Ruth Bell Graham tells this story about her son Franklin: Franklin was sleeping on the front porch with his cowboy boots and toy gun. We were having problems with some polecats (skunks), and Franklin told me not to worry because he had a gun.
“Franklin, it’s just a toy gun,” I said.
“That’s OK, Momma,” he said. “The polecats don’t know that.” (Jim Dailey, “A Conversation with Ruth Bell Graham,” Decision, May 2002, p. 15)
I love that attitude! Here is a boy who’s going to fight for his family with everything he had.
It reminds me of the sacrifice of those who serve our country in the military. They are willing to give all (and many DID give their all) to protect their families and the freedoms we enjoy today. That’s in stark contrast to those cowards who choose not to fight at all for what they believe.
Jack Handey, in his book, Fuzzy Memories, tells the story of a bully who demanded his lunch money every day when he was a child. Because Handey was smaller than the bully, he simply gave the bully his money.
“Then I decided to fight back,” Handey says. “I started taking karate lessons, but the instructor wanted $5 a lesson. That was a lot of money. I found that it was cheaper to pay the bully, so I gave up karate.” (Greg Laurie, Lies We Tell Ourselves, Regal, 2006, pp. 99–100; www.PreachingToday.com)
Unfortunately, there are some people in the church who have that same attitude when it comes to fighting spiritual battles. They find it is easier to pay “the bully” than it is to learn how to fight him. They are willing to let Satan destroy their lives and wreck havoc in their churches without putting up any kind of a fight.
My friends, we can’t let Satan do that here! We can’t let Satan destroy our fellowship with his lies and the dissension he loves to sow among God’s people. Instead, God calls us to fight the good fight. He calls us to fight for our churches and to fight for our spiritual lives.
The question is: How do we do that? How do we fight the good fight? How do we do battle against the evil one whose only aim is to kill and destroy the wonderful fellowship we enjoy here as believers in Christ?
Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to 1 Timothy 1, 1 Timothy 1, where the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul gives instructions to a young pastor who was fighting legalism in his church, which Satan was using to tear it apart.
1 Timothy 1:12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. (NIV)
The Apostle Paul is grateful that God chose him to serve.
1 Timothy 1:13-14 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. (NIV)
God’s grace and love filled Paul up to overflowing. That’s the sense of the original language here, and Paul appreciates that grace. Paul is thankful that God in His grace chose him to serve (vs.1).
There was a time when Paul used to pursue Christians wherever he could find them in order to arrest and kill them. He blasphemed Christ’s name and brutalized Christ’s followers. Then God got a hold of him and replaced his unbelief and hatred with faith and love.
The grace of God did what the law of God could never do. It changed his life completely. It turned a serial killer into a servant of God. And Paul was extremely grateful to God for that.
My friends, if we want to fight the good fight, then we too need to be thankful. We too need to...
APPRECIATE GOD’S GRACE.
We too need to be grateful that God chose sinners like us to serve Him.
Just last May (2009), John Ortberg, pastor of the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, California, found himself and his family in Azusa, California, because one of his kids was graduating from Azusa Pacific University. His wife, Nancy, was going to speak at the commencement ceremonies, so they were invited to a special gathering of about 50 people — people from the graduating class of 50 years ago and a few faculty members. During the gathering, John Wallace, the president of Azusa Pacific, brought out three students who were graduating that year and announced that for the next two years, they were going to serve the poorest of the poor in India.
These three students thought they were there just to be commissioned and sent out with a blessing—which they were. But then something happened that they did not know was coming. John turned to them and said, “I have a piece of news for you. There’s somebody you do not know—an anonymous donor—who is so moved by what you’re doing that he has given a gift to this university in your name, on your behalf.”
John turned to the first student and said, “You are forgiven your debt of $105,000.” The kid immediately starts to cry. John turns to the next student: “You’re forgiven your debt of $70,000.” He then turns to the third student: “You are forgiven your debt of $130,000.” All three students had no idea this was coming. They were just ambushed by grace—blown away that somebody they don’t even know would pay their debt. The whole room was in tears. (John Ortberg in his sermon, Patch ’Em, preached 5-17-09 at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, Menlo Park, California; www.PreachingToday.com)
In a sense, that’s what happened to us when we trusted Christ as our Savior from sin. We were “ambushed by grace.” Christ paid a debt we could never pay – the debt of our sin – and freed us up to serve.
