Fighting the Good Fight! -- 2 Timothy 4:6-22
Fighting the Good Fight! -- 2 Timothy 4:6-22
October 12, 2008 AM
By Pastor Lee Hemen
In the preceding music video by the band Amberlin called “The Unwinding Cable Car,” it asks a series of questions about a person’s life, “What makes us who we are?” “What hardships will you face?” “What hardships will you overcome?” “What makes you happy?” “If you could do it all over again, what would you change?” “Relationships?” “Choices?” “Direction?” “What experience would you relive?” But the most important one I believe is: “What will you be remembered for?” What we are remembered for in life speaks to the heart of who we are and what we lived for.
Paul knew this to be true. He was facing perhaps the end of his life. He was imprisoned and did not know the final outcome. We find him writing his friend Timothy who needed encouragement in his own life. In these last few verses Paul teaches what it truly means for Christians to live lives to the fullest for Jesus Christ. He relates to us how we can fight the good fight. Let’s discover how, shall we?
READ: 2 Timothy 4:6-22
We live in a world that does everything in its power to either ignore death or to make it seem like it should never happen. The truth is: Death is part of life. The moment you are born, you are headed for the moment of your death. Now, least you think I am trying to be morbid or something, I am not. What many Christians need once in a while is a good dose of sober reality and to be reminded that where death once reigned in victory, it has no sting for the believer anymore! When Paul asked “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” he also confidently replies, “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:55, 57) This is why Paul wrote Timothy that in fighting the good fight we must remember that…
I. Every day brings us closer to our death! (vv. 6-8)
1. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (Romans 14:8) Unlike a lot of folks, Paul had no illusions or unrealistic opinions about his life. He knew that he was “already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time [had] come for [his] departure.” Paul had “fought the good fight,” but more than that he also had “finished the race” well. How could he say that? Because he knew he had “kept the faith” of Christ that had been entrusted to him as God’s messenger for the gospel. Using the graphic examples of the Greek games, Paul reminds his readers and himself that he had “fought the good fight.” He could see the finish line to the race he was running in life and the prize that was “in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day!” Wow! Paul knew that all Christians should be reminded to take the same view: “And not only to me,” he wrote, “but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” It is not a fatalist view of life, but rather one that embodies the work of the Lord that has been entrusted to us as Christians and also reminds us that every day brings us closer to our death.
EXAMPLE: What would you write if you only had hours to live? This was the concern for miners caught in a mine collapse in rural West Virginia. Tragically, all but one of the miners were found dead. Grief was compounded with anger and a desire to blame someone. At one of the funerals, however, Reverend Wease Day asked the hurting to look in a different direction—within. Bill Crowder writes that “During their last hours, some of the miners had written notes to their families, in some cases offering comfort and hope. In light of that, Pastor Day urged his congregation not to seek to fix blame. He instead challenged them to imagine what they would write in a farewell note if they had only hours to live. In some ways we are like those miners. We are trapped in a dark world and are facing physical death. How we live our lives as followers of Christ becomes our ‘note’ to the world.” Never forget that in fighting the good fight that every day brings us closer to our death!
We love to sing that the battle belongs to the Lord, but few of us live that way. We have forgotten that we are in the midst of a great war. As Martin Luther wrote, “And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us. The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure; one little word shall fell him.” That “word” is Jesus. The Apostle John writes, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:14) This is important for Christians to never forget. In fact, Paul wrote that in fighting the good fight we must remember…
II. The One who goes into the battle with us! (vv. 17-18)
1. Jesus related, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Paul knew that “the Lord stood at [his] side” and had given him “strength,” so that through Paul “the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.” Jesus had gone into battle with Paul. Paul knew that it was Jesus who had, like God with Daniel, “delivered [him] from the lion's mouth.” Just as Moses promised Joshua, “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged,” (Deuteronomy 31:8) Christ promised that those who went out in His name would have Him right there by their side as well. When Paul had faced severe persecution for sharing his faith to the Corinthians, Jesus came to him and reminded Paul, “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” (Acts 18:9-10) Paul knew Jesus was always with Him. Jesus told His followers, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18) Like Paul, in fighting the good fight we must remember the One who goes into battle with us!
EXAMPLE: Few today adhere to the pagan belief that the world is under the control of warring gods like Aries, Athena, or Apollo. Yet even sophisticated skeptics readily acknowledge the reality of unseen “forces” over which we have no control. They attribute our inability to prevent violence in various places around the world to what they call “international factions,” or recently the financial downturn to “economic forces.” We discover that the Bible clearly acknowledges the reality of invisible spiritual beings that wage war against God’s people. In Ephesians 6:11-12, Paul wrote that our primary warfare is against the “powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12) The bad news is that they are more powerful than we are. The good news is that Jesus defeated them by His death on the cross: “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them!” (Colossians 2:15). Paul reminds us that in fighting the good fight we must remember the One who goes into battle with us!
