September 16, 2024 • 38 mins
Ep. 052 The Bitter Ocean
Yesterday, Today and Forever
Text: Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
- The Enemy is Like a Roaring Lion or a Charging Bear
- The Battle
- Victory in Jesus
Podcast Info
PHSA Church (Potter's House Salmon Arm)
#201 231 Trans Canada Hwy.
Salmon Arm, BC, Canada
604-997-8446
Email: pottershousesa@icloud.com
Church Website: https://www.phsachurch.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
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Welcome to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. We are a Bible-Believing Church located
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in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. We are proudly part of the Christian Fellowship
Ministries with 3,000 churches around the world. We are a church focused on world evangelism,
discipleship and church planting. Here we will share recent sermons from P.H.S.A. Church
and other sermons from throughout our fellowship. I am Pastor David Bigford and I will be your
host for this podcast. I thank you for listening today and we hope these messages are a blessing
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to you and bring you closer to God.
Hello and welcome back to the podcast. Again, my name is David Bigford. I'm the pastor
here in Salmon Arm and today's message I've put together is called The Bitter Ocean. Yesterday,
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today, and forever. The scripture we'll be using is pretty short as a jumping off point
this morning. It will be Hebrews 13, 8 or afternoon whenever you're listening to this.
It's another tumultuous day in the world. It seems that there was another assassination
attempt on Donald Trump today on Sunday, September 15th. We just pray that God's hand would be
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upon America and Canada as well and the leaders. We need to be peacemakers but we also need
to remember that we're soldiers for Christ and that although these times are dark, we
do trust that God is in control and that he has all sovereignty in what goes on in and
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amidst mankind.
So again, the title of the message today is The Bitter Ocean and we're going to look at
the Battle of the Atlantic. So when all was said and done, British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill would comment, the only thing that ever really frightened me during the war was
the U-boat peril. I was even more anxious about this battle than I had been about the
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glorious air fight called the Battle of Britain. And let's look at our text in Hebrews 13,
8. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. So the reason why we're
going to be looking at this is that the battle for the Atlantic or the bitter ocean is that
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we are in a period of time where it's very easy to get bitter. We are looking at a situation
in society that can seem like being in a small ship in a big deep ocean, a very dark ocean
where there are things underneath the water hunting us. And we have to recognize that
in the midst of this tumultuous time that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today
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and forever. He is always with us. He is there to help us. So let's remember that as we jump
into this message today.
Let's just go ahead and pray. Dear Lord God, I pray that this message would impact people
and help them, that it would go to their heart and that they'd recognize that you are in
control. But even when it seems like the darkest hour, you are there right on the horizon,
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ready to help us if we will only put out our hand and accept your help. In Jesus name we
pray. Amen.
So when I first put this message together, one of the things that really stemmed it was
it was right around the time of the 80th anniversary of D-Day. So this was back in June. And D-Day
was the invasion of Nazi Germany occupied Europe. So it was the invasion of France and
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you know that initial push to break up what Hitler was able to do in Europe. So this operation
was years in the making and was the start of a very long, long battle to take back Europe
from the Nazi regime.
Years before this tremendous military operation, England was at risk of failing to the Germans.
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They were cut off and surrounded by the German U-boats. Germany took control over most of
Europe and since England is an island, they were extremely vulnerable. The trade that
they had depended on was now under German control and Hitler was eager to exert his
authority over the nation of England and just as he had done with the rest of Europe.
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So the first point I want to look at is the enemy is like a roaring lion or a charging
bear. And so what does that bring to your imagination is if you're, you know, I live
in bear country and if I'm out hiking, I'm constantly making noise so that bears know
I'm around because last thing I want to do is surprise a bear and have one charge me.
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Similarly, if you were in like areas where there's lions, you would be, you would be
ever aware that there could be something lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce on you. And
that's the picture we see with the enemy being like a roaring lion or a charging bear. We
see that picture of Satan or the devil and how he looks at humanity. So the Battle of
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the Atlantic was from a period of time in 1939 to the end of the war. It was the longest
continuous battle of the second world war and Canada played a key role in the allied
struggle for control over the North Atlantic. As German submarines worked furiously to cripple
the convoys shipping crucial supplies to Europe, the victory was a very costly one. More than
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70,000 allied seamen, merchant mariners and airmen lost their lives, including approximately
4,400 from Canada and specifically Newfoundland. Let's look at Proverbs 28, 14 through 16.
Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into
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calamity like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
A ruler who lacks understanding is cruel, is a cruel oppressor, but he who hates unjust
gain will prolong his day. So as we continue this look of the Battle of the Atlantic, it's
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important for us to recognize what they were going through this large expanse of distance
between the Canadian and American coast over to the English coast. It was a area that was
primarily controlled in large part by the German Navy. So basically once you left air
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cover from Canada or the US and until you reached air cover within Great Britain, you
were at huge risk of being attacked. You were at huge risk of losing your life. So for a
time the danger had existed that Britain might fall without a single German soldier setting
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foot on the island nation. Rather it would be strangled into submission at sea deprived
of life-giving food, raw materials and oil which flowed into its ports, causing perhaps
millions to perish. This was old school siege warfare but done on a much more massive scale.
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And the devil likes to do this with us. It likes to try to encircle us so that we feel
that we have no way to get out, so that we feel that we're totally lost, we're totally
cut off from everybody who cares or anybody who can help us until we allow ourselves to
be starved out. Interestingly the whole scenario had played out once before, just two decades
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earlier during the First World War, the newly invented German subs had tried to sever the
lifeline to North America and break the British Navy's blockade of Germany. Many of the German
sub commanders in World War II were veterans of the prior Battle of the Atlantic, as were
most of the British naval commanders. Back then the British had learned through hard
experience that the best defense was to avoid letting ships sail alone, relying instead
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on safety of protected convoys. But the Germans had learned as well and developed an effective
new countermeasure which they used from September 39 onward, the submarine wolf pack. In 1 Peter
5, 8-9 it says, Be sober-minded, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around you
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like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that
the same kind of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
So this battle wages on and I keep interjecting with these pieces of scripture so that you
recognize and I hopefully can extrapolate out what I'm saying here is that we are in
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a battle, a spiritual battle. This was a physical battle, the Battle of the Atlantic, but it
also was very much a spiritual battle. And it's something that is very relevant to today
because many of us feel that we are stuck, that we are encircled, that we are ensnared,
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and that we don't have any hope outside of just circumming to the darkness of the waves
and the deep, deep sea.