It brings tears to your eyes – tears of gratitude for the grace so freely lavished on those of us who never deserved it. & That’s where fighting the good fight starts. That’s where we begin to battle all forms of legalism and the strife it always brings. It starts when we appreciate God’s grace at work in our own lives. Then it continues when we...
ACQUIESCE TO GOD’S GLORY.
We fight the good fight when we humble ourselves before the Lord and let Him use us as trophies of His grace. I don’t know about you, but the thought of what God did for me humbles me. It humbles me to think that God would fill me up to overflowing with supernatural resources I never deserved. God’s grace certainly humbled Paul.
1 Timothy 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst. (NIV)
Not “of whom I WAS the worst,” no, “of whom I AM the worst” – present tense.
Paul had a keen awareness of His own sinfulness even as a mature believer in Christ. He understood his desperate need for Christ everyday, and so should we. God’s grace should humble us, as well.
C. S. Lewis put it this way: When a man is getting better, he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him. When a man is getting worse, he understands his own badness less and less. (Leadership, Vol. 7, no.4; www.PreachingToday.com)
The more we are overwhelmed with God’s grace, the more we are overwhelmed with our own sinfulness. For that’s what the Gospel is all about! Jesus Christ came into the world to save SINNERS. He did not come to save the righteous. He came for sinners!
So if you think you’re righteous right now, if you think you’re pretty good before God, then you don’t need Christ. In fact, if that’s you’re attitude, I doubt that you have Christ in you at all, because He did not come for the self-righteous; He came for sinners.
Tim Keller once said, “Here’s the gospel: you’re more sinful than you ever dared believe; you’re more loved than you ever dared hope. (Tim Keller, Treasure Versus Money; www.PreachingToday.com)
If you ever get the chance to see the film, Amazing Grace, watch it! It’s one of the best films I have seen in the last year or two. The film tells the story of William Wilberforce as he works long and hard in the 19th Century to end the slave trade in the British Empire.
As part of that effort, early on, Wilberforce visited his old pastor and friend, John Newton (the same one who wrote the song, Amazing Grace). Newton himself was a former slave ship captain before he came to know Christ, and Wilberforce was hopeful that Newton would give an account of his slave-ship days to discourage the practice. Newton, however, refused to do it, because the experience and what he called the “20,000 ghosts” haunted him too greatly.
Years later, as Wilberforce nears success in ending the slave trade, he visits Newton again and discovers that Newton has written out his account. His eyesight now gone, Newton says to Wilberforce, “You must use it. Names, records, ship records, ports, people – everything I remember is in here. Although my memory is fading, I remember two things very clearly: I’m a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior.” (Amazing Grace, Samuel Goldwyn Pictures, 2006, directed by Michael Apted; Chapter 19, 1:27:50 to 1:28:20; www.PreachingToday.com)
Did you hear it? “I’m a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior.” That’s the attitude the Apostle Paul had. That’s the attitude John Newton had. & That’s the attitude we all need to have. If we’re going to fight the good fight against those forces that would destroy our fellowship, then we need to humble ourselves before the Lord.
That way He get’s the glory! That way God gets the credit for all that happens here. When we acknowledge our own sinfulness, then God is able to glorify Himself in our midst. Look at what the Apostle Paul says in vs.16
1 Timothy 1:16 But for that very reason – i.e., because I AM right now the worst of sinners – for that very reason, I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. (NIV)
Paul says, “I am the poster boy for God’s patience in dealing with sinners.” In other words, Paul is saying, “If God can use me, the worst of sinners, he can use any sinner who dares to believe in Christ. My friends, if God can use Paul, he can use you and me. All we need to do is trust Him with our lives every day.
1 Timothy 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. (NIV)
When we humble ourselves before the Lord, acknowledging our own sinfulness, then God gets the glory when He does his great work in our church.
