Obedience Under Fire: Lessons from D-Day

It was mostly cloudy that night.

The rain was clearing out.

It was approaching 1:30 that morning as over 13,000 members of

the 82nd Airborne and the 101st Airborne and 6,000 members

of the British paratroopers were preparing to exit their C47

Transports or Normandy, France.

D Day June 6, 1944 was just about to begin.

Paratroopers would be the first American troops to land on

German occupied France.

C47s were scattered, thick cloud cover and also German anti

aircraft fire.

A Sergeant for the 82nd stood up, opened the plane's doors, yelled

to his men, stand up.

Hook up.

Their parachute lines would then unfold their chutes as they

jumped while standing in the plane being rocked by incoming anti

aircraft fire and pieces of metal that would go through the airplane.

The sergeant was trying to keep his balance while the burst

of fire and flak as the paratroopers positioned themselves

in the doorway.

Suddenly a burst of enemy fire hit.

A flak hit the airplane.

The sergeant fell dead in the doorway in a pool of blood before

the paratroopers feet.

They were stunned as they saw their sergeant dead before them.

And then they heard a loud yell back behind.

Jump.

Jump.

Jump.

One by one, the 82nd Airborne stepped over the dead sergeant's

body and entered into d day.

Five hours later, 6:30 in the morning, Omaha Beach.

Members of the 1st infantry and 29th infantry assigned to land

on that beach that would be the most heavily defended of all

the five beaches.

Omaha, Utah, Sword, Gold, Juneau.

They were in tiny 36 foot landing crafts.

They were battling the winds and the tides from the previous storm

the day before.

Soldiers however, noticed landing crafts up ahead were running

aground and sandbars.

Soldiers were wading ashore 50 to 100 yards before they could get

ashore.

Some fell into holes created by the shelling of the beach.

Some were up to their necks.

Some died in those holes under the weight of the heavy packs.

Many more died by heavy machine gun fire before getting ashore.

As the landing crafts neared the shore, enemy gunfire began to

rake the landing crafts as they hit the sandbar.

Their commanding officer yelled go, go, go.

The ramp door plunged down into the water.

Their commanding officer at the moment he got off, was hit and

killed instantly.

Someone else yelled get off the boat.

Get off the boat now.

Now.

Pure chaos as they jumped off that landing craft into the water.

Many were hit but few managed to make it on shore.

We Fast forward to October 25, 1983.

Army Rangers were jumping in the country of Grenada.

They had to make a 500 foot parachute drop without their reserve

Chutes jumping into combat, trying to take Port Salinas airport.

We fast forward to Iraq, Afghanistan.

Warriors will get into Humvees, patrol areas known to have

IEDs hidden along the road.

Maybe in a cardboard box, maybe in the carcass of a dead animal,

maybe old tires.

Somehow, someway, they were buried along the road, just waiting

to be set off by trip wires or cell phones.

Coast guardsmen would fly in hurricane like winds to rescue a

stranded boat.

And those that were swept off the boat, holding on for dear life.

Only the Coast Guard dared to make that kind of trip.

These are examples of what our American warriors are trained to

do in extreme conditions.

They were to be instantly obey the command, jump into enemy fire,

and they were to be obedient unto death.

Firefighters, police officers, all trained to go where nobody else

wants to go.

They're trained to obey orders that go into the house of fire, taking

their lives in danger.

Police officers going to a store held up by a man, trying to

rob the store, holding hostages.

Whatever could happen.

Philippians chapter two, if you would, please.

We read the story of a special warrior, his name is Jesus, who battled

our enemy Satan and the sins, and became obedient to his heavenly

Father, even obedient unto death.

Philippians chapter 2.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

We look at verse number 8.

Let this mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus, who being

in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God,

but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the

form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became

obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Heavenly Father, I pray that as we thank our veterans and even

firefighters and police for their willingness to to take commands

and follow orders to go into fire, go into death.

We thank you that they are willing to be obedient, maybe even

unto death today.

Father, I pray that you'll help us as we look at our spiritual

warrior who is obedient unto death on our behalf.

Help us, Father, now to take it all in, to realize the scope,

the depth of our salvation.

Founded in Jesus Christ.

We thank you for that.

For it's in Jesus precious name we ask and pray.

Amen.

You know, being obedient goes against our nature.

Have you noticed that being obedient does not come naturally?

We are selfish by nature.

We got this from our parents of Adam and Eve when they were told

not to.

Not to take of that forbidden fruit of every tree of the garden.

You can have but this one Tree you are not to do.

Wouldn't you know it, they did it anyway.

They were not obedient.

They disobeyed God.

They took that forbidden fruit.

Disobedience trickles on down to our children.

They have to be taught to obey.

Even our dogs and our pets we take to obedience school.

I've often wondered maybe we could trade the two.

