It�s Worth It
The Beautiful Fight
TCF Sermon
July 19, 2009
Recently I read a fable about a dog who loved to chase other animals. He bragged about his great running skill and said he could catch anything. Well, it wasn�t long until his boastful claims were put to the test by a certain rabbit. With ease the little creature outran his barking pursuer. The other animals, watching with glee, began to laugh. The dog excused himself, however, by saying, "You forget, I was only running for fun. He � the rabbit - was running for his life!"
Why we do something does make a difference in how we do it, doesn�t it? Motivation may be the most important factor in everything we do. We see this idea addressed in one of Paul�s letters to Timothy.
1 Timothy 6:11-12 (NASB77) But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Right now in France, one of the biggest cycling events in the world is going on � the famous Tour de France. It�s about a 2200 mile race, usually conducted over 23 days. The terrain for the race ranges from flat to very mountainous, and by any standards, it�s a pretty grueling race. Have you ever thought what kind of motivation people must have to put themselves through something like that?
Not just the tour itself, but the months, and even years, of training it takes to even compete, let alone finish, let alone finish high enough, to earn some money from it.
If you�re a world class cyclist, you may be motivated in part by the prize money, about � of a million dollars, and perhaps by endorsement opportunities. For a handful of these cyclists, it�s how they make their living. But what about those who have no chance to win or even come close to winning, but can only compete?
What about the Boston Marathon? More than 20,000 runners compete in that 26 mile footrace every April. There�s prize money in this, too, but let�s face it.
If you�re among the top finishers, the prize money may be a motivation, but what if you�re number 19,995 out of 20,000? Why would you go through all that? Is there enough satisfaction, enough pleasure, enough positive results from the training and the run itself to justify it?
Apparently so. That�s why you have people competing in these two higher-profile events who have no chance of actually winning. But there clearly is some sort of motivation, because every weekend, there are similar events where people run or bicycle hundreds of miles, all over our country, where prize money clearly isn�t a motivator, yet, hundreds if not thousands still compete.
Motivation is an interesting thing.
Motivation is the internal condition that activates behavior, and gives it direction; energizes and directs goal-oriented behavior. wikipedia
Motivation is the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior;
Why does anyone commit themselves to anything? For a test of physical endurance, there can be all kinds of reasons that are obviously motivational enough � from getting, or staying in, good physical condition, in other words, for your health - to the sense of satisfaction of doing something difficult, challenging yourself, and completing it�or maybe for the sheer sense of adventure such an undertaking brings, despite the cost. Or maybe it�s just fun.
Motivation may be harder to understand or easier, depending on the situation. I think it�s safe to say that pretty much all of us are motivated by rewards of some sort. We don�t do much of anything without at least some goal, some end, some hoped-for result, clearly in mind, even if the goal is as simple as relaxation and refreshing or fun.
And I believe even rewards are a significant part of the kinds of motivation and commitment we see in scripture. But there can be more depth to motivation � at least the kind of motivation we see described in the Word of God.
We see in what we just read of Paul�s letter to Timothy some of these things displayed. This morning, I�d like to spend the next several minutes focusing on the idea in verse 12 of the passage we read at the outset � fight the good fight.
We see here in these few words a motivator used by Paul for Timothy. I have to admit that for many years I had a tacit understanding, without ever really thinking about it, of this verse that wasn�t accurate.
This is a phrase that Paul uses three times in his two letters to Timothy. �Fight the good fight� is found in 1 Tim 1:18, and in 2 Tim 4:7, in addition to this passage in 1 Tim chapter 6.
When I�d read this phrase in any of these instances, without really reflecting on it, I�d think it meant, essentially, �fight well� or �fight hard,� or something like that. I thought it meant that we were to throw ourselves into the fight and persevere.
Now, there are other passages of scripture that don�t use these words, - fight the good fight - but do carry this other meaning � the idea that we are, in fact, to make every effort to fight the good fight well � to fight hard, so to speak.
But in this passage of scripture, good fight doesn�t speak of how well I fight, rather, it speaks of the quality and worth of the fight itself. In other words, here Paul is saying, it�s a good fight, a noble fight, or noble effort, a fight worth fighting.
