Fight the Good Fight of Faith

2 Timothy 4:6-8 ESV

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

Paul had just given instructions to Timothy to preach the word, to reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching. For, he told him, “the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” And then he encouraged him to always be serious-minded, to endure suffering, and to do the work of the ministry.

Paul was now convinced that he was about to die, and that his life and ministry were about to come to an end. He believed his own work was nearly done, and perhaps that is why he was giving Timothy the instructions that he was, perhaps so that Timothy would carry on where Paul left off. And it appears that Paul was ready for it all to come to a close, for truly he had fought the good fight and had finished the race well which was marked out for him to run, and he had indeed kept the faith right up to the very end.

But his death, it appears, was to be because of his testimony and witness for Jesus Christ and for his gospel. For he was about to be martyred for his faith, it would seem. And many Christians today are also being martyred for their walks of faith in Jesus Christ and for their testimonies for Jesus Christ and for his gospel. But none of us knows with any certainty when our lives are going to end and when our time is going to come for us to leave this earth and for us to breathe our last breaths.

But while we are still living on this earth, and while we are waiting for the day when the Lord will take us home to be with him forever, we are going to go through trials and tribulations. And if we are sharing the gospel message in its fullness, as did Paul, and if we are calling out the liars and the deceivers and the deceptions and the false gospels, like Paul did, and if we are calling sin what it is, and if we are teaching what the Scriptures teach about sin, we are going to be hated, and some people may want us dead.

But even if they don’t want us dead, they may reject us, hide themselves from us, not want anything to do with us, scorn us, persecute us, say all manner of evil against us, despise us, mock us, and mistreat us – all because of our walks of faith in Jesus Christ and for our testimonies for him and for his gospel and because we expose the fruitless deeds of darkness, like we are all called to do. For if you are living the life God has called us all to live, you are not going to be well liked by most people.

Therefore, although the Christian life is glorious in that we get to live with Christ, and him within us, and in his power and strength we are now free from the control of sin, and we can now walk in holiness and in righteousness, in obedience to our Lord, in doing what he has called us to do, we will also go through hard times and we will be hated and persecuted as Jesus Christ was hated and persecuted. And sometimes we may feel we are ready to die because things have gotten so hard.

But we are to be those who persevere in the strength of the Lord, who continue to fight the good fight of faith until the very end and who do not give up the fight just because things got a whole lot harder, which they will if we live long enough. And we must be those who keep the faith and who keep on walking the walk, and who follow our Lord in obedience, and in truth, in holy living. And we must endure to the very end and we must be those who finish the race well. So no matter what, never give up!!

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

Precious Lord, Take My Hand  

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Precious Lord, take my hand,

Lead me on, let me stand,

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;

Through the storm, through the night,

Lead me on to the light:

Take my hand, precious Lord,

Lead me home.

When my way grows drear,

Precious Lord, linger near,

When my life is almost gone,

Hear my cry, hear my call,

Hold my hand lest I fall:

Take my hand, precious Lord,

Lead me home.

When the darkness appears

And the night draws near,

And the day is past and gone,

At the river I stand,

Guide my feet, hold my hand:

Take my hand, precious Lord,

Lead me home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHBzI_Jb-o4

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