I want you to notice that there in verse number 6, he says this. He says, “For I am now ready to be offered,” and then he says this, “And the time of my departure is at hand.” The truth of the matter is that even though he really was getting ready to depart at that time, the truth is that all of us could say that at any given time in our life, that the time of our departure is at hand.
The bible says, “And as it is appointed unto men, once to die, but after this, the judgment.” The truth of the matter is that our lives are but a vapor. The bible says it appears for a little time and vanisheth away, and at time we, our departure is at hand. We will die and depart from this world one day, and when he says that statement, the time of the departure is at hand, that’s a great statement, but what’s even a better statement, or what’s a greater statement is what he says right before that. Because if you look at verse 6, notice what he says. He says, “For I am now ready.”
He says, “For I am now ready to be offered.” What you need to understand is that this is the goal that you and I must attempt to live in the Christian life, to be able to come to the end of our lives and say I am not ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand. We started a series last week on the subject of the victorious Christian life. If you remember last week, the sermon was entitled, “Destined for Victory.” We were talking about how God has already made us victors. We’ve already won the victory. We’re already conquerors through the Lord Jesus Christ.
In this sermon I want to talk to you about this idea of defining victory. I’m having just a little bit of trouble hearing myself, Brother Terry. I’m sorry. If you could just put me up a little bit. I want to talk about defining victory and what it means to win in the Christian life. If you’re taking notes, I’d like you to write a few statements down. I’m going to give you the statements here in a moment. I’ll help you out with that, but I want you to understand, this is kind of the idea and this is something I think I picked up from the military. I don’t remember where I picked this up.
I remember it was said, I want to say it was in the air force. They would tell us objectives clarify operations. Objectives clarify operations. What that means is this. When you’ve got an objective, when you have a goal, when you have a stated mission, this is what you’re trying to accomplish, that objective will tell you, that mission statement will clarify for you what it is that you’re supposed to be doing. The truth of the matter is, that life gets cluttered, and life gets busy, and life gets distracting.
Sometimes you need to kind of have that clear goal. You need to have that objective, that one thing that you’re trying to accomplish in life. To be able to clarify what it is that you’re actually supposed to be doing to be able to accomplish that goal. We see that the Apostle Paul, here in this passage, he says, “For I am not ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.” You want to ask the Apostle Paul, Paul what is it, what is it that got you to that place in life where you’re able to say I’m ready? There’s no regrets, though I’m sure there were regrets. There’s nothing that … He says whatever life has brought and whatever has been done, he said, at this point in my life, I am ready to be offered. I am ready to meet God. I am ready to be judged. I am ready to go to heaven.
What was it that brought him to that place? In verse number 7, which is a famous verse in scripture, you find these three statements, where he kind of gives us his objectives in life. What it is that he was trying to accomplish and why it is that he was able to get to the end of his life? Because of these objectives, he was able to clarify his operation and because of these objectives, he was able to say, “Well here’s what I’m trying to accomplish with life, and here’s what I’m trying to do.” Because of those objectives, he was able to get to the end of his life and be able to say I am ready.
What are those? Look at your notes. First of all in 2 Timothy 4, look at verse 7. Just notice his first statement. He says, “I have fought a good fight.” I have fought a good fight. I would encourage you to take notes if you don’t have a baby sitting on your lap or something like that. On the back of your course of the week, there’s a place for you to write notes and if you’re writing notes, I’d like you to write this statement down. To be victorious we must evaluate our fight. To be victorious, we must evaluate our fight.
See the Apostle Paul, he said, he said I have fought, he said I have fought a good fight. I want you to understand in that verse, the word good is not describing the quality of the fighting. He’s not saying, when I fought I fought well. The good is not describing the quality of the fighting. The word good is describing the value of the fight itself. Here’s what I want you to understand. When Paul said, “I have fought a good fight,” he’s not saying I fought well in the fight. What he’s saying well is I fought in the right fight. I fought in the good fight. I have fought in the fight.
Here’s what you need to understand. Success in the Christian life, because look, the Christian life is a series of fights. It’s a series of battles. We wrestle not against flesh and blood is what the bible tells us. But here’s what you need to understand. Success in the Christian life is not simply to fight for the sake of fighting. Success in the Christian life is to fight in the correct fight. To fight in the right fight. To fight in the good fight.
See, if you’re going to get to the end of your life and say I have fought a good fight, you’re going to have to evaluate the fights that you engage in because here’s what you need to understand. We all engage in fights. We all engage in something that we’re trying to accomplish and be purposeful in life. You’re there in 2 Timothy 4. Keep your place there in 2 Timothy chapter 4, and go with me to 1 Timothy chapter number 6, all right?
