The world can't give. And this piece I haven't said as I roam on his footstool, just speaking about the Earth and the Bible to speak about as a footstool of God. I looked down on it last night. I was flying in last night about 10:00 and actually looked down and saw my house. It's kind of interesting to look at my house and think, My family's in there. I wish I had a pair of shoes, you know, just kind of jump out and get home a little quicker. But it's great that we can have peace on the earth and that Jesus has left us his peace. One Timothy, chapter six and verse 12 is our text. All right. We're going to go verses 12 through 14. Lord willing, tonight is what I hope to cover with us. You know, one of these Chapter six, 12 through 14. Back when I was in university, it seems like we didn't get the holidays that they get nowadays. I don't remember something like spring break or that pause where you could actually maybe get home or take a vehicle and drive home or something like that. I don't remember Easter break. I know we celebrated Easter, but I don't I don't know that we necessarily got any days off around that. And in the spring, what we did have at the university I went to is a Christian university. We had something called Bible conference. And Bible conference wasn't a break and it was a break. It was a break from classes, but it was a very intense schedule. That was a great schedule as a week that I did look forward to of, I think 3 to 4 preaching sessions during the day and maybe some other things like him saying or a prayer session as well or things like that. And on the Friday night of the conference, we would, as preacher boys be up in the choir loft and the fan base, a large auditorium seat, 45,000. It was set up to 7000. But I think for Bible conference, around 5000 people would be there and there'd be a I think back in that time, around 700 of us that were called to the ministry or felt called to the ministry that were in that class. And on that Friday night we'd sing and we would sing the preacher boy's song connected to another hymn. And Fred Coleman was a gifted musician, and he would write the music and he'd blend those two things. But the preacher boy song Was There Souls for Jesus is our battle cry souls for Jesus. We'll fight until we die. We never will give in While souls are lost in sin Souls for Jesus is our battle cry. And it was a great, great song. That was a song The Preacher Boys. As long as Bob Jones had the preacher boy class, imagine it still is today that they're still learning that song with a hymn that I remember that Fred Coleman connected it to was this whole My comrades see the signal waving in the sky. Reinforcements soon appearing. Victory is nigh. Hold the fort for I am coming. Jesus signal still wave the answer back to heaven. By that grace, we will. And as we sang that night, when we got to the preacher boy song, all the former preacher boys that were in the ministry that were out in the auditorium, they'd stand up. And so you'd be up there with all your preacher boys looking out at all the men there in the ministry and singing that song Hold the Fort for I Am Coming and looking at those that were fighting for the faith and seeking to establish it for the glory of God. You know, very appropriately, we view our Christian life as warfare. It's a very biblical analogy that's given effusion. 611 says, put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. And that idea is that we're in a battle and there is a fight that we are waging for a guy. Two Timothy two four says, no man that worth entangling himself with affairs of this life. So if somebody is involved in that battle, then they're not going to get involved in other things. We keep that focus on that fight for the faith that they ought to be participating in. And so tonight we come to the stacks. As believers, we must obey God's word and fight for the faith. And you'll see that's the context in text of what we're looking at. Verse 12 Fight the good fight of faith. You know, we need to get in that battle for God and do our utmost for God's glory. So, you know, by God's grace, let's help. Let's hold the fort. Let's fight as we ought for the Lord Jesus Christ, let me the Spirit of God bless the Word of God tonight. Let's pray and ask for that. Father, we need that blessing tonight, upon your word. And so I ask that the Spirit of God to give us grace, to take in your truth. Thank you for each one that makes up our congregation and our church family. A father. This is our little patch that you've given to us. Even as Sharma just. I gripped that sword and wouldn't let it go, and others fled and forsook the field. But by the grace of God, he fought. And He stood. And Father, I pray that in our hearts tonight. And the spirit of God just give His grace to. I stick for the truth that the word of God. And Father, I pray that you'd encourage us to strengthen our hands. Even as tonight Lord's, who sang those hymns about dependence upon God, we recognise that without him, we could do nothing. Lord, that if anything's going to be accomplished, is going to be accomplished by the grace of God, by abiding in Christ. And so tonight, may the Spirit of God fill us. May the Spirit of God strengthen us, may the Spirit of God encourage us. And I thank you for the children in their class and Mr. Shore, an