A Memorial to the Lord
11And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’S passover. 12For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. 13And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. 14And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.
25And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. 26And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? 27That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. Exodus 12
And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, 2Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, 3And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. 4Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: 5And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: 6That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? 7Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. Joshua 4
Exodus 12 we find the LORD's Passover to not execute judgment upon those who obeyed His command to sacrifice the lamb and sprinkle the blood upon the door post. The feast of the passover is a memorial a remembrance that God did not bring judgment upon His chosen people because they obeyed His command.
Joshua 4 the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord passed over the Jordan. This signified the chosen of God passing into new life in Canaan. Here too we find a memorial, a reminder unto the children of Israel that the God of the Covenant keeps His covenant forever.
If you have passed from death to life we practice baptism as a memorial to the Lord of our entrance into Canaan. We celebrate the Lords Supper as a memorial to the sacrificial Lamb who bore our sin and the judgment of our sin. Communion is our memorial to the Lord, our remembrance.
The regenerate, blood bought, born again believer has not only the memorials of the Lords supper and Baptism but we also have a memorial in the testimony of Gods grace wherein He saved us. The moment that the grace of God was appropriated to your sinful soul and cleansed you of sin is a testimony of the Lord. Its the Lords passover for you that can never go away what ever you may do. No matter how far you may stray. It is the Lords memorial that you can never deny nor hide from. For many years, up until recently, I thought that I had damaged the testimony of what God had wrought in my life. I felt that my backsliding negated what God had done in me 35 years ago. God never breaks His covenant. We do. It is that memorial, that testimony that kept me from going further away from the Lord than I did. And its that testimony, the memorial of my conversion that ultimately brought me back into the way. Throughout my backsliding years I could sometimes hear the voice of God say, “I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt. Why have you returned to bondage?”.
Testimony is a powerful weapon against Satan, Rev. 12:11. Never forget that moment that God spoke peace to your soul through the blood of Christ and brought you into the kingdom of God.
Please listen to the podcast message to the right of this post. This podcast is the actual message I preached at the Bible Methodist Church of Salisbury, NC on January 17, 2016. If the link does not appear you can access the podcast here: http://cryinthewilderness.podbean.com/e/joel-menges-testimony/?token=f7bc4f19476d4d0637cd20d70a220869
A Voice Crying
"Be Ye Separate Saith the Lord" 2 Corinthians 6:17
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Saturday, February 13, 2016
No Greater Love
Valentines Day. What does it mean and where did it come from?
The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and–most importantly–romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.
Origins of Valentine’s Day: A Pagan Festival in February
While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial–which probably occurred around A.D. 270–others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat’s hide into strips(februa), dip them into the sacrificial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.
Valentine’s Day: A Day of Romance
Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity and but was outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”–at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day. It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance.(1)
Valentines Day is in essence a Roman Catholic observance. I am a protestant and choose to distance myself from any catholic observance as much as possible. Consider the fact that Pope Gregory the not so Great created the calendar we use today. Here is an example of the paganism rampant in Roman Catholicism dating back to Constantine in the early 4th century. The month of February is named after these strips of goat hide that lasched the backs of Roman women. Why is the so called leader of the church naming the calendar after pagan gods and practices? Christian, we are marking time and counting the days and months after the names of pagan gods. Does this bother no one? I would have no problem with changing the names of our days and months to that of Godly people. Thankfully, no one is running around with goat hides slapping women in the back. At best Valentine is a an unsubstantiated person, a myth, that was embellished to move the hearts of people away from paganism yet embracing pagan customs at the same time. Its Catholic hypocrisy at its best.
The myth of Valentine has morphed into a tradition of romance. Romance can be good and it can be bad. In my 50 years of observing married people I surmise that romance is missing in most marriages. Romance can be good for a marriage. In my opinion I think it would be essential. However, we must never mistake romance for love. True romance should have an element of self-less love but it is not synonymous with love. There is a higher love than romance and we will explore this love today.
But first I want to make an observation about the word, “love”.
What is in a word? I have always been curious about the meaning of words. Where did this word come from? What is its origin? What does it communicate? These are significant questions to ask especially in our age that we live. Words are the principle means whereby we communicate a thought, idea or an emotion. Language is the single most important defining characteristic of a culture. When the language is altered or deteriorates then its a reflection of the culture deteriorating. Read a book from 100 years ago and you will find the words are more expressive. There will be words you don't understand because our language has been declining for decades thanks to television and electronic media. That 100 year old book may also have words that have changed meaning over time.
