The Dangers Of Flying Too Low

The Dangers of Flying Too Low

II Samuel 11: 2-5

Introduction:

If you know anything about airplanes then you would know that the most important instrument in the cockpit is the “Altimeter.” The Altimeter determines the altitude of the plane. It lets the pilot know if they are either flying too high or too low.

For when a plane is flying too high and too fast it runs the risk of stalling out in mid air and crashing to the ground. But when a plane is flying too low it has the chance of running into several things. You may run into a tall building, some power lines or even houses on the ground. So as you can see there would be dangers in flying too low.

There are even dangers when we fly too low in our spiritual lives. It is God’s desire that we fly way above the clouds of turmoil and tribulations and rest in the assurance that He has it all in control.

In our Scripture text this morning we find ourselves examining the spiritual life of one of the Bible’s favorite characters, King David of Israel.

David had been flying high with God for several years up to this point. He was flying high when he killed the lion and the bear. He was flying high when he killed the giant from Gath called Goliath. He was flying high when he went out and won many battles for the nation of Israel under Saul’s leadership.

But as David was standing on the balcony of the palace he was flying a little too high because he had decided to take over the controls and not let God guide him any longer. He saw Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, bathing on the roof of her house and purposed in his heart to sin not only against God but also against, Bathsheba, Uriah and even himself.

Sometimes when we feel that we can run our lives our own way, we can run the risk of flying too low.

Illustration: There was this airline pilot who was flying from DFW to Mexico City. He had flown this route several times and had become very comfortable with the journey. But on this particular time a dense fog had set in and instead of relying on his instruments he choose to fly on his own instincts and knowledge. But there was a certain instrument in the cockpit called an, “Early Warning System” that would let you know when the plane got too low below the horizon on the altimeter. Because the pilot had flown this route several times he chose to ignore the warning system and fly on his own and turned it off. Well a few minutes later he crashed the plane into the side of a large mountain killing everyone onboard.

You see when we change our attitude about whom is in charge then we won’t worry about flying too low. When we realize that we are not fit to guide our own lives, when we realize, that it is not by our strength but by God’s power, When we realize that we are filthy rags then can we receive help from God.

When God is the pilot, Jesus is the co-pilot, and the Holy Spirit is the navigator, and all we have to do is sit back and relax and let go and let God.

There are 2 dangers that I won’t to inform you this morning when you fly too low.

I. When you fly too low you run the risk of destroying your family

You run the risk of creating at atmosphere of distrust and ultimately divorce

You run the risk of disappointing and destroying the respect your children have for you

You run the risk of putting your family at risk for satanic attack and destruction.

David flew too low and caused a woman to commit adultery. David flew too low and brought a child into a situation of chaos and confusion. David flew too low and committed murder while trying to cover up his sin and lies.

When we fly too low we finds ourselves trying to cover up our lies and web of deceit and destruction. But how many of you know that you can’t hide anything from God. Just like God pulled David’s covers back, so will he pull ours back. What we do in the dark will always come to the light.

And when we are exposed we find ourselves embarrassed and mortified. We either become the laughing stock of society or the model of finger pointing.

So don’t do anything that you don’t want the Lord to expose. Don’t do anything that you don’t want the church or your family to find out. Don’t do anything you don’t want your spouse and children to find out.