WEBVTT 00:00:00.880 --> 00:00:03.700 In one of the poems that he wrote intended to 00:00:03.700 --> 00:00:09.779 be set to music, he asked some probing questions 00:00:09.779 --> 00:00:13.560 addressed to those who are living at ease in 00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:19.460 Zion. We are tempted to be such people, to live 00:00:19.460 --> 00:00:23.879 at ease in the Zion of affluent and materialistic 00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:28.620 America. But Isaac Watts posed these questions 00:00:28.620 --> 00:00:36.880 to us. Am I a soldier of the cross, a follower 00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:44.140 of the Lamb? And shall I fear to own His cause 00:00:44.140 --> 00:00:50.640 or blush to speak His name? Must I be carried 00:00:50.640 --> 00:00:57.240 to the skies on flowery beds of ease, while others 00:00:57.240 --> 00:01:01.710 fought to win the prize? and sailed through bloody 00:01:01.710 --> 00:01:09.909 seas. Are there no foes for me to face? Must 00:01:09.909 --> 00:01:17.510 I not stem the flood? Is this vile world a friend 00:01:17.510 --> 00:01:30.590 to grace? To help me unto God? This world, by 00:01:30.590 --> 00:01:37.849 that I mean this present order of things controlled 00:01:37.849 --> 00:01:43.709 by satanic principles, this world is no friend 00:01:43.709 --> 00:01:48.950 to grace. We too easily forget that and become 00:01:48.950 --> 00:01:54.530 companions of the world. We tend to neglect what 00:01:54.530 --> 00:01:58.420 James clearly states, Friendship with the world 00:01:58.420 --> 00:02:03.819 is hatred toward God. Anyone who chooses to be 00:02:03.819 --> 00:02:07.219 a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 00:02:09.939 --> 00:02:15.199 Those are serious words. You and I live in a 00:02:15.199 --> 00:02:18.520 world order that allures us with its prosperity 00:02:18.520 --> 00:02:24.479 and mesmerizes us with its luxuries and amusements. 00:02:27.180 --> 00:02:37.879 God wants something more of us than that. As 00:02:37.879 --> 00:02:42.620 persons committed to Jesus Christ, as men and 00:02:42.620 --> 00:02:48.479 women of God, it is expected by the Lord that 00:02:48.479 --> 00:02:52.759 we will not make it our aim to be friends with 00:02:52.759 --> 00:02:56.939 the world. That we will not make it our goal 00:02:56.939 --> 00:03:01.340 in life to share in the world's values That we 00:03:01.340 --> 00:03:04.879 will not seek the affluence and luxuries that 00:03:04.879 --> 00:03:09.659 the world seeks God expects that we will live 00:03:09.659 --> 00:03:14.520 differently than that That we will see this life 00:03:14.520 --> 00:03:19.099 as an opportunity to serve him and not ourselves 00:03:19.099 --> 00:03:24.580 But what does it mean? to serve God in a world 00:03:24.580 --> 00:03:31.819 like ours. How do we serve God well in this world? 00:03:32.680 --> 00:03:36.039 In this world with this environment where we 00:03:36.039 --> 00:03:42.039 frankly don't feel much need for God. Because 00:03:42.039 --> 00:03:47.039 we have so many things. In this world where we 00:03:48.300 --> 00:03:51.979 have difficulty finding obvious reasons as to 00:03:51.979 --> 00:03:56.740 why we should leave our pursuits, our fishing 00:03:56.740 --> 00:04:05.060 to follow Jesus Christ. Serving well, serving 00:04:05.060 --> 00:04:10.919 God well in a materialistic, moneyed society 00:04:10.919 --> 00:04:15.460 means taking up several positions, several postures 00:04:15.460 --> 00:04:18.519 if you please. And those are explained to us 00:04:18.519 --> 00:04:22.379 in our text today, 1 Timothy chapter 6, beginning 00:04:22.379 --> 00:04:30.459 in verse 11. But flee from these things, you 00:04:30.459 --> 00:04:36.360 man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, 00:04:37.199 --> 00:04:42.639 faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight 00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:46.759 the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal 00:04:46.759 --> 00:04:50.459 life to which you were called and you made the 00:04:50.459 --> 00:04:53.139 good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 00:04:54.420 --> 00:04:58.740 I charge you in the presence of God who gives 00:04:58.740 --> 00:05:03.120 life to all things and of Christ Jesus who testified 00:05:03.120 --> 00:05:07.420 the good confession before Pontius Pilate that 00:05:07.420 --> 00:05:11.519 you keep the commandment without stain or reproach 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:14.759 until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 00:05:15.779 --> 00:05:18.899 which