Being People of Valor

In today's sermon, my aim is to exhort us to remain true and steadfast to God's vision for us.

God has called us to be first fruits of the resurrection, to receive eternal life, salvation, when Jesus Christ returns to establish the kingdom of God upon the earth.

Let's turn to John 6, verses 38 through 40 to begin. In John 6, verses 38 through 40, here's what we read.

For I have come down... This is Jesus Christ talking. He's going to be declaring why He's there to people that are not necessarily not everyone there wants to hear it.

John 6, verses 38 through 40, Christ said, For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me. This is the will of the Father who sent me, that of all He has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life, and I will raise Him up at that last day. Well, we are here today because, like Christ's disciples of old, we have been called to believe and obey God. And we have become convicted of God's words, received His Holy Spirit, and have willingly committed ourselves to live in submission to God's all-loving will.

But when Jesus declared God's vision for humankind, not everyone there could accept it or wanted to hear it. They could not accept, for example, that they needed to eat the bread of life, eat His flesh, and drink His blood, as it mentions in verse 54. That's something that has to be done to have eternal life. And now let's pick it up here in verse 66 or 69. And so it says, from that time then, many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. And then Jesus said to the twelve, Do you also want to go away?

But Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also, we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

And though many could not accept Jesus's words that day, His disciples did, they made a choice, a brave and valiant decision based upon their conviction to believe and follow Jesus Christ. As a matter of faith, they believed God's vision for them, His promise of eternal life.

The Father has called us to make the same choice, and many of us have done that, and more will.

We have accepted the fact that only through Jesus Christ do we have the hope of salvation, just as we're told in John 1, verse 12. We can flip back a few pages and see that. John 1, verse 12.

But as many as received Him, it says, but as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.

God's vision for us is to receive eternal life and salvation. It is to be glorious, to become spirit-born sons and daughters in His divine family.

That's that vision God has revealed to us. But do we cherish God's vision?

Do we keep it in the forefront of our hearts and minds?

Do we allow God's vision to guide and direct all the choices and decisions we must make in life? Do our lives reflect our total commitment, for example, to live by Matthew 6, 33? Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness?

No doubt, we all fall short of living our lives perfectly in submission to God, as we truly desire to do. But thankfully, God is merciful. Thankfully, God allows us to repent and seek His mercy and forgiveness. And that we certainly must do.

But how can we make God's vision our vision?

How can we make God's vision for us our vision? That vision we live by every day of our lives?

I believe what can help us do that, if that's what we do, if that we become people of valor, if we become people of valor.

We must choose, you see, to be courageous. We must choose to be unwavering and totally committed to God, no matter what life brings to us. And it's not always good times.

And to help us do just that, today I want to encourage us to be people of valor. And that's the title of my sermon, Be People of Valor. Be People of Valor.

Well, what is valor? It's a good place to start.

Valor is the strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness.

I'll repeat that because I see some of you are trying to write that down. Valor is the strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness.

Now, some may call valor personal bravery. You may see that phrase. Others simply call it courage.

Others, fearlessness.

Valor, the strength of mind and spirit, is something we all need. We all need it. Valor, we are going to learn, requires vision. It requires being able and willing to do what's necessary. Valor requires loyalty and obedience. They go together. Valor demands that one be resolute. Valor is what we need, then, when confronted by sinful temptations and all those dangerous negative influences that could weaken our commitment to God and even deprive us of fulfilling God's vision for us. Valor appears often in the Old Testament. It's often translated for the Hebrew word hayil. The Hebrew word is spelled H-A-Y-I-L. Sometimes it appears with a C in front of it. It's Strong's H-2428. That Hebrew word broadly means power or strength.

It can also mean capability. Now, you might find it interesting to know that hayil is often translated as valor when referring to men, especially warriors in army and military. But when referring to women, that same word, hayil, is translated as virtuous. But it's the same word.

In other words, yes, we can all be people of valor, male or female. The Bible offers us many examples of people of valor. Among them, you may remember the name. Among them are David's renowned mighty men, the mighty men of valor. There's also Ruth and Stephen and many others. But today, we're going to look at the examples of the mighty men, Ruth and Stephen to learn more from them about valor, that thing we need in our lives. We need valor. We need their lessons that we can learn from to help us remain committed to God no matter what life brings our way. So first, we're going to talk about mighty men of valor, David's mighty men of valor.

