We are blessed to live in a country where we are free to come to church and worship God. So, many members of our military have sacrificed their lives to protect those freedoms that we too often take for granted. To honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice, I would like for you to consider a few of the veterans of our wars that gave their all for this country. As it turns out, each of them teaches us something about our relationship with Jesus Christ.
First, there is Lieutenant Colonel Juanita Redmond Hipps who served as an Army nurse in the Philippines in the early part of World War II. She was stationed at Bataan when the Japanese invaded and was among those evacuated to Australia to avoid the enemy onslaught. Before she left, she attended to those who were seriously wounded in the fighting and was a member of the medical corps which later became known as the Angels of Bataan. By May of 1944, her distinguished service had been recognized as she rose to the rank of major. During her military career, she was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and three Presidential Unit Citations. She wrote a book during the war that chronicled her wartime experiences. One of the passages in that book brings home to us the mindset of some of those who left these shores a final time—never to see loved ones, family or friends again on this side of eternity. Col. Hipps wrote of a nurse on Bataan who received a package in the mail a few months before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor when our involvement in the Pacific war began. She carefully opened the package and found what she described as a “little, frivolous black hat, with a dainty veil.” Col. Hipps says everyone broke out in laughter when the nurse—wearing her army coveralls and over-sized boots—placed the hat on her head and took great care in tilting it to just the proper angle. But, she said that the laughter was strangely mixed with an ample amount of tears as the hat reminded them of all the things they left behind at home. And those tears flowed more freely when they realized that many of them, and the servicemen they were attending to, would never see home again.[1] As it turned out, many of them did, in fact, make sacrifice that President Abraham Lincoln described as, “their last full measure of devotion,” and gave their lives for their country.
The sacrifice for one’s country is an immensely noble thing. But, those in Christ need not fear that they won’t see a departed loved one again because there is so much more to life beyond the bounds of this earthly existence. Sometimes we get too entwined with the things of this world. We get this mindset that, “we better live while we can, for tomorrow we may die.” [2] But, don’t deceive yourself by thinking like that because that’s a very foolish, worldly philosophy. When you think like that, it’s an indicator that you are a prisoner of a finite outlook that is merely earth-bound. The problem is you will end up treasuring the things of this world. Don’t do that. Remind yourself as a Christian that the things of this world are merely temporary. Jesus said: 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV) So often, people get attached to “little, frivolous black hats, with dainty veils”—or similar temporal things that will not last. Don’t sacrifice your lives to such worldly things. Know that when we sacrifice all things for Christ, he will reward us with great things that can never be taken away. Jesus promises us: “Anyone who gives up his home, brothers, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, or property, to follow Me, shall receive a hundred times as much in return, and shall have eternal life.” Matthew 19:29 (TLB) To paraphrase the Apostle Paul: “Everyone who runs the race of life in order to gain ‘little, frivolous black hats, with dainty veils’ does it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”[3]
Now, before shifting to the war in Iraq, let me tell you about four men of God who gave their all during World War II. They were a wide-ranging religious group when it came to their faith in God. One was a Jewish rabbi, another was a Roman Catholic, the third was a Methodist minister, and the last one was a Calvinist of the Dutch Reformed Church. These four Army chaplains, along with 900 servicemen, were aboard a U. S. Navy transport ship off the coast of Greenland when the ship was attacked by a German submarine. The torpedoes ripped the hull of the ship and it started to quickly sink into the freezing waters of the Atlantic. It was absolute chaos as the men ran to occupy a very limited number of lifeboats. Everyone was in a panic—everyone except those four chaplains. Calmly, the four of them helped pass out life vests to the soldiers who were scrambling madly into the lifeboats. And, when they ran out of life vests, these four chaplains unbuckled their own vests and handed them to the fearful men.
