Sunday 8-27-2023 Fight The Good Fight

Turn back a couple of pages 2342. In the Psalms here. A lot of places that refer to God as our Rock, and we're going to sing about God, our Rock. And we're going to look at a couple of Bible patches used first. One of my favorites in the Psalms is Psalm 94 and I didn't give this one to Bob, so it won't be up there behind me, not that I know it's behind the anyway. So I have to trust, you know, that's a good thing to do, sometimes, but some 9422 9422 says, but the Lord is my refuge, my God is the rock of my protection. That's what we're going to sing about in. Exodus chapter 33, we have the story of Moses. He's going up on the mountain and he's talking to God and Moses, Moses got pretty bold sometimes. You know, he says, in verse 18 than Moses said, please, let me see your glory. And he God said, I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you and I will proclaim the name. Y'all way before you, I will be gracious to whom. I will be gracious and I will have compassion on whom. I will have compassion, but he answered. You cannot see my face for no one can see me and live? The Lord said here is a place near me you're to stand on this rock and when my glory passes by, I will put you in the crevice of The Rock and cover you with my hand until I passed by. Then I will take my hand away and you'll see my back, but my face will not be seen. So now, we're going to sing about that. Crevice in the rock, where God puts his hand on us, to protect us 342 Rock of Ages cleft for me. Rock of Ages cleft for me.

Spell smooth.

I had no price, I bring

Worlds.

Board meeting.

No more back to 340. He hideth, my soul.

How far is Soledad?

Kids Bible.

with a when is brightness, Grandpa

Wire together and everything dishes.

I told him we'd someone had shared that song. I used to be a member of it at church and we sang that song and they they had officer it wasn't quite as big as First Baptist Dallas. What you know that the theme of the songs we've been singing and I'll tighten the message a little bit. Not that anybody in this room ever did anything crazy in their life. It should have killed, you know, we should have been dead. I remember I shared the story a while ago, I had some cousins that would lead me down the pathway of Destruction, every time. they would happy do things that You know, same person would not do. I had to reunions with them one time. We went up to this stream and river running through the mountains. And, and there was a pool and it had a big Cliff up here. When we were younger, we used to jump that and it would be like 30 feet down, you hit the pool and then I got up there. I don't know, older and wiser and I said man.

At that water. There's there's not near as much as they used to be hit, they left. They said that's twice as high as it used to be when we jump it and say, hey, let's do it again. I'm a 30 foot off, a cliff into a little pool in there. I always Sissy Sissy Sissy. I used to do some other horrible. Things to me like, we'd be ice skating and they hit the park, where the ice was shallow and I fall through while they knew it was only 2 ft of water. But I'm still panicking waiting to die under the ice and snow, but, you know, things that the people of lettuce to do or we allowed ourselves to do and we're still alive. It's amazing. And in those songs the cleft of The Rock God's had his hand upon us even when we didn't realize it. That we could have died should have died. I'm, I'm constantly reminded of something and I'll confess my, I am not a patient driver. I don't get crazy passing or anything, but let me get behind a school bus. I'll wait, I'll wait, I'll wait and then Some the RV campers, they get me all the time and and I'll be in a hurry in that campers in front of me, looking for the one up on 63 and going real slow. And and and I'll be complaining about how they're making me late. I'll go home first, then, there's a horrific rack. And I'm thinking the Lord, if I had been going Ticky Ticky. Like I was I could have been in that wreck your, your hand is upon me and sometimes we take for granted

God's protection on us. And it we're not really thankful of what we could have been there or should have been there. We're finishing up 1st Timothy today. Chapter 6. and, it's, it's been an interesting book and today

I'm kind of excited about it. I shared with many of you and I'm taking some of you to my friend's Ranch on, on Bull Run there. It's a friend of mine that lives in Los Angeles, California, and he brings Friends out here. To shoot and kill things. That they can't do in Southern California. And in guys and guns. I mean you were just wearing Klein to shoot things and and he'll bring his son's baseball team out there. and,

