Let us turn again to God's Word,
and I want to turn to 1 Timothy chapter 6. In 1 Timothy, the last chapter,
chapter 6, and I'll read verses 11 and 12. 1 Timothy 6, 11 and
12, 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." Then in 1st Timothy 6, 11, and 12 and to
say something more particularly with regards to faith warfare
spoken of here of course in the opening words of verse 12 fight
the good fight of faith we sometimes sing the hymn of heart we're
going to sing it again this evening 237 to be fighting, fleeing,
turning, ever sinking, yet to swim, to converse with Jesus
morning for ourselves or else for Him. What a strange and mysterious
life is that life of faith, that good fight of faith. To be not only fighting, but
at times fleeing, turning away, and then again following and
persevering. Was it not Luther who said faith
is a laborious, difficult and powerful thing and if we know
anything of the faith of God's elect we will experience the
truth of those words of the Protestant Reformer. We know what it is
to labor in difficulties and yet by faith to know something
of the the power of the grace of God. Well, I want, as we consider
this particular subject, faith's warfare, to divide what I'm going
to say into four parts tonight. First of all, to say something
with regards to the fleeing of faith, the fleeing of faith,
and in a sense, Do we not have to recognize that this is where
the Christian life really begins? Remember how Bunyan represents
it there in the Pilgrim's Progress where we see Christian running,
fleeing from the city of destruction, fearful of the wrath to come,
how he flies away. and looks towards the celestial
citten. Here is the beginning then of
the life of the Christian. He flees, and this running implies
of course energy, and movement, and activity. And yet, at the
same time, all of this is done as he is waiting on the Lords,
waiting on the Lord in prayers, crying, calling, seeking. That waiting then is not something
passive, it's not unbelief, it's not sloth. There's all that holy
activity going on in the soul of this man who is fleeing from
the wrath to come. We have that promise of the wise
man there in the book of Proverbs the soul of the diligent shall
be made fast." Oh, His diligence will not be in vain. God is the rewarder of all them
that diligently seek Him. We read the words there in Hebrews
11 and verse 6. And so, here we see the first
activity of those who are engaged in this fight of faith. They
know what it is to flee. But it's not a cowardly flight,
it's not an aimless flight. In verse 11, that thou, O man
of God, flee these things. Flee these things. What is it
to do is to withdraw from certain things. And we see it in the
context. Back in verse 5 he says, Perverse
disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth,
supposing that gain is godliness from such, withdraw thyself. There's a turning from these
things. In fact, the word that we have
there, to withdraw, literally means to forsake these things,
to leave them alone. And what is it that he is exhorting
Timothy to turn and to flee from? Well, from such as are destitute
of the faith, destitute of anything of the truth of God, as we see
there in that fifth verse, perverse disputings of men of corrupt
minds, destitute of the truth. Supposing that gain is godliness,
from such, he says, withdraw yourself. Leave these things
alone. Don't be involved with those
who just want to dote about questions and stripes of words. We see
it in the whole context, really, of the chapter. He speaks of those who are proud, in verse
4, they know nothing, doting about questions and stripes of
words. whereof cometh envy, strife, ravings, evil surmising." This
is the sort of thing that the true believer, the child of God,
is to flee from. He goes on to say later in verse
20, "...O Timothy, keep that which
is committed at thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings."
and oppositions of science falsely so caught. Again we can think
of the words of the hymn writer, no big words of ready talkers,
no dry doctrines will suffice. Broken hearts and humble walkers,
these are dear in Jesus' eyes. All this vain babbling then,
all these profane words Those who want to doubt about questions
and strifes of words are to be avoided. There's no profit, he
says, in any of these things. Our God's people then are to
be very much a people who are separated and different. We have
some having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof
from such turn away. There's a turning from that then
that is unprofitable. Not just disputing over pointless
issues that are of no real profit to the souls of men. God's people
are separated. They're separated from all ungodliness.
Come out from among them, be a separate set of laws. and I
will receive you. And remember how back in the
book of Isaiah we have that call to turn away from all unprofitable
confederacy. In Isaiah 8 and there at verse
12, say ye not a confederacy to all
them to whom his people shall say a confederacy neither fear
you their fear nor be afraid sanctify the lord of hosts himself
and let him be your fear and let him be your dread here is
the calling then of those who are the lord's people the godly
man the man who is a believer He is one who will seek to cling
and cleave to the truth of God's Word. He will prefer those old
paths. Stand ye in the wise, and see
and ask for the old paths wherein is the good way, says Jeremiah.
