1 TIMOTHY 1:18-20

1. FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT:
1. It is important to see the meaning of Paul's words:
1. "Fight" depicts a military campaign, a prolonged warfare as opposed to a single battle which is fought and done (Strong's).
2. "Good fight" refers to that fight which is admirable praiseworthy, noble, morally good, honorable (Strong's)
2. He doesn't just say, "fight!" He says, "fight the good fight!" and in 1 Timothy 6:12 "Fight the good fight of faith!"
1. This is a fight against 3 enemies: we see them exposed in Ephesians 2:1-3: "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest." Note the enemies:
1. The world: in a sermon, Ray Stedman said, "the world is society, committed to a Godless philosophy which says, 'enjoy yourself now. This is all you've got. Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we shall die.' This philosophy is shouted at us every time we turn on a television or a radio. Everywhere we hear, 'you deserve the best. You've got it coming to you. Take it now. Don't let anybody stand in your way.' That is the world, the enemy that opposes us."
2. The flesh: Stedman said the flesh " is dedicated to selfishness. It loves attention, and comfort, and anything illegal, immoral, or fattening. The enemy is this self-centeredness within us:" He quoted this poem about selfishness: "I had a little tea party this afternoon at three. 'Twas very small, three guests in all, just I, myself and me. 'Twas I who ate the sandwiches and I drank up the tea. 'Twas also I who ate the pie and passed the cake to me."
3. The devil: the master deceiver who knows exactly what it takes to entice and allure us with temptation suited to our own lusts.
2. Against these, Paul says to wage the good warfare of faith! That demands being soldiers. Paul said: "Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier." 2 Timothy 2:3-4.
1. A soldier sometimes has to suffer! Maybe as Christ's soldier you will suffer persecution, or rejection, or inconvenience, or some hardship in his service.
2. A soldier has undivided loyalty and seeks to please his superior officers.
3. Paul doesn't want us
1. Running around with a chip on our shoulder! Remember that a chip on your shoulder shows that there is wood higher up!
2. Being argumentative, quarrelsome, contentious, short tempered and ready to punch someone out!
3. Running over anyone who opposes our opinions or violates our rights.
4. Too many of us fight the wrong battles.  In Cervante's story "Don Quixote de la Mancha" we see Don Quixote, a severely demented man, appointing himself a knight, dressing up in a rusty suit of armor and riding all over the countryside on a broken down nag with his hapless sidekick Sancho tagging along on his donkey. He is determined to pick a fight with everyone he encounters to demonstrate his prowess and courage. He even fights with windmills, proclaiming them to be giants in disguise. He does it all to win the favor of his beloved Dulcinea who doesn't even know he's alive! Many are like that; wasting energies fighting the wrong battles against the wrong enemies and ending up pathetic, wounded and defeated.

Heed Paul's words to Timothy: fight the good fight! Wage the good campaign! And there is more:

2. KEEP FAITH:
1. The word for
1. "Keep" means "to hold fast" (Strong's).  It suggests grabbing hold of something and hanging on for dear life!
2. "Faith" can mean
1. "Conviction of the truth of anything with the included idea of trust and fervor born of faith and joined with it" (Strong's).  
2. Faith is belief that trusts and obeys!
3. "Faithfulness and the character of one who can be relied on" (Strong's).
2. Paul points out some who have wrecked their faith. How might one keep from suffering shipwreck of faith?
1. Keep believing. We are warned against disbelief in the bible. "Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God." Hebrews 3:12.
2. Keep your trust, assurance and confidence when things get tough: "therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised." Hebrews 10:35-36.
3. Hold to sound doctrine: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths." 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NASB).
3. Stay true to your convictions, hold on to your confidence, remain true to biblical teaching! Keep faith! Serve your Commander In Chief with fidelity!
4. To keep faith, we need the attitude of a man by the name of Polycarp, one of the early church leaders. He was put on trial because of his faith in Christ. When the Roman proconsul commanded him to deny his faith, Polycarp answered, "For 86 years I have served Him, and He has never wronged me. How can I blaspheme my King, Who has saved me?" The proconsul then threatened to cast him in with the wild beasts, but Polycarp answered, "Call them!" He was then warned that he might be burned at the stake. Even that failed to move him. He responded, "You threaten me with fire which burns for only a moment, but you are ignorant of the fire of eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly." These are Polycarp's final words: "O Father of Your beloved and blessed Son, Jesus Christ! I bless You that You have counted me worthy of this day, and of this hour, to receive my portion in the number of the martyrs, in the cup of Christ." He kept the faith!

May we live up to what Paul charged Timothy: fight the good fight, keep faith! And finally:

3. KEEP A GOOD CONSCIENCE:
1. Again, let's note the word usage:
1. "Good" means "upright and honorable."
2. "Conscience" is the inner consciousness that distinguishes between what is morally good and bad, prompting us to do the good and to shun the bad (Strong's).  Don't ignore, squelch, quench, or sear that inner voice urging the right!
2. Paul said of certain people who habitually practiced wrong-doing and held false teaching: "but the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron," 1 Timothy 4:1-2.
3. So, how does one keep a good conscience?
1. Live your life honorably, so that there shall be no room for blame Paul said, "Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things." Hebrews 13:18.
2. When you are treated unfairly, bear it humbly, don't reciprocate with evil for evil. Peter wrote, "For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a man bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly." 1 Peter 2:19.
3. Refuse to continue in known sin; don't indulge it, excuse it, rationalize it, love it, protect it, cover it, or lie about it! "For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,  but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES."   Hebrews 10:26-27 (NASB).
   
4. Render to God and man their due: apology where that is due; honor where honor is due; help where help is due. Give a full day's work for a day's pay. Be dependable: Do your duty, live up to your responsibilities, fulfill your promises.
4. For a clear conscience, keep the character demonstrated by the little boy who was saying his prayers with his mother. They came to the place where he said, "If I should die before I wake," and he suddenly stopped, jumped up and ran downstairs. When he came back, his mother asked what was going on. He said, "Well, I was angry at Teddy and turned all his toy soldiers on their heads. But if I should die before I wake, I wouldn't want to leave things that way so I set them all right again." He wanted to keep a clear conscience.

May we all seek to follow Paul's charge: fight the good fight, keep faith, and keep a good conscience. That's the demand of your own life as you seek to fulfill your duty to Christ. That's the need for this community if it will be influenced for good and God. Will you commit yourself to wage a good war, to keep faith and to so live that your conscience is clear? Then you will be able to say with Paul, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing" 2 Timothy 4:7-8. That will require a decision to live your life for Christ. To do so demands courage and diligence, commitment and faithfulness. Are you up to that challenge? Are you willing to give it your best shot? Will you be a veteran for Jesus?  Then come and declare yourself as we stand to sing our hymn, "I'll Live For Him!"

Illustrations from Cervantes and other unknown sources

Return To Archive

Return To Home Page