This morning at Union Grove, the message will be “Don’t Be Another Red Baron”. The text will be Ephesians 6:10-20 and 1 Corinthians 10:13. We just experienced/celebrated Halloween this past Thursday. I want to tell you that I was very disappointed once again this year… as you know, on Halloween night, I always sit in the pumpkin patch waiting for the Great Pumpkin to appear… well… I did not see The Great Pumpkin again this year… maybe next year! (Ha Ha!) You know that I really don’t sit in a pumpkin patch and look for the Great pumpkin, but I do love the classic Charlie Brown special It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. If you remember in the program, Snoopy pretends to be a World War I fighter pilot. He hops on top of his doghouse pretending that it’s his Sopwith Camel airplane, and then Snoopy goes out to battle the infamous Red Baron. Did you know that there really was a Red Baron? Baron Manfred Albrecht von Richthofen was a German fighter pilot known as The Red Baron because he flew a distinctive red Fokker three-winged aircraft. He was the most successful flying ace of World War I, officially credited with 80 confirmed air combat victories. (1 Cor 10:13)… There is a difference between being tempted and sinning. Temptation can lead to sinning, but temptation does not need to result in sin. Jesus was tempted in all points as we are, yet He was sinless. Paul said that whatever temptations that we may face are common to man and that God will always limit the temptation and make a way for us to escape. We all face temptations. The important thing is not to allow temptation to become a sin and to distance ourselves from temptation. 1. We Must Dress in the Proper Clothing…11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. But the Armor of God is not something we can see or touch. It is put on by prayer and Bible study. So many of us just jump into temptation naked! No clothes, no armor, no protection! When temptation comes we need to be fully dressed! Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation are developed in prayer and Bible study. 2. We Ought to have a Strong Voice…18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; James 4:7, Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. So, lift your voice in prayer...in Scripture and in rebuke to keep temptation from leading to sin. Paul said that no temptation would come that we couldn’t endure. 3. We Ought to have Open Eyes…18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; To avoid sin, we must Keep alert! Keep your eyes open, be awake, look around you, watch, pay attention and be on your guard. Facing temptation is an area where we need to keep our eyes open! Resisting the tempter is essential! Yielding is sin, and sin separates us from God! What about the Red Baron? Did he keep his eyes open? On April 21st, 1918, the Red Baron had been pursuing at very low altitude a Sopwith Camel piloted by a beginner Canadian pilot. As the Red Baron pursued his prey behind Allied lines, he didn’t watch out. He dived too low into the enemy lines and he also failed to see another Canadian pilot coming up on his tail. During that pursuit he was hit in the chest by a single bullet. He managed to make a fast but controlled landing in a field. One witness stated that when he and other Australian soldiers reached the aircraft, Richthofen’s last word was kaputt (finished). The Red Baron was a brilliant fighter pilot in his tactics and maneuvers; The “Top Gun of the Top Guns” of his day. So why was he so careless on this particular occasion? The Red Baron’s end came because he made the mistake of pursuing an Allied airplane too long, too far, and too low into enemy territory. He pushed far beyond the limits of safe flying and prudent dog fighting. So, how can we apply this to us today as Christians? Chasing the temptations of the world for too long, too far, and too low into enemy territory has caused the downfall of many good Christian people today. Not only individual, average Christians, but Christian leaders, teachers, pastors and even denominations as well! The options are: give in to temptation and die or resist faithfully and live. The wise person will choose to resist the evil one, to flee when necessary, and to pursue the righteousness of God. We have plenty of brilliant Christians today, which are very versed and skilled in tactics and knowledge of God’s Word… but we get careless when we allow ourselves to be lured into the “danger zone”, below the “hard deck” by our enemy, Satan… How are you flying this morning? Satan is on your 6… his sights are set on you… he has missile lock on you… What are you going to do?
Posted on: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 06:46:54 +0000
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