He will bring about at the proper time. 00:05:19.879 --> 00:05:22.519 He who is the blessed and only sovereign, the 00:05:22.519 --> 00:05:26.740 King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses 00:05:26.740 --> 00:05:31.100 immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, 00:05:32.079 --> 00:05:37.240 whom no man has seen or can see, to Him be honor 00:05:37.240 --> 00:05:44.089 and eternal dominion. Amen. Notice with me the 00:05:44.089 --> 00:05:48.870 three postures, the three positions that we must 00:05:48.870 --> 00:05:51.949 take if we are to serve God well in a world like 00:05:51.949 --> 00:05:59.009 ours. First, God's servants must flee ungodly 00:05:59.009 --> 00:06:04.750 motives. There is a time to run. Sometimes running 00:06:04.750 --> 00:06:11.079 is cowardly, but there is a time to run. Joseph 00:06:11.079 --> 00:06:15.579 gave us one example, didn't he? And frankly, 00:06:15.819 --> 00:06:19.959 so did David when he wisely fled from Saul's 00:06:19.959 --> 00:06:24.660 presence. Here in this text we see that it is 00:06:24.660 --> 00:06:30.120 wise to run, that is to flee, from sinful ungodly 00:06:30.120 --> 00:06:34.860 motives like those that control the false teachers 00:06:34.860 --> 00:06:40.050 that Paul has been warning about. To live with 00:06:40.050 --> 00:06:46.829 the motive like they had of personal gain for 00:06:46.829 --> 00:06:53.649 one's own enjoyment is ungodly. Now I want to 00:06:53.649 --> 00:06:55.709 make it clear that it's not a bad thing to be 00:06:55.709 --> 00:07:01.610 rich. God blesses some with wealth. Nor is it 00:07:01.610 --> 00:07:05.269 sinful to work hard or to make money in an honorable 00:07:05.269 --> 00:07:10.110 way. But what we have to be on guard against 00:07:10.110 --> 00:07:15.790 is allowing money to become our motivator We 00:07:15.790 --> 00:07:20.189 have to be on guard against money love Greed 00:07:20.189 --> 00:07:24.069 is a major motivator in our world It drives people 00:07:24.069 --> 00:07:26.449 to do things they would never think of doing 00:07:26.449 --> 00:07:31.430 otherwise It causes them to sacrifice their marriages 00:07:31.430 --> 00:07:37.160 It causes them to neglect their families It causes 00:07:37.160 --> 00:07:39.600 them to be unconcerned about their own health, 00:07:40.339 --> 00:07:44.839 of body or of soul, to sacrifice their character, 00:07:46.060 --> 00:07:53.319 and to wander from their faith. Greed is a popular 00:07:53.319 --> 00:07:56.100 motivator, and there is none more destructive. 00:07:57.959 --> 00:08:01.620 We live in the Mecca of materialism, the United 00:08:01.620 --> 00:08:06.420 States of America. Our nation is considered the 00:08:06.420 --> 00:08:09.379 promised land by nearly everyone in the world. 00:08:11.240 --> 00:08:13.379 On our recent trip to the Middle East, I talked 00:08:13.379 --> 00:08:18.920 to several individuals of several ethnic backgrounds 00:08:18.920 --> 00:08:23.199 who said to me that their goal in life was to 00:08:23.199 --> 00:08:30.680 come to America and to make money. How does it 00:08:30.680 --> 00:08:35.629 make you feel as an American? to hear those kinds 00:08:35.629 --> 00:08:37.309 of words and for people to think that that's 00:08:37.309 --> 00:08:40.470 what our nation is about. But what else are they 00:08:40.470 --> 00:08:43.129 to think when all they know of America is what 00:08:43.129 --> 00:08:48.950 they see produced in Hollywood? We live in the 00:08:48.950 --> 00:08:55.429 Mecca of materialism. And we fall danger into 00:08:55.429 --> 00:09:02.470 the danger of the false religion of money love. 00:09:05.159 --> 00:09:09.080 Those who live like the some people that Paul 00:09:09.080 --> 00:09:13.039 mentions in verse 10 of this chapter Those who 00:09:13.039 --> 00:09:18.220 love money who love money rather than God Those 00:09:18.220 --> 00:09:23.600 who fall into those categories Place themselves 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:28.659 into great danger For they seeking to set their 00:09:28.659 --> 00:09:33.539 course toward becoming rich wander from the faith 00:09:33.870 --> 00:09:39.330 and pierced themselves through with many griefs. 00:09:39.370 --> 00:09:45.009 What a tragic, tragic way to live. Listen to 00:09:45.009 --> 00:09:53.409 the words of this song. It is a song. I have 00:09:53.409 --> 00:09:58.769 a son, a little son, a boy completely fine. When 00:09:58.769 --> 00:10:02.330 I see him, it seems to me that all the world 00:10:02.330 --> 00:10:08.649 is mine. But seldom, seldom do I see my child 00:10:08.649 --> 00:10:12.809 awake and bright. I only see him when he sleeps. 