Sunday Evening Service 12/27/2020
What will you leave undone?
Scripture text: 2 Timothy 4:6-8
I am so pleased that you that are here, are here. And I welcome our many brothers and sisters in the Lord as well as those who may join us on Facebook.
As you can tell, I am not pastor Lang. I am just standing in for him while he takes a brief and needed vacation.
I am always pleased to fill in for him whenever he asks. It is not in my nature to do this but I am stepping out of my comfort zone to help the pastor. I have learned to never say no to the Lord.
My sermon topic is called “What will you leave undone? And my scripture text is found in 2Timothy 4:6-8. I have three points to make from scripture: Please stand while the scriptures are read out of respect of God' word.
Fighting the good fight;
Finishing your course;
And keeping the faith.
So, let’s begin by point number 1. Fighting the good fight. We are not talking about a physical fight with hands, feet and teeth. No, our warfare is not against flesh and blood but against Satan, the world and the flesh, these are the wreckers of our souls. But metaphorically we are getting going to war every day to fight against the enemies of our spiritual souls.
Paul could rightly and honestly say that he had fought a good fight. In 1Corinthians 15:32 he reports that “after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus.”
This fight was with false teachers that was not preaching and teaching a true doctrine of faith. They were teaching against the rapture. This was a fight against the world and Satan.
Paul had used the metaphor of a war and soldiers in chapter 2:3 where he says, “Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” We will come back to this verse later.
And in 1Timothy, his previous letter, in chapter 1:18 he wrote, “This charge I, commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightiest war a good warfare;”
Paul had suffered as a servant of Christ in many ways and at many times. He had fought a good fight. His time of departure was at hand. His death at the chopping block of a Roman prison lay just ahead.
Like a good soldier of Christ, he had obeyed every command of the Lord.
So, how are you doing with fighting a good fight? What kind of fight are you fighting?
Ephesians 6:10-12 tells us this: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
The whole armor of God is what any good soldier of Jesus would wear; loins girt with truth, wearing the breastplate of righteousness; feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; having the shield of faith; the helmet of salvation; and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. And lastly praying with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with perseverance and supplication for all saints.
Are you dressing like this each day? Are you leaving off any part of this armor? If so, it leaves you vulnerable to the attack of Satan, the world and the flesh.
Are you enduring hardness as a good soldier of Christ? Turn back at chapter 2:1-3 “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men. Who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
To endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ means that a person not allow himself or herself to grow soft. Are you reluctant to witness? You may be a soft soldier. Are you reluctant to lay aside that sin that so easily besets you? You may be a soft soldier Are you reluctant to take on new responsibilities for Christ? You may be a soft soldier. Are you reluctant to take a young person and mentor him or her? You may be soft soldier.
You are never too old or too young to do any of these things. God can use you no matter what your physical condition, your financial means, your educational limitations. He wants your heart. If you give Him that, He has everything needed and He will use you, if you are willing.
Paul says in 1Timothy 4:7-8 in part “exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little but godliness is profitable unto all things.”
You understand that when we are soft Christian, we cannot fight the good fight of faith.
The answer is to get some backbone. Grow some spiritual muscles. Do some spiritual exercises.
Instead of doing deep knee bends, how about bending the knees before the Lord.
Instead of going to a gym and lifting weights, we could lift one another up in prayer.
Instead of going out and running a mile, how about running the race with patience.
Some of us do not do the running thing, we walk instead. How about walking the life of faith with the Lord.
Of course, you cannot build muscle or get in shape without the proper diet.
The same goes for Spiritual health, and getting in shape Spiritually.
How about feeding on the word of God; both the sincere milk of the word and the strong meat?
If we are exercising, we need to keep hydrated. Spiritually speaking, we can also drink of the well of living water.
If you are exercising and eating the right food, you will also need to get the proper rest.
Jesus said this; Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.
So, we need to rest in the Lord.
The hardest part of getting the proper rest at night is in the mind. Putting the mind to rest. Fear, worry, anxiety is not from the Lord, it is of the world, the flesh and the Devil. All of these things will rob a person of rest in the Lord. We cannot let what goes on in the world destroy our rest in the Lord, our peace of mind, our trust in the Lord. We need to remember who is on the throne. It is not a president, governor or mayor. It is Jesus our Savior.