Now, these mighty men are famous because of their unwavering devotion to King David, and for their amazing feats of bravery. We'll read about some of those in a little bit, especially bravery in battle against the enemies of David and against his kingdom. And why did these mighty men of valor do what they're so famous for, do what they did? That's where I want to begin in our discussion with the mighty men of valor. What motivated these mighty men to rally to David and support him with all of their lives, with all their life?

Did they do it for wealth? We have mercenaries nowadays that are easily hired out by governments or individuals. Did they do it for wealth? Did they do it for power and influence?

Were they in it for fame and glory? Well, the answer is no. None of the above. None of the above.

We could be turning to 1 Chronicles 11. Because what we'll learn here is that these men, these mighty men of valor, committed themselves to serve David because they believed, you see, they believed and were convicted that God had chosen David to be their king. And through David, God would bless the people of Israel. All the people, the entire kingdom, would be blessed.

And that's what we read here in 1 Chronicles 11, verses 1 through 3.

And it states, So God's will for David and Israel had been prophesied by the prophet Samuel many years earlier. And now that vision, that prophecy, was being fulfilled. So many mighty men rallied to David, and they dedicated their lives to supporting him, to supporting him as God fulfilled his promises to the nation of Israel. Let's also read a few verses down, verses 9 through 10 of 1 Chronicles 11. And so David went on and became great. And the Lord of hosts was with him. God was with him. Now these were the heads of the mighty men. We're going to get a list. These were the heads of the mighty men whom David had. And here's what they did. They who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, with all Israel, to make him king according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel. So again, what motivated the mighty men to follow David to lay down their lives for him? They believed God's vision for Israel. They were like us in some ways, you see. Or rather, we should be like them. Because God wants us now to believe his vision for us, vision of serving under Jesus Christ now, and also in the kingdom of God. We must be people of valor to God.

And so now, let's read a little bit more about these mighty men. Let's turn back to 2 Samuel 23.

In 2 Samuel 23, here we read about these men, and we're also going to discover traits of valor that would be wise for us to develop. So we're going to look at examples of men of valor, people of valor, and we're going to see what might we learn from them to help us be people of valor. We'll begin 2 Samuel 23 verse 8.

In verse 8, these are the names of the mighty men whom David had. And the first list it is, Yeshabeshebeth, the Tachmanite, chief among the captains.

He was called the Deno, the Esnite, because he had killed 800 men at one time.

Now 1 Chronicles 11 verse 1, excuse me, you don't need to turn there, but 1 Chronicles 11, 11 adds the detail that he killed these 800 men with his spear, which could be a little more challenging.

Now what would be required to kill 800 warriors in one battle with just a spear?

I don't know. Somebody asked me, well, were they all asleep? How did he kill 800? I hadn't thought of that. I doubt it. That doesn't seem quite as valiant, and it wouldn't have been the proper thing to do to kill people sleeping. But I don't know. It's what Scripture says.

But I suspect that along with God's help, and he must have had a lot of God's help, Yeshabesheb must have been a highly trained warrior. He must have been highly skilled to be able to do such a feat. He knew what he was doing. And remember, he, like the other mighty men, believed that God was with David. They are convicted of that. So, surely, based on what we read previously, surely he was also inspired with the vision that he was fighting for God's chosen King. He was fighting for the kingdom of Israel, and he was also fighting for the God of Israel. Very important point. The lesson here? The lesson is we can do great things when God's vision for us is set firmly in our hearts and minds. We can do great things when God's vision for us is set firmly in our hearts and minds. Let's read about the next mighty man, verses 9-10. And after him was Elazar. Elazar, the son of Dodo, the Ahuite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines, were gathered there for battle. And the men of Israel had retreated. He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, weary and his hand stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day, and the people returned after him only to plunder. Interesting turn of events. So what we learn here is that while the other warriors apparently fled the field of battle, they left. Elazar, however, remained resolute and loyal.