And they said, We will not. But not so this man who is the
godly man. He delights in that that is wholesome,
Look at the language that we have later in the second epistle. And there in verse 22. Chapter 2 and verse
22. Flee also youthful lusts, but
follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them that
call on the name of the Lord out of a pure heart. He speaks again here in verse
3 of that that is wholesome. Wholesome words we have in verse
3. If any man teach otherwise, and
consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he
is proud, knowing nothing. Wholesome words. It's interesting
because the word that we have there is that from which He derived
our English word, hygiene. Healthy, healthy words is what
he is speaking of. All there is to be in that fleeing
from all that is unprofitable. Thou, O man of God, flee these
things. and follow after righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness, fight the good fight
of life. And so, as there is in one sense
to be a fleeing, in another sense we see here that there is to
be a following. A following. What is the antidote to that
spirit of covetousness that he speaks of? He certainly speaks
of that previously here in verses 9 and 10, they that will be rich. He says, Fall into temptation
and the snare, and into many foolish and hurtful loss, which
drown many in destruction and perdition. For the love of money
is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, they
have heard from the faith, and pierced themselves through with
many sorrows. What is the antidote to that
covetousness of heart? It's what he says here in verse
11, follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience,
meekness. There is then, besides the fleeing
of faith, there's also the following. The following of faith. And the
words that he employs Here, in verse 11, he speaks of righteousness. Of course, we immediately think
of the great doctrine of justification, and justification by faith, the
imputation of the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ to the
sinner. Paul's great desire to be found
in him, to be found in Christ. Not having mine own righteousness,
he says, which is of the law, but that which suits the faith
of Christ. The righteousness which is of
God by faith. For justification to be found
in the Lord Jesus Christ himself. But then, besides justification,
there's also the doctrine of sanctification. There is also
a righteousness, there's a holiness that's imparted when the believer
is born again. He becomes a partaker of the divine
nature that he put on the new man, which after God is created
in righteousness and true holiness, says the apostle. It's that other doctrine of sanctification,
how these two stand together. The believer is not only one
who is accounted righteous in Christ by imputation, but he
is one who is born of the Spirit of God, and he has a new nature,
and he desires the things of God, and he delights in the Lord
of God. and seeks to walk in obedience
to all God's holy precepts. And so besides righteousness
we read of godliness. Oh, there's a life of God then
that has come now into the soul of this character. He is exercised. Look at what
we read previously here in chapter 4. and there at verse 80 says bodily
exercise profiteth little but godliness is profitable unto
all things having promise of the life that now is and of that
which is to come how this man of God then is exercised in his
soul in the word of God in the ways of God how he delights to
read the word of God and to meditate in the truth of Holy Scripture
and he watches the hand of God in providence. Whoso is wise
and will observe these things, the psalmist says, even they
will understand the loving kindness of the Lord. That life of God
is in his soul and that Godliness is profitable. He nourishes his
own soul as he comes to the Word of God and considers not only
the truths that God has seen fit to reveal to us here in his
Word, but desires to understand more and more the ways of the
Lord in his dealings with his soul. All these are the things
that are to be followed after. Righteousness, godliness, faith,
he says. that faith that is of the operation
of God, or that faith that is true faith, saving faith, not
something that the man has managed to weave out of his own bowels.
He's that one who has been brought to the end of himself. God has
turned into destruction, and then God has called him and worked
mightily and effectually in him. He is the justified sinner, and
the just shall live by faith. We have that word, of course,
originally in Habakkuk chapter 2 and verse 4, but then we find
it three times in the New Testament. In Romans 1 and verses 16 and
17, Paul says, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for
it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to
the Jew first, but also to the Greek, for therein is the righteousness
of God revealed from faith to faith, for the just shall live
by faith." He lives that life then of complete and utter dependence. But as I said, it's not only
quoted by the Apostle in the Roman Epistle, but also we We
find it in Galatians 3 and verse 11, and again in Hebrews 10,
38. Once in the Old Testament, three times in the New Testament. Surely it's a most significant
statement of God's that He should underline it and underscore it
in such a fashion that just shall live by faith. We walk by faith. and not by science. But what of this faith? It is
faith which worketh by love. And so we have mention of it
here in verse 11. All this faith is evidenced by
love. And though John brings it out
so forcibly time and again there in that first general epistle,
the language that we have at the end of chapter 4 for example. 1 John 4 and verse 19 we love
him because he first loved us. If a man say I love God and hated
his brother he is a liar for he that loveth not his brother
whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen
And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth
God, love his brother also. Isn't this the marketing of this
godly man? Although, O man of God, flee
these things, flee all those things that have been spoken
of in the previous part of the epistle, the previous part of
this chapter, and follow after. Besides those that we've mentioned,
He goes on to speak also of patience or endurance. Neither shall endure unto the
end, says Christ, the same shall be saved. It's not just the beginning,
it's the continuing, it's the persevering in the way. It's setting the affections on
things above, not on things on the earth. Oh, James tells us, behold, we
count them happy that endure. We count them happy that endure. You have heard of the patience
or the endurance of Job. And see in the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful
and of tender mercy. There is a God, you see, who
encourages his people in all the ways of Christian patience
and endurance. And then finally here in verse
11 he mentions meekness, that gentleness, that humility of
mind, that that was also in the Lord Jesus Christ himself, he
thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but how willingly
he made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of
a servant who was made in the likeness of me. Now he continually
throughout life humbled himself. Oh, we're to be those then who
would see the importance of meekness. Receive with meekness, says James,
the engrafted works that is able to save your souls. You have
to be humbled before the Word of God. We have the example of
the man Moses. He was very meek, we're told,
above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. All
the meekness of a man like Moses. The patience, the endurance of
a man like Job. We read part of Hebrews 11, and
of course there we have all those blessed examples of what it is
to live this life of faith. There's a fleeing from that that
is unprofitable, there's a following after all these graces of the
Spirit of God, and there's the good fight itself. Fight the
good fight of faith. And observe the adjective here.