This dilution and denigration of our language is a disease of the culture. And the word “love” has not been immune to this demise. Love in our culture has been taken to a lower level whereby “things” become the object of our love. People love chocolate, games, hobbies, music, movies, clothes, foods of all sorts and stuff that will have no bearing on eternity. The object of your love is a reflection of what is in your heart. If you love things that will rust and decay then your heart is full of death. If you love things that are corrupt then your heart is corrupt. This brings us to the first kind of love we shall look at.
I. The Demise of Love
Eros- This word is not found in the bible though its practice is found there. Eros comes from one of the Greek gods and is often associated with cupid and Aphrodite. This erotic love is selfish and based solely on body chemistry. It basically says, “I love you because you make me happy”. The foundation of this love is based on a characteristic in the other person. If that characteristic ceases to be demonstrated then the reason for loving them would be gone. “I don't love you anymore”. Sound familiar? Erotic love is the basis of most marriages that end in divorce. “You no longer please me so I'm leaving you”. “We fell out of love”. I have spent most of my adult life working in care giving jobs. I have observed many people in these jobs who enjoy helping others because it makes them feel good. This is kindness or love based upon what I get in return. This is selfish love that holds water like a colander.
There are 3 kinds of love mentioned in scripture.
II. The Devoted Love
Storge'- “This word refers to natural affection of a husband to wife or parent to child. It is a quiet abiding feeling within a man that rests on something close to him and that he feels good about” In Romans 1:31 and 2 Timothy 3:3 we find this word prefixed with an “a” negating its meaning. In the context it refers to people without natural affections.
III. The Delightful Love
Phileo- Brotherly love This word carries with it the meaning of affection or fondness. This love comes forth as a response to the qualities in others.
IV. The Distinguished Love
Agape- This is a love of esteem. It has the idea of prizing the object of love. It delights in giving and keeps on loving even when the loved one is unresponsive, unkind, unlovable and unworthy. It is a consuming passion for the well being of others. This is unconditional love. And this word is used 329 times in the New Testament and there are very few places this word is used outside of the bible. This my friends is the love of God. (2)
Now let us turn our attention to what our Lord said about love.
John 15:10-17
10If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17These things I command you, that ye love one another.
I. Love for the Saints
Jesus said that the world will know you are my disciples by the way you love one another. The first time I attended a church after the Lord saving me I was astounded by what I witnessed. After the service was over I beheld how they loved one another. I was not accustomed to this in the Godless church I was raised in. When I observed these Christians fellowshipping and sharing with one another I was profoundly impressed by the Spirit of God in our midst. You see, when we as Christians love one another then Christ takes delight and manifests Himself in our midst.
II. Love for the Savior John 21:15-17
So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
Jesus asks Peter 3 times if Peter loves him. In the first two questions Jesus uses the word Agape. Apage, the highest most noble form of love. Unconditional and selfless love. Peter responds with the word phileo meaning, “affection”. In the final question Jesus uses the word phileo. Peter denied the Lord 3 times. And 3 times the Lord questions Peter's love. Peter, feeling the pain and guilt of denying the Lord could not bring himself to profess Agape love toward the Savior.
But that would change for Peter for we find in I Peter 1:7-8
”That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8Whom having not seen, ye love” Agape
(Note: No where in the book of Acts is the word love found. Agape is found 329 times in the bible but no form of the word "love" is found in the book of Acts.)
III. The Love of the Savior
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
This passage expresses the extent of human love. I find the greatest example among mortal beings of one dying for another is those who have been in combat. I have not known the horrors of combat yet I have studied war and saw the effect of combat in my father. I have seen my father speak of acts of bravery he witnessed on Iwo Jima with tears in his eye and a quiver in his voice. Those who have been in combat and witnessed the death of their friends and witnessed heroic actions of others to save the lives of comrades form a bond that few of us know. Sure, their motives for service may be patriotic, but in the heat of battle when the lead is flying and their buddies bleed and die they are fighting for one another and there is a bond that forms for a lifetime. Speak with anyone who has seen the elephant and most of them will have a deep admiration for the Navy Corpsman or Army medic. There was one such man by the name of Desmond Doss. Desmond Doss was a conscientous objector who enlisted in the Army to serve his country as a medic but he refused to touch a gun. He was ridiculed, mocked and scorned not only by his peers but by his superiors. Doss held true to his convictions though he was singled out for the worst kinds of duty and repeatedly denied liberty passes because he refused to be qualified on a weapon. His commanding officers did all within their power to have him court martialed but they failed. Then they attempted to have him discharged on a section 8 claiming he was mentally unstable due to his religious convictions. This failed as well because he was protected by an act of Congress that C.O.'s serving in the military were not required to take up arms.
