1 Tim 6:12-14
12 Fight the good fight of the faith; lay hold of the eternal life to which you were summoned and [for which] you confessed the good confession [of faith] before many witnesses.
13 In the presence of God, Who preserves alive all living things, and of Christ Jesus, Who in His testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I [solemnly] charge you
14 To keep all His precepts unsullied and flawless, irreproachable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Anointed One),
AMP
12 Fight the good fight of the faith; lay hold of the eternal life to which you were summoned and [for which] you confessed the good confession [of faith] before many witnesses.
13 In the presence of God, Who preserves alive all living things, and of Christ Jesus, Who in His testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I [solemnly] charge you
14 To keep all His precepts unsullied and flawless, irreproachable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Anointed One),
AMP
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Music
00:29Today our subject is called should Christians fight the battle of life
00:33that lies before them? First of all the word fight in the Webster's Dictionary
00:39means to carry on or to wage as a conflict or battle to win or gain by
00:46struggle as one's way to sustain by fighting as a cause. Have you ever
00:53really thought about that? You and I are called to fight in this Christian walk.
01:00Sometimes professing Christians have the wrong understanding of what this term
01:05really means and for what they are fighting against. There is no moral
01:11excellence or righteousness in mere fighting. One who fights for the sake of
01:17fighting wastes his or her life. Fighting must have a cause to be
01:23worthwhile. As believers in Jesus Christ this fight is well-defined for us by
01:31Apostle Paul when in writing to Timothy his young students or as he called them
01:37many times a son as he said I have fought the good fight of faith. Let's
01:45look at that in 2nd Timothy chapter 4 verses 7 and 8. Paul says I have fought
01:54the good worthy honorable and noble fight I have finished the race I have
02:00kept firmly held the faith as to what remains henceforth there is laid up for
02:06me the victor's crown of righteousness and being right with God and doing right
02:11which the Lord the righteous judge will award to me and recompense me on that
02:18great day and not only to me but also to those who have loved and yearned for and
02:24welcomed his appearing his return. Fight was a term used in Greek athletics. It
02:32meant to contend for victory in the public athletic games to wrestle as in a
02:39prize contest straining every nerve to the utmost towards the goal. Apostle Paul
02:48many times throughout his epistle used the term contend fight running a race
02:53as part of the believers responsibility in pursuing the final goal in life which
02:59is eternal life. Paul talked much about how the believer must keep his eyes
03:05fixed on the goal who is none other than our precious Lord Jesus Christ. Fighting
03:12is necessary for the Christian believer in Jesus Christ because of the entrance
03:17in the reign of sin in our world. Romans chapter 5 verse 12 declares therefore a
03:25sin came into the world through one man and death as a result of sin so death
03:31spread to all men no one being able to stop it or to escape its power because
03:37all men sinned. See the individual who does not fight for or against anything
03:45is a person who really stands for nothing Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10
03:51through 12 declares in conclusion in the Lord be empowered through your union
03:59with him draw your strength from him that strength which his boundless might
04:05provides put on God's whole armor the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God
04:12supplies that you may be able to successfully stand up against all the
04:17strategies and deceits of the devil. Verse 12 for we are not wrestling with
04:23flesh and blood contending only for physical opponents but against the
04:28despotisms against the powers against the master spirits who are the world
04:34rulers of this present darkness against the spiritual forces of wickedness in
04:40the heavenly supernatural sphere. Apostle Paul's example of the necessity of
04:47putting on the armor of God is an explanation of the spiritual warfare
04:52that each and every true believer will face throughout their lifetime walk with
04:57the Lord Jesus Christ and actually this is a general exhortation to be
05:04constantly aware in our Christian walk and also to encourage us in our
05:09Christian warfare. Well we learn that our life as a believer is a walk of warfare
05:18it is so without denial because we struggle with common calamities of human
05:24life which involves so many things regarding our everyday life. Should not
05:30our belief as a Christian be much more as it comes to spiritual warfare? It is
05:37so because we struggle with the opposition of powers of darkness and
05:41with many enemies who would keep us from God and our eternal home in heaven. These
05:48are all things that we must grow in regarding our maturity and this is to
05:55recognize and be cognizant of the spiritual enemies that are constantly
06:00waiting for an opportunity to take us off of the path or road to our eternal
06:06kingdom. Dear ones we have enemies to fight to resist and to guard against
06:13because we have a captain of our salvation who fights our battles for us
06:18and he provides a banner to fight under and this banner is called the banner of
06:24love and it is under certain rules of war by which we are to govern our lives.
