Generated Transcript:
for most of us when we were growing up
or maybe you are growing up right now we
were taught something similar this don’t
fight don’t get into fights fighting is
bad there obviously are situations where
that advice that counsel that
instruction is absolutely correct but
did you know and I’m sure you did that
the Bible teaches us to find it
instructs us and encourages us as a
matter of fact it commands us to fight
that’s not a fistfight it’s not Katie’s
body it’s not WWE wrestling at first
Timothy chapter 6 and verse number 12
our beloved Apostle Paul make this
statement fight the good fight of faith
as Christians I hope that we’re keenly
aware there is a war going on all the
time there’s a battle and that battle
began at least for Humanity in the
Garden of Eden good versus evil God
versus Satan right versus wrong sin
versus righteousness and that battle has
continued 24/7 365 days a year until
this present moment and that battle will
continue until the Lord comes again so
as we think about in this message the
idea the concept the command to fight
the good fight of faith what does that
mean how do we do that
what are the results and the blessings
that come from body the good fight of
faith we think about fights usually they
have a winner and they have a loser now
some boxing matches or
other types of battles will end in a
draw but more often than not you have a
winner and you have a loser and so as we
listen to what the Apostle has to say to
us we can see the excitation that’s
found in this passage Paul say do this
fight didn’t say bike just anyway didn’t
say bike just anything he said fight the
good fight of faith but also we see the
example Paul didn’t just talk about it
in first Corinthians chapter 9 and verse
26 he said I don’t run aimlessly I don’t
box as one beating the air he goes on to
talk about keeping his body in
subjection he’s saying there’s a battle
and Paul gave an awesome example of how
to fight the good fight of faith we in
our country and in our time have very
little if any persecution particularly
any type of physical persecution but
Paul wrote and lived in a time in which
if you did the right thing you are going
to be posed not just verbally but often
physically emotionally socially and
sometimes even economically you were
going to be opposed for doing the right
thing and so he set a good example he
was willing to be beaten he was willing
to be jailed he was willing to suffer
literally physically emotionally for the
cause of Jesus Christ he didn’t just
talk a good fight he was an example of a
good soldier
one that fought for the Lord the fight
is one that is the fight of endurance in
2nd Timothy chapter 4 and verse 7 Paul
nearing the end of his life said I have
fought the good fight I have finished
the course I have kept
faith henceforth there is laid up for me
a crown of righteousness what do you get
if you win the bite sometimes when you
see boxers or some other kinds of a
fighting they will have some big belt
that they will receive if they are the
winner if they are the champion
sometimes you see other awards or other
accolades given to people that are
winners but Paul says it’s a fight of
endurance he said I have fought I have
kept I have finished some boxing matches
last 15 reps and each round has three
minutes in that round but at the end of
those 15 rounds at the end of those 45
minutes that fights over the fight the
Christian fight the good fight of faith
is far more comparable to a marathon
than it is a sprint it’s every day it’s
not that boxers
train for long periods of time just for
one single fight but we are fighting
every day we’re battling every day Satan
gets up every morning really doesn’t get
up every morning it’s us that gets up
every morning but Satan is prepared for
every waking moment that we have to
battle the fight Paul talked about in
Ephesians putting on the armor of God to
fight with it he talks about the helmet
of salvation the breastplate of
righteousness our waist gird about with
truth our feet shod with the preparation
of the gospel of peace holding the
shield of faith the sword of the Spirit
that is the Word of God he explains that
we’re not fighting against human beings
we don’t war against flesh and blood but
principalities and powers of the air
we’re not talking about a physical by
we’re not talking about a fish bible or
boxing gloves our wrestling mask we’re
talking about the spiritual battle of
good versus evil right versus wrong
jesus versus satan oh and in our time in
this message on us to talk about four
things in this fight this good fight of
faith or talk about four things that all
come from the book of Philippians
Philippians has four chapters and
there’s a verse or verses in each chakra
that we want to look at as we talk about
how we’re going to fight the good fight
of faith it’s interesting to note that
Paul was imprisoned he was quarantined
