Introduction
That is the theme to one of the most iconic hot summer movies of our lifetimes.
Set in the post-World War I era, Chariots of Fire is based on the true story of two British athletes. Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell are both naturally gifted fast sprinters, but approach running differently. Running fits into their respective lives differently. The son of a Lithuanian Jew, Harold, who lives a somewhat privileged life as a student at Cambridge, uses being the fastest to overcome what he sees as the obstacles he faces in life as a Jew despite that privilege. In his words to paraphrase an old adage, he is often invited to the trough, but isn't allowed to drink. His running prowess does earn him the respect of his classmates, especially his running teammates, and to some extent the school administration, if only he maintains what they consider proper gentlemanly decorum, which isn't always the case in their minds.
Born in China, the son of Christian missionaries, Eric, a Scot, is a devout member of the Church of Scotland who eventually wants to return to that missionary work. He sees running as a win-win in that the notoriety of being fast gives him an added outlet to spread the word of God, while he sees his speed as being a gift from God, and he wants to run to honor God and that gift. This view does not sit well with his sister, Jennie Liddell, who sees his running as only taking away time from his work to God.
Harold’s and Eric's lives intersect in national races, but it is the one hundred meter track event at the 1924 Paris Olympics which the two men and their supporters most anticipate.
While boarding the boat to Paris for the Olympics, Eric learns from the newspapers that the event for his 100 meter race will be on a Sunday. Eric refuses to run the race despite strong pressure from the Prince of Wales as well as the head of the British Olympic committee, Lord Cadogan because Eric’s Christian convictions prevent him from running on the Christian Sabbath (Sunday).
Hope appears in the form of Eric’s teammate Lord Andrew Lindsay. Having already won a silver medal in the 400 meter hurdles, Lindsay proposes to yield his place in the 400 meter race on the following Tuesday to Eric. Eric gratefully agrees. His religious convictions in the face of national athletic pride make headlines around the world.
Meanwhile, Harold is badly beaten by the heavily favored and more experienced United States runner Charles Paddock in the 200 meter race who wins the gold medal, while Harold takes a second place silver medal. Harold knows that his last chance for a gold medal will be the 100 meter run. He competes in the 100 meter sprint and wins, beating Paddock and the rest of the Americans.
On Tuesday, just before Eric’s race, the American coach remarks to his runners that Liddell has little chance of doing well in his now far longer 400 meter race. But one of the American runners, Jackson Scholz, hands Eric a note of support for his convictions. Eric defeats all the American favorites and wins the gold medal.
The British team returns home triumphant. Harold and Eric then part ways, with Harold returning to Sybil and Eric goes off to return to China with his missionary family. As the film ends, an onscreen text explains that Harold married Sybil, and became the elder statesman of British athletics. He died in January 1978. Eric Liddell went on to his missionary work back in China where he later died in a prison camp at the hands of Japanese troops in 1945.
I tell you all of that to say that the title for the movie was taken from a popular English poem and hymn known as Jerusalem.
The poem says “Bring me my Chariot of fire”, referring to the Old Testament story of Elijah being taken to Heaven directly by God in a chariot of fire.
There were “chariots of fire” that day in the 1924 Olympics. And so, the phrase “Chariots of fire” became a byword for divine energy — divine guidance — divine protection. All driven from our text this morning.
Follow along today as we ready from 2 Kings 6:
8 When the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he would confer with his officers and say, “We will mobilize our forces at such and such a place.”
9 But immediately Elisha, the man of God, would warn the king of Israel, “Do not go near that place, for the Arameans are planning to mobilize their troops there.” 10 So the king of Israel would send word to the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he would be on the alert there.
11 The king of Aram became very upset over this. He called his officers together and demanded, “Which of you is the traitor? Who has been informing the king of Israel of my plans?”
12 “It’s not us, my lord the king,” one of the officers replied. “Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!”
13 “Go and find out where he is,” the king commanded, “so I can send troops to seize him.”
And the report came back: “Elisha is at Dothan.” 14 So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city.
15 When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.
16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” 17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.
