FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT

Although this is a word about finishing the race it’s very relevant to those who are just starting out in ministry because it’s good to have this GOAL.  

​

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 Paul was in his 60’s when he wrote two letters to Timothy and - Timothy was probably in his late 20’s or early 30’s. This is the older man - coming to the end of his ministry sharing with the younger man who had his ministry before him.  

 

Three times in those two letters of the apostle Paul to young pastor Timothy he talked about fighting the good fight:  

1 Tim 1:18, 1 Tim 6:12 and 2 Tim 4:7 

​

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.” (1 Tim 1:18) 

​

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 in that letter Paul tells Timothy to train himself to be godly: “Train yourself to be godly” (1 Tim 4:7).  

​

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 1 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 the way you are living – sound speech, wise words, 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 in the first letter Paul expands on that some more 1 Tim 6:11: 

​

Pursue:  

Righteousness – do the right thing. “Walk in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His Name.” By failing to do that some have brought shame to His name and disqualified themselves which is why Paul said: “But I keep control of my body, and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”  ( 1 Cor 9:27, 21st Century King James Version)  

​

Godliness – We should base all our behavior on the way Jesus lived. 

​

Faith – We should constantly look to God. 

​

Love – The way to have JOY is to love.  When I was a little boy in Sunday school we had a definition of     JOY – “Jesus first – Yourself last – and Others in between.” (How important it is to teach little children scriptural concepts – they stay with them for a lifetime)! 

​

Endurance – serving God is not going to be easy so we need to settle that in our own minds and keep going however hard it gets. 

​

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 AGAINST THINGS AND FOR THINGS; 

​

Here are some of the things we are fighting AGAINST: 

​

Against the world - the flesh - and the devil 

​

Fighting against temptation 

​

Fighting against all the things that come against God’s will or His Kingdom purposes. 

​

Fight against things that are wrong in the world - 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.” (2 Tim 3:1-5) 

Do we recognise 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 are 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. Faith in God enables us to do things and achieve things that we could never do in our own strength. 

​

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

​

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 – and we stopped in our tracks to hear what he wanted to say – KEEP THE FAITH!” That was 50 years ago, and I’ve never forgotten that!  

​

This second time in his letters to Timothy Paul says: 

​

“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life” 

​

That is the key – the good fight of 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 AN END GOAL 

​

Here are some of 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 

​

Fighting for souls to be saved

​

It’s a fight that’s worth fighting – because the end of it is eternal life (not by earning it -  but by faith) for ourselves and those we serve. 

​

In his first letter to Timothy Paul twice encourages him to fight the good fight.  In his second letter to Timothy Paul had just 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 fought the good fight ourselves and helped the people around us to do the same. 

​

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 when I became a teenager he helped me a lot. He prayed for me and gave me advice many, many times.   

​

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

​

A parents are committed for life to their children, they love them whatever they do, and a good Christian parent prays for them constantly, they care about their every need, they do not seek to control their lives but are there to support and advise whenever they are needed.

​

Well, the day came when Tony was dying.  They called me early one Easter Sunday morning as I was getting ready to preach and lead the service, but I went straight over 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.   

 

Young ministers (and older ones too) let us keep the faith and fight the good fight 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! 

​

​

​

​

​