if you may as we think about our times
now he was himself quarantined he was
quarantined against his will from
society by being imprisoned but he wrote
the beautiful letter of Philippians and
the first thing that I want us to notice
from this good message is this we think
about fighting the good fight of faith
we need to remember the mission the
member the mission it’s in Chapter 1 and
verse number 21 where he’s debating a
few verses earlier a few thoughts a few
sentences earlier he says to die is far
better we are spending millions of
dollars we are going to extremes that we
have never seen in our lifetimes to keep
people from becoming sick and dying and
yet Paul said it’s better to die than to
live now how could that be why would we
spend so much time fighting against a
virus working night and day to find a
vaccine
a cure medicine that would successfully
fight against the corona virus we do
value life and and we want to live as
long as possible and we want to live as
well as possible why did Paul say I am
in a strait betwixt two to go and be
with the Lord is far better well the
only way Paul could go and leave with
the Lord was to die but he said to be
with you those that he was riding those
on the earth is more beneficial to them
he would help them he would encourage
him he would lead them if you ate man he
would be a captain and the lord’s army
fighting against evil fighting against
sin and so it’s in this context that he
says this in Chapter 1 to live is Christ
and to die is gain so our mission our
mission in fighting the good fight
failures is to live in such a way that
when we die when we leave the walks of
this life we can go and be with the Lord
it’s almost daily now in the time in
which we live and the covin 19:00 event
that there is a running tally a running
total of deaths of deaths that were
caused by this particular virus that’s
not anything new 70,000 people in the
world die every day or at least some
similar number but because of this virus
we’re now keeping totaling we’re keeping
tally really the most important thing is
not how many people die that’s important
it’s not who dies though that certainly
relevant and important the most
important thing is in what spiritual
condition are those people dying in if a
person dies it has the
Paul said it’s game it’s bad it’s good
and the temp rate a lot of fliction even
in a sense of a virus or a sickness or
disease it’s nothing compared to where
we can be where we will be in eternity
and so Paul expresses here the mission
to live is Christ I’m going to fight the
good fight of faith every day that’s my
mission and when my time comes that I
cannot fight any longer it then becomes
getting it then becomes glory it then
becomes good my mission is to join our
Lord daily and fighting the good fight
of faith my mission is to join other
Christians daily in fighting the good
fight of faith
exalting that which is good and that
which is right condemning that which is
evil and that which is wrong
encouraging those that are struggling
helping those that are weak being live
being salt being a good example to other
people so that they can see Jesus and
they can get on the right side
they’ve been wars that have been fought
where it was very difficult to determine
because of the place they were fighting
to turn determine the enemy from the
friends to determine friend and vote and
many a person has been killed in war
from friendly fire they need to study
our Bibles we need to be good students
of the word so that we can know right
from wrong and good from evil and that
which sometimes may be proclaimed as
evil which is really good that which
sometimes is proclaimed to be good that
is really evil the Prophet a long time
ago gave a message
he gave an exhortation when he said woe
to them that call evil and those that
call evil good that happens in our
society and throughout the world today
and so we need to be knowledgeable one
of the weapons that we need to have that
we pointed out is the truth the sword of
the Spirit which is the word of God so
that our mission so that is we focus on
our mission to live is Christ to live is
not entertainment to live is not to work
to live is not athletics to live is not
vacation those are all things that are
not necessarily bad in and of themselves
and certainly can have a place a proper
place and in the life of a Christian but
but that’s not why we live we live to
fight the good fight of faith to live is
Christ so Paul as he helps us fight this
good by the faith reminds us in Chapter
1 of Philippians of the mission secondly
in chapter 2 of Philippians I was to
note the mindset the mental state of
those that are fighting the good fight
of faith I’ve never served in the
military I have an extremely high
respect for those that have and those
that do particularly those that have put
themselves and continue to put
themselves in harm’s way and have been
in a situation where they very easily