18 As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please make them blind.” So the Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked.
19 Then Elisha went out and told them, “You have come the wrong way! This isn’t the right city! Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to the city of Samaria.
20 As soon as they had entered Samaria, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, now open their eyes and let them see.” So the Lord opened their eyes, and they discovered that they were in the middle of Samaria.
21 When the king of Israel saw them, he shouted to Elisha, “My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?”
22 “Of course not!” Elisha replied. “Do we kill prisoners of war? Give them food and drink and send them home again to their master.”
23 So the king made a great feast for them and then sent them home to their master. After that, the Aramean raiders stayed away from the land of Israel. (2 Kings 6, NLT)
What an amazing story. The sense of relief that the servant must have felt when God opened his eyes.
But you know today, we find ourselves in a position much like that servant.
1. You see, there are battles going on around us that we cannot see.
The war against us has a whole level that we do not physically see each and every day.
Consider the words of Paul from Ephesians 6:
12 [W]e are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6, NLT)
The real battle going on for our souls is not a physical battle.
There is not a physical enemy that we can just take aim and try to eliminate.
It’s not the same as warfare in our world today.
It’s a spiritual battle.
In Saudi Arabia Today, Millions of Muslims Are….
By Gene Gregory
Copied from Sermon Central
This week, millions of Muslims around the world will be observing the festival of Eid al-Adha (EED al UUD-ha). The festival, also known as the Feast of the Sacrifice, honors the willingness of Ibrahim (aka Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God's command. While Ibrahim is preparing for the sacrifice, the Devil tempted Ibraham and his family by trying to dissuade them from carrying out God's commandment. Ibraham drove Satan away by throwing pebbles at him. Finally, before Ibrahim could sacrifice his son, God provided a lamb to sacrifice instead. In commemoration of this intervention, an animal, usually a sheep, is sacrificed ritually and divided into three parts. One share is given to the poor and needy, another is kept for home, and the third is given to relatives.
As part of the celebration, Muslims will pass three pillars, which represent the Devil. Everyone will take turns throwing stones at the pillars.
It is interesting, that in the last 20 years, in Saudi Arabia, over 3,200 Muslims have been killed in accidents, while trying to throw stones at these pillars.
The battle that is going on around us today is going to take more than throwing pebbles or stones at pillars.
It is a spiritual war.
You see, we cannot throw stones at a physical Satan and expect that he will leave us alone.
It just doesn’t work like that.
The Attack [of Pearl Harbor]
By John Shearhart
www.u-s-history.com
Copied from Sermon Central
Pearl Harbor day is December 7 each year, commemorating the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. You see, that day was a sunny Sunday morning. A minimal contingent of soldiers was on duty at the time. Most offices on the base were closed and many servicemen were on leave for the weekend.
New technologies, including the new radar mounted on Opana (O - pawn - a) Point were in place, manned, and functioning at the time of the attack. The incoming Japanese attack planes were detected by the radar and reported, but were mistaken for an incoming group of American planes due from the mainland that morning.
While on practice maneuvers outside the harbor that morning, an American destroyer spotted a Japanese submarine attempting to sneak into the harbor. The submarine was fired upon, was immediately reported — and ignored.
Despite these and other warnings, Pearl Harbor faced great loss that day. The losses and ill-preparedness came from one major cause: no one believed it could really happen.
And that’s the way we approach spiritual warfare in our lives.
We just do not believe it could be happening.
Instead, we simply chalk it up to being a bad day or that there are mean people in our lives.
But the truth of the matter is that we are often under heavy assault from the devil.
Day and night, according to Peter in 1 Peter 5, Satan is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8 NLT).
We must take this seriously. We must stay alert. We must be prepared.
We cannot take this lightly. Why?
2. Because, the enemy — the devil — will try to surround us, taking away our hope.
All wars have a goal.
All wars have an objective.
In Warfare, There Is Always An Objective
By Stephan Brown
Copied from Sermon Central
In some wars, the objective is land. For example, in the Middle East, Israel and the Palestinians have been fighting for years because they both want to have the same land — Jerusalem. In Afghanistan, we were fighting because we wanted to destroy the power base of terrorism.