"Desmond struggled through the pain to clear his mind and reconcile himself to his surroundings. He was on a hospital ship just off the coast of Okinawa. Every inch of his lean frame hurt, he was covered with bandages, and he knew he had a compound fracture in one arm. As the fog cleared in his mind he thought of his Bible, the one his wife had presented to him on their wedding day. That Bible had sustained him though the months of training when he had been the brunt of ridicule and hate among his fellow soldiers. It had been his constant comfort through the months of combat at Guam, Leyte, and Okinawa. He reached slowly to the shirt pocket where he had always carried it. The Bible was gone...lost somewhere on the top of the Maeda Escarpment beside the blood that had leaked from his shattered body. "Please," he begged someone nearby, "get word back to my men. I've lost my Bible."
It had been almost a month since that "miracle morning" when Doss had prayed and the men of Company B had taken the escarpment. During the period Doss had been busy. The Japanese were not willing to easily relinquish control of their rocky fortress, and many battles had followed the April 29th initial assault. The nature of the escarpment with its caves and tunnels made it possible for the enemy to hide from the Americans who struggled to control the top, then sneak out in the dark of night. Three days after the initial assault Doss had braved a hail of enemy rifle and mortar fire to rush 200 yards forward of the lines to rescue a wounded soldier. Two days later four soldiers who were assaulting an enemy gun emplacement fell. Desmond ignored the rain of enemy grenades around him to rush to their aid. Moving to within 8 yards of the mouth of the cave from which the enemy had cut down his fellow soldiers, Doss made 4 separate trips to reach and rescue the wounded.
Medal of Honor Day
On May 5th the tide of battle turned against the Americans. Enemy artillery, mortars and machinegun fire began to rake into the ranks of Company B, 77th Infantry Division. Japanese soldiers swarmed out of their foxholes and caves in every direction. Almost immediately 75 men fell wounded, and the remaining men were forced to fall back and retreat to the base of the escarpment. The only soldiers remaining at the top of the cliff were the wounded, the Japanese, and Desmond T. Doss.
Heedless of the shells that burst around him and the bullets directed his way, Desmond tended his injured comrades. At the base of the escarpment those few soldiers who had managed to escape the onslaught could only sit helplessly by and hear the sounds of the battle as the wounded struggled to survive atop the cliff. And then...amazingly...a wounded soldier appeared over the face of the escarpment. Dangling from a rope, he slowly descended to the safety of its base as a tall medic fed the rope through his hands from the summit. First one, then another, and another....and another. Heedless of the advancing Japanese, Desmond Doss went about the work of sending the wounded to safety. Reports of that day tell of Japanese advancing with rifles and bayonets to within a few feet of the medic, slowly lowering his men to safety, before one of the wounded could kill the enemy before they shot Doss.
For twelve hours Doss lowered soldier after soldier down the face of the escarpment, using little more than a tree stump to wind the top edge of the rope around. Throughout the twelve hours Desmond had only one thought. He prayed, "Lord, help me get one more. Just ONE more!" How many men Doss saved that day, only God knows. One hundred and fifty-five soldiers went up the escarpment that day, and only 55 were able to retreat without assistance. The Army determined the conscious objector who had almost been court martialed or discharged as unfit for military service, had saved 100 lives. "Couldn't be," Desmond had replied. It couldn't have been more than 50. I wouldn't have had the time to save 100 men." In deference to Desmond's humble estimate, when the citation for his Medal of Honor was written, they "split the difference", crediting the intrepid soldier with saving 75 fellow soldiers.
