Fight The Good Fight
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
In November of 2015 Me, my brother Ben, and my oldest brother Jeremy ran an obstacle course race called the Spartan Super.
Picture of us.
It was 9.1 miles and had 26 obstacles ranging from a net you had to climb to 50 lbs weights you had to hoist 50 feet in the air.
I signed up for the race months earlier, so I knew it was coming.
I began to prepare for the race by running.
By way of explanation, I hate running.
I also did two workouts per day.
When Ben moved down here we started working out together.
We would do 1 workout, run, then do a second one.
We eventually worked our way up to running 3 miles in between the two workouts.
Because the race we were doing had obstacles we assumed that being able to run 3 miles would be good enough.
Spoiler alert. It wasn’t.
By the time we got to the end of the obstacle race, I was barely jogging.
I ended up walking some of it.
I was very sore the next week or so.
The race would have been much easier had I been properly prepared.
This principle goes for pretty much everything.
A task is more easily accomplished when we are adequately prepared.
In our passage today, Paul writes to Timothy, his son in the faith.
He has written a letter of encouragement and challenge to this young pastor.
In this letter are many passages that have become very well known.
However, our tendency is to pay attention to the verses we like and somewhat ignore the verses around them.
Today we will see three well-known verses in their context.
If we are going to fight the good fight, we must become good soldiers.
A good soldier has prepared for the battle ahead.
Preparation must be evaluated to determine its effectiveness.
That is what we will be doing this morning.
Three requirements to become a good soldier.
Requirement #1…
1. Change Your Attitude vv. 6-8
1. Change Your Attitude vv. 6-8
Anyone else familiar with this book, “The Little Engine That Could?”
The little engine is able to pull a heavy load over the hill because it believes it can.
When we hear that we are to fight the good fight of faith, we struggle to believe that we can.
It is impossible to be a good soldier, to fight the good fight, if we have the wrong attitude!
The problem is that we are all born with a sin nature, therefore, our natural attitude is wrong.
In our own strength and ability, what Paul is calling for is impossible.
But with Christ, all things are possible.
That is why we must change our attitude.
We need to develop the attitude of a fighter.
How do we do that?
To change our minds we must take two actions.
Action #1…
a. Gather information vv. 6-7
a. Gather information vv. 6-7
If we are going to change our attitude we must think differently.
This starts with gathering information about how we are to think.
As Paul prepares Timothy for his charge to fight the good fight, he deals with his attitude.
Contentment is necessary for Spiritual warfare.
In context Paul has been describing for Timothy what happens when we allow a desire for wealth and influence change our teaching.
When our growth and progress in Christ get confused with a desire for the goods of this life, we become unfit soldiers for Christ.
Here in verse 6 Paul presents a contrast.
6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
We are not to seek wealth.
Godliness with contentment is great gain.
The first qualification Paul gives here is that of godliness.
The idea of this word is that of devotion to God.
We are to seek the Lord above all else. He is the center of our lives. He is the one we live for.
Godliness means that the priorities of our lives are in proper order.
Someone who is godly reflects the character of Christ.
This person is also content.
Contentment is a satisfaction with what God has provided.
When these two things are together, we experience the great gain Paul speaks of here.
When we are living to reflect the character of Christ and we are satisfied with the material blessings He has provided, it is great gain.
This is one of those statements that we need to reverse to fully understand.
Failure to reflect the character of Christ and to be content will result in loss.
Dissatisfaction and discontentment are evidences that our hearts are not right with God.
We cannot be soldiers of Christ, we cannot fight the good fight, if we are living with discontent and dissatisfaction.
We have to understand what verse 7 reveals.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
The possessions of this life are nothing.
Wealth, influence, and all the fame in world do us no good in the life to come.
Job expressed a similar sentiment after losing all his earthly possessions. Job 1:21.
Job 1:21
21 And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
We brought nothing into this world!
Did anyone come into this world with a Uhaul and trailer?
No?
We don’t leave with one either.
Paul gives this verse as a confirmation that godliness with contentment is great gain.
How does this verse support that statement?
We will not leave this world with possessions.
We will leave this world with our character.
Who we are, how we behave, and, most of all, what we believe; these are what we take into eternity.
We are content because nothing we possess in this life will come with us.
We pursue godliness because that has eternal value.
If we are going to fight the good fight, this is the information we need to change our attitude.
We fight for a king whose realm is not of this world.
It isn’t the wealth we possess but our character that defines us.
That is the information we gather.
We will not take anything with us. Therefore we pursue godly character and learn contentment.
A change of attitude begins with what we know.
We know all possessions are temporary.
Character is what counts.
With that information in mind we take action #2…
b. Make a choice v. 8
b. Make a choice v. 8
8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
I love how this is worded.
If we have food and clothing, we shall be content.
