1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,440 Welcome to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. We are a Bible-Believing Church located 2 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:16,680 in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. We are proudly part of the Christian Fellowship 3 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:21,920 Ministries with 3,000 churches around the world. We are a church focused on world evangelism, 4 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:27,300 discipleship and church planting. Here we will share recent sermons from P.H.S.A. Church 5 00:00:27,300 --> 00:00:31,860 and other sermons from throughout our fellowship. I am Pastor David Bigford and I will be your 6 00:00:31,860 --> 00:00:36,420 host for this podcast. I thank you for listening today and we hope these messages are a blessing 7 00:00:36,420 --> 00:00:40,320 to you and bring you closer to God. 8 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:50,440 Hello and welcome back to the podcast. Again, my name is David Bigford. I'm the pastor 9 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:56,440 here in Salmon Arm and today's message I've put together is called The Bitter Ocean. Yesterday, 10 00:00:56,440 --> 00:01:01,560 today, and forever. The scripture we'll be using is pretty short as a jumping off point 11 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:07,440 this morning. It will be Hebrews 13, 8 or afternoon whenever you're listening to this. 12 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:11,640 It's another tumultuous day in the world. It seems that there was another assassination 13 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:18,640 attempt on Donald Trump today on Sunday, September 15th. We just pray that God's hand would be 14 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:26,400 upon America and Canada as well and the leaders. We need to be peacemakers but we also need 15 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:32,520 to remember that we're soldiers for Christ and that although these times are dark, we 16 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:38,720 do trust that God is in control and that he has all sovereignty in what goes on in and 17 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:41,320 amidst mankind. 18 00:01:41,320 --> 00:01:46,080 So again, the title of the message today is The Bitter Ocean and we're going to look at 19 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:50,640 the Battle of the Atlantic. So when all was said and done, British Prime Minister Winston 20 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:57,240 Churchill would comment, the only thing that ever really frightened me during the war was 21 00:01:57,240 --> 00:02:02,720 the U-boat peril. I was even more anxious about this battle than I had been about the 22 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:09,320 glorious air fight called the Battle of Britain. And let's look at our text in Hebrews 13, 23 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:18,760 8. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. So the reason why we're 24 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:23,240 going to be looking at this is that the battle for the Atlantic or the bitter ocean is that 25 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:29,420 we are in a period of time where it's very easy to get bitter. We are looking at a situation 26 00:02:29,420 --> 00:02:37,200 in society that can seem like being in a small ship in a big deep ocean, a very dark ocean 27 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:42,960 where there are things underneath the water hunting us. And we have to recognize that 28 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:50,720 in the midst of this tumultuous time that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today 29 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:56,740 and forever. He is always with us. He is there to help us. So let's remember that as we jump 30 00:02:56,740 --> 00:03:00,560 into this message today. 31 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:05,520 Let's just go ahead and pray. Dear Lord God, I pray that this message would impact people 32 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:10,240 and help them, that it would go to their heart and that they'd recognize that you are in 33 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:18,240 control. But even when it seems like the darkest hour, you are there right on the horizon, 34 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:24,240 ready to help us if we will only put out our hand and accept your help. In Jesus name we 35 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:27,080 pray. Amen. 36 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:30,440 So when I first put this message together, one of the things that really stemmed it was 37 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:37,960 it was right around the time of the 80th anniversary of D-Day. So this was back in June. And D-Day 38 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:44,120 was the invasion of Nazi Germany occupied Europe. So it was the invasion of France and 39 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:52,120 you know that initial push to break up what Hitler was able to do in Europe. So this operation 40 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:59,720 was years in the making and was the start of a very long, long battle to take back Europe 41 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:02,040 from the Nazi regime. 42 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:07,740 Years before this tremendous military operation, England was at risk of failing to the Germans. 43 00:04:07,740 --> 00:04:12,800 They were cut off and surrounded by the German U-boats. Germany took control over most of 44 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:18,560 Europe and since England is an island, they were extremely vulnerable. The trade that 45 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:23,240 they had depended on was now under German control and Hitler was eager to exert his 46 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:30,560 authority over the nation of England and just as he had done with the rest of Europe. 