00:10:13.629 --> 00:10:17.950 I'm only home at night. It's early when I leave 00:10:17.950 --> 00:10:22.210 for work. When I return, it's late. Unknown to 00:10:22.210 --> 00:10:28.230 me is my own flesh. Unknown is my child's face. 00:10:29.590 --> 00:10:33.220 When I come home so wearily, in the darkness 00:10:33.220 --> 00:10:38.639 after day. My pale wife exclaims to me, you should 00:10:38.639 --> 00:10:44.080 have seen our child at play. I stand beside his 00:10:44.080 --> 00:10:49.600 little bed. I look and try to hear. In his dream 00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:59.740 he moves his lips. Why isn't daddy here? That 00:10:59.740 --> 00:11:07.159 song was written eighteen A hundred years later, 00:11:07.820 --> 00:11:13.919 it's only gotten worse. We as people who name 00:11:13.919 --> 00:11:18.960 the name of Jesus Christ must flee wrong incentives, 00:11:20.559 --> 00:11:24.399 those motives that are ungodly, that cause us 00:11:24.399 --> 00:11:27.139 to sacrifice those things in life that are truly 00:11:27.139 --> 00:11:31.799 valuable. Those motives that cause us to waste 00:11:31.799 --> 00:11:37.039 life from an eternal perspective. We learned 00:11:37.039 --> 00:11:41.440 last week that godliness governs how we appraise 00:11:41.440 --> 00:11:48.740 things. May our God -centeredness cause us to 00:11:48.740 --> 00:11:52.600 appraise things rightly and never to put them 00:11:52.600 --> 00:11:55.740 in the place of number one priority in our lives. 00:11:56.620 --> 00:12:00.440 Why? Not only because it's sinful, because it 00:12:00.440 --> 00:12:05.700 leads to a life of multiplied sorrows. We must 00:12:05.700 --> 00:12:08.539 allow the Holy Spirit to sift through our motives 00:12:08.539 --> 00:12:12.100 regularly, lest any of us become deceived by 00:12:12.100 --> 00:12:16.879 the hardness of our own hearts. Why is it that 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:22.740 we are so vulnerable to the love of money? I 00:12:22.740 --> 00:12:27.159 believe at its root it's because we have conformed 00:12:27.159 --> 00:12:33.279 ourselves to the secular worldview. The secular 00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:37.639 worldview promotes the value that the only reality 00:12:37.639 --> 00:12:43.120 there is is here and now. There's nothing after 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:48.000 this. And that is not in our doctrinal statement, 00:12:48.320 --> 00:12:50.700 ladies and gentlemen, but it is in our life's 00:12:50.700 --> 00:12:58.440 statement that we believe that. That is why we 00:12:58.440 --> 00:13:01.159 begin with this urgent word from the apostle. 00:13:01.919 --> 00:13:05.840 That we must flee these things. We need to run 00:13:05.840 --> 00:13:15.539 from them. We need to run from them. To serve 00:13:15.539 --> 00:13:18.360 God well in a world like ours secondly means 00:13:18.360 --> 00:13:21.899 taking the posture of following after other things. 00:13:22.899 --> 00:13:27.320 For God's servant must follow godly traits. Notice 00:13:27.320 --> 00:13:33.379 he says, pursue. And then he lists six qualities 00:13:33.379 --> 00:13:37.620 of life. To pursue means to track down these 00:13:37.620 --> 00:13:40.360 things. It is a word that would fit well with 00:13:40.360 --> 00:13:43.679 those of you who love to hunt. For it's the word 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:48.039 of the hunter who is tracking his query. It means 00:13:48.039 --> 00:13:53.029 to chase after these things. So while on the 00:13:53.029 --> 00:13:55.129 one hand he says if we're going to serve God 00:13:55.129 --> 00:13:58.590 well in this world we have to flee ungodly motives, 00:13:59.090 --> 00:14:04.070 we must also follow after godly characteristics, 00:14:04.909 --> 00:14:08.470 godly traits in our lives. There are six of them 00:14:08.470 --> 00:14:14.769 listed here. Righteousness is the first. We are 00:14:14.769 --> 00:14:18.409 to follow after, we are to pursue and hunt down 00:14:18.409 --> 00:14:24.100 righteousness. Righteousness refers to integrity. 