Well, friends, we're continuing in 1 Timothy 6, and we'll start in verse 11 this morning. And as it comes up every week, Paul has written this letter to Timothy. And this letter has served with a lot of comparisons, comparisons between good teaching and false teaching, but more importantly, between men, between false teachers and Timothy himself. And so Timothy is encouraged throughout this letter to be nothing like the false teachers, to be conformed to the image of Christ, and he's continuing that with these closing remarks to say that these False teachers have loved money. They've desired that by teaching in these wonderful, what seem to be incredible ways, coming up with these myths, coming up with these legends, coming up with these things that would entice listeners. Paul says you have nothing to do with that because they're doing that so that they could have more money, that they would be given resources, that they would be given gain, they'd be given their salary because of how many people they have gathered. But Timothy, in opposed to that, not loving money at all, is to be committed as a man of God. And so that's where our phrase, our text begins. But as for you, O man of God, be nothing like them. In this phrase, man of God, is used only a few select times in Scripture. It's used here of Timothy. And again, in the second letter, in 2 Timothy. And Timothy and the church at Ephesus would have recognized this title. This was the title given to men like Moses. Men like Samuel, the prophet, of King David, of Elijah and Elisha after him. These mighty men of God. And now Timothy. And so talk about wanting to be on that list, but maybe talk about the fact that it would intimidate you. For Timothy to receive this letter and say, man of God, that's me? So for Timothy, to be intimidated will not do. Only a conviction to be the man that God has called him to be. And I have four kind of headings as we go, and they all start with the letter F, so they'll be easy to track this morning. But these headings in this text, as Timothy is going to fight, he's gonna fight for the spiritual health, for the life of this church here in Ephesus. He must fight. And so I want you to understand that as Timothy is being spoken to, the man of God is being spoken to in this text, this is very instructive for our church. At the end, I've got a call for the men of our church to be men of God. And so I want you to understand that the pastor, the true man of God, is to be a fighter. The pastor, the true man of God, is to be a fighter. So let me pray for us. Heavenly Father, we ask that we would be... your people called according to your purpose, listening attentively, understanding more and more fully how you have called us out of darkness and into a glorious light, out of ignorance and into an awareness of the battle that rages in our own hearts and in the world today. So Father, may we be equipped this morning as men to be men of God, as the church to be the church of God, The church militant, the church triumphant. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. So let's look at just the first half of verse 11, but I'm gonna read for you these two verses. Because the first instruction for Timothy, the man of God, is to flee. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. So as for you, O man of God, flee these things. And that's a reference to what just came before, to the men that were after greedy gain, after money, but it's also after all of the false teachings that he's been railing against this whole time. The myths, the genealogies, the things that were distractions to the church. Flee these things. Flee the sinful passions that are within you, Timothy. And so this contrast is to flee sin, to flee the cravings that we have in our flesh, and ultimately what we'll see in just a few moments, to follow Christ, to pursue Christ. And so fleeing in this context is not cowardice, it's true wisdom. Because if your house catches fire, you don't continue to sit on the couch. Because you're saying, I'm not afraid of the fire. No. When the waves come up, the storm brews, and you're standing there in the ocean, you don't stay there. You don't stay in the battle when the general orders retreat. You run out of the house. You swim out of the ocean, and you flee when the general says retreat. You grab your gun and you go to fight another day. You flee real danger because when you give the right instructions, when you're given the right instructions, the danger is real and it will overcome you. So the fundamental thing, the fundamental reason that pastors and Christians in general flee sin is because the wrath of God will be poured out on sin. The man of God doesn't fear the devil or any other force in this world. It's a true fear of God that is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 1, verse 7. It's God's wrath against sin that Jesus taught about, that Paul taught about. So when Jesus is speaking to the wicked Pharisees at his baptism in Matthew 3, verse 7, he asked them, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? When Paul picks up this same language in 1 Corinthians, he says, flee from sexual immorality, flee from idolatry. In Genesis, we know this story well. Patriarch Joseph practiced this. He fled from Potiphar's wife without his cloak, probably embarrassed by such, but he was to get out