I don't know that they will stay in California, that gun control is so tight. They don't get to shoot that much and he said he came in one day and he had a $400 turtle trap on his pond. That they thought was a floating Target. And they shot it to pieces and they were so proud that they hit that thing every time would like, 30, odd 6, rifles and stuff. And, and so I'm I'm out their meeting. These people meeting his friends, one time, there was a guy there and that they hit Porky's. And they go out and he was from Hawaii and I'm visiting with him and talking with his grandparents live. Not far from where we lived in Hawaii. This guy was the number one surfer in the world. And and if I Google them after we left and he brings him out to hunt and things like that. but, While I was there some of the friends they were environmental lawyers and they were real estate Moguls and they are in there. Like I said I'm a minister and a couple of them with really puzzles and they said, what are you do? And I and I had to see it, you know, how do you package for somebody, what a minister does. And and Scott's dad was kind of let it go, let it go, let it go cuz she cuz he's Florida, he was raised in the South so he kind of know I said, no, you know, I'll talk I said and they're like, you believe the Bible Like yeah. And it is pretty neat because over the last couple years, some of these guys keep coming back and in our friendship and our relationship is growing and I share with them. What it is that that my wife is is called to do and what I do. And I had to think this past week

About what it is when we break the word of God. it's not just a story to hear when it went, when I read the scriptures that word goes out, And it hits over here and it hits over here and it hits over there. And I just figured out I could leave the pulpit with the mic and it works but we're in trouble now. But that word it's settled it in your minds, in your hearts and and something might have applied over here, it might apply over there and it goes in

And we were talking yesterday, men's prayer breakfast of the working of the holy spirit, in our lives, and end when that Holy Spirit is working on us and in us, and through us that word gets a meanie and it comes to life and it can Vicks Us in sometimes or Comforts us that the message that the word does ultimately is to lead us into an action. I was with brother blew our association of missionary and and he we were talking about things and I said, your brother blue, I give a horrible invitations. He's like what do you mean? I said, well I I I finished my message. I say amen. I go stand in front and I said I I just, I don't know, sometimes I said, whatever comes I'm ready for in and have a word But they think connect sometime between the message and our actions. I'm just I'm weak with and he said, well, here's the deal, every one of us. When the word of God goes out, first of all, have to decide if we have a real relationship with Jesus Christ. That's number one. Number two, what is our relationship with Jesus Christ? Like, for some of us from the time we've accepted Christ, we've done nothing with it. We just just let it. Whatever that that our testimony rrrr disappointed, we haven't cracked the Bible in 3 years and we're proud of it. And for that, we need to fix it. We need to make it right and he said and there's other things people are aren't you know, might sell LED you know, to be part of a church either membership or Sunday school teacher or or or something else that when that word hits us. It's not my responsibility to move people. It's each of our responsibility to respond and react to the word of God. So Working at 1st, Timothy Chapter 6, verse 3. And this is kind of a warning to Timothy II. Rather than reading the whole entire chapter, I took the first. If anyone teaches others wise and does not consent to Wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ into the doctrine, which Accords with godliness.

He is proud knowing nothing but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words from which come Envy Strife, revealing, evil suspicion. If anyone teaches these things, what what it is we're hearing and any says, number one, if you're around somebody that has a low opinion of the word of God, He uses the word fleek. And then we're told to get away from anyone who won and we go, doesn't agree with the word of God. And I'm not talkin about.

Questioning something. It's it's the ultimate. You know what? It's a myth. It's it's it's just a storybook. It's not true and end churches. Have have dumbed it down. Over and over and over again because they don't want to offend somebody. They don't want to hurt somebody's feelings.

And yet it's it's there. And I tell people all the time, I don't always like what I read in that book is many times. It hits me very hard and, and really on the Sundays when you have to preach it and you know, you're guilty of some of what you're preaching. The words are like shokan. Coming out.

Doesn't agree with the doctrines of the faith. It does matter what we believe, it matters what you believe about. Jesus Christ, it matters what you believe about Sin, it matters about that the work on the cross in the atonement. The need of a sinner needing a saver forgiveness to be right that matters. I've told the story over and over again with my dad, when he was serving the lord supper one time and we're going out on the latest, I don't know why the communion has to be so gory and depressing.

