Sermon Tone Analysis

This evening we cry out to Jesus:

1 Timothy 6:12-16 instructs US along with Pastor Timothy ...

The Apostle Paul tells Timothy and I believe us as well:

Fight the good fight of faith.

Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called

Keep the commandment (maybe from 1 Tim 1:3-5 ?)

Be faithful until the return of Jesus —

we need to be looking to and working for the return of Jesus

These are all actions that we need to take.

We can’t coast into heaven.

We have to be intentional about going there.

About others going with us.

A couple of days ago I was looking at a post that a Jeremy Dahlberg wrote on the AG Theology FaceBook page.

He said:

Salvation is not 100% God and 0% us...so many say, it's all God.

Reformed theology is taking a stranglehold on Jesus' church in the U.S., and should be soundly rebuked.

Obedience matters.

Discipleship matters, and no, God doesn't do all the work for us.

Yes, the Holy Spirit will provide strength, and willingness to do the will of God, but men still must repent, believe the gospel, and continue of their own free will to follow Jesus--enduring until the end.

I think the Bible tells us that is a true statement since we have so many admonitions to DO things that go with salvation:

The Apostle Paul told us:

What we see here: fight the good fight of faith (and in 1 Timothy 1:18) and take hold of eternal life, etc.

Run the race to win the prize (1 Cor.

9:24)

Do not receive the grace of God in vain (2 Cor.

6:1)

One with which we are ALL familiar:

What Jesus Himself told us (He has given us MANY commands that we are studying, but consider just one command, one action that requires effort on our part):

Abiding in Christ, producing fruit requires effort on our part.

It requires intentionality.

The Apostle Peter:

The writer of Hebrews (whoever he was):

The Apostle James:

The Apostle John:

So, NO it’s NOT all God with no effort required on our part.

Otherwise Jesus and His apostles were instructing us to no end.

We have a part in salvation.

We make choices everyday concerning our relationship with Jesus.

To pray

To read the Bible

To love and forgive others

We make choices everyday on whether to be a partner with Him for the salvation and discipleship of others.

But how can we accomplish the commands here in 1 Timothy 6?

By looking to the Source.

By holding onto the Source in faith.

By remembering what Verses 15 and 16 tells us about the Source — that Jesus, the Source is:

The Blessed One (Highly favored of the Father)

As we pray in His Name we enter into His blessing, His favor

He is the Potentate, the Sovereign of all creation

He is in charge.

I will be the first to admit:

I don’t always understand WHAT God is doing

I don’t understand HOW God is going to accomplish His eternal purposes.

But this I do know: God is in control, He is sovereign

He is the King of any and all who are self-appointed or rightfully kings or queens

He is the Lord of all lords

He is immortal — He rules and reigns forever

He dwells in unapproachable light

His presence is powerful and glorious that no one in mortal human form can view Him in His present and eternal glory

He is worthy of all honor

His is an eternal dominion.

I’m sorry, but I am just absolutely bowled over by what author Charles Rolls says in his commentary of Jesus as revealed in this passage in 1 Timothy 6.

He reminds us that:

The very blessedness of Christ as a Potentate reveals that personally He is morally suited, judicially qualified and rightfully entitled to rule and reign forever.

Nowhere else in the Bible is the inaccessible majesty and indescribable glory of Christ so fully explained and so concisely expressed.

He is described here in His self-existent, self-efficient and self-effulgent Deity, irresistibly glorious and infinitely lustrous in His being, wisdom and power.

His throne is the origin of harmony, honor and holiness.

The foundations of His throne are not shallow and superficial.

The far-reaching suzerainty of His sovereign state pervades and prevails eternally.

The fullness of His celestial court is not sustained by the contributions of earthly kinds.

The faithfulness of His covenant does not depend on the merit or manpower of nations.

The fame of His name is not taken from the renowned institutions of earth.

The flame of His fervent constancy requires no fuel from human resources for its maintenance.

The final consummation planned was not determined by the decision of world councils.

The fame of Christ transcends the far-flung renown of the foremost among the famous, His name exceeds the notability of the more noble of this world’s nobility, and His claim supersedes the titled claimants of all the centuries.

Seeing we have such a Potentate as our Peace-maker, such a Lord as our Life-giver, and such a Justifier as our Joy-bringer, let us ever sing,

He is my prophet, priest and king

Who did for me salvation bring,

And while I live I mean to sing

Christ for me, Christ for me!

So, until Jesus appears let’s fight the good fight and come alongside others who are engaged in that fight.

Let’s appeal to the Blessed Potentate, the Blessed Sovereign of all creation that He will intervene as we intercede.

To that end I asked us to bring the Worldview Magazine and use it for a prayer guide this afternoon.

Page 13

Pages 14 &15 (put your finger on countries and call out their names, battle demonic forces)

Pages 17, 18, 19

Page 22

Pages 26 & 27

Page 29 - Missionaries who MUST find their joy and delight in the Lord — NOT the harvest

Also, today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.

I printed a prayer guide to help with praying for those who persecuted for their faith in Jesus — who labor amongst the persecuted — who labor to share the Gospel in hostile territory.