him before, was one of those who ultimately gave his life as a result of his resistance to what the church, for the most part in Germany, was willing to give into to Adolf Hitler and his cronies.

[3:11] And so I was reading that book, and it's good, and then in the book the author mentions another book, and it was The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.

[3:22] So then I bought that book, and that book came this week, and it's about this big. And so I've read a couple chapters, and I'm like, man, this is really interesting, but I don't know that I'm going to stay this interested all the way to the end.

[3:36] I got, you know, I got to make time for reading the Bible and stuff, too. But anyhow, it's interesting because you learn about, what I'm interested is how Adolf Hitler is such a loser in life.

[3:50] I mean, he was such a nobody. You would never have thought that such a man could attain the power that he ended up attaining. And so it talks about his upbringing and sort of how the Nazi Party got started and who he surrounded himself with.

[4:06] And the guys that he surrounded himself were almost as evil as he was, willing to lie and to cheat and to kill if necessary in order to accumulate power, and they did.

[4:20] And for a while, they were very mighty as a nation, but we saw that eventually that all, thank God, crumbled and fell apart. And Hitler's plan or, you know, a vision for the people is that this is a kingdom that will last for a thousand years.

[4:36] And thankfully, it was only for 12, but that was a terrible 12-year period in the history of this world. And so what I wanted to focus more on was David and the men who he surrounded himself with, and primarily talking about how we can become mighty for God.

[4:55] David was successful, as he points out. He talks about being the son of Jesse, and he does that to talk about his humble upbringing. And if you remember, he was out in the fields.

[5:06] He was out shepherding sheep when Samuel came. He had already received that anointing from God, but Samuel, you know, surely it's his brother. And now it's this brother. And now it's that brother. And then finally they bring in David, and that's him, you know, and he couldn't believe it.

[5:20] But David was humble, and David surrounded himself with men who were mighty in the right way, not like evil people like Adolf Hitler do.

[5:31] And so we see in verse 8, the first principle for becoming mighty for God is that becoming mighty for God requires preparation. Preparation, preparation in verse 8 and 9.

[5:46] It says, These are the names of the mighty men whom David had. Joseph Bechebeth, a Tacamanite.

[5:56] He was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against 800 whom he killed at once. And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar, the son of Dodo, son of Ahohai.

[6:09] He was with David when they defeated the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel withdrew. So first of all, we talk about this guy who killed 800 people with a spear.

[6:25] And you don't kill 800 people with a spear unless you're prepared to do that, right? You don't just one day pick up the spear and think, Huh, I think I could annihilate these people with this thing, right?

[6:36] I mean, there's probably a lot of practice. You think just like in anything, he's learning how to throw it and be accurate with it and developing that skill so that he was prepared for whenever the day would come where he would have to fight for God and defend God's people.

[6:55] So he may have probably started as a child just practicing with a spear, and he may have even had a mentor or a coach, somebody who could refine his ability and help him to be even more prepared.

[7:09] He may have faced certainly other challenges in battle that prepared him for this fateful day. And he had to prepare his spear also for the task, making sure that it was ready, making sure that it was sharp, making sure that it was in good condition so that he was prepared for when the day came.

[7:32] So we understand, too, that when there's no preparation, there's no victory. When there's no preparation, there's no victory. That means there's no honor. And when there's no preparation, it usually also follows that there's not any opportunity.

[7:47] Muhammad Ali, the boxer that many of you know, I'm sure all of you know very well, he said, The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, beyond the lines in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.

[8:05] And so that's certainly talking about preparation and the importance of it if you're going to be victorious in battle. If you try to cut corners on your preparation, if you try to do it the easy way, if you insist on doing it your way no matter what, instead of learning what others have gone through before you and what they have done, you will find yourself languishing on the sidelines, ultimately in defeat.

[8:29] And you will find yourself vanquished by the challenge that is facing you. So here's some application. One of the greatest fears that I think Christians have is sharing their faith.

