Sermon Tone Analysis

Should we have conflict

Most people really don’t like conflict.

Okay, there are some people out there who seem to relish in a heated argument, but maybe there is some sort of unresolved issues there.

But for the most part, we will try to do all we can to avoid conflict and for good reason - its really unpleasant.

But sometimes, despite the unpleasantness of the situation, we realise that conflict is necessary, and we know that if handled well, can actually improve a situation.

Now we tend to go through a bit of a process to decide whether we should enter into a particular conflict or not - although admittedly, this process tends to happen sub-consciously.

The process is kicked off when we perceive something as being wrong.

We then make a judgement call about how much we care about it.

We then make an assessment of how likely we are to change the situation if we tried.

And finally we try to figure out how much effort is going to be required.

Take a very simple example - you get home after doing the groceries and realise they charged you incorrectly.

If it wasn’t much, you just might not bother.

But even if it was a bit more, you might decide the effort to go back to the shops and present your case is just too much bother.

Or another example - your partner has a habit that really bothers you.

You know that confronting the problem is going to cause conflict, so you decide - how much does it actually bother me, and is the fight worth it.

Of course, emotions can override those thought patterns.

I’ve started with the introduction because something similar happens with our Christian faith but it happens in a much more subtle way.

You see, for most of us here, at some point in our life we have made a commitment to Christ.

It is at this point that we’ve accepted the gift freely offered to us and we are now acceptable before Christ.

But that wasn’t the end of the journey.

Although we my be a new creation in Christ the journey continues and we can either be close or far from Jesus.

Now living in a secular world our natural tendency is to drift away from Jesus.

Unfortunately this usually happens subtly, without us realising.

However every now and then we can be knocked to our senses and realise how far we have strayed.

There can be a number of ways we are knocked to our senses - maybe it’s a sermon, or a conversation.

Maybe it’s a book you’ve been reading.

Or quite often I find it happens as we wipe the dust off our bibles and actually read it, or take some time out to listen to God.

But however it happens, we are then left with a decision.

What are we going to do about it?

You see, it is one thing to realise you have strayed, but another to figure out what you’re going to do about it.

But this is where that process I described earlier comes into play.

You first need to figure out - how much does it bother me that things are like this?

The truth is, sometimes it can be very tempting to go - oh well, I’ve coped so far, maybe it doesn’t really matter.

But you also check - is there anything I can do, and how hard is it going to be?

Now, our thought process isn’t quite going to be that clear.

But this is essence is what happens.

The sad thing is, all too often we see Christians that have strayed, but then as they consider what it would take to draw back closer, they either are left thinking, it’s too hard, it’s not worth it, or it’s not possible.

Before I continue, I want you to just think to yourself, how close am I walking to Jesus.

Maybe think of it as a scale between 1 and 10. 1 being a Christian by name but very little daily connection with God, and 10 being totally aware of God’s presence and fully reliant on him for every single need throughout the day.

Once you think about where you are, then think - what is stopping me moving up this scale?

Do I think it’s not worth it?

Do I think it’s too hard?

Or do I think it’s impossible?

I want you to keep that thought in your mind as we now move into the passage.

Context

Well, this is the last message in this current series of 1 Timothy.

We’re in the last chapter, which we also looked at last week.

Last week I looked at the theme of wealth and possessions and our attitude towards them.

Today however we find in the middle of this chapter a final charge to Timothy which is really fitting in the whole context of the letter.

You see, as I’ve mentioned as I’ve gone throughout this letter, we find Paul writing to the relatively young and timid Timothy who has been placed in a position of authority in the church of Ephesus with a strong warning.

That strong warning is - do everything you can to hold to the truth.

Put an end to those changing the gospel.

Make sure the church leaders are all suitably qualified and treat people properly.

As chapter 6 starts, this theme is restated clearly.

As he says at the end of verse 2: “These are the things you are to teach and insist on.”

- and then goes on to discuss those who are teaching things contrary to the gospel.

But as he gets to verse 11, there’s a slight change.

You see, whereas the majority of the letter concerns how Timothy should conduct the wider affairs of the church, in verse 11 it starts to get a bit more personal.

In fact, he addresses Timothy as “man of God”.

Interestingly, if you do a search on everyone in the Bible who gets called “man of God”, you’ll find the term is mostly used in the Old Testament and is generally applied to the big characters of faith like Moses, Samuel, David and some others.

But to this young, timid man, he also gets the title as well.

And so we find Paul giving advice for how Timothy should live his own personal life.

Now, I’m going to come back to verse 11 because this is where I want to explore our main application for this message, but for just now, I want to show that Paul was encouraging Timothy to essentially draw closer to God.

In verse 12 Paul brings in a different angle to again encourage Timothy to draw close to God.

This time a similar idea that I used in my introduction, that is a fight.

He tells us to fight the good fight of the faith.

Now various scholars have argued what they think Paul had in mind when he talks about fighting.

Some suggest he’s thinking about a military sort of context.

Others more of an athletic context, in which case they further debate whether the athletic context is more of a wrestling style match, or a race.

Each idea can carry slightly different nuances to the idea, but perhaps it doesn’t really matter.

You see, the idea that comes from fighting, and I suggest this applies to whatever image of ‘fight’ you have - is that it involves a struggle.

And as verse 12 continues Paul uses the language of ‘taking hold’ which helps us understand this idea of fighting for our faith.

In verse 11, Paul’s advice comes from two directions, firstly from the negative side, followed by a positive take.

It’s an interesting concept because we often think of our eternal life as something we’ve got.

You’re either saved or your not, and if you are saved then you get to spend eternity with God, and if not, you don’t.

From the negative side, the advice is to flee from the evil.

Actually, it says “flee from all this”, with the “this” coming from the previous passage which talked

Clearly Timothy would fit into the category of someone who is saved, so what is there to take a hold of?

So first we need to flee, but

Well, I want to suggest that this is actually what I was talking about before.

That is drawing close to God.

We may be saved, but you can either be close to God or far.

And so even with Timothy, who is called a ‘man of God’, we get this encouragement - take hold of it.

As you cling to God and the gift of eternal life that he has given us, we will know the blessing that comes with it.

Not necessarily a material blessing, nor will it necessarily be a blessing of good health or anything like that.

But being close to God is the greatest blessing we can ever have.

Because even in the midst of the greatest hardship, having the love and comfort of the creator of the universe, and knowing that he is there right beside us, guiding and protecting us, is the greatest blessing we can ever know.

So, wherever you are on your journey with God, this encouragement to Timothy also applies to you - fight the good fight of the faith and take hold of the eternal life that you received when you made your good confession.

But I want to suggest that this involves a choice.

I like any choice, you need to decide whether it is worth it.

Is the blessing of being close to God worth the struggle involved in moving through thee sin filled world that we live in.

Though God is holding us firmly, while ever we live in this world we face the many temptations and pressures that can so easily knock us away from God.

Are you prepared to push through this and into the arms of God?

Well, I want to offer for you verses 13 to 16 to give you motivation to say that it is worth it.

So let’s go through it...

In verse 13, Paul first points us to God who he reminds us is the source of all life, not just for us as humans but to everything.

You see, whether you acknowledge it or not, God gives life.

Now who would you want to be near: the giver of life?

Or those who take life away?

But verse 13 also reminds us that we also have the second person of the Trinity.