Why?
Because these are all that are truly essential.
When our focus is about serving the Lord and pleasing Him, all we need is food and clothing.
Anything more than that is a straight up blessing from God!
Food and clothing are necessary to sustain life. Everything else is extra.
Most all of us have more than this.
This means that the only thing holding us back from contentment is our own dissatisfaction!
If we are not content it means we are not satisfied with what God has provided!
This verse also represents a choice.
Verse 7 gives us reasons to be content. We brought nothing into this world and we will take nothing out of it.
Verse 8 gives us reasons to avoid discontent. Everything we truly need has been provided.
In light of these truths, we choose contentment.
We choose to be satisfied in the provision of our Lord.
As the old song says, all I have needed His hand hath provided. Great is His faithfulness!
This enables us to be good soldiers, to fight the good fight.
We know that we have no needs. We can wage spiritual warfare in full confidence that God meets every need.
That’s requirement #1.
To be a good soldier, change your attitude.
Requirement #2…
2. Center Your Attention vv. 9-10
2. Center Your Attention vv. 9-10
Have you ever tried to do something while your attention was divided?
I remember one particular time where I was trying to write something down while people were talking in background.
No matter how hard I tried to focus, I kept writing down what they were saying.
I would start the sentence how I wanted and it would inevitably end with the words of their conversation.
There came a moment where I needed to either go where I could focus on my task, or join the conversation.
When our attention is divided between tasks, neither one gets accomplished.
If we are to be good soldiers, if we are to fight the good fight, we must be focused.
A soldier never goes into battle with unnecessary items.
A runner doest put on weights before the big race.
To have the attention of a fighter we must…
a. Look past the present v. 9
a. Look past the present v. 9
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
This word desire describes an intensity of passion that leads to planning and scheming all to have material wealth.
More than just a possession of wealth, this desire is to be known for ones riches.
The person described here wants to be known for their net worth.
Paul is writing to warn Timothy of where this kind of desire will inevitably lead.
James 4:1 deals with this same idea.
James 4:1
1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?
When our desires are out of control, they lead to dangerous places.
The falling that Paul mentions here is active.
Making the decision to pursue wealth at all costs is the decision to begin this downward spiral.
This is where the desire to be rich leads.
First it leads to temptation. It takes us into a test or an examination.
That test or examination leads to a snare.
This word describes a fast acting trap used to capture birds or small animals.
The desire for abundant wealth that we can show off to others is a trap!
Once we are trapped the downward spiral continues.
This word translated “lusts” simply means an intense desire.
Our desires draw us in and grow worse and worse.
Paul describes these desires as foolish and harmful.
“Foolish” means without thought.
The further one goes in pursuit of riches the less consideration is given to the means used to acquire them.
What do I mean?
Money is the object, and it begins to be acquired by any means necessary.
There is no use of reason, no consideration of right and wrong.
There is only a lust for wealth.
Harmful – βλαβερός (blaberos) harmful. harmful adj. — causing or capable of causing a change for the worse. Attributive adjective, accusative, plural, feminine.
Harmful – βλαβερός (blaberos)
As the pursuit of wealth begins to consume, it changes us for the worst.
Like any ongoing sin it begins to twist us.
Things we once thought of as repugnant and impossible, begin to look like options.
They begin to look appealing.
Paul tells Timothy where these desires lead.
They drown us in destruction and perdition.
This is powerful imagery.
The filthy waters of ruin and waste close over the one who seeks only to be rich.
As the sludge of compromise and sin fills the open mouth of such a person. They drown.
In James chapter 1 he writes this. James 1:14-15.
James 1:14-15
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
When we desire anything more than Christ, it ultimately leads us to death.
Why does all this happen?
It happens when our focus, our attention is only on the here and now.
There is no consideration of the future.
There is no understanding that this life is just a breath, here and gone.
After this is judgment.
If we are to be good soldiers, soldiers who fight the good fight, we must keep our attention centered on eternity.
We do not live for the here and now. We live for the presence of Jesus.
We are content with only food and clothing because one day we will walk streets of gold!
We know that godliness with contentment leads to the gain of eternal blessing!
Eyes filled with the present cannot see clearly.
We cannot fight the good fight with divided attention.
We must look past the present and keep our eyes on eternity.
To have the attention of a fighter we must…
b. Love what will last v. 10
b. Love what will last v. 10
In the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, Willy Wonka is paid to build a chocolate palace for a sultan.
He tells the sultan to get busy eating but the man insists on living in it.
As you might expect, the palace melted.
It was never ment to last.
To be good soldiers of Jesus Christ, we must understand that some things last, and some things don’t.
Look at verse 10.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
This verse is often misquoted to say that the love of money is the root of all evil.
However, that is not what the verse says.
What we are told here is that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
Paul wants Timothy to grasp how dangerous wealth can be.
