Jump Start # 1553
1 Timothy 6:12 “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
I was called to the hospital late last night. A dear brother hovers near death. I sat with his wife and watched the numbers on monitors bounce up and down. The thought that angels may have been in the room ready to usher his soul into eternity crossed my mind. Our passage for today also came to my mind. One of the greatest fights a person goes through is the fight to live. The body can do remarkable things to just hang on.
The good fight. Paul’s words to Timothy were about the spiritual battle that Christians are engaged in. There are many “fights” in life—some good, some not so good.
Parents will fight to have quality education and decency taught to their kids in schools. There are fights and petitions to save trees, whales, and the environment. Some fight city hall. Some fight progress and change. Politicians are giving it their all to be the last man or woman standing for the up coming Presidential election. It has become a real dog fight and many are tired of the name calling, mud slinging and empty promises.
I suppose if there is a “good fight” then there must be some “bad fights.” Some fight tooth and nail, almost literally, to promote things that God opposes. Same-sex marriage, legalizing drugs, lack of censorship—there are those who will pour all that they are into those causes and movements. Their voices are loud. They will not stop until they get what they want. They do not care about others, only what they want. They are fighting a battle, but they are fighting a bad fight.
The good fight of faith that Paul had in mind is the work of the kingdom. This is what we as Christians need to be engaged in. This work isn’t left to just the shepherds and preachers of a congregation but it’s something that all of us must be engaged in. It is the work of the N.T. This fight of faith is the teaching and preaching of God’s word. It is the standing where God stands. It is the promoting of the Gospel. It is saving and keeping souls. It is a work that is not completed in just one generation. Paul was engaged in this battle. Timothy was as well. And now, all these generations later, you and I are still in this long battle.
Paul mentions this warfare often in his letters. He reminds us that it is a spiritual battle. It may seem at times that we are losing this battle. More are on the wrong side of things than the kingdom side. The other side seems to have more resources and they do not go by the rules. Society seems to be getting worse. We are not leaning more toward Mayberry days but the godless way. Shows on TV illustrate this. Plays, music and theatre illustrate this. The envelope of decency is pushed more and more. More raunchy shows. More loose talking. More filthiness. More lack of direction and moral compass. More trashing of God. More blasphemy. More taking God’s name in vain. More misquoting God. My grandparents would be shocked to see what’s going on today. It’s not that people are sinning more, it’s that it is no longer hidden. It is no longer shocking. It is no longer frowned upon. Wrong is becoming right. Wrong is becoming normal.
So, what can be done? Some are looking for a candidate that has the best morals. That’s not the answer. Our hope and our fight doesn’t come from the statehouse or the Whitehouse. Our fight is spiritual. It’s long past the time for churches to stop sitting quietly on the landscape waiting for people to come to them. Reach out. Use every tool of media today. Be positive but be assured. Speak the words of Christ. Don’t go along. Don’t be silent. Stand up, stand up for Jesus is too often a song that is sung sitting down. It is time to stand up for Jesus. Fight that good fight of faith.
To fight involves a few obvious things:
First, we must know who the enemy is. Who are we fighting? Too often, we fight ourselves. We tend to shoot our own wounded. We pour too much energy defending opinions and things that really do not matter all that much. The great Stonewall Jackson, general of the Southern armies in the Civil War, was shot by his own troops. He eventually died because of that. Shooting their own, friendly fire, has taken out too many good soldiers. Know who the enemy is. It is Satan. He is behind everything that is wrong. He is behind every lie. He is behind every broken vow. He is behind every corrupt deal. He is behind every scandal. He is behind every sinful thought and act. Our enemy, is the greatest enemy, Satan. He deceived Eve. He hurt Job. He filled Peter’s heart. He was with Judas as he cut a deal to betray Jesus. From the first book of the Bible through the last book of the Bible, Satan is there. He knows Scripture. He knows Christ. He knows your heart. He knows how to come knocking. There is not one noble deed attributed to Satan. There is not one kind word that comes from Satan. He is a liar and he is wicked. His fate is sealed. Christ came to destroy his works and in the end, he will be cast into Hell forever. Hell has been made just for him.
Satan does pitch underhand. He does toss easy things for us to swing at. He is out to destroy your congregation, your marriage, your family and finally your soul. He’ll use anything that he can to do that. He will dance temptation before your eyes. He will use people that are dearest to you. He will misuse God’s very word. He will use drugs, alcohol, porn, to get our eyes off of Jesus and to get us in a fog that we can’t see straight. He will convince us that we are right, when we are not. He will even use religion to satisfy our souls, while feeding us poison of an empty gospel preached by those who have no convictions. Satan is tough. The landscape is full of those who he has conquered. He has convinced folks to write books declaring that God is made up and that evolution is a fact. He will use the populace to convince the weak heart that most people are doing right. The majority cannot be wrong. The majority wants same-sex marriage. The majority wants free drugs. The majority doesn’t want to be confined by religious rules. The masses dance to that song. They are dancing all the way to Hell. Satan smiles every time someone files for divorce. He smiles when preachers get so discouraged and disgusted that they quit. He laughs when congregations split and brethren refuse to talk to each other. He dances when young people off to college are drowning themselves in alcohol and have stopped going to worship. He loves it so much when college professors preach his message to young minds. Satan is alive and doing well in our times.
What’s the fight? The fight is against Satan. Resist and he flees is what James tells us. Teach and preach that word. Fill the church houses with God’s message. Tell others about God at work. Satan’s gospel opens the door to all kinds of freedoms but it ends with crushed lives, broken dreams, tear filled eyes and souls bound for eternal Hell.
Our fight is against the greatest enemy. On our own, we are toast. We can not do it. The enemy is too strong for us. We have no hope of standing against his attacks. But with God, we can overcome. The flaming arrows of the evil one are distinguished when we hold up the shield of faith. That’s what the Ephesians were told. John reminds us that greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. The eventual outcome is known. It’s not up in the air. It is not something that could go either way. Christ wins. That’s the story of Revelation. Satan will be defeated. He loses. Everyone connected to him, loses. Overcome is one of the key words in Revelation. Overcome with Christ. Overcome through faith.
Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. We fight. We fight a winning battle with Christ. He doesn’t fight it alone. He fights with us and through us. Recognize the enemy. Learn how he operates.
Tomorrow, we will discuss more of this battle that we are fighting.
It’s a good fight because the battle belongs to the Lord! We are fighting for what is right. Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Don’t quit.
Roger