Lesson Five of the Letters to Timothy

“Fight the Good Fight”

Sometimes carrying out the work the Lord has for us seems overwhelming. Paul sensed this in Timothy as he faced various trials in leading churches. Everyone has trials in day-to-day life. Even if you know exactly what God wants you to do, it can feel like a crushing weight some days. Today we are going to learn how God enables each of us to get through these times. It’s a lesson of hope and encouragement.

Read 1 Timothy 1:18-20. What does Paul call Timothy? What does this indicate about their relationship to you?

Paul gives Timothy instructions according to what?

What three  things does Paul tell Timothy to do according to the prophecy made about him? 

1. __________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________

What happens to those who reject these three things in their lives and the work God has for them?

Paul talks about two men who have rejected the three vital things in “fighting the good fight.” Who are they and what happened to them?

Timothy was very dear to Paul, who had no children of his own. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a mentor like the Apostle Paul? I pray you have someone in your life who can encourage you like that. I also pray you will be an encouragement to someone younger than you as well. 

Who has been or is a mentor to you? How have they blessed your life?

Who have you mentored or are mentoring? How has this relationship blessed your life and theirs?

Maybe you have never had someone to encourage you in your life. I hope you will have someone come into your life if you haven’t. My mother was an encouragement and mentor to me. She is in heaven now, but God has blessed me with others who have been there for me in this area. I thank Jesus for them. I have had the joy and honor of mentoring young women and some young men in my life. It is part of our “good fight” Jesus has for us to do. 

Read Titus 2. Whoever you are, be it a older man, older woman, etc., write out what this chapter says you should be doing.

Look at verses 11-14. God’s grace and salvation teaches what?

What are we waiting for as we work for God’s glory?

We are Christ’s “very own.” What should we be eager to do?

Each of us has a role to play for the sake of the Good News each of us has received from God’s hand. We shouldn’t be lax in our efforts as we wait for Jesus to return or take us home. There is vital work to be done. He has equipped us with the Holy Spirit and special gifts unique to every individual Christ follower. These gifts enable us to do good and fight the good fight.

Look back at 1 Timothy 1:18. Paul encourages Timothy to engage in three things. These three things are vital to everyone who has Jesus as their Master. Let’s look at them individually:

The Good Fight

“Oh God, Let me die rather than to go on day by day living wrong. I do not want to become a careless, fleshly old man. I want to be right so that I can die right. Lord, I do not want my life to be extended if it would mean that I should cease to live right and fail in my mission to glorify You all of my days!...” A.W. Tozer

The good fight is doing what God has called us to do to bring glory to His Name. It is the battle of Hope which is to bring others to a saving knowledge and acceptance of Jesus Christ. We use various gifts given to us specifically to do just that. 

Read 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. List the different types of spiritual gifts listed. 

Do you know your gifts? What are they?

Our main purpose in life is to glorify God in all we do. A.W. Tozer, (1897-1963) a pastor, author, speaker and mentor,  wanted nothing more than to live his life to glorify God. He was not formally educated as one would think a pastor of his talent should be, however, he was given tremendous gifts of preaching and teaching. God equipped Tozer to glorify Himself  in his life. We should all want to do the same thing and we’d do well to remember its God who does the equipping.

Holding onto the Faith

Faith is believing God. How do we hold onto something we cannot touch or see? Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

 We hope for eternal life with Jesus and we have the assurance God has allowed us to approach Him because of our belief in Jesus and all He has done for us. This is our anchor - Jesus.

Read Hebrews 11:6. Why is it impossible to please God without faith?

Who does God reward?

Faith is a requirement in our relationship with God. Without it there is no relationship. It is truly the anchor to our rocky lives. We are tossed to and fro without it. What is so cool is God supplies this faith. All we have to do is receive it.

A Good Conscience

What is your motivation for what you do with your life? Is it self-centered or is it Christ-centered? We should be asking ourselves these questions every time we do something. Our focus must always be to glorify God. In order to have a “good conscience” we must confess our sins before God and be cleansed of our unrighteous behavior.

Read 2 Peter 1:3-10. What things does the Apostle Peter tell us “to make every effort to do”?

Why is it so important for every believer to possess these qualities?

What is the result of not having the qualities evident in our lives?

God gives each believer faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness, love. However, we can choose to ignore these gifts and do things our way. When we live on our own it is as if we have forgotten what Jesus did for us on the cross. It makes me shutter to think I would ever forget His sacrifice, but I do. When I do, my conscience isn’t clear but is full of sin. 

We are called to believe God, love, trust and serve Him through His Son. When we do this we live in good conscience. Our motivation isn’t about self, rather, it is is Jesus and His purposes. 

Fighting the Good Fight isn’t something we do on our own. It is an act of faith we hold onto as our secure anchor. God supplies all we need in order to bring glory to Him. On our power we always fall weakly short. Let this encourage you because God is your Source for all things from the easy to the impossible. You can accomplish His purpose and fight the battles you face daily if you place your trust firmly in Him.