We’re going to be in 1 and 2 Timothy a lot tonight, so maybe just put a ribbon or a bookmark or something there. 2 Timothy chapter number 4, and look at 1 Timothy chapter number 6. I want you to notice what he says in verse 12. He said I have fought a good fight. Notice what he says in 1 Timothy 6:12, just to kind of help you with this idea that the word good is describing the fight, not the fighter. The word good is describing the fight, the value of the fight itself, not the fighting that was going on.
Notice in 1 Timothy 6:12, he says this, to Timothy. He says, “Fight the good fight of faith.” Notice he’s not telling him be a good fighter. I’m sure he wants him to be a good fighter. He talks about a soldier not entangling themselves in the affairs of this world, that they might please him who hath called him. He wants him to be a good fighter but I want you to notice, the phrase good fight is not in reference to the fighter but it’s in reference to the fight. He says fight, he’s telling Timothy, fight the good fight of faith. He said I want you to fight in the right fight. I want you to fight in the right manner.
You say, what exactly is it that you’re talking about. Here’s what I want you to understand. Failure in life is to fight well. Failure in life is to succeed in fighting. Failure in life is to be a victor in the fight, but you were fighting the wrong life the whole time. You understand what I’m saying? See, you will fail at life when you fight well in the wrong fight. When you’re maybe even a victor in the wrong fight. You say, “Well how do I know what’s the right fight? How do I know what’s the good fight?” Well notice what he says in 1 Timothy 6:12. He says, “Fight the good fight of faith.” Then he says this, “Lay hold on eternal life, where unto thou art called.”
Remember last week, we were in Romans 8, and we learned about that phrase called. What’s it mean to be called? It means to be summoned. That’s talking about your salvation. He says, “Where unto thou art called and has professed a good profession before many witnesses.” Don’t you have to call upon the name of the Lord to be saved? He’s talking about salvation. I want you to notice what he says. He says fight the good fight of faith and then Timothy, almost Paul anticipating the question from Timothy, saying well what’s the good fight? What’s the right fight? What’s the correct fight?
Then he says this, “Lay hold on eternal life.” Here’s what he was saying. He’s saying the good fight is always a fight that has eternal, not temporal value. You say how do I know that I’m in the right fight? You look at a fight and you say, does this fight, does this cause, does this thing, does it provide eternal value or does it provide temporal value? Is it a fight of this world or is it a fight of the next world?
Let me give you one just real practical example, just to kind of help you understand what I’m talking about. You’re there in 1 Timothy 6. Go to 1 Timothy chapter 5. We preach these verses a lot and I know you’re familiar with them, but let me just give an example to help you understand what it is that God is saying here.
Fight the good fight. Success is not just a fight. You have to be in the good fight. Failure is not just to fight well. Failure is to fight well in the wrong fight. Are you there in 1 Timothy 5? Look at verse 14. This is what the Apostle Paul said. He said, “I will therefore,” you see the word will there? That’s talking about, this is what God desires. This is Paul’s desire, we understand holy man of God would speak as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. The Apostle Paul here is speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost and he’s speaking on behalf of God. This is God’s will.
He says, “I will therefore, that the younger women,” he’s saying this is God’s will, this is God’s will for a younger woman, “That the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give no occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.” God’s will on the authority of the word of God is for every young woman to marry, guide the house, bear children and guide the house.
In Titus he calls them keepers at home. God’s desire for women is that they would be stay at home wives, that they would be stay at home mothers. People often say to me, well that’s talking about the younger women. All right, well here’s the problem with that. In 1 Timothy 5 and verse 9, God defines a younger woman as 60 years old and younger, and an elder woman is 60 years old and up. He defines that for us in 1 Timothy 5:9. That’s really good news for some of you and not great news for the other ones.
Here’s the thing. If you, here’s what I’m trying to say. If you’re 59 years old or below, guess what God’s will for your life is? To marry, bear children, guide the house. He’s talking to widows. He’s saying, look. You’re a widow, but you’re 59 and below. His will is that you get married, bear children, guide the house. Once you get to 60 and you’re a widow, look, go have fun, right? You don’t have to find another husband, but God’s will for your life is to marry, bear children, guide the house, if you’re 59 years old and below.
He considers a younger woman. That’s God’s will for your life. Now here’s what I’m just saying. Today, you have women that will say, “Well I’m just going to not stay home with my children. I’m going to not be a keeper at home. I’m going to not guide the house and I’m going to go get myself a career.” Now listen to me. If you go and get yourself a job, and you go and get yourself a career, and let’s say you do well. You get raises. You get promoted. You become the CEO of the company. Other companies see how great you do and they hire you to be their CEO. All of a sudden you’re the governor. I mean you’re the governor of the state of California.