Now, it’s interesting to note that the rabbi didn’t search out members of the Jewish faith to give his life vest to. Likewise, the Catholic didn’t ask a soldier if he obeyed the Pope before giving out a life vest. Neither did the two protestants inquire as to the faith of the recipients of their life vests. To each soldier, regardless of their religious backgrounds (or lack thereof), these chaplains simply handed them the chance to live. Remembering this, one survivor later testified that, “It was the finest thing I have seen or hope to see this side of heaven.” Just before the transport ship went under the waves, those who were safely in the lifeboats recalled seeing all four chaplains standing there with their arms linked with each other as the ship sank out of sight. And, what were they doing in their final moments of this earthly existence? They were singing hymns and offering prayers to God. Only 230 U.S. servicemen survived that torpedo attack. But, many of those survivors owed their lives to the sacrifice and heroism of those four men of faith. Later, Congress posthumously would award these four chaplains the Medal for Heroism.[4]
The medals were a nice gesture, but these chaplains received a far greater and lasting award—for each one is now wearing one of those eternal crowns Paul spoke of in God’s Kingdom. Jesus said: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 (NIV) These four chaplains did exactly that for those on that ship. Jesus did that for you and me. In fact, He laid down His life on the Cross for the entire world. We know this to be true, because “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV)
In closing, let me give you a more recent example of why we celebrate Memorial Day. It involved a 25-year-old Marine Corps Sergeant named Rafael Peralta. On November 15, 2004, he was actively engaged in what has come to be known as the second Battle of Fallujah about 43 miles west of Baghdad, in Iraq. He and his fellow Marines were clearing houses of insurgents when he was critically wounded by enemy gunfire. Suddenly, one of the fleeing insurgents tossed a hand grenade that landed by Sgt. Peralta’s head. With the last ounce of strength that he had, Peralta rolled over the grenade and stuffed it under his own body. When the grenade exploded, he was mortally wounded, but in the process saved the lives of several Marines who otherwise would have been killed, but for his heroic act. Sgt. Peralta gave his life for his friends and to help preserve your freedoms and mine.[5]
His commander recommended Sgt. Peralta for the Medal of Honor based upon the testimony of seven Marines who witnessed his brave sacrifice. As it turned out, he received the Navy Cross, instead of the Medal of Honor, when Secretary of Defense Robert Gates decided the evidence in the matter insufficient. According to Gates, the facts did not show “without any possibility of error or doubt” that Peralta’s sacrifice merited an award so prestigious as the Medal of Honor. Despite the testimony of 1st Marine Division commander, Lieutenant General Richard F. Natonski, that he believed “beyond a shadow of a doubt” that the gravely-wounded Peralta covered the grenade, Gates would not relent and continued to look to the matter with a blind eye. Sadly, further efforts over the years by various supporters of Sgt. Peralta failed to rectify Gate’s faulty decision.[6]
Isn’t it interesting that no matter how much evidence there may be to prove the factual reality of something, there always will be scoffers and doubters? It was true regarding Sgt. Peralta’s heroic act. It remains true today for so many who refuse to believe in Jesus Christ—especially as it relates to His death and resurrection. But, they really have no valid excuse. The evidence of Jesus’ work on the Cross and His resurrection is as clear as any recorded event that occurred in the ancient history. Take note of this in comparing Christianity to the other four major world religions—Judaism, Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism. Only Christianity can claim that its founder, Jesus Christ, is still alive today. Christ is the only one who died that we may have eternal life. And, only Christ overcame death when He rose from the tomb. Abraham cannot make any such claims—neither can Buddha or Mohammed. And certainly, there is no one of the Hindu faith who can claim those things. Jesus is unique in fulfilling the many prophecies of the Old Testament as to why He came into this world to provide us the opportunity for salvation.
Furthermore, the internal evidence in the Bible itself is overwhelming—particularly as it relates to His resurrection. Following His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His followers no less than ten times over a timeframe of forty days. In fact, on one occasion, it is reported that he appeared before a gathering of 500 people. There are no accounts of doubters who could provide any credible evidence whatsoever to disprove the truth of these New Testament claims.[7]
In addition, there is far more historical evidence to support the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ than for any other historical person who ever lived in ancient times. For example, no one doubts the existence of the Greek conqueror, Alexander the Great, who was born approximately 350 years before Jesus. And yet, what are the primary historical records that support Alexander’s life? They are but two original biographies of his life by the ancient Greek historians, Arrian and Plutarch. When were these biographies of Alexander the Great written?—over 400 years after Alexander died. Likewise, no one seriously doubts whether the Roman poets Virgil or Horace ever lived. And yet, there are no original manuscripts of their literary works. Today, there are only copies of their poems that were put together years after their death. So, when were these copies made? Again, they were all produced about four centuries after both Virgil and Horace were dead and gone. Similarly, modern historians readily recite what they consider to be “accepted facts” about the Roman empire. But, what are the sources of those so-called “facts” about ancient Rome? They are derived largely from the works of such ancient historians as Tacitus and Livy. Most people don’t realize that Tacitus and Livy were writing about things that had happened over 500 before they ever put their pens to paper. Despite all of this, no one would even suggest that Virgil and Horace never lived, nor would they doubt the content of their literary works. The same stands for the perceived accuracy of Tacitus and Livy when it comes to their recitation of the “facts” and events concerning the Roman Emperors or the accounts of Roman military victories.[8]
