Sermon        

Fighting talk is a radio programme on Radio Five Live aired on Saturday mornings between 11-12 and hosted by our own Colin Murray. Such a title, ‘Fighting Talk’ could well describe Paul’s words to Timothy in 1st Timothy 1; 18-20, where Timothy is told by Paul ‘to fight the good fight.’ Earlier in this chapter Paul spoke to Timothy as a father in the faith now he speaks to him as his commanding officer and charges him ‘to fight the good fight.’ Now obviously this order comes through God’s Field General Paul from the Commander in Chief God himself whom Paul has just described as ‘The King of the Ages, immortal, invisible and the only God.’ The word ‘good’ appears twice in this verse 18 a good fight and verse 19 a good conscience and such forms the structure of this sermon.

Firstly there is a good fight in v18. Now this expression implies that some fights are not good. Throughout this epistle Timothy is repeatedly warned against the dangers of needless warfare. Earlier in this first chapter v4 he is told to stay away from issues that promote needless controversies and conflict. So all fights are not good fights some are bad fights. Sadly sometimes and in some places most Christian fights are bad fights. Most of the wars the church wages turn out to be civil wars; most of the causalities come from ‘friendly fire.’ Let me give you an example from a Presbyterian Minister in Washington D.C. When we fight the wrong fight God’s sheep end up battered and bloodied because they have been attacked by other members of the fold. How do we tell the difference between a good fight and a bad fight? One academic answers; ‘Ask questions like these; Will this matter a year from now? Am I enjoying this dispute in a perverse sort of a way? Am I fighting for myself? Do I find myself trying to justify my actions to myself or others?’ There are plenty of bad fights but there is only one good fight Paul calls it THE (DA) Good fight. Now in the context of 1st Timothy this is the defence of true doctrine. This letter began with Paul urging Timothy to oppose false doctrine v3. Thee fight is to defend doctrine and Paul’s command is a reminder never to take true doctrine for granted. The people of God have never been able simply to rest in the faith they have always had to fight for the faith. In OT times we read of Moses defending the faith in the golden calf incident in Exodus 32 and there was also Elijah and the prophets of Baal incident in 1 Kings 18. Fighting for the faith continued in the NT with the Pharisees and Jude urges the church ‘to contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints.’ Subsequent church history is largely about defending doctrine. In our last study reference was made to the Trinity, this doctrine was defended and defined at the Council of Nicea AD 325. Then in the middle ages the doctrine of salvation came under attack leading eventually after a fierce fight to the Protestant Reformation. The good fight continued in the 20th century between fundamentalism and modernism.

The point of this sketch of Church history is to show there has never been or will there ever be a time when we are not in danger of false doctrine, until the end of time when Christ comes. Now Christians long for peace in the church and rightly so hating those bad fights. Indeed our Lord Jesus prayed in John 17 that his people would be united with him, with his Father and with one another. But it is not enough just to say; ‘Why don’t we just all believe in Jesus?’ Such begs questions like; Who is Jesus? What has he done? How is he received? Christians we still need to fight the good fight against false doctrine and for true doctrine. To-day’s battles include the Bible where some bits according to some are culturally irrelevant for family and church order. Some still suggest that Jesus is a way to God but not the way. In the 1990’s there was attempts to bring ‘Evangelicals and Catholics Together’ over the doctrine of justification. One participant was Don Carson a Reformed Baptist Scholar. He writes ‘the official teaching of the (Roman) Church is that we are as far apart on this doctrine as Protestants and Catholics were at the time of Trent.’ It’s so easy to sing ‘I’m not ashamed to own my Lord and to defend his cause.’ It’s much harder to stand up and stand out for Jesus as soldiers of the Cross. Now Christians the reason we have to fight is that we have an enemy. Paul writing to the Church at Ephesus and remember Timothy was in Ephesus when Paul wrote his first letter to him says in Ephesians 6; 11 ‘stand against the schemes of the devil.’ Paul in 1st Timothy 1; 18 tells Timothy to ‘fight the good fight.’ Later in this first letter in chapter 6; 12 he writes ‘Fight the good fight of the faith.’ And in his second letter he tells Timothy ‘endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.’ 2 Tim; 2v3. Christians we are soldiers and let’s remember our opponent and his opposition. The cartoonist’s caricature of the Devil as a red-faced old man with pointed ears, a toasting fork in one hand and his tail sticking out of his trousers is no more than a caricature. The Bible teaches us that he is a living super-power, an evil genius, unspeakably cruel, incredibly cunning and powerful beyond all imagination. Indeed Jesus likened him to ‘a strong man fully armed’ in Luke 11; 21. Jesus said of Judas Iscariot ‘Satan entered into him.’ John 13; 27. Paul in 1 Thess 2; 18 said ‘Satan stopped us.’ In 2 Cor 12; 7 Paul referring to his thorn in the flesh said it was ‘a messenger from Satan to torment me.’ Indeed in 2 Cor 4; 4 we read that Satan has ‘blinded the minds of unbelievers.’ In Ephesians 6; 12 we are told that our fight is not against flesh and blood but spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms. Our opponent and his opposition is primarily spiritual and his specific target is Christ and Christ’s Church. One OT example is the attempted genocide of the Jews at the time of Esther. One NT example is Herod’s slaughter of the infants. Having failed in his attack on Christ, Satan attacks the Church, Christians. He wanted to sift Peter like wheat. He attacks Christian marriages and families. Paul commanded husbands and wives not to deprive each other of sexual relationships so Satan would have no opportunity to tempt them. 1 Cor.7; 5.Strong marriages and families are fundamental to a strong church. Indeed Satan often attacks the Church through her leaders. Later in 1st Timothy 3; 7 we read the qualifications of church leaders, otherwise they; ‘may fall into reproach and snare of the devil.’ Christians don’t be fighting bad fights against each other; rather fight THE good fight against our powerful opponent and in this fight be optimistic. God’s provisions are available as we read in Ephesians 6; 13-18. His promises are accessible, James 4; 7 tells us ‘Resist the Devil and he will flee from you.’ Now not for ever but his attacks can be turned back. The hymn-writer reminds us ‘each victory will help us some other too win.’ And remember in fighting the good fight God’s presence is assured. Think of David’s words to Goliath ‘I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty.’ (1 Samuel 17). Paul reminds the Corinthians that they have ‘divine power to demolish strongholds.’ In Romans 8; 37 he reminds Christians ‘we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.’ And he even dares to say to the Philippians ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengths me’ Christians we are to fight the good fight not against but with other Christians with all thy might Christ is thy strength and Christ thy might. To those not yet Christians you are part of Satan’s army indeed he is your commanding officer you are his puppet. He and his are winning some battles at this time in history but the war has already been lost. One day Satan and his soldiers/servants be bound and cast for all eternity into Hell. Be on the Lord’s side and one beside him and his victorious people in Heaven having fought the good fight v18.

