The Good Fight of Faith

Im just here here preach the second sermon the real sermon was in the life she lived

2 Timothy 4 6-11

6For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Explication of the text

I. Paul was in prison he understood that he was not going to leave he understood his time was approaching. He writes a letter to Timothy. No matter what Paul went through he continued to fight until his fight was complete.

I remember growing up, I would always be at my auntie pee see and uncle Ronnie’s house on the weekends, and even on some days throughout the week. He would

Come pick us up from football practice in the blue trucks with the stripes on it.

I would go over and me and Ron Ron thought we were R&B singers back then, we would write songs and Zee Zee and Tanika had the cassette recorder in their room so we used to beg them to go in their room to record our

Songs, eventually they let us.

Zee Zee was the sweetest person that you could ever meet, couldn’t find anything bad to say about

Zee Zee. There will never be another Izetta Dixon.

I guess I’ll share a little secret we had, whenever her and Auntie pee wee cooked some pies growing up. Zee didn’t forget about me. She would

Call and

Say Frankie we got

Some

Pies over

Here I put you one to the side.

Then I started to like red red velvet, she would call and say I got

Some red velvet over

Here.

I’m talking about my experiences with the Lane family.

Another memory that I had was me and my cousins were out playing football in the road, we used to call it throw ‘‘em up bust ‘‘em up, and I’m not sure if somebody hit me too hard or somebody hit him to hard but we both started fighting.

One thing about our family is one fought back in the day we all fought.

And I can say I can’t remember Zee Zee being a fighter in the natural she was Not a fighter in the natural but she was warrior in the spirit.

She fought this cancer from start.

And like we said one thing about our family when one fight we all fight.

My reward is a crown. Giving by the righteous judge…..

My brothers and sisters we all have to fight this fight the same as Paul did, the same as Zee Zee did

When we think of fight we think of a conflict or contention, for Paul it was more than a moment of disagreement or an quick exchange of pushes, or was spiritual battle that existed between Paul and the world he was in. It was a fight to live as a Christian however Paul fought the fight. Just as it was then it is fight for us these days to live in these perilous times, it’s a fight for us to get up and gave the battles that we face every day. It is a fight in the world we live in.

II. We are all fighting through something:

Fighting through the tears

Fighting through the pain

Fighting through the difficult moments that we may have.

Timothy 4 6-8

Paul gives a description of his life in 3 verses

Fought the good fight A good fight -The good news is that When we on this side of the ring we are not going to lose the fight, she fought her fight, she got the victory, now we have to fight our fight in his 1974 Rumble in the Jungle match against George Foreman. Muhammad Ali made famous as what we call try today the rope a dope..In this fight Muhamud Ali stayed on the ropes for the majority of the fight. He Was hit with with multiple punches back after back from George Foreman..Those who were watching the fight would Give Foreman the edge in the fight..Most would say it was probably over for Muhammad..But something spectacular happens in the 8th round when Ali seemed to have have a second wind and punch Geoege forman with a blow to knock him out and win the fight..After the fight was over the commenta asked Ali How he could come back from being so drawn...Muhammad went to explain that he delayed the fight and rode the ropes in order to tire Foreman out..In other words he did it Means that there is a good fighter.

To fight the good fight implies that he had won.

As a matter of fact Paul looked at this fight as a win win situation. Philipians 1:21

He said I’m torn between the two, he was in the fight of his life between life and death, He said for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Not only did she fight the fight but she Finished her course

The word course may mean a lap in a race. Paul compared his life not only to a good fight but finished race. Relay race we all have a race to run,

I remember growing up we had a relay race. One person will be at one stop sign, another will be at the (reference Ron Ron and Gsare and Tanoka) the other will be at another. . After you Ron yours. After you finished your course you will tag the other person to run their race. Zee Zee ran her race she finished her course, she’s tag you now it’s time for you to riling your race. 12 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Lastly like paul she kept the faith

Therefore-as a result of these things there was a crown laid up for for her-"I shall wear crown, when it's all over, I'm going to put on my robs tell the story, how I made it over"

The first time I went. She was fighting I can hear my cousin shardae saying keep fighting she would skate her arm to let us know she heard.

As she went out the room, Inwoild say cuz, keep fighting, she would shake her hand to let me know know that she was still fighting.

However, the second time I back to the hospital, we were all down however, even until the end, she kept fighting. When she finally was done fighting and I can hear her saying

I have fought the good fight of faith, I have kept the faith, I have finished my course,

Henceforth- because of the good fight, because of these two things I have a crown laid up for me

1 Co 9:24–25

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

The race that we run on this earth is filled with corruptible crowns. However, once we get over there, The crown will be incorruptible

in his 1974 Rumble in the Jungle match against George Foreman. Muhammad Ali made famous as what we call try today the rope a dope..

In this fight Muhamud Ali stayed on the ropes for the majority of the fight. He Was hit with with multiple punches back after back from George Foreman..

Those who were watching the fight would Give Foreman the edge in the fight..

Most would say it was probably over for Muhammad..

But something spectacular happens in the 8th round when Ali seemed to have have a second wind and punch Geoege forman with a blow to knock him out and win the fight..

After the fight was over the commenta asked Ali

How he could come back from being so drawn...

Muhammad went to explain that he delayed the fight and rode the ropes in order to tire Foreman out..

In other words he did it on purpose..

rope-a-dope is used to describe strategies in which one contender lets opponent fatigue thelmself by drawing non-injuring offensive actions. This then gives the contender an advantage towards the end of the competition or before, as the opponent becomes tired, allowing the contender to execute devastating offensive maneuvers and thereby winning.

After this fight most who ever had any doubts about Ali being the greatest boxer no believed he was....

with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ

shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by

life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to

die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit

of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.

For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to

depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful

for you.