The word �good� can mean literally �beautiful.� So that makes it a �beautiful fight.� These two words don�t seem to go together in our natural minds, but there it is. And of course, fight doesn�t mean fight as in fistfight, or war, or battle.
Yes, scripture presents the Christian life in these terms in other places, but here it�s more along the lines of a competition, an athletic competition. So, Paul�s saying to Timothy, compete in this beautiful competition. And the word fight here is a command � so Paul�s implying, do it, Timothy. As you pursue righteousness, as you pursue, you seek after Godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness, really pursue, really seek after, really fight for these things.
Why? Because it�s worth it. It�s a good fight. It�s a beautiful fight. This fight, this competition we find ourselves in, is worth it. It�s worth the effort and energy expended.
This is a question we have to ask in our lives about almost everything, isn�t it? Is it worth it? There has to be some reason, that what we do, is worth doing. Otherwise, why spend the time or energy or money doing it at all? Why experience the physical or emotional pain � the inevitable challenges that many things require � if it�s not really and truly worth it.
Of course, there are good reasons, and deep reasons, as well as bad reasons and shallow reasons, for doing things. But, there as to be at least some reason - some reason we�ll spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a vacation or a piece of home electronics.
There has to be some reason we will invest hours of our time reading a book. There has to be some reason we spend time helping a neighbor or a friend. There has to be some reason we do our jobs. Perhaps it�s just the paycheck for the job. Perhaps it�s just the relaxation and refreshing that a vacation gives us. Perhaps it�s the needed knowledge we gain from reading a book. Perhaps we help a neighbor or a friend, because we hope they�ll return the favor, or we just need a friend ourselves.
But in the Christian life, often our motivation may look like one thing on the surface, but in actuality it�s something higher or more noble, something more important in the scheme of things, deeper below the surface.
Paul was telling Timothy that this fight, this fight of the faith, is worth it. And to fight this fight, he urges Timothy to take hold of, to get a grip on, the eternal life to which he was called.
We see hints of the higher purpose for which Paul urged Timothy to fight the good fight. Even when we become followers of Christ, we still have, and still need motivation to do certain things. But as we are changed into the image and likeness of Jesus, our motivation is changed, or sanctified, along with the rest of us. It doesn�t always happen overnight, and in some ways, our motivations are always being refined � as with other areas of our character.
But Paul is appealing to the highest motivations here, and in other places in the New Testament. Yet, because we are fragile jars of clay, and because we need to be moved, to be compelled, to have a reason for investing our time, our money, our lives, in anything, Paul is providing this higher level of motivation.
He�s telling Timothy that this is a good, a worthwhile fight. It�s a fight that�s worth fighting � a contest worth competing in. And yes, it does take effort. The word for fight in the original language is the same word from which we get our English word agonize.
Do you think Lance Armstrong agonizes riding his bike uphill in the French Alps? It�s a fight. It takes effort. But for him and others, it�s a beautiful fight � a fight worth fighting. Despite the cost, it brings satisfaction, peace and joy.
How can that be? How can such a costly fight, whether it�s riding in the tour de France, or living the Christian life, bring satisfaction, bring peace, bring joy?
Well, think of it this way. If riding a bicycle can bring a sense of satisfaction or accomplishment, peace and or joy to someone, and it must to some degree, or so many people wouldn�t do it, it�s clear that serving the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the Maker of the Universe, the One who created us, the One who paid the price for our salvation, can bring satisfaction, peace and joy far above and beyond what any worldly task or activity could bring.
I�m not knocking some of these things that bring satisfaction in the world. There is a tremendous sense of satisfaction that comes when you work hard to achieve something. I�ve had a chance to be a part of a championship basketball team as a player and as a coach. I can say it was a good fight � a beautiful fight, despite the challenges and obstacles, maybe even in part because of those things. These experiences brought a kind of satisfaction and joy that�s hard to describe.
But if these earthly things, which I believe God blesses us with, can help us achieve a measure of satisfaction in our lives, how much more can fighting not just a good fight, but the good fight? These things in our lives, even as a gift from God, are only a small taste of what we can experience while participating in, competing in, the good fight � the beautiful fight. The good fight that matters for eternity. The good fight that involves serving the purposes of God.