This brings me to my next point which is the battle. Ephesians 6, 10-12 says, Finally,
be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might put on the whole armor of God
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that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic
powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
places. It's beyond dispute that the rule of Hitler was one of demonic influence. The
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horror that was brought onto the world is unimaginable for many today. And I was just
listening to a sermon by Pastor Scott Lamb that touched on this. Many of the reasons
why the early Israelites, when they entered into the land of Canaan, God allowed for the
other inhabitants to stay was so that the Israelites would know war. Because our Lord
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is a God of war. It tells us that. And so we know that war is part of the fallen world
we live in, but we also know that the righteousness of our Lord is set. And that he is here to
help us. But I do believe that he allows for war so that godly men, righteous men, will
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be able to stand firm in their faith in Christ, even when things are going totally wrong in
the world. We need sheepdogs to be able to protect the herd. And if without them, the
wolves would just be able to take over. So getting back to the story, if it was not for
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the extensive cataloging of World War II's atrocities after the war, many wouldn't even
believe what had happened. This thought draws a clear parallel for us that we're not fighting
against flesh and blood. We are fighting demonic forces that intend to separate us from God.
We see the battle demonstrated through men and women, people who are in the thrall of
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demonic powers like Hitler, Nebuchadnezzar, Nero, and many others. These are things that
we see even on our day to day when people side with certain political affiliations who
are for things that are just abhorrent to God. The Bible tells us that he knows us from
the womb so we should be very careful with how we treat life from conception. And we
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can't allow for it to be snuffed out and think that that is okay and that it is righteous.
It's not. We have to be able to understand that these are not easy decisions to be made
in society, but if we rely on the teachings of Jesus Christ and on the Word of God, it
becomes very clear. Right now we're being asked to worship many things that are very
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contrary to the Word of God and we have to be very careful with what we allow ourselves
to buy into. So how do we define a demon? Demons are fallen angels who have rebelled
against God and they continue to propagate this evil in our world today. Scripture indicates
that the demons were once angels who rebelled and they followed Satan and his disobedience
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and his sin. You can read in Revelation 12, 1-12. Like angels, demons are intelligent
beings who possess great power. Though demons are evil spirits who are invisible to humans,
they sometimes appear in the scriptures as possessing humans and speaking through them
like in Luke 4. Their primary activities in the world are to engage in cosmic warfare
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with the angels. And we see that from Daniel 10, 13 or Revelations again 12, 1-12. They
are also there to tempt people to sin like we read in Ephesians 6, 11. And to deceive
the world with lies that blind people of spiritual truth. And that's, we pull that from 1 Timothy
4, 1. Scripture also speaks of demons physically assaulting people and even possessing people
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to do their will like in Mark 5, verses 1-20. As with angels, the exact number of demons
is unknown but scripture does seem to suggest that the total number of angels exceeds the
total number of demons since in Revelation 12, 4 it tells us only a third of the angels
followed Satan's rebellion. Though so interpreters believe that this passage is symbolic of cosmic
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warfare and should not be pressed for specific details, the idea still holds firm. Though
the demons follow after Satan, they are still ultimately subject to God's sovereign will.
We understand God's sovereign will is being above even what the demonic powers would want.
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When we read stories like Job in Job 1, 6-12 or Job 2, 1-10 where it shows us very clearly
the limits that are placed on the workings of the demonic. This is not to say that God
and it is for these things but in his sovereignty God employs what the demons are going to do
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for his holy purpose in the world. He withholds his hand because you have to remember that
the devil has been judged, the devil has been convicted and it is only a matter of time
before his sentence is carried out but it is only in due time. So demons also appear
at significant moments in redemptive history that we can remember particularly Jesus encountering
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a number of demons which may reveal that they were highly active in opposing Christ's incarnate
ministry. These are important things for us to understand when we look at periods of history
that seem like we are in crazy upheavals or tumult. Right now is one of those times. What
we are seeing in the political environment in the states is of tremendous importance
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for the entire world. We are seeing a shift of the Democrat party from what they once
were to now being the pro-war, big business, big government, almost socialistic totalitarian
party. When you look at who supports them and what they ask for that is what they are
calling for. They are calling for a very top down government style that is very close to
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what they rail against as far as an oligarchy because look at who supports the party. Interestingly
and again I am neither Republican or Democrat. I am a pastor, I am a Christian but I do vote
and I vote according to the word of God and morally. If you need clarity on that you can
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reach out and I will have a very long discussion with you about that but this is not the place
for that. The reality is what we are seeing is we are seeing this huge shift because what
once was the Republican party under Trump is very different now. You see people like
Robert Kennedy coming in and you see people like Elon Musk coming in. You see these classical
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liberals coming in and taking very high influential positions within the existing Republican party.
So really now the Republican party of today is like the Democrat party of the 60s. It
is a very interesting time and what impresses me about this period of upheaval in our day
and age today is the reality that the last time something like this would have happened
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that I can see in history in the states would have been the election of Abraham Lincoln
as president. What I mean by that is prior to him there was no Republican party in the
federal government. He was the first Republican president and that started what we consider
today to be our two party system. That being said we might see a shift after this election
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cycle because there is so much upheaval in the system. It is very very hard for you to
even really call Donald Trump a Republican. You have to remember that him, Robert Kennedy
and Elon Musk all these people were Democrats just a short time ago. So what is happening
in our day and age? There is a shaking that is happening in our day and age today. And
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I believe that God is sovereign and a lot of what is happening is to shake us so that
we will take our eyes off this world and look to what God has for us in store in his name.
What we can do if we turn to him. It is an opportunity for us to turn towards redemption
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in Christ Jesus. So looking back at our tale about the wolf packs of Germany we see that
Admiral Karl Donitz was the leader of the Germans U-boat fleet. The only hindrance that
he saw to success was the limited number of subs in service. He had wanted 300 U-boats
ready by the onset of the war. A number he considered sufficient to cut off Britain from
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the outside world, but when the war began only 57 U-boats were actually in service.