I was like, what my dad was like, excuse me. She said, oh, it's just blood and seeing and tears and everything. My dad looking. So, you know what scene is. Messy. Business is bad. Send it to take that sin required. So much, love shiting on the cross and we take it. So for granted, show it, it does matter what we believe in, unfortunately, most of our church Not not this church in particular, but Christians in general, we don't know what we believe and that's why a lot of the cult groups come in, and they just cherry-picked because we don't know the rest of the story and we get dangled with happy thoughts.

So he says anyone that's not into the doctrines of the church. Stay away from and they talk about just get absolutely away from them. Flee from them is proud. Look at me your meow stay awake loves disputes and arguments.

We all know that person that's got to argue. Might be one of our children. It might be a friend, it might be a co-worker or whatever it is. They just have to bring it up. We were, we were talking last night in Celebrate Recovery. I've got a friend on Facebook. That? No matter what I post, he's coming out with something ugly. About it. Cindy got it, right? She blocked him. I keep trying on my dude. You know. But people that love to keep you focused on fighting and arguing and fighting and arguing, that there's one thing if your heart is sincere. When you ask a question, when you say, please, explain to me. What you were talking about? That's, that's different than arguing and then having to be right. I mean what we're saying, you know, try, I share the word of God. I should, I believe this to be true and right, but I can't convince you of that.

Sort of like Chevy and Ford people. You are not convincing the other one, that that's what they need to buy for their next truck. and in showing we we, we surround ourselves with people that It's not what the word of God is about in the Bible says, leave from people that do that. Envy strife and revealing

When a person has to constantly talk bad about somebody else. Constantly, every time you're around him, they got to go there. Bible says, get away. That that a person that that that's envying and stirring stuff up, and it has to badmouth everybody and everything. It's not where you need to be with God. We go on.

And this is this is Paul's encouragement to Timothy but you oh man of God. Flee these things. And pursue righteousness, godliness, Faith, love patience, and gentleness.

Current, you know, in in the in the concept of fleeing is not walking slowly. It's getting away quickly. To get out of there. He goes on.

You know, pursuing what is it? We need to be going after in our lives and in and he was telling Timothy man. If you're you're focused, On something. This is what your righteousness. To be right with God to have that relationship not being lost anymore, being saved being right through your relationship with God. Then it goes to Godliness, Holiness, a change in our Behavior. A desire to do. What is good? What is pleasing? What is edifying? As an example to those around us, having the faith believing that God is able and willing, and faithful to do, what his word says, is what we need to stand upon showing love. Yeah, there is some people it is easy to love and people it's hot to love. And that person generally thinks we're their friend, and we really like them. I wish I was sharing the other night. I went to a meeting and and there's a pastor friend of mine that that I just I can take him and small doses. I can't in any made. I don't know if you thinks the same thing to me, recite when I walked in and I saw him, I sat is far away. I hope he's not listen to this message. I sat as far away as I could sit from him and I was happy where I'm sitting and I'm sitting there. Guess who gets up picks up his stuff and comes and sits next to me.

I'm just like Jesus, let's not have a long meeting tonight, please and he just started and started and started and started and I was like, okay Showing love and then it goes into the next one. Patience. I am a shared. I am not a very patient person. And waiting on things. You two laughing about up there in the fur over there. But you know that that the the love part in this, the show in the patience to people and you got to think who's had to show patience to me at. Am I ever difficult? Not talkin about I was thrown at you all. Are y'all ever ever difficult, you know?

No, I've seen folks. Oh, how are you all in and you know, how is your wife and they're like when she's good but you should have seen her yesterday. I pretty sure I need to put you on speed, dial for, have you to come over when she's on one and Winans got my number. And, but, you know, the show in the wild, the patience in the gentleness,

We have to realize sometimes where people are coming from. I know when I was in Youth Ministry. I would take the kids out. And they would act like absolute heathens and I tell him that, you know what, this is your first and last trip with me. Because I have a standard of how we Act. one, little kid looked at me and said, You do realize I've never been out of Livingston Parish in my entire life. I've never even been to Baton Rouge. And I was sitting there saying, no, you must you must no, nope, nope, nope. My parents didn't want to spend the money, we didn't, you know? And so then we were talking. I said, well, let me help you. This is how we act when we when do public place, we don't stop ketchup. Packets. On the floor, we leave a place cleaner than when we got there and and we show kindness and respect to the people. Thank you. Yes ma'am. Yes, sir. And we sure don't knock the old people over. Going. They they just, I don't know today, that the kids have like blinders on and they're just Hover mode hitting people as they go. I try to share that in gentleness. And any even when you're correcting, somebody spiritually. Back a few years ago, I had some young people here in French Settlement that we're all caught up with the the third eye.

