FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JANUARY 14, 2024.

SUBJECT: FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH!

Memory verse: "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." (First Timothy 6 vs 12.)

READ: Second Timothy 4 vs 1 - 8:

4:1: I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom;

4:2: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

4:3: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears away from the truth, they will heap up for themselves teachers;

4:4: and they will turn away their ears from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

4:5: But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

4:6: For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.

4:7: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

4:8: Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will give me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

INTIMATION:

Christianity is religion that anchors on our faith in God the Father and Jesus Christ—His Son, and the exercising of that faith in our day to day lives. It is not a passive religion that advocates waiting for God to act while we watch. Your believe or faith must be active; training, working hard, sacrificing, and doing what you know is right. 

It is a faithful calling by God into relationship with Him, and fellowship with His Son. He is calling you to come and walk with His Son, to live with Him, to carry on the Son's work in His absence. The “calling” is hard work in obedience and discipline. 

But the beauty of the work is that you are not alone; an Helper—the Holy Spirit, has been freely given to us by God the Father and the Son to help us in the fight. To fight the good fight of faith is to allow faith in God do its work in you. It’s to contend perseveringly against opposition and temptations of your faith in God. The main elements of faith in its relation to the invisible God are (1) a firm conviction, producing a full acknowledgement of God’s revelation or truth; (2) a personal surrender to Him; (3) a conduct inspired by such surrender. All these elements are given prominence in the life of the believer.

As followers of Christ, our goal is to know Him, to be like Him, and to be all He had in mind for us. This goal should take all of our energies, and not let anything take our eyes off our goal—knowing Christ. With the single-mindedness of an athlete in training, we must lay aside everything harmful and forsake anything that may distract us from being effective Christians. It takes hard work, self-denial, and grueling preparation, and requires us to give up whatever endangers our relationship with God, while running with endurance, and struggling against sin with the power of the Holy Spirit. To live effectively, we must keep our eye on Jesus, and we must always keep Him at sight. We are running toward our heavenly reward, and the essential disciplines of prayer, Bible study, and worship equip us to run with vigor and stamina. 

The winning streak in our faith fight is self-discipline, and it requires an honest look at your strengths and weaknesses, with emphasis on the latter. It means building the will to say no when a powerful appetite inside you screams yes. For example, when you have self-discipline, you can (1) say no to friends or situations that will lead you away from Christ, (2) say no to casual sex, saving intimacy for marriage, and (3) say no to laziness in favor of “can do” and “will do.” Self-discipline is a long, steady course in learning attitudes that do not come naturally, but requires channeling natural appetites toward God’s purposes. 

In the passage we read today, the apostle told his spiritual son, Timothy, the things to do in his good fight of faith; preach the Good News—the gospel—to take a stand for Christ and tell others about His love, as it is the most important responsibility Christ has given to the Body of Christ and its members. It may be inconvenient, but he must be prepared for, courageous in, and sensitive to God-given opportunities to tell the Good News. He said he should be convincing in his message, rebuking his hearers for their wrongdoings, and exhorting them—urging them strongly in the right attitudes. And he should be sensitive in his work of ministry, keeping a clear mind in every situation so as to be morally alert to temptation, resistant to pressures, and vigilant when facing responsibilities.

The Scripture, in Hebrews 12 vs 1 - 2, is a perfect reference to encourage us in the fight. It says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” 

We have read in the Bible of many that fought the good fight of faith and prevailed (See Hebrews chapter 11), and have so many great cloud of witnesses around us today. This simply tells us it is doable. To effectively run the race that God has set before us, we must not let anything deter us; life’s circumstances, worldly pleasures, and pressures, and so on. We must strip off the excess weight that slows us down. 

How can we do that? (1) Be God-focused, “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” (2) On worldly pleasures and pressures, drop certain activities that are distractions to your heavenly race, wisely choose friends who are also committed to the race. Wrong friends will have values and activities that may deter you from the course. Much of your own weight may result from the crowd you run with. (3) Get help for addictions that disable you. For instance, if you have a secret weight such as pornography, gambling, or alcohol, admit your need and get help today.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with a warrior spirit to enable me fight the good fight of faith, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of my faith, and to endure to the end so as to receive the crown of glory—eternal life with You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!