Disobedience comes down to us in our lives in the military.

Best place in the world to have your obedience.

It starts with basic training in the army and the Air Force.

Starts with boot camp, Marine Corps, Navy.

You learn to take orders, you learn to obey commands.

There's no candy, there's no cookies in boot camp.

One of our men I was in boot camp with had that mistake happen.

His mother thought she could do him a treat, sending in mail,

a three pound coffee can full of chocolate chip cookies.

Well, come to find out, you're not allowed to have cookies in boot

camp.

He was told to come up to the front and there, private, your mom

sent you cookies.

You're going to tell us how good they are.

They fed him the cookies, stuffed them in his mouth, gave him

a canteen of hot water, told him to do push ups and pull ups until

he was sick to his stomach.

Needless to say, his mother did not send him any more cookies.

You learn to obey.

You learn to take orders.

You learn do things that you never thought you could do.

Jump in an obstacle course over a pit, water pit by rope.

You're told to climb a seven foot inverted wall, carry a warrior

on your soldier with his rifle and run back to safety.

You are taught as an army ranger, having a 60 plus pound pack

on your back for 50 miles.

These commands are ingrained in you muscle memory to instantly

react and to obey in a time of combat if need be.

Amazingly, Jesus had to learn obedience as well.

Turn to Hebrews chapter five, Hebrews, chapter five, Hebrews chapter

five.

We look at verse number eight, Hebrews five, eight.

Though he were a son, yet learned he obedience, yet learned

he obedience by the things which he suffered.

Amazingly, Jesus had to learn obedience like a new recruit who

would take on an army uniform for the very first time in his life.

Jesus Christ took on human flesh at Bethlehem for the very first,

first time in his life.

Because of his humanity, Jesus did things in the human body he had

never done before.

He had never before been human.

He never had human emotions.

It was tough, it was hard.

He'd never been tempted like man.

It was tough, it was hard, it was not to be easy.

Hebrews 4, 15.

For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the

feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like

we are, yet without sin.

The beauty of salvation is that God knew we were never going

to heaven by our good works, by our good deeds, by our baptism,

by our good church membership, or the Lord's Supper.

If we could, Jesus would never have to die on the cross for us.

Amen.

So God sent his only begotten Son to come to this earth to be human

flesh for us, that he might experience the hurt, the pain, the

sorrow, the agony.

Everything on this earth he had never, ever had in heaven.

For the very first time, he put on flesh and and saw how difficult

it was, how tough it was, how challenging it was.

It was not easy, but he was willing to be obedient, obedient

unto death.

For us.

Being obedient, however, comes by being obedient to Christ and because

of his obedience.

As our disobedience comes from Adam and Eve, our obedience comes

from Jesus Christ.

That's how we know how to obey Christ learned obedience by putting

on human flesh.

And we learn that we have a spiritual nature.

Second Peter 1:3 says, we have a divine nature.

2 Peter 1:3

The divine nature that we have to learn to handle as well as human

flesh was foreign to Jesus.

Divine nature is different and foreign for us.

We're in the process of growing and learning, learning how

to be obedient unto God.

But being disobedient as a Christian does not have a good look

on us.

Try in talking to Jonah.

When told to go to Nineveh, he disobeyed.

He ran.

And having himself plunged into the ocean, swallowed up by a

well, that is not a good look on a disobedient Christian.

Take Saul, First Corinthians.

I'm sorry.

1 Samuel 15.

He was told to destroy the Amalekites.

Chose not to.

He said, the animals I have, I use for the sacrifices that would

come.

Samuel told King Saul, it is better to obey than sacrifice.

Better to obey than sacrifice disobedient to God's commands.

God's ways does not look good on a child of God.

And it doesn't look good on us when we know we're disobedient and

we're running because of guilt and sadness and sorrow.

Romans, chapter six, if you would, please.

God had a different design for us.

Romans, chapter 6.

Romans 6 · chapter mention

Look at verse number 16.

Romans 6.

16.

Paul writes these words to us.

Know this.

Know ye not that to whom you yield yourself Servants to obey.

His servants are to whom you obey, whether of sin unto death,

or of obedience unto righteousness.

But God be thanked that you were the servants of sin.

But you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which

was delivered unto you.

God's design for us, Christian was to be obedient to Jesus Christ.

God's design and purpose for us was not to run away, but to be

yielded, be surrendered, to be obedient unto him, learning from

the word of God and giving our life over to serve him.

Being obedient pleases God.

Go, if you would.

Romans 12.

Romans 12.

We read these words, verse number one.

I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,

that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable

unto God, which is your reasonable, reasonable, reasonable

service.

It's pleasing unto him, it's holy unto him, it's acceptable unto

him.

That's what we do.

That's what we do.

We're to be obedient unto death, even as a living sacrifice,

dying daily.