Hitler had been skeptical about the strategic potential of sub warfare and had given little
priority to the sub fleet during his pre-war arm ups, adding several supersized battleships
instead. Not to be outdone, Donitz hoped to convince Hitler to enlarge the sub fleet by
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achieving great results early on. The first such deed to attract Hitler's attention
was the spectacular sinking of the British battleship HMS Royal Oak by U-47 in October
1939. The U-boat had managed to silently slip into the Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow and
torpedo Royal Oak while it was anchored, causing it to capsize with the loss of 833 men. Upon
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returning home, U-47's commander was presented to Hitler for congratulations while the Nazi
propaganda played up the triumph over Germany's traditional naval flow. The Battle of the
Atlantic took place between 1939 and 1945 and 72,000 sailors, navy, and airmen died
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during this battle. They were trying to deliver food, weapons, and other supplies that were
desperately needed by Britain and the Soviet Union in their titanic struggle against Nazi
Germany. As bad as it was for the Allies, the Germans fared even worse. Fully 80% of
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the U-boat crewmen did not survive the war, the highest casualty rate of any branch of
the military on either side. So for Donitz's success, he got huge rewards because of the
magnitude of it. In March of 1943, Hitler appointed him as the new chief of the German
Navy and put a 400-strong U-boat fleet at his disposal. This allowed Donitz to effectively
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block the Atlantic shipping lanes and left Britain nearly severed from North America.
Churchill's naval nightmare was about to come true, so it seemed. But fortunately for
the British people, Allied technicians had been working hard behind the scenes while
the Royal and Navy Air Force crews underwent intensive training to better coordinate their
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anti-sub efforts. A major break came when the newly invented long-range radar devices
were installed on British bombers, allowing them to pinpoint the far-off positions of
U-boats traveling along the surface where they spent most of their time. Once detected,
the bombers dropped depth charges and attacked with new rocket-propelled explosives. Radar-equipped
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American B-24s also roared into the air from the British land bases, while fast-moving
British and American destroyers now equipped with radar as well blasted the U-boats with
300-pound depth charges. The radar technique proved so effective that Donitz wondered if
a German trader was in the midst and was somehow relaying the exact position of his subs to
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the Allies. Worse for Donitz, newly improvised sound detection technology allowed the Allied
warships to locate radio signals from distant wolf packs and organize surprise attacks.
Additionally, the perilous mid-Atlantic crossing became safer after American aircraft carriers
began escorting the convoys and launched fighter planes equipped with large-caliber machine
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guns to strafe and sink U-boats lurking nearby.
Now I know this sounds like a lot of World War history, but I want you to draw the parallel.
The Nazi regime thought they had everything sewed up. They thought they had England tied
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up in a nice little bow and there was nothing that could break the power of their naval
fleet. And today we see in our society there are people who think they have the world sewed
up. They're going to be able to enslave us. They think they're going to be able to do
away with free speech like we see the attacks on the people in Brazil and in other countries
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as well. But what we see is that God is always in control. We see that God has the power
to flip the script, if you will, or to change the heading. So even though the Germans thought
they had this thing already and done, the ingenuity of free people was able to change
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the narrative and turn the tables on the enemy. As Christians, when we tap into Jesus Christ,
we have the ability to turn the tables on the enemy.
So let's look at a little bit more of this story. So by comparison, German sub technology
and the wolf pack tactics had stagnated amid a complete lack of cooperation from Göring's
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Luftwaffe. As a result, the predictable wolf packs began to suffer heavy losses every time
they attacked, causing morale to plummet amid a 75% casualty rate. The turning point in
the sea battle occurred in May 1943 when 41 subs were lost. Compelling Donets, whose youngest
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son was killed in a sub that month to withdraw his U-boats from the North Atlantic. However,
when Donets met with the fear to discuss the whole situation, Hitler told him, there can
be no question whatever of letting up in the U-boat war. The Atlantic is my western buffer
zone. Donets, therefore, sent the wolf packs back to the North Atlantic in the autumn of
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1943 only to have his U-boats sunk at an even greater rate. One sub for every ship attacked,
a truly unsustainable casualty rate. And so Donets withdrew again from the North Atlantic
and this time permanently, leaving the shipping lanes wide open. Britain's lifeline to North
America was thus restored. The tables had been turned and now the enemy was in retreat.
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The story doesn't get as much fanfare as the D-Day operations. It's easier to see,
you know, video or footage or watch movies that are about D-Day because it's such a short
term incident. But this battle is what turned the tables and allowed for D-Day to even happen.
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Britain and America and Canada too were all able to restore open shipping in the North
Atlantic. This brings me to my final point, which is victory in Jesus. We have total victory
in Jesus. The angels and the demons must comply with the will of our risen Lord. In Luke 4,
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33-35 it says, And in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon
and he cried out with a loud voice, Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God. But Jesus rebuked
him saying, Be silent and come out of him. And when the demon had thrown him down in
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their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. Our God is an awesome God, as
the song goes. Our Lord Jesus is in all power, God. Ultimately at the return of Christ, demons
will be thrown into a lake of fire where they will endure God's wrath for eternity for the
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rebellion against him. And we can have assurance of this from multiple scriptures in Matthew
8, 28-29. When Jesus heals the two men with demons, it says, And when he came to the other
side of the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met with him, coming out
of the tomb, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, What
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have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?
They know the judgment that they live under. They know that the time is coming when they
will be cast out in Matthew 25-41. Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from
me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. They sit with
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judgment hanging upon their head. And any of those who partake in the wickedness of
Satan and his angels or his demons, they also get to look forward to this judgment.
In Revelation 20, 7-9, it says, And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released
from his prison, and he will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of
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the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle, their number is like the sands of
the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp
of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them. And
the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the
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beast and the false prophets were, and they will be tormented day and night forever.
It's very powerful picture because again you see they're released from prison and what
do they do? They go back to being what they are. Rebels. That's why I've never liked
it when someone says, Oh, well, Jesus was a rebel. No, Jesus was righteous. The culture
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he was living in was rebellious against him. Jesus is not a rebel. He is King. He is Lord.
