• 2 months ago
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

Transcript
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

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