How to Fight the Good Fight of Faith

What does it mean to fight the good fight of faith?

In this sermon from 1 Timothy 1:18–20, Pastor Caleb reminds us that the Christian life is not passive. We are in a real spiritual battle, and God has not saved us for nothing — He has saved us for mission. Through faith, a good conscience, the Word of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit, believers are called to stand firm, resist sin, and live with purpose.

This message challenges us to take God’s Word seriously, walk in repentance, pursue gospel community, and live on mission in our homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, and city.

At River Oak Church, we are a welcoming family of imperfect people who share a passion for God, a passion for others, and a passion for graciously sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.  We enjoy an informal environment and Christ-exalting modern worship, and we are committed to following the truth of God’s Word.  We welcome you to come as you are, from wherever you’ve been, and join us!

To support this ministry and help us continue to reach people all around the world click here: https://riveroakchurch.org/give/

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Well, good morning. My name is Caleb, and I'm one of the pastors here. And I'm glad to worship with you this morning. If you haven't been here, you're new, or you were a little bit late, we're in 1 Timothy chapter 1, verses 18 through 20. 1 Timothy chapter 1, verses 18 through 20. And here's what we know: like all gospel-believing disciple-making churches, we believe that the Lord has specifically purposed this local church to be impactful in our community. That ministry wouldn't just happen in the walls, but it would actually happen outside of the walls. That we know, like any gospel-believing, disciple-making church, that the Lord has not only called us to this community, but he's also called us to this country. That the Lord has called us to go and minister and make disciples, not just in Chesapeake, but but beyond, wherever the Lord would lead. As our rock builders go out and build churches and minister to people all across our country as we as we go different places into different uh senior living facilities and homeless shelters and whatnot, like we believe the Lord has called us to go and share the good news of who he is. And we also believe that, like any disciple-making gospel-believing church, the Lord has called us to go into the world, into uh different parts of Africa, into Guatemala and Belize and Honduras, and all of these different places that we would go and take the gospel to all nations and places. And we believe the Lord has called us to do that, but but we also understand that before we can go and be really intentional and do that really well out there, we've got to know and be very healthy in here, not only corporately, but then individually, because it's you individually together that make the church. And when you individually together are healthy, then the church is healthy. And when we walk in a way that is mindful of God's word and obedient to God's word, then we as a church move in a healthy way. And the and the beauty of 1 Timothy is that is what uh Paul is encouraging this young pastor, Timothy, in. He says, Hey, here are the characteristics of a healthy church and the characteristics of those in the church when they are living it out in a healthy manner. He says, Here's what this looks like. And then uh this passage, I don't know, I feel like it was built for me because if you were in your Bible, the subtitle above it, it says, Engage in battle. He says, Hey Timothy, part of what this looks like is recognizing you're in a fight. And it's time to fight. That to walk with Jesus well, to minister well, to flee from temptation, to run to Jesus instead of addiction, to worship God instead of self is a fight. And anyone who's walked with Jesus for any amount of time would attest to that. That it's not something that just like, oh, you know what, my flesh just died, and all of a sudden all parts of me will glorify you. No, there are still parts of our flesh that want to run to the sinful desires and to walk with Jesus well every day, to fight the good fight every day. I mean, it's a battle. And you've got to be prepared for that fight. I don't know if you've ever considered this uh or thought about this recently. Like, when was the last time you were in an actual fight? You ever think about that? When was the last time you were in an actual fight? Was it like a long time ago? Maybe it was in high school, over that cute girl. I don't know what you fight over. Oh, maybe it was more recent. Some of you it looks like more recent. A little bit. Maybe it was uh over something big, maybe it was over something little, maybe, maybe some of you, uh, some of you even, I know this is true. You you actually pay money to a gym that people will fight you. You're like, I'm gonna give money to this thing every month, and then I'm gonna go, and I expect people to fight me. I pay to fight. I love to fight. Here's the thing uh whether it's been a really long time since you've been in a fight, or whether you were in a fight today in the parking lot on the way here, there's three things you need to know about a fight. There's three things you need to know. The first, uh, to succeed in a fight, the first thing you need to know is you've got to know that you're in a fight. Uh, if you're gonna succeed in a fight, you've gotta know the fight has started. Right? That's why they call it a sucker punch. It's because the punches started flying and you're the sucker that did not know that. You've got to know you're in a fight. The second thing is you've gotta have uh the right motivation. You've got to have a motivation to fight. And the third is you've got to have a strategy to fight. See, when you know you're in a fight, then you have the right