00:14:27.179 --> 00:14:32.879 It means adding to our lives the character quality 00:14:32.879 --> 00:14:37.100 of doing what is right before God, whatever the 00:14:37.100 --> 00:14:42.659 price. Being a man, being a woman of personal 00:14:42.659 --> 00:14:48.559 integrity. We are to hunt down godliness. We're 00:14:48.559 --> 00:14:54.059 to bag it. Godliness means to live with God at 00:14:54.059 --> 00:14:58.000 the control center of our lives. Or as one other 00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:01.039 writer put it, it means to practice the presence 00:15:01.039 --> 00:15:07.860 of God. It means to see God as part of my everyday 00:15:07.860 --> 00:15:12.039 routine. To realize that what I am doing, I am 00:15:12.039 --> 00:15:16.139 doing in His sight. That keeps God in the very 00:15:16.139 --> 00:15:22.870 center, the control center. We're to pursue godliness, 00:15:23.029 --> 00:15:26.350 and with it, we're to pursue faith. Faith means 00:15:26.350 --> 00:15:29.149 to trust God. It means to allow Him to prove 00:15:29.149 --> 00:15:34.570 Himself in our life circumstances. I mean, if 00:15:34.570 --> 00:15:36.669 you've got a credit card, why you need to wait 00:15:36.669 --> 00:15:41.950 for God to prove Himself? We can provide so much 00:15:41.950 --> 00:15:45.309 for ourselves in this materialistic world, how 00:15:45.309 --> 00:15:52.240 difficult it is to pursue faith. When we do, 00:15:52.279 --> 00:15:57.000 it means that we're going to stop worrying. When 00:15:57.000 --> 00:16:00.080 we bag faith, it means that we're going to stop 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:04.539 getting angry at God because we don't get our 00:16:04.539 --> 00:16:08.539 way. It means we're going to stop complaining. 00:16:09.600 --> 00:16:12.200 And we're going to learn to rest in the arms 00:16:12.200 --> 00:16:18.799 of omnipotence. Pursue faith. And with it, love. 00:16:19.659 --> 00:16:22.360 Love is that which seeks the welfare of others, 00:16:22.620 --> 00:16:27.320 even those undeserving. Love seeks no payback. 00:16:28.399 --> 00:16:30.940 Love gives no thought of personal gain. It's 00:16:30.940 --> 00:16:34.460 just the opposite of money love, which is all 00:16:34.460 --> 00:16:37.759 about gaining for oneself. Love means I give 00:16:37.759 --> 00:16:44.860 of myself to others. I am to follow after love 00:16:44.860 --> 00:16:50.009 and to pursue perseverance. Perseverance means 00:16:50.009 --> 00:16:53.950 holding steadfast under pressure and adversity. 00:16:55.409 --> 00:16:58.309 When I see this word I think of a man like John 00:16:58.309 --> 00:17:02.649 Bunyan who merely because he was a preacher of 00:17:02.649 --> 00:17:05.910 the gospel of Jesus Christ and he would not compromise 00:17:05.910 --> 00:17:12.210 his message was taken away from his family and 00:17:12.210 --> 00:17:17.410 put him to jail in Bedford England for 12 years. 00:17:19.589 --> 00:17:26.250 12 years of his life. And he endured. And oh, 00:17:26.250 --> 00:17:29.210 what purpose God had in that, for in those years 00:17:29.210 --> 00:17:36.609 he wrote his classic Pilgrim's Progress. He pursued 00:17:36.609 --> 00:17:40.509 and found perseverance. Perseverance means when 00:17:40.509 --> 00:17:43.990 life is tough, we have the courage to continue 00:17:43.990 --> 00:17:48.529 on in the right direction. And then gentleness. 00:17:50.179 --> 00:17:54.680 Gentleness almost seems out of place in a macho 00:17:54.680 --> 00:17:58.599 world like ours, but gentleness we are to seek. 00:17:59.799 --> 00:18:03.799 It means to treat others with courtesy and reasonableness. 00:18:05.019 --> 00:18:08.599 It is the opposite of a contentious spirit. Someone 00:18:08.599 --> 00:18:15.400 has defined it as power under control. In our 00:18:15.400 --> 00:18:18.319 world, if you have power, use it to get your 00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:24.099 way. In God's order, we have power that is under 00:18:24.099 --> 00:18:29.079 control. And it expresses itself in gentleness, 00:18:29.400 --> 00:18:36.099 a sweet reasonableness in our lives. Now looking 00:18:36.099 --> 00:18:40.240 at those six qualities, can you imagine being 00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:44.160 married to a person like that? Neither can your 00:18:44.160 --> 00:18:50.980 spouse. But this is the sort of life that God 00:18:50.980 --> 00:18:54.880 says we're to follow after. We're to be disciplined 00:18:54.880 --> 00:18:59.339 about it. We're to work hard at it. This is the 00:18:59.339 --> 00:19:01.500 kind of a life that pleases God. And you know 00:19:01.500 --> 00:19:05.599 why? Because it's the kind of a life that Jesus 00:19:05.599 --> 00:19:14.259 lived. Our problem is like a new hunting dog 00:19:14.259 --> 00:19:18.630 I read about. The owner was eager that he might 00:19:18.630 --> 00:19:21.650 test his dog and so one day he took him out hunting 00:19:21.650 --> 00:19:26.349 and before he knew it his dog was Tracking down 00:19:26.349 --> 00:19:29.630 big game. He had picked up the trail of a bear 00:19:29.630 --> 00:19:34.109 And so the hunter followed closely behind Excited 00:19:34.109 --> 00:19:37.450 and then