[8:42] And so how do we overcome that fear? Because obviously we know that God wants us to go and to share the gospel with unbelievers that they would hear and have opportunity to receive Christ as their Savior as well.

[8:56] And I don't think that it's not that Christians don't want to, it's just that they're afraid to. So how would you prepare? If we're taking that, you know, we see that preparation is critical for being mighty, so then how do we prepare to become better or feel more like we're ready to evangelize?

[9:17] Well, I think one of those things would be first to pray. You know, ask God to help you to prepare. The second would be to read Scripture. The more you read Scripture, the more you'll, I think, feel that calling that you must go and share, and the better you'll be armed.

[9:34] Whenever somebody has questions or whenever you do talk to them and you find out about what's going on in their life and you have Scripture that the Holy Spirit can bring to mind that you can share with them.

[9:44] So praying and reading the Bible, being active in your church, and I think also the best way that I learn is by watching somebody else. I am very thankful for YouTube because I'm not skilled mechanically.

[10:02] But if I can watch somebody fix something like the garbage disposal, I've had to change a headlight on Danny's car that required taking the whole front bumper off of the car, and so I'd just watch, I'd pull up a YouTube video and I'd watch it, and I'd watch the guy go step by step, and I'd pause at each step and do it.

[10:20] And so one of the ways that we can be better prepared as evangelists is to go with somebody who is skilled at evangelism, somebody who is prepared, somebody who is not as fearful or timid in that situation, and watch how they do it and watch how they interact.

[10:38] And as a result of that, you will feel more prepared and less fearful. So being prepared makes you mighty for God. Also what makes you mighty for God, becoming mighty for God, requires endurance.

[10:52] Verses 9 and 10. We read verse 9, we'll go on to verse 10. He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword.

[11:03] And the Lord brought about a great victory that day, and the men returned after him only to strip the slain. So first, if we're prepared, and then secondly, to be mighty for God requires endurance.

[11:16] With preparation, we must then also have endurance. And what's interesting here is that Eliezer, who's being talked about, continued to endure the punishment of battle, so much so that David says that his hand was welded to his sword.

[11:32] You guys have ever been out working hard, you know, in your garden or shoveling, whatever, especially if you had a manual labor job when you were in high school or something.

[11:42] You kind of know that feeling. Your hand just wraps around, and you don't feel like you can pry it off. So you know that this guy has been swinging the sword for quite a while, that his hand is welded to it, but he's prepared, and he has endurance, and so he was able to be mighty for God because he had stamina.

[12:01] I like this quote that says, endurance equals how much pain your body can take and still perform close to 100%, but stamina equals how long your body can take pain and still perform close to 100%.

[12:16] So the difference is that endurance is how much you can take while still being at your best, whereas stamina is how much you can take while still being as close to your best as you can be.

[12:27] So again, it draws up imagery of a boxing match. You know, the one who has endurance and stamina is the one who's able to go, you know, all 12 or 13 rounds and still be close to being at his best as he was in the early rounds of the match.

[12:44] Endurance means taking hits and still thinking clearly, whereas stamina means outlasting your opponent for the three minutes of that round. But endurance is more than simply physical.

[12:57] It's also mental, and it's definitely spiritual as well. Think of the Apostle Paul at the end of his life when he says to Timothy, he says, Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

[13:09] No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

[13:21] It is the hardworking farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. And then later in 2 Timothy 4, verses 6 and 8, he writes, For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.

[13:40] I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day.

[13:52] And not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing. And so he's talking about being prepared and following that with endurance, and especially endurance in the face of discouragement.

[14:04] Endurance in the face of those who would want you to fail. Endurance in the face of temptation to sin. And then we come to the third man, Shammah, the son of Aji, verses 11 through 12.

[14:19] Let's read that, and then I'll tell you the next requirement for being mighty for God. And next to him was Shammah, the son of Aji, the Heraites. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the men fled from the Philistines.