Before a person can do any of these things, there needs to be a mental toughness. No person trying to get into shape, can do it without a firm resolve to say no to certain things and to say yes to what needs to be done. The same goes for a strong Spiritual mental toughness. Practice saying no to the world, Satan and the flesh. Practice saying yes to Jesus. Make that a firm resolve, make it a consistent part of your life.
The last thing that every person trying to get in physical shape is they must have a goal to strive for, without a goal they are going to fail.
The same goes for getting in Spiritual shape. We need a goal. Our goal should be to have a life of being a good soldier of Christ. We are career soldiers. During the world wars men signed up for the durance. That is what a good soldier of Jesus does, sign up for the durance of the war.
It should be a life pleasing to the Lord, a life of holiness and service.
Now let’s look at the next verse, 4, “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”
Most soldiers who are serious about being a good soldier, carries only the necessities for the battle. In other words, they don’t carry around useless or unnecessary baggage.
The question here is Are we carrying around unnecessary baggage when we don’t lay aside every weight and sin that so easily besets us? (Hebrews 12:1).
These sins will weigh you down and hold you back from being the victor in the war against Satan, the world and the flesh. The only way to unload this sin or these sins is to confess them, and then forsake them. God will forgive you and not bring it up again, but you must be willing to forsake it. You can’t hold on to them without them eventually wearing you down and wearing you out. Then Satan will take and has the advantage over you.
A good soldier always follows orders. He cannot decide for himself what is to be done. He has to rely on the expert knowledge, wisdom and understanding of his superiors. He cannot question them. The same goes for a good soldier of Christ. Obey without hesitation, without question. You have a Superior over you that knows much more than you do about this warfare.
I remember an ex-marine named Tim Lee. He lost both legs in battle in Viet Nam, and then was wonderfully saved, came home and became an evangelist. He said that before he became a marine, he was tired of someone telling him what time to go to bed, what time to get up, what to eat and what to wear, how to cut his hair, so he joined the marines. Not too smart I would say. Tim Lee lost all those privileges that he had thought he wanted but learned the importance of discipline, and how to obey orders.
Our orders are the Great Commission. We as soldiers of Christ have no input into this commission. We are to just obey it. It is not a request; it is a command. This then is fighting the good fight of faith.
Next, we see that Paul says that “he has finished his course.”
In context, what does this mean, “finished his course?” It simply means that he had done everything that was required, that was requested, or appointed of him to do.
We all have been saved for a purpose, this is our course. None of us were saved to sit and wait for heaven. There is a work for all of us to do. According to 1Corinthians chapter 12:7 informs us that we all have been given a Spiritual gift by the Holy Spirit. These gifts are to be used to profit everyone.
Ephesians 4:8 “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Verses 11-12 “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelist; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”
Paul had filled all of those positions, he had been a prophet, he was an apostle, he had served as an evangelist and a pastor and a teacher. Now, he had finished his course.
He was now ready to be offered. His time of departure was near. He had no regrets of what he had done for the Lord, neither regrets for what he had left undone.
When Jesus was hanging on the cross, His last words were “It is finished.” He had accomplished everything that He was born to do. He had fulfilled every portion of His mission to this earth. He had completely fulfilled every desire of His heavenly Father. It was done, over with, never to be repeated. Jesus had finished His course.
The apostle Paul could say the same thing. It is finished. I have done everything that the Lord Jesus commissioned me to do. I have left nothing undone.
Many saints in the Old Testament could say the same thing; Abraham, Moses, Daniel, all the prophets to name a few.
Here is the point I want to make. Nobody doing the will of God, can die before finishing his or her course. God will not allow it. “He that hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). We cannot let fear stop or even hold us back or slow us down. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
Many attempts were made on the life of Jesus without success. He had not finished His course.
Likewise, many threats were made on Paul’s life. But they were thwarted. He was stoned and left for dead, but as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up. He could have been killed by the stoning, but the Lord had more work for him to do. If he had died, he could not have finished his course, the work that the Lord had given him to do.
My question for you this evening is what will you leave undone? Are you fulfilling your course?