He fought with all his strength and with all the skill he was able to muster. He must have been highly skilled soldiers as well. And then he fought so long with such determination that his hand, and I'm sure his arm, must have been so numb that they practically had to, someone had to help remove the sword from his hand. He couldn't do it. He couldn't feel it anymore. I don't know if you've ever worked that hard, maybe chopping wood or something. It happens. God gave him victory. God gave him victory, it says. Another lesson. Being resolute and loyal demands hard and diligent effort. It requires demands hard and diligent effort. But God will grant the victory when we are committed totally to him. Verses 11 through 12 next tells us about Shama. Shama, verse 11 through 12, Shama was the son of Aggi, the harai'it. Now the Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils, the plants. And so the people fled from the Philistines, but he, Shama, stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. And so the Lord brought about a great victory. Well, Shama, like Elazar, also neighbor gave in when others gave up and ran. He boldly faced the enemies of God's people, and here in a rather interesting place in the field of lentils. He never wavered against the enemy, and God gave him victory, too. The lesson. When we face challenges in life, I would say no matter where we stand, we must stand resolutely with God. Never flinch. Next we learn of the feet of three mighty men. People of Valor also worked together in harmony with each other. Verses 13-17 here. Then three of the thirty chief men went down at harvest time and came to David at the cave of Adalem, and the troop of Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. And David said with longing, Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate. So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David.

Nevertheless, he, David, would not drink it. He poured it out to the Lord, and he said, Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this. Is this not the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives? Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men. And so it's a very interesting story. These three men, it seems, were so loyal, so devoted to David, that his slightest desire became a command for them to obey. Imagine such loyalty.

And so the three mighty men, as a team again, they hiked. Now the distance they hiked would have been roughly 12 miles. 12 miles from Adalam to Bethlehem. They also broke through the enemy lines. And then they drew water from the well, I suspect put it in a jug of some sort, and then lugged it back the 12 miles again to David.

No small feat. But in turn, David was so awed by their amazing feat of valor, by their willingness to risk their life's blood to serve him, to bring him a rather large cup of water, that he wouldn't drink it.

He couldn't drink their hard-won gift of water. You see, it seems he felt unworthy, as he says, he felt unworthy of such self-sacrifice. Instead, David poured the water out onto the ground as a precious offering to God. He gave it to God. It seems in David's mind only God was worthy of such a precious gift made available at such great peril and self-sacrifice. He gave it to God. And what's interesting, by doing so, David also honored the three men's loyalty to him by showing them his own humility and loyalty to God.

They're all humble and loyal to each other, to God in their own way. A lesson for us, being loyal to God, requires being able and willing to lay down our lives for God and for others. We hear that quite a bit about laying down our lives for others. Now, on to our final example here in this chapter in verses 20 through 21. Here's what we read. Benaiah was the son of Yahoyada, the son of a valiant man from Kabbzil who had done many deeds. So this is a man of valor whose father was a man of valor, a valiant man.

Benaiah, it reads, had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. And he killed an Egyptian, a spectacular man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, so he went down to him with a staff. Just a staff. And he rested the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear. Turned the weapon on him and killed him.

It's very interesting. Again, here we see Benaiah bravely and ably defeated two fearsome, lion-like champions. These are probably mighty men of their own rank from Moab. And then he killed a lion in a pit. That could be pretty ferocious. I've seen mice get pretty angry if you capture them in a corner of a box. Can you imagine a cornered lion? And he took it on and killed it. But perhaps the greatest of these three feats we read about here is three feats of valor was facing the Egyptian while armed with only a staff.

1 Chronicles 11.23 adds some more details. There we learned that the Egyptian, this spectacular man, was five cubits tall. Now, if you can't do the conversion real quick, I'll tell you. That Egyptian was seven and a half feet tall. Seven and a half feet tall. And his spear was massive, we learned there, too. It was like a weaver's beam. Now, trying to figure out what that was like was a little more challenge.

But that could be anything that was possibly seven feet long and quite possibly two and a half inches thick. That's the sort of spear this spectacular Egyptian had. And Benaiah took it from him and killed him with his own spear. No small feat. Now, there are a few other interesting things to note about Benaiah. For example, in verse 23, we learned that David eventually appointed him over his guard. What that means is that David made him captain of his own personal bodyguard. That would have been a very high honor, and only the most loyal of people would be given that position.

And then, years later, we learned from 1 Kings 2.35, I won't have his turn there, but in 1 Kings 2.35, we'll learn that many years later, because of his proven loyalty, not only to David, but also to Solomon, Solomon will make Benaiah commander-in-chief of his entire army. Again, no small feat. A lesson? I think a good lesson here is that God does amazing things through fearless people of valor. God does amazing things through fearless people of valor. Now, these are but a few examples of the exploits of David and his mighty men of valor. And valor indeed seems to be an appropriate term to describe their traits of strength and power, their capability, their able skills in battle.