The final goal for Paul was the fact that he knew without a doubt what the battle was all about. It was not about God giving him a spiritually fleeting feeling for the moment, but rather eternal life through the almighty grace of a loving God. This is why Paul could confidently state, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.” (v. 18) But Paul was not deluded in the midst of the battle. He knew some would be for him and others would not. In fact, like Paul, in fighting the good fight we must remember…
III. Those who fight with us or against us! (vv. 9-16)
1. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12) Too many Christians have forgotten the war they are to be a part of. In fact, every individual who has placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord is immediately in the battle! Paul asked Timothy to “Do your best to come to me quickly!” He needed help in the spiritual struggle he faced. “Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.” People had deserted Paul. They sought safety in a spiritual struggle where there is none for those who believe. “Only Luke” was with Paul. How sad that “no one came to” Paul’s “support, but everyone” had “deserted” him! Notice Paul knew those he could depend upon and he knew those he could not. What a sad commentary to have your name remembered throughout history as one who actually fought against everything Paul believed! Now all Paul wants is a few good men like Mark, Timothy, Luke, and few personal things: his “cloak,” personal scrolls and parchments. His life has been simplified to small things that mattered and to friends who kept the faith. Like the writer of Proverbs, Paul had come to learn, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24) Paul knew, in fighting the good fight we must remember those who fight with us or against us!
EXAMPLE: I was amazed during the past few weeks at the audacity of how blatantly people are willing to lie and lay blame. During the financial crisis many politicians tried to blame one another for the problem. However, the truth is that this crisis was created by the Federal Government during the Clinton Administration when people were allowed to be eligible for home loans who could not pay them back. When gas prices went up along with food and energy costs, and balloon payments came due many simply walked away from their mortgages. Amazingly, President Clinton admitted that Democrats in Congress had pushed for deregulating Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and that Congress had been warned over and over by him, President Bush, and Senator McCain, but were voted down. In political struggles like this it becomes confusing to discover who is really to blame. The same can be true in the spiritual realm as well. This is why Paul would say, “If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.” (1 Corinthians 3:12-13) What does your work reveal? What about those who claim Christ around you? Paul knew that in fighting the good fight we must remember those who fight with us.
Conclusion:
In fighting the good fight we must remember that 1) every day brings us closer to our death, 2) the One who goes into battle with us, and 3) those who fight with us or against us! What we are remembered for in life speaks to the heart of who we are and what we lived for.
----
This article is copyrighted © 2008 by Lee Hemen and if you want to use, copy, print, or reuse it, you must do so in its entirety.
October 12, 2008 AM
By Pastor Lee Hemen
In the preceding music video by the band Amberlin called “The Unwinding Cable Car,” it asks a series of questions about a person’s life, “What makes us who we are?” “What hardships will you face?” “What hardships will you overcome?” “What makes you happy?” “If you could do it all over again, what would you change?” “Relationships?” “Choices?” “Direction?” “What experience would you relive?” But the most important one I believe is: “What will you be remembered for?” What we are remembered for in life speaks to the heart of who we are and what we lived for.
Paul knew this to be true. He was facing perhaps the end of his life. He was imprisoned and did not know the final outcome. We find him writing his friend Timothy who needed encouragement in his own life. In these last few verses Paul teaches what it truly means for Christians to live lives to the fullest for Jesus Christ. He relates to us how we can fight the good fight. Let’s discover how, shall we?
READ: 2 Timothy 4:6-22
We live in a world that does everything in its power to either ignore death or to make it seem like it should never happen. The truth is: Death is part of life. The moment you are born, you are headed for the moment of your death. Now, least you think I am trying to be morbid or something, I am not. What many Christians need once in a while is a good dose of sober reality and to be reminded that where death once reigned in victory, it has no sting for the believer anymore! When Paul asked “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” he also confidently replies, “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:55, 57) This is why Paul wrote Timothy that in fighting the good fight we must remember that…
I. Every day brings us closer to our death! (vv. 6-8)
1. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (Romans 14:8) Unlike a lot of folks, Paul had no illusions or unrealistic opinions about his life. He knew that he was “already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time [had] come for [his] departure.” Paul had “fought the good fight,” but more than that he also had “finished the race” well. How could he say that? Because he knew he had “kept the faith” of Christ that had been entrusted to him as God’s messenger for the gospel. Using the graphic examples of the Greek games, Paul reminds his readers and himself that he had “fought the good fight.” He could see the finish line to the race he was running in life and the prize that was “in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day!” Wow! Paul knew that all Christians should be reminded to take the same view: “And not only to me,” he wrote, “but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” It is not a fatalist view of life, but rather one that embodies the work of the Lord that has been entrusted to us as Christians and also reminds us that every day brings us closer to our death.