of there. A skilled fighter, a skilled warrior will know when to attack, but he will also know when to retreat. We retreat from fights we cannot win. to continue in our sin, to teach falsely as Timothy might be tempted to do, to gather listeners like the other elders that we're teaching falsely, when he's tempted to love money, he must flee and fight for the truth, otherwise he would receive the wrath of God. And so Timothy is given this negative instruction, but it's helpful. It's to preserve his life. Flee from these things. But he's also given the positive pursuits. What is he to follow? What is he to go after if he's fleeing from sin? And so let's look at follow. He is to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. So when you fight, when the man of God fights, he must be ready both inside and out. And when you think about Paul's ministry to the Ephesians, to the church at Ephesus, you can think through all the times that he spent there. In the book of Acts, we know he spent several years in Ephesus, encouraging, building up the church, appointing these elders that some of them have fallen away. And then he writes the letter to the Ephesians, the book of Ephesus that we quoted from earlier. And then he sends them these two letters, the first Timothy and second Timothy. He loves this church, he wants to instruct them well. And so in our reading in Ephesians chapter six earlier today on spiritual warfare, on the armor of God, that gives his kind of original battle plans. It starts with this list of equipment that they must put on. They must understand how to be ready for the spiritual battle that is raging around them. And the second part of equipment starts with what? Righteousness, the breastplate of righteousness. So that's where Paul starts here as well. And so I want us to consider this list of pursuits, the things we must follow after that Christ modeled, that Christ had, that we must have as the short version of his instruction in Ephesians 6. These are the pieces of armor that we put on. And they come to us in three pairs here in this text, and they compliment one another, inside and out. So let's look at the first pair. Righteousness is the internal that God works in us, and godliness is the external, what it is that we do, right belief and right actions that we talked about last week. We think, we act, we live inside and out in accordance with our King's orders, righteous and godly. The second two, faith and love, are how we relate to God himself. We trust Him deeply with a faith that He has given us. We are to be motivated by love for Him. Our following of our King, our following of Jesus isn't just out of orders, it's out of love. You can think back to the great generals, the great leaders in military history. They evoked within their men a love for Him. because he was with them, because he had sacrificed for them. Many of the greatest military leaders would not stand on the back unless it was required. They would be in the battle with their men. They would be in the trenches with them as they were able. And so we understand this, that a king that we truly love, that we truly trust, we will follow into battle because we trust Him deeply. And it motivates us to fight. It motivates us to fight to the end. But that's not all we have. Righteousness, godliness, faith, and love. The last two are steadfastness and gentleness. And that last one in particular, we don't think of needing gentleness on the battlefield. But these are qualities that we need in every man in our church. the ability to stand firm in a world full of compromise, but yet with a gentleness, yet with a spirit like Christ had. And this is showing a strength that's under control. We all know what it would look like for someone that has a lot of strength, but no control, right? It would be a lot of broken barbells at the gym. It'd be a lot of broken doors. It'd be a lot of broken glass. I remember in high school I had a friend, he was a strong guy, but nothing impressive, but I remember he ran to go into the school, and he ran and he hit his hand on the glass as he were going in, and thankfully it had all that stuff in the middle to keep it from shattering, but he shattered that glass as soon as he hit his hand on it. And one, I was impressed at first, but then I was like, Mike, you can't do that. You've got to get it under control. And so all of his strength has to be put to bear in the right way. And we recognize how incredible it is for someone that is physically strong to also have a gentleness to him. And so there's something beautiful about a godly man that's burly and strong, but yet carries his daughter with grace and love, that protects and defends. And men, the reason that we must be strong, not just in body, not just in mind, but spiritually, is that our strength will be called to bear in the battle that is waging for our lives and the lives of those we love. Because if we are physically strong, but spiritually weak, if we're weak in biblical understanding, if we're weak in a willingness to stand for what is true, then we're no good for our king on the battlefield. The fight will take all of us. And so I want us to think about that fight. So that's what we're turning to next. We're to flee, to follow, and to fight. Fight the good fight of the faith. And so Paul has used warfare and soldier language