1 Timothy, Lesson 8
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Date: 2 November, 2021
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Date: 25 October, 2021
Introduction: Drove over by the airport today and saw a lot of police vehicles....
ill. 10,000 police officers are battle ready at COP 26. More than the population of Loanhead.
question: Why does the government have them there? They realize that "warfare" may happen.
exp. They wouldn't call it warfare, and they would not call the police an army - but it is a mobilization of men and women in uniform....
note: They practiced how to deal with all sorts of different threats from protestors. (dogs, horses)
- To guard the dignitaries, properties, homes, business, transport network....
- To provide safety against ANY AND ALL THREATS.
exp. You and I are aware of what Extinction Rebellion, Insulate Britain have done to disrupt lives. (Not to mention terrorist threats etc.) We want our police to be "battle ready" for those who would fight against our nation.
NOTE: our text is about being "battle ready."
18 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;
We ALSO need to war a good warfare. (and be battle ready.)
Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
note: Satan is not seeking to bless our life with iniquity - He is out to destroy our lives.
1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
ill. The word devour brings up images from nature shows about lions with bloody muzzles.
ill. Devour is the like a disembowled deer who's bloody carcass is all that remains of the life. The live is gone!
app. Christians must be battle ready! God is a God of second chances, but Satan is seeking to take us out of the battle.
Prayer
You need to war a good warfare.
(review from last week....)
I. Get ready to fight for your faith.
19 Holding faith, (the body of truth)
A. Hold fast to the doctrine. "holding faith"
1. Put on the belt of truth.
Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
exp. We must UNDERSTAND what is true and hold to it.
2. Put on the shield of faith.
Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
exp. We need to BELIEVE what is true and hold to it.
3. Grip the sword of God's Word.
Ephesians 6:17 ...and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
exp. We need to DECLARE what is true and fight with it.
B. Hold fast to the truth that saves souls.
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
exp. True doctrine is the only thing that will save a sinful man.
ill. I did evangelism today with Pastor Dillman in Livingston. God gave us a few divine appointments with Catholics. We were able to verbally share the Gospel and put the Gospel flyers into homes.
note: When we share the Gospel - we are holding forth the WORD OF TRUTH.
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
app. You aren't holding faith - if you are holding forth the WORD OF TRUTH, the Gospel.
transition: Get ready to fight for your faith! (Understand, Believe, Declare, Evangelize)
continued....
II. Get ready to fight for your spiritual life. (Doctrine and Practice are vital.)
18 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;
19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
exp. True doctrine in our church, family and life is not enough. We have to practice the doctrine.
ill. Catholic man - faith is the answer - he thinks of faith as doctrinal knowledge. True faith is action. (I told him about James - I believe - and so I do....
- Family devotions, getting out to church, getting rid of sin, etc...
JAMES IS A GREAT BOOK ON PRACTICAL CHRISTIANITY
James 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
note: True Christianity - religion that is not vain - is not a simply a creed.
It is not just orthodoxy. "a belief or a way of thinking that is accepted as true or correct"
Christianity is the correct application of truth to my life. (It is Christ likeness.)
note: If my life is right with God and with man - I am HOLDING a good conscience.
(Doctrine (truth) AND practice (spiritual life) are both vital to the Christian soldier.)
II. Get ready to fight for your spiritual life.
A. A conscience that is assured in battle.
17 And take the helmet of salvation,
note: The helmet of salvation is given to those who obey the Gospel.
ill. We enjoy catching up with Kay Lee on Facetime on Sunday evenings. She has a class in evangelism, recently each student took 3-4 minutes to share their testimony with the class (50).
exp. Every Christian soldier, needs an inner assurance of salvation.
Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
exp. You can't effectively tell others how to be saved, unless you know you are saved.
ill. The Maniac of Gedarra - was set free and then he entered into testifying for Jesus.
Luke 8:39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.
app. Do you have a good conscience to do battle for Jesus - ASSURED that you are saved?
B. A conscience that is unashamed in battle.
ill. Paul - disciplined himself to have an UNASHAMED conscience.
Acts 24:16 And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.
exp. An unashamed conscience will give you great boldness in battle.
Pro 28:1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
note: We need bold soldiers in God's army - who know they are right with their Captain.
HOLD A GOOD CONSCIENCE. (It is possible to have an unashamed conscience.)
1. Unashamed by cleansing.
Ephesians 6:14.... Having on the breastplate of righteousness.)
exp. There is boldness in the heart of a believer who knows that they are right with God.
Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
ill. My dad keeps a very clean car - I inherited that a bit and kept a pretty clean car... If I knew my dad was coming, I would hoover and clean my vehicles. (I know what to do to be unashamed at my father's appearing.)
question: Is the blood of Jesus sufficient today to make us clean?
1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
app. If we want to be battle ready, we need to EXERCISE ourself to have a cleansed heart. Holding a good conscience THAT IS CLEANSED AND UNASHAMED.
2. Unashamed by effort.
1 Peter 3:14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
exp. Two aspect of that good conscience - (good lifestyle in Christ/ clean) and ready to give an answer to every man.... (verbal declaration of Christ's Gospel.)
THIS IS....THE GOSPEL IN BOOTS..... GETTING IT OUT THERE.
Ephesians 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
ill. These climate soldier (activists) coming from all over the world - out in all kinds of weather - doing foolish drastic things - because they believe MAN IS IN CONTROL OF THIS PLANET AND THAT MAN IS THE ANSWER.
note: You and I know that.....
God is in control of this plane.t
That physical death from the heat of climate change is not the greatest threat to mankind
The greatest threat is the fires of hell that man will face if they refuse to obey the Gospel.
app. What are we doing about it? They can prove that they care about their cause, can we prove that we care about the cause of Christ? (Have we kept a good conscience by being a soldier who is in the batte fighting?)
III. Get ready to fight on despite losses.
exp. God's people have always been in a minority.
Matthew 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
note: What is tough at times as a soldier - is when God trims down the army.
Gideon's army - God trimmed out those who were afraid.
Judges 7:3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.
exp. Next God took out those who weren't watchful - got down to drink.
6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.
7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.
exp. God didn't need a great army - God would get the glory through the faithful few.
HOWEVER - IT IS HARD TO GO INTO BATTLE WHEN OTHERS ARE GOING AWAY.
ill. Jesus had men turn back from following Him.
60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
exp. Paul was warning Timothy to fight and stand for TRUTH and a GOOD CONSCIENCE, because SOME WOULD NOT.
A. Some will fail in the battle.
....which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander;
ill. Hymaneous is likely the one of whom Paul speaks in his second letter.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
2Ti 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:
exp. These men were spiritual shipwrecks and were hurting God's Work.
B. Some will be set aside.
...whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.
exp. "Delivered unto Satan: Paul removed them from the blessing of God's people and put them where they would be taught the error of their ways.
app. We don't have to find out what that path is like - Paul would encourage those who sincerely follow God in TRUTH AND WITH A GOOD CONSCIENCE to believe God will keep them from this path.
Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
conclusion: We need good soldiers in our day - truth is under attack - good consciences are under attack.
- We need to fight for the truth (understand, believe, declare, evangelize)
- We need to fight for a good conscience
assured in battle - (assurance of salvation)
unashamed in battle
- unashamed by cleansing
- unashamed by effort
- We need to be prepared to fight on when other's fail.