EXAMPLE: What would you write if you only had hours to live? This was the concern for miners caught in a mine collapse in rural West Virginia. Tragically, all but one of the miners were found dead. Grief was compounded with anger and a desire to blame someone. At one of the funerals, however, Reverend Wease Day asked the hurting to look in a different direction—within. Bill Crowder writes that “During their last hours, some of the miners had written notes to their families, in some cases offering comfort and hope. In light of that, Pastor Day urged his congregation not to seek to fix blame. He instead challenged them to imagine what they would write in a farewell note if they had only hours to live. In some ways we are like those miners. We are trapped in a dark world and are facing physical death. How we live our lives as followers of Christ becomes our ‘note’ to the world.” Never forget that in fighting the good fight that every day brings us closer to our death!
We love to sing that the battle belongs to the Lord, but few of us live that way. We have forgotten that we are in the midst of a great war. As Martin Luther wrote, “And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us. The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure; one little word shall fell him.” That “word” is Jesus. The Apostle John writes, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:14) This is important for Christians to never forget. In fact, Paul wrote that in fighting the good fight we must remember…
II. The One who goes into the battle with us! (vv. 17-18)
1. Jesus related, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Paul knew that “the Lord stood at [his] side” and had given him “strength,” so that through Paul “the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.” Jesus had gone into battle with Paul. Paul knew that it was Jesus who had, like God with Daniel, “delivered [him] from the lion's mouth.” Just as Moses promised Joshua, “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged,” (Deuteronomy 31:8) Christ promised that those who went out in His name would have Him right there by their side as well. When Paul had faced severe persecution for sharing his faith to the Corinthians, Jesus came to him and reminded Paul, “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” (Acts 18:9-10) Paul knew Jesus was always with Him. Jesus told His followers, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18) Like Paul, in fighting the good fight we must remember the One who goes into battle with us!
EXAMPLE: Few today adhere to the pagan belief that the world is under the control of warring gods like Aries, Athena, or Apollo. Yet even sophisticated skeptics readily acknowledge the reality of unseen “forces” over which we have no control. They attribute our inability to prevent violence in various places around the world to what they call “international factions,” or recently the financial downturn to “economic forces.” We discover that the Bible clearly acknowledges the reality of invisible spiritual beings that wage war against God’s people. In Ephesians 6:11-12, Paul wrote that our primary warfare is against the “powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12) The bad news is that they are more powerful than we are. The good news is that Jesus defeated them by His death on the cross: “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them!” (Colossians 2:15). Paul reminds us that in fighting the good fight we must remember the One who goes into battle with us!
The final goal for Paul was the fact that he knew without a doubt what the battle was all about. It was not about God giving him a spiritually fleeting feeling for the moment, but rather eternal life through the almighty grace of a loving God. This is why Paul could confidently state, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.” (v. 18) But Paul was not deluded in the midst of the battle. He knew some would be for him and others would not. In fact, like Paul, in fighting the good fight we must remember…
III. Those who fight with us or against us! (vv. 9-16)
1. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12) Too many Christians have forgotten the war they are to be a part of. In fact, every individual who has placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord is immediately in the battle! Paul asked Timothy to “Do your best to come to me quickly!” He needed help in the spiritual struggle he faced. “Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.” People had deserted Paul. They sought safety in a spiritual struggle where there is none for those who believe. “Only Luke” was with Paul. How sad that “no one came to” Paul’s “support, but everyone” had “deserted” him! Notice Paul knew those he could depend upon and he knew those he could not. What a sad commentary to have your name remembered throughout history as one who actually fought against everything Paul believed! Now all Paul wants is a few good men like Mark, Timothy, Luke, and few personal things: his “cloak,” personal scrolls and parchments. His life has been simplified to small things that mattered and to friends who kept the faith. Like the writer of Proverbs, Paul had come to learn, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24) Paul knew, in fighting the good fight we must remember those who fight with us or against us!
EXAMPLE: I was amazed during the past few weeks at the audacity of how blatantly people are willing to lie and lay blame. During the financial crisis many politicians tried to blame one another for the problem. However, the truth is that this crisis was created by the Federal Government during the Clinton Administration when people were allowed to be eligible for home loans who could not pay them back. When gas prices went up along with food and energy costs, and balloon payments came due many simply walked away from their mortgages. Amazingly, President Clinton admitted that Democrats in Congress had pushed for deregulating Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and that Congress had been warned over and over by him, President Bush, and Senator McCain, but were voted down. In political struggles like this it becomes confusing to discover who is really to blame. The same can be true in the spiritual realm as well. This is why Paul would say, “If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.” (1 Corinthians 3:12-13) What does your work reveal? What about those who claim Christ around you? Paul knew that in fighting the good fight we must remember those who fight with us.
Conclusion:
In fighting the good fight we must remember that 1) every day brings us closer to our death, 2) the One who goes into battle with us, and 3) those who fight with us or against us! What we are remembered for in life speaks to the heart of who we are and what we lived for.
----
This article is copyrighted © 2008 by Lee Hemen and if you want to use, copy, print, or reuse it, you must do so in its entirety.
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