All of a sudden the whatever party is looking at you and they want you to run, and now you’re running to be the president of the United States. Look, listen to me, if a woman from our church was to succeed out in the business world to the point where they were running to be the first woman president of the United States of America, and let’s say you are so good, you are so talented, you are so great, you win. You go down in history as the first female president of the United States of America, and you know what everybody would say about you? Everybody would say that is the most successful woman that has ever lived, to be the first female president of the United States of America.
They would say she is amazing. She is brilliant. She is successful. They would applaud you and here’s the thing. You would go down in history as a fighting the best entrepreneur, woman’s rights, women’s work battle. You’d be the greatest woman warrior, but listen to me. Your life will have been a failure, because you may have fought well, but you fought in the wrong fight. You understand what I’m saying? You say, well I’m the most successful CEO. I’m the governor of the state of California. I’m the president, but listen, you’re fighting well, yeah, in the wrong fight.
I’m the boss at work. Yeah, you’re fighting well, in the wrong fight. It is failure, it is failure to say, well I succeeded, but you fought and not the good fight. You fought another fight. Paul said I’m able come to the end of my life and say, I’m ready. I’m ready to be off. The time of my departure’s at hand, not because I was successful, but he said I was successful in the good fight, in the right fight, in the fight that God has called me to fight.
You say well how do you know? How do you know what’s the good fight? Well, lay hold on eternal life. I like to ask questions because sometimes questions clarify things for us. You got to ask yourself this question. Whenever you’re trying to make a big decision in life, you got to ask yourself this question. How will this matter 10 years from now? How will matter 10 years from now? How about this? How will this matter 100 years from now?
What kind of impact will this have on my life or on the life of my family or on the life of my children, on the life of this community 10 years from now, 100 years from now? And does it impact eternity? See it is failure to fight well in the wrong fight. Here’s what you need to understand. Satan and the world would love nothing more than to keep you distracted. Succeeding, winning battles and having victory in the wrong fight, in the fight that God never called you to fight.
Go to Mark chapter number 4. If you keep your place in our 2 Timothy, we’re going to come back to it, but go to Mark chapter number 4. In the New Testament you’ve got Matthew, Mark, and while you turn there, let me read for you, from 1 Corinthians chapter 7, and verse number 35. Now this is the Apostle Paul speaking to singles, but he says this. He says, “And this I speak for your own profit, not that I cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.”
See, God wants us to attend upon him, without distraction. God wants us to serve him without distraction. Here’s the thing. The devil would love nothing more than to just keep you distracted. Look, he doesn’t need to keep you distracted down at the bar. He doesn’t need to keep you distracted down at the casino. He doesn’t need to keep you distracted down somewhere where God would not … He doesn’t care if you’re doing something great, as long as you’re not doing what God has called you to do.
He doesn’t care if you’re winning as long as you’re fighting the wrong battle. The only way to get to the end of your life and say, “I’m ready. I won. I was victorious …” See right now, you must clarify that win. Right now there’s a lot of distractions. You must be able to look at what is it that we’re trying to accomplish. What is it that we define as victory. What is the fight that God has called you to fight?
Are you there in Mark 4? Look at verse number 18. Mark chapter 4, in this passage he gives us a list of things that distract us. Things that can pull us away from the things of God. Mark chapter 4 and verse 18, it’s a parable of course. He says, “And these are they which are sown among the thorns, such as hear the word and,” but notice they hear the word, but there’s no effect. Just like I get up and I preach … Obviously this is about salvation, but you can get up and preach the word and people will not hear it, will not take heed, will not listen to it, and usually it falls into one of these categories.
Notice what he says in verse 19, “And number one, the cares of this world. Number two, and the deceitfulness of riches. Number three, and the lust of things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” See the devil would like nothing more than to distract. One of the distractions he gives us is the cares of this world. What are the cares of this world? They’re just things that burden us or things that we care about, in this world, that have no eternal value.
This is why, please listen to me, don’t give your life, and I’m not against this. To an extent, I do get involved in these things, but this is why at Verity Baptist Church, we don’t give our time and energy to political reform. Well we’re just going to go picket somewhere or we’re going to try to get this law. Look sometimes there’s laws that are important that we give time to, and we try to emphasize or whatever, but we’re just not going to make that our ministry, where just every Sunday morning, every Sunday night, every Wednesday night is just one more political sermon, one more political thing, one more political issue.
You say well why? What’s wrong with that, with just focusing on the government and focusing on politics? What’s wrong with that, is that, that is the cares of this world. Look, 100 years from now, it’s not going to matter. 100 years from now, no one’s going to care. You say, well yeah, the United States of America is Babylon. Therefore it has impact. Then it’s going to get destroyed, and who cares? Look the cares of this world will … Look, you say, are they bad people that are often just caught ’em up? They’re not bad people but I’ll tell you this. Even if they succeed, they’re succeeding in the wrong fight.
