1 TIMOTHY 1:18-20
 

1. FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT:
1. Important to see the meaning of Paul's words:
1. "Fight": he depicts a military campaign, a prolonged warfare as opposed to a single battle which is fought and done (strong's).
2. "Good": refers to that which is admirable praiseworthy, noble, morally good, honorable (strong's)
2. He doesn't just say, "fight!" He says, "fight the good fight!"
1. He defines that good fight: "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." 1 Timothy 6:12.
2. This is a fight against 3 enemies: see them exposed in this text: "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." Ephesians 2:1-3. 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.
3. Against these, Paul says to wage the good warfare of faith!
4. That necessitates being a soldier. Paul said of such: "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! Someone said that "a chip on your shoulder shows that there is wood higher up!"
2. Being argumentative, quarrelsome, contentious, short tempered and ready for fisticuffs!
3. Running over anyone who opposes us or violates our rights.
4. 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.

2. KEEP FAITH:
1. The word for
1. "Keep" means "to hold fast." (Strong's) it suggests grabbing hold of and hanging on for dear life!
2. ""faith" can mean
1. "Conviction of, the truth of anything, with the included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith and joined with it." (Strong's) It is that belief that trusts and obeys!
2. "Faithfulness and the character of one who can be relied on." (Strong's)
2. He points out some who have wrecked their faith. How might one suffer shipwreck of faith?
1. Quit believing. We are warned against that 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. Cast away our 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. Embrace false doctrine: "but avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and thus they upset the faith of some." 2 Timothy 2:16-18.
3. Stay true to your convictions, hold on to your confidence, remain true to biblical teaching! Keep faith!
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 told 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."

3. KEEP A GOOD CONSCIENCE:
1. Again, let's note the word usage:
1. Good: upright and honorable."
2. Conscience:
1. the inner consciousness that distinguishes between what is morally good and bad, prompting us to do the former and to shun the latter, commending one, condemning the other. (Strong's).
2. "your conscience is a little triangle in your heart. It acts like a pinwheel. When you're good it does not rotate. When you're bad, it turns around and the corners hurt a lot. If you keep on being bad, the corners eventually wear off, and when the little triangle spins around it doesn't hurt any more." Bits & pieces.
2. Paul said of certain people who habitually practiced wrong-doing and 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. (Strong's). 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, don't reciprocate with evil to that person. 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!
4. Render to everyone 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. Pay a full day's pay for a day's work. Be dependable: do your duty, live up to your responsibilities, fulfill your promises.
4. For a clear conscience, keep the character defined in this article: "the world needs men.(and I might add women) who cannot be bought; whose word is their bond; who put character above wealth; who possess opinions and a will; who are larger than their vocations; who do not hesitate to take chances; who will not lose their individuality in a crowd; who will be as honest in small things as in great things; who will make no compromise with wrong; whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires; who will not say they do it "because everybody else does it"; who are true to their friends through good report and evil report in adversity as well as in prosperity; who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning, and hardheadedness are the best qualities for winning success; who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular; who can say 'no' with emphasis, although all the rest of the world says 'yes.'"

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