However, everyone does not share that idea. That is there might be some here today who live their life everyday wanting to known as:
• Great businessman
• Great athlete
• Great entertainer
• Great entrepreneur
But one day as these stands before their Creator they will wish they had lived their life as a GREAT MAN OR WOMAN OF GOD!!!
The reason some will never be known as a MAN OR WOMAN OF GOD at this time is because they feel the bar has been set too high for them to bear this honor and they are not willing…
1) Flee from sin
2) Follow after righteousness and Godliness
3) Fight the good fight of faith.
I want to ask you something…
Illus: When you walk down the street, what do people think of you when they see you coming?
1) I can assure you that the moment you come within eye-contact range, they immediately think of something about you.
2) Even if they just hear your name mentioned a certain image of you will pop-up into their minds about what they think about you.
For example, let me give you a test…
What do you think of when I mention the name of:
· Bill Clinton...(I think of Monica Lewinsky)
· Elvis Pressley...(I think of a Singer)
· Michael Jordan...(I think of a Basket Ball Player)
· O. J. Simpson...(A man that some feel got by murdering two people)
The fact is, even when we hear someone’s name mentioned we form a mental picture of them which has been stored away in our memory of whether or not that person is a MAN OR WOMAN OF GOD.
We all should strive to live the Christian life in such a way so as soon as a person…
• HEARS OUR NAME,
• SEES US,
He/she will immediately think of us as being a MAN or WOMAN of GOD!
When Paul thought of Timothy, this was exactly what he thought of him.
WHO WAS TIMOTHY?
• He was the recipient of two New Testament letters bearing his name.
• He was the son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother.
• He was probably no older than late teens or early twenties when he joined Paul but had already distinguished himself as MAN OF GOD.
• Paul says Timothy had a “genuine faith,” the same as that which lived in his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:1–5).
Paul thought a lot of him and refers to him as a MAN OF GOD.
He said, in verse 11, “But thou, O man of God...”
Then he proceeds to show us three things a person must do to become a “Man of God.”
• There are sinful things we must FLEE from.
• There are things we must FOLLOW after.
• There are things we must FIGHT for.
In this last sermon in this series I will be addressing there are things we must FIGHT for.
Fighting is not something we normally associate with Christians, but in order to be a MAN or WOMAN OF GOD there are SOME THINGS WE MUST BE WILLING TO FIGHT FOR
Look at I Timothy 6:11-12 again, “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH, LAY HOLD ON ETERNAL LIFE, WHEREUNTO THOU ART ALSO CALLED, AND HAST PROFESSED A GOOD PROFESSION BEFORE MANY WITNESSES.”
The word translated “Fight,” is from the Greek, “agonizou,” which means, “To agonize, struggle, battle, contend, and fight for the prize.”
There are some people who ENJOY FIGHTHING, they seem to go around looking for a fight.
Illus: They make me think of the slogan that Lucky Strike cigarettes had a cigarette commercial on television years ago in the 50”s. In this commercial this man loved to smoke this brand of cigarettes (Lucky Strikes) and he was determined he was not going to switch to any other brand.
This man in this commercial had a black eye and he said in this commercial, "I'd rather fight than switch."
Some people love to fight.
Illus: The former professional wrestler Gorgeous George back in the fifties enjoyed a good fight.
Even after he came to know the Lord he still enjoyed a good fight.
Let me illustrate…
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger and Gorgeous George were driving down the highway together and some rough necks pulled out in front of them and almost caused them to have a wreck laughing and made a nasty gesture with their hands.
Dr. Belger was driving and Gorgeous George tapped him on the shoulder and said, “Speed up…Let’s get them!”
There are people RATHER FIGHT than to Eat.
They do not believe the opportunity for a good fight should go to waste. THEY ARE CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR A FIGHT!
On the other hand there are some people WHO DO NOT WANT TO FIGHT AND HAVE NEVER FOUGHT FOR ANYTHING IN THEIR ENTIRE LIFE. NEVER! NEVER! NEVER!
Illus: That is, as long as they can RUN they will never fight for anything.
Notice some things in spiritual fighting.
Verse 12 tells us to, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life...”
Notice two things in this verse of scripture.
(1) Notice, the spiritual fight is referred to as a “good fight.”