It’s not the good fight. See the good fight is the fight of faith. The good fight is the one that has eternal. How about social reform? Today you got Christians all wound up with, well we got to, we got to build a well in Africa. Look, I’m all for building wells in Africa, but we’re not going to make that our one issue. We got to build an orphanage in South America. We’ve got to help people socially and help people with jobs and help people with this. Look, there’s nothing wrong with that. Let’s help people and feed people and love people. Let’s make sure we’re not just giving money to people so they can go use drugs. Let’s be smart about it. Let’s like, Leviticus teaches, make them work a little bit and help them out in that way.
Look, you say, is there something wrong with social reform? Nothing, there’s nothing in the world wrong with social reform as long as you do it right. But here’s the thing. If you make that your number one issue, I will tell you, you’ll get to the end of your life and you’re going to look around, and you’re going to say, nothing happened. Nothing changed. Because you know what Jesus said? The poor, you have with you always. You’re going to say, well I gave my life to try to end poverty, and you’re going to get to the end of your life and say, wow, there’s still poverty.
You’ll say I gave my life to try to help the orphans, and you know what? You’re going to look down at Africa and you’re going to say, there’s still orphans. Because here’s the thing. It’s not that it’s bad. It’s just not the right fight. From time to time, we should help. From time to time, we should love, but you know, the number one thing those Africans need is the gospel of Jesus Christ. They need preaching from the word of God.
See when you look at a fight, you got to ask yourself, am I laying hold on eternal life? Am I fighting in a cause that has eternal value? How about environmental reform? Now I don’t get involved in this one at all, all right? But I will tell you this. I don’t think people should just go around, just throwing their trash on the floor. It does bother me, sometimes when I’m going through a drive through, and I see people just, literally they just get their food and they just throw bags out the … It just makes, it just makes me … Look, don’t do that. It just shows that, people that do that have a certain character, all right? And you don’t want to be that guy.
Get your trash and put it in the trash can, all right. It’s not a good character trait to just throw your trash everywhere. Look, I’ve never seen any of our church people do that, but just don’t be that guy, and make sure you teach your children to pick up after themselves. Don’t just throw bottles and canned cokes or whatever, out the window when you’re going down the road. Look, it’s just, it’s not good character. People that do that, are not good people.
You say prove it. All right. Go outside and go look at the homeless people. You know what you’ll find? A bunch of trash and filth everywhere. Those things go hand in hand. These people, I’m not saying they’re homeless because they can’t pick up after themselves, but I’ll tell you this, it doesn’t help. All right, it’s not good. Look, I’m not into the environment and I don’t care about the environment. God’s going to destroy this earth. Whatever, but let me say this. There are things that I do care about and I think we should take … Look I don’t think, you know, I don’t think we need to kill all the whales or whatever, but here’s the thing. If you give your life to that, you know what you’re doing? You’re giving your life to the cares of this world. You’re giving your life to the things of this world, and it’s a distraction, and you’re going to get to the end of your life and say I lost. Nothing happened. The whales are still dying.
Notice what he says, number one, we saw the cares of this world, but notice number two. He says the deceitfulness of riches. This one gets Christians a lot. Where they give their lives for money and financial gain. Go back to 1 Timothy chapter number 6, just real quickly. 1 Timothy 6, while you turn there, let me read for you from Mark 8:36. Mark 8:36 says this, “For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” For what it shall profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lost his own soul. You need to make sure that you’re not giving your life to the deceitfulness of riches.
It’s interesting that the bible calls it deceitfulness of riches. Here’s why it calls it deceitfulness of riches. Because you think, this is what you think, well as soon as I get that one house, or as soon as I get that one vehicle, or as soon as I go on that one vacation, or as soon as I get that amount of money in the bank or as soon as it get that one thing, then I’ll be happy. But you know, it’s deceitful because when you get that, you know, it doesn’t satisfy. You just want the next one.
You’re like, as soon as I get that one, you know, phone or that one computer or that one thing, but by the time you get it, they’ve got another one out. Then you’re like, well as soon as I get that one. It’s just the deceitfulness of riches. You’re never satisfied. 1 Timothy 6, notice verse 7. 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 7. The bible says this, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it certain we can carry nothing out.”
Do you know that you can’t take anything with you? Why give your life to possessions that are going to stay on this earth? That are not laying hold on eternal life? Notice what he says in verse 8, “And having food and raiment, let us be there with content.” We need to learn to be satisfied. Now look, there’s nothing wrong with having nice things. I hope you have nice things. I hope that you have nice possessions, but here’s the only warning I give you. Make sure that you have possessions and that possessions don’t have you, where you give your life to is, and you’ve got to have it.