the dog stopped and sniffed the ground 00:19:37.450 --> 00:19:40.109 again and headed off in a different direction 00:19:40.109 --> 00:19:44.829 Whereas he followed that track of the bear a 00:19:44.829 --> 00:19:48.000 deer crossed the path and so he followed the 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:51.380 deer. And then a few moments later he halted 00:19:51.380 --> 00:19:53.799 again and this time he was captivated by the 00:19:53.799 --> 00:19:56.279 scent of a rabbit that had crossed the path of 00:19:56.279 --> 00:19:59.460 the deer. And so on and on it went until finally 00:19:59.460 --> 00:20:01.900 the breathless hunter caught up with his dog 00:20:01.900 --> 00:20:05.579 only to find him barking triumphantly down the 00:20:05.579 --> 00:20:11.500 hole of a field mouse. Isn't that the way it 00:20:11.500 --> 00:20:15.549 is in our pursuing after godliness? We go after 00:20:15.549 --> 00:20:18.289 it hard and then this comes across the path and 00:20:18.289 --> 00:20:20.910 then that and then another. And before we know 00:20:20.910 --> 00:20:28.890 it, what we're pursuing is small game. It's mice 00:20:28.890 --> 00:20:35.250 when God says go after the big stuff. And so, 00:20:35.650 --> 00:20:37.910 if we're going to serve God in this world, it 00:20:37.910 --> 00:20:43.150 means that we have to follow. godly traits. We 00:20:43.150 --> 00:20:45.970 have to pursue them, hunt them down, and bag 00:20:45.970 --> 00:20:51.390 them for ourselves. May God give us a deep heart 00:20:51.390 --> 00:20:58.869 desire for that. The third posture that we are 00:20:58.869 --> 00:21:01.829 to assume if we would serve God well in this 00:21:01.829 --> 00:21:05.630 world is that of fighting. There is a time to 00:21:05.630 --> 00:21:09.589 flee. There is a time to follow. And there is 00:21:09.589 --> 00:21:13.700 a time to fight. What does it mean to fight? 00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:17.839 Well the word here is rich with connotation. 00:21:18.339 --> 00:21:22.960 It is an athletic metaphor. It means to get into 00:21:22.960 --> 00:21:25.839 the ring and to do your very best against your 00:21:25.839 --> 00:21:28.720 opponent. It's a military metaphor that means 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:32.680 to fight against your enemy. From it we get our 00:21:32.680 --> 00:21:37.920 English word agonize. What he says here is agonize 00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:42.839 the good agony. It means to carry on a contest, 00:21:43.299 --> 00:21:46.859 or to strive, or to struggle, to do your very 00:21:46.859 --> 00:21:53.359 best to win the cause. And what is our cause? 00:21:56.000 --> 00:22:01.259 It is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is doing 00:22:01.259 --> 00:22:04.099 everything that we can to see that the truth 00:22:04.099 --> 00:22:08.720 of Jesus is proclaimed to our generation. That's 00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:13.200 our cause. That's our mission. That's the good 00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:17.319 fight. And so he says that we are to agonize 00:22:17.319 --> 00:22:21.700 in that. We are to go after it. We are to strive 00:22:21.700 --> 00:22:28.700 diligently to see that we win the prize. The 00:22:28.700 --> 00:22:32.900 Apostle Paul uses the same concept in 1 Corinthians 00:22:32.900 --> 00:22:35.099 chapter 9, if you want to look back there for 00:22:35.099 --> 00:22:41.920 a moment. He talks how he is willing to accommodate 00:22:41.920 --> 00:22:46.700 his own life for the sake of hearers who don't 00:22:46.700 --> 00:22:50.720 know Christ. He says to the Jews, I'm willing 00:22:50.720 --> 00:22:54.279 to live like a Jew. To a Gentile, I'm willing 00:22:54.279 --> 00:23:00.180 to live like a Gentile. Verse 22, he says, to 00:23:00.180 --> 00:23:03.299 the weak, I have become as weak that I might 00:23:03.299 --> 00:23:07.680 win the week. I've become all things to all men, 00:23:07.700 --> 00:23:13.980 that I by all means may save some. And I do all 00:23:13.980 --> 00:23:17.220 things for the sake of the gospel, that I may 00:23:17.220 --> 00:23:20.480 become a fellow partaker of it. Do you not know 00:23:20.480 --> 00:23:23.460 that those who run in a race all run, but only 00:23:23.460 --> 00:23:26.740 one receives the prize run in such a way that 00:23:26.740 --> 00:23:29.440 you may win? Do you see the same kind of idea 00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:34.180 here? He is saying, I am willing to do whatever 00:23:34.180 --> 00:23:38.410 it... takes in order that the gospel of Jesus 00:23:38.410 --> 