There is such a thing as a BAD FIGHT and there is a GOOD FIGHT.
The fight of faith is a GOOD FIGHT that men and women of God should be involved in because in order for good to prevail someone must fight for it.
(2)Then look at the words, “...lay hold on eternal life...”
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
It certainly is not talking about being salvation. We know that because Timothy was already saved.
• What that means we who are heaven bound must FIGHT on our way to heaven; not because we are trying to ACQUIRE SALVATION, but BECAUSE WE ARE SAVED!
• We DO NOT go around looking for a fight. We will do everything we can do to avoid a fight, but we recognize there are times we are backed into a corner and we have no choice except fight, or go down in defeat.
All across this nation churches are going down in defeat because they are filled with Christians who refuses to fight the GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH!!!
WHAT IS THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH?
There are many good fights that Christians should be involved in today.
Let me mention a few FIGHTS today I believe we Christians should be willing to fight for.
I. We must be willing to fight for the Christian faith.
Look at Jude 1:3-4, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Look at these two verses.
Jude said the Holy Spirit of God detoured him from writing about their COMMON SALVATION and wanted him instead to sound forth a WARNING that they should EARNESTLY CONTEND FOR THE FAITH.
Now why must we CONTEND FOR THE FAITH?
Because, if we sit back and DO NOTHING, we can rest assured that the devil will not sit back and DO NOTHING.
Illus: One of the sad things today in many churches across America is that the devil can sweep across this land with all kinds of false teachings trying to destroy the Christian faith and God’s people will not open their mouths because they are afraid of taking a stand as a MAN OR WOMAN OF GOD AND FIGHT!
Let me illustrate…
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger was talking to a good friend of his that attended a very affluent church down town that has a very large attendance every Sunday.
He and his friend were having coffee together at a restaurant on a Monday morning and his friend said to Dr. Belger, “You want believe what happened in our church yesterday.”
He then proceeded to tell him what took place in his church.
He said the pastor announced from the pulpit of his church yesterday they will no longer be teaching or preaching on the VIRGIN BIRTH OF CHRIST.
IS THAT SIGNIFICANT?
Yes, it is very significant!!!
The Bible clearly teaches Christ was born of a virgin.
Look at Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
• If Scripture errs about Him being born of a virgin, then why should we trust its claims about other su¬pernatural events, such as the resurrection of Christ?
• And if Christ is not born of a virgin, He was born into sin just as we are and we do not have a Savior. Because when He died, He died for His sin, not ours!
After Dr. Belger’s friend told him this he wanted to know what the response from this large congregation.
He said there was no response from the congregation!!!
NO REPSONSE!!!
Dr. Belger told his friend that everyone in that congregation, including him should have immediately stood up and said:
1) We will not put another penny in this church!!!
2) We will not be attending this church anymore!!!
3) We are leaving this church now!!!
And every born again believer should have gotten up and walked out!!!
The Book of Jude tells us clearly as MEN AND WOMEN OF GOD we are to “Contend for the Faith”.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TAKE A STAND FOR THE FAITH?
It means…Standing involves a commitment to believe God’s Word and His promises.
• As, Hebrews 10:23 urges, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.”
• Illus: It means like the old hymn said “Standing on the Promises of Christ My King.”
“Stand fast in the faith” seems to be Paul compelling believers to dig in their heels as they face hardship, danger, persecution, and conflict.
• In Philippians 4:1 Paul calls fellow believers to “stay true to the Lord”
• In II Thessalonians 2:15 Paul tells the Thessalonians, “So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter”.
God’s church today still has that responsibility to CONTEND FOR THE FAITH AND FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH FOR THE PRECIOUS WORD OF GOD.
Illus: However every old timer in this congregation can tell you that many of the churches today have not CONTENDED FOR THE FAITH and there is very little similarity to today’s church to the church 50 or 60 years ago.
• Christians Prayed different then.
• Preachers preached different then.
• Christians dressed different then.
• Christians talked different then.
• Christians lived different then.
What happened, why has the church today change from what it use to be?
I will tell you what has happened…professing Christians has allowed the devil to take THEIR FIRST LOVE and they no longer willing to CONTEND FOR THE FAITH!!!
