Battles on the Beach
“Our Victory, Our Hope”
John 21:1-19
"Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped, and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely....The freemen of the world are marching together to victory. I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory." -- Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's speech to troops on June 6, 1944 just before the invasion of Nomandy.
The D-Day Invasion at Normandy – June 6, 1944
The amphibious landings were preceded by extensive aerial and naval bombardment and an airborne assault—the landing of 24,000 British, US, and Canadian airborne troops shortly after midnight. Allied infantry and armored divisions began landing on the coast of France starting at 06:30. The target 50-mile (80 km) stretch of the Normandy coast was divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword Beach. The Allies failed to achieve all of their goals on the first day, but gained a foothold that they gradually expanded over the coming months and ultimate victory in Europe and WWII.
Invasion Date
June 6, 1944 – The D in D-Day stands for “day” since the final invasion date was unknown and weather dependent
Allied Forces
156,000 Allied troops from The United States, The United Kingdom, Canada, Free France and Norway
Areas of Invasion
The Allied code names for the beaches along the 50-mile stretch of Normandy coast targeted for landing were Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. Omaha was the costliest beach in terms of Allied casualties.
The Armada
5,000 ships and landing craft
50,000 vehicles
11,000 planes
Commanders
United States – Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley
The United Kingdom – Bernard Law Montgomery, Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Arthur Tedder, Miles Dempsey, Bertram Ramsay
Germany – Erwin Rommel, Gerd von Rundstedt, Friedrich Dollmann
Casualties
Numbers represent total killed, wounded, missing or captured
United States – 6,603 (1,465 killed)
United Kingdom – 2,700
Canada – 1,074 (359 fatal) Germany – Estimated between 4,000 – 9,000
The Outcome
By June 11, with the beachheads firmly secured, more than 326,000 troops had crossed with more than 100,000 tons of military equipment. Paris was liberated on August 25. Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945
Introduction:
• This morning we remember those who gave their all that we might cherish that which we have.
• Many people this weekend will enjoy the beach, but let us not forget that many battles are waged on the beachheads of our lives.
• 70 years ago next month a decisive battle was fought that would change the course of WWII and change history forever.
• Peter would experience great distress yet ultimate victory on the beach with our Lord….Peter’s heart was broken in that he had rejected Christ, but here Jesus restores Peter.
Luke 21:1-19
Breakfast by the Sea
21 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.” 6 And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. 9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.” 11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord.13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish. 14 This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead. 15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. 18 Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” 19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”
1. The objective of our life is to serve the Lord and Him alone.
• Peter had risen and fallen over the course of his walk with Jesus.
• One minute we see him act with great courage and other times his impetuous nature gets the best of him.
• It was Peter’s heart to serve Christ, but like many of us he did not fully understand what that meant until he was faced with the testing of warfare both within and without.
• Luke records the beginnings of this test in Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” 33 But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” 34 Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”
• It was at the Tiberian beach after great testing that Peter would begin to understand the true nature of Christian service.
o Christians are called to stand strong during even the greatest persecution.
o Christians are called to remain courageous even among unsurmountable odds.
o Sometimes the Devil will call us out by name, before God, but how we react speaks to what we believe about God.
Simon, Satan has asked to sift you (31). Men of faith and courage draw the attacks of the devil. Jesus wanted to warn the impetuous but lovable Simon. He was ready to die for Jesus, but sometimes Satan puts the trials in such a way that a person does not realize the significance of a word or a deed until it is too late. Jesus wanted to prepare Simon for what was coming, and even it if did not succeed in keeping him from stumbling, this would be an encouragement to get up and try again. Jesus knew more about Simon than Simon knew about himself, but Jesus still wanted to help him, and through him, to help the others:
• “And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32).
2. The service of our life is to minister to those that are most vulnerable.
• The force is that Peter will demonstrate the genuineness of his love by caring for those who belong to Jesus, the good shepherd.
• Jesus has already described what it means to shepherd the flock in 10:1–18, 26–8 and has proved his identity as the good shepherd in laying down his life for the sheep before taking it up again (cf. 10:15b, 17–18).
• Now Peter is charged with the privilege and responsibility of being the under shepherd who will protect, nourish and tend the flock of the good shepherd himself.
• This task is in continuity with the charge to all the disciples in the farewell discourse to love, serve and lay down their lives for another (cf. 13:14–15, 34; 15:12–14, 17).
• So Peter’s love will show itself as he keeps Jesus’ word about loving others in the particular form of shepherding the flock.
3. The sacrifice of our life is to follow Jesus.
• Peter is being reminded of Jesus’ teaching about what it really means to love him, since in 14:23 Jesus had already said, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.’
• 18 Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” 19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”
• Here Jesus describes Peter’s death….crucifixion…the penalty Peter will face for following Jesus.
• The stretching out of the hands was often viewed by early Christian writers as a reference to crucifixion, so that, for example, both Barnabas 12 and Justin, Dial. 90–1 see Moses’ stretching out his hands in Exod. 17:12 as a type of Christ on the cross.
• The fact that stretching out the hands is mentioned before having the belt fastened and being led away need not be thought of as an insuperable problem, since the victim of crucifixion would have had outstretched hands secured to the crossbeam or patibulum that he then carried as he was led away to death.
o The earliest evidence about Peter’s death outside the canonical writings is in 1 Clement 5.
o The tradition that Peter was martyred in Rome is probably first evidenced in the Acts of Peter 36–41 from around the end of the second century CE, where a dramatic depiction of the apostle’s death situates this during the persecution under Nero and has Peter crucified upside down.
o Tertullian, at the beginning of the third century, also refers to Peter being crucified upside down (Scorp. 15.3).
o Eusebius too records this tradition (cf. Hist. eccl. 2:25:8; 3:1:2), citing a letter of Dionysius of Corinth, written around 170 CE, for the death occurring under Nero in Rome.
• Romans 12:1 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
• In the light of the preceding prediction it is clear that Jesus deems Peter ready to be the sort of follower who is now able to follow even to the extent of laying down his life.
4. The satisfaction of our life is to know that victory is ours in Christ Jesus.
o “Lieutenant Welsh remembered walking around among the sleeping men, and thinking to himself that 'they had looked at and smelled death all around them all day but never even dreamed of applying the term to themselves. They hadn't come here to fear. They hadn't come to die. They had come to win.”
o We do not fight the fight as Christians to lose our daily struggle…Christ is our Victor.
o I Corinthians 15:57 - But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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