06:34Hallelujah. Apostle Paul told us in verse 10 of Ephesians chapter 6 which we just
06:42read he says finally brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his
06:49might not our own might but his might and we see when Paul says finally my
06:56brethren this is saying in effect that it yet remains that you apply yourselves
07:02to your work as a duty as Christian soldiers. The circumstances make it
07:08necessary that a soldier be both strong in faith and well armed with the armor
07:13that we read about in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 21 beginning in verse 11. Put on
07:22the whole armor of God the heavy armed soldier which God supplies that you may
07:28be able successfully to stand up against all the strategies and deceits of the
07:33devil for we are not wrestling with flesh and blood contending only with
07:38physical opponents but against the despotism against powers against the
07:43master spirit who are the rulers of this present darkness against spiritual
07:48forces of wickedness in the heavenly supernatural sphere. Verse 13 therefore
07:55put on God's complete armor that you may be able to resist and stand your ground
08:00on the evil day of danger and having done all the crisis demands to stand
08:07firmly in your place. Verse 14 stand therefore hold your ground having
08:13tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate
08:17of integrity and the moral rectitude and right standing with God. Verse 15 and
08:24having shod your feet in preparation to face the enemy with a firm-footed
08:30stability the promptness and readiness produced by the good news of the gospel
08:36of peace. Lift up over all the covering shield of saving faith upon which you
08:43can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked one and take the helmet of
08:48salvation and the sword that the spirit wields which is the Word of God. Pray at
08:54all times on every occasion in every season in the spirit with all manner of
09:00prayer and entreaty to that and keep alert and watch with strong purpose and
09:07perseverance interceding in behalf of all the saints God's consecrated people.
09:14If Christians are to be soldiers of Jesus Christ they must see and
09:21understand that they be strong in faith and obedience to the captain of their
09:26salvation. You see be strong means for service strong for suffering strong for
09:35fighting this good fight of faith in our Christian walk that brings many
09:40different circumstances of trials whether they be contentions of people
09:45that we deal with whether it be temptations that come that are contrary
09:49to God's words and ways whether it be trials that afflict and harass our minds
09:56and endeavor to cause us to doubt our salvation and weaken our faith and trust
10:01in what we have grown to cherish and treasure in our Lord Jesus Christ.
10:08For the Christian to encounter adversity is to undergo trial in which his faith or her
10:16faith is being tested and proven either true or false before God who is the highest
10:22judge of all. We learn as we walk in this tried and true path as a Christian there
10:29are many positive things that come about through these trials. Christians are
10:35urged to rejoice at their occurrence and James tells us this. Let's look at James
10:41chapter 1 beginning in verse 2. Consider it holy joyful my brethren whether you
10:48are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations.