Hitler, in World War II, fought because he wanted to create a “superior” race.
Here in the South, we fought in the Civil War because we wanted to be free from the oppression of the Northern States.
The Gulf War back in the 1990s was fought because the United States wanted to end the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, so we could have access to oil.
In all war, there is an objective.
There is a reason we are fighting in a war.
And the same is true in this spiritual battle. Satan has the specific goal of taking us away from God — by taking away our hope.
If we feel hopeless, we question God. We turn our backs on God. We give up on faith. We eventually abandon our relationship with God.
We don’t have to become active warriors in his army. We just have to not be fighting for God.
And sadly, we will surrender without putting up a real fight.
Christians Give In Too Easily to the Devil in Spiritual Warfare
From a sermon by Mark Schaeufele, A Warrior Messiah, 10/28/2009
Copied from Sermon Central
In his book, Fuzzy Memories, Jack Handey writes: “There used to be this bully who would demand my lunch money every day. Since I was smaller, I would give it to him.
“Then I decided to fight back. I started taking Karate lessons. But then the Karate teacher said I had to start paying him five dollars a lesson. So, I just went back to paying the bully.
“Too many people feel it is easier just to pay the bully than it is to learn how to defeat him.”
And unfortunately, that’s the same approach we take with fighting the devil — in this spiritual war we are fighting. We would rather give in to the temptation, to give up hope, to quit standing for God, than to fight the devil each and every day.
We see that we are surrounded, and just give up.
But what if it went down differently.
Hostile Natives Surrounded His Mission’s Headquarters
By Bruce Montgomery
Source: John G. Paton in New Hebrides Islands in So. Pacific (Billy Graham, “Angels”)
Copied from Sermon Central
The story is told that hostile natives surrounded John Paton’s mission headquarters in the New Hebrides Islands in the South Pacific one night, intent on burning he and his wife out and killing them.
John and his wife prayed all through the terror-filled night that God would deliver them.
When daylight came, they were amazed to see that for some unknown reason, the attackers had left.
A year later, the chief of the tribe gave his life to Jesus. Mr. Paton, remembering what had happened on that horrible night, asked the chief what had kept he and his men from burning down the house and killing them.
The chief replied in surprise, “Who were all those men you had with you there?”
The missionary answered, “There were no men there; just my wife and I.”
The chief argued that they had seen many men standing guard — hundreds of men in shining garments with drawn swords in their hands. They seemed to circle the mission station so that the natives were afraid to attack.
Only then did Mr. Paton realize that God had sent angels to protect them on that fearful night.
You see, the enemy and his army may surround us, but he’s not the only one.
3. We can have faith to know that even if we cannot see God’s protection, we can know that it is there.
We often look out of the windows of our lives and see the enemy surrounding us.
We begin to lose hope.
We begin to give up.
We think that it is useless.
We feel powerless.
But we need to pray that God will open our eyes, just as Elisha prayed that God would open his servant’s eyes.
Because when we do, when we see things from God’s view, we will see that there are warriors, in chariots of fire, ready to protect, defend, and save us.
You see, I believe that God does not send us out into the battle alone. He is standing right there with us, with His warriors, ready for battle. And when the attacks come, His army is right there firing back.
We just have to stop to see things from God’s perspective — through God’s eyes.
Seeing the Rainbow from God’s Side
By Kenneth Trent
Copied from Sermon Central
Kenneth Trent tells the story that one time he had been a speaker at a large conference in Dallas, Texas. At home in Houston, he was also conducting a revival meeting, so every day he would fly to and from Dallas.
His daughter Nancy, four years old, was visiting her aunt in Dallas and was anxious to fly back to Houston with her dad.
Flying back, he recalls, they encountered a severe thunderstorm over the town of Bryan. The pilot announced that he was going to take the plane to a higher altitude in order to fly above the storm. Soon they could see the black clouds and darting lightening in the clouds below them. Above, the sun was shining in all it’s glory, though quite hidden from the people in the city below them.
