Fight the Good Fight of the Faith
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Me
Catherine Montasori Rug
Fighting, training
I was good at getting good at random things that were not overly helpful
When I was young I would constantly putting up a fight but it was in my own wisdom. It was not based on God. Especially before I was a believer.
But do we know why we fight
We
Do we know what we work for
Is it for memories of what was
Is it for our personal preference
Or do we fight to become more like Christ.
Thankfully God has given us what to run to and from.
Before we read tonights passage, let us go to the Lord in prayer.
God
11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
But as for you, O man of God
Various thoughts on what this means.
Elder
Minister
Believer
Flee from these things (PREV LIST)
he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.
He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.
Pursue the Affections
Happy vs Joy
Righteousness
Outward do what is right
godliness
Inward development. attitudes and motives
faith
trust in God
love
agape
steadfastness
Continue on
gentleness
kindness meekness
Fight the good fight
These are in pairs
Idea of athletes or war - Olympics
We see this idea used by Paul earlier in the letter that it is better to focus on spiritual health than physical, but here he is connecting it as an illustration.
Keep on moving
Take hold of faith
Its not earning or keeping your salvation
Keep moving in spiritual development
Embrace your faith you have been given
Live for God not man
Confession before the witnesses
Witnesses of the faith living and the great cloud
The Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary c. A Charge to a Man of God (6:11–16)
Whether in contest or in conflict, the verb implies a disciplined struggle already begun, but the following verb Take hold of (epilabou) denotes a single complete event.
Getting into grad school or athletic team or military. A moment of getting in, but an on going work to keep improving toward what we should want to be
CSO Trumpet player
Paul’s Charges
Of all of the charges in this letter, this is the strongest.
In the presence of God
Mortal and Immortal
Jesus before Pilate made a good confession
Keep commandement
Probably not a specific law
The whole council of God
Striving to follow the law of God
Could be his baptismal commission
Our mission
Be above reproach until Christ returns
At the proper time
The only sovereign God
King of Kings and Lord of Lords
Who alone is immortal
We will live forever more, but we did not live forever before.
God is the unapproachable light
No one can or has seen God
Isaiahs response, Moses with a cleft in the rock
Final Benediction
to whom be honor and eternal power. Amen.
16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
What does this mean for us
You
Flee From the Passions
Run the Race
Seek after the Affections of God
We
As we go let us strive for the things of God. The affections over the passions. Striving to keep the commandments of God and seeking to accomplish the mission to which he has called us.