10:55Verse 3 be assured and understand that the trial and proving your faith bring
11:02out endurance and steadfastness and patience but let endurance and
11:07steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work so that you
11:13may be people perfectly and fully developed with no defects lacking in
11:19nothing. Verse 5 but if any of you is deficient in wisdom let him ask of the
11:26giving God who gives to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly without
11:31reproaching or fault-finding and it will be given him. Verse 6 only it must be in
11:37faith that he asks with no wavering no hesitation no doubting for the one who
11:43wavers hesitates and doubts is like a billowing surge out of the sea that is
11:49blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind for truly let not such a person
11:55imagine that he will receive anything he asked from the Lord. Or let's look also
12:02in 1st Peter chapter 4 beginning in 13 and we read a similar exhortation which
12:08declares but in so far as you are sharing Christ's suffering rejoice so
12:15that when his glory full of radiance and splendor is revealed you may also
12:20rejoice and triumph exultantly if you are censured and suffer abuse because
12:27you bear the name of Christ blessed are you happy and fortunate to be envied
12:32with life joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation regardless of your
12:38outward condition because the spirit of glory the Spirit of God is resting on
12:44you on their part he is blaspheming but on your part he is glorified but let
12:50none of you suffer as a murderer a thief or any sort of criminal or as a mischief
12:56maker a meddler in the affairs of others infringing on their rights but if one is
13:01ill-treated and suffers as a Christian which he is contemptuously called let
13:07him not be ashamed but give glory to God that he is deemed worthy to suffer in
13:14his name how encouraging dear believer our Lord Jesus Christ himself set the
13:22example in how trials and battles of life should be endured when he defeated
13:27Satan's temptation by appealing to the word and the will of God in Luke chapter
13:3414 dear ones we have a wonderful example that overshadows any other when it
13:42concerns who we should emulate and become like in our nature and our
13:48character and demeanor we learn as we grow in God's grace that every soldier
13:54in God's army should be so well armed with all the arsenal that our master
14:01makes possible if we have not a good heart and no matter what we're armed
14:07with it will hold up in battle spiritual strength courage and faith are very
14:15necessary for our spiritual warfare be strong in the Lord either in his cause
14:22and for a sake and rather in his strength we have no sufficient strength
14:28of our own our natural courage is as perfect cowardness and our natural
14:36strength is perfect weakness but our all-sufficiency is of God and found in
14:44God in his strength and in his name we must go forth and overcome every battle
14:52and trial that meets us along this journey of life by faith we must go
14:59forth in the grace and help from our Heavenly Father which enables us to do
15:05that which we ourselves cannot do in our Christian work and warfare please
15:11understand that there are those who have no moral standards no uprightness or
15:17integrity so those who do not have godly principles must stand up and be
15:22watchful and guard against them and grow in discernment and this is not to say
15:29that we do not pray for these people our world is divided into those who insist
15:35on being enemies of God and those who have made their peace with God Romans
15:40chapter 5 verses 1 through 3 declared that those who have made peace with God
15:46through Jesus Christ have been justified by faith let's pick that up in verse 1
15:53therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord
16:00Jesus Christ through whom we also have access by faith in this grace in which
16:07we stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God because both evil and good
16:15exist in our world fighting is inevitable and this is one kind of
16:21fighting a second kind of fighting could be better termed a race for excellence
16:27among those who are in general agreement you see many unbelievers are ignorant
16:34and muddle through life blindly and others are in a race to see who will
16:40accomplish more fame and fortune while believers are in another race to please
16:46the Lord Jesus Christ in their quest to live forever with him in the eternal
16:52kingdom hallelujah this is what it is called in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 1
17:00which declares therefore we also since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of
17:07witnesses let us lay aside every weight and sin which so easily ensnares us and
17:13let us run with endurance the race that is set before us so when Paul says let
17:20us run the race that word translated race in Greek is a gozo am I and it is
17:29the equivalent in English which is to agonize the same Greek word is what we
17:39render in English fight and race also called the endeavor to excel both can
17:48have a good and a bad meaning or connotation if the motive is right then
17:54it's good fighting evil for the glory of God is good and standing up for what
18:00is right and godly is absolutely good but fighting against a brother or sister
