October 6, 2019
Morning Service

Last week in the first part of chapter 6, Paul commanded bondservants (employees) to give all honor to their masters and work not for them, but for the Lord.  He also gave us another warning on false teachers “who suppose godliness as a means of gain” as they do not seek sound doctrine.  He commanded us to “withdraw yourself” from them.  The main topic we focused on however, was being content with what we have as “contentment with godliness is great gain.”  He revealed to us that it is the “love of money that is the root of all evil” not money itself.  We are to seek our contentment with our relationship with Jesus and look at life through the perspective that we have everything we need in Him.  We are complete in Him (Col. 2:10).  Today Paul continues with that thought and urges us to have an active faith to put these things into practice.  In essence he tells us as we as are pursued by the temptations this world offers; to keep from getting caught up in them we need to pursue these things.

1Ti 6:11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.

            Paul also mentioned these attributes in his letter to the Galatians that we often refer to as the “fruits of the Spirit.”

 

Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

            These are all gifts that are available to us through the Holy Spirit, but notice the imperative that Paul gives us as he urges us to “pursue” them.  Though these are all gifts, they are not automatically given to us.  It is evident to us here that we have a measure of responsibility to be diligent in attaining them in our lives (pursue).  First, as we have previously learned, we must ask and seek God for them.  Ask and you shall be given, seek and you shall find.  The next step is that we need to be faithful and give effort (action) to obedience as we follow Jesus and do our best to imitate Him in the many situations we find ourselves in our daily lives (WWJD) allowing these fruits to be active.  Look how Paul ramps it up for us in verse 12.

 

  1Ti 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

            Though salvation is a free gift given to whoever believes in the Name of the Lord, the Christian life of walking faithfully with Jesus will require effort on our part.  “Fight the good fight” is how Paul chooses to explain it to us.  He is urging us to wage a battle of personal faith and that battle will involve a struggle on our part. 

            In my lifetime, I have not been in very many fights other than with my brothers which never lasted very long.  But, I have done some wrestling which I think compares here to the effort Paul is calling us to.  Wrestling places two people in a confined area with the goal being to put the other on his back and pin his shoulders to the ground.  The periods last only for a short 2 or 3 minutes, but the effort and energy it takes to “fight” is exhausting even in that short of a time period.  Paul is calling us to “fight” and wrestle with the spiritual things in our lives in order to overcome them and to bring forth the fruits of the Spirt in our lives.  “Fight the good fight” is a call to spiritual battle.  Let’s go a little deeper on that subject as we jump back to Galatians.

 

Gal 5:16-17 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  (17)  For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

            The battle we are fighting is the one between our flesh and the Spirit.  The things of the world and the things of God are pulling against us from opposite directions and we must fight to stay true to the commands of God.  To “walk in the Spirit” means to live a lifestyle that is actively moving towards the lining up our lives with the commands of our Lord and Savior.  In the Ephesian letter Paul actually refers to this spiritual struggle as wrestling and explains it in greater detail.

 

Eph. 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

        Paul’s call to “fight the good fight” becomes even clearer to us now as he openly explains who and what it is we are fighting against.  It is not only the lust and desire to sin that comes from within our own selves, but we fight against “principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness, and spiritual hosts of wickedness.”  This spiritual battle is a reality of our walk with the Lord, so don’t ever try to ignore it or write it off as some fantasy or fiction; it is real. As a Jesus follower we must be keenly aware of the true battle we are fighting and the enemy that we fight against.  Many, if not all, of the struggles we face in our lifetime are spiritually based.  Paul says we are “wrestling” which literally means hand to hand combat with the spiritual forces of Satan.  He desires to pin us to the mat by using any means that are available to him and he does not fight fair.  If we don’t put in some effort into fighting for our faith, he will pin us in no time flat.  Paul continues and gives us the armor (protection) we need to put on to help us keep from being put flat on our back.  We do not fight alone or empty handed. 

 

Eph 6:13-18 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  (14)  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (15) and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.  (17)  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; (18) praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

            Don’t fight naked!  God has given us a protective armor to wear, but we must put it on and use it which does take effort to do so.  Alone we will fail, but with the strength of God and His armor we can be victorious in this battle.  We must surround ourselves with the truth that sound doctrine teaches us.  We must live a life with righteousness or doing our best to obey His commands.  We must walk with the Lord in peace and love.  Our faith is our shield against all attacks from our enemy.  Our salvation protects the assurance in our minds that though we battle the war has already been won (in the end we win!).  Our weapon of choice is the “sword of the Spirit” as we can, as Jesus did, fight with the very Words of God.  Praying always keeps us in tune with God and focused on the task at hand.

 

 

 

            What about you this morning?  Does the enemy have you beat up and worn down ready to give up?  Fight back and never give up!  Put the armor into action in your life and watch the tide turn.  Focus in on the truth that God is for you and loves you enough to die for you and He has a purpose for you to fulfill.  Give your entire heart to God and diligently seek to stay on the path that leads to righteousness.  Do everything with the attitude of love.  Put your faith into action and build it strong through reading God’s Word.  Cling to your salvation knowing that Jesus has already paid the entire price for your sins.  Fight back with the Sword of the Spirit as you learn to quote scripture and stand upon it knowing God can not lie.  Pray always keeping God close and be mindful of His constant presence with you.  Fight the good fight!  We are better together!

 

Heavenly Father thank You for giving to us all we need to live a life that pleases You.  Please help us to fight back when we are weak and to never give up trusting in You.