Eugene Peterson once said, “The biblical fact is that there are no successful churches. There are, instead, communities of sinners, gathered before God week after week in towns and villages all over the world. The Holy Spirit gathers them and does his work in them. In these communities of sinners, one of the sinners is called "pastor" and given a designated responsibility… to keep the community attentive to God. (Eugene H. Peterson, Leadership, Vol. 9, no. 4; www.PreachingToday.com)
You see, what we don’t need here are more “principles for success.” What we don’t need is a big “how to” list for effectiveness. No! What we need is Christ, the Savior of sinners! & We need Him today and everyday!
I like the way one pastor put it years ago (1986) when he became overwhelmed with all the “ideals” he was collecting from church growth seminars and books. He said, “Quite frankly, I’m sick to death of ideals. I have so many ideals and I’ve been so frustrated by them, I really don’t care for any more. What I’m looking for is a savior – not someone who will just tell me what I ought to be, but someone who will forgive me for what I am, and then with his very love will enable me to be more than I ever believed I could be. (Bruce Thielemann, “Telltale Tears,” Christianity Today, Vol. 35, no. 115, www.PreachingToday.com)
My friends, that’s exactly what Jesus does for us when we acknowledge our sinfulness before Him. His love enables us to be more than we ever believed we could be to His honor and glory!
That’s how we fight the good fight against those forces that would destroy our fellowship. We do it with the weapons of gratitude and humility. If we’re going to fight the good fight, then 1st, we must appreciate God’s grace; 2nd, we must acquiesce to God’s glory; and finally, if we’re going to fight the good fight, we must…
APPROPRIATE GOD’S WAYS.
We must grab a hold of the truth of God’s word. We must possess it, making it a part of who we are.
1 Timothy 1:18 Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight...
How?
1 Timothy 1:19a [By] holding onto faith and a good conscience.
If we’re going to fight the good fight, we must believe what God says in His Word and therefore do what He tells us to do. If we don’t, our faith comes crashing down.
1 Timothy 1:19b-20 Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.
Evidently, Hymenaeus and Alexander didn’t hold onto faith and a good conscience. They stopped believing what God had said and went their own way. As a result, they lost their faith and got into a lot of trouble.
It’s like trusting or not trusting the GPS in your car. Last week, I was at Moody Pastor’s Conference in Chicago; and there, I won a drawing for a brand new Garmin GPS. It’s a nifty little device! Sandy and I had to make several stops in Milwaukee this last weekend – the airport, a Best Western Motel, Office Depot, a GNC store, and other places – so for each stop we just entered the name of the place. The GPS calculated the best route and then gave us turn-by-turn directions: “In 0.2 miles turn right onto such-and-such a street.”
I told Sandy, the only flaw with this GPS is the female voice. Guys don’t normally listen to women, because the guy thinks he knows better, but I had a choice. I could believe what the GPS was telling me (even though it had a female voice) and follow the directions it gave me, or I could go my own way.
When I chose to believe what the GPS was telling me, I had no trouble getting to where I needed to go. But there were times I didn’t do what the GPS told me to do. That’s because the road was blocked or I took a wrong turn. Then the GPS simply said, “recalculating” and gave me new directions.
That’s a lot like following Christ. When we choose to believe what He tells us, we have no trouble getting to where He wants us to go. On the other hand, when we choose to ignore His directions, we can get very lost and into a lot of trouble. But even then, it’s like the Holy Spirit says to our conscience, “Recalculating,” and gives us new directions to get back on track.
The Bible and the Holy Spirit are God’s GPS for our lives. All we need to do is believe what He says and follow His directions.
If we’re going to fight the good fight, then we must appreciate God’s grace; we must acquiesce to God’s glory; and we must appropriate God’s ways. In short, we fight the good fight with gratitude, humility, and faith. Let me say it again: We fight the good fight with gratitude, humility, and faith. We conquer those forces that would destroy our fellowship by being grateful for God’s grace, through a humble acknowledgment of our own sinfulness, and by truly believing what God has said, enough to follow His directions.
Andrew Murray once said, “God has no more precious gift to a church or an age than a man who lives as an embodiment of His will, and inspires those around him with the faith of what grace can do. (Andrew Murray, Leadership, Vol. 7, no. 4)
Dear friends, by God’ grace let’s each of us be that person in this place.