00:23:43.529 Christ may be preached. Now, he's not talking 00:23:43.529 --> 00:23:47.150 about doing sinful things. He's not talking about 00:23:47.150 --> 00:23:50.730 compromising righteousness, but he is talking 00:23:50.730 --> 00:23:53.789 about whatever is secondary, whatever is non 00:23:53.789 --> 00:23:56.849 -essential, he's willing to give up in order 00:23:56.849 --> 00:23:59.509 that he might be able to communicate the gospel 00:23:59.509 --> 00:24:05.240 to people where they're at. And he says therefore 00:24:05.240 --> 00:24:08.839 I run and he goes on to say I beat myself black 00:24:08.839 --> 00:24:11.920 and blue He didn't mean that literally but he 00:24:11.920 --> 00:24:16.920 meant he was disciplining himself So that he 00:24:16.920 --> 00:24:20.539 might win the prize do you care if you win the 00:24:20.539 --> 00:24:27.400 prize? Paul says fight the good fight fight the 00:24:27.400 --> 00:24:31.279 good fight and the point of it all is the advance 00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:36.279 of the faith against It's enemies. That is, the 00:24:36.279 --> 00:24:40.019 spiritual powers that seek to blind people to 00:24:40.019 --> 00:24:45.099 the Gospel. The fleshly weaknesses, the worldly 00:24:45.099 --> 00:24:48.400 hostility that is against the Gospel. You see, 00:24:48.519 --> 00:24:56.640 we're in a real war. Some of you are too young 00:24:56.640 --> 00:25:00.240 to remember the Vietnam War. That's hard for 00:25:00.240 --> 00:25:04.710 me to believe. But some of you read about it 00:25:04.710 --> 00:25:10.730 in the history books. It was such a part of our 00:25:10.730 --> 00:25:18.869 lives for a number of years. And yet, it was 00:25:18.869 --> 00:25:21.390 only the demonstrations in America that seemed 00:25:21.390 --> 00:25:26.670 to bring the war home. It's easy when war is 00:25:26.670 --> 00:25:33.079 over there. to almost imagine that it's a game, 00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:38.039 that it's not real, because you're not in it. 00:25:39.519 --> 00:25:43.900 It almost seems imaginary, but that didn't make 00:25:43.900 --> 00:25:50.579 Vietnam any less real. There was war. There was 00:25:50.579 --> 00:25:57.660 war. And sometimes, we almost play at this thing 00:25:57.660 --> 00:26:01.690 of advancing the Gospel. You know, it's sort 00:26:01.690 --> 00:26:03.829 of, well, yeah, sure, that's what we're supposed 00:26:03.829 --> 00:26:08.569 to do. That's, you know, sure. We believe in 00:26:08.569 --> 00:26:11.930 missions. We believe in evangelism. Sure, people 00:26:11.930 --> 00:26:14.710 ought to give out Jesus videos, but that's for 00:26:14.710 --> 00:26:18.529 somebody else. I don't have time for these things. 00:26:19.369 --> 00:26:25.720 That's not my concern. The apostle says if we're 00:26:25.720 --> 00:26:28.279 going to serve God in this will, we had better 00:26:28.279 --> 00:26:32.259 well take note that we're at war. And the cause 00:26:32.259 --> 00:26:35.220 that we have is the advance of the gospel and 00:26:35.220 --> 00:26:38.019 the whole world system is opposed to that. And 00:26:38.019 --> 00:26:41.220 the devil is opposed to that. And our own fleshly 00:26:41.220 --> 00:26:45.940 weaknesses are opposed to that. It's a fight. 00:26:48.660 --> 00:26:53.559 But he says fight the good fight. Do it. Get 00:26:53.559 --> 00:26:58.559 involved in the fray in order that the war may 00:26:58.559 --> 00:27:02.319 be won. How do we do it? Well, he tells us to 00:27:02.319 --> 00:27:06.759 take hold or to get a good handle on eternal 00:27:06.759 --> 00:27:09.880 life. That doesn't mean that we get a hold of 00:27:09.880 --> 00:27:12.200 it to have it. It means that we have it. Now 00:27:12.200 --> 00:27:16.700 we're to get a hold of it. We're to use our position 00:27:16.700 --> 00:27:20.980 in Jesus Christ. We are to take the authority 00:27:20.980 --> 00:27:26.799 that He has delegated to us in hand. We're to 00:27:26.799 --> 00:27:29.680 understand who we are in Jesus Christ, what our 00:27:29.680 --> 00:27:33.180 position is in prayer, the power that He has 00:27:33.180 --> 00:27:35.480 given us in the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. 00:27:35.740 --> 00:27:39.660 We're to take hold of eternal life. And in the 00:27:39.660 --> 00:27:42.299 power and the privilege of eternal life, we're 00:27:42.299 --> 00:27:48.369 to advance the gospel. And so a servant of God 00:27:48.369 --> 00:27:52.369 will serve well when he assumes this posture 00:27:52.369 --> 00:27:56.210 of fighting the good fight for the advance of 00:27:56.210 --> 00:28:00.789 the faith. Now the apostle sums it up to Timothy 00:28:00.789 --> 00:28:07.829 and to us by saying, I charge you, keep the commandment. 