The bloody struggle for the Maeda Escarpment continued for weeks. On the night of May 21st the Americans launched a bold attack. When the return fire forced the Americans to take cover, Desmond remained in the open to treat the wounded. Then he, and three other soldiers, crawled into a hole to wait out the darkness. Suddenly a grenade landed among them. Three men scrambled out but Desmond was too late. Reflexively he covered the grenade with his boot, then felt it detonate beneath him and hurl his body into the darkness of night. When he fell back to earth the leg was still there, but bleeding badly from numerous wounds. Rather than call for another medic to leave shelter and risk his own life, Desmond bandaged his own wounds and waited the five hours alone until daylight broke. As the litterbearers arrived with the dawn and began to carry the wounded medic out of danger they passed another critically wounded soldier. Desmond instructed them to put down his litter, then rolled off it tended the wounds of the other man and told them to take the other man. While he awaited their return he was joined by yet another wounded soldier. Together the two of them set out for safety, leaning upon each other.
Once again rifle fire split the morning. Pain stabbed Desmond's arm which was curled across the shoulders of his new comrade. The sniper's bullet went into his wrist, exited through his elbow, and then lodged itself in his upper arm. Had the bullet not hit Doss, it probably would have struck his wounded compatriot in the neck. Desmond borrowed his friend's rifle and used the stock to fashion a splint for his useless arm. Then the two continued to crawl to 300 yards to safety.
Seventeen pieces of shrapnel were removed from Desmond's leg and his arm set in a sling. On the hospital ship Desmond was being prepared for the return home. Desmond Doss' war was over. He'd fought a good fight...his own way...without ever compromising his strong beliefs.
On October 12, 1945 Desmond Doss was invited to the White House. President Harry S Truman held a Medal of Honor in his hand as he looked at the brave young medic. "I would rather have this Medal," he said, "than to be the President." Then, with those words, he hung the Medal of Honor around the neck of Corporal Desmond Thomas Doss.
At home another surprise awaited the young man. His men hadn't forgotten the brave medic or his love for the Word of God. The message about "Doss' Bible" had been delivered. Incredibly, the men who once mocked the God fearing Doss who would not compromise, had returned to the Maeda Escarpment with a new mission and purpose. After soundly defeating the Japanese they fanned out across the rocky terrain and conducted a search until they found, and mailed home, Desmond's Bible." (3)
As touching and moving as stories of sacrifice and valor in combat may be they still do not rise to the love of our Lord as He displayed on Calvary.
Christ went well beyond dying for his friends. He died for his enemies. For every sinner is by nature an enemy of God.
Romans 5
8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
The very word “reconcile” means to abolish the enmity between two parties. We were the enemies of God in our sin and it is God who made peace not us. We are the ones who sinned and God made the sacrifice. There is nothing I can bring to appease for my sin.
God lowered Himself and became a man and as a man became a servant. As a servant He became our sacrifice.
There is hardly any earthly illustration or example that can compare to the Lord of glory laying aside His omnipotence to become the sacrifice for us. This love of God demands we surrender to Him no less than all of our heart, mind, soul and strength.
Sources:
1. Valentine history adapted from: history.com; The Gods of Ancient Rome, Robert Turcan, Routledge Publ.
2. “Love” Word studies adapted from :https://www.mcleanbible.org/sites/default/files/Multiply-Resources/Chap3/GreekWordsforLoveWS_Chapter3.pdf
3. Desmond Doss story adapted from: homeofheroes.com
The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and–most importantly–romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.
Origins of Valentine’s Day: A Pagan Festival in February
While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial–which probably occurred around A.D. 270–others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat’s hide into strips(februa), dip them into the sacrificial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.
Valentine’s Day: A Day of Romance
Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity and but was outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”–at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day. It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance.(1)
Valentines Day is in essence a Roman Catholic observance. I am a protestant and choose to distance myself from any catholic observance as much as possible. Consider the fact that Pope Gregory the not so Great created the calendar we use today. Here is an example of the paganism rampant in Roman Catholicism dating back to Constantine in the early 4th century. The month of February is named after these strips of goat hide that lasched the backs of Roman women. Why is the so called leader of the church naming the calendar after pagan gods and practices? Christian, we are marking time and counting the days and months after the names of pagan gods. Does this bother no one? I would have no problem with changing the names of our days and months to that of Godly people. Thankfully, no one is running around with goat hides slapping women in the back. At best Valentine is a an unsubstantiated person, a myth, that was embellished to move the hearts of people away from paganism yet embracing pagan customs at the same time. Its Catholic hypocrisy at its best.