He is God. And the demons know it, the devil knows it, but what I still find super interesting
about this scripture is that they still came out of the prison and they did exactly the
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same thing they always do, which is try to encircle the saints thinking that they will
win this time. But God tells us not so fast and he consumes them with fire.
This reminds me of a song that I like. It's from Hillsong United and it's called Oceans
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Where My Feet May Fail. You call me out upon the waters, the great unknown where my feet
might fail. And there I find you in the mystery in the oceans deep my faith will stand and
I will call upon your name and keep my eyes above the waves. When the oceans rise, my soul
will rest in your embrace for I am yours and you are mine. Your grace abounds in the deepest
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waters. Your sovereign hand will be my guide where my feet may fail and fear surrounds
me. You have never failed and you won't start now. So I will call upon your name and keep
my eyes above the waves. When the oceans rise, my soul will rest in your embrace for I am
yours and you are mine. What a powerful song to sing and it does call your imagination
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to Jesus walking on water and calling out Peter into the water with him. And as Peter
would sink, he would look to Jesus and call out for help and Jesus would lift him up out
of the water. So even if in your life you're in like a bitter battle like the battle of
the Atlantic right now, you don't have to stay there. You can put call upon our Lord
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Jesus Christ and lift your hand up to him and he will grab a hold of your hand and he
will help you. Hitler had lost the battle of the Atlantic due to the perseverance of
individual sailors, merchant marines, seamen who kept the ships moving no matter what,
along with the approved coordination from the British Navy, the Air Force, and the technological
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developments that tip the scales in the favor of the allies. And of course the additional
people or the addition of the American shipyards along the East Coast began turning out new
merchant ships at an outstanding rate, replacing the lost tonnage. The British people now receive
everything they needed, along with a gigantic arsenal of American-made weapons ready to
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use for the invasion of the Northern Europe. So the picture here is even though the battle
of the Atlantic was won, the real mission was to bring life-saving support to the people
of England and to push forward with that life-saving support into Europe to beat back the devil
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and to free those who were under bondage. The Allied forces still had a long road to
victory in World War II, with the sea superiority achieved and later the air superiority that
was achieved. It set the stage for the D-Day that we started with. Just like we see in
the Bible, there is an ebb and flow in life. Trust in the Lord does not guarantee an easy
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road. On the contrary, it means that you will make it to your destination. There will be
difficulties to overcome while you're on the path, but the Lord will be there and in
the end you will make heaven your home as long as you stay on the path and persevere
in Christ. Juno Beach was the Allied code name for a
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10-kilometer stretch of French coastline assaulted by the Canadian soldiers. On D-Day June 6,
1944, the Canadian Army's 3rd Infantry Division and 2nd Armored Brigade seized the beach and
its seaside villages while under intense fire from German defenders. An extraordinary
example of military skill reinforced by countless acts of personal courage, the 3rd Infantry
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Division took heavy casualties in its first wave of attack, but took control of the beach
by the end of the day. More than 14,000 Canadian soldiers landed or parachuted into France
on D-Day. The Royal Canadian Navy contributed 110 warships and 10,000 sailors and the Royal
Canadian Air Force contributed 15 fighters and fighter bomber squadrons to the assault.
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There were 1,074 casualties from the Canadians, including 359 killed. When we think of the
battle, we remember the lost and I know it's not Veterans Day or Mists Day or Remembrance
Day or any of these days when you might be listening to this, but we always want to remember
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those who sacrificed their life for the freedom that we enjoy today. But at the very top of
that list, who you have to remember is Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He did so that you
could have eternal life in Him. With that, if I could have every head bowed, every eye
closed, real quickly, we always end with an invitation because the purpose of any of these
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messages and this one specifically is not to learn about history, it's not to learn
a good story here or there, to pick up some scripture, that's all good and fine, but the
reality of it is the purpose is Christ. If you are in the midst of turmoil right now,
if you are sinking out in the ocean of your own sin, just call out to Him, raise your
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hand up so that He can grab you and pull you out of the bondage that you're living in.
If you want to raise your hand wherever you are, I can't see it, but God can see it. I'd
like to lead you in a prayer. I'd like to lead you in a prayer if you raised your hand,
if you know you're not right with God. It's a simple prayer, just repeat after me, dear
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Lord God, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you sent your Son Jesus Christ,
that He died for my sin. I repent of my sin and I accept Jesus as my Lord and my Savior.
In His name I pray, amen. So if you prayed that prayer and you meant it, I'd love it
if you reached out to me. All of the contact information is in the show notes. But for
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the rest of you, I do want you to press forward and remember that even when it's dark, even
when it seems like the waves are too high and the water is too deep, Jesus is there
for us. Even though we live in the precipice of very challenging times today, with lots
and lots of wars and rumors of wars, this is nothing new in the midst of human history.
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The reality remains that Jesus is there for us if we will turn to Him and give Him our
whole heart, our whole life. Now to pray and give your life to Jesus Christ is what's necessary
for salvation, that's true. But if it's going to be a real conversion, and what I mean by
that is if you allow God to really have your heart, you'll see that by taking the next
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steps. The next steps are simply live for Christ, read your Bible, find a Bible-believing
church to be a part of and pray. And God will help with the rest. If you live in Samanar,
we'd love it if you came to our little church. We're a little church, but we have a vision
to touch the world for Jesus Christ. We have a burden, we have a heart for, I'd love to
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see parts of French-speaking Africa touched by our fellowship someday out of Samanar,
that would be amazing. I have a real burden to see people saved. And so if you live in
and around the Samanarm area, reach out and we'd love to have you at church. So with that,
I want to thank you all for listening to me again. I love it if you like, save, and share
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this podcast. And there's also in the show notes, there's an opportunity for you to give
if you want to support what we're doing here in Samanar. And all that information is there
in the show notes. So please take a look. And if you feel God leading in that direction,
we would love that. And we thank you in Jesus name. So I just want to close in prayer. Dear
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Lord God, I thank you for the opportunity to preach even in these podcasts formats so
that people might hear the word of God and go forth and live a changed life. I pray that
that would happen and that this message would go forward and more and more people would
come to your name in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Thanks again for listening. You have a great
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day and God bless.