Listen, as a church when good men do nothing evil will creep into the church and destroy God’s church.
• We are told 75 churches a week, big churches and small churches, are closing the doors of their churches.
• Souls are not being saved in some of these churches and it is because the powerful convicting power of God’s Word is not being preached.
• Christians are not growing stronger but weaker and weaker and it is because God’s powerful Word is NOT being preached or taught to feed the flock of God.
We have to take a stand and FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH!!!
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger said years ago I had a church member come to me and said, “Pastor, can I have a few minutes of your time? He said certainly.
We went to my office and he told me that something very strange was being taught in our young adult class.
He said our teacher is teaching CHRIST DID NOT DIE FOR WHOSOEVER.
Dr. Belger said tell me more and as he told him more he recognized this teacher was teaching HYPER-CALVINISM!
WHAT IS HYPER-CALVINISM?
It is a false teaching that salvation teaches LIMITED SALVATION.
That is some in this life have been PREDESTINED TO BE SAVED LIKE IT OR NOT and other that are not part of the God’s Elect has been born to die and go to a devil’s hell.
I asked this teacher to meet with me and the deacons in my office. I told him that one of his class member in his class said he was teaching something this church does not teach.
And I asked him, ARE YOU TEACING HYPERCALVINISM?
He admitted he was. And I told him that he would not be teaching anymore in this church.
Listen, MEN AND WOMEN OF GOD HAVE TO FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH. We cannot allow false teachings to be taught in God’s churcj.
For example:
We have churches all over this nation churches that are teaching we are saved by GRACE AND WORKS!
Our works has nothing to do with our salvation, our works is our REWARDS!!!
Yet you hardly ever hear Christians CONTEND FOR THE FAITH and refute this false teaching.
This is not a BAD FIGHT, THIS IS A GOOD FIGHT WHEN GOD’S PEOPLE TAKE A STAND.
Illus: I am a BAPTIST because I believe the Baptist doctrine teaches the Word of God.
As I read and study the Word of God daily (AT LEAST 30 HOURS A WEEK IN MY STUDIES IN SERMON PREPARATION) I cannot find anything in the Word of God that the Baptist do not align themselves with.
Because of this I am a Baptist and I preach and teach what the Baptist adhere too.
If the Baptist did not adhere to the Word of God I would not be a BAPTIST!
• You would be surprise Christians who belong to some of these denominational churches and yet they have no idea what their church doctrine teaches.
• And they cannot know what their church doctrine teaches because their pastor only preaches MOTIVATIONAL SERMONS.
But yet they attend these denominational churches and support them with God’s tithes and offerings.
Because I believe what the Word of teaches and the Baptist aligns themselves with God’s Word I am saying this…
• I am not part Baptist and part Pentecostal; I am a 100% pure breed Baptist!!!
• I am not part Baptist and part Presbyterian; I am a 100% pure breed Baptist!!!
• I am not part Baptist and part Catholic; I am a 100% pure breed Baptist!!!
• I am not part Baptist and part Mormon; I am a 100% pure breed Baptist!!!
Since I believe the Baptist teaches what this Bible teaches I believe God expects me to be a MAN OF GOD AND CONTEND FOR THE FAITH IN THIS BAPTIST CHURCH!!!
IT IS TIME FOR CHRISTIANS TO FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH.
(2) ALSO WE SHOULD CONTEND FOR THE FAITH WHEN IT COMES TO CHRISTIAN MUSIC.
• Today many are concern that our school books for our children are being re-written AND THEY SHOULD BE!
• But they should also be concern today that many of the old hymns of the faith are being removed from our church song books.
Illus: John and Charles Wesley founders of the Methodist denomination wrote many of the good hymns that Bible believing churches sing today.
They are noted for 482 of the old Hymns that support the Word of God.
Such as:
• 'His blood can make the vilest clean',
• 'There is a fountain filled with blood',
• 'What can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus'.
The Baptists and many other denominations use the Methodist's atonement hymns.
Yet, a survey has shown that the Presbyterian (USA), Episcopal, Disciples, United Church of Canada, and United Church of Christ hymnals have now deleted songs about the blood atonement.
Our song books are filled with scriptural songs about the resurrection, second coming and the precious blood of Christ and pages are being removed from our song books because it offends some of the ungodly.
Illus: They have replaced old hymns of the faith with these little 7-11 choruses that they sing that has seven words and they sing it eleven times…IT IS TIME FOR CHRISTIANS TO FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH when it comes to the music in our churches today.
IN THE CHARISMATIC MOVEMENT TODAY MUCH OF THEIR CONTEMPORARY MUSIC SAYS NOTHING ABOUT JESUS, THE BLOOD, THE CROSS, SALVATION OR HEAVEN.
Listen, when MEN AND WOMEN OF GOD do nothing you can rest assure that Satan is doing something!
Illus: I was glad to hear recently that one of our local Methodist churches CONTENDED FOR THE FAITH recently and the church members demanded that their church install a Baptismal pool where they could be baptized by IMMERSION…not have some water sprinkle on the top of their head.
It is time for MEN AND WOMEN OF GOD FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH in all of the denominational churches!!!
(3) Also it is time for God’s church to take a stand and get all of this ungodly dancing out of the church.
In some of these churches today where Satan has taken over, they are dancing, but they are not dancing before the Lord. They are dancing the same kind of dances you see in some of these ungodly dance halls across America. (It is enough to make a maggot through up!)
Nowhere in the Bible does it teach we are supposed to be JITTER BUGGING FOR CHRIST in the church!
Listen, we cannot call ourselves MEN, and WOMEN of God if we are not willing as Jude say TO EARNESTLY CONTEND FOR THE FAITH.
We are not looking for a fight, but there are some things we are willing to fight for.
Some would piously excuse themselves from this fight by saying:
• We have to be TOLERANT of what others teach. NOT IF IT IS FALSE DOCTRINE THEY ARE TEACHING!
• We have to accept this liberal preaching that we are all God’s children. NOT IF IT IS FALSE DOCTRINE THEY ARE TEACHING!
I do not have a problem if someone gets so excited in their worship of the Lord that they start jumping up and down praising the Lord. But what I see on so called Christian television this jitter bugging and vulgar dancing is the same thing I see unsaved people do.
(3) Also we need to take a stand today the false teaching EVERYONE IS GOING TO HEAVEN WHEN THEY DIE
We hear quite often preachers who would have us believe some of the most ungodly people on this earth when they die they go to heaven
Illus: When you attend funeral services today have you noticed EVERYBODY IS PREACHED INTO HEAVEN.
Illus: One of my favorite singers is Frank Sinatra. But the things I have heard about how he lived a very ungodly life. But the moment he died they started talking HE IS NOW SINGING IN THAT HEAVENLY CHOIR.
Not unless he repented of his sins!!! I hope he did, but if he did not repent of his sins I can assure you based on the Word of God he is not singing I have it my way!
We are NOT all God’s children.
The ungodly have another “father.”
Jesus told a crowd one day in John 8:44, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do...”
Not everyone is going to heaven.
Look at Matthew 25:30. We read, “And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
We are all God’s creation, but we are not all God’s children.
This false teaching that everyone dies and go to heaven today is prevalent. It is time that the MEN AND WOMEN OF GOD CONTEND FOR THE FAITH AND DECLARES THIS IS NOT THE WORD OF GOD TEACHES.
(4) Also we must CONTEND FOR THE FAITH that there are not many ways to get to heaven…THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY!
When you witness to some today and tell them that Christ is the only way, they will respond by saying “We know you mean well, and we respect what you believe, but we are of ANOTHER FAITH.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN OF “ANOTHER FAITH?”
HOW MANY FAITHS ARE THERE?
The Bible answers that question.
Look at Ephesians 4:5. We read, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
Illus: A lady came up to Dr. Ed McAbee after he got through preaching one night and said, “Dr. McAbee, I appreciate your sincerity, but I do not agree with you. I am of another faith.”
• Dr. McAbee said, “Then one of us is going to hell.”
• She said, “What do you mean?”
• He said, “Because this Bible teaches there is only ONE FAITH and whichever of us does not have that faith is going to die and go to hell.”
The only people who are going to heaven are those who believe what this Bible teaches about salvation.
Illus: The story is told of a man who died and as he stood on the outside of heaven’s gate he was supposed to have asked Saint Peter:
• “Are there any Baptists in there?” Saint Peter answered, “There is not one Baptist in here.”