In the clouds below, they saw an amazing sight: a rainbow stretching from horizon to horizon in the shape of a perfect circle. The rainbow looked like a multi-colored halo.
Nancy was thrilled by what she saw. Her enthusiasm couldn’t be controlled any longer, and she cried out: “Daddy, daddy, look! It’s a rainbow and we’re seeing it from the same side that God sees it from!”
What an amazing yet simple truth.
Above the storm clouds, God sees the perfect rainbow.
It’s that way in life. When we are in the battles of life, in the storms of life, in the turbulence and tribulation, we need to rise in faith above the clouds, and see the view from God’s point of view.
Meteorologists tell us that there is a rainbow in every rain cloud, but one just has to be properly positioned to be able to see it.
That should be our prayer today — for God to open our eyes, and let us see the world from His view.
And like the servant boy, we too will see that God has positioned us in that perfect halo of protection.
4. And God has made sure that we are equipped properly for the fight ahead.
God knows we are in a battle. It’s been a battle since the beginning of time — even before time.
Satan has always been up to his ways.
And Satan will always be up to his ways.
That’s why God has given us the protection we need for this battle.
After Paul reminds us that this battle is not against the physical in Ephesians 6, he continues on to remind us to:
13 [P]ut on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. (Ephesians 6, NLT)
God expects us to be a part of this battle. He expects that we are going to be fighting.
We are not bystanders.
We are not on the sidelines.
We are warriors in the middle of this battle.
And as every good commander provides the necessary equipment to fight the battles on earth, God provides us with everything we need to fight this battle for our soul.
Truth — don’t be deceived by the lies the Devil tries to tell us.
Righteousness — make the decision to do the right thing each and every time. Follow God’s example and rules.
Be at peace — because we have hope. We know that this battle is not the end — there’s a place awaiting our arrival — a place of many mansions, where there is one for you and me — a place in the very presence of God.
Keep the faith — don’t lose that hope — because God will be the victor in the end. And God is our protection in every attack of the devil.
Make sure we have surrendered our life and our mind to God. Otherwise, we will find ourselves believing the lies, falling for the schemes, giving in to the temptations being hurled at us from all sides.
And know the word of God. Know His promises. Take hope in His promises. Do not be afraid, because we outnumber them.
But most importantly, be in communication with the commander. Pray always, in every situation, at all times. Have that constant two way communication on.
Conclusion
This morning, just like Elisha and his servant were surrounded by the enemy, so are we.
We are being encircled moment by moment.
We are being barraged with arrows at every turn.
We could give up.
We could surrender.
We could cave in.
But why do that when we have the army of God on our side. Better yet, we have God Himself on our side.
God is our protector.
The Psalmist says:
1 God is our protection and our strength.
He always helps in times of trouble.
2 So we will not be afraid even if the earth
shakes,
or the mountains fall into the sea,
3 even if the oceans roar and foam,
or the mountains shake at the raging
sea.
4 There is a river that brings joy to the city
of God,
the holy place where God Most High
lives.
5 God is in that city, and so it will not be
shaken.
God will help her at dawn.
6 Nations tremble and kingdoms shake.
God shouts and the earth crumbles.
7 The Lord All-Powerful is with us;
the God of Jacob is our defender.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
the amazing things he has done on the
earth.
9 He stops wars everywhere on the earth.
He breaks all bows and spears
and burns up the chariots with fire.
10 God says, “Be still and know that I am
God.
I will be praised in all the nations;
I will be praised throughout the earth.”
11 The Lord All-Powerful is with us;
the God of Jacob is our defender.
(Psalm 46, NCV)
You see, we know the end of the story. We know how the battle ends. We know who wins the war.
And I can tell you it is not Satan.
It is the King! It is the Lord! It is the victor, who overcame death once and for all so that we could have life everlasting.
Feeling the heat? Feeling the pressure? Feeling the stress of battle? Surrender our lives to the commander-in-chief — the victorious Jesus — the great protector of His people. Then we will find peace. Then we will find hope. Then we will also find the victory.