To be good soldiers, to fight the good fight, we must love the right things.
We must place our affection on the things that last.
1 John 2:15-17 puts it this way.
1 John 2:15-17
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
The world is passing away!
If we love the things of this world we are loving something temporary.
More than that, as John points out, we are placing ourselves in opposition to God.
Matthew records these words of Jesus in Matthew 6:24.
Matthew 6:24
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
There is no uncertainty about this statement.
You absolutely cannot serve God and money.
Paul tells Timothy that those who have tried end up in two terrible places.
First, they stray from the faith.
This does not mean that they lose their salvation.
The faith refers to the body of doctrine commonly held to by believers of all generations.
Their desire for wealth causes them to wander from truth.
It is not a deliberate turning away.
It is more like getting lost.
When something steals our attention away from Christ, we begin to wander. We get lost.
As this happens, we end up in the second terrible place.
Second, they are filled with sorrow.
The word picture here is somewhat brutal.
Someone who loves money more than Christ pierces themselves with pain and suffering.
The image is of someone impaled by a multitude of arrows.
This is what we do when we allow our love to be stolen by things that will not last.
To be good soldiers we must center our attention.
We have to know what we are fighting for.
When writing to the church at Colosse Paul put it this way. Colossians 3:1-2.
Colossians 3:1-2
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
What are we seeking?
Earthly things of temporary value?
Or.
The eternal things above?
My ability to fight is determined by what I love.
Only when Christ has our hearts will we fight the good fight.
A soldier with divided loyalties is no use to anyone.
Love not the world.
To be a good soldier and fight the good fight we must change our attitude.
We gather information and we make the choice to be content.
To be a good soldier and fight the good fight we must center our attention.
We focus on eternity and love the eternal things of Christ.
Requirement #3…
3. Control Your Activity vv. 11-12
3. Control Your Activity vv. 11-12
There have been two times in my life where riding a motorcycle, a dirt bike to be precise, ended poorly for me.
The first time I was probably 8 or 9 years old and I was riding a very small bike, a 50 for those who care.
I decided to go over this little jump but I didn’t know my own strength and when I pulled on the handle bars to jump I pulled too hard and flipped it over on myself.
The second time I was 16 and we were riding down a gravel road at a pretty good speed when I saw a turn coming up.
I panicked a little bit and grabbed the front brake causing the tire to lockup and the bike to lay over on its side.
I still have a little bit of an elbow scar to show for that one.
In both situations the reason I got into the accidents was because I lost control.
As Paul exhorts Timothy he speaks to him of how the child of God is to behave and fight.
A good soldier controls their behavior.
To control your behavior…
a. Pursue godly character v. 11
a. Pursue godly character v. 11
11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.
I love how Paul refers to Timothy here.
“O man of God.”
He is calling Timothy to a higher standard.
Godliness with contentment is great gain.
You are a man of God, live like it.
We are men and women of God. We must live like it.
To be good soldiers, to fight the good fight, we flee the trap of greed.
We run far away from the destructive love of money.
However, getting rid of a negative thing is not enough.
We must replace it with a positive.
It is not enough to flee, we must also pursue.
The picture here is not so much running away from the love of money as it is running toward the character of Christ.
Don’t get me wrong. We do flee the love of money. But as we do, we pursue the rest of what Paul lists here.
Righteousness - doing what is right. Having a high moral standard.
To fight the good fight, we pursue what is right.
Godliness - Believing the right things about God and putting those beliefs into practice.
To fight the good fight our practice and our beliefs must match.
Faith - in this context it is the idea of faithfulness.
A good soldier can be depended on.
Love. Specifically, agape love.
If you are about to call someone to be a good soldier, why would you tell them to pursue love?
Because we are not your typical soldiers.
The weapons of our warfare are not physical weapons.
Our battle is a spiritual one.
We cannot fight the good fight if we do not love the lost and love our brothers and sisters.
We pursue love.
Patience.
No one needs that. Moving on.
Just kidding.
Patience - ὑπομονή (hypomonē) steadfastness. steadfast endurance n. — the power to withstand hardship or stress; especially the inward fortitude necessary. Noun (direct object), accusative, singular, feminine.
Patience - ὑπομονή (hypomonē)
This is what we pursue. We pursue the ability to endure hardship and stress.
Where does this ability come from?
From the Holy Spirit.
It is only as we depend on Him that we are able to endure.
Gentleness - acting in a manner that is gentle, mild, and even-tempered.
Again, this doesn’t sound like something a soldier needs.
However, Scripture tells us that it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance.
To fight the good fight we need to know when to fight and when not to fight.
This is the godly character we pursue.
We do all of this that we might reach those in need of Christ and strengthen those who have trusted in Him.
Philippians 2:14-16 puts it well.