several times throughout his letters, but even specifically, we just look at Ephesians and 1 and 2 Timothy. because we look at Ephesians chapter six and verse 12, and he talks about fighting, but he uses a different word in each time he uses it. The Greek word for fighting in Ephesians chapter six, verse 12 is wrestling. Many of our Bibles translated that way, wrestling, not against flesh and blood, but against cosmic powers, against spiritual forces in a battle of hand-to-hand combat, wrestling for the truth. And it's not a distant drone warfare. It's not a lobbing stones from afar. It's in the fight, wrestling tooth and nail. We get our hands dirty in that type of fight. But then earlier in 1 Timothy, in chapter 1 verse 18, Paul tells Timothy to wage the good warfare. And the word here is to talk about a strategic military fighting. We don't go in guns blazing. We must think about how we flee, how we fight. We strategically push into enemy territory and we strategically retreat when the king says to do so. We preserve our flanks. We understand that the battle is not won or lost with one single push. It is won or lost on our wisdom and our desire to serve our King over the long course of not just years or decades, but all of human history that God is working through his people to bring about his purposes. And so we see here in chapter six, verse 12, There's the word not just for wrestling or for strategic fighting, but this is a struggle. This is a fight that will cost us. It is not just the recognition of hand-to-hand combat, but it is a struggle for life itself. Luke chapter 13 verse 24 is a place where Jesus uses the same word for struggle. He says, strive, struggle to enter through the narrow door. The narrow gate, as many of us understand it. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. We must strive, we must struggle, we must fight to enter the narrow gate, to seize eternal life, which we'll talk about in just a moment. 2 Timothy 4, 6-7, Paul uses this example in his own life. He's an example of one who fights to the end, not looking back with regrets, but he has fought the good fight. He has finished the race. And so now it's important for us to think about not just fighting, but why is it the good fight? Why is it good that we fight? And we consider the wars that have been fought foolishly. maybe for foolish gain or for territory or for pride or for pleasure of just fighting. And it's easy to recognize that the righteous or the good cause is often the one that's on the defense. The invaders are the one that are fighting for something that they do not deserve or that they do not already own, but the defenders are the ones that are defending what is true and what is right. They're defending their homes. They're defending their livelihoods. They're defending their neighbors. And so the fight for faith is a good fight because we as Christians are fighting off the invasion of sin and death on our world. We are pushing back the darkness and the evil of our world that is in rebellion against the proper King of Kings and Lord of Lords over all creation that has made it clear what is good. And so in rebellion against their good and loving God, We seek to win over more and more to the cause of what is good. More and more joining in the fight against evil, sin, and death. Because what is more righteous and godly than that? To save people that are trying to run their life off a cliff. They're trying to run their life into the ground, into the grave. and we grab them and tell them, run to the king, fight for the king, fight for what is good and true, fight this good fight, not the fight against him. We fight with, not with underhanded ways, we don't fight in deceptive ways, we fight with these virtues as we follow Christ in righteousness and godliness, in trust and in love. And so we fight not just for a place of destruction or a place of underhandedness, we actually fight for a place of victory. Do you understand, Christian, that as Christ has died for you, as he has set you free from sin and death, the grave is behind you and eternal life is ahead of you, so we fight for a place of strength, for a place of victory, not just today but for all eternity. And so, let us consider this. We're fleeing from sin. We're following Christ. We're fighting for what is right and good, and now we're gonna fasten. We're gonna hold tight to that eternal life. Let's read this last bit. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. We must not just receive eternal life. We take hold of it. We grasp it because our life depends on it. We live and act because eternal life is ours. We live and fight, holding on to the heavenly things. Think of this from Colossians 3, 2. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. We hold on to eternal life with our mind. but our citizenship is in heaven. And we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Philippians 3.20. We hold on to eternal life, not as one that is outside looking in, but as a citizen of the heaven that we look forward to. Maybe you can think of a bull rider. I haven't been to too many rodeos, but I know that scene when the bull rider is in the gates, and it's as tight as it can be, so that bull is not bucking yet, and he has his gloved hand, and he puts it on the, I don't even know what it's called, but on the reins, right? On that part of his saddle, and then he uses, what? The horn, thank you. Why didn't I look that up before we got to today? I was like, this is such a great thing, but I should have looked it up. All right, he gets it on the horn, and he straps the reins around it, and he pulls it tight, and he grips it, and it seems like his hand might fall off before he finishes. But yet, what do we see? We grip much harder than that. We grip so much harder than that. We as the church, we hold onto, we strap our lives onto in love for eternal life. Because in comparison to the length of eternity, our struggle, our wrestling, our fight is only eight seconds. I know how long it is, so there you go. God will not let us fail to receive what He has promised, because we take hold of the eternal life to which we are called. This calling is what theologians call the effectual calling. It means that when God calls a Christian, He does not fail to save you. When Christ died for sinners, He did not die for our possibility of being saved. He did not die for possible sins, but He died in actuality. He died with the actual sins and the actual death that we deserve. He died for the sins of the elect and they are paid for. His death secured life for His people and His calling brings us to life on the basis of that death. His call, when it is given, is effective for every step of our life. And we see his effectiveness laid out in Romans chapter eight, verses 29 through 30. I'm just really glad I'm not talking about bull riding anymore. Okay, Romans eight, chapter 29 through 30. I'm just laughing at myself, so I just have to keep saying it. All right, Romans eight, 29 through 30. For those whom he foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined, He also called. And those whom He called, He also justified. And those whom He justified, He also glorified. This verse is one of the incredible promises of Scripture. It's about the saints, the elect, those who will be saved. And it starts in the will and the foreknowledge of God, who knows from before time began, those he predestined. And those he predestined, he also called. And those he called, he justified. And he made us righteous. And then in the justification, we are guaranteed that we'll be glorified in heaven. It's called the golden chain. Not a single link can be broken in this process. If you are a Christian, if you are trusting in Christ for your salvation, if you have given up hope in everything else, if you have given up hope in salvation in anyone else but only in Christ alone, that you've given your life to Him, He's foreknown you. He's predestined you. He's called you. He's justified you, and one day He'll glorify you. And it cannot be broken. We don't hold on to eternal life, hoping that we get to heaven. We hold on to eternal life that we already have. And it's as good as done. Paul talks about this calling and predestination before the world began in this second letter to Timothy. Second Timothy chapter one, verse nine. God who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began. Those who are saved, he gave us his purpose and grace before we existed. His eternal plan will be brought about. Timothy, and by extension all those in the church who are ordained to the ministry, every pastor, every elder, must proclaim a good confession in the presence of many witnesses. This reference is for Timothy, his baptism, but more specifically for his ordination. the day that he was called to the ministry, and the other elders in Ephesus laid their hands on him, and they declared that he would serve as an elder, he would serve as a pastor. And so for pastors, but for all Christians who profess salvation, we hold to the eternal life that we are given. We remember our baptism, our profession of faith, and we remember those who gather as the church, as witnesses, And we believe, again, that God has promised us eternal life because we are known, because we are predestined, because we are called, because we are justified, because we are glorified. The letter to the Ephesians and the armor of God is for every Christian. So I hope that you know, man, woman, child here this morning, that you must be equipped to fight the spiritual battle. But this passage here in 1 Timothy has a narrower application. So that's where I want us to focus in just these last few moments. It has a specific application to the man of God. So I want to speak to the men for a few moments. I want you to think, men, about the disaster but also the inevitability of war. It's appropriate because in our world today, there are multiple powder kegs that could erupt in war. You think about what's happening in Ukraine. Russia invading, Ukrainians defending, and then almost every equipped military power in the world is feeding arms to one side or the other. You can think about this, about Iran being closer and closer to nuclear weaponry, and Israel will not let that happen. Israel will strike first. And the disaster that will ensue from that, who knows what will happen. Or you think about China and North Korea threatening each and every day with more rocket launches or more balloons floating overhead. Threatening that with more and more information, with more and more power, with more and more opportunity, the threat increases. I hate to say it, but we've been in an incredible amount of peace, but war will come someday. There