opportunity that they have to look into the Word of God. I pray that you bless their time together tonight as well. And so, Father, please give us ears to hear. I pray for liberty as I speak tonight. If you please, I pray the Spirit of God will guide me as I speak. I speak biblically. They speak practically. They speak lovingly and powerfully. The truth of the Word of God that you help us in our walk with you. And thank you for Your Grace, Lord. And this increasing we pray. Amen. Amen. So we must obey God's Word and fight for the faith. And so we start with tonight the command fight for the faith. All right. The command that God's given to us. And so let me give you my notes like it's Sunday night, but get behind a worthy cause. All right. It's a worthy cause that God has given to us. Verse 12 says, Fight the good fight of faith. And so the fight for the faith is a worthy fight. It's worth participating in. It's worth being a part of that he was 12 to Jesus died for this faith, it says, looking at a Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. And so the perfect Son of God came. He gave His life to establish this faith that we get to live and to fight for. And so tonight, how do we get into that fight? What's the process? How do I how do I sign up or how do I, I get into that fight for God? Well, first of all, get off the world sign. I get off the world side. You might have heard the phrase striking the colours. I don't know if that's something that's familiar to you, but it's a, I guess a nautical term and it means lowering the flag, the colours, and that signifies a ship or garrisons allegiance. It's a universally recognised indication of surrender, particularly for ships at sea. For a ship surrender is dated from the time that the end sign is struck, and so that the enemy is coming or their adversary's coming and it's greater. And you recognise that it's an overwhelming adversary and so you strike your colours, lower the flag, and that means that you're submitting to that person to come commandeer your vessel. You know, I tell somebody get say they're flying the flags of the enemy of God. That's their lifestyles against God. Somebody is either on the side of God or somebody is completely against God. And so the colours of the flag that a person is flying before they get, say, their colours of lies, and to see that that's the what characterises their life outside of Christ. John 844 says Yea, your father, the devil and the loss of your father, you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning in a boat. Not in the truth, because there's no truth in him. When you speak at the lie, he speak it of his own, for he is a liar, and the father of it, Jesus Christ, is the way the truth. Satan is the father of lies. Those that follow Christ, those that follow Satan follow the deceit and lies that the devil promotes. Revelation 2215 Speak about heaven and entrance into heaven and and those with outside of the new Jerusalem. It says, for without our dogs and sorcerers and warmongers and burners and idolaters and whosoever love it and make it the lie, somebody's life that's characterised by deceitfulness, that's not a problem. They could just lie and not be bothered by that. Their their characteristic of their life is, is a characteristic of somebody that is not a safe person at the very best and is likely to characteristic of somebody that is on their way to hell, the Bible says in Revelation 21, verse eight. But the fearful and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and horror mongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars have their part in the lake witch burnings with fire and brimstone, which is a second death. And again, so a lot of times people say, well, you ask them, do you lie? And they say, well, white lies are little lies, but a lie is a lie to tell an untruth. But the Bible says that sin is worthy of judgement and a lake of fire. People would defend that, say, Well, that's not that big of a thing. But the thing is, that's the characteristic of somebody that has colours that are against God. So the colours are deceit in light, so colours are wickedness. Again, in that verse it says, but the fearful and unbelieving and abominable and bears and horror mongers and sorcerers and idolaters. There's a lot of the things that in liars that characterise their life outside of Christ and against somebody to identify their colours, could look at their life and say, What kind of sins are in my life that I think are fine, that I think are okay, that again identifies that person as as flying the flag of the enemy of God and their colours are as well worldliness. James four verse four says Ye adulterers and adulterers says No, ye. Not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God, whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God, somebody that is just happy to get out there in the world and embrace the world. Then the Bible says that they are not on God's side, they are against God. Again, as I was flying last night, were coming along and circled past our house and out over the Firth of Forth, coming back towards the bridges. And I looked down, I saw the Britannia, the Queen's ship that was moored down there at Ocean Terminal. And I've toured that and I've gotten on there and I've seen the different flags that they have, and they would