[14:36] But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines. And the Lord worked a great victory. So being prepared, having endurance, and then becoming mighty for God requires steadfastness.

[14:52] Being steadfast. Well, what does that mean? The Bible, or not the Bible, the dictionary's definition is that steadfastness means being resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering.

[15:07] And so, we are called upon to engage in spiritual conflict. We see from Scripture, remembering that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

[15:24] And we may wish to avoid or even ignore that spiritual war, but that war is pressed as it is by the dominion of darkness. And it's interesting in victimizing you.

[15:35] You know, you may not want to engage in that battle, but Satan's going to draw you into it. You know, you don't really have a choice as a Christian to sit on the sidelines.

[15:47] You are going to be engaged in the battle. And so, if that's the case, since that's the case, we must learn to be steadfast as well. Again, remember that the church is called upon to press this engagement.

[15:59] This is warfare at the most fundamental levels of life, where the dominion of darkness may take people captive at the very center of their being.

[16:10] And so, we as the church are to take ground back, I think, from Satan. We are to be on the offensive as well, not just the defensive, but on the offensive.

[16:23] Let's go into the places where Satan doesn't want us to go, and let's reclaim ground that has been lost, and let's do so for the glory of Jesus Christ.

[16:34] If you think about the heroes of pop culture, like Superman and Batman, The Flash, Captain America, really, in reality, they're wimps compared to men and women in the Bible.

[16:47] And you see what they've endured and what they've gone through and how they were steadfast, many of them in resolute to the end. And we are thankful for men and women like that, who were willing to stand against popular opinion that was going against God and what God was calling them to do.

[17:07] Just think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, right? Three who were willing to stand steadfast against popular opinion. In Daniel, there's many.

[17:19] Jesus' disciples, we saw that many of them lost their lives as a result of their taking the gospel. They were willing to be steadfast in their devotion to the Lord.

[17:31] And then the third mighty man that David speaks of, again, Shema, that's a hard name to pronounce, reminds us of all of this, and it reminds us, he reminds us that there are some things that are indeed worth dying for.

[17:45] It reminds us there are some things that are also worth living for because he was willing to stand resolute because he knew that what he was doing and standing for was important.

[17:58] And so a steadfast man is not moved by circumstances. He's not imitated, imitated, excuse me, by opposition. He's not willing to give up, not able to compromise the safety and health of his people, his family, and his home.

[18:14] And right now, as Christians, we live in times where we need to be steadfast, don't we? You know, talking about what's happening right now in our culture and, you know, with the NFL protests that happened today and, you know, everything is highly politicized and people have strong opinions and they're upset and there's lots of arguing, there's lots of hatred in our country right now, and how are we as a church going to answer what's going on?

[18:46] You know, are we going to sit back and be like, well, you know, let's just stay out of the way of this? Or are we going to find ways to make sure that we are standing for what's true, even if it means that we might suffer loss as a result?

[19:03] You guys remember, I think it's been a few years when Chick-fil-A owner took a stand and, you know, about LGBT and all. I can't remember all of the details, but you're nodding your head so you remember what I'm talking about.

[19:18] And, you know, as Christians on that day we picked, we went just to support somebody who is being steadfast, you know, not to do so in hatred, not to do so, you know, to get back at any group, but just to say we stand with other Christians when they're being persecuted, and he was being persecuted, you know, for having an unpopular belief on something.

[19:40] And so I remember that we, at the time I took, I think it was the summer, and I asked whoever of our teens, you know, hey, if you guys want to go, I'll take the church van up.

[19:50] And so we had a van full, and we went, and some other people from our church went and posted, one of our deacons posted on Facebook that he was at Chick-fil-A, and I think it was just him, you know, in a booth with a chicken sandwich, and that was really it, but he lost some clients as a result of that.