Thank you for listening to the PHSA Potter's House Samanarm podcast. Be sure to follow
us on Instagram at pottershouse underscore Samanarm to keep up to date on what we're
doing. Join the conversation and discover how Jesus Christ can revolutionize your life.
Welcome to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. We are a Bible-Believing Church located
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in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. We are proudly part of the Christian Fellowship
Ministries with 3,000 churches around the world. We are a church focused on world evangelism,
discipleship and church planting. Here we will share recent sermons from P.H.S.A. Church
and other sermons from throughout our fellowship. I am Pastor David Bigford and I will be your
host for this podcast. I thank you for listening today and we hope these messages are a blessing
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to you and bring you closer to God.
Hello and welcome back to the podcast. Again, my name is David Bigford. I'm the pastor
here in Salmon Arm and today's message I've put together is called The Bitter Ocean. Yesterday,
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today, and forever. The scripture we'll be using is pretty short as a jumping off point
this morning. It will be Hebrews 13, 8 or afternoon whenever you're listening to this.
It's another tumultuous day in the world. It seems that there was another assassination
attempt on Donald Trump today on Sunday, September 15th. We just pray that God's hand would be
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upon America and Canada as well and the leaders. We need to be peacemakers but we also need
to remember that we're soldiers for Christ and that although these times are dark, we
do trust that God is in control and that he has all sovereignty in what goes on in and
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amidst mankind.
So again, the title of the message today is The Bitter Ocean and we're going to look at
the Battle of the Atlantic. So when all was said and done, British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill would comment, the only thing that ever really frightened me during the war was
the U-boat peril. I was even more anxious about this battle than I had been about the
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glorious air fight called the Battle of Britain. And let's look at our text in Hebrews 13,
8. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. So the reason why we're
going to be looking at this is that the battle for the Atlantic or the bitter ocean is that
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we are in a period of time where it's very easy to get bitter. We are looking at a situation
in society that can seem like being in a small ship in a big deep ocean, a very dark ocean
where there are things underneath the water hunting us. And we have to recognize that
in the midst of this tumultuous time that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today
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and forever. He is always with us. He is there to help us. So let's remember that as we jump
into this message today.
Let's just go ahead and pray. Dear Lord God, I pray that this message would impact people
and help them, that it would go to their heart and that they'd recognize that you are in
control. But even when it seems like the darkest hour, you are there right on the horizon,
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ready to help us if we will only put out our hand and accept your help. In Jesus name we
pray. Amen.
So when I first put this message together, one of the things that really stemmed it was
it was right around the time of the 80th anniversary of D-Day. So this was back in June. And D-Day
was the invasion of Nazi Germany occupied Europe. So it was the invasion of France and
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you know that initial push to break up what Hitler was able to do in Europe. So this operation
was years in the making and was the start of a very long, long battle to take back Europe
from the Nazi regime.
Years before this tremendous military operation, England was at risk of failing to the Germans.
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They were cut off and surrounded by the German U-boats. Germany took control over most of
Europe and since England is an island, they were extremely vulnerable. The trade that
they had depended on was now under German control and Hitler was eager to exert his
authority over the nation of England and just as he had done with the rest of Europe.
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So the first point I want to look at is the enemy is like a roaring lion or a charging
bear. And so what does that bring to your imagination is if you're, you know, I live
in bear country and if I'm out hiking, I'm constantly making noise so that bears know
I'm around because last thing I want to do is surprise a bear and have one charge me.
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Similarly, if you were in like areas where there's lions, you would be, you would be
ever aware that there could be something lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce on you. And
that's the picture we see with the enemy being like a roaring lion or a charging bear. We
see that picture of Satan or the devil and how he looks at humanity. So the Battle of
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the Atlantic was from a period of time in 1939 to the end of the war. It was the longest
continuous battle of the second world war and Canada played a key role in the allied
struggle for control over the North Atlantic. As German submarines worked furiously to cripple
the convoys shipping crucial supplies to Europe, the victory was a very costly one. More than
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70,000 allied seamen, merchant mariners and airmen lost their lives, including approximately
4,400 from Canada and specifically Newfoundland. Let's look at Proverbs 28, 14 through 16.
Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into
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calamity like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
A ruler who lacks understanding is cruel, is a cruel oppressor, but he who hates unjust
gain will prolong his day. So as we continue this look of the Battle of the Atlantic, it's
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important for us to recognize what they were going through this large expanse of distance
between the Canadian and American coast over to the English coast. It was a area that was
primarily controlled in large part by the German Navy. So basically once you left air
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cover from Canada or the US and until you reached air cover within Great Britain, you
were at huge risk of being attacked. You were at huge risk of losing your life. So for a
time the danger had existed that Britain might fall without a single German soldier setting
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foot on the island nation. Rather it would be strangled into submission at sea deprived
of life-giving food, raw materials and oil which flowed into its ports, causing perhaps
millions to perish. This was old school siege warfare but done on a much more massive scale.
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And the devil likes to do this with us. It likes to try to encircle us so that we feel
that we have no way to get out, so that we feel that we're totally lost, we're totally
cut off from everybody who cares or anybody who can help us until we allow ourselves to
be starved out. Interestingly the whole scenario had played out once before, just two decades
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earlier during the First World War, the newly invented German subs had tried to sever the
lifeline to North America and break the British Navy's blockade of Germany. Many of the German
sub commanders in World War II were veterans of the prior Battle of the Atlantic, as were
most of the British naval commanders. Back then the British had learned through hard
experience that the best defense was to avoid letting ships sail alone, relying instead
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on safety of protected convoys. But the Germans had learned as well and developed an effective
new countermeasure which they used from September 39 onward, the submarine wolf pack. In 1 Peter
5, 8-9 it says, Be sober-minded, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around you
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like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that
the same kind of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
So this battle wages on and I keep interjecting with these pieces of scripture so that you
recognize and I hopefully can extrapolate out what I'm saying here is that we are in
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a battle, a spiritual battle. This was a physical battle, the Battle of the Atlantic, but it
also was very much a spiritual battle. And it's something that is very relevant to today
because many of us feel that we are stuck, that we are encircled, that we are ensnared,
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and that we don't have any hope outside of just circumming to the darkness of the waves
and the deep, deep sea.