run the different flags up for different reasons, and those flags would speak and they would say something. The only flag that I know if I was out on the sea probably is the black flag with the white skull and crossbones. You know, the pirate. I would get that, something like that. But if we were to see tonight the flag of somebody that is an unbeliever, then that would be a flag that would have cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, profanity, immorality, blasphemy, and all other sorts of wickedness on it. If that is our flag, then we are not on God's side. And so what that person needs to do, they need to get on God's side. They need to strike the colours. They need to let Jesus Christ commandeer their vessel and say, I don't want to fly under a flag of wickedness anymore. I want a flag of righteousness. I want the Holy Spirit of God, the banner over me to be a Jesus Christ. So get off the world side if I want to fight for the faith. And then secondly, get on God's side. If you're on if you're on God's side, you know, let God take over your vessel. You could still not be in the battle. You could still be somebody that scared to put your head over the parapet and you'll get up there on deck and and quit yourself like a man and fight for a God. Or he could be somebody that ventures for God. Somebody says, I'm going to take a stand for God. And dude, one verse three says, Beloved, when I gave all diligence to right unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the States. God's given us sacred truth. He's given us a sacred trust, and we got saved. And therein, Judith says, earnestly contend for the faith. You know, we need a generation of men that will rise up men and women and fight for the faith and say, you know, I'm going to get in there. I'm a I'm going to I'm going to stand for God and fight for God. City Stud, the great missionary evangelist, said it this way, nailed the colours to the mast. That is the right thing to do. And therefore, that is what we must do and do it now. What colours? The colours of Christ. The work He has given us to do. The evangelisation of all the UN Evangelised. He say, Get out there. Do something for Christ. Take that gospel message. You might be to your neighbourhood. It might be to your nation. It might be to the world as God leads, but be somebody that says, I'm going to get in there and do something for God. And so if we're going to fight for the faith, get off the world side. Get on God's side. And then secondly, here, get behind a worthy person. Get behind a worthy cause as we're looking at. Get behind a worthy person. It says, lay hold on. Eternal life. You may look at that and say, I don't really see it pass or I don't see the idea of grabbing hold of a person. But the Bible says, lay hold on eternal life. Life is Christ. Typically that that Jesus life and the end possessing Christ in and that being life is the same thing. The Bible says in Jan one four in him was life, and the life was the life of man. It says in John 1125, Jesus said, And to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believe it then be though he were dead yet shall he live? John 14 six. Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life no man cometh until the father but by me. One John. 512 says he that hath the son hath life, and he they have not. The Son of God hath not life again, are you? Something has taken hold of Christ and said I laying hold of eternal life and grabbing hold of Jesus and tenaciously holding on to Him. It says in Matthew 11, verse 12, and from the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffered violence in the violent take it by force, the idea of that tenacious grabbing hold of God and following after God. Matthew Henry said about that verse, They who would enter into the kingdom of Heaven must strive to enter that king and strive to enter that kingdom suffers a holy violence. Self must be denied the bent bias, the frame and temper of the mind must be altered. There are hard sufferings to be undergone, a force to be put upon the corrupt nature. We must run and wrestle and fight and be in agony and all little enough to win such a prise, to get over such opposition from without and from within the violent take it by force. They will have an interest in the great salvation are carried out towards it with a strong desire, will have it upon any terms and not think them hard, nor quit their hold without a blessing. And he's referring back to Jacob. And Jacob grabs hold of God, that pre incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ, where He's where God says as a princess, our power with God and with men in has prevailed. But we know, as we looked at even on Sunday night, that Jacob said, I will not let you go without a blessing. And that's, again, the idea of lay hold of eternal life, tenaciously follow after Jesus Christ. And so get behind a worthy person. And then thirdly, get behind a worthy privilege. It says, Where aren't you? Thou art also called giving out a worthy privilege. Timothy didn't deserve to be in God's army, but Timothy had a commission that was given to him by God. Two and two. Timothy two four says No man that worth entangling themselves with the affairs of this life that he may please him who had chosen him to be a soldier. It's a privilege to be somebody that God taps and