18:06in the Lord to put him or her down or have control is wrong and selfish if you
18:13examine the lives of the Saints of God in the past you will see that every one
18:19of them had conflict so we fight among Abel Enoch Noah Abraham Sarah Isaac
18:28Jacob Joseph Moses Gideon Barak Samson David Esther and Samuel none of these
18:39dear Saints were exempt from conflicts and suffering our world has not changed
18:46at all since their time regarding the nature and character of men and women
18:50and all of these circumstances surround us in spite of Jesus coming into this
18:56world you see there will be conflicts as long as we live in this world since we
19:02are not an island unto ourselves the teaching is that Christianity is a cake
19:08walk in a rosy garden is very unscriptural we find that our Christian
19:15walk because of the wonderful grace and mercy extended to believers who live and
19:21hear that who live in Jesus Christ that in spite of the conflict around us we
19:27have peace in our hearts in John I have told you these things so that in me you
19:35may have perfect peace and confidence in the world you will have tribulation
19:40and trials and distress and frustration but be of good cheer take courage be
19:46confident be certain undaunted for I have overcome the world I have deprived
19:52it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you oh whoa I don't
19:58know what that does for you but that excites me that invigorates me Wow thank
20:05you Lord Jesus you see this peace is between God and us and this peaceful
20:12attitude that comes with our relationship with God dear ones we
20:18cannot give something that we do not have we must take concerted effort to
20:25grow and mature in God's grace and love in order to have this peace and joy in
20:31our hearts with Thanksgiving an admiration for my Savior whenever I
20:38think about when Jesus was going to the cross he fully knew the horrible
20:44suffering that he would go through on our behalf and yet we read that he was
20:50full of joy and peace let's look at that in Hebrews chapter 12 beginning in verse
20:56two looking away from all that would distract to Jesus who is the leader and
21:03the source of our faith giving the first incentive for our belief and is also the
21:09finisher bringing it into maturity and perfection he for the joy of obtaining
21:15the prize that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and
21:21ignoring the shame and is now seated at the right hand at the throne of God
21:26just think of him who endured from sinners as such as grievous opposition
21:32and bitter hostility against himself reckon up and consider it all in
21:38comparison with your trials so that you may not grow weary or exhausted losing
21:44heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds verse four you've not yet
21:50struggled and fought agonizingly against sin nor have you yet resisted or most
21:55stood to the point of pouring out your own blood Jesus fully knew what he would
22:02face and encounter for each one of us in the sacrifice of his own body and blood
22:08in order to redeem everyone all the whomesoever so would choose him as their
22:13Savior and Redeemer he saw you and me and all others when he looked beyond the
22:19cross with such joy in his heart and also in Psalms chapter 110 in verse 1
22:28we're told where David declared the Lord God says to my Lord the Messiah sit at
22:35my right hand until I make your adversaries your footstool
22:40dear listener Jesus Christ conquered the devil and his demons in the grave and
22:46possesses the keys of life and death when he went to the cross and died a
22:51horrible death for the salvation of mankind all the whomsoever's would choose
22:57him as the hope of eternal life Colossians chapter 2 verse 15 declares
23:04that when Jesus after having disarmed the powers and authorities of the evil
23:09one he made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them by his death on the
23:15cross for those who live in Christ and obey his commands and grow in their love
23:21and faith and awe of him there is no need to fear death or hell Romans chapter
23:296 verses 5 and 6 declares for if we have become one with him sharing death like
23:38his we shall also be one with him in sharing his resurrection by a new life
23:46live for God we know that our old unrenewed self was nailed to the cross
23:51with him in order that our body which is the instrument of sin might be made
23:58ineffective and inactive for evil that we might no longer be the slaves of sin
24:04you see Jesus is in control of both death and hell because he holds the keys
24:13of death and life Jesus tells us a very sobering exhortation in Matthew chapter
24:2110 verse 28 and do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill
24:29the soul but rather be afraid of him who can destroy both soul and body in
24:35hell so now then for the believer in Jesus Christ did you hear that I
24:42emphasize again in Jesus Christ by the wonderful sacrifice of our innocent Lamb
24:50of God who set the example all around by his love his kindness and mercy for the
24:57salvation of mankind we who profess to be Christians ought to emulate his
25:03nature his character and his righteousness so as I exhort you I
25:09exhort myself also to definitely aim for and eagerly pursue what makes for harmony
25:17for the mutual building up edification of one another harmony means dwelling