will be a draft, and you men likely will be in it. Your name will be on a card, or it'll be on a computer, and it could be possibly chosen. You could be sent to a boot camp to fight somewhere, foreign or domestic, to defend your country, but more importantly, to defend your family. Now be honest now, as I describe the reality of war, the likelihood of war at some level, whether it's soon or later, how many of you were thinking about the heart condition that you have? Or the asthma that I have that may keep you out of war? Or whatever else, the extenuating circumstances, maybe my job will be too needed here so I won't have to go. Brothers, if we think about the draft in any way, shape, or form like we think about our responsibilities as biblical men, as godly men called according to the purpose of God, then we are abdicating our responsibility as men. God has revealed in His Word that we are at war already. The spiritual battle for truth, for life and death, and for eternal life is already raging for the loved ones that you have. Already. You will fight or you will die. You will be called or you will be killed. The tricky thing about the call of God, even within his sovereign election, is that he has chosen a moment to call you to eternal life. And for some of you, He has chosen a moment to call you to serve Him in a specific way, maybe as a pastor, maybe as a missionary, maybe as the godly husband that you're called to be. But you may be wasting your life right now on a false war, on a video game console, You may be fighting right now, wasting your life on owning the libs on social media because that's your calling right now. Maybe you're wasting your life on earthly pursuits, on a car that you just can't quite fix. But the spiritual battle for life and death is raging and you are called to fight in it. You're in the battle. Whether you like it or not, it is raging around you. The vitriol is rising, the enemy is prowling, and the question is, is will you fight? Men, this is an every second fight for your purity, for your love of God, for his word. It is an active fleeing, following, fighting, and fastening your life and your destiny towards eternal life and the purposes of his kingdom. Because there are hundreds of thousands that die every day without the gospel here in America and across the world. There are cities in the world that do not have a church, they need a faithful church. Who among you will be trained to go to war for those that do not have a church? There are hundreds of churches that are already in Missouri that need a pastor. Who will go to war to be trained as a pastor? There are men here in our church, young men, that need discipleship in our church. Will you go to war trained up to disciple men around you? Who here will be the man of God in the line of Moses, David, and Timothy to bring the gospel to who needs it? Friends, our church either will train men or we won't. We will either train men to be cowardly and back down from studying the scriptures and back down from engaging with their family and back down from training in righteousness, or we will train them to love God, love their neighbor, and serve their King to the end. The American church has failed to raise up the next generation. Many churches in America have too many gray hairs and no one that is raising up the next generation. I hope you recognize by God's incredible blessing, we have young men here that need to be trained, that need to know to fight for the truth. Because there are several fronts that we are fighting on. But it starts in our homes. Then we fight for our community. We fight for our neighbors. for their lives, for their hearts, for their children to know the truth and to live in the truth. It extends to our schools and our workplaces. It extends out to the country and to the world because by God's grace, he will not leave his church without the men called to fight. Brothers, you are called to be a Christian soldier. You are called to be a man of God who fights for the truth, but you could have regret. You could have regret for not fighting as you're called to fight. But yet, there's only one regret that a righteous soldier should have and will have, is they did not join the battle sooner. The angelic army is behind us. God's victory is secure. Your eternal life that you hold onto is destined and will happen. The question is, is will you join the fight now? Do not fear, men. Fight for your family, fight for your lives, fight for the truth, and let's fight together. Let me pray for us. Heavenly Father, you have promised to protect, to sustain, and to care for your church. Father, we ask that this church would be faithful. May you call us according to your purpose. May you call men here this morning to give their life to you and to give their life so fully that they are willing to go wherever you call. Father, I pray that there would be no hesitation this morning. That men of God would rise up from Bethany Baptist Church for the coming generations to train other men, to train their family, to love the Lord their God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. May they not shrink back. May they not waste their time. May they not regret they didn't join the battle sooner. May they join today. Father may You call us and find us faithful. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.