We might easily misquote this verse. We do sometimes just say
fight the fight of faith. But no, it's a good fight. It's a good fight. It's not striving
about words to know prophets. Remember the language that we've
seen previously. The ungodly, you see. Proud,
knowing nothing. Doting about questions and strifes
of words. Whereof cometh envy, strife,
railings, evil surmisings. It's not striving about words.
Nor is it that profane and vain babblings and opposition of science
falsely so called that's spoken of in verse 20. It's not an argument
about words. We don't make a man an offender
for a word. We shouldn't. No, it's a fight. But again,
it's interesting sometimes just to look at the word in the original
to do word studies. I always find word studies of
some profit, because the word that we have here to fight is
actually the word from which our English, agony, is derived. It's agonizing. It's that laboring
that is part and parcel of the life of faith. Again, the apostle
exhorts, doesn't he? in his various epistles, you
know, the pattern of Paul's writings. We have the doctrinal part often
in the first part of his epistles and then we come to the practical
part, the outworking of the doctrine, the exhortations. And so he says,
for example, to the Corinthians, watch ye, stand fast in the faith,
quit you like men, be strong. He gives exhortation and commandments. But there are words also to encourage
that one should continue and persevere and press on and engage
in that conflict with sin and Satan and with the world. Oh, there is that that is yet
to be accomplished in the life of faith. And then The fourth
thing that we see with regards to this good fight of faith,
the life of the man of God, there is that laying hold. Where there
is faith, there is a laying hold. Lay hold on eternal life, he
says, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a
good profession before many witnesses. What is the laying hold on eternal
life? It's not easy. It's not easy
to lay hold on eternal life. Because that eternal life, surely,
is God Himself. Doesn't the Lord Jesus Christ
tell us, I am the resurrection and the life? He that believeth
on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whosoever
believeth, shall never perish. Believest
thou this? Or do we believe what the Lord
says when He declares He is the resurrection, He is the life,
I am the way, the life and the truth? No man cometh unto the
Father but by Me. There's a laying hold and it's
a laying hold upon the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who is the image
of the invisible God And that one, of course, who appears to
Jacob back in Genesis 32 there at Peniel, where the angel of
the Lord meets with a patriarch and wrestles with him. And as
the day begins to break, what does the angel say? Let me go.
And Jacob says, I will not let you go, except thou bless me. Oh, Jacob there, of course, he
becomes Israel, a prince with God. He has power with the angel
he prevails. That's the fight of faith. Laying
hold of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah 27.5, let him take hold
of my strength, says God, that he may make peace with me, and
he shall make peace with me. I like the progression. He is
to take hold of God's strength that he may make peace and God
says he shall make peace. Those who do then lay hold of
God or without faith it's impossible to please him either cometh to
God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of all
them that seek him. were to come to Him then, with
the desire that faith that does indeed take hold of eternal life,
which is only to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
O thou, O man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness, fight! The good fight
of faith, lay halt! on eternal life, whereunto thou
art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many
witnesses. Oh, the Lord be pleased then
to accomplish His word in all of our hearts, that we might
know what it is to be those who are engaged in the good fight,
the good fight of faith. Amen. Let us, before we do turn to
the Lord again in our prayer, sing the hymn 270. The tune is Melodious Sonnet
647. I'll read the first verse. We'll
sing from verse 2. Gird thy loins up, Christian
soldier, Lo, thy captain calls thee out, Let the danger make
thee bold, a warring weakness, dare in doubt. Buckle on thy
heavenly armor, patch up no inglorious peace. Let thy courage wax the
warmer as thy foes and fears increase. The hymn 270, singing
from verse 2, the tune is 647.