The White Flag Sermon
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Order of Service
Order of Service
1. Welcome, Announcements, & Prayer - Patrick Albright
2. “I Got Saved” - Matt Price & Dave Ashford
5. Sermon - Dillon White
6. Invitation - “I Surrender All”
Main Text: 1 Timothy 6:11-12
Introduction:
Introduction:
The month was June, the year was 1940, and the world was on fire. Hitler’s German War machine was tearing its way through France and British Intelligence reports prophesied their worst fears.
The German Military had outgunned, out-maneuvered, and out-played the French and British forces and forced both their armies into retreating to the little French seaside town of Dunkirk.
Winston Churchill had been Great Britain’s Prime Minister for less than a month and the news he was receiving was bone chilling.
First - The French Army was almost entirely destroyed. The French Empire would not survive this brutal onslaught.
Second - The entire British Army faced sure destruction. It was explained, the British fleet was only capable of evacuating 30,000 of the 380,000 allied troops waiting in the town of Dunkirk. The British Empire was facing its darkest days ahead - and it too, may not survive.
You see, in 1940, America had not yet entered the war. And at the time, she had no intention too. With France collapsing, Great Britain stood alone in her fight against evil.
Over 380,000 British and French troops were sitting ducks on the beeches of Dunkirk and prime targets to be torn apart by German pilots.
However, as some call it luck, and others may refer to it as fate, we see it as providence, instead of 30,000 soldiers being rescued over 330,000 were. But, The once mighty lion of the sea was now in full retreat with her tail between her legs.
Nevertheless, with the backdrop of failure and with the real threat of imminent total inhalation. Sir Winston Churchill had the following to say:
Winston Churchill Speech
Winston Churchill Speech
“I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone. At any rate, that is what we are going to try to do. That is the resolve of His Majesty's Government-every man of them. That is the will of Parliament and the nation. The British Empire and the French Republic, linked together in their cause and in their need, will defend to the death their native soil, aiding each other like good comrades to the utmost of their strength.
Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.”
With this in mind, I would like to ask you a question: If one was to survey the world today, would you find the advance of the enemy just as dire? Would you agree the fight is not in a distant and far away land - but already knocking at the door. Has this world caused you to slide into a state of docile surrender and of dreary defeat?
Understand this truth friend, by default we are born on the enemies team:
For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
And Paul reminds the believers in Corinth that the god of this world is Satan:
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
In these two passages, the sin of mediocrity shines bright. For to live our life by default, is to default to the will of the god of this world.
This is not new information. The line in the sand was drawn a long time ago. Remember it was Joshua who reminded the tired and weary Israelites:
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Unfortunately, if the world is a battleground, many Christians are guilty of waving the flag for the devil. Church come alive this morning and realize we have been called to fight!
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
Fighting. Wouldn’t you agree we are good at that. We fight one another, other churches, the government, friends on facebook, and the list goes on. But the main point of this passage is not to fight. But to surrender. And I will prove it to you in just a moment.
So, this morning I would like to preach a message about surrendering. And let me say, we have all surrendered to something.
Would you examine you heart, and ask yourself if you are surrendered to the enemy? Husbands, have you thrown your hands up in absolution and surrendered your God given responsibilities to your family? Men, have you neglected your spiritual function in the church?
The need has never been more dire. The days are dark and the worlds appetite for sin will only grow more gluttonous. In 100 years from now, if Christ has not returned, what will they say of us? I know they will say we kicked God out of schools… then slowly pushed Him out of the nation. They will probably talk of Roe v Wade and other prevailing wickedness celebrated in our day.
But will they say the church gave up? Will they say Christians lost faith - or worse, we never had it? Will they say we gave up, and threw in the towel? Will they say we sold out to satan and the things of this world? Will they talk of how we worshipped the god of this world, while we deceived ourselves into thinking we served the God in heaven?Will they say that evil prevailed because good men did nothing?
What will they say of the church in this age? My prayer is that they would never speak any of those things. Instead this be let our testimony: THIS is the church’s finest hour.
To convince you of this, I have two main points I would like to share with you from the text.
1. Surrender then Service
1. Surrender then Service
Look at the beginning of verse 11 with me.