said, Hey, I got a battle free to fight. I want you to get out there and do something for the cause of Christ, whether that's, you know, church evangelism, whether that is serving God in the local church, whether that might be missions, whether that might be ministry. It's a precious thing when the spirit of God puts his hand upon some of his life and say, I've got a calling for you and a commission. Paul spoke about that calling in Philippians three verse 14, he said, I pressed toward the mark for the prise of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. You know, it's such a privilege that God gives the opportunity to get in the battle and to do something for the cause of Christ says is an honour to get to participate with him. Again, Paul said to Timothy, already here in our study, one Timothy, one, verse 12. I think, Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has enabled me for that. He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry polity and thought I am honoured to get to serve God. What if that commission is to fight for the faith? That's a blessing. So as as Spirit of God works in your life and you get on God's side worthy cause fighting for a worthy person. It's a privilege to look at and say, I am honoured to get to serve God and they get behind a worthy pursuit. A worthy pursuit. It says it has professed a good profession before many witnesses. Timothy was not somebody that was unclear about his commitment to Christ. He was somebody that had gone through ordination and testified of how God was working his life, that the church had looked at and said, We recognise that God's hand is upon this young man's life. And he very clearly stepped out for that worthy pursuit of the ministry. But in the thick of the battle, Paul reminds Timothy to fight on for the faith. There's a great hymn that's written by John Henry Yates. It says this Encamped along the hills of light. You Christian soldiers rise. And press the battle ere the night shall veil. The glowing skies against the foe in veils below. Let all our strength be hurled. Faith is the victory we know that overcomes the world. You let's. Let's get in there and do something for God again. I know. I understand we're doing this as a church, but it may be as simple as saying, you know, I'm just going to I'm just going to put some tracks in my pocket and make a difference for the Lord Jesus Christ or speak to somebody about God, or take some positions that I need to better take for God so that I could be a better soldier for the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, have you heard the phrase, I've not yet begun to fight? It's the words of a revolutionary soldier, John Paul Jones. He was doing battle with the British ship when his own ship was badly damaged. And the British commander called over to ask whether Jones had surrendered. He answered, I've not yet begun to fight. He and his crew then captured the British ship. All right. That's at least the story as is told. I know there's some risk they're sharing this in Britain, but let's assume it was an English ship or something like that. All right. But what a great statement. I've not yet begun to find. Let's get in there. Let's do something for God. Let's make a difference for the Lord Jesus Christ. What's the command tonight? The command is I fight the good fight of faith. It's a worthy cause to pick up for our Lord. And so secondly, the commander's charge to write the commander's charge and his charges, this God is your witness and your guide. He's your witness. And your guide to charge is often given at a commencement of something, the beginning of something. Whether somebody is graduating and they're starting out on their work career or somebody is maybe just gotten buried, there's a charge that they give to the couple or somebody being ordained, and there's a charge to them about the ministry. And sometimes when you're leading in that you might be speaking specifically to the person that you're giving the charge to. And you'll say something like, I charge you before God and before the audience that's here. And what they're saying is there are witnesses of fact, I'm challenging you to do this right, have a good marriage. I'm challenge you to do it right. You have a good ministry of challenge you to do it right. Get out there, have a good career and do well what you do. But in the sight of these witness that witnesses that will verify the facts at a future date and look back and see you are challenged to take the charge that you were given, such as Paul says, as he's saying, fight the good fight of faith. I'm charging you with that. And there are witnesses who have heard your charge, and the witness is God. God is listening. And so, first of all, the one to whom you owe your life is watching. It says in verse 13, I give the charge in the sight of God, who quick enough, all things okay, God, the giver of physical life, the God, the giver of spiritual life. He is why he is watching. Psalm 11, verse four says, The Lord is in his holy temple. The Lord's throne is in heaven. His eyes behold his eyelids, try the children of man. So great guy is watching as observing. God understands the charge that that Paul is putting on Timothy. He is observing that. And Paul is saying to Timothy, Timothy, the God that gave you your physical life. The God that