could have been hurt or killed
and I have so much respect for those
that have given the ultimate sacrifice
and given their lives for our freedom
and for the things that we enjoy so I
say to you from a personal standpoint I
don’t understand that part of the
soldier mentality and yet there’s a
solider mentality that we as Christians
are to have an diversify
Philippians chapter 2 where Paul said
let this money we’re talking about
mindset we’re we’re talking about our
mental state he said let this mind be in
you which is also in Christ Jesus so as
I’m looking to battle as I’m looking to
fight the good fight of faith I want to
be thinking like Jesus I want to
parallel I want to mimic my mind with
the mind of Jesus I want to mirror his
thoughts I want to mirror his priorities
I want to mirror his goodness and
following the father you know when he
came he said I didn’t come to do my will
speaking of his own but the will of him
that sent me
we have passages that tell us though he
were a son yet he learned obedience by
the things that he suffered and being
made perfect he became the author of
eternal salvation to all those that obey
to all of those that love him to the
point they’re willing to make the
commitment of obedience we see the mind
of Jesus in the actions of Jesus we find
a verse in the Proverbs that says as a
person thinks mind so is he or she
action we are as individuals our lives
are a product of our thinking it’s no
wonder that Paul talks in Chapter four
about Philippians about things to think
about if there’s anything lovely and
pure just and of a good report if
there’s need virtue if there’s any
praise think about these things Jesus
was the kindest Jesus was the meekest
Jesus was the gentlest of all people
that ever
and yet Jesus was a soldier Jesus was a
warrior
Jesus was a fighter inviting for God’s
will the will of the Father Jesus at
very young age said to his parents at
the age of 12 in Jerusalem don’t you
understand that I must be about my
father’s business there are a lot of
businesses in the world today some very
small some very large so one person
businesses some hundreds and thousands
of people that make up that business but
there is no business more important
business and so the mindset of Jesus let
this mind be in you which was also in
Christ Jesus he always stood for right
he always opposed that that was evil he
was always ready to forgive those that
would repent he was always ready to help
those that are in need but if you think
that Jesus was so meek and so mild and
so gentle that he would just let Satan
have his way nothing could be further
from the truth
Jesus was a soldier he was a fighter he
was a battler for the good and that’s
what Paul says fight the good fight of
faith in chapter 3 verses 13 and 14 as
we’re thinking about how that we fight
the good fight of faith particularly
from some passages in the book of
Philippians we see the maturity that we
need to have as soldiers the maturity
that we need to have a soldiers in verse
13 in chapter 3 Paul says brethren I
count not myself to have accomplished
orbit or apprehended but this one thing
I do
the things which are behind and reaching
forth unto those things which are ahead
I press toward the mark for the prize of
the high calling in Jesus Christ we need
maturity to be good soldiers
there’s a reason they don’t let 5 year
olds in the army
there’s a reason they don’t let 10 year
olds in the army there’s a reason they
don’t let 15 year olds in the army go in
the older days they’re probably some
that work that’s snuck in at those ages
but that wait until men and women have
reached an age of some level of maturity
physically and emotionally and mentally
and mentally when we think about
maturity spiritually Paul said it this
way he said I haven’t arrived yet I’m
not perfect I don’t have accomplished
everything that I desire but he said
here’s the maturity I approach with
forgetting the things that are behind
that’s a lesson in and of itself
sometimes our past wants us sometimes
our past sins even though they are
forgiven haunt us sometimes people use
those and bring them up against us if
there are any one that could understand
what Paul was saying it was Paul himself
because here was a man to hell the
garments of those that stone Steven here
was the man that gave consent to
Christian being jailed being killed it
was a man that had done much evil even
though in acts 20 41 he said he did it
in all good conscience but he said you
had to let those things go to fight the
good fight of faith sometimes it’s just
the opposite sometimes people want to
live in the past on their accomplishment
well we used to do this and I used to do
that and back in the old days I
accomplished this I said we can’t afford
to do that either because if we’re
living in past regret or we’re living in
past
this is if that’s where our mindset is
if that’s where our focus is we don’t