Philippians 2:14-16
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
We shine as lights in this world.
What kind of light are we shining?
Where is our light leading?
Only people of godly character can fight well.
What are we pursuing?
To control our behavior we must pursue godly character.
Lastly. To control our behavior we must fight with our…
b. Eyes on the prize v. 12
b. Eyes on the prize v. 12
12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
This is what Paul has been building towards.
We are content with what God has provided.
We do not fall into the trap of greed.
We pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.
Why?
So that we can fight the good fight of faith!
There is an implication here.
It is possible to fight poorly.
How?
By being discontent. By being trapped by greed. By not fleeing the love of money.
Much could be added to this list.
When we do not walk in the Spirit, we fight poorly.
What is this fight of faith?
We fight for the faith when we defend doctrine and teach it to others.
We fight for the faith when we stand firm on Scripture.
We fight for the faith when we love our enemies, when we care for others, when we pray for those who have hurt us.
We fight through service, through love, through care, and through uncompromising allegiance to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This is Paul’s command to Timothy. Fight the good fight.
He follows this up with a second command.
Lay hold on eternal life.
Paul is not advocating someone working for their salvation.
His point here is that we need to take possession of the eternal life we have in Christ.
Live right now as if you were living for eternity!
Christ has promised us abundant life!
He has promised us joy in His presence!
As we pursue the things listed in v. 11, we experience true life!
True life isn’t in wealth, riches, or fame.
True life is in fighting for our faith.
True life is standing firm as we do battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil.
True life is living for Jesus with every fiber of our being.
Paul gives Timothy two reminders at the end of this verse.
Eternal life is our calling.
As we do battle we must remember that this world is not our home.
This life is not all there is.
When our last breath is taken here, we enter an abundant life that we can’t even imagine.
We have been called to something higher than this life.
And yet, this life is the proving ground for the one to come.
Faithfulness here comes with eternal reward.
This is why Paul gives his second reminder.
People are watching our lives.
Timothy had vocally and publically proclaimed his devotion to Christ among many witnesses.
There are some who believe this refers to his baptism and some who believe it refers to his ordination.
Since the text doesn’t say I think those speculations are unprofitable.
Paul’s point is this.
Timothy, we have a higher calling.
Our calling is not to be rich, our calling is to be faithful.
Our calling is not to amass material wealth, our calling is to live for Christ and show love, patience, and gentleness to all.
Timothy, remember that people are watching you.
We have a responsibility to represent Jesus well.
This is our focus.
We focus on eternity.
We focus on being an example to follow.
We focus on fighting for the cause of Christ.
The prize we focus on is eternal joy and blessing.
Don’t be distracted by the things of this life.
Don’t wander away from the faith.
Fight the good fight.
Conclusion
Conclusion
What does all of this mean on a practical level?
Personal - You have been called by God to eternal life in Christ. You have been given every blessing in Christ. The riches of this life will not satisfy you. What will bring peace, joy, and strength is the pursuit of righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith in the presence of those who know you are a believer. Commit to Christ over money. Live within your means and give to causes you believe in.
Relationships - Our relationships with others need to be centered on the gospel. We want other people to either trust in Jesus or grow in their walk with Him. To that end we don’t live for the temporary pleasures of this life. We live for eternity. Commit to contentment and the pursuit of Christ above all else. What does this mean? No dating evangelism. No compromise with friends so you can “tell them about Jesus later.” Don’t be trapped by the desire for others to rate you based on the things you possess.
Parenting - As Christians, an important lesson to teach our children is that this life is not all there is. We don’t live for the here and now. Stuff is not what matters most. Our children will learn contentment as we model it. The same is true for pursuing the good things. Those who are closest to us know what things are most important. What do our children see us prioritizing? Commit to putting the things of God first. This could look like reading your Bible consistently, talking to others about the Lord, or being content with what God has provided.
Marriage - When we get married, we are making a covenant before God to be joined to our spouse. We become a team. A team works together. A team doesn’t hinder one another or make the other person’s life difficult. Because we are a team, we are content with what God has provided. We understand the danger of greed. We work to enable one another to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. We cheer one another on. We are more supportive of each other than anyone else. Practically, this means we speak kind words. We approach with understanding. We refuse to put one another down.
COMMITMENT:
__________________________________________________________________________________________
We must fight the good fight of faith.
We cannot do that until we change our attitude.
Wealth and riches will never satisfy.
We must choose to be content with what God has provided.
We center our attention by understanding the trap of greed.
Greed drowns us in ruin and waste.
We flee the things of this world and pursue the things of Christ.
We work to have Christ’s character as we fix our eyes on eternity.
Brothers and sisters, people are watching us.
Our light is shining.
The brightness of our light and the direction it leads depends on our choices.
Choose to fight the good fight of faith.