gave you your eternal life. Is observing me saying to you, Timothy, fight for the faith. Everything that you have, Timothy is given to you. By God, he is. He has given thing everything that you possess. And I charge you to use everything that you've got for God. You know, are you going to own the cause of the one to whom you owe everything? I can step out, identify with him. It's interesting. Sometimes people can be kind of shy about their Christianity in a public place. Yesterday we were knocking on doors in around Dublin and as we met, this one lady, older lady named Margaret, a Catholic lady, and just spoke with her about the gospel. I said to her at the end, she had just had cancer. She had just recovered from cancer. And I said, Margaret, can we just pray with you here at your door? Just like to pray for you. And she said no. And she said, If I could have you in, but nobody else is here. And and so if I could have you and that would be okay. And I just said to her, I said, you know, Margaret, somebody that's truly accepted, Christ is not ashamed to identify as a Christian. They're not ashamed to own the fact that they are on God's side. You know, God has given us life. He's given us everlasting life. We got to be somebody that said, I am unashamedly on the side of God. God is watching. He's heard me be charged by the Word of God to fight for the faith. Got him on your side. I mean, to clearly identify as a Christian. You're watching. You've seen the charge. And so the one to whom you know your life is watching. And then the other one to home, to whom you all your life is leading. And by that I mean the Lord Jesus Christ. It says in Before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed the good confession, Jesus, as he purchased our salvation, he didn't falter. He to step back and or anything. He he fought valiantly. To establish our faith as he witness that confession before the judge pilot Jan 19 four six. It says When the chief priest therefore an officer saw and they cried out saying, crucify him, crucify him, pilot saith unto them, take him in, crucify if I find no fault in him. The Jews answered, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die because he made himself the Son of God. When pilot therefore heard that, saying he was the more afraid and when he get into the judgement hall and he said it to Jesus, whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer, then said, Pilot unto him, speak as though not unto me knows thou, not that I have power to crucify thee in a power to release the Jesus answer Thou could hast have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above. Therefore, he that delivered me on to thee have the greater sin. And from thence forth, pilots sought to release him. But the Jews cried out, saying, If they'll let this man go, they are not Caesar's friend. Whosoever make it themselves can speak it against Caesar. And the command was crucify him. And Jesus Christ was faithful unto death. And again, Jesus is watching Jesus. Where we talked recently about Hebrews Chapter 11, the Hall of Faith and the Great Cloud of witnesses, Hebrews, Chapter 12. They're observing it and looking at us. And again, with the highest person that's there as Christ himself, that witness a good confession for for God in Paul says in the sight of Jesus, I charge you. Fine. And again, where to take up that cross that the Lord Jesus Christ had and to follow after him say, I'm going to be somebody that owns that for his sake, that God is watching. He's heard the charge that we've been given. Does he see us fulfilling our charge? Does he see us taking a stand for the Lord Jesus Christ, identifying with God in God's Word? And so the command's charge. The command. And then third, the commands keeping, commands keeping. You must keep it. You must fight for the faith. It says in verse 14 that thou I charge you this what? I'm to charge you before God and before the Lord Jesus Christ, that I'll keep this commandment. Timothy was taught to fight for the faith, and he would teach others to do the same. Two Timothy. Two Verse two It says in the things that are sure to be amongst many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. So Timothy was taught by Paul fight for the faith. Timothy would then take other men that God was working in their life, and He would challenge them and say to them, Hey, fight for the faith, take a stand for God. Because the same things that were committed to him, he would commit to you, to them. Bachelor Nation was born out of a fight for the faith. Our mission agency that God's allowed us to go with. And I don't know whether you're familiar with it or not. I haven't spoken a ton about it, but it was born and I think I want to say 1960s, maybe the 1950s, when liberalism was creeping into the Northern Baptist Convention. And basically that means that there are there are some within that organisation that didn't believe in the idea of Christ. They don't believe in the miracles, they didn't believe in the soul. Gospel of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so there was false teaching that was taking place and missionaries that were going out under the Northern Baptist Convention that weren't godly and what they should be. There are some in Monroe Parker. I'm trying to think of Wayne van Gelder and Senior. Dr. Ed