47 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:35,440 So the first point I want to look at is the enemy is like a roaring lion or a charging 48 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:40,920 bear. And so what does that bring to your imagination is if you're, you know, I live 49 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:45,760 in bear country and if I'm out hiking, I'm constantly making noise so that bears know 50 00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:51,680 I'm around because last thing I want to do is surprise a bear and have one charge me. 51 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:56,720 Similarly, if you were in like areas where there's lions, you would be, you would be 52 00:04:56,720 --> 00:05:02,720 ever aware that there could be something lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce on you. And 53 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:07,480 that's the picture we see with the enemy being like a roaring lion or a charging bear. We 54 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:14,200 see that picture of Satan or the devil and how he looks at humanity. So the Battle of 55 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:19,720 the Atlantic was from a period of time in 1939 to the end of the war. It was the longest 56 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:25,260 continuous battle of the second world war and Canada played a key role in the allied 57 00:05:25,260 --> 00:05:30,860 struggle for control over the North Atlantic. As German submarines worked furiously to cripple 58 00:05:30,860 --> 00:05:39,600 the convoys shipping crucial supplies to Europe, the victory was a very costly one. More than 59 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:46,520 70,000 allied seamen, merchant mariners and airmen lost their lives, including approximately 60 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:55,880 4,400 from Canada and specifically Newfoundland. Let's look at Proverbs 28, 14 through 16. 61 00:05:55,880 --> 00:06:00,760 Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into 62 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:07,240 calamity like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people. 63 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:13,680 A ruler who lacks understanding is cruel, is a cruel oppressor, but he who hates unjust 64 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:22,240 gain will prolong his day. So as we continue this look of the Battle of the Atlantic, it's 65 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:29,080 important for us to recognize what they were going through this large expanse of distance 66 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:36,840 between the Canadian and American coast over to the English coast. It was a area that was 67 00:06:36,840 --> 00:06:44,920 primarily controlled in large part by the German Navy. So basically once you left air 68 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:51,720 cover from Canada or the US and until you reached air cover within Great Britain, you 69 00:06:51,720 --> 00:07:00,080 were at huge risk of being attacked. You were at huge risk of losing your life. So for a 70 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:05,720 time the danger had existed that Britain might fall without a single German soldier setting 71 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:11,540 foot on the island nation. Rather it would be strangled into submission at sea deprived 72 00:07:11,540 --> 00:07:17,980 of life-giving food, raw materials and oil which flowed into its ports, causing perhaps 73 00:07:17,980 --> 00:07:25,800 millions to perish. This was old school siege warfare but done on a much more massive scale. 74 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:30,680 And the devil likes to do this with us. It likes to try to encircle us so that we feel 75 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:35,440 that we have no way to get out, so that we feel that we're totally lost, we're totally 76 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:41,120 cut off from everybody who cares or anybody who can help us until we allow ourselves to 77 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:47,880 be starved out. Interestingly the whole scenario had played out once before, just two decades 78 00:07:47,880 --> 00:07:52,900 earlier during the First World War, the newly invented German subs had tried to sever the 79 00:07:52,900 --> 00:07:58,160 lifeline to North America and break the British Navy's blockade of Germany. Many of the German 80 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:03,140 sub commanders in World War II were veterans of the prior Battle of the Atlantic, as were 81 00:08:03,140 --> 00:08:07,560 most of the British naval commanders. Back then the British had learned through hard 82 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:12,900 experience that the best defense was to avoid letting ships sail alone, relying instead 83 00:08:12,900 --> 00:08:19,800 on safety of protected convoys. But the Germans had learned as well and developed an effective 84 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:27,720 new countermeasure which they used from September 39 onward, the submarine wolf pack. In 1 Peter 85 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:33,600 5, 8-9 it says, Be sober-minded, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around you 86 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:39,960 like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that 87 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:46,920 the same kind of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 88 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:51,240 So this battle wages on and I keep interjecting with these pieces of scripture so that you 89 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:56,040 recognize and I hopefully can extrapolate out what I'm saying here is that we are in 90 00:08:56,040 --> 00:09:01,800 a battle, a spiritual battle. This was a physical battle, the Battle of the Atlantic, but it 91 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:08,080 also was very much a spiritual battle. And it's something that is very relevant