He gave all

Introduction (Tell them what you are going to say)

All gave some, some gave all, some stood through for the red white and blue and some had to fall. And if you ever think of me think of all your liberties and recall that some gave all.

The title of this song is some gave all it was written by an artist that is better known for his song achy breaky heart. His name is Billy Ray Cyrus.

Another line from the song is: Love your country and live with pride, And don't forget those who died

Tomorrow is Memorial Day . It is the day set aside to remember those who gave all , those who made the ultimate sacrifice . Men like Master Sergeant Gary I. Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randall D. Shughart. (Slide)

On October 3, 1993, during the Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia, two Blackhawk (slide) helicopters were shot down. Gordon and Shughart were part of a sniper team for Delta Force that was assigned to watch over the operation, and engage targets from their position in their Blackhawk. As they monitored the situation, it became clear  that ground forces would not be available to secure the crash site and protect the critically injured crew of four, all of whom survived the crash. Gordon requested to be inserted at the 2nd crash site. His request was denied twice before finally being approved on the third request. Gordon and Shughart  were armed only with their sniper rifles and pistols.

Upon reaching the downed Blackhawk, (Slide) which was under intense enemy fire, Gordon and Shughart pulled the crew from the wreckage and proceeded to set up a defenses. The snipers, began to engage the attacking Somalis using assault rifles stored on the Blackhawk. Shughart and Gordon were eventually mortally wounded after nearly exhausting all available ammunition; There was one survivor who was taken hostage.

On May 23, 1994, President Clinton presented the Medal of Honor to the widows of Gordon and Shughart. (Slide) For there country these men gave all. It is people like Gordan ona Shughart that Billy Ray Cyrus is singing about when he says some gave all.

Throughout history we see examples of people who have made the ultimate sacrifice for something that they believe in. This is not something that is Unique to the United states All over the world people have died , and people continue to die for a higher purpose . People have died to protect that which they hold dear. Gordon and Shughart Died in service to their country , and they died to try and protect their brothers in arms

Many people have made that ultimate sacrifice but there is only one who sacrificed for all of humanity , for all of creation . There is only one who sacrificed for me and for you. He sacrificed for the ones who attacked and shot down the Blackhawks in Somalia . There’s only one who died for Israelis and Palestinians , for Ukrainians and Russians. There’s only one who died for all, Jesus . On this Memorial Day weekend as we prepare to rightfully observe all those who have sacrificed so that we might live as we live in this great country We are going to remember the most important, sacrifice a sacrifice not just for Americans , but a sacrifice for all of creation . Today we are going to remember Jesus sacrifice .

Central Message:

The greatest love of all was Jesus sacrifice on the cross. A sacrifice, that sets us free from the power of sin and death. Jesus calls us to remember His sacrifice, love others deeply and sacrificially, grounding our love in obedience and friendship with Him.

Transition Statement

As we reflect on the ultimate sacrifices made by heroes like Gordon and Shughart, we are reminded that true freedom always comes at a cost—freedom is not free.  Whether it’s the cost of blood shed on a battlefield, or the blood shed on a cross, true freedom is never free.

This brings us to our first truth today: Freedom is not free. And while we honor those who died to preserve our national freedom, we must remember the One who died to purchase our eternal freedom—the freedom from the bondage of sin and death.

Body

Freedom is not free (v13) (Slide with Cross)

John 15:13 NIV

13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Memorial Day honors those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country’s freedom.

Jesus sets the supreme example of sacrifice in John 15:13: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends”.

Illustration

Master Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart knew what they were stepping into. They saw the crash site. They heard the gunfire. They knew that the odds of survival were slim, yet—they went anyway. The did not go for medals or glory. The went because there brothers needed them. They laid down their lives in an attempt to protect men who couldn’t protect themselves.

Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Gordon and Shughart gave their lives to try and save their fellow soldiers.

Jesus went even further. He did not just give his life for one group, one people, or one nation—but for all people, for all time. He gave his life so that everyone could have an opportunity for salvation.

Transition Statement

Jesus sacrifice reminds us of a deeper truth: true freedom is never free. Jesus Christ, who laid down His life to set us free from sin and death.

Application

Because our freedom—both national and spiritual—came at a great cost, we must live lives that honor the sacrifice behind that freedom.

For the believer, that means:

Don’t take the grace of God for granted. Jesus didn’t die so we could live casually; He died to set us free from the bondage of sin, so we could live righteously.

Ask yourself: Am I living like someone who’s been set free? Or am I choosing to stay in bondage to sin? Am I still bound by habits and attitudes Jesus died to break?

Let your life be a thank-you note to the cross—by the way you love others, and obey His Word. (Slide)

We honor earthly heroes by remembering their sacrifice. We honor Christ by the way we live in the freedom He died to give us.

Transition Statement

But who did Jesus die for. He died for those he calls friend . J

In verse 15, He says: “No longer do I call you servants… but I have called you friends.”

Think about that—the Son of God, the King of kings, calls you His friend. Let’s take a closer look at what that means, and how it shapes the way we understand His sacrifice and our relationship with Him.

He Calls Us Friend (15)

John 15:15 NIV

15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

“No longer do I call you servants… but I have called you friends.” In ancient times, a servant obeyed commands but wasn’t privy to the master’s heart or plans. Jesus makes it clear—He’s inviting us into something far deeper than duty: He is inviting us into a relationship marked by trust, and shared purpose.

By calling His disciples “friends,” Jesus is declaring, “You’re not just working for Me—you’re walking with Me.” He doesn't just give orders; He shares His heart. “For all that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”

This friendship is not just a casual friendship, it a deep friendship, a covenate. It’s grounded in love and sealed with His blood.