• “Are there any Methodists in there?” Saint Peter said, “There are no Methodists in here.”
• “Are there any Pentecostals in there?” Saint Peter said, “There are no Pentecostals in here.”
• “Are there any Catholics in there?” Saint Peter said, “There is not one Catholic in here. “
• The man, finally in exasperation, said, “WHO THEN IS IN THERE?”
• Saint Peter said, “Only BORN again Believers who put their trust in Christ!”
Illus: You would be surprise today the people who think they are going to heaven…
(1) Because they live a good moral life
(2) Because they have joined the church
(3) Because they tithe every Sunday
(4) Because they have been baptized
But the surprise of their life will be when they stand before the Lord and He tells them to DEPART FROM HIM BECAUSE THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN BORN AGAIN.
We Christians today must be MEN AND WOMEN OF GOD ANS CONTEND FOR THE FAITH AND FIGHT THIS FALSE TEACHING THAT EVERYONE IS GOING TO HEAVEN WHEN THEY DIE.
(5) Also we must be willing to CONTEND FOR THE FAITH for this Bible that I hold in my hand.
When I think of this Bible I think of the poem by Edmund Phillifant about his precious book called the MY OLD BIBLE. It goes like this…
Though the cover is worn,
And the pages are torn,
And though places bear traces of tears:
Yet more precious than gold
Is this Book, worn and old,
That can shatter and scatter my fears.
This old Book is my guide,
’Tis a friend by my side,
It will lighten and brighten my way;
And each promise I find
Soothes and gladdens the mind,
As I read it and heed it each day.
When I prayerfully look
In the precious old book.
Many treasures and pleasures I see:
Many promises of love,
From the Father above,
Who is nearest and dearest to me.
To this Book I will cling,
Of its worth I will sing,
Though great losses and crosses be mine;
For I cannot despair,
Though surrounded by care,
While possessing this blessing divine.
It looks as if our age will have to be written up as the age of the BATTLE FOR THE BIBLE.
Many do not recognize this, but there is a mighty battle going on across this land. The enemy is trying to destroy the Word of God.
Some say, “Well, it doesn’t make any difference what version of the Bible you use. They all are the Word of God!”
That simply is not true!
They all have on the cover “Holy Bible” but some of them are not the “Holy Bible”.
Common sense tells us how can they all be the Word of God when they do not say the same thing?
• Some of these are no more than translations, and bad translations at that!
• Some are NOT even translations. They are paraphrases. (Man’s thoughts)
Some of the modern translations and paraphrases are given to us by people who have hidden agendas.
They do not believe in....
· The virgin birth.
· The deity of Christ.
· The literal return of Christ.
· The resurrection of Christ.
· The ascension of Christ!
And that is why when you read some of these translations you discover translators LEFT OUT THINGS or ADDED THINGS that would serve their evil purposes.
Translators use two kinds of interpretation in translating the scriptures.
(1) Some use the method “thought-for-thought,” using the overall meaning of the text in modern language. That is these translators take the thought from a manuscripts and interpret that thought into the English language saying this is what that verse mean.
THIS CAN LEAD TO A BAD INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES!!!
This is why translations like the LIVING BIBLE are easy to read but the translations is no more than what a person thought!
(2) Some use the “Literal” interpretation aiming for an exact Word-for-Word as possible. THIS IS GOOD!
This is why the King James is so accepted by Bible-believers.
The translators took the manuscript the TEXTUS RECEPTUS and using it Word-for-Word finding English word of equal value to give us the KING JAMES BIBLE.
Some of the translations on the market today came from translators that have a hidden agenda.
For example:
• There is a Bible today for Homosexuals slanted toward their life style. (It is called “The Bible and Homosexual Practice”
• There is a Bible today for Mormons slanted toward their beliefs. (It is called “The Book of Mormons)
• There is a Bible today for Jehovah Witnesses slanted toward their beliefs. (It is called “The New World Translation)
• There is a Bible for Catholics. (It is called St. Joseph Catholic Bible)
• There is a Bible for Teens (It is called Slimline Bible)
The devil today is flooding the book stores with all kinds of Bibles and soon when someone is asked IF THEY HAVE READ THE BIBLE TODAY THEY ARE GOING TO SAY…WHICH ONE!!!
God today is looking for MEN AND WOMEN OF GOD TODAY FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH FOR HIS PRECIOUS WORD
Did you know some of the modern translations leave out such words as?
· Christ.
· Lord.
· Jesus.
· God.
· God head.
· Lucifer.
· Devil(s).
· Hell.
· Heaven.
· Damned.
· Blood.
· Salvation.
· Word of God.
· Word of the Lord.
· Lord Jesus Christ.
For example, did you know that?
· NIV omits 5,219 critical words.
· NASV omits 3,561 critical words.
· NRSV omits 3,890 critical words.
· RSV omits 6,985 critical words.
· LIVING omits 17,003 critical words.
These omissions can be easily detected because of the literature today that exposes them making them in comparison to the King James Bible.
The devil is attacking the Word of God as never before. For centuries this King James Bible has been accepted by the English speaking people as God’s Word.
It has been accepted as an accurate translation from the Textus Receptus, word for word.
The only time the translator of the King James deviated from the original text was for clarity and they were honest enough to put those few words in italics.
The devil is attacking the Word of God and the tragedy is that all across this nation there are very few Christians who have the courage to FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH for a Bible that has not been contaminated by evil men.
We MUST BE WILLING TO FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH FOR THE PRECIOUS WORD OF GOD.
But also we must be willing to fight for…
(6) Also we must be CONTEND FOR THE FAITH FOR THE PROFESSION OF A CHILD OF GOD.
Look at verse 12 again. We read, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, AND HAST PROFESSED A GOOD PROFESSION BEFORE MANY WITNESSES.”
Notice, the word “good,” again.
We are to fight a GOOD FIGHT but also God wants us to live as MEN AND WOMEN OF GOD THAT WE HAVE A GOOD PROFESSION BEFORE MANY WITNESSES.
We have many Christians all across this nation who does not have A GOOD PROFESSION OF FAITH.
This is why many Christians:
• Cannot win anyone to the Lord because the lost world does not want what they have.
• Cannot bring folks to church because the lost world is thinking why I should go to church with you it is not doing you good.
When it comes to the Christians profession, there should not be a doubt in the lost world mind that we live with, work whose side we are on.
Let me illustrate…
Illus: During the civil war we are told that on one occasion an elderly man took off running after some Yankee soldiers with the frying pan in his hand.
• His wife said, “Pa, come back here with that frying pan. You cannot do anything with that!”
• He yelled back, “Yes I can do something with this frying pan; I can let them know whose side I am on!”
The Bible says we are to FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH...BEFORE MANY WITNESSES.
That is, we need to let the lost world KNOW we are on God’s side if we are MEN and WOMEN OF GOD!!!
The lost world should have no doubts about whose side we are on by the…
• Way they dress
• Way they talk
• Way they live the Christian life
• What kind of books we read
• What kinds of things we watch on television
There should be a clear distinction when the lost world look at us that we live in the same world they live, but we also live in another world they do not live in.
Let me illustrate…
Illus: They make us think of William Kelly who was an outstanding student of the Bible whose scholarship and spirituality made him a real power for God in Great Britain at the close of the last century.
Mr. Kelly helped a young relative prepare for Trinity College in Dublin, and in this way came to the attention of the professors there. They urged him to take up work at the college and thus distinguish himself.
Mr. Kelly showed a complete lack of enthusiasm. One of them asked, in exasperation, “But Mr. Kelly, aren’t you interested in making a name for yourself in the world?”
To which Mr. Kelly adroitly replied, “Which world, gentlemen?”
Yes, it should be obvious to the lost world that we live not for this world, but for a spiritual world. And that we stand not for the things of this world, but for the things of God.
Conclusion:
We are to be MEN AND WOMEN OF GOD! We must be willing to FIGHT the things of the devil.
I. WE MUST BE WILLING TO FLEE.
II. WE MUST BE WILLING TO FOLLOW.
III. WE MUST BE WILLING TO FIGHT.
YouTube:
Bill & Gloria Gaither - Keep On the Firing Line [Live] ft. Anthony Burger
YouTube
GaitherVEVO
703.3K views
Nov 2, 2012