We see this in Scripture, 1 Corinthians 15:31.

1 Corinthians 15:31

I die daily.

Daily.

We die daily.

We're to be obedient unto death daily.

We deny ourselves daily.

We yield to him.

Luke 9:23.

Luke 9:23

He saith unto them, to any man, come after me, let him deny

himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.

He then saith Jesus in Matthew 16 unto his disciples, if any man

will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross

and follow me daily.

Christian, we are to die to ourselves daily.

Christian, we're to crucify ourselves daily.

Christian, we are to die to be able to yield and serve the Lord.

Yes, obedient unto our death.

Obedient to our denial.

Obedient to our yielding and sacrifice unto him.

It feels good to obey.

Have you ever obeyed the Lord?

And you come away with that great feeling that wow, maybe you

haven't been in church for a while and you started coming.

Feels good, doesn't it?

Maybe you witnessed to someone, handed them a tract.

They looked at it, they read it, and then they got saved.

That feels great, Christian.

It feels good to obey God.

Much better than sinning.

Much better than going the way of the world than the devil.

It feels good to obey the Lord.

How about being an encourager rather than griping and complaining

about what's wrong with this world?

What about honoring God, praising him, letting Christ be the

one that you give praise to.

That feels good.

That feels good.

Sometimes we don't understand the old commands the Lord has for

us, but they are there for a Purpose.

I mean, in the military, we're given commands.

We don't understand.

We don't know why.

And you don't ask why.

You're just told to do it.

Sometimes God gives us commands.

We don't know why.

We're just told to do.

Acts, chapter 8.

Acts 8 · chapter mention

And I realize after the previous services we've had from

Brother Stone and Brother Tyler, you know.

Yeah, you're familiar.

Acts, chapter 8.

Acts 8 · chapter mention

Looking at Philip.

Acts, chapter 8.

Acts 8 · chapter mention

Look at verse number 5, Acts 8.

5.

Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ

unto them.

And the people with one accord, gave heed unto these things

which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he

did for the unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice and came

out that many were possessed with them and many taken with palsies

and the lame.

They were healed, and there was great joy in that city.

There was a great revival going on.

Philip had preached.

He was a deacon.

He preached.

There was great wonders happening.

People were getting saved.

Demons were being cast out.

It was such a great event that even a couple of the disciples decided,

we've got to go see what's going on.

Look at verse number 14 and 15.

And now, when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria

had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John,

who, when they were come down, prayed for them that they might receive

the Holy Ghost here.

Peter and John had to come find out what's going on.

But then.

But then, in the midst of that revival, God had the audacity to

talk to Philip and command him to do something different.

Look at verse 26.

And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, arise

and go toward the south, unto the.

From Jerusalem, unto Gaza, which is desert.

And he arose and went.

And behold, a man of Ethiopia.

A eunuch and great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians,

who had charge over all of her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to

worship here.

Philip was told to leave that revival.

What?

You want me to leave this great event?

Come on, God.

I mean, I don't understand it.

There are wonderful things happening.

I should be a part of it.

I want to see more of it.

I want to see what things are going on.

I don't understand this command.

Philip, I want you to go to the desert, from the city to the

desert, from a great audience of people getting saved now to an

audience of one.

I don't understand.

And sometimes Christians were given commands that we don't understand.

We don't have to.

We're not required to understand everything that God has

for us.

We're not required to understand the whys of the Christian

life.

We're just to do it.

We're just to obey.

We're just to commit our life and follow whatever God wants us

to do.

So Philip did, in fact, so much to the point that he had come

up upon this Ethiopian eunuch riding in a horse drawn chariot.

Do you know how fast horses go carrying a chariot?

And how fast Philip had to run to try to catch up to that chariot

to obey uniquely designed by God.

Don't have to understand it, just have to do it.

Whatever God wants that today we are grateful for our military,

we're grateful for our fire, for our police being obedient unto

death.

Now imagine God having loved us so much that he was willing to

give up his only begotten son, to give him up for us in our behalf.

If you're not a Christian here today, you need to understand that

God loves you so much that his son was willing even unto death,

to be obedient to what God wanted him to do on the cross of

Calvary for you.

If you're not saved today, you don't know him.

If you don't know for sure you're going to heaven.

We have an invitation.

And in this invitation you're invited to come and come and call

upon the name of Jesus Christ and be saved by him.

He willingly.

He willingly was obedient unto death for you on your behalf.

How could you ever turn him down?

He did this for you.

And Christian, I hope that we are now more willing to be obedient

unto death.

I hope that we're more willing to be obedient to serve the Lord

however He asks us to do.

Remember, you don't have to understand it, you don't have to

appreciate it, you don't even have to like it.

But just do it.

Do it.

It's about his honor and glory, not your own.

With every head bowed, every eye closed, if you would please.