Look, if you’ve got nothing but food and raiment, let us be there with content, is what the bible says. If all you’ve got is food and raiment, just be happy. Be satisfied. Notice what it says in verse 9, “But they that will.” You see that word will? It’s talking about your desire. Your will. “But they that will be riches.” One of the saddest statements I ever heard come from somebody’s mouth is when they said to me, “My goal in life is to be a millionaire.” It just made me sad because I thought to myself is that all your life is worth? A million dollars that is going to stay on this earth, that you can’t take with you?
You know and of course, months later, he just completely backslidden out of church. You say well why is that? Because the bible says that they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. Why? Because the love of money is the root of all evil. Which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows, but thou, oh man of God, flee these things. Flee what things? The deceitfulness of riches, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
Notice the context, verse 12, “Fight the good fight of faith and lay hold on eternal life.” See, when you give your life to the deceitfulness of riches, if you give your life, listen to me very carefully, if you give your life to wealth, you will get to the end of your life and you will say, even if you’re successful, even if you’re the millionaire, even if you’re the richest man in America, you’ll get to the end of your life, and you’ll say, I fought well in the wrong fight because what will it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?
You say, well I’m saved, so I’m not going to lose my own soul. Okay, what does it profit it a man if he gain the whole world and lose his children? Well you don’t understand, pastor. My wife has to go get that job because we have to live in a certain neighborhood and we have to have a certain vacation every year and we’ve got to drive a certain vehicle. Hey what does it profit if you gain the whole world, if you have all of that, and your kids end up hating you, end up not living for God, end up not loving the Lord because you neglected them?
I’m just trying to help you understand that you can fight well in the wrong fight. You get to the end of your life and you say, wow, wish I could do that again. The Apostle Paul said I am now ready to be offered, the time of my departure is near. He said I’m ready to meet my maker because he said I fought the good fight. Notice the third thing he says there in Mark 4:19. He says, “The lust of other things entering in.”
You’re there in 2 Timothy 6. Look at 2 Timothy … I’m sorry. You’re in 1 Timothy 6. Look at 2 Timothy chapter 4. 2 Timothy chapter 4. 2 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 10. He says “The lust of other things entering in.” 2 Timothy chapter 4 look at verse 10. Notice what he says, “For demons have forsaken me.” Notice what he says, “Having loved this present world.” See the lust of things entering in will cause you chase and fight and maybe even win in the wrong fight.
Here’s the question I have for you, mom, dad, teenager, parent, husband, wife. What does success look like for you? What does success look like for you in your walk with God? I mean is success really I fought the good fight? Remember those two years I was really on fire for God and I spent the rest of my life backslidden. Is that success? I mean what does success look like in your marriage? What does success look like with your children? I’m not going to sit here, but you would do well to just write yourself a mission statement or a goal statement for your children. What is it that you’re trying to accomplish with those kids?
My wife and I have sat down and talked about this a lot and we’ve talked about what are our goals for our children. I’ll share with you our goal for our children is that they all are saved, and that they all get baptized, and that they all have a genuine walk with the Lord. My goal is that by the time they leave home, they don’t say, well I don’t got to go to church anymore because now I don’t have dad making me, but that they’ll genuinely out of their own personal walk with God want to serve the Lord. Our goal is that they be competent and ready for the world as adults, to be able to lead homes and lead families.
Our goal is that they be able to provide for themselves. Those are our goals. Here’s the thing. That objective clarifies a lot of things for us in our operations. Because when we say, well here’s our goal. Our goal is that they serve God, that they love God, that they be competent, that they be able to provide for themselves, then when we have to make the decisions in the minutia of life, it helps us to clarify it. Because people say, well you want to put your kids in peewee football? And we’re like, well that really has nothing to do with what we’re trying to accomplish. You understand what I’m saying?
You want to put your kids in the public school system? Well, we want them to be competent, so probably no. What do you want to do with your kids? Look, when you understand what the right fight is, it will help you. When you understand what the objective is, it will clarify the operations for you. What’s your goal with your marriage, your children, your health, your finances?
Paul was able to get to the end of his life because we able to say this. To be victorious, he understood this thing that we must evaluate our fight. What are you engaged in? What is it you’re fighting in? What is it that you’re actively investing time and energy and effort into and is it something that will help you get to the end of your life and say, I am ready? I am ready.
