TEXT:

‘But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses’ (1 Timothy 6:11-12).

Some people want to make Christianity complicated, when it’s very simple, so that everyone can benefit if they want to. One sales technique is K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple, stupid!) and that can help us understand God’s salvation for ourselves and be able to explain it to others. Once we are a Christian, there are certain things to do and our text highlights three things that form the basis of Today’s Teaching.

1. Flee – ‘But you, O man of God, flee these things’v11

Jesus said, ‘Remember Lot’s wife’ (Luke 17:32). That was when the angel told her to flee and not look back, but she did look back and perished instead of being rescued (See Genesis 19:12-29).The Bible warns, ‘Flee from the wrath to come‘ (Matthew 3:7). These are not idle words, but a real warning of future judgment. Thankfully we can escape the consequences of that judgment through faith in Jesus. The preceding verses to our text reveal two things Paul wanted Timothy to flee from.

A. The temptation to depart from Christ’s doctrine which advocates godliness – ‘Some people may contradict our teaching, but these are the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. These teachings promote a godly life’ (1 Timothy 6:3 NLT).

Some see Christianity and God’s Word as restrictive rather than releasing, but Jesus said, ‘You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free’ (John 8:32).

When a Christian’s Bible lies unopened and their church unfrequented, there is a problem that must be addressed. One of the saddest verses in the Bible is, ‘From that time on, many of His followers turned back to their old ways of living. They would not go along with Him after that’ (John 6:66 NLV). They were departing from the One who said, ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life’ (John 14:6).

When evangelising, so many say, “I used to go to Sunday School/ church/ read my bible/ pray/ but I don’t do it anymore!”. They have departed from the faith. If that’s a description of you, it’s time to repent and return!

B. The temptation to acquire wealth at any cost – ‘Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs’ (1 Timothy 6:9-10 NIV).While having money isn’t wrong, the love of money is, and must be guarded against. One sure way to do that is by practising generosity. The goal to strive for is, ‘Godliness with contentment is great gain’ (1 Timothy 6:6).

2. Follow – ‘Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness’ v11

We don’t have to pursue these characteristics because they are hard to reach, but because it’s all too easy to give up the pursuit!

• Righteousness – ‘All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness’ (2 Timothy 3:16)
• Godliness – ‘They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!’ (2 Timothy 3:5 NLT) Not a form of godliness that has no life, but one that lives out the life of Jesus.
• Faith – ‘You can never please God without faith’ (Hebrews 11:6 TLB). One of the easiest ways to please God is to demonstrate our faith in Him.
• Love – ‘By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another’ (John 13:35). The true hallmark of any church is the love they have for each other and the world.
• Patience – ‘We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised’ (Hebrews 6:12). Patience is the quality that keeps us going when the going is tough.
• Gentleness – ‘Let all people see how gentle you are’ (Philippians 4:5 NLV). Not a shyness that hides your light, but correctly handling people wherever you are.

3. Fight – ‘Fight the good fight of faith’ v12

A. Fight the temptation to compromise to avoid criticism and conflict – ‘Christ Jesus, who gave a fearless testimony before Pontius Pilate’ v13

Jesus didn’t compromise to avoid the cross, when Pilate wanted to let Him go. Paul praised Timothy for confessing Christ as his saviour in the presence of many witnesses v12, but later urged him to, ‘Stir up the gift of God that was in him’ (2 Timothy 6:6), because God hadn’t given him, ‘A spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind’ (2 Timothy 6:7). We are not here to hold the fort; our armour is for going on the offensive against evil (See Ephesians 6:12).

B. Fight the temptation to quit halfway through – ‘That you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again’ v14

Keep faithful until Jesus comes or calls for us. Paul asked the Galatians, ‘You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth?’ (Galatians 5:7 NLT). He spoke about others who had changed sides, ‘For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ’ (Philippians 3:18 NLT).

If Jesus isn’t going to quit on me, ‘God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns’ (Philippians 1:6 NLT), then I will not quit on Him!

It’s one thing to stray from the faith v21, but it’s far more serious when people deny the faith they once passionately believed in and defended. ‘But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved’ (Hebrews 10:39 NLT).

Three simple steps, but ones that can make a world of difference. Make sure they are the ones you are taking in your walk with God!