to today 92 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:16,440 because many of us feel that we are stuck, that we are encircled, that we are ensnared, 93 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:23,940 and that we don't have any hope outside of just circumming to the darkness of the waves 94 00:09:23,940 --> 00:09:27,440 and the deep, deep sea. 95 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:33,200 This brings me to my next point which is the battle. Ephesians 6, 10-12 says, Finally, 96 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:38,160 be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might put on the whole armor of God 97 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:43,040 that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle 98 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:48,640 against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic 99 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:54,400 powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly 100 00:09:54,400 --> 00:10:01,280 places. It's beyond dispute that the rule of Hitler was one of demonic influence. The 101 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:06,760 horror that was brought onto the world is unimaginable for many today. And I was just 102 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:13,560 listening to a sermon by Pastor Scott Lamb that touched on this. Many of the reasons 103 00:10:13,560 --> 00:10:18,520 why the early Israelites, when they entered into the land of Canaan, God allowed for the 104 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:25,800 other inhabitants to stay was so that the Israelites would know war. Because our Lord 105 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:34,720 is a God of war. It tells us that. And so we know that war is part of the fallen world 106 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:45,000 we live in, but we also know that the righteousness of our Lord is set. And that he is here to 107 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:53,160 help us. But I do believe that he allows for war so that godly men, righteous men, will 108 00:10:53,160 --> 00:11:00,280 be able to stand firm in their faith in Christ, even when things are going totally wrong in 109 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:07,920 the world. We need sheepdogs to be able to protect the herd. And if without them, the 110 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:13,800 wolves would just be able to take over. So getting back to the story, if it was not for 111 00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:19,840 the extensive cataloging of World War II's atrocities after the war, many wouldn't even 112 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:26,640 believe what had happened. This thought draws a clear parallel for us that we're not fighting 113 00:11:26,640 --> 00:11:31,520 against flesh and blood. We are fighting demonic forces that intend to separate us from God. 114 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:36,040 We see the battle demonstrated through men and women, people who are in the thrall of 115 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:41,120 demonic powers like Hitler, Nebuchadnezzar, Nero, and many others. These are things that 116 00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:46,960 we see even on our day to day when people side with certain political affiliations who 117 00:11:46,960 --> 00:11:52,920 are for things that are just abhorrent to God. The Bible tells us that he knows us from 118 00:11:52,920 --> 00:12:00,360 the womb so we should be very careful with how we treat life from conception. And we 119 00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:05,880 can't allow for it to be snuffed out and think that that is okay and that it is righteous. 120 00:12:05,880 --> 00:12:11,920 It's not. We have to be able to understand that these are not easy decisions to be made 121 00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:18,400 in society, but if we rely on the teachings of Jesus Christ and on the Word of God, it 122 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:25,640 becomes very clear. Right now we're being asked to worship many things that are very 123 00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:30,800 contrary to the Word of God and we have to be very careful with what we allow ourselves 124 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:37,320 to buy into. So how do we define a demon? Demons are fallen angels who have rebelled 125 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:44,180 against God and they continue to propagate this evil in our world today. Scripture indicates 126 00:12:44,180 --> 00:12:49,680 that the demons were once angels who rebelled and they followed Satan and his disobedience 127 00:12:49,680 --> 00:12:57,000 and his sin. You can read in Revelation 12, 1-12. Like angels, demons are intelligent 128 00:12:57,000 --> 00:13:03,480 beings who possess great power. Though demons are evil spirits who are invisible to humans, 129 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:08,400 they sometimes appear in the scriptures as possessing humans and speaking through them 130 00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:16,800 like in Luke 4. Their primary activities in the world are to engage in cosmic warfare 131 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:24,440 with the angels. And we see that from Daniel 10, 13 or Revelations again 12, 1-12. They 132 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:30,600 are also there to tempt people to sin like we read in Ephesians 6, 11. And to deceive 133 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:36,200 the world with lies that blind people of spiritual truth. And that's, we pull that from 1 Timothy 134 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:42,480 4, 1. Scripture also speaks of demons physically assaulting people and even possessing people 135 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:49,160 to do their will like in Mark 5, verses 1-20. As with angels, the exact number of demons 136 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:54,020 is unknown but scripture does seem to suggest that the total number of angels exceeds the 137 00:13:54,020 --> 