And they started talking about brother Bill. What do you think about the third? I am like, I got no idea what you're talkin about. And a nation at. These are some smart kids and and one smart kid has started sharing it and the rest of them were coming along with it. And I'm like, I said, no third eye in the Bible. But I had to be gentle about it cuz they were very sincere that they were seeking they were searching. And and so Paul's tell and Timothy, you know, go after the righteousness of God, Minister Faith, the love, the patient's, the gentleman. As you're walking in your faith walk.

Verse 12. This is the encouragement to him, fight the good fight of Faith. Lay hold on, eternal life to which you were called and have confessed. The good confession in the presence of many witnesses, I heard you in the sight of God, to get who gives life to all things and before Christ, Jesus, who witnessed the good confession before Pilate, when Christ was going to the cross, He shared to the end, his love is forgiveness, and his purpose, for what was going on. And he's telling Timothy, you need to go do the same. even if it results in death to you first, 14, that you keep this commandment.

Without spot blameless unto the Lord Jesus Christ appearing.

I had to look.

What commandment is he talkin about Which Wich in these verses, which one is he talking about? And it was the verses in in in 11 and 12.

Keep this fight. If I lay hold of eternal life, do the things when they're talking about without spot? It's

Referring to close in our garments. You ever have that spot that will not come out of something. I give Janice constant opportunities to excel as a spot remover. She'll get a shirt and it's always a new nice shirt. And should be like, what did you get on the shirt? All right, wearing it when I put it on, I don't know. She can you give me a hint because there's certain things. Take this off and certain things take that off. I don't have a clue. And she'll work on something work on something and and 95% of the time she gets it it may take a little while but she'll get it.

And she's got this thing about. I'm not supposed to wear shirts with spots on them.

She's like no, you're not wearing that shirt.

Sometimes in desperation, that ends up in the garbage can. That's why I always check the garbage can before I take it out to go. See, she's like, how did that get there?

But what they're talking about here the Commandment without spot. It's that garment that shirt that is clean. There's no permanent marks on it. And any saying, that's what we need to look like in our lives that when we come to Christ all the spots, we need to be working for their removal and to present a clean example before us

15, which he will manifest in his own time. He was the blessed and only potentate, the King of Kings, Lord, of lords. I was going to Larry. We already had a video. I was going to get the part of the Messiah because that's what it's, you know, that the how we King of Kings Lord of lords, every stands up and everything. That's where that comes from, in these verses in the Bible. And Paul, honestly, believed that Jesus return was eminent any day. Now, he was coming back and he's telling Timothy, this is what you need to focus on and it says here, which he will manifest in his own time. He's hit potentates just a ruler majestry king. That he is Lord. He is the king. Who alone has immortality? Dwelling in the approach unapproachable light. That's another song. Immortal invisible. God. Only wise in light inaccessible hid from his eyes. Most Blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days and I forget the rest of the words from there. But he says here. God has the immortality. No man has seen or can see to whom be honor and everlasting power in. You know, when Larry read the thing about Moses, he want to see God.

And Timothy is being told by Paul let them see God. Through his work. Through the Holy Spirit, making it alive to us in Rio to us.

Closing words. 2000, Timothy guard. What was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane, the idle babblings contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge.

People think. They know something. and there are some things I've shared the stories, things, our grandparents told us, That we believe cuz Grandpa told us. I hope my grandkids don't always believe everything. Grandpa told them because I might embellish things sometimes and share things. I don't know. Might not be true. But he's talkin here. 4 Timothy stay away. In the closing by professing, its some have strayed concerning the faith. I know people that have studied a book of the Bible their entire life.