Is there an unsaved loved one that you need to go to with the gospel? What about that co-worker, of fellow student; or perhaps a neighbor. Maybe it is the waitress at the local diner. There is a song with the words, “People need the Lord.” How so very true.
Is there a Spiritual gift being left unused? What about your spiritual warfare? Are you a good soldier of Christ? Are you a.w.o.l? or are you a deserter from the Lord’s battle?
Is there a job in the church that you could do, and refuse to help?
Are you willing to take a young person or a person that is newly saved and disciple them?
Have you a talent that you are not willing to step out on faith and do?
Are there any with needs that you could help with?
How about joining in the work here by church membership?
You cannot fulfill your course without answering these questions and surrendering yourself in what the Lord wants you to do.
The third and final point that I will make this evening is where Paul says, “I have kept the faith.”
The faith that Paul was referring to here is found in Jude 1:3 “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”
The faith that Paul had kept was the faith that was once delivered to the saints. It was the faith of the common salvation. It was a salvation that was for all people; regardless of race; regardless of station in life, high in society or low in esteem. It was for the rich and the poor. It was for the bond or free. It was and is the gospel of salvation.
The gospel of salvation is found in 1Corinthians 15:1-4 “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain for I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
That is the gospel in plain words. Nothing added and nothing taken away.
The importance to Paul of the commission of preaching the gospel of salvation is found in 1Corinthians 9:16-17. Listen to what Paul writes, For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.
This was the course that the Lord had given him. This was the purpose of his life. He had fought the good fight, he had finished his course, he had kept the faith; the faith of the gospel.
Many today are not holding fast to the faith that was once delivered to the saints. They have abandoned it for another gospel.
Here are a few that I will call out. The faith of rituals found in many churches today. It is based on the many things that you must do to be in the faith. Baptisms, the Lord’s Supper as celebrated by the Mass. Praying to someone else besides the Lord.
This faith also includes following a man instead of the Lord. The Jehovah’s Witness follows Charles Taze Russel. The Mormans or Latter Day Saints follow Joseph Smith. The Pope has his followers as well. All of these have abandoned the common faith that was once delivered to the saints.
Then we have people like the late Norman Vincent Peale, the late pastor of the Marble Collegiate Church in New York City that wrote the book “The Power of Positive Thinking.” I agree with the man who said “I find Paul appealing and Peale appalling.” This movement of positive thinking led to his follower Robert Schuller that began the Chrystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. Then came a very successful man named Joel Osteen who became popular with his teaching that you can become whatever you want to be with the right attitude. They have abandoned the faith once delivered to the saints.
It was on the Larry King interview that Larry King asked Joel osteen if only Christians was going to heaven. Osteen replied either he wasn’t the one who decided that or it wasn’t up to him to decide. He could have looked at Larry King in the eye and told him the plain truth that whosoever believes in Christ is saved and those that do not are condemned. That would have been bible truth. That would have been holding on to the faith once delivered to the saints.
Then we have Rick Warren that wrote a very popular book titled “The Purpose driven life.”
That was followed by the Purpose Driven Church. It was after this book that he began to take the cross off and out of his church. He ceased having altar calls, removed the organ and song books.
He went to secular style music and entertainment. If all of that was not bad enough, he joined in with Robert Schuler in organizing a church that combined Christ with Islam. This endeavor was dubbed “Chrisalam.” He had abandoned the faith once delivered to the saints.
There are others too numerous to mention, but they all are leading people away from the cross when they do not preach it. They are leading people away from holy living when they do not preach the holiness of God and holy living for His people. They are leading people away from the Lord when they do not preach that salvation means serving the Lord, not being served by the Lord. It often means a sacrifice and not a financial reward.
They are leading people away from the simplicity which is in Christ Jesus when they are teaching some doctrine that was and is foreign to the Lord. Here is what Paul wrote to the church of Corinth in his second letter. 2Corinthians 11:3 “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtility, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
What would the Apostle Paul think of these men? What does Jesus think of them?
How about you? Are you fighting the good fight? Or are you awol, absent without leave?
Are you keeping the faith? Or does your faith waver in the face of worldly situations?
How will you finish your course? When standing before the Lord Jesus, will He be able to say, “Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord?”
The altar is open for anyone that needs to talk with the Lord about anything.