00:13:59,600 total number of demons since in Revelation 12, 4 it tells us only a third of the angels 138 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:05,680 followed Satan's rebellion. Though so interpreters believe that this passage is symbolic of cosmic 139 00:14:05,680 --> 00:14:12,800 warfare and should not be pressed for specific details, the idea still holds firm. Though 140 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:20,180 the demons follow after Satan, they are still ultimately subject to God's sovereign will. 141 00:14:20,180 --> 00:14:26,960 We understand God's sovereign will is being above even what the demonic powers would want. 142 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:34,520 When we read stories like Job in Job 1, 6-12 or Job 2, 1-10 where it shows us very clearly 143 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:44,680 the limits that are placed on the workings of the demonic. This is not to say that God 144 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:52,640 and it is for these things but in his sovereignty God employs what the demons are going to do 145 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:59,040 for his holy purpose in the world. He withholds his hand because you have to remember that 146 00:14:59,040 --> 00:15:03,720 the devil has been judged, the devil has been convicted and it is only a matter of time 147 00:15:03,720 --> 00:15:09,560 before his sentence is carried out but it is only in due time. So demons also appear 148 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:14,480 at significant moments in redemptive history that we can remember particularly Jesus encountering 149 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:20,280 a number of demons which may reveal that they were highly active in opposing Christ's incarnate 150 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:26,980 ministry. These are important things for us to understand when we look at periods of history 151 00:15:26,980 --> 00:15:33,760 that seem like we are in crazy upheavals or tumult. Right now is one of those times. What 152 00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:41,160 we are seeing in the political environment in the states is of tremendous importance 153 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:47,160 for the entire world. We are seeing a shift of the Democrat party from what they once 154 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:55,080 were to now being the pro-war, big business, big government, almost socialistic totalitarian 155 00:15:55,080 --> 00:16:00,440 party. When you look at who supports them and what they ask for that is what they are 156 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:08,080 calling for. They are calling for a very top down government style that is very close to 157 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:13,880 what they rail against as far as an oligarchy because look at who supports the party. Interestingly 158 00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:23,320 and again I am neither Republican or Democrat. I am a pastor, I am a Christian but I do vote 159 00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:29,780 and I vote according to the word of God and morally. If you need clarity on that you can 160 00:16:29,780 --> 00:16:34,640 reach out and I will have a very long discussion with you about that but this is not the place 161 00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:39,080 for that. The reality is what we are seeing is we are seeing this huge shift because what 162 00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:46,320 once was the Republican party under Trump is very different now. You see people like 163 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:51,580 Robert Kennedy coming in and you see people like Elon Musk coming in. You see these classical 164 00:16:51,580 --> 00:16:58,040 liberals coming in and taking very high influential positions within the existing Republican party. 165 00:16:58,040 --> 00:17:03,960 So really now the Republican party of today is like the Democrat party of the 60s. It 166 00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:09,960 is a very interesting time and what impresses me about this period of upheaval in our day 167 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:15,180 and age today is the reality that the last time something like this would have happened 168 00:17:15,180 --> 00:17:20,720 that I can see in history in the states would have been the election of Abraham Lincoln 169 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:27,600 as president. What I mean by that is prior to him there was no Republican party in the 170 00:17:27,600 --> 00:17:32,240 federal government. He was the first Republican president and that started what we consider 171 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:38,920 today to be our two party system. That being said we might see a shift after this election 172 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:45,400 cycle because there is so much upheaval in the system. It is very very hard for you to 173 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:51,960 even really call Donald Trump a Republican. You have to remember that him, Robert Kennedy 174 00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:57,620 and Elon Musk all these people were Democrats just a short time ago. So what is happening 175 00:17:57,620 --> 00:18:04,080 in our day and age? There is a shaking that is happening in our day and age today. And 176 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:08,520 I believe that God is sovereign and a lot of what is happening is to shake us so that 177 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:17,440 we will take our eyes off this world and look to what God has for us in store in his name. 178 00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:24,240 What we can do if we turn to him. It is an opportunity for us to turn towards redemption 179 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:31,360 in Christ Jesus. So looking back at our tale about the wolf packs of Germany we see that 180 00:18:31,360 --> 00:18:37,200 Admiral Karl Donitz was the leader of the Germans U-boat fleet. The only hindrance that 181 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:43,320 he saw to success was the limited number of subs in service. He had wanted 300 U-boats 182 00:18:43,320 --> 00:18:48,280 ready by the onset of the war. A number he considered sufficient to cut off Britain from 183 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:54,640 the outside world, but when the war began only 57 U-boats were actually in service. 