The myth of Valentine has morphed into a tradition of romance. Romance can be good and it can be bad. In my 50 years of observing married people I surmise that romance is missing in most marriages. Romance can be good for a marriage. In my opinion I think it would be essential. However, we must never mistake romance for love. True romance should have an element of self-less love but it is not synonymous with love. There is a higher love than romance and we will explore this love today.
But first I want to make an observation about the word, “love”.
What is in a word? I have always been curious about the meaning of words. Where did this word come from? What is its origin? What does it communicate? These are significant questions to ask especially in our age that we live. Words are the principle means whereby we communicate a thought, idea or an emotion. Language is the single most important defining characteristic of a culture. When the language is altered or deteriorates then its a reflection of the culture deteriorating. Read a book from 100 years ago and you will find the words are more expressive. There will be words you don't understand because our language has been declining for decades thanks to television and electronic media. That 100 year old book may also have words that have changed meaning over time.
This dilution and denigration of our language is a disease of the culture. And the word “love” has not been immune to this demise. Love in our culture has been taken to a lower level whereby “things” become the object of our love. People love chocolate, games, hobbies, music, movies, clothes, foods of all sorts and stuff that will have no bearing on eternity. The object of your love is a reflection of what is in your heart. If you love things that will rust and decay then your heart is full of death. If you love things that are corrupt then your heart is corrupt. This brings us to the first kind of love we shall look at.
I. The Demise of Love
Eros- This word is not found in the bible though its practice is found there. Eros comes from one of the Greek gods and is often associated with cupid and Aphrodite. This erotic love is selfish and based solely on body chemistry. It basically says, “I love you because you make me happy”. The foundation of this love is based on a characteristic in the other person. If that characteristic ceases to be demonstrated then the reason for loving them would be gone. “I don't love you anymore”. Sound familiar? Erotic love is the basis of most marriages that end in divorce. “You no longer please me so I'm leaving you”. “We fell out of love”. I have spent most of my adult life working in care giving jobs. I have observed many people in these jobs who enjoy helping others because it makes them feel good. This is kindness or love based upon what I get in return. This is selfish love that holds water like a colander.
There are 3 kinds of love mentioned in scripture.
II. The Devoted Love
Storge'- “This word refers to natural affection of a husband to wife or parent to child. It is a quiet abiding feeling within a man that rests on something close to him and that he feels good about” In Romans 1:31 and 2 Timothy 3:3 we find this word prefixed with an “a” negating its meaning. In the context it refers to people without natural affections.
III. The Delightful Love
Phileo- Brotherly love This word carries with it the meaning of affection or fondness. This love comes forth as a response to the qualities in others.
IV. The Distinguished Love
Agape- This is a love of esteem. It has the idea of prizing the object of love. It delights in giving and keeps on loving even when the loved one is unresponsive, unkind, unlovable and unworthy. It is a consuming passion for the well being of others. This is unconditional love. And this word is used 329 times in the New Testament and there are very few places this word is used outside of the bible. This my friends is the love of God. (2)
Now let us turn our attention to what our Lord said about love.
John 15:10-17
10If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17These things I command you, that ye love one another.
I. Love for the Saints
Jesus said that the world will know you are my disciples by the way you love one another. The first time I attended a church after the Lord saving me I was astounded by what I witnessed. After the service was over I beheld how they loved one another. I was not accustomed to this in the Godless church I was raised in. When I observed these Christians fellowshipping and sharing with one another I was profoundly impressed by the Spirit of God in our midst. You see, when we as Christians love one another then Christ takes delight and manifests Himself in our midst.
II. Love for the Savior John 21:15-17
So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
Jesus asks Peter 3 times if Peter loves him. In the first two questions Jesus uses the word Agape. Apage, the highest most noble form of love. Unconditional and selfless love. Peter responds with the word phileo meaning, “affection”. In the final question Jesus uses the word phileo. Peter denied the Lord 3 times. And 3 times the Lord questions Peter's love. Peter, feeling the pain and guilt of denying the Lord could not bring himself to profess Agape love toward the Savior.