I’d like you to notice secondly this evening, the first thing we saw is that to be victorious, we must evaluate our fight. Go back to 2 Timothy chapter 4. The second thing I’d like you to notice is that to be victorious, we must endeavor to finish. To be victorious, we must not only evaluate our fight, but to be victorious, we must also endeavor to finish the fight. Notice what the Apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 4 and verse 7. He says, I have fought the good fight. He emphasizes the fight, but I want you to notice, he also emphasizes the finish. He says, “I have fought the good fight,” and then he says this. “I have finished my course.”
See to get to the end of your life, and to be able to say, I am ready. I’m ready. I’ve accomplished what God has called me to do. You not only want to say I invested my time and energy and effort into the right fight. You also want to be able to say, and I finished. I finished. I finished what God called me to do. Didn’t the Lord Jesus Christ say on the cross, it is finished? What was he saying? He’s saying I’ve accomplished what I came here to do.
He said I finished the work that God has given me. Look, you need to get to the end of your life and say I have finished my course. Look, your course is different from my course. Whatever that course is, whatever that fight is, you need to be able to get to the end and say I finished it. I got to the end. Can you get back to … you were there in 2 Timothy 4:7. Go back to verse number 10. See Demus loved this present world, but because of it, he never got to say he finished. Notice verse 10, “For Demus hath forsaken me, having loved this present world,” notice these words, “And is departed unto Thessalonica.”
See it’s not enough to fight the right fight. You got to finish the fight. It’s not enough to get engaged in the right fight. You got to finish what God has called you to do. You’re there in 2 Timothy. Go to Hebrews, just real quickly. Hebrews, chapter number 11. You’ve got 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews. 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews. Do me a favor. When you get to Hebrews, put a ribbon or a bookmark or something there. We’re going to leave it and we’re going to come back to it, so you should have your place in 2 Timothy and in Hebrews.
While you turn there, let me read to you from Luke 9:62. Luke 9:62 says this, “And Jesus said unto him, no man having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” You say what is that talking about? God is saying, look I can’t use you in my kingdom. You’re not fit. I remember when I was joining the air force. You have to pass a fitness test. You have to be able to do a certain amount of pushups, a certain amount pull-ups, a certain amount of sit ups. You have to weight a certain amount, and you have to have your waist have to be a certain measurement or whatever. If you didn’t meet that, you just weren’t fit for the United States air force.
God says look there’s a disqualifier in the kingdom of God. We’re not talking about salvation here. The kingdom of God is referring to we are supposed to be working in the kingdom of God. We are supposed to be proponents and ambassadors in that kingdom, but he says, look if you put your hand to the plow. If you say I’m going to enlist, if you say I’m going to get on board, I’m going to get to work, I’m going to do something, and then you look back, God says, you don’t have what it takes. You’re not fit for the kingdom of God. It has to do with your look. It has to do with your mind.
Are you there in Hebrews 11? Look at verse 15. Notice what he says. Hebrews 11 and verse 15. Hebrews 11:15, “And truly, if they had been mindful and truly if they had been mindful …” If you don’t mind underlining in your bible you ought to underline those words. If they had been mindful, of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. Listen to me, everyone that quits on God, it’s because they start getting their thoughts and their eyes on the things that could have been.
I could have that. I could go there. The bible says for though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Then it says this, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. That’s why you need to be careful of the Facebook. Look, I know, I get on Facebook too much, but you need to be careful about looking up my old high school whatever.
I understand, look, you’re looking up your old high school friend. You’re a female and she’s a female, great, but be careful about, wonder how my old high school sweetheart’s doing. Don’t be mindful of the world you came out. Don’t be looking back and thinking, well you know, if I would have done this, I would have done that. Look, you’re getting ready to quit is what you’re getting ready to do. We must endeavor to finish. We must endeavor to actually … Look it doesn’t, it doesn’t mean anything if you enlist in the right fight and you don’t finish the fight. It doesn’t mean anything, if you get in the right fight and you’re faithfully serving for two years or three years and then you quit.
The only way to get to the end and say I was victorious, I was a winner, is to be able to evaluate your fight, but also to endeavor to finish. Go back to 2 Timothy 4, look at verse 7. Let me give you the last one and we’ll be done tonight. Number one, to be victorious, we must evaluate our fight. To be victorious we must evaluate our fight. You need to evaluate what am I engaged in? What is it that I’m giving my life to? What is it that I’m investing time and energy and resources into, and is that the fight that God would have me? Is that the good fight?
Number two, we must endeavor to finish the fight. We must not quit. Must keep going. Must make sure that we don’t get distracted, and we don’t start looking back and being mindful of the things of this world. Lastly tonight, I’d like you to notice, to be victorious, we must establish our faith. To be victorious, we must establish our faith. There are three things that he mentions in this verse. He says I have fought the good faith. He mentions the fight. He says I have finished my course. He mentions finishing. And then thirdly, he mentions the faith. He says I have kept … You see the word kept there? It means to protect. I’ve kept the faith.