184 00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:59,120 Hitler had been skeptical about the strategic potential of sub warfare and had given little 185 00:18:59,120 --> 00:19:05,080 priority to the sub fleet during his pre-war arm ups, adding several supersized battleships 186 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:11,360 instead. Not to be outdone, Donitz hoped to convince Hitler to enlarge the sub fleet by 187 00:19:11,360 --> 00:19:16,120 achieving great results early on. The first such deed to attract Hitler's attention 188 00:19:16,120 --> 00:19:22,520 was the spectacular sinking of the British battleship HMS Royal Oak by U-47 in October 189 00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:29,720 1939. The U-boat had managed to silently slip into the Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow and 190 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:38,720 torpedo Royal Oak while it was anchored, causing it to capsize with the loss of 833 men. Upon 191 00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:44,100 returning home, U-47's commander was presented to Hitler for congratulations while the Nazi 192 00:19:44,100 --> 00:19:50,120 propaganda played up the triumph over Germany's traditional naval flow. The Battle of the 193 00:19:50,120 --> 00:20:00,440 Atlantic took place between 1939 and 1945 and 72,000 sailors, navy, and airmen died 194 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:09,560 during this battle. They were trying to deliver food, weapons, and other supplies that were 195 00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:15,560 desperately needed by Britain and the Soviet Union in their titanic struggle against Nazi 196 00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:23,960 Germany. As bad as it was for the Allies, the Germans fared even worse. Fully 80% of 197 00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:29,480 the U-boat crewmen did not survive the war, the highest casualty rate of any branch of 198 00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:37,040 the military on either side. So for Donitz's success, he got huge rewards because of the 199 00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:42,480 magnitude of it. In March of 1943, Hitler appointed him as the new chief of the German 200 00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:48,840 Navy and put a 400-strong U-boat fleet at his disposal. This allowed Donitz to effectively 201 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:54,120 block the Atlantic shipping lanes and left Britain nearly severed from North America. 202 00:20:54,120 --> 00:20:59,400 Churchill's naval nightmare was about to come true, so it seemed. But fortunately for 203 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:05,280 the British people, Allied technicians had been working hard behind the scenes while 204 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:09,440 the Royal and Navy Air Force crews underwent intensive training to better coordinate their 205 00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:15,340 anti-sub efforts. A major break came when the newly invented long-range radar devices 206 00:21:15,340 --> 00:21:21,040 were installed on British bombers, allowing them to pinpoint the far-off positions of 207 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:26,200 U-boats traveling along the surface where they spent most of their time. Once detected, 208 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:32,520 the bombers dropped depth charges and attacked with new rocket-propelled explosives. Radar-equipped 209 00:21:32,520 --> 00:21:38,080 American B-24s also roared into the air from the British land bases, while fast-moving 210 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:44,320 British and American destroyers now equipped with radar as well blasted the U-boats with 211 00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:51,080 300-pound depth charges. The radar technique proved so effective that Donitz wondered if 212 00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:57,280 a German trader was in the midst and was somehow relaying the exact position of his subs to 213 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:05,040 the Allies. Worse for Donitz, newly improvised sound detection technology allowed the Allied 214 00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:10,200 warships to locate radio signals from distant wolf packs and organize surprise attacks. 215 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:15,560 Additionally, the perilous mid-Atlantic crossing became safer after American aircraft carriers 216 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:20,580 began escorting the convoys and launched fighter planes equipped with large-caliber machine 217 00:22:20,580 --> 00:22:27,200 guns to strafe and sink U-boats lurking nearby. 218 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:35,000 Now I know this sounds like a lot of World War history, but I want you to draw the parallel. 219 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:42,820 The Nazi regime thought they had everything sewed up. They thought they had England tied 220 00:22:42,820 --> 00:22:48,520 up in a nice little bow and there was nothing that could break the power of their naval 221 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:54,560 fleet. And today we see in our society there are people who think they have the world sewed 222 00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:59,920 up. They're going to be able to enslave us. They think they're going to be able to do 223 00:22:59,920 --> 00:23:08,180 away with free speech like we see the attacks on the people in Brazil and in other countries 224 00:23:08,180 --> 00:23:17,960 as well. But what we see is that God is always in control. We see that God has the power 225 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:24,180 to flip the script, if you will, or to change the heading. So even though the Germans thought 226 00:23:24,180 --> 00:23:33,800 they had this thing already and done, the ingenuity of free people was able to change 227 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:42,080 the narrative and turn the tables on the enemy. As Christians, when we tap into Jesus Christ, 228 00:23:42,080 --> 00:23:48,400 we have the ability to turn the tables on the enemy. 