This means the cross isn’t just a symbol of salvation—it’s a declaration of friendship. And that changes everything about how we see ourselves and how we relate to Him.

Application

If Jesus calls you His friend, how should that change your life?

Draw close to Him daily. Spend time with your friend, Spend time in the Word and prayer—not out of obligation, but because you're walking with your Friend.

Obey out of love, not obligation. Jesus says in verse 14, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” Obedience isn't about checking boxes—it's about honoring the One who died for you.

Reflect His friendship to others. Be the kind of friend to others that Jesus is to you—faithful, sacrificial, and present.

Remember: You are not just a follower—you are a friend of the King. Live like someone who walks closely with Jesus.

Being a Friend of God: Living and Showing Sacrificial love (14,12,17)

John 15:14 NIV

14 You are my friends if you do what I command.

John 15:12 NIV

12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

John 15:17 NIV

17 This is my command: Love each other.

Jesus doesn’t just save us—He sends us to love as He did.

This love can sometimes be costly and uncomfortable. It is a love that is sacrificial, not superficial.

Memorial Day challenges us to emulate sacrificial love in daily life—serving others, and sharing Christ’s love.

Sacrificial love may not always require laying down one’s life physically but demands daily dying to self for others.

Through faith in Christ’s sacrifice, we receive hope and power to love courageously and selflessly.

Illustration

During this sermon in which we have been talking about how Jesus gave all we have followed the stories of Master Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart. We have recounted the sacrifice that they made for their brothers in arms , but some might ask what does this being a friend of God : living and showing sacrificial love look Like outside of a military context. One of the clearest modern examples of Christian sacrificial love—rooted in obedience to Christ and love for others—comes from Father Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish priest during World War II.

In 1941, Kolbe was imprisoned in Auschwitz. After a prisoner escaped, the Nazis decided to execute ten men in retaliation. When one of the selected men cried out in despair, saying, “My wife! My children!”—Father Kolbe stepped forward and said, “I am a Catholic priest. I would like to take his place.”

The guards were stunned, but they allowed it. Kolbe was sent to the starvation bunker, where he led the other prisoners in prayer and hymns for two weeks—until he was eventually executed by lethal injection.

He didn’t do this because he was forced to. He didn’t act out of impulse or glory-seeking. He did it because he listened to Jesus’ command: “Love one another as I have loved you.” And because he understood what it meant to be a friend of God—to walk in obedience and love, even to the point of death.

Kolbe’s sacrifice wasn’t just heroic—it was deeply Christian. It reflected the heart of Jesus: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

And though Kolbe had never met the man whose life he saved, he saw him as a neighbor, a fellow image-bearer, and loved him as a friend—just as Jesus commanded.

Note that the act of sacrificial love that Kobe does is not just an act of sacrificial love and friendship for the man who was condemned to die , it was not just an act of friendship to God it was awesome an act of friendship to the German guards , it was an act of friendship to the men who would eventually execute him because in his act of sacrificial love Kobe was showing to that entire camp the love of Christ , and though we don’t know it perhaps a prisoner, or a guard through seeing this act of sacrificial love eventually gave their life to Christ and on that day the angels in heaven rejoiced because one more hand come to Christ because a Polish priest was willing to live in the way that Jesus had called him to live he was A friend of God living and showing sacrificial love .

Application:

Most of us won’t be called to die for someone. But we are called to live sacrificially every day. Like Kolbe, we must ask: What does love require of me today? That might mean forgiving someone who doesn’t deserve it, serving someone who can’t repay you, or obeying God when it costs us comfort.

Being a friend of God means listening when He says, “Love as I have loved you.” And then doing it—no matter the cost.

Conclusion

Most of us won’t be called to lay down our lives the way Maximilian Kolbe did—or the way Gordon and Shughart did. But we are called to lay down our lives daily through sacrificial love: forgiving when it’s hard, serving when it’s inconvenient, obeying when it costs us something.

And as we ask ourselves today, “What does love require of me?”—we must remember the love that was first shown to us.

Today, we’ve been reminded of three simple but profound truths:

First, freedom is not free. The freedom we enjoy in this nation came at the cost of brave men and women who laid down their lives. But even more, the freedom we have from sin and death came at the greatest cost—the cross of Jesus Christ.

Second, Jesus calls us friends. The Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity—the King of kings and Lord of lords—doesn’t just call us servants. He calls us friends. If we believe in Him and walk in obedience to His Word, we are more than followers—we are His friends.

And third, being a friend of God means living and showing sacrificial love. Jesus said, “You are my friends if you do what I command,” and “This is my command: love one another as I have loved you.” That’s the mark of true friendship with Christ—loving others the way He loved us.

Jesus reveals that the greatest love of all was His sacrifice on the cross—for the salvation of the world. Through his sacrifice, He sets us free from the power of sin and death. He calls us to remember His sacrifice, and love others deeply and sacrificially, grounding our love in obedience and friendship with Him, the one who first loved us.

And He calls us not only to remember that love, but to live it out—to love others deeply and sacrificially, just as He has loved us. This is not a superficial love, but a love grounded in obedience and sustained by friendship with Him.

On this Memorial Day, we rightly honor the men and women who gave their lives for our country. Their sacrifice should stir our hearts with gratitude. But may their courage and love also point us to a greater sacrifice—the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who didn’t just die for a nation, but for all people, for all time.

So today, as we remember those who gave all, let us never forget the One who gave everything—and let us go and love as He loved us.

All bore sin, Some walked blind, Some only lived for themselves and wasted time. But when you stop and think of grace, And how for you God made a case Remember his love so great, that He gave all.