But the valor is based on more than just grim deeds on the field of battle.

These men displayed other qualities of valor, such as what I've been emphasizing here, such as their conviction, their sense of purpose, their ability, the qualities of loyalty and obedience, and of course resolve their ability to stand firm without wavering. Nowadays, the warrior lifestyle of David's mighty men may be somewhat strange and foreign to us. Few of us here have trained as warriors or soldiers, and few would find that profession appealing for very good reasons.

However, as students of God's scripture, we should understand that our commitment to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness requires that we be armed and that we be ready spiritually for life's battles that we inevitably will face. And we do face, sometimes every day, of course. Let's turn back to Ephesians 6, verses 10 through 17, this emphasis on our own spiritual battles. Ephesians 6, verses 10 through 17. Here Paul writes, Ephesians 6, verses 10 through 17, Paul writes his exhortation. He says, My brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Those are the qualities of valor, strength, and power. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. And so, yes, we must wear spiritual armor. We must battle against forces outside our lives that are spiritual, also our own carnal nature, our own selfishness and pride, all the society's influences, all those temptations to sin, and of course, against Satan. And Satan, we know, walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Satan is the lion we must face. Life is full of pitfalls, and sometimes there's lions in them too. But like Beniah, David's mighty man of valor, he defeated a lion, and so must we. But again, God gives us the armor and ability to do so. Let's continue reading here, verse 13. So Paul again says, Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day. And having done all to stand, stand. Having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shodged your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. That's our armor, faith, Scripture, God's Spirit within us, helping us. Let's also read Paul's admonition a few pages back in 2 Corinthians 10, verses 3 through 5. 2 Corinthians 10, verses 3 through 5. Again, reference to, we may not have physical battles, but we certainly have spiritual ones. 2 Corinthians 10, verses 3 through 5.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty, like the mighty man, mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, for casting down arguments on every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. God, brethren, expects us to be warriors spiritually. He expects us to be adept, highly skilled in living by His word, and by yielding to the strength of His Holy Spirit. We do not have enough strength of our own for these spiritual battles, but God provides for us the strength and power and capability in the spiritual ways. So this means that even a person who looks least like a warrior, even the person who looks least like a warrior, can be a mighty person of valor. Do you ever think of it that way?

And of course, the Bible shows it's just such a person in Ruth. Our next example we're going to look at. Let's be turning to Ruth, Ruth 3.11. Ruth 3.11. Ruth was not a warrior, far from it. She was a young widow, a Moabite. At first thought, when we consider Ruth, we might think that she bore none of the qualities of David's mighty men of valor. Yet, as I said earlier, the Bible uses the same Hebrew word, Hael, to describe Ruth, which makes for an interesting comparison, interesting thoughts. In Ruth 3.11, Boaz, at this point in the account yet to be her future husband, Boaz tells Ruth about the reputation she has already made for herself among the people. And he said, And now my daughter, do not fear, be fearless. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town, that being Bethlehem, know that you are a virtuous woman.

She was virtuous. They could have written, You are a woman of valor. It's that same Hebrew word. And then we find evidence of Ruth's valor. I don't have time to go through the entire account of Ruth. It's very inspiring to do so, though. We find evidence of Ruth's valor and the ardent promise she makes to Naomi. Naomi, I pronounce it differently. My wife told me to...you're mispronouncing it. I've always heard it growing up differently. Naomi. Ruth made a promise to Naomi in Ruth 1. We can read it. Ruth chapter 1 verses 16 through 17. We might recall that Naomi's husband and her two sons have died. In destitute, Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem in Judah, and she urges her two Moavite daughters-in-laws to return to their mothers, to go back to their parents' homes. So let's pick up the narrative. Actually, let's pick it up a little sooner than that. Let's pick up the narrative here in Ruth 1 verse 8. Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each to her mother's house. The Lord dealth kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find rest, Naomi said, each in the house of her husband. So she's telling them, it's time for you all to move on. It's time for you to move on. She wasn't Southern. I said, y'all, it's time for you to move on. I'm not a Southern either, but I do love the language, I guess. And so she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. This is a truly heart-rending separation. They did not want for this to happen. And they said to her, Surely we will return with you to your people. They didn't want to go. Both daughters-in-law said, Surely we will return with you and your people. But Naomi said, turn back my daughters. Why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb that you may be, that they may be your husbands? Turn back my daughters. Go! For I am too old to have a husband. And if I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons, would you wait for them till they were grown? Very persuasive arguments here for them to go. Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands? Would you wait that long? Know my daughters, for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me. And then they lifted up their voices and wept again. It's very emotional separation. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. Ruth clung to her. Now it's at this point that Ruth reveals some profound loyalty, her profound loyalty to Naomi. Continuing on verse 15. And she said, Naomi said, look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods. Return after your sister-in-law. And then Ruth makes this impassioned plea and promise to Naomi. But Ruth said, entreat me not to leave you or to turn back from following after you. For wherever you go, I will go. And wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God my God. And where you die, I will die. And there I will be married. Excuse me, will I be buried? The Lord do so to me and more also, if anything but death, parts you and me.