229 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:52,300 So let's look at a little bit more of this story. So by comparison, German sub technology 230 00:23:52,300 --> 00:23:58,320 and the wolf pack tactics had stagnated amid a complete lack of cooperation from Göring's 231 00:23:58,320 --> 00:24:04,160 Luftwaffe. As a result, the predictable wolf packs began to suffer heavy losses every time 232 00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:10,760 they attacked, causing morale to plummet amid a 75% casualty rate. The turning point in 233 00:24:10,760 --> 00:24:19,080 the sea battle occurred in May 1943 when 41 subs were lost. Compelling Donets, whose youngest 234 00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:25,080 son was killed in a sub that month to withdraw his U-boats from the North Atlantic. However, 235 00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:29,440 when Donets met with the fear to discuss the whole situation, Hitler told him, there can 236 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:35,280 be no question whatever of letting up in the U-boat war. The Atlantic is my western buffer 237 00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:40,840 zone. Donets, therefore, sent the wolf packs back to the North Atlantic in the autumn of 238 00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:48,000 1943 only to have his U-boats sunk at an even greater rate. One sub for every ship attacked, 239 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:53,360 a truly unsustainable casualty rate. And so Donets withdrew again from the North Atlantic 240 00:24:53,360 --> 00:24:59,880 and this time permanently, leaving the shipping lanes wide open. Britain's lifeline to North 241 00:24:59,880 --> 00:25:09,240 America was thus restored. The tables had been turned and now the enemy was in retreat. 242 00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:17,760 The story doesn't get as much fanfare as the D-Day operations. It's easier to see, 243 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:21,920 you know, video or footage or watch movies that are about D-Day because it's such a short 244 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:32,360 term incident. But this battle is what turned the tables and allowed for D-Day to even happen. 245 00:25:32,360 --> 00:25:39,680 Britain and America and Canada too were all able to restore open shipping in the North 246 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:45,980 Atlantic. This brings me to my final point, which is victory in Jesus. We have total victory 247 00:25:45,980 --> 00:25:52,600 in Jesus. The angels and the demons must comply with the will of our risen Lord. In Luke 4, 248 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:58,080 33-35 it says, And in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon 249 00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:04,240 and he cried out with a loud voice, Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? 250 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:09,900 Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God. But Jesus rebuked 251 00:26:09,900 --> 00:26:14,920 him saying, Be silent and come out of him. And when the demon had thrown him down in 252 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:22,800 their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. Our God is an awesome God, as 253 00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:33,240 the song goes. Our Lord Jesus is in all power, God. Ultimately at the return of Christ, demons 254 00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:37,240 will be thrown into a lake of fire where they will endure God's wrath for eternity for the 255 00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:43,480 rebellion against him. And we can have assurance of this from multiple scriptures in Matthew 256 00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:50,320 8, 28-29. When Jesus heals the two men with demons, it says, And when he came to the other 257 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:54,760 side of the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met with him, coming out 258 00:26:54,760 --> 00:27:00,160 of the tomb, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, What 259 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:06,440 have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time? 260 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:11,880 They know the judgment that they live under. They know that the time is coming when they 261 00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:18,120 will be cast out in Matthew 25-41. Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from 262 00:27:18,120 --> 00:27:25,240 me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. They sit with 263 00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:31,000 judgment hanging upon their head. And any of those who partake in the wickedness of 264 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:37,360 Satan and his angels or his demons, they also get to look forward to this judgment. 265 00:27:37,360 --> 00:27:42,960 In Revelation 20, 7-9, it says, And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released 266 00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:47,280 from his prison, and he will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of 267 00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:52,360 the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle, their number is like the sands of 268 00:27:52,360 --> 00:27:57,020 the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp 269 00:27:57,020 --> 00:28:04,040 of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them. And 270 00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:08,840 the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the 271 00:28:08,840 --> 00:28:15,240 beast and the false prophets were, and they will be tormented day and night forever. 