But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
What things does Paul command us to flee?
a. Flee our Desires (1 Tim 6:11a)
Back up and lets examine scriptures starting in verse 8:
And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
The emphasis is on contentment and submission. Rather than pursue that which satisfies the flesh, and leads those away from the faith, seek out that which would please God. Before we can serve, we must surrender our desires to His desires. May we too say that are bellies are full, there are clothes on our backs - and LORD we are content with that!
Essentially, Paul is instructing Timothy to flee from the enemy. And The enemy is 3-fold.
John reminds us one of our enemies is the world:
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Surrender means denying the world.
In Romans, Paul instructs us we are at war with the flesh:
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
And Peter doesn’t mince words when he calls out our enemy the devil:
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
What in your life have you not surrendered?
Is it a person, a possession, a way of life, a habit? The only way to discover what God could do in our lives is to let go of anything that He says is not best for us. Although we may think we know better, we can never improve on His plan for our lives. We never lose by yielding to the Lord. In fact, that’s when life at its best begins.
b. Follow His Desires
But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
Surrendering is more than sacrifice. Giving up our desires is only half of the pie. You see, friend, most Christians are stuck at half surrender and therefore are little use for service.
Imagine, if you will, police cars in hot pursuit of a dangerous criminal on the interstate. As the chase becomes more dangerous and potentially deadly, the pursuing cops radio ahead for spike strips to be laid in ambush for the unsuspecting criminal.
As the chase car runs over the strip, his tires go out, and after a few chaotic moments the dust begins to settle. By now several police cars have surrounded the criminals disabled vehicle. The man who had just led them on a dangerous chase can be heard shouting, “I’m unarmed, and I surrender.” The officers commanded him to show his hands and slowly step out of the vehicle, but he refused, insisting, “I’m unarmed, and I surrender.”
The officers, shouted, “If you surrender then you need to obey my commands, slowly raise your hands out of the drivers window!” The man impatiently responded that he had already surrendered but still refused to show his hands or follow orders. The officers nervously wondered why he wouldn’t show his hands, what was he holding onto? The fact that he was not following their commands demonstrated he had not actually surrendered.
Surrendering is not just giving up, it’s also following orders. We so often will go to God broken hearted and proclaim from shaking lips, “I surrender” while we clutch the things of the world in our hands and think we can hide it. Too often, we claim to be followers of God, yet we forsake Him. We cry out to seek his face, yet hide from His ways. We pray for wisdom, while we pack away the Word of God.
Surrendering is a molding process. It is not just passive, but also, active. For we are to follow after:
"Righteousness" includes all attitudes and actions in harmony with what God calls right.
"Godliness" is godlike character and conduct.
"Faith" is trust in God.
"Love" is selfless devotion to the needs of others.
"Perseverance" is faithful continuance through adverse or discouraging circumstances.
"Gentleness" is tender kindness toward others.
2. Surrender then Service
2. Surrender then Service
Once we surrender our desires by fleeing those of the world. And after we surrender to His desires by following His commands then we are ready for the fight.
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
The greek word for “fight” is Agon. It literally means “to struggle.” The “good profession” Paul is referring to, is possibly Timothy’s baptism or to his call to preach (ordination). Either way, the point of the phrase, is alluding to service to God and there stands a reminder again - people are watching.
But please listen to this main key point: It is in our Surrender and it is in our Service, that we recognize that Jesus Christ is Lord of our Life. Please do not misunderstand, we cannot and do not make Christ the Lord of our Life. Listen carefully - Jesus is Lord!
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The month is January, the year is 2021, and the world is on fire. With the backdrop of the cross and the empty grave, may we have the following to say:
I Surrender All
I Surrender All
All to Jesus I surrender
All to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live
All to Jesus I surrender
Humbly at His feet I bow
Worldly pleasures all forsaken
Take me, Jesus, take me now
All to Jesus I surrender
Make me Savior wholly thine
May Thy Holy Spirit fill me
May I know Thy power divine
I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Thee my blessed Savior
I surrender all
Altar Call:
In 100 years from now, will they say we were busy fighting. Fighting the government, fighting one another.. Or will they say in our darkest hour we sold out to God and surrendered to His will. Will they say this generation recognized Christ as Lord? Will they talk of great revivals?
Will you step out and begin to recognize Christ’s rightful place in your life.