[20:11] And so we've got to understand that, you know what, sometimes being, representing Christ, well, not sometimes, a lot of times, we will be persecuted for that, but we've got to be willing to stand and be steadfast for what we know to be the truth, and not give in, and not be un, or not compromise.

[20:29] Okay, so then the fourth thing we see, being mighty for God requires devotion. Devotion. Verses 13 and 17, and he writes, and three of the chief, of the 30 chief men went down and came about harvest time to David at the cave of Adullam, when a band of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Raphraim.

[20:52] David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem, and David said longingly, oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate.

[21:04] Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and carried and brought it to David. But he would not drink it.

[21:14] He poured it out to the Lord and said, far be it from me, oh Lord, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives? Therefore he would not drink it.

[21:25] These things the three mighty men did. So the second section of our passage tells us a remarkable story about another three mighty men and their breathtaking devoted to David their king.

[21:36] This would have obviously been a very dangerous trip to them. It was also a very long trip, 15 miles there and back, 30 miles round trip these guys went in order to bring back David some water from this well.

[21:51] But why were these men so devoted to David? Why would they be willing to do such a thing? If you've had, you know, a teacher or a coach or just somebody in your life that you were willing to go the distance for, what were some of the qualities about them that made you devoted to them?

[22:15] Somebody that you believed in? Somebody that you felt cared about you and loved you? Somebody who told you the truth? Somebody who had integrity?

[22:26] All these qualities result with people being willing to be devoted to you. But primarily, I think in this situation, we see that David was devoted to the Lord.

[22:40] And because he was devoted to the Lord, right? He was a man after God's own heart. Yeah, he sinned big time. He messed up big time on many occasions, but he was devoted to the Lord.

[22:51] And I think that his men saw his devotion to the Lord. And they saw that he was willing to stand up and fight for what was right. Even when Saul was coming after him and trying to kill him, they understood that what Saul was doing was wrong, that David was on the right of things.

[23:09] And so they were willing to be devoted to him so much so that they were willing to take on this crazy task in order to bring water back to David. Now, here's the thing.

[23:20] Does David really, when he's saying this, is he really wanting them or expecting that to happen? No. He's not being literal. I think he's, you know, he's in a really difficult position.

[23:33] And he's probably thinking about this well that he grew up with. And he's thinking about better times when he wasn't fighting and he wasn't running. And so he's remembering a place where he used to receive refreshment.

[23:49] And so his men were willing to go to this place to show their devotion to him. And then when they came back, David sees that devotion. But instead of drinking the water, he gives it back to God.

[24:05] And so I think sometimes when first we read that story, we think that might make me mad, right? If I went all that length and I risked my life for some water to bring it back to my king and then he pours it on the ground, yeah, why did you do that?

[24:25] Drink the water, you know? Come on. That's what it was here for. But what really I think happened is his men grew even more devoted to him because, you know, he realized the risk that they were willing to put themselves through for him.

[24:39] And he was thanking God for, I think, for surrounding him with such devoted men. And so it was something that he gave back to the Lord for his glory.

[24:51] So if you want to be mighty for God, you must be devoted. Devoted to the right causes, to the right people who are fighting for those causes. You know, as a church, who are we supporting, who are, you know, fighting for against abortion or against all of these different social issues?

[25:09] Or who is it in our community that's really trying to reach the poor and the homeless? You know, how can we help them in their mission? And how can we be involved with that as well?

[25:20] How can we be devoted to those causes? And I think as a result of that, you will see that people in our church will be devoted to one another as we are seeking to be devoted to the Lord and we are blessing other people in our community as a result of that.

[25:39] Fifthly, becoming mighty for God requires valiance. Verses 18 through 23. Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the 30.

[25:54] And he wielded his spear against 300 men and killed them and won a name beside the three. He was the most renowned of the 30 and became their commander, but he did not attain to the three.

[26:06] And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two aerials of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.

[26:22] And he struck down an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear.