So, the question arises: How do the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John stack up to these other ancient writers? Well, common sense tells you that the closer in time ancient documents were written to the actual events they describe, the more reliable they would have to be. The writings of Virgil, Horace, Tacitus and Livy had times gaps of 400 to 500 years. Is that true for the Gospels of the New Testament?—Of course, not! Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were not written centuries after Jesus walked this earth. Rather, they were written by contemporaries of Jesus within a generation or two of Jesus’s ministry, death and resurrection. In many cases, the New Testament accounts were written by eyewitnesses who were Jesus’ own disciples. And, because these disciples had firsthand knowledge of the truthfulness of Jesus’ resurrection, they knew with 100% certainty the reality of our Risen Lord! They had been present for the life, ministry, miracles, death and resurrection of Jesus. If the claims about Jesus were a lie, the apostles would have known it. That’s why their commitment to their testimony was so powerful and compelling. These disciples were so committed to the truthfulness of the Good News that 11 of Jesus’ 12 disciples, including Matthias who took Judas Iscariot’s place, died as martyrs for their faith in Jesus as the divine Son of God. The only one who was not martyred was the Apostle John who suffered in exile on the Isle of Patmos where he eventually wrote the end-times treatise known as the Book of Revelation. For those who scoff at the reliability of the New Testament, they need to ask themselves if anyone would suffer such persecution, or even go to their deaths, if they knew their faith was based upon fabrications and falsehoods. We all know that no one would knowingly die for a lie—all of which proves the truthfulness of all the facts presented in the Bible regarding our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Those biblical facts don’t lie! [9]
Having said that, it’s interesting that so many facts come together this morning—facts about the history of this church, facts about life, facts about sacrifices, and facts that point to the truth of Jesus Christ. We are blessed this morning to have Otto Sherman here and we thank him for coming today and sharing the history of our Church. We also think about the history of our country. And, in so doing, we honor those who served our country in times of war—those members of the military who sacrificed their lives for this country to preserve our freedoms and our way of life. Many of you know that Otto was a master carpenter. I am told that he did the beautiful work on some of the original villas that were part of the nearby Blue-Green Resort—then known as Shenandoah Crossing. When I think about Otto’s profession as a carpenter, and those men and women who have died for this nation, those facts alone come together and point to something very special. They point us to another master carpenter—the Carpenter from Nazareth, Jesus Christ. He was expected to come as a great military leader. But, His warfare was on a much higher plain—for Christ fought spiritual battles against the forces of evil and against Satan himself. Jesus’ blood shed on the Cross and His resurrection from the tomb assure His victory over Satan and death itself. As such, Jesus’s sacrifice was not of an earthly military nature. Rather, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ was of an eternal spiritual nature that did not end with His death. Jesus sacrificed His life in payment of your sins in order that you have the opportunity for eternal life in His Heavenly Kingdom. He sacrificed His life—not for any particular country—but for the entire world!
If you haven’t publicly accepted Christ as your Savior this morning, then you have not availed yourself of that greatest of sacrifices. And because of that, it remains a great tragedy that you are still burdened by your sin. Come to Jesus today. Don’t allow His sacrifice especially for you to be in vain. Tomorrow is Memorial Day to honor our fallen warriors. But, today is Salvation Day—it’s the day for you to honor God by coming forward with your commitment, or rededication, to Him. And if you will do that, then this can be your “Memorial Day” as well—the day you will always remember as the time you stepped out of the darkness and into the Light of Jesus Christ!
Let us pray.
Darvin Satterwhite, Pastor
Forest Hill Baptist Church
May 28, 2023
©2023 All Rights Reserved as follows:
Anyone is at liberty to use this sermon or any portions thereof for educational or religious purposes, with or without credit. The pastor believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of God’s Word. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Forest Hill Baptist Church in Louisa, Virginia.
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[1] Juanita Redmond, “I Served on Bataan,” (Lippincott Company, 1943), pp. 90-91, cited in PreachingToday.com.
[2] The Apostle Paul ridiculed such a foolish view of life when he wrote in 1st Corinthians 15:32—“If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’” (NIV) Similarly, see Isaiah 22:12-13—12 “At that time the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, called you to weep and mourn. He told you to shave your heads in sorrow for your sins and to wear clothes of burlap to show your remorse. 13 But instead, you dance and play; you slaughter cattle and kill sheep. You feast on meat and drink wine. You say, ‘Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!’” (NLT2)
[3] 1st Corinthians 9:25 “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” (NIV)
[4] John Brinsfield, “Chaplain Corps History: The Four Chaplains,” Army.mil (January 28, 2014), cited in PreachingToday.com.
[5] “Sergeant Rafael Peralta,” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil (August 14, 2020).
[6] Wikipedia, Sergeant Rafael Peralta.
[7] Scott S. Powell, “Jesus Christ’s Resurrection: The Best Documented Event of Ancient History,” originally published at Christian Post, republished in Discovery Institute, https://www.discovery.org, April 6, 2023.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid.