00:28:10.069 --> 00:28:12.990 Now what does he mean by the commandment? Well 00:28:12.990 --> 00:28:15.430 the best answer seems to be all that what he's 00:28:15.430 --> 00:28:18.829 just talked about. He sort of lumps it all together 00:28:18.829 --> 00:28:25.710 and he says, Timothy, keep it. Keep this commandment 00:28:25.710 --> 00:28:30.869 without stain, without reproach. That is, Timothy 00:28:30.869 --> 00:28:34.829 keep it so that your record of life in the world 00:28:34.829 --> 00:28:39.150 will be unblemished. So that your reputation 00:28:39.150 --> 00:28:43.869 will be untarnished when you get to heaven. Keep 00:28:43.869 --> 00:28:48.400 the commandment. Flee, follow, fight. Timothy, 00:28:48.740 --> 00:28:54.200 be serious about it. Now what is it that's going 00:28:54.200 --> 00:28:57.900 to keep Timothy motivated to do it? What's going 00:28:57.900 --> 00:29:02.339 to keep us motivated to do what he tells us to 00:29:02.339 --> 00:29:07.319 do? Well, he goes on to tell him that it's the 00:29:07.319 --> 00:29:12.400 appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. That which 00:29:12.400 --> 00:29:15.579 will keep us motivated is what the future holds 00:29:15.579 --> 00:29:19.779 and what the future holds is the coming of Jesus 00:29:19.779 --> 00:29:24.299 Christ Boy, it's hard to remember that living 00:29:24.299 --> 00:29:30.380 in an affluent America Where the Millennium has 00:29:30.380 --> 00:29:38.660 already come If we value things Where we have 00:29:38.660 --> 00:29:42.430 so much where we don't want Jesus to come and 00:29:42.430 --> 00:29:47.390 interrupt our comfortable lives. It's hard to 00:29:47.390 --> 00:29:50.529 remember that the future holds the coming of 00:29:50.529 --> 00:29:57.990 Jesus Christ. Paul says to Timothy, it does. 00:29:59.049 --> 00:30:02.930 And don't forget it. This Jesus Christ, he says, 00:30:03.049 --> 00:30:07.740 is the one who testified before Pilate. What 00:30:07.740 --> 00:30:13.019 an encouraging example Jesus was in testifying 00:30:13.019 --> 00:30:15.779 before Pilate. Let me ask you something, did 00:30:15.779 --> 00:30:18.940 he show righteousness and personal integrity? 00:30:19.599 --> 00:30:24.920 Oh yes, he did. When Jesus testified before Pilate, 00:30:24.960 --> 00:30:30.700 was his father in control of his will? Absolutely. 00:30:31.200 --> 00:30:33.619 The night before he had prayed, not my will but 00:30:33.619 --> 00:30:37.150 yours be done. When He testified before Pilate, 00:30:37.369 --> 00:30:43.930 was He relying upon God's promises, His Father's 00:30:43.930 --> 00:30:48.950 Word? Yes. When He stood before Pilate, did He 00:30:48.950 --> 00:30:53.109 manifest love? Absolutely. That's what it was 00:30:53.109 --> 00:30:57.710 all about. He loved us and gave Himself for us. 00:30:58.250 --> 00:31:01.089 When He stood before Pilate, was He steadfast 00:31:01.089 --> 00:31:05.990 under pressure? Did He persevere? Yes. and such 00:31:05.990 --> 00:31:10.069 intense pressure as we will never know. When 00:31:10.069 --> 00:31:15.029 Jesus stood before Pilate, was He gentle? Did 00:31:15.029 --> 00:31:20.170 He evidence power that was under control? Completely. 00:31:22.410 --> 00:31:25.529 You see, all that we are to follow after is what 00:31:25.529 --> 00:31:31.529 Jesus showed in His trial before Pilate. It's 00:31:31.529 --> 00:31:36.599 Jesus who is coming again. He's the one who now 00:31:36.599 --> 00:31:40.579 reigns on a throne of omnipotence. He possesses 00:31:40.579 --> 00:31:44.680 life. He is immortal. What that means is that 00:31:44.680 --> 00:31:49.380 he is not subject to death. That is intrinsic 00:31:49.380 --> 00:31:58.819 to him. It is not intrinsic to us. In fact we 00:31:58.819 --> 00:32:02.480 are very mortal. Only when Christ comes again 00:32:02.480 --> 00:32:07.619 will we receive our immortal bodies. These bodies 00:32:07.619 --> 00:32:11.279 are subject to death. He is not. He is the source 00:32:11.279 --> 00:32:14.539 of life. He possesses immortality. He dwells 00:32:14.539 --> 00:32:20.099 in light, representing his holiness here. He 00:32:20.099 --> 00:32:24.220 is invisible to the human eye in his essential 00:32:24.220 --> 00:32:29.539 spiritual nature. He does manifest Himself to 00:32:29.539 --> 00:32:32.779 us in Jesus Christ, but His essential nature 00:32:32.779 --> 00:32:38.319 cannot be seen by human eyes. This is Jesus Christ. 