That is loyalty. That is devotion. Ruth was totally committed to Naomi. Ruth could envision herself nowhere else but with Naomi. And though she was not obligated to help and support Naomi, Ruth was most able. And she was most willing to do so. And she even gave up her family. She gave up her culture. She gave up, we might say, her entire life to follow Naomi to a strange and familiar land, to a strange culture foreign to her. Ruth's loyalty to Naomi would strike me as being very much akin to that of David's mighty men. Very much so. And Ruth's determination to follow Naomi, I think it may be fair to say, her determination to follow Naomi was as resolute as any mighty man of valor. We see that when we read verse 18. When she, Naomi, saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, Naomi's been speaking a lot, right? Persuading her, don't come, don't come. But notice, when she noticed that Ruth was determined to go with her, Naomi stopped speaking to her. She clammed up. She didn't say another word. Until this point, Naomi had made several persuasive arguments for for Ruth to leave. But Ruth's determination to remain was formidable.

She was as resolute as Shama, defending the field of lentils from the troop of Philistines, I think. She was not budging. And so Naomi quickly conceded and allowed Ruth to go after her, to go with her. Ruth was no warrior, though she is very much a mighty woman of valor in character and virtue. And it's interesting, I'm sure you remember, that Ruth would be David's great-grandmother one day. Isn't that interesting? And I'm sure David knew the story. Her example, Ruth's example, should also put us in mind of Paul's encouraging words in Philippians 4, verse 6-9.

Very uplifting story, and it fits with this admonition from Paul. Also a way to help us be people of valor. Philippians 4, verse 6-9. In Philippians 4, verse 6-9, Paul writes, He encourages us, saying, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. And finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, like this story of Ruth's determination to follow Naomi, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, is there anything virtuous, if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. Meditate on these things.

A lesson to be gathered from Ruth, this woman of valor. Be able and willing to give up all, and to be resolute in following God, keeping His laws, keeping His commandments. Be able and willing to give up all, and to be resolute in following God.

Another person of valor for our consideration today. There are many in the Bible. I only had time for a few. And that's Stephen. Let's turn to Acts 6 and read about Stephen.

Stephen, remember, was one of seven men, the apostles ordained as the first deacons in the church. One of the first deacons. In Acts 6, verse 5, we learn here that Stephen was a man full of faith in the Holy Spirit. And then, verses 8 through 15, we learn more about Stephen. Here we learn of an unexpected persecution that Stephen had to face. Here we read verse 8 of Acts 6, and Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. And then there arose from what is called the synagogue of the freedmen, Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he, Stephen, spoke. He was mighty, I think. Then they secretly induced men to say, we have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God. And then they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council, the Sanhedrin. They also set up false witnesses who said, this man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us.

And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at Stephen, saw his face as the face of an angel. Of course, Stephen was innocent of any wrongdoing. He had done nothing but ably serve others. He had performed miracles from God. He spoke the truth of God. But like a mighty man of old, he was beset by enemies. And even though he was beset by enemies, Stephen remained loyal and faithful to God. Acts 7 records Stephen's testimony before the Sanhedrin. Here we see his honest, open defense in the face of all these false accusations, this false testimony. And he rehearses the history of God's direct interaction, God's love and compassion for his chosen people from Abraham until that present day. But it's Stephen's words of his bold and resolute defense of God that stirs the crowd into a riot. They can't handle the truth, it seems. So we read in Acts 7.51-60. And he gets very blunt. You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears. You always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the just one, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it. I wonder who inspired Stephen with those words. Those mighty, powerful, capable words. And when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart and they gnashed at him with their teeth. I love that sound, that word. And they gnashed at him with their teeth. I love that sound, that word. They gnashed at him with their teeth.