Nelson. Some great men of God. They weren't old men. In fact, probably back then, they're probably about my age. That took a stand for the Lord Jesus Christ and said, we're going to we're going to fight this thing. It wasn't a comfortable fight as they stood up and they discussed with their brothers in Christ there at the assembly and say, Hey, we feel like this is right the other side. We feel like this is right. And they took a stand and that stand caused some division within that assembly. But what was borne out of that was it was part of the fundamentalism movement in the United States. We're getting back to the Word of God in the purity of the Word of God and not compromising by ecumenism or being associated with those that were false teachers. And so it's born in a fight. And those those that were there, I think they would say to us, hey, it wasn't a lot of fun. We didn't really enjoy it. I mean, it was it was kind of miserable. We've read Dr. Ed Nelson's biography lately. He speaks about it as a very tough time. But they fought the battle that God had them to fight. And I it's kind of easy as the next generation because the next generation kind of kind of receives what was bought by the by the price of those men fighting. And they kind of get it as a free gift. And it's kind of just the way it is. And that church is sanctified and set apart from other things that mission agency has purified from false teaching. And they get it. And that's the way it is. But at some point, another generation has to rise up and say, I'm going to fight the battles that God has for me to fight. I'm going to take a stand for the Lord because that's what you do. You fight for the faith. And instead of taking for granted what I have and losing what they fought to obtain, I stand for it. And I hold it. Again. Sadly, some generations rise up and say they don't really want to take a stand like that. And we live very much in a day like that where a lot of churches that they think, I don't want to take a stand. I want to cause a disturbance. I don't want to say something that somebody might take out of context or take the wrong way or might say something about me. Rather than being a generation, they'll stand up and say, Hey, I'll own this for God sake, and I'm going to fight for the faith. It might cost me. We're reading John Bunyan's not biography, but Pilgrim's Progress is very interesting in that the character Pilgrim suffers at the hand of magistrates and things like that. And John Barnea writes this book while he's in prison for his faith. And there's so many stories like that, generations that have fought for the faith. They've paid a price. All the freedoms that we got, we got them because they stood. And whatever that battle is, we just need to be wise about it. But we ought to say, you know what, I'm going to be somebody who fights for the faith. I'm not ashamed to identify with God's word. And so you must fight. Notice again what it says. It says that thou keep this commandment. And you must not sully this charge, not get it dirty. It says without spot. Keep it, keep it clean and fight well for the Lord Jesus Christ. And I want to go back to the same chapter, chapter six, and just the preceding verse that we looked at last week, verse 11, to speak about fighting, fighting correctly or fighting well for the Lord Jesus Christ. And I'm just very quickly going to give a synopsis of the verse. Okay. And so fight for what is right. Righteousness, it says, but thou man of God follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. So follow after righteousness to fight for what is right. If it's right, stand for it. I think that's a pretty simple statement. I tend to identify what do I what do I fight for? We'll fight for. Right. If it's right, stand for righteousness. And that says Godliness fight as the Lord fought. Be Godly, be like him in his the way he quit himself as a soldier for God. John 630 I came down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me, he desired to continue. I just do the father's will, whatever that was. John 1522 If I had not come and spoken to them, they had not had said these talking about the world, but now they have no cloak for their sin. Why? Because he came as the light and the light dispels darkness and and he said, me, they hate it because I testify to them that their work serves evil. Now we understand that Jesus Christ was not cruel, he was not mean, he was not unkind. But he didn't compromise the message of the Gospel or the message of the truth of the Word of God. And so godliness would be me, me looking at the Lord and say, I want to be like the Lord. I want to be somebody that fights for what's right. And I want to fight in the way that the Lord would fight and quit myself like him. And then faith. It says follower for righteousness, godliness, faith, fight for the word of God. Sunday night, we looked at the Word of God and said in that in that proverb, it said, Every word of God is pure. Therefore, I had it. I had a fight for every word of God. Tonight, we're not content to say to somebody, Well, you just rip out whatever verses you don't like. If it's just one verse, that's okay. If it's just two verses, that's okay. If it's ten verses, that's okay. We ought to be somewhere tenaciously holds on. And there's no every word of God is pure. Every word of