25:25together in unity and maybe it would be good for us to periodically stop examine
25:32our own hearts and consciences and take a stock of how we are doing in the area
25:39of dwelling together with our immediate loved ones that we live with those whom
25:45we work with it would be good to examine our thought life since this is where all
25:51negative thoughts blossom into sinful words and actions and deeds understand
25:59that the attitudes of others we deal with every day or even now and then may
26:04affect this peace and joy that is so precious to us when others are slothful
26:09in their work and growing in the fruit of the Spirit which is evidence of one's
26:14internal labor to know and love the one who died for them and offers them the
26:20eternal bliss and life forever their laziness may put up barriers
26:28confrontations and discord but Jesus says we will know others by their fruit
26:35fruit is either good or bad the question for us is how do we react do we put on
26:44the boxing gloves and engage in battles with them but if we calmly quietly pray
26:51for their souls and guard our own hearts so we will not fall into temptation and
26:56sin we should not move forward or rejoice in leaving them behind but
27:04rather we should encourage and exhort them to move forward in their
27:08relationship with Jesus Christ our part is to concentrate on running the race
27:14that is set before us as we are admonished to do in our opening
27:20scripture we cannot fight sitting down or walking but we are told by Paul that
27:26we are in a race life is a race only he who runs gets to the goal or the finish
27:34line this race is for our eternal life dear ones and if we do not reach the
27:41goal it means we did not run it is never too late to start we can never say I ran
27:49and I reached my goal Paul never said that hallelujah Jesus is the only one
27:55who did finish aren't we thankful that Jesus never stopped and said I quit now
28:03rather he said it is finished as he took his last breath upon the cross when
28:09he died a horrible death this race for every Christian today is a continuous
28:16race until our last breath every goal an objective and purpose of ours reached in
28:24this life reveals another noble and distinguished goal that is to be reached
28:31in our growing in grace and mercy and love and obedience our precious Savior
28:39Jesus Christ this is a personal responsibility we cannot run if we're
28:46burdened with unnecessary weights of sin for most of us if we try to pick up a
28:54hundred pound bag and start to run we find that we get tired very fast this is
29:00a spiritual analogy not a physical one in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 1 Paul
29:07declares therefore we also since are surrounded by so great a cloud of
29:13witnesses let us lay aside every weight and the sin which easily ensnares us and
29:19let us run with endurance the race that is set before us hallelujah the word
29:27says put off every weight and in Greek it's called on course and it is called
29:35malignant tumor it's amazing when you check in the Greek in the deeper meaning
29:41of words you know in the natural that there are malignant tumors that attack
29:47our healthy organs well this analogy of weight is called a malignant tumor which
29:53attacks our spiritual hearts and souls we should examine ourselves for
29:59spiritual tumors or growths and these malignant tumors will multiply if not
30:05quickly removed and the sooner we discover them and acknowledge them and
30:11hate them will be the sooner that we will be on our knees crying out to the
30:17Lord God for mercy for him to deliver us to remove them in our part is to walk
30:26in obedience to what his word tells us the second part of our verse in Hebrews
30:34chapter 12 in verse 2 which declares looking on to Jesus the author and
30:42finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the
30:47cross despising the shame and is sat down at the right hand of the throne of
30:52God if we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus who is the author and finisher of our
30:59faith we will not keep our eyes on ourselves and demand our ways and look
31:05at everybody is wrong and out of order and against us the deceptions of a
31:11common sin are that it looks good sounds good and everybody else is doing it so
31:19that must mean it can't be bad wrong it is wrong watch out for it if you follow
31:27that thinking you may never reach the goal because we are told and I repeat we
31:33are told to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ who is the author and the
31:38finisher of our faith Christ who is our life is the sole source of our life he
31:46is now the substance of our spiritual life it is by his life that we live
31:52precious ones he is in us the hope of glory the spring of our actions our
31:59words our deeds and he is to be the central thought in our lives which moves
32:05every other thought as a soldier fights for his captain and is crowned in his
32:11captain's victory so the believer contends for Jesus Christ and gets his
32:16triumph out of the triumphs of his master Paul said for me to live is
32:25Christ and if we live in fellowship with the Lord Jesus we shall grow to be
32:32like him send him before you as a divine pattern and you shall seek to walk in
32:38his footsteps until he becomes the crown of your life in the eternal home away
32:46from home