The mob seems to have been transformed into a pack of vicious lions wanting to rip and tear him apart because of his blunt and bold declaration of their rejection of God. In verse 55, But he, Stephen, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. And then they cried out with a loud voice, they stopped their ears. And they ran at him with one accord, and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. Of course, we know who that is. He will be Paul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And then, can you imagine, he's being stoned, and yet he had the wherewithal to crouch put himself in a kneeling position. And he knelt down and he cried out with a loud voice, Lord, do not charge them with this sin. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

That is heroic. That is a mighty man of valor.

He, Stephen, was a person of valor. Stephen was focused on obeying God. He knew God's vision for him. And he loved God and others. And he especially loved his brethren. And even while being stoned to death, he understood the mob's lack of understanding. He knew why they attacked him. And like his Savior, like his Savior, Jesus Christ, he asked that they be forgiven. Jesus had asked the same thing of the Father during the crucifixion. And throughout his ordeal, Stephen ably explained God's mercy. He remained loyal. He remained obedient to God. And as we can see, he resolutely faced his enemies. He did not waver. He did not back down.

Stephen's example especially brings to mind Paul's words of exhortation from Hebrews 12, verse 1 through 3.

Hebrews 12, verse 1 through 3. And of course, Stephen is an example of what we read here in Hebrews 12, verse 1 through 3. Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, Stephen being one of them, let us lay aside every weight in the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 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 has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Jesus was a man of valor. For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself. And here's the point, lest you, lest we, become weary and discouraged in our souls.

The lesson from Stephen. Neither violence nor death, nothing, nothing should dissuade us from living and giving our lives for Jesus Christ. Nothing. And so God's Word provides us these and many, many other examples of people of valor.

People of valor to help us understand how to make God's vision for us the vision that we live by each and every day. In our efforts to be people of valor, we must strive to apply God's inspired instructions such as we've been reading today. Every day we must strive to live life with God's vision of hope of salvation ever in the forefront of our hearts and our minds. We must stay focused on the hope of salvation and resist the ways of self and Satan and society. In all our decisions, we must strive to be holy like our Savior and King. Or, or will we allow anything to keep us from receiving eternal life? Will we allow riches and possessions and material things that we're constantly tempted to wrap our hearts and minds around? Is that what's going to weigh us? Will our desire for power and control influence? Will we allow our own stubborn human pride to get in the way?

Might it be an unwillingness in our part to be teachable and to conform to the ways of God?

God expects conformity to his way of life. Our best decisions, our best decisions will be to repent of our sins and valiantly fight to overcome our selfish ways of thinking and of behaving. Those are our best decisions, decisions to repent.

Brethren, we must live life with God's vision for us fixed in our hearts and minds. We, we must be people of our. And let me spell that word for you. V is for vision. V is for vision. V is for vision. Be farsighted and focused on God's promise of eternal life.

In all decisions, great and small, keep God's vision for us set firmly in mind.

A. A is for able. Be able and willing to give more time and effort to building our relationship with God. Learn God's word. Be skilled in living it and serve as we have opportunity.

L. L is for loyalty. Be faithful, devoted, and committed to God and his church, the Body of Christ. Be willing to lay down our lives for God and neighbor. O. O is for obedience. Be humble and submissive before God. Conform to God's Ten Commandments in ways of life. R. R is for resolute. Resolute. Be unwavering and tenacious, tenacious in believing and obeying God. Never compromise on God's law and standards of righteousness.

Never compromise. To vanquish self and become more like God, we must be people inspired and led by God's Holy Spirit and his word. People who are dauntless in repenting of sin, dauntless in believing and obeying God. We may never do battle in a field of lentils, but each day we must battle temptation and sin. We may never have the opportunity to kill a lion in a pit, but every day we must repulse the advances of Satan. We may never commit ourselves to following our mother-in-law wherever she goes, but we must remain committed to following God wherever he leads us. And we may never be persecuted by a hateful, teeth-nashing mob, but we must be willing and ready to give up our lives for Jesus Christ.

Let us be people of valor.