Brian spoke last week about this in a different context. He noted that when the apostle Peter fixed his eyes on Jesus, he was enabled, he was compelled, motivated, to do faith-filled things � in his case, to walk on water. But, when Peter looked at the challenge instead of at Jesus, his faith waned, and so did his motivation to do what he�d set out to do.
When our eyes are fixed on Jesus, it motivates us to commitment. Commitment to something greater than ourselves. And deep commitment propels us to action � to do something. It changes us. It changes our behavior and it changes our attitude. It changes who we are.
Brian also quoted John 1:14 � which says of Jesus, �we have seen His glory.� Brian noted that when we see His glory, it changes the way we view the world. When we truly grasp that idea, when we truly at least begin to understand that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and dwells among us still, it changes us. Or it should � perhaps if it doesn�t change us, we haven�t truly met Him.
And as we look at the crucified Lord Jesus, and His sacrifice for us, we are motivated to, compelled to say, �Lord, not my will, but yours be done.� Fixing our eyes on the incarnate Jesus, the crucified Jesus, the risen Lord Jesus, prompts us, motivates us, to change. It motivates us to die to self.
And dying to self isn�t just words � it results in visible attitudes, and visible actions. It compels us to fight the good fight, and all that this means. It begins to help us understand that it�s worth it. We can see from scripture that it was worth it for Jesus.
Brian read a passage from Hebrews last week to get at the importance of fixing our eyes on Jesus. Let me expand on that idea for a moment and tie it to the beautiful fight.
Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Now, Brian emphasized fixing our eyes on Jesus, which is the foundational point for us. I want to note that this fixing our eyes on Jesus is a part of fighting the good fight. What was Jesus� motivation? His love for us, of course. But here, we see that Jesus endured the cross. Endure implies a battle, a fight, perseverance, doesn�t it?
Why, though, did Jesus endure the cross? His motivation was �the joy set before Him.� For Jesus, the cross was worth it. The joy set before Him motivated Him to endure. For Jesus, the cross was a good fight, a fight worth fighting, a beautiful fight.
It�s called Good Friday, not because Jesus suffered, but because of what He accomplished that day in His obedience, in His endurance. Jesus� fight � and His endurance of the cross was part of that fight - but His fight was for the joy set before Him � the joy of attaining the salvation of our souls, because of His love for us.
This is part of the good fight for us, too � of course, we don�t save souls, but we do participate in the Great Commission with Jesus as we serve Him, as we fight the good fight, as we live our lives as His followers.
It�s worth it. It was worth it for Jesus. It�s worth it for us.
And as Brian noted, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives inside us - and that same love also compels us, motivates us, to fight the good fight.
2 Corinthians 5:14 (NIV) For Christ�s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.
Are we convinced? Are we convinced that Jesus died for us? Are we convinced that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him? If we�re convinced, then Christ�s love compels us. It�s also that same love that changes us, or should change us, if we will but cooperate with the Holy Spirit.
A related sidebar. Part of what stirred my thinking for this message came from a book by Gary Thomas called Holy Available. It�s where I first saw the phrase �the beautiful fight� in this context.
One challenge to the world�s view of Christians today is this: The world sees us as people who are against something, or people who don�t do certain things. Rather than see us as followers of Jesus whose lives are completely changed, so different from what we were before we followed Him, they instead see us as small-minded people with a list of things we should and shouldn�t do.
In his book, Thomas tells the story of Francis of Assisi. He wrote that Francis sensed God telling him soon after his conversion
"Francis, all those things that you have loved in the flesh you must now despise, and from those things that you formerly loathed you will drink great sweetness and immeasurable delight."
Apparently, God tested that in Francis very soon after his conversion. One of the things Francis loathed, before he became a Christian, was lepers. Remembering that God has admonished Francis to love the things he formerly despised, he soon encountered a leper. The story goes � he jumped off his horse, and knelt in front of the leper, and proceeded to kiss the diseased white hand of this man.
The point is, becoming a follower of Christ should change us. Francis had been changed � to the point that he did something he would have run from before. He embraced the beautiful fight.