I’ve protected the faith. Go to Ephesians chapter number 4. I know you know these verses. Let’s just look at them quickly. We’ll be done. Ephesians chapter 4. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 4. Here’s what I want you to understand. It does not matter, it does not matter if you finish, but you finish and not have kept the faith. Do you understand what I’m saying?
Jerry Falwell, as far as God is concerned, died as a failure. You say why? Well, Jerry Falwell, as far as I know, started out as an Independent Fundamental Baptist. King James, soul-winning, preaching as far as I know the right gospel and preaching pretty hard on sin. But you know that’s not how he ended his life. You know how he ended his life? As a liberal. You know how he ended his life? As a liberal with weak standards, not preaching against sin, overly concerned with politics, trying to start a new political movement called the Majority, the Moral Majority. You say, yeah but he finished, he finished the course. But you know the problem is he finished differently than he started.
In your life and in my life, we need to make sure that we understand what defines victory is not just that you finish, but that you finish the same. See, Paul said, I not only fought the right fight. He said, I not only finished the course. He said when I finished, I was still in the same faith. I kep the faith. He said I hadn’t changed. Are you there in Ephesians 4? Look at verse 14. Ephesians 4 and verse 14, “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind and doctrine by the sleight of man and cunning craft and is whereby they lie in wait to deceive.”
See the Apostle Paul is saying here, you want to be careful that you’re not tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine. Here’s what he’s saying. Be careful about being given to change. Go to Hebrews, chapter number 13, if you get to your place in Hebrews 11, just a couple of chapters over. You got Hebrews 13. While you go there let me read to you from Proverbs 24 and verse 21. Proverbs 24 and 21 says, “My son, fear thou the Lord and the king and meddle not with them that are given to change.”
Hebrews chapter number 13 and verse number 8, notice what the bible says. Hebrews 13 and verse 8, notice the context. In verse 8, he says, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.” Notice Jesus doesn’t change, and if Jesus doesn’t change, we don’t need to change either. I know what they say about us. You guys are just, you’re these old-fashioned … I mean you think the Sodomites … Don’t you know everybody loves the Sodomites?
Look, Jesus didn’t change his opinion and we don’t need to change ours. You get up and you preach about women staying at home. They’re like, pastor don’t you know most women today are going off to work. Hey, Jesus didn’t change his opinion. I’m not going to change mine. You know, God has called us to believe certain things. God has called us to preach certain things and you need to be careful not to be carried about with every wind of doctrine.
Hebrews 13 and verse 9, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever.” Notice verse 9, “Be not carried about with diverse and strange doctrines, for it is a good thing that the heart,” notice these two words, “Be established with grace.” I grow weary of hearing about people and families that are changing. I know of a young man who, blessed God, when we get married, my wife’s going to stay at home, my wife’s going to … You know, we’re going to have children, we’re going to homeschool. Then you hear about the wife is in college, getting her degree.
I think to myself, why the change? You may finish but you haven’t kept the faith. Bless God. In our home, the women in my home are going to wear skirts and dresses, and we’re going to follow what the bible says, and then a few years later, they’re wearing pants. You say, are you mad? I’m not mad. I’m just saying, why don’t you keep the faith. Why don’t you just decide that you’re going to establish where you stand, establish what you believe. You got people say, I’m King James only. A few years later, well you know, hear about them going to New King James church. Going to NIV church. Well what happened?
Because here’s the thing. Success is not just finishing. Success is finishing the same. Finishing and keeping the faith. Go to 1 Peter chapter 5. 1 Peter chapter 5. You know them and I know them. You see the people and it’s just like they can’t just settle down. They can’t just take root somewhere. They’re just like children being tossed to and fro, and I’m here to tell you tonight, if you’re going to win in the Christian life, you’re going to have to get established. You’re going to have to settle some convictions. You’re going to have to figure out, what is it that we believe and then decide not to change.
Paul said I haven’t changed. In all the years, he said, I’ve kept the faith. He said I’ve earnestly contended for the faith, [inaudible 00:40:43], but he said I’ve kept the faith. I maintained my belief system. I protected my belief system, and I didn’t change. Now listen to me. We change when we’re wrong. If someone proves to you from the bible that you’re wrong about something. You know the believe the pre-trib rapture and then all of a sudden someone shows you a DVD, and you’re like oh, I was wrong about that. You always side with the word of God.
Once you realize what the bible teaches, what the bible clearly teaches, then you just settle that thing in your heart, and you don’t move it. It’s not up for debate. You don’t have to, well let me watch another video. I know the bible clearly teaches the trinity but let me go watch this oneness video. No. 1 Peter 5 and verse 10, notice what the bible says, “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus after ye have suffered a while, make you,” Notice these three words.