00:32:39.299 --> 00:32:41.900 He's the one who will yet appear, says Paul. 00:32:42.539 --> 00:32:45.759 His manifestation is coming, the time when He 00:32:45.759 --> 00:32:50.140 will disclose Himself to us. And that will be 00:32:50.140 --> 00:32:53.220 at the right time, at the proper time, the appropriate 00:32:53.220 --> 00:32:59.099 time. And it's coming. It could happen at any 00:32:59.099 --> 00:33:03.940 moment. That's why you and I will serve God well 00:33:03.940 --> 00:33:08.359 when we remember that truth. Because if Jesus 00:33:08.359 --> 00:33:11.119 is coming at any moment, we want to be found 00:33:11.119 --> 00:33:17.019 faithful when he comes. One day there was a traveler 00:33:17.019 --> 00:33:20.359 in Switzerland who had discovered a beautiful, 00:33:20.359 --> 00:33:25.920 secluded estate. located on the shores of a tranquil, 00:33:25.980 --> 00:33:30.299 beautiful lake. He knocked at the garden gate 00:33:30.299 --> 00:33:33.500 and there he was met by the aged caretaker who 00:33:33.500 --> 00:33:38.420 asked him to come in. The guardian seemed very 00:33:38.420 --> 00:33:43.740 glad to see someone, anyone. And so the tourist 00:33:43.740 --> 00:33:48.799 asked, how long have you been here? The man replied, 00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:54.299 well, a very, very long time. And how often has 00:33:54.299 --> 00:33:59.779 the owner of this estate returned? Just four 00:33:59.779 --> 00:34:05.799 times, said the man. When was he here last? the 00:34:05.799 --> 00:34:10.420 tourist asked. The man replied many years ago. 00:34:10.940 --> 00:34:15.460 I'm almost always alone. It's very seldom that 00:34:15.460 --> 00:34:21.000 even a stranger like you visits me. And yet said 00:34:21.000 --> 00:34:23.619 the tourist, you have this garden in such perfect 00:34:23.619 --> 00:34:25.960 order and everything is flourishing as if you 00:34:25.960 --> 00:34:30.679 were expecting your master tomorrow. Oh, no, 00:34:30.699 --> 00:34:34.699 sir, said the caretaker. I have fixed his gardens 00:34:34.699 --> 00:34:42.099 as if he were coming today. You see, it is that 00:34:42.099 --> 00:34:45.940 spirit. It is the essence of that when it captures 00:34:45.940 --> 00:34:51.170 our hearts that Jesus is coming. perhaps today, 00:34:53.530 --> 00:34:56.550 that we will have what it takes in a world like 00:34:56.550 --> 00:35:01.449 we live in, with all of its allurements, all 00:35:01.449 --> 00:35:04.610 of its false religion, all of its money love. 00:35:06.869 --> 00:35:09.489 When that captures us, we'll have what it takes 00:35:09.489 --> 00:35:14.510 to flee ungodly motives, to follow after godly 00:35:14.510 --> 00:35:18.739 traits like Jesus showed before Pilate. To fight 00:35:18.739 --> 00:35:21.039 the good fight and to see that the gospel of 00:35:21.039 --> 00:35:26.179 Christ is advanced at every cost in every place 00:35:26.179 --> 00:35:34.739 Let's pray When Jesus comes our service will 00:35:34.739 --> 00:35:39.900 then be finished When Jesus comes our service 00:35:39.900 --> 00:35:44.460 will be examined When Jesus comes our service 00:35:44.460 --> 00:35:53.340 will be rewarded Oh, men and women of God, listen. 00:35:57.079 --> 00:36:06.139 Flee. There's a time to run. Follow. There are 00:36:06.139 --> 00:36:13.599 things to pursue and fight. There is a time to 00:36:13.599 --> 00:36:18.110 fight. the good fight of faith, and it's now. 00:36:20.469 --> 00:36:24.650 Father, write this message, I pray, deep within 00:36:24.650 --> 00:36:28.849 our hearts. And may every one of us who knows 00:36:28.849 --> 00:36:35.170 Jesus Christ personally, who names His name, 00:36:35.250 --> 00:36:39.909 who calls Himself a Christian, may we live like 00:36:39.909 --> 00:36:45.000 it. May we live like it, even in the world. like 00:36:45.000 --> 00:37:17.659 ours. Let's sing together. Let us stand together 00:37:17.659 --> 00:37:25.440 please. And now Lord Jesus, you the one who is 00:37:25.440 --> 00:37:31.960 immortal, the one who is holy into whose presence 00:37:31.960 --> 00:37:39.340 no man in his flesh may come, you the manifestation 00:37:39.340 --> 00:37:42.800 of the invisible God, in your name we commit 00:37:42.800 --> 00:37:46.969 ourselves. to be your people. In your name we 00:37:46.969 --> 00:37:49.429 pray for the fullness of the Holy Spirit in our 00:37:49.429 --> 00:37:53.829 lives so that whatever our circumstances, however 00:37:53.829 --> 00:37:56.909 we have come in this morning feeling about life, 00:37:57.510 --> 00:38:00.369 may we go out from here understanding who we 00:38:00.369 --> 00:38:03.670 are, what our job is, what you want of us, and 00:38:03.670 --> 00:38:09.190 determined in our heart to be men and women of 00:38:09.190 --> 00:38:14.840 God, your faithful servants. Amen.