This brings me to my next point which is the battle. Ephesians 6, 10-12 says, Finally,
be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might put on the whole armor of God
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that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic
powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
places. It's beyond dispute that the rule of Hitler was one of demonic influence. The
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horror that was brought onto the world is unimaginable for many today. And I was just
listening to a sermon by Pastor Scott Lamb that touched on this. Many of the reasons
why the early Israelites, when they entered into the land of Canaan, God allowed for the
other inhabitants to stay was so that the Israelites would know war. Because our Lord
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is a God of war. It tells us that. And so we know that war is part of the fallen world
we live in, but we also know that the righteousness of our Lord is set. And that he is here to
help us. But I do believe that he allows for war so that godly men, righteous men, will
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be able to stand firm in their faith in Christ, even when things are going totally wrong in
the world. We need sheepdogs to be able to protect the herd. And if without them, the
wolves would just be able to take over. So getting back to the story, if it was not for
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the extensive cataloging of World War II's atrocities after the war, many wouldn't even
believe what had happened. This thought draws a clear parallel for us that we're not fighting
against flesh and blood. We are fighting demonic forces that intend to separate us from God.
We see the battle demonstrated through men and women, people who are in the thrall of
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demonic powers like Hitler, Nebuchadnezzar, Nero, and many others. These are things that
we see even on our day to day when people side with certain political affiliations who
are for things that are just abhorrent to God. The Bible tells us that he knows us from
the womb so we should be very careful with how we treat life from conception. And we
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can't allow for it to be snuffed out and think that that is okay and that it is righteous.
It's not. We have to be able to understand that these are not easy decisions to be made
in society, but if we rely on the teachings of Jesus Christ and on the Word of God, it
becomes very clear. Right now we're being asked to worship many things that are very
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contrary to the Word of God and we have to be very careful with what we allow ourselves
to buy into. So how do we define a demon? Demons are fallen angels who have rebelled
against God and they continue to propagate this evil in our world today. Scripture indicates
that the demons were once angels who rebelled and they followed Satan and his disobedience
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and his sin. You can read in Revelation 12, 1-12. Like angels, demons are intelligent
beings who possess great power. Though demons are evil spirits who are invisible to humans,
they sometimes appear in the scriptures as possessing humans and speaking through them
like in Luke 4. Their primary activities in the world are to engage in cosmic warfare
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with the angels. And we see that from Daniel 10, 13 or Revelations again 12, 1-12. They
are also there to tempt people to sin like we read in Ephesians 6, 11. And to deceive
the world with lies that blind people of spiritual truth. And that's, we pull that from 1 Timothy
4, 1. Scripture also speaks of demons physically assaulting people and even possessing people
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to do their will like in Mark 5, verses 1-20. As with angels, the exact number of demons
is unknown but scripture does seem to suggest that the total number of angels exceeds the
total number of demons since in Revelation 12, 4 it tells us only a third of the angels
followed Satan's rebellion. Though so interpreters believe that this passage is symbolic of cosmic
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warfare and should not be pressed for specific details, the idea still holds firm. Though
the demons follow after Satan, they are still ultimately subject to God's sovereign will.
We understand God's sovereign will is being above even what the demonic powers would want.
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When we read stories like Job in Job 1, 6-12 or Job 2, 1-10 where it shows us very clearly
the limits that are placed on the workings of the demonic. This is not to say that God
and it is for these things but in his sovereignty God employs what the demons are going to do
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for his holy purpose in the world. He withholds his hand because you have to remember that
the devil has been judged, the devil has been convicted and it is only a matter of time
before his sentence is carried out but it is only in due time. So demons also appear
at significant moments in redemptive history that we can remember particularly Jesus encountering
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a number of demons which may reveal that they were highly active in opposing Christ's incarnate
ministry. These are important things for us to understand when we look at periods of history
that seem like we are in crazy upheavals or tumult. Right now is one of those times. What
we are seeing in the political environment in the states is of tremendous importance
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for the entire world. We are seeing a shift of the Democrat party from what they once
were to now being the pro-war, big business, big government, almost socialistic totalitarian
party. When you look at who supports them and what they ask for that is what they are
calling for. They are calling for a very top down government style that is very close to
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what they rail against as far as an oligarchy because look at who supports the party. Interestingly
and again I am neither Republican or Democrat. I am a pastor, I am a Christian but I do vote
and I vote according to the word of God and morally. If you need clarity on that you can
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reach out and I will have a very long discussion with you about that but this is not the place
for that. The reality is what we are seeing is we are seeing this huge shift because what
once was the Republican party under Trump is very different now. You see people like
Robert Kennedy coming in and you see people like Elon Musk coming in. You see these classical
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liberals coming in and taking very high influential positions within the existing Republican party.
So really now the Republican party of today is like the Democrat party of the 60s. It
is a very interesting time and what impresses me about this period of upheaval in our day
and age today is the reality that the last time something like this would have happened
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that I can see in history in the states would have been the election of Abraham Lincoln
as president. What I mean by that is prior to him there was no Republican party in the
federal government. He was the first Republican president and that started what we consider
today to be our two party system. That being said we might see a shift after this election
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cycle because there is so much upheaval in the system. It is very very hard for you to
even really call Donald Trump a Republican. You have to remember that him, Robert Kennedy
and Elon Musk all these people were Democrats just a short time ago. So what is happening
in our day and age? There is a shaking that is happening in our day and age today. And
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I believe that God is sovereign and a lot of what is happening is to shake us so that
we will take our eyes off this world and look to what God has for us in store in his name.
What we can do if we turn to him. It is an opportunity for us to turn towards redemption
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in Christ Jesus. So looking back at our tale about the wolf packs of Germany we see that
Admiral Karl Donitz was the leader of the Germans U-boat fleet. The only hindrance that
he saw to success was the limited number of subs in service. He had wanted 300 U-boats
ready by the onset of the war. A number he considered sufficient to cut off Britain from
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the outside world, but when the war began only 57 U-boats were actually in service.
