The apostle Paul’s two letters to Timothy were written near the end of his life.

Timothy was a member of Paul’s apostolic team but more and more he was being left on his own to minister in different situations because Paul was in prison.

 

I’ve worked out that Timothy was probably in his late 20’s and Paul was in his 60’s when he wrote those two letters to Timothy.

 

So this is the older man - coming to the end of his ministry sharing with the younger man who had his ministry before him.  

 

3 times in those letters Paul talked about fighting the good fight:

 

In 1 Tim 1:18  Paul says: “Timothy my son I give this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight holding on to faith and a good conscience."

 

We can only fight the good fight and WIN it if we hold on to faith and have a clear conscience before God!

 

So later on in the letter Paul tells Timothy to train himself to be godly – that’s the way to have a clear conscience before God – no one else can do that for us it’s up to each of us to require ourselves to be godly and if we want to do that – the Holy Spirit will help us.

 

Paul goes on to say to Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young but…

 

“set an example to the believers in speech,

                          In life

                                 In love

                                         In faith

                                                  In purity"

 

In other words give no one any reason to look down on you because you are young - give them every reason to respect and follow you because they can see those things in you – sound speech, wise words, right living, love, faith and purity.

 

I’m getting to be an old man myself and I was a Pastor leading a congregation for 40 years but I can honestly say I have no problem at this time in my life with being led by any young person in ministry who is setting that kind of example – in fact I rejoice in it!

 

Later on in 1 Tim 6:11 Paul tells Timothy to pursue...

 

Righteousness – do the right thing. Walk in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name.

 

Godliness – base all your behavior on the way Jesus lived

 

Faith – constantly look to God

 

Love – When I was a kid in Sunday school we had a chorus that we sang:

J-O-Y - Jesus first - Yourself last – Others inbetween!

 

Endurance – serving God not going to be easy

 

Gentleness - I like the fact that Paul ends with Gentleness because the very next thing he says is:

 

1 Tim 6:12 “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life”

 

We are to fight – but not against each other – we are to be gentle with each other.

 

But we are to fight the good fight - together

 

IT IS A FIGHT FOR THINGS AND AGAINST THINGS;

 

We are fighting AGAINST:

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• Against the world - the flesh - and the devil

• Fighting against temptation

• Fighting against all the things that come against us

• Fighting against principalities and powers

 

Paul says in his second letter to Timothy:

 

"There will be terrible times in the last days: People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God."

 

Do we recognize any of that happening around the world today?

 

There are Christian people fighting the good fight against poverty, human trafficking, abortion, homelessness and many other terrible things but in fairness there other decent people around the world who are not believers, fighting against those things too.

 

But only Christians can fight the good fight of FAITH as Paul says here.

He says to Timothy to 1 Tim 6:12 “Fight the good fight of faith”

 

Even the great apostle spoke of keeping the faith, faithful to the end.  Sadly, I have watched a lot of people not doing that.  

 

When I was in America for the first time travelling with a friend who was an evangelist - just two young men new in the ministry, the brother we were staying with took to us to see his father who was an old man.  After a cup of coffee and a pleasant conversation, as we left - these were his last words to us – “Young men - keep the faith!” That was 45 years ago and I’ve never forgotten that.

 

This second time in his letters to Timothy Paul says:

 

1 Tim 6:12 “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life”

 

That is the key – the good fight of the faith goes on for the rest of our lives until we leave this world and take hold of eternal life.

 

IT’S A GOOD FIGHT WITH GOOD PURPOSE AND GOOD RESULTS

 

So these are the things we are fighting FOR:

 

        Fighting for God’s will to be done

                Fighting for his Kingdom to come

                         Fighting for truth and righteousness

                                    Fighting & holding on to our faith in Jesus Christ

 

It’s a fight that’s worth fighting – because the end of it is eternal life for ourselves and those we serve.

 

So in his first letter to Timothy Paul twice encourages him to fight the good fight.

 

In his second letter to Timothy Paul just had a matter of months to live.

 

What does the older man have to say to the younger man?

 

Well we find Paul looking through the letterbox into eternity and this is what he said:

 

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

 

What a thing to be able to say! - We should all be able to say that as we get near to the end.  

 

In fact that is the ultimate goal of all ministry – that we have helped the people around us to

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• Fight the good fight

• To Finish the race

• And to keep the faith – faithful to the end

 

So Paul said to Timothy

 

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

 

But there’s more - he said:

 

"Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

 

There’s eternal life AND a reward – the crown of righteousness and Paul says it’s not just for me – I’m no one special – I was the worst of sinners – but it’s for all who really love Jesus and are longing for him to appear.

 

So the word is Fight the good fight – to the end

 

For everyone life is a fight but for believers it’s a fight worth fighting - with a wonderful reward at the end.

 

When I was young I had a spiritual father who I could share my problems with – his name was Tony. He had been my Sunday School teacher and he helped me a lot when I was going through those difficult teenage years struggling with lots of problems. He prayed for me and gave me advice and support many, many times.  

 

Hopefully as young ministers you have someone or a number of people like that who support you - and maybe one day you will be that person to a number of others as your ministry progresses.  It’s a wonderful privilege to have a spiritual father and a great honour and joy to be a spiritual father to others.

 

Like the apostle Paul says “you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ yet you do not have many fathers” (1 Corinthians 4:15). Any good father is committed for life to his children, he loves them whatever they do, and a good Christian father prays for them constantly, he cares about their every need, he does not seek to control their lives but is there to support and advise whenever they need him.

 

Well the day came when Tony was dying.  They called me one Easter Sunday morning and I went straight over before church to see him. He wasn’t afraid of dying in fact as long as I knew him he was looking forward to it. So I said to him: “Tony you will be getting your crown soon - and I think I know what you will do with it don’t I? In a loud clear voice he said “Yes – I will take it off and lay it at His feet!” - I knew he would say that!

 

Many of you are in the early years of ministry but it’s always good to have the final goal in view.  Our challenge is to fight a good fight all through and to finish the race with joy.  

 

My final word in this series of Ancient Paths is for all of us – myself included:

 

Keep the faith

 

                   Fight the good fight

 

                                      Be Faithful to the end!

 

And soon we will all be together around his throne.

 

And when we see Jesus he will give a reward for faithfulness

– a crown of glory but

- we will gladly take those crowns and lay them at his feet because...

 

JESUS is the only One who deserves ALL the glory!