expectations of what's gonna happen around you. When you have the right motivation, when you have a motivation for the fight, then you you have the motivation to endure the hardship that's gonna come because of the fight. That you're not gonna quit easily when the fight starts getting hard. After the first time you get punched in the mouth, you're not quitting because you have a motivation to endure that hardship. And then the third is you have a strategy. And the strategy uh it tells you how to endure that hardship successfully. Right? Motivation is right expectation, or I'm sorry, knowing you're in a fight, right expectation, motivation is the thing that will push you to endure that hardship, and your strategy is how to endure it successfully. That those three things are needed for you to succeed in a fight. Now, if you have a habit of getting beat up in fights, don't take these into the parking lot and be like, I'm gonna win the next one. You're just gonna know why you got beat up. That's what's gonna happen. He says, but here's what you need to know. And the beautiful part of this passage is uh Paul says, Hey, here are the things. Here's your motivation and your strategy. Timothy, you're in a fight. Let me give you the motivation and the strategy to endure the fight. No, what you need to understand as followers of Jesus, we recognize that this fight that we are in is not a physical fight, that it's not one that we use and fight with hands and weapons. Rather, according to Ephesians 6.12, it says, For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but it's against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil spiritual forces in the heaven, that the primary conflict in a person's life, in your life and in my life, is not with other human beings of physical nature, but instead it's spiritual against evil forces and demonic powers, which means that the people around you that you feel like you're in a fight with are actually not the true enemy. That the strategy to fight is not with sword and fist, but it's through the word of God, lived out by the people of God, fighting by the strength of God for the glory of God. He says, This is what the fight looks like. And Paul says, Timothy, you're in a fight. As a young pastor leading a church, you need to know you are in this fight. He says, So remember the motive and the strategy. 1 Timothy 1 18 says, Timothy, my son, I'm giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies made about you. And so he says, Hey, let me tell you, before I tell you to go fight this good fight, you should know I'm giving you some instruction. And this instruction, my son, is in keeping with these prophecies that other people have made about you. Now, here's what's interesting: Paul is not giving advice. That word instruction is more of a military term. He says, I'm giving you orders, not just to anyone, he says, but to my son. And it's not his physical son if you're new to God's word, it's really his spiritual son. It's someone who's close enough that Timothy would look at Paul and say, This is my spiritual father. And Paul would look at Timothy and say, This is my spiritual son. It's someone that he cared deeply about. And this is a good picture of what the church should look like. That the church should be, a healthy church should be full of these relationships. Full of older men who would look and say, Man, that's my spiritual son, and that's my spiritual son, and that's my spiritual son, and spiritual sons who would say, That's my spiritual father, and women who would say, That's my spiritual mother, and that's my spiritual daughter. And they would look and say, That's my spiritual brother and my spiritual sister. That these are close relationships, that these are relationships between people in the church, spiritual fathers and mothers and sisters and brothers that are edifying and exhorting and pushing and encouraging us. And the risk of this church right here, the risk of coming to River Oak Church is you can come in the door and you can go out of the door, and no one will know your name, and no one will know you ever existed or you can't. That you can blend into this place and you can blend out of this place, and you can do it for months and years if you choose. That you can come in and not experience the sweetness of gospel community. That this is the risk. But the healthy church is not one that has a bunch of strangers that come in, sit next to each other, act like you don't exist, worship the same God who they spend the plan to spend eternity with, and then walk out as if no one else existed. The healthy church is one that comes in and has people who are asking them how they're doing and how they're welcoming Jesus, and they're asking someone else that. And for young Timothy, what's interesting about his position, if you really read between the lines in 1 Timothy, is you see that he's been given more than he can take on on his own. That he he is someone who's taken on a ministry and yet he's young. He's unequipped according to the world. That his resume says he's not qualified for this. Right? He's given more than he wants. It's something that's great, but it's morning wise. It's like getting a kid, um, it's like a kid getting vegetables on their plate. I don't know if you've ever done that. Where you told your kid to get their own vegetables, like, go put some vegetables. You're like, where is it? And they're like, that speck right there. That's my broccoli. And you're like, no, no, no. And then you put it on their plate and where they say, I didn't want that much. And you're like, but you can eat it. And Timothy is here and he's like, man, this is a lot more than I can take. And Paul, a spiritual father, steps in and says, Man, let me give you some exhortation. Let me give you some encouragement. Let me remind you of of who you are. That Paul does what a spiritual father or friend should do. He encourages him. He says, Hