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"Vision
For A Godly Life" • 12.29.19 • Calvary
Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- This is the last Sunday of the
year and indeed, the final Sunday of the decade! I can't pretend that our
recent events hasn't colored my choice of texts for this morning.
- The world that we live in is in a virtual
free fall and it has always been so. Moralistic relativism reigns supreme, as
our nation is no longer able to identify right from wrong.
- Our churches have become entertainment
centers and our members have become so dull in their senses that virtually
anyone calling themselves a "Christian" is one without qualification.
- Pastors today are inspirational speakers,
life coaches, anything but dying men preparing dying men to meet their Maker!
- This is why I seek to call our attention to
the Apostle Paul's letter to Timothy once again. Paul has been imprisoned by
the Roman emperor Nero.
- He has been watching the seeds of apostasy
develop, even then in the middle of the first century, with he and the original
Apostles yet alive!
- He may or may not know this yet, but this
will be his final imprisonment. He will soon be beheaded and Timothy must not
cling to this life, but be instructed how to cling to the next!
- As we move from one year to the next, I felt
that it would be wise for us to listen in. If you will be in the company of
those that cling to eternal life, you will embrace "The Call To Run." Verse 11.
Text
• I Timothy
6:11 : "But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness." : "But you, O man of God!" This is the assessment of
Timothy by the Apostle Paul! Timothy is a man of God!
- Could there be higher praise given to a man?
Could there be a more informed source? I pray that you would desire just such a
reputation among those that know the truth about you.
- What could be more important than being a
genuine man or woman of God? Would you characterize yourself that way today? Would
the world around you claim make that claim?
- If there is anything worthy of our ambition,
it would be that this would be said of us! If it will be, it will come first
from a life of contrast to the world. "But you."
- If you are to be man of God, you cannot
simultaneously be a man of this world! For a sense of what Paul is referring to,
we need to look back at the previous verses.
• I Timothy 6:6-10 : "Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
For
we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
And
having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire
to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful
lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of
money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the
faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." : Timothy has been listening to Paul indict
the men within the church that were straying from the doctrine that saved them!
- They had given into covetousness, leaving
godly contentment to the side. They had become enamored with materialism and
this had caused them to stray from the faith.
- The inevitable outcome of that kind of life
is to be pierced through with many sorrows! They had done this to themselves!
The word literally speaks of soul torture and indeed it is!
- It is not God's fault when we who are walking
with Him make choices that alienate us from Him! That misery that a child of
God experiences is self-inflicted! Don't blame God!
- There are far too many people who are walking
with one foot in the things of God and one foot in the things of this world.
- More often than not, they are too compromised
to be of service to the Lord and too cowardly to be praised by the world! It's
a miserable existence. "But you, O man of God!"
- The world and even some among the church are
foolishly living for what this world can provide for them materially. If I am
to be a man of God, His pursuit alone must guide my heart's love.
- Timothy is a man who belongs to God, whose
character is forged by God and whose life choices reflect a deep and abiding
reverence for God! Why? What certifies that pronouncement?
- What is of greater importance is what propels
him or you or I to continue in that definition?
- First, Timothy was to "flee these
things." Flee from materialism and greed. According to the lexical
definition, he is to run swiftly, to seek safety by flight.
- Would it interest you to know that we get our
English word "fugitive" from this Greek word? What would that speak
to you? A fugitive is running for his freedom!
- He is ever on the lookout for that which
pursues him and is never at rest until he has found some measure of safety.
When he does find a safe harbor, he knows it is only a temporary reprieve.
- When this word was used by the Greeks outside
of the Bible it meant running away from a wild animal or a deadly, poisonous
snake! Is that picturesque enough for you?
- This world seeks to capture you with the lure
of materialism, greed, covetousness and even a sense of relief through it's
inane entertainment industry that beckons you to relax as it teaches you!
- It's not enough for Timothy to flee once and
assume his safety. Paul commands him to always be in the process of fleeing!
"Keep fleeing from these things!"
- When desires contrary to a godly life pop up
into our hearts and minds, we're not to stand and seek to fight. You and I are
not strong enough to contend!
- Some don't care for running at all. They have
no desire to run long, hard or even that far. They are not conditioned in their
spirit to continue. There are biblical examples of this.
- I think of Lot, Abraham's nephew, who was
given a choice to settle wherever he wanted to. You can read of his story in Genesis 13, 14 and 19.
- He lifted his eyes toward Sodom because there
was prosperity to be had in their county.
- The problem was that the city was wicked and
it was on schedule to be destroyed by God! After living there for some time,
Angels came to rescue Lot. They told him to run and he couldn't.
- He was finally, veritably DRAGGED out of the
city and he lost everything he pursued!
- Some are looking to just to run enough, to
remain close enough to things of God, but just removed enough to be able to
access the things of men. There are biblical examples of this as well.
- When the people of Israel came out of
Egyptian slavery, a "mixed multitude" came out with them. (Exodus 12:38) These were members of
other nations who sought freedom from Egypt.
- Where did these people end up? Numbers 11:1 tells us that the were
found on the "outskirts" of the camp, complaining against the Lord.
- When judgment occurs, it's generally near the
fringe first. When the enemy attacks, it's the ones at the back, as it happened
when the Amalekites attacked Israel.
- Deuteronomy
25:17,18 reveals that they came after the old and the tired, the
"stragglers."
- And then there is the story of Ruben, Gad and
Manasseh, who traded the center of God's will for a bonanza of country suitable
for livestock! (Numbers 32)
- They had come all that way, just to settle on
the other side of the Jordan river, close enough to be associated with Israel,
but far enough to be vulnerable to the enemy.
- I
Chronicles 5 tells their story of continual conflict with the Hagrites and
the inevitability and distinction of being the first three tribes of Israel to
be carried into Assyrian captivity!
- If you believe that you can stop running, you
can rest assured that these desires born from the world system, will catch,
enslave and destroy you!
- A godly person is known by what they are running
from but that is not enough!
- We are not simply to run away from carnal
desires! We're to run toward godly desires! This is the way of Christianity. We
are to replace what is worldly with what is godly!
- Generally speaking, we do not eliminate
cravings. We learn to replace them with healthier options! That is what Paul is
calling Timothy to observe spiritually.
- He is to flee from the foolishness of false
teaching and covetousness by pursuing righteousness, godliness, etc.
"Pursuing" is the operative word. It is a consistent, present
activity.
- Timothy should always be in a state of fleeing
from and pursuing toward. Yes, it begins with a single decision, but then it
requires reinforcing decisions daily!
- Timothy is to be the embodiment of
righteousness. That refers to how he lives before people.
- He consistently acts according to the
scripture. The world sees in him an example of how Christ would act if He were
visibly present.
- Righteousness is to be his aim among men. Godliness
is to be his motivation before God!
- Godliness is the verb for a life that is
marked by the disciplines of a Christian. If righteousness is the vehicle,
godliness is the engine!
- When people witness your righteousness it
will connect them to your walk with God! Think of why these two characteristics
are connected by Paul.
• "Take heed
to yourselves, lest your example contradict your doctrine and lest you lay such
stumbling-blocks before the blind, as may be the occasion of their ruin; lest
you unsay with your lives, what you say with your tongues; and be the greatest
hinderers of the success of your own labours!" Richard Baxter
- Righteousness and godliness are the twin
pursuits of any person of God. They will then issue in further virtues related
to God and man. Here, the Apostle turns it around.
- He had initially put righteousness in front
of godliness. Now, he highlights those attributes which enhance godliness
before turning to righteousness. He begins with faith.
- Timothy is to grow in confidence before the
Lord. He is to be sure of the Lord's work in and through his life. He is to
take God at His Word and trust that He will keep it!
- Only a person like that can love like God
does! When his trust in the Lord grows, his love toward others will grow in
like manner! This leads to these visual attributes.
- Timothy will be known by his patience and
gentleness! "Patience" might better be understood as endurance. Timothy
is a man that will "bear up" under circumstance.
- Specifically, whatever task or trial God
assigns to him, he will be found standing underneath it without compromise,
continually trusting God for the strength to continue!
- He doesn't do this begrudgingly, but with
meekness of heart! That word speaks of controlled or tamed power which is
released only when absolutely necessary.