[26:36] These things did Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, did and won a name beside the three mighty men. And he was renowned among the 30, but he did not attain to the three.

[26:47] And David set him over his bodyguard. So becoming mighty for God requires valiance. To be valiant means to possess or show courage or determination.

[27:00] And so Abishai, if you remember, is David's nephew. And he has been a prominent person in the story of David's life. And in the early days, it was Abishai who offered to eliminate Saul for David, if you remember.

[27:12] Then later, he assisted his brother Joab in pursuing and then eventually killing Abner in revenge for the death of their brother. And then David put him in command of one-third of his army.

[27:25] And Abishai also, in chapter 21, he saved David's life and was also known as a very valiant warrior. He was somebody who was courageous and somebody who was determined.

[27:38] And then we come across this guy named Benaiah. This guy was crazy courageous, I would say. Because look at what he did. One, he went down into a pit, okay?

[27:49] So most men, if you've hunted before, if you see a pit or something like that where you're going to go down and you're not quite sure what's in it or you're going to chase something down into a pit, and especially if you know that it's a predator that is capable of killing you in that place, you've got to be courageous, I think, to go into a situation like that.

[28:14] Not only that, but then he was chasing a lion. It was a lion in a pit, okay? I could see if it was like a deer or some kind of animal that chewed the cud or whatever, a wimpy creature, you know, that didn't have claws and teeth that could rip you apart.

[28:33] So he's going into a pit after a lion. And not only that, it had snowed, right? So now I'm going into this place where snow is on the ground and it's slippery.

[28:44] My footing isn't going to be good. I mean, you don't have a shotgun, obviously, or a rifle or any kind of firearm. He's got a spear. And it's him against a lion in a pit on a snowy day.

[28:57] So this guy was crazy courageous, okay? I think God calls all of us to be courageous. He doesn't call all of us to be crazy courageous like this.

[29:07] But if that's you, then I'm glad that you're on our team. I don't think that that's me. But this guy was crazy courageous.

[29:17] Not only that, he was valiant in the fact that he, I love the detail in the Bible. He fought this Egyptian. Apparently, he was a handsome man. So he was probably very cocky and arrogant.

[29:28] Not only did he kill him, but he disarmed him. And he killed him with his own weapon. Courage, we see, is an important quality that God wants us to possess.

[29:38] So what does it mean to be courageous? To kill people? To kill things? No, because we see over and over again that God is calling us as his people to be courageous.

[29:51] 1 Chronicles 28 20. Then David said to Solomon, his son. So David understands the importance of being a valiant person. And so he's giving instruction to his son, who's going to take his place.

[30:03] And he says to Solomon, be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. For the Lord God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.

[30:18] And so David knows what his son is going to be up against. And so he's encouraging him, be strong. Be a courageous person. Do what God is asking you to do. And don't be afraid because you need to know that no matter who might come up against you, that God is with you and God is for you.

[30:35] And you just have to keep going on. Psalm 23. We all could say this one by heart. David says, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.

[30:46] He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

[30:58] For you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

[31:12] And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. However, maybe you've been there when a loved one or a friend of yours has literally been walking through, is walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

[31:26] They've got some kind of incurable disease, stage four cancer. Things are getting worse. And I think it's amazing. And it's an awesome testimony whenever you see a Christian who knows that they are soon going to die, but they live their life, their remaining days, with joy.

[31:48] And that testifies to doctors and to nurses and to those of us, to their brothers and sisters in Christ. You know, we come, as a pastor, I've been in a lot of situations like that where I go in and I think, this person, God, is dying.

[32:03] And what can I say to give encouragement to them? And what I would find is often a lot of times I would go in there and I wouldn't be the one giving encouragement to them. They'd be the one giving encouragement to me.

[32:15] You know, I think, hey, are you ready? You know, everything. Oh, yeah. I'm ready. You know? And I received encouragement from them. So being valiant and being courageous doesn't mean that, you know, you're shredded and ripped with muscles and you're not afraid of, you know, killing the enemy, but that you are not shaken in your faith.