But that would change for Peter for we find in I Peter 1:7-8
”That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8Whom having not seen, ye love” Agape
(Note: No where in the book of Acts is the word love found. Agape is found 329 times in the bible but no form of the word "love" is found in the book of Acts.)
III. The Love of the Savior
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
This passage expresses the extent of human love. I find the greatest example among mortal beings of one dying for another is those who have been in combat. I have not known the horrors of combat yet I have studied war and saw the effect of combat in my father. I have seen my father speak of acts of bravery he witnessed on Iwo Jima with tears in his eye and a quiver in his voice. Those who have been in combat and witnessed the death of their friends and witnessed heroic actions of others to save the lives of comrades form a bond that few of us know. Sure, their motives for service may be patriotic, but in the heat of battle when the lead is flying and their buddies bleed and die they are fighting for one another and there is a bond that forms for a lifetime. Speak with anyone who has seen the elephant and most of them will have a deep admiration for the Navy Corpsman or Army medic. There was one such man by the name of Desmond Doss. Desmond Doss was a conscientous objector who enlisted in the Army to serve his country as a medic but he refused to touch a gun. He was ridiculed, mocked and scorned not only by his peers but by his superiors. Doss held true to his convictions though he was singled out for the worst kinds of duty and repeatedly denied liberty passes because he refused to be qualified on a weapon. His commanding officers did all within their power to have him court martialed but they failed. Then they attempted to have him discharged on a section 8 claiming he was mentally unstable due to his religious convictions. This failed as well because he was protected by an act of Congress that C.O.'s serving in the military were not required to take up arms.
"Desmond struggled through the pain to clear his mind and reconcile himself to his surroundings. He was on a hospital ship just off the coast of Okinawa. Every inch of his lean frame hurt, he was covered with bandages, and he knew he had a compound fracture in one arm. As the fog cleared in his mind he thought of his Bible, the one his wife had presented to him on their wedding day. That Bible had sustained him though the months of training when he had been the brunt of ridicule and hate among his fellow soldiers. It had been his constant comfort through the months of combat at Guam, Leyte, and Okinawa. He reached slowly to the shirt pocket where he had always carried it. The Bible was gone...lost somewhere on the top of the Maeda Escarpment beside the blood that had leaked from his shattered body. "Please," he begged someone nearby, "get word back to my men. I've lost my Bible."
It had been almost a month since that "miracle morning" when Doss had prayed and the men of Company B had taken the escarpment. During the period Doss had been busy. The Japanese were not willing to easily relinquish control of their rocky fortress, and many battles had followed the April 29th initial assault. The nature of the escarpment with its caves and tunnels made it possible for the enemy to hide from the Americans who struggled to control the top, then sneak out in the dark of night. Three days after the initial assault Doss had braved a hail of enemy rifle and mortar fire to rush 200 yards forward of the lines to rescue a wounded soldier. Two days later four soldiers who were assaulting an enemy gun emplacement fell. Desmond ignored the rain of enemy grenades around him to rush to their aid. Moving to within 8 yards of the mouth of the cave from which the enemy had cut down his fellow soldiers, Doss made 4 separate trips to reach and rescue the wounded.
Medal of Honor Day
On May 5th the tide of battle turned against the Americans. Enemy artillery, mortars and machinegun fire began to rake into the ranks of Company B, 77th Infantry Division. Japanese soldiers swarmed out of their foxholes and caves in every direction. Almost immediately 75 men fell wounded, and the remaining men were forced to fall back and retreat to the base of the escarpment. The only soldiers remaining at the top of the cliff were the wounded, the Japanese, and Desmond T. Doss.
Heedless of the shells that burst around him and the bullets directed his way, Desmond tended his injured comrades. At the base of the escarpment those few soldiers who had managed to escape the onslaught could only sit helplessly by and hear the sounds of the battle as the wounded struggled to survive atop the cliff. And then...amazingly...a wounded soldier appeared over the face of the escarpment. Dangling from a rope, he slowly descended to the safety of its base as a tall medic fed the rope through his hands from the summit. First one, then another, and another....and another. Heedless of the advancing Japanese, Desmond Doss went about the work of sending the wounded to safety. Reports of that day tell of Japanese advancing with rifles and bayonets to within a few feet of the medic, slowly lowering his men to safety, before one of the wounded could kill the enemy before they shot Doss.