have the maturity to focus on today this
one thing I do forgetting the past
reaching for to what lies ahead I’m
impressed I am giving attention to today
I’m living where my feet are I am
focused on the here and the now the
prize the high calling in Christ Jesus
both for Paul’s personal success in
gaining the crown of life but in helping
other people get things well as much as
God wants us to go to heaven Satan wants
us not to go to heaven he opposes all
that God encourages and all that God
stands for that’s good Satan seeks to
pull and to draw us away and so there’s
a maturity level there that helps to
stay focused I don’t know about you but
I have an issue stay focused I wonder my
mind wanders squirrel and rabbit it and
it didn’t take a lot to get me off track
and when I get off track I don’t even
think about Philippians 3 verses 13 and
14 how that I need to stay focused I
need to press toward the mark for the
prize of the high calling that is in
Jesus Christ and the poor thing in the
last chapter of Philippians is we’re
talking about fighting this good fight
of faith
is the motivation you see Fighting’s
hard fighting is not easy it’s a
challenge it wears us down physically
and emotionally and spiritually and
mentally and so we get tired we get
spiritually tired we get physically
tired mentally tired and how do I keep
that motivation
I was listening today to some people
talking about the battle this
coronavirus battle and there are a lot
of people that are in
trenches and and they’re working a lot
of hours in the day and they’re spending
more time and they’re giving every bit
of effort they can give and someone asks
a question about what if this thing
drags on over into September nobody care
gentlemen that was talking was the CEO
of one of the large hospitals in our
area and he expressed a genuine concern
he said I don’t know how well we will
hold up and I’m paraphrasing what he
said it’s not word-for-word quote but he
was pointing out the fact that it is so
exhausting and and we can give so much
effort at this time but if it tracks out
how do you do that how would we hold on
I think about a race I think about how
hard a person would run in a hundred
yard dash they’re going just as hard as
they can go but if you’ve ever watched a
hundred yard dash then watched a
marathon the people running the marathon
are not running as far as they can run
the first hundred yards or the first
thousand or any portion of the time but
rather they are pacing themselves
they’re running hard but they’re not
running as hard because they know that
it’s a long race how do we keep the
motivation for the long race it’s in
verse 13 of Philippians chapter 4 it’s
immersive here oh so familiar with it
and it states this I can I think not
maybe or aren’t the best of
circumstances but it affirmatively and
positively States I can do I can do all
things through the Christ who gives me
the strength and that doesn’t mean I can
jump a 20-story building there are
certainly limitations physically that we
have other things but he’s not talking
about doing things physically per se
here he’s talking about spiritual
accomplishment spiritual battle I can do
all things through Christ which
strengthens me
I can fight the good fight of faith even
if I have a disease I can fight the good
fight of faith even if I have physical
limitations I can fight the good fight
of faith if I’m young and have not
but shirred as much as others i can
fight the good fight of faith
even if I’m older it may not be able to
physically do as much as I used to be
able to do with motivation yes I can and
I know who’s going to win
I could watch sports which you don’t get
to do any live sports watching down but
I can watch sports and one of the
intriguing things about watching sports
is you don’t know who’s gonna win now a
lot of times you’ve got a really good
idea but until the games actually played
you don’t know who’s gonna win alright
sometimes not very often to watch reruns
of sports but part of the thrill is
taken away because you know the outcomes
going to be the outcome spiritually for
those that fight the good fight of faith
is predetermined we’re going to go we’re
going to Jesus and we’re going to
receive the crown fly and we’re going to
help others and we’re going to do for
good for God and we’re going to one day
hear em say well good and faithful
servant
yes growing up we probably wrote our
parents another say don’t get it if you
get a fight at school you come home
you’re gonna get in trouble and there
are times if we don’t need to find there
are things that we don’t need fire back
but there also is the exhortation of our
beloved brother Paul that says 5 – good
fight of faith and I hope that we will
from the book of Philippians stay
focused on the mission stay focused on
the mindset stay focused on the maturity
that we have and stay focused on the
motivation I hope we all are determined
to fight the good fight of faith