Captured!
Text: Col. 2:6-10
Introduction:
A. Story of Scott O'Grady. For heightened effect, do not give his name at first.
On Friday, June 2, at 1500 hours, 2 F-16 fighter jets were flying at an altitude of 20,000-26,000 ft. over Bryna Luka, Bosnia. Flying at 600 mph, their planes were not equipped as usual with detection equipment for locating anti-aircraft artillery. One unanswered question still looming is why they did not have this equipment. Suddenly, a shell explodes between the two planes. A second explosion rips through one of the planes breaking it in half. the plane falls into the dense cloud cover and the pilot ejects from the cockpit. The ejection propulsion units burn his neck in the process. As the pilot floats toward the ground, he spots a truck and a regiment of Serb soldiers waiting for him on the ground below. He lands 20 miles behind the enemy lines, quickly hides his parachute and then hides himself face down in the ground. He covers his face with camouflage gloves and waits.
As you may have guessed, this is the story of Scott O'Grady, the pilot shot down over Serbia last month. From the time he landed to the time he hid himself, was only 5 minutes. The Serbs were quickly at his location. The searched for him but were unable to find him. One group came within 5-6 feet of O'Grady. O'Grady lay motionless for 5 hours. For the next five days he only moved between the hours of midnight and four a.m. He lived on four emergency supplies of 8 oz. of water, rainwater, grass and insects. Though he later admitted to eating very few insects because the ants moved so fast that they were difficult to catch. At night, to keep warm, he would wrap himself in his evasion chart, a 3' by 5' waterproof, tear resistant sheet which could be used as a sunshade, funnel, or blanket.
Is only contact with the allies was a small battery operated radio with a range of 40 miles and seven hours of battery life. He did not use it the first couple of days, fearing that the Serbs may pick up his signal. On Thursday, June 8, voice contact was made for the first time with friends. A rescue launch was made two and half hours later. The rescue unit was made up of two harrier jets, two super stallion helicopters, and two super cobra helicopters. At 6:35, the choppers spotted O'Grady's yellow flares. He had picked an area that was big enough of the choppers to land but was surrounded well enough that they could protect themselves. At 6:45 he is rescued and the choppers take off for friendly territory. 3 Sams are fired and all miss. Some small gunfire damages a rotor and one bullet entered the fuselage and hit a marine's canteen. O'Grady is cold, a bit dehydrated, and hungry. By 7:30 they land of the USS Kearsage.
B. Context:
1. v. 1: agon = "agonize"
a. O'Grady's family agonized until they received word that he was alive and safe.
b. Pastors agonize over your spiritual condition. Are you hurt? Have you been captured?
2. v. 4: Fear of them being "deluded"
3. Goal for them
a. encouraged: classical Greek used to encouraged a battalion
b. unity: getting along and demonstrating God's love
c. assurance: of salvation and of doctrine
Transitional Sentence: Paul gives three admonitions to help them reach their goal to be encouraged, unified, and assured.
Note: the usual order is doctrine/duty. Here it is reversed and is duty/doctrine
*Don't be captured: carried off as spoil of war. We are in a spiritual warfare.
*Philosophy: "lover of wisdom" This word is broad and includes religious sects, worldviews
*Basic elementary thought patterns of the world
*Natural man receives not the things of God, neither can he know them
*"mystery" 1:26, 2:2: Not mystical, but mystery. before unknown but now revealed.
*Truth of salvation cannot be known apart from revelation
Jean Paul Sartre: "And I myself1/4 I too was superfluous1/4 I dreamed vaguely of killing myself to wipe out at least one of these superfluous existences. But even my death would have been superfluous."
*Schaeffer's crossing out of worldviews
*all "isms" and "wasms" are deficient apart from Christ. Don't be captured by them
*illus. Just as O'Grady found himself in enemy territory, so too, you are.
Conclusion:
Four Survival Techniques to prevent from being captured
In his two survival kits O'Grady had (see attached lists)
1. Providence/Grace of God
a. The missile that shot him down slowed his plane to 300 mph. If not, ejecting at 600
would have killed him.
b. "no dogs"
c. torrential downpour after landing
d. first voice contact plane had 3 minutes of fuel left.
e. reporter asked "How could they not see you?" Answer: "God. Period dot."
2. Prayer, communication
*radio was his lone source of contact
3. Word
*survival training and pamphlet
4. Fellowship: the need for others
*Col. Brendt's rescue team, the search planes flying overhead
5. BELIEVE!
Left this out earlier because Paul was already talking to believers. But maybe you aren't. Then you need to first of all BELIEVE before you can do the rest. In fact, unbelievers are already "captured" by their sin. The snares of sin are strong, but Christ has overcome them.