- These things are essential aspects of the
Christian life that should be evidenced in all of us!
- Because Paul commands Timothy, it is rightly
believed that he and therefore, we, can and must, seek after these
characteristics.
- We cannot think to strive for such things. We
must stand before the Lord's Word and ask Him to make this true of us! Our
prayer is to surrender our spirits to Him in full cooperation!
- As we discussed last week, it would be wise
for us to say in prayer to the Lord, as Mary replied to the Angel Gabriel,
"Let it be according to me!"
- We seek them because we love Him and because
He loves us, we will see these added more and more to our lives as we yield to
the power of His Spirit.
- Christian, you are called to run, but that is
not where he concludes. Notice "The
Call To Fight!" Verse 12.
• I Timothy
6:12 : "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to
which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the
presence of many witnesses." : What
better words can we end this year upon than these?
- Timothy is to run and to fight! Christian,
you are to run and to fight! As with fleeing, so with fighting. It is a present
tense command. You must continually be in the process of fighting!
- We get our word "agonize" from this
Greek word. It reflects struggle and contention. It speaks of strenuous zeal! He
is to practice agonizing in the contest for the faith.
- Timothy is to fight the good fight that
allows faith to maintain it's place in heart! Whatever it takes for the Lord's
faith to blossom will be his practice!
- Not only will he fight for it to maintain
it's highest priority in his life, he will see it's triumph in the lives of
others! He's to be vigilant in standing for and upholding the cause of the
faith.
- Listen to these comments made just a week ago
by a prominent religious leader.
* "Never,
never bring the gospel by proselytizing,' he said later. 'If someone says they
are a disciple of Jesus and comes to you with proselytism, they are not a
disciple of Jesus.'" Pope Francis
- I think Jesus and Paul would disagree! Every
effort that is made upon this planet is for the singular desire that saving
faith in Christ win out over the prevailing and damning world views of men!
- When Paul stood before Herod Agrippa and Berniece,
wearing the chains of an imprisoned man, he challenged them to believe upon
Christ! He was free, they were the captives!
•
Acts 26:28,29 : "Then Agrippa said to Paul, 'You
almost persuade me to become a Christian.' And Paul said, 'I would to God that not only you, but also
all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am,
except for these chains.'" : The Christian
is to fight a good, a proper fight for that purpose.
-
This is something that must be done aggressively and continually, as the enemy
will not simply be beaten once and for all.
-
I'm not advocating rude behavior or condescending attitudes toward those that
do not believe. Rather, in love, I along with Paul, am calling you to recognize
your opportunity.
-
If faith in Christ will take root in their lives, you must see yourself as part
of the mechanism that plants it in their hearts! Toward that end, be
straightforward and purposeful in your relationship.
- You and I, like Timothy need to be reminded
that we are to engage in the battle upon whatever stage the Lord has given us!
- The agonizing uphill battle presents Timothy
and every combatant the same prize: eternal life! "Timothy, you must keep
fighting to lay ahold onto eternal life!"
- The word means to seize upon it and to take
it as one's own! That is what you have been called, invited by God to receive! Are
you seeing the value replacement?
- There were members within the body at Ephesus
that had abandoned the faith for the present value of materialism.
- Timothy's was to run in the opposite
direction but with the same zeal. Run after eternal life in the same way, with
the same zeal, that men run after temporal riches!
- This man of God needed to take possession, to
seize onto eternal life. Paul firmly commands him to do so. This was what
Timothy was invited by God to do.
- This last statement is strange. Timothy had
agreed to the good confession in front of many witnesses. He had believed and
now lived this out before a crowd of witnesses.
- Where had he seen this before? When Jesus
chose to make the same confession before Pilate! He chose to run toward
eternity and to fight for the faith to the very end!
Conclusion
- We are
closing the books on another year of life and looking to enter another one.
Will it be significant? Will it be one of progress or digress? Will it be
victory or defeat?
- Those answers
cannot be known, but the method of attack can be chosen today! If you will be a
person of God, you will run from the attachments to this world and run toward
eternal life!
- If you will
be a person of God, you will fight for the faith to be entrenched in your
hearts and for it to be victorious in the hearts of others!
- We may not be
able to know the outcome, but we had better decide what our output will be!