Hitler had been skeptical about the strategic potential of sub warfare and had given little
priority to the sub fleet during his pre-war arm ups, adding several supersized battleships
instead. Not to be outdone, Donitz hoped to convince Hitler to enlarge the sub fleet by
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achieving great results early on. The first such deed to attract Hitler's attention
was the spectacular sinking of the British battleship HMS Royal Oak by U-47 in October
1939. The U-boat had managed to silently slip into the Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow and
torpedo Royal Oak while it was anchored, causing it to capsize with the loss of 833 men. Upon
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returning home, U-47's commander was presented to Hitler for congratulations while the Nazi
propaganda played up the triumph over Germany's traditional naval flow. The Battle of the
Atlantic took place between 1939 and 1945 and 72,000 sailors, navy, and airmen died
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during this battle. They were trying to deliver food, weapons, and other supplies that were
desperately needed by Britain and the Soviet Union in their titanic struggle against Nazi
Germany. As bad as it was for the Allies, the Germans fared even worse. Fully 80% of
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the U-boat crewmen did not survive the war, the highest casualty rate of any branch of
the military on either side. So for Donitz's success, he got huge rewards because of the
magnitude of it. In March of 1943, Hitler appointed him as the new chief of the German
Navy and put a 400-strong U-boat fleet at his disposal. This allowed Donitz to effectively
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block the Atlantic shipping lanes and left Britain nearly severed from North America.
Churchill's naval nightmare was about to come true, so it seemed. But fortunately for
the British people, Allied technicians had been working hard behind the scenes while
the Royal and Navy Air Force crews underwent intensive training to better coordinate their
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anti-sub efforts. A major break came when the newly invented long-range radar devices
were installed on British bombers, allowing them to pinpoint the far-off positions of
U-boats traveling along the surface where they spent most of their time. Once detected,
the bombers dropped depth charges and attacked with new rocket-propelled explosives. Radar-equipped
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American B-24s also roared into the air from the British land bases, while fast-moving
British and American destroyers now equipped with radar as well blasted the U-boats with
300-pound depth charges. The radar technique proved so effective that Donitz wondered if
a German trader was in the midst and was somehow relaying the exact position of his subs to
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the Allies. Worse for Donitz, newly improvised sound detection technology allowed the Allied
warships to locate radio signals from distant wolf packs and organize surprise attacks.
Additionally, the perilous mid-Atlantic crossing became safer after American aircraft carriers
began escorting the convoys and launched fighter planes equipped with large-caliber machine
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guns to strafe and sink U-boats lurking nearby.
Now I know this sounds like a lot of World War history, but I want you to draw the parallel.
The Nazi regime thought they had everything sewed up. They thought they had England tied
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up in a nice little bow and there was nothing that could break the power of their naval
fleet. And today we see in our society there are people who think they have the world sewed
up. They're going to be able to enslave us. They think they're going to be able to do
away with free speech like we see the attacks on the people in Brazil and in other countries
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as well. But what we see is that God is always in control. We see that God has the power
to flip the script, if you will, or to change the heading. So even though the Germans thought
they had this thing already and done, the ingenuity of free people was able to change
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the narrative and turn the tables on the enemy. As Christians, when we tap into Jesus Christ,
we have the ability to turn the tables on the enemy.
So let's look at a little bit more of this story. So by comparison, German sub technology
and the wolf pack tactics had stagnated amid a complete lack of cooperation from Göring's
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Luftwaffe. As a result, the predictable wolf packs began to suffer heavy losses every time
they attacked, causing morale to plummet amid a 75% casualty rate. The turning point in
the sea battle occurred in May 1943 when 41 subs were lost. Compelling Donets, whose youngest
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son was killed in a sub that month to withdraw his U-boats from the North Atlantic. However,
when Donets met with the fear to discuss the whole situation, Hitler told him, there can
be no question whatever of letting up in the U-boat war. The Atlantic is my western buffer
zone. Donets, therefore, sent the wolf packs back to the North Atlantic in the autumn of
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1943 only to have his U-boats sunk at an even greater rate. One sub for every ship attacked,
a truly unsustainable casualty rate. And so Donets withdrew again from the North Atlantic
and this time permanently, leaving the shipping lanes wide open. Britain's lifeline to North
America was thus restored. The tables had been turned and now the enemy was in retreat.
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The story doesn't get as much fanfare as the D-Day operations. It's easier to see,
you know, video or footage or watch movies that are about D-Day because it's such a short
term incident. But this battle is what turned the tables and allowed for D-Day to even happen.
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Britain and America and Canada too were all able to restore open shipping in the North
Atlantic. This brings me to my final point, which is victory in Jesus. We have total victory
in Jesus. The angels and the demons must comply with the will of our risen Lord. In Luke 4,
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33-35 it says, And in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon
and he cried out with a loud voice, Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God. But Jesus rebuked
him saying, Be silent and come out of him. And when the demon had thrown him down in
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their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. Our God is an awesome God, as
the song goes. Our Lord Jesus is in all power, God. Ultimately at the return of Christ, demons
will be thrown into a lake of fire where they will endure God's wrath for eternity for the
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rebellion against him. And we can have assurance of this from multiple scriptures in Matthew
8, 28-29. When Jesus heals the two men with demons, it says, And when he came to the other
side of the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met with him, coming out
of the tomb, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, What
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have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?
They know the judgment that they live under. They know that the time is coming when they
will be cast out in Matthew 25-41. Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from
me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. They sit with
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judgment hanging upon their head. And any of those who partake in the wickedness of
Satan and his angels or his demons, they also get to look forward to this judgment.
In Revelation 20, 7-9, it says, And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released
from his prison, and he will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of
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the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle, their number is like the sands of
the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp
of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them. And
the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the
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beast and the false prophets were, and they will be tormented day and night forever.
It's very powerful picture because again you see they're released from prison and what
do they do? They go back to being what they are. Rebels. That's why I've never liked
it when someone says, Oh, well, Jesus was a rebel. No, Jesus was righteous. The culture
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he was living in was rebellious against him. Jesus is not a rebel. He is King. He is Lord.
He is God. And the demons know it, the devil knows it, but what I still find super interesting
about this scripture is that they still came out of the prison and they did exactly the
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same thing they always do, which is try to encircle the saints thinking that they will
win this time. But God tells us not so fast and he consumes them with fire.