Gary Thomas writes:
Today�s believers often lose touch with this sense of the glory of being a Christian. Is the Christianity taught today large enough to seize our hearts? Does its promise of transformation so compel us that we would give all to take hold of it?
He goes on to note that the Christian life is truly a beautiful fight � there�s drama, passion, struggle and vision. This is everything we need to feel alive. To feel motivated, compelled to live for something beyond ourselves.
But sadly, Christianity is seen by many in the world today as a list of things we don�t do.
Now, there are some of these lists in scripture � even just prior to the passage we�re focusing on today in 1 Timothy 6, Paul gives Timothy just such a list. But it�s not enough � and certainly isn�t the sum total of our faith.
In the book, there�s a story of one young woman who told the author:
�Why would I ever want to become a Christian? All they want me to do is dump all the good music from my iPod and wear ugly clothes.�
The presence of Jesus in our lives is supposed to make a difference that goes beyond what we listen to or don�t listen to.
Preaching mere moral�ism is the surest way to tire people out, because in one sense we�re all going to fall short of the ideal, and in another sense, spending our lives trying not to do something is far less than we were created for. If our goal in life is primarily to avoid something, then at best we achieve nothing. Such a faith will never capture our hearts. If a young woman won�t even empty her iPod for that faith, why would she ever give up her life for it?
Incarnational spirituality � the living, reigning, and as�cended Jesus living through us and transforming us into different people � does not exist to uphold a few rules but rather speaks of a process that creates an entirely new person who sees with new eyes, feels with a new heart, hears with renewed ears, and lives with a new passion. It is, I believe, the only life worth living.
God didn�t create you not to do something. God made each of us in his image, and he wants us to recapture that image, to surrender to his work in our lives, so that we "will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor" (Isaiah 61:3) Gary Thomas, Holy Available
Why do we follow Christ? What�s our motivation? Why do athletes give all for the prize of a championship? For whatever their version of the joy set before them, they endure.
For each of us as followers of Christ, that motivation is the good fight, and the good fight is worth it.
When (names redacted for security purposes) return to Egypt in September, they�ll be returning to many challenges, but they�re returning to fight the good fight.
When Patty Eland spends hours and hours preparing for the VBS, just a few weeks after returning from two weeks in Kenya, she�s no doubt physically tired and weary. But she�s fighting the good fight.
When Gordon�s back is causing him real pain, but he gets on a plane to fly halfway around the world to minister the Word of God, he�s fighting the good fight. When Spencer or Karl or Dave come down here on Monday nights to minister at the med van, they�re fighting the good fight.
When 20 of our brothers and sisters from TCF raise or earn thousands of dollars to go to a challenging place like Kenya to minister the love of Christ, they�re fighting the good fight.
When you give your hard-earned money to such an endeavor, you�re fighting the good fight, too. When you get up every day, and just do your job, whether it�s accounting, or construction or caring for your children, that, too, when done as unto the Lord, is part of fighting the good fight.
Why do we do these things? Because, hopefully, we�ve determined that it�s worth it. Whatever the inconvenience, whatever the pain, whatever the difficulty, whatever the cost. It�s worth it. We see the joy set before us. We see the prize.
And the prize isn�t our salvation � Jesus already earned that, and fighting the good fight doesn�t earn us our place in heaven.
In another place in his letters to Timothy, the apostle Paul wrote this.
2 Timothy 4:7 (NIV) I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 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.
As followers of Christ, fighting the good fight, we are looking forward to what�s in store for us - the crown of righteousness. We haven�t yet finished the race, as Paul was able to say. But as Warren Wiesbe said:
�For the Christian, Heaven isn�t simply a destination; it�s a motivation.�
Some day, I hope everyone here can say that we�ve fought the good fight. I hope we can say we have kept the faith. I hope that the crown of righteousness in store for us, is all the motivation we need to fight the good fight, and declare that everything we do, everything we give, everything we sacrifice, whether it be time, money, energy, experience, house or home, or anything else, it�s all worth it, because it�s a good fight, a noble fight, and worth every ounce of effort it takes to fight the good fight.
Pray