272 00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:18,800 It's very powerful picture because again you see they're released from prison and what 273 00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:24,360 do they do? They go back to being what they are. Rebels. That's why I've never liked 274 00:28:24,360 --> 00:28:30,440 it when someone says, Oh, well, Jesus was a rebel. No, Jesus was righteous. The culture 275 00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:39,160 he was living in was rebellious against him. Jesus is not a rebel. He is King. He is Lord. 276 00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:46,440 He is God. And the demons know it, the devil knows it, but what I still find super interesting 277 00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:52,200 about this scripture is that they still came out of the prison and they did exactly the 278 00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:59,640 same thing they always do, which is try to encircle the saints thinking that they will 279 00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:09,160 win this time. But God tells us not so fast and he consumes them with fire. 280 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:18,040 This reminds me of a song that I like. It's from Hillsong United and it's called Oceans 281 00:29:18,040 --> 00:29:24,040 Where My Feet May Fail. You call me out upon the waters, the great unknown where my feet 282 00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:30,280 might fail. And there I find you in the mystery in the oceans deep my faith will stand and 283 00:29:30,280 --> 00:29:36,400 I will call upon your name and keep my eyes above the waves. When the oceans rise, my soul 284 00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:42,800 will rest in your embrace for I am yours and you are mine. Your grace abounds in the deepest 285 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:48,560 waters. Your sovereign hand will be my guide where my feet may fail and fear surrounds 286 00:29:48,560 --> 00:29:54,120 me. You have never failed and you won't start now. So I will call upon your name and keep 287 00:29:54,120 --> 00:30:01,720 my eyes above the waves. When the oceans rise, my soul will rest in your embrace for I am 288 00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:10,640 yours and you are mine. What a powerful song to sing and it does call your imagination 289 00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:17,280 to Jesus walking on water and calling out Peter into the water with him. And as Peter 290 00:30:17,280 --> 00:30:22,700 would sink, he would look to Jesus and call out for help and Jesus would lift him up out 291 00:30:22,700 --> 00:30:28,920 of the water. So even if in your life you're in like a bitter battle like the battle of 292 00:30:28,920 --> 00:30:36,160 the Atlantic right now, you don't have to stay there. You can put call upon our Lord 293 00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:40,720 Jesus Christ and lift your hand up to him and he will grab a hold of your hand and he 294 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:47,520 will help you. Hitler had lost the battle of the Atlantic due to the perseverance of 295 00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:55,040 individual sailors, merchant marines, seamen who kept the ships moving no matter what, 296 00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:59,840 along with the approved coordination from the British Navy, the Air Force, and the technological 297 00:30:59,840 --> 00:31:06,120 developments that tip the scales in the favor of the allies. And of course the additional 298 00:31:06,120 --> 00:31:11,720 people or the addition of the American shipyards along the East Coast began turning out new 299 00:31:11,720 --> 00:31:18,960 merchant ships at an outstanding rate, replacing the lost tonnage. The British people now receive 300 00:31:18,960 --> 00:31:24,640 everything they needed, along with a gigantic arsenal of American-made weapons ready to 301 00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:29,960 use for the invasion of the Northern Europe. So the picture here is even though the battle 302 00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:37,320 of the Atlantic was won, the real mission was to bring life-saving support to the people 303 00:31:37,320 --> 00:31:44,800 of England and to push forward with that life-saving support into Europe to beat back the devil 304 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:50,120 and to free those who were under bondage. The Allied forces still had a long road to 305 00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:55,720 victory in World War II, with the sea superiority achieved and later the air superiority that 306 00:31:55,720 --> 00:32:03,280 was achieved. It set the stage for the D-Day that we started with. Just like we see in 307 00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:08,120 the Bible, there is an ebb and flow in life. Trust in the Lord does not guarantee an easy 308 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:14,160 road. On the contrary, it means that you will make it to your destination. There will be 309 00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:18,720 difficulties to overcome while you're on the path, but the Lord will be there and in 310 00:32:18,720 --> 00:32:23,540 the end you will make heaven your home as long as you stay on the path and persevere 311 00:32:23,540 --> 00:32:29,080 in Christ. Juno Beach was the Allied code name for a 312 00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:35,720 10-kilometer stretch of French coastline assaulted by the Canadian soldiers. On D-Day June 6, 313 00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:41,400 1944, the Canadian Army's 3rd Infantry Division and 2nd Armored Brigade seized the beach and 314 00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:47,080 its seaside villages while under intense fire from German defenders. An extraordinary 315 00:32:47,080 --> 00:32:52,700 example of military skill reinforced by countless acts of personal courage, the 3rd Infantry 316 00:32:52,700 --> 00:32:58,080 Division took heavy casualties in its first wave of attack, but took control of the beach 317 00:32:58,080 --> 00:33:03,840 by the end of the day. More than 14,000 Canadian soldiers landed or parachuted into France 318 00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:11,760 on D-Day. The Royal Canadian Navy contributed 110 warships and 10,000 sailors and the Royal 319 00:33:11,760 --> 00:33:17,540 Canadian Air Force contributed 15 fighters and fighter bomber squadrons to the assault. 