This reminds me of a song that I like. It's from Hillsong United and it's called Oceans
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Where My Feet May Fail. You call me out upon the waters, the great unknown where my feet
might fail. And there I find you in the mystery in the oceans deep my faith will stand and
I will call upon your name and keep my eyes above the waves. When the oceans rise, my soul
will rest in your embrace for I am yours and you are mine. Your grace abounds in the deepest
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waters. Your sovereign hand will be my guide where my feet may fail and fear surrounds
me. You have never failed and you won't start now. So I will call upon your name and keep
my eyes above the waves. When the oceans rise, my soul will rest in your embrace for I am
yours and you are mine. What a powerful song to sing and it does call your imagination
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to Jesus walking on water and calling out Peter into the water with him. And as Peter
would sink, he would look to Jesus and call out for help and Jesus would lift him up out
of the water. So even if in your life you're in like a bitter battle like the battle of
the Atlantic right now, you don't have to stay there. You can put call upon our Lord
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Jesus Christ and lift your hand up to him and he will grab a hold of your hand and he
will help you. Hitler had lost the battle of the Atlantic due to the perseverance of
individual sailors, merchant marines, seamen who kept the ships moving no matter what,
along with the approved coordination from the British Navy, the Air Force, and the technological
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developments that tip the scales in the favor of the allies. And of course the additional
people or the addition of the American shipyards along the East Coast began turning out new
merchant ships at an outstanding rate, replacing the lost tonnage. The British people now receive
everything they needed, along with a gigantic arsenal of American-made weapons ready to
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use for the invasion of the Northern Europe. So the picture here is even though the battle
of the Atlantic was won, the real mission was to bring life-saving support to the people
of England and to push forward with that life-saving support into Europe to beat back the devil
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and to free those who were under bondage. The Allied forces still had a long road to
victory in World War II, with the sea superiority achieved and later the air superiority that
was achieved. It set the stage for the D-Day that we started with. Just like we see in
the Bible, there is an ebb and flow in life. Trust in the Lord does not guarantee an easy
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road. On the contrary, it means that you will make it to your destination. There will be
difficulties to overcome while you're on the path, but the Lord will be there and in
the end you will make heaven your home as long as you stay on the path and persevere
in Christ. Juno Beach was the Allied code name for a
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10-kilometer stretch of French coastline assaulted by the Canadian soldiers. On D-Day June 6,
1944, the Canadian Army's 3rd Infantry Division and 2nd Armored Brigade seized the beach and
its seaside villages while under intense fire from German defenders. An extraordinary
example of military skill reinforced by countless acts of personal courage, the 3rd Infantry
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Division took heavy casualties in its first wave of attack, but took control of the beach
by the end of the day. More than 14,000 Canadian soldiers landed or parachuted into France
on D-Day. The Royal Canadian Navy contributed 110 warships and 10,000 sailors and the Royal
Canadian Air Force contributed 15 fighters and fighter bomber squadrons to the assault.
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There were 1,074 casualties from the Canadians, including 359 killed. When we think of the
battle, we remember the lost and I know it's not Veterans Day or Mists Day or Remembrance
Day or any of these days when you might be listening to this, but we always want to remember
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those who sacrificed their life for the freedom that we enjoy today. But at the very top of
that list, who you have to remember is Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He did so that you
could have eternal life in Him. With that, if I could have every head bowed, every eye
closed, real quickly, we always end with an invitation because the purpose of any of these
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messages and this one specifically is not to learn about history, it's not to learn
a good story here or there, to pick up some scripture, that's all good and fine, but the
reality of it is the purpose is Christ. If you are in the midst of turmoil right now,
if you are sinking out in the ocean of your own sin, just call out to Him, raise your
(34:27):
hand up so that He can grab you and pull you out of the bondage that you're living in.
If you want to raise your hand wherever you are, I can't see it, but God can see it. I'd
like to lead you in a prayer. I'd like to lead you in a prayer if you raised your hand,
if you know you're not right with God. It's a simple prayer, just repeat after me, dear
(34:49):
Lord God, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you sent your Son Jesus Christ,
that He died for my sin. I repent of my sin and I accept Jesus as my Lord and my Savior.
In His name I pray, amen. So if you prayed that prayer and you meant it, I'd love it
if you reached out to me. All of the contact information is in the show notes. But for
(35:12):
the rest of you, I do want you to press forward and remember that even when it's dark, even
when it seems like the waves are too high and the water is too deep, Jesus is there
for us. Even though we live in the precipice of very challenging times today, with lots
and lots of wars and rumors of wars, this is nothing new in the midst of human history.
(35:38):
The reality remains that Jesus is there for us if we will turn to Him and give Him our
whole heart, our whole life. Now to pray and give your life to Jesus Christ is what's necessary
for salvation, that's true. But if it's going to be a real conversion, and what I mean by
that is if you allow God to really have your heart, you'll see that by taking the next
(36:02):
steps. The next steps are simply live for Christ, read your Bible, find a Bible-believing
church to be a part of and pray. And God will help with the rest. If you live in Samanar,
we'd love it if you came to our little church. We're a little church, but we have a vision
to touch the world for Jesus Christ. We have a burden, we have a heart for, I'd love to
(36:25):
see parts of French-speaking Africa touched by our fellowship someday out of Samanar,
that would be amazing. I have a real burden to see people saved. And so if you live in
and around the Samanarm area, reach out and we'd love to have you at church. So with that,
I want to thank you all for listening to me again. I love it if you like, save, and share
(36:49):
this podcast. And there's also in the show notes, there's an opportunity for you to give
if you want to support what we're doing here in Samanar. And all that information is there
in the show notes. So please take a look. And if you feel God leading in that direction,
we would love that. And we thank you in Jesus name. So I just want to close in prayer. Dear
(37:11):
Lord God, I thank you for the opportunity to preach even in these podcasts formats so
that people might hear the word of God and go forth and live a changed life. I pray that
that would happen and that this message would go forward and more and more people would
come to your name in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Thanks again for listening. You have a great
(37:31):
day and God bless.
Thank you for listening to the PHSA Potter's House Samanarm podcast. Be sure to follow
us on Instagram at pottershouse underscore Samanarm to keep up to date on what we're
doing. Join the conversation and discover how Jesus Christ can revolutionize your life.
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