God is vital. That's why it's all right. We don't have to be ashamed of the Bible and hide our heads and say, Well, I'm kind of embarrassed about what the Bible says about some things in our day. You know, people look at that and they despise the Bible, but if they find out that the Bible says it, listen, that's not we don't have to be ashamed of that. Because we're fighting for the faith. And the faith is the very words of God and what God has said. And then fight with a love for God in others. It says There follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love. Again, we talked about love is both caring and for what is right for somebody as as well as right for God. If you love me, keep my commandments. We talked about that last week when we were dealing specifically with that verse. But if Vision four or 15 also says but speaking the truth in love. But speaking the truth. Fighting for the faith but in love. Caring for that person. And then fight with patience. Patience is hopeful. Endurance. Again, as we looked at two Timothy two, three, thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. If we fight for the faith, what's going to happen? I take a stand for God, whether it's evangelism. I'm going to knock on doors. All right. Wham and the door getting slammed and it doesn't go so well. Sometimes I know it's not always like that. I hesitate to use an illustration like that because somebody may go, Oh, I'm never going to knock on doors. Pastor always talks about how tough it is. Well, it can be tough sometimes. But that doesn't mean that we don't do it. As we fight for the faith in love, what are we to do? Patiently endure? That's all right. Someday somebody may say something unkind, and that hurts me. Okay. We'll patiently endure. My family might not like it if I'm faithful to church or I start tithing or something and really take a stand for God. They mean I like that. Well, it's okay. Patiently endure. That's somebody that's not going to sully the charge that they've been given to fight for God and then fight with meekness, meekness and strength under control. And we talked about this last week, but 20 to 25, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves with God for adventure will give them repentance and acknowledging the truth. We're not going to knock on somebody's door and scream at them or be unkind to them. And if they say something against us. Our response ought to be somebody that is submitted and surrendered to God in meekness, so that we're gently responding. And this is something that I would specifically say there's something we need to pray about. And asked God, give me grace to respond with kindness. Give me grace to respond biblically. Give me grace not to defend myself, but to defend the Word of God in what God says. Okay, so if I do that, I don't sully the church that God's given me. God has said, fight for the faith. You must fight for the faith. And as you do this, your to fight without sullying this church, without a spot, it says. And then you must be irreproachable in the discharge. The discharge of your duty. Duty irreproachable in the discharge of your duty. It says, without spot, unreviewable. Okay. So nobody should have opportunity to bring reproach upon God's soldiers because they were unfaithful. To fight for the faith. Unreviewable that the commander himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, a sub commander, could come and say, Hey, how come you're not fighting for the faith? Unreviewable. These are people that that that Paul had to say these they don't know. God, I speak this to your shame. A day, a week to righteousness, a sin not for some have not the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. They weren't discharging their duty to fight for the faith. So we should be unreviewable. Is Eagle Seven? Ezekiel I think it's 33. 417. The Story The Watchman. It says, Son of man, I've made the watchmen onto the house of Israel. The watchmen is the person that is there on the castle wall that is looking out. And he sees the enemy coming and he has a responsibility to turn around and cry. The enemies coming to those that were in the castle so that they're aware that the battle was on. Son of man. I made the watchmen onto the house of Israel. Therefore, here the word at my mouth and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, thou shall surely die. They'll give us him not warning, nor speak as to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life. Now notice what God is saying. God is saying their sin is destroying them. I have sent you as a watchman to declare unto them their defilement against me. So he says that the charge warned the wicked from his wicked way to save his life. And let me just emphasise that the whole point of of what we do for a God in getting out the message of the Word of God is not to make people feel bad about their sin. And so that they see their sin for what it is. Death. Eternal death in a lake of fire. And that they choose Christ in salvation. So we're telling them and our duty is to warn them. Can I save them physically myself without them repenting and trusting Jesus Christ or Saviour? No. The only thing I can do and I wish to God we could write, Paul said. I would. I would go to hell if my my brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh, would be