Usher with them. Where do you go to church? And then why I don't go to church. I have my quiet time with God.

and so everything, you've learned out of the Book of Ecclesiastes, you do what with I just I just know it. If anybody has a question, come ask me, I'll tell you. And I said, so you spent your lifetime pouring into something that you do nothing with except look at how smart I am. I am the world's foremost authority on the Book of Ecclesiastes. Am I? Who gave you that title? OSHA, it's just accepted in the academic Community, then I'm the smartest. I'm thinking.

You know, it and he goes. That there needs to be an academic understanding of what we believe. And why, you know, that's talkin about the doctrines of the face face, but when you dwell so much for so long and it's never used. It's never shared. It doesn't change you. Why? If it's if the word of God is not daily changing us and leading us to do something and that's the Old Dominion 10th of it. God didn't give us the word just to have it memorized.

Even though we're encouraged to memorize scripture. But the encouragement for memorizing it is that when we need it in a time of need, in our read the stories all the time and in World War 2 prison camps soldiers and Airmen that were in the camps that had grown up member. I never never took it seriously and now they're chained in a hole, the verses are coming back and giving them hope and giving them encouragement.

Tell Timothy guard, what has been committed to you.

The world particularly today would like us to give up on the Bible.

We are constantly load said there was 70% of our state 3.4 million people in Louisiana loan would prefer that. We be quiet and what the Bible says about anyting for you. You do your thing, leave me alone, don't do it. Avoid the profane, Profane is anyting. That is not spiritual.

Finances entertainment.

family activities that are consuming Sports anything that is not leading you to the word of God through the word of God into the body of Christ avoid

Not, not totally, it's, it's, it's, it's okay to go to a better, be careful when I say this. Cuz the Saints games on Sunday, people leave early Nazi. Excuse, I can't go to church, but it's okay in moderation, but when your whole life becomes consumed, With something that's not scriptural, it's not biblical. There's no spiritual growth to it. I remember

She aged. Is anybody in here? Don't raise your hands with Dungeons & Dragons in college it was going on and even when I was working at Porky's we had some I got to go. We got DND tonight. Oh, yeah, we stay up all night playing Dungeons and Dragons and I'm like, how do you win? That's what really blew my mind cuz I'm definitely a winner and a loser cat. You don't really win you get a new life a new person a new whatever thing it is you get but consumed with it and that's what the Bible don't get consumed with things that are not. Leading to spiritual edification.

And then avoid Idol babbles. Some of the things. That we as Christians talk about argue about.

the biggest thing going on right now is on the

The Facebook conversations is the return of price. The Rapture the

Millennium. I mean it's just a people are arguing back and forth nonstop of what it's going to look like. Are we hearing one from Peter? We here in 3 trumpets or going to be gone before we go. We don't know. We're just, we're just promised. It's it's going to happen.

Dad. And and, and

The things that matter are in here. Not in some best selling authors book, that has been taken to be theology, 101, scriptures, and no, I spent half my life trying to explain the Left Behind series. There were things in there and I had to tell people. I said, I don't know, it could be but I don't see it in here. They're at their, I mean, I believe that there is coming a day. The Lord will return and people will be judged and the saved we taken in the you know, if it's coming and that's talked about in scriptures very clearly went to spend hours and hours trying to figure out what right looks like. He tells Timothy, don't Focus your time on the word of God, sharing the Hope encouraging people to grow in their faith. And that's what God asks us to do. And Timothy was young there. They were saying he was probably 18, 19 years old. On this time, trying to lead a church, a people that never been in church. And he was challenged. That finishes first Timothy. I'm deciding what we're going to next week. If I'm going to pick up 2nd Timothy, and in there are times in the Pulpit for theme sermons, for the body of Christ. But sometimes, you know, when the word goes out and and I'll never be ashamed for too much scripture.

On there. I'm going to pray or have a time of invitation if God has laid something on your heart. I'm here to receive. I'm hoping the spirit takes us and helped each one of us to examine where we are in these things. And in the encouragement that we have for the guy, we thank you for your word Lord. We thank you for your faithfulness and we thank you for your hand being Upon Our Lives. Even when we don't want to be someplace father, may we not take that love for granted. And father, we ask for your Holy Spirit to lead guide and direct us. The follow. The things that are good to avoid the things that are your wonderful and precious name. Amen.