People ask me, why do you alliterate everything? Well God likes to alliterate. Notice what he says, “Establish, strengthen, settle you.” He said, hey the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, make you perfect, make you complete, make you whole. You say well how’s he going to do that? By establish, strengthen, settle you. In your life and in my life, we need to be that type of Christian, that just kind of gets established somewhere. You get strengthened and you settle down. You say, here’s where I stand, here’s what I believe, here’s where I am going to live.
Go back to 2 Timothy chapter 4. You say pastor [inaudible 00:42:11], how do you define victory? How do you get to the end of your life and you say, I’m ready? There’s regrets along the way. There’s battles along the way. There’s things we could have done better. Look, all of us are going to have that. The Apostle Paul had that. The Apostle Paul talked about forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth to those things which are before. He said I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. In your life and in my life there’s going to be regrets and things we look back on, and say man I wish I could have, redo that or man I wish I didn’t have that in my past.
The Apostle Paul, even with that, got to the end of his life, he said I’m ready. I’m ready. Notice what he says in verse 8. 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 8. He just got done telling us I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I’ve kept my faith. Then he says this. Henceforth, the word henceforth is a connecting word. Henceforth means, because of this reason, because of what reason? Because of the fact that I evaluated the fights that I was involved in and I made sure that I was in a good fight and the right fight and the correct fight. Because of that fact that I endeavored not just to start but to finish, because of the fact that I established my faith, I kept the faith, I protected the faith, I didn’t change, he says because of that, “Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give me at that day.”
At what day? at the day of judgment. See, and as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this, the judgment. We must live our lives with judgment in view. We must live our lives with the realization that you and I, we’re going to stand at the judgment seat of Christ, we talked about this morning, and look I don’t believe in some Baptists teach, and I don’t believe this, that we’re going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ and God’s going to bring down this big screen. He’s going to show you all your sins. He’s going to say explain that one to me, and explain that one. All right, I grew up in churches that taught that stuff, and that’s a bunch of junk. Okay.
Once you … Your sins are gone once you’ve been saved. As far as the east is from the west, but you know what God will judge us for? We talked about it this morning. For the work. God’s going to look at you and say, I gave you these children. What did you do with them? I gave this spouse. How did you do in that marriage? I gave you this church. How’d you work? What’d you do? What did you accomplish. See, some of you are going to get to, God’s going to say, I gave you this marriage. Did you work at it?
Well no, just when it go hard, I just went and got another one. Some of you are going to get there and say, I gave you these children. Did you work at it? You say, I actually went and worked somewhere else. God’s going to say, well I gave you this job. I gave you this church. Did you work at it? No. I just kind of showed up every once and a while and I wasn’t that faithful. Look, God is going to judge you for your work, and Paul said, because I define victory, because I clarified the victory, I was able to get to the end of my lie and say, I am ready to be judged.
Then he says, “And not to me only, but unto all of them.” He says, “But unto all them, also, that love is appearing.” You don’t have to turn there, but in psalm 39, verse 4, the bible says this, “Lord make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days. What it is, that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou has made my days as a handbreadth, and mine age is as nothing before thee. Verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.”
Understand that you don’t have a lot of time. You don’t have a lot of time with that spouse. Some of you are like, well I’m thinking of getting divorced. You don’t have that much time. Just, you know, live it up. Just get to the end and say I finished. I even kept this one. I kept the faith. You say, but pastor you don’t understand, these kids. You don’t have that much time with those kids. Why don’t you just invest in them and love them and give them your time and your energy and give yourself to them.
You say, well you want us to show up for soul winning. You want us to go to this. Look, we don’t have that much time. The time of our departure is at hand. So how do you define victory? How do you look at victory and how will you live your life, so that you can get to the end of your life and say I am ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. Because here’s the thing. Objectives clarify operations. When you figure out what it is that you’re trying to accomplish, that will clarify for you, what it is that you should be doing. Let’s bow our heads and I’ll pray.
Heavenly Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for these short verses that the Apostle Paul gives us, a great success in life. I’m sure the Apostle Paul, because of his talent, his abilities, his education, I’m sure there was lots of things he could have spent his life on. We have a great testimony where he gets to the end of his life and he says I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. Lord I pray that you would help each and every one of us in this room to just begin to define what victory looks like in our lives, and what is it exactly that we’re trying to accomplish. Lord make sure we don’t get distracted, help us to not get distracted in the wrong fight. Help us not to succeed in the wrong battle. Help us not to start but then quit and not finish. Father I pray that you’d help us when we finish, that we’ll finish the same, that we’ll be able to say that we’ve kept the faith, and for your word and for salvation. In the Christ we pray, amen.