saved. We can't do that. But one thing we can do is unashamedly take a stand that might cost us something to testify to them of their wickedness in obedience to God like that watchmen so that they could get their life saved. But if they don't respond, the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity. But his blood will require a thin hand if he does. If you don't speak to warn him, you're to give them warning. But when I see into the wicked, thou shall surely die. They'll give us him, not warning, nor speak as to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life. The same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I required thine hand, yet if thou warned the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity. But that was delivered thy soul. That's Old Testament. You know, you read that and you say, is Ecos a prophet? He's given that charge by God for Israel to go to them. And I mean, he didn't have an easy message. Jeremiah didn't have an easy message, Isaiah didn't have an easy message. But God said, Go give my message. As a watchman. And if you don't do it, then the blood of those that die and perish. I'm going to require that I hand. I just wonder tonight, you know, the church at large, in a sense, your local churches, I wonder how much blood is on the hands of believers because they're not fighting for the faith. They're not taking a stand for God. God has set up his watchmen for Scotland to fight for the faith, to cry out the warning for God. Are we unreviewable into keeping that charge? Where we were to take up that charge were to keep it without spot so that we're fighting correctly and then we are to do it unreviewable. So nobody could say to us, look, you're not doing what you're supposed to be doing. And so lastly here tonight. We see the command's conclusion, the command's conclusion. This is when Christ comes and says, Do this until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. We're to fight for the faith until Jesus Christ returns. Now, I believe his appearance, as soon as we cry out with John the beloved, even Sola Jesus, come quickly. And yet he hasn't come yet. And so we're to continue to fight until he returns. One John 228 says now little children abide in him, that when he shall appear we may have confidence, not be ashamed before a is coming. Again. I wondered tonight if the Lord Jesus Christ would come in and see us in our our fight for the faith. I wonder. Will he be pleased that I would do that? That he would be. There we stand with the truth of the Word of God. We stand with the Gospel that we're in obedience practically and right rightly related to Him contending for the faith. Again. I remember that song at the Bible conference. Says, Hold my comrades. See the signal waving in the sky. Hold the fort for I am coming. Jesus signal still wave the answer back to heaven by their grace, we will. And so just a reminder to us to fight for the faith and a question. Will you fight for the faith? You know, we be somebody that stands up and says, I want to be counted for Christ. Other generations have fought the battles by God's grace. I want to be wise about it, but I want to fight to. Why? Because God says too. I didn't choose these verses tonight. Because the context of some of the things that we found ourselves in. I found myself with this text before us tonight because this where we're at in our Bible study, but I think it's a vital text and one that we ought to consider and say, you know what? I'll fight for the faith. You got to help us to do that. Let's pray. Father. I pray that the Spirit of God again will speak to our hearts and. Finally, the battle could be an uncomfortable. People might say things. But I pray that we look at the crucifixion of Christ and see what they said. Father. I pray that we look at the suffering of our Lord. As he as he fought for the faith and died on the cross of Calvary. Father. I pray that we look in the Book of Acts and say, you know, it really seems like these guys were fighting for the faith physically, almost in the sense that they were suffering. Because they were declaring the truth that the word of God. Father. We don't have to be afraid. To speak the truth in love and to say what the word of God says about transgenderism. Homosexuality. Abortion. About sexual perversion or fornication. And there are some tough truths that drunkenness. People don't like it when you start speaking about their sins and the ways they're against God. But Father, we give the warning because the judgement from God is coming. And we desire them to have life. And we wanted them to know the joy of being forgiven of their sins and finding out what life's all about. To have a right relationship with your creator. And so far, I mean, nobody ever look at us or our church and say. They didn't contend for the faith. They weren't willing to fight for the faith. And so I just pray, Father, may the Spirit of God strengthen our hands. Give us grace to honour you. We're unprofitable servants. We've done that, which was our duty to do. And really, a lot of times not as well as we should. But Father, would you honour your word? May bring forth fruit. Blessed even know it's in Christ name. We pray. Amen. I'd like to sing tonight. You know, we don't normally sing on Wednesday night, but I'd like to sing tonight for one three.