[32:44] That no matter what comes to you, that you have a deep faith in God and you believe that whatever good or bad you're going through, as it seems to you, that God ultimately is working all things for the good.

[33:00] And we know that this isn't our home. You know, we obviously are, we did not experience the rapture yesterday. Or if we did and we're still here, we've got problems, right?

[33:11] We should maybe be talking about something else in Bible study. But we're not afraid when things like that, you know, people make those prophecies. I don't know. I don't know.

[33:22] I'm not, I'm clinging on to this life. You know, God, not yet. No, we say, oh, I hope it's, I hoped it was Friday. You know, I hope it's right now, as a matter of fact. We're looking forward to Christ's return because our hope isn't in this world.

[33:36] Our hope is in the Lord and our hope is in what is to come for us and what he has prepared for us. And so that gives us courage as we live in this world. And again, it helps us to be steadfast as well.

[33:50] John 14, 27 through 29. Jesus says, peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled. Neither let them be afraid.

[34:01] And again, the voices of the martyrs, we're blessed to have their headquarters here. And I was impressed when I came in, not in view of call, but just to meet with the search committee.

[34:12] And we went by the voice of the martyrs and see all the names on the wall there. And it's powerful, you know, to think that that's real courage. You know, that's people who are going to places that so few people would ever dare to go.

[34:28] And they're going with the purpose of sharing Jesus Christ with these people. And a lot of them died as a result of that. But their death was not in vain.

[34:39] Because we can go over story after story of people who gave their lives on the mission field. And as a result of what they've done, that community that they were trying to reach, those people who killed them have been transformed.

[34:50] Because the gospel ultimately was able to penetrate into that darkness and bring them to life. And so Jesus reminds us again, do not be afraid, but to be courageous.

[35:04] 1 Corinthians 15, 58. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

[35:16] So we can be courageous against these things, even though we may feel like we're standing alone. That we, one man with God is a majority, right? And one man with God is greater than any other force in this world.

[35:31] If we have God with us and for us, then it doesn't matter who is against us. And so the last thing I want to see is, well, what's the result of all of this? You know, if I become mighty for God and I do these things, what's the result of all of this?

[35:46] And then we see in verses 24 through 39, those results. We see that there's a lot of them and they're mentioned. And why are they mentioned?

[35:57] Because they were mighty men. So we see that being mighty for God means that you will leave a legacy. So if you are mighty for God, you will establish and leave a legacy for your kids, for your grandkids, for your church family.

[36:16] And it will go on and on and on. And again, as we prepare to talk about the reformers and we see that those were mighty men. And we, again, we can go through our history of men and women in the Bible, and not just in the Bible, but who were a part of the church who did amazing things.

[36:35] They were mighty for the Lord and we remember them. They've established a legacy for us. And we are appreciative of all that they have done for the Lord, for the church.

[36:47] And so the challenge to us is to go and to do the same. I would say that even, you know, for Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who I mentioned, and all of those martyrs who have died, for those who maybe weren't martyred, but who gave their life serving the church and doing good for the church, that none of them had ever regretted it.

[37:07] And we'll never regret it because ultimately that's the best way to live our life is in service to the Lord. So I think we're all concerned about leaving a legacy for our families.

[37:18] And how can we best do that? How can we best leave a legacy for our families, for our church, for our community? Well, being mighty for God, which requires all those different things, which requires preparation, which requires us being valiant and courageous and all the things that I mentioned.

[37:35] And if you do that, I think we see here as a list, these names listed testify to us that these people established a legacy that hasn't been forgotten, that's been recorded forever.

[37:48] And so that's the challenge for us as well, to go out, be mighty for God, establish a legacy, not for us, but for others.

[37:59] And ultimately, for Jesus Christ, that much would be made of him in our service to him. Thank you.