320 00:33:17,540 --> 00:33:24,960 There were 1,074 casualties from the Canadians, including 359 killed. When we think of the 321 00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:32,240 battle, we remember the lost and I know it's not Veterans Day or Mists Day or Remembrance 322 00:33:32,240 --> 00:33:38,360 Day or any of these days when you might be listening to this, but we always want to remember 323 00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:45,840 those who sacrificed their life for the freedom that we enjoy today. But at the very top of 324 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:52,800 that list, who you have to remember is Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He did so that you 325 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:57,240 could have eternal life in Him. With that, if I could have every head bowed, every eye 326 00:33:57,240 --> 00:34:02,880 closed, real quickly, we always end with an invitation because the purpose of any of these 327 00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:07,400 messages and this one specifically is not to learn about history, it's not to learn 328 00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:11,680 a good story here or there, to pick up some scripture, that's all good and fine, but the 329 00:34:11,680 --> 00:34:20,080 reality of it is the purpose is Christ. If you are in the midst of turmoil right now, 330 00:34:20,080 --> 00:34:27,880 if you are sinking out in the ocean of your own sin, just call out to Him, raise your 331 00:34:27,880 --> 00:34:33,120 hand up so that He can grab you and pull you out of the bondage that you're living in. 332 00:34:33,120 --> 00:34:40,240 If you want to raise your hand wherever you are, I can't see it, but God can see it. I'd 333 00:34:40,240 --> 00:34:45,400 like to lead you in a prayer. I'd like to lead you in a prayer if you raised your hand, 334 00:34:45,400 --> 00:34:49,440 if you know you're not right with God. It's a simple prayer, just repeat after me, dear 335 00:34:49,440 --> 00:34:54,800 Lord God, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you sent your Son Jesus Christ, 336 00:34:54,800 --> 00:35:02,400 that He died for my sin. I repent of my sin and I accept Jesus as my Lord and my Savior. 337 00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:06,980 In His name I pray, amen. So if you prayed that prayer and you meant it, I'd love it 338 00:35:06,980 --> 00:35:12,440 if you reached out to me. All of the contact information is in the show notes. But for 339 00:35:12,440 --> 00:35:18,360 the rest of you, I do want you to press forward and remember that even when it's dark, even 340 00:35:18,360 --> 00:35:23,960 when it seems like the waves are too high and the water is too deep, Jesus is there 341 00:35:23,960 --> 00:35:30,080 for us. Even though we live in the precipice of very challenging times today, with lots 342 00:35:30,080 --> 00:35:38,100 and lots of wars and rumors of wars, this is nothing new in the midst of human history. 343 00:35:38,100 --> 00:35:43,240 The reality remains that Jesus is there for us if we will turn to Him and give Him our 344 00:35:43,240 --> 00:35:50,560 whole heart, our whole life. Now to pray and give your life to Jesus Christ is what's necessary 345 00:35:50,560 --> 00:35:55,760 for salvation, that's true. But if it's going to be a real conversion, and what I mean by 346 00:35:55,760 --> 00:36:02,560 that is if you allow God to really have your heart, you'll see that by taking the next 347 00:36:02,560 --> 00:36:08,200 steps. The next steps are simply live for Christ, read your Bible, find a Bible-believing 348 00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:16,200 church to be a part of and pray. And God will help with the rest. If you live in Samanar, 349 00:36:16,200 --> 00:36:20,040 we'd love it if you came to our little church. We're a little church, but we have a vision 350 00:36:20,040 --> 00:36:25,120 to touch the world for Jesus Christ. We have a burden, we have a heart for, I'd love to 351 00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:31,480 see parts of French-speaking Africa touched by our fellowship someday out of Samanar, 352 00:36:31,480 --> 00:36:38,040 that would be amazing. I have a real burden to see people saved. And so if you live in 353 00:36:38,040 --> 00:36:42,920 and around the Samanarm area, reach out and we'd love to have you at church. So with that, 354 00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:49,240 I want to thank you all for listening to me again. I love it if you like, save, and share 355 00:36:49,240 --> 00:36:54,200 this podcast. And there's also in the show notes, there's an opportunity for you to give 356 00:36:54,200 --> 00:36:59,760 if you want to support what we're doing here in Samanar. And all that information is there 357 00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:05,800 in the show notes. So please take a look. And if you feel God leading in that direction, 358 00:37:05,800 --> 00:37:11,320 we would love that. And we thank you in Jesus name. So I just want to close in prayer. Dear 359 00:37:11,320 --> 00:37:17,280 Lord God, I thank you for the opportunity to preach even in these podcasts formats so 360 00:37:17,280 --> 00:37:22,760 that people might hear the word of God and go forth and live a changed life. I pray that 361 00:37:22,760 --> 00:37:26,880 that would happen and that this message would go forward and more and more people would 362 00:37:26,880 --> 00:37:31,680 come to your name in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Thanks again for listening. You have a great 363 00:37:31,680 --> 00:37:33,400 day and God bless. 364 00:37:33,400 --> 00:37:40,880 Thank you for listening to the PHSA Potter's House Samanarm podcast. Be sure to follow 365 00:37:40,880 --> 00:37:45,440 us on Instagram at pottershouse underscore Samanarm to keep up to date on what we're 366 00:37:45,440 --> 00:37:53,200 doing. Join the conversation and discover how Jesus Christ can revolutionize your life.