Secondly we read about a good conscience in v19 and here we are thinking about our conduct in this good fight of faith. These two virtues faith and a good conscience are joined together three times in 1st Timothy 1; 5, 1; 19 & 3; 9. They belong together doctrinal purity (contents) of the good fight must lead to purity of life (conduct). There is an inseparable link between truth and morality, or right belief and right behaviour. John Calvin in his Institutes Book 3. Chap 19. Sect.16 writes ‘A good conscience is nothing else than integrity of heart.’ Indeed Calvin went as far to say that ‘a bad conscience is the mother of all heresies.’ So faith and conscience belong together. ‘If a water molecule loses it oxygen atom or hydrogen atom it is no longer water. In the same way if a Christian loses faith or conscience he or she is no longer living as a Christian.’ Ryken. Cook writes; ‘We may think of conscience as the helmsman of the ship that carriers the cargo of the faith. When his voice is not heeded, the ship will go off course and be wrecked on the rocks and the cargo will be lost overboard.’ Indeed Paul mentions this matter in v19 where he changes his illustration from Army to Navy and then in v20 names two men who made shipwreck of their faith. One of these men Hymenaus is mentioned again in 2 Timothy 2; 17 claiming that the resurrection of Jesus was already passed and as 1 Cor 15; 33 reminds us error about the resurrection affects conduct. Because Alexander was a common name we are not sure of is identity, but both men having rejected conscience have suffered shipwreck in the faith. Linguists tells us that the plural these of NIV is wrong and what the heretics had clearly rejected was singular. John Stott says ‘the word used for their rejection implies a violent and deliberate action.’ So serious was such that Paul handed them over to Satan a reference to excommunication from the church. But with the hope that they will ‘be taught not to blaspheme.’ V20 Reminding us that the purpose of all church discipline is not just the purity of the church but the restoration of the offender. Now the spiritual shipwreck of these two church elders causes concern for us Calvinists. They seemed to have lost their faith and what does this say about the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints? If they have lost their faith how can anyone be sure of salvation? One way of handling this difficulty is to point out that these two did not shipwreck THEIR (NIV) faith but THE faith. Scripture never claims these two had saving faith and so are an example of 1 John 2; 19; ‘They went us from us but did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us they would have remained with us but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.’ This verse reminds us how far people can seem to go in the church without ever trusting Christ in the first place. However a better explanation in the light of the final words of verse 20 & chapter ‘to be taught not to blaspheme’ is to recognise there was still hope for these two. Paul of all people from personal experience knew that it was possible sometimes to survive a shipwreck. Also it is it worth noting that the sin these men committed blasphemy was one of Paul’s former sins 1; 13. Paul knew that it was possible to be forgiven blasphemy as well as saved from a shipwreck. With God there is always hope! It was Paul’s desire that God would bring these two back to himself after excommunication from the church during which they learned lessons. This wasn’t easy for Paul to do but he preserved and at the end of 2nd Timothy as his life was ending this veteran of many campaigns wrote; ‘The time of my departure has come I have fought the good fight.’ The Bible reminds us that ‘only those who endure to the end will be saved.’ Are you like Paul a preserving Christian or just a professing Christian? Yes it’s possible to be professing but not possessing and as noted this is one possible explanation for Hymenaeus and Alexander. However the probable explanation is that these two had bad beliefs seen in their bad behaviour. The contrast between bad and good and to-day we have noted that it is possible to fight bad fights. Christians we should be fighting the good fight and there we saw the contents of our fight, doctrine and secondly we should be doing it with a good conscience and there we saw the conduct of our fighting. By way of conclusion I am reminded of the adjective good as found in Matthew’s gospel. There is 19; 16 and the rich young man’s question; ‘Teacher what good thing must I do to get eternal life?’ There is not one good thing in any of us to get eternal life. It is a gift of God either to be received or rejected and you will do one of the two this morning, there is no neutrality. If you receive Christ then one day he will receive you into Heaven seen later in Matthew’s gospel 25;21 ‘Well done GOOD and faithful servant enter.’ God forbid on that inevitable and irresistible day you are rejected and join a defeated and damned Satan in hell. This is the Word of God.