For twelve hours Doss lowered soldier after soldier down the face of the escarpment, using little more than a tree stump to wind the top edge of the rope around. Throughout the twelve hours Desmond had only one thought. He prayed, "Lord, help me get one more. Just ONE more!" How many men Doss saved that day, only God knows. One hundred and fifty-five soldiers went up the escarpment that day, and only 55 were able to retreat without assistance. The Army determined the conscious objector who had almost been court martialed or discharged as unfit for military service, had saved 100 lives. "Couldn't be," Desmond had replied. It couldn't have been more than 50. I wouldn't have had the time to save 100 men." In deference to Desmond's humble estimate, when the citation for his Medal of Honor was written, they "split the difference", crediting the intrepid soldier with saving 75 fellow soldiers.
The bloody struggle for the Maeda Escarpment continued for weeks. On the night of May 21st the Americans launched a bold attack. When the return fire forced the Americans to take cover, Desmond remained in the open to treat the wounded. Then he, and three other soldiers, crawled into a hole to wait out the darkness. Suddenly a grenade landed among them. Three men scrambled out but Desmond was too late. Reflexively he covered the grenade with his boot, then felt it detonate beneath him and hurl his body into the darkness of night. When he fell back to earth the leg was still there, but bleeding badly from numerous wounds. Rather than call for another medic to leave shelter and risk his own life, Desmond bandaged his own wounds and waited the five hours alone until daylight broke. As the litterbearers arrived with the dawn and began to carry the wounded medic out of danger they passed another critically wounded soldier. Desmond instructed them to put down his litter, then rolled off it tended the wounds of the other man and told them to take the other man. While he awaited their return he was joined by yet another wounded soldier. Together the two of them set out for safety, leaning upon each other.
Once again rifle fire split the morning. Pain stabbed Desmond's arm which was curled across the shoulders of his new comrade. The sniper's bullet went into his wrist, exited through his elbow, and then lodged itself in his upper arm. Had the bullet not hit Doss, it probably would have struck his wounded compatriot in the neck. Desmond borrowed his friend's rifle and used the stock to fashion a splint for his useless arm. Then the two continued to crawl to 300 yards to safety.
Seventeen pieces of shrapnel were removed from Desmond's leg and his arm set in a sling. On the hospital ship Desmond was being prepared for the return home. Desmond Doss' war was over. He'd fought a good fight...his own way...without ever compromising his strong beliefs.
On October 12, 1945 Desmond Doss was invited to the White House. President Harry S Truman held a Medal of Honor in his hand as he looked at the brave young medic. "I would rather have this Medal," he said, "than to be the President." Then, with those words, he hung the Medal of Honor around the neck of Corporal Desmond Thomas Doss.
At home another surprise awaited the young man. His men hadn't forgotten the brave medic or his love for the Word of God. The message about "Doss' Bible" had been delivered. Incredibly, the men who once mocked the God fearing Doss who would not compromise, had returned to the Maeda Escarpment with a new mission and purpose. After soundly defeating the Japanese they fanned out across the rocky terrain and conducted a search until they found, and mailed home, Desmond's Bible." (3)
As touching and moving as stories of sacrifice and valor in combat may be they still do not rise to the love of our Lord as He displayed on Calvary.
Christ went well beyond dying for his friends. He died for his enemies. For every sinner is by nature an enemy of God.
Romans 5
8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
The very word “reconcile” means to abolish the enmity between two parties. We were the enemies of God in our sin and it is God who made peace not us. We are the ones who sinned and God made the sacrifice. There is nothing I can bring to appease for my sin.
God lowered Himself and became a man and as a man became a servant. As a servant He became our sacrifice.
There is hardly any earthly illustration or example that can compare to the Lord of glory laying aside His omnipotence to become the sacrifice for us. This love of God demands we surrender to Him no less than all of our heart, mind, soul and strength.
Sources:
1. Valentine history adapted from: history.com; The Gods of Ancient Rome, Robert Turcan, Routledge Publ.
2. “Love” Word studies adapted from :https://www.mcleanbible.org/sites/default/files/Multiply-Resources/Chap3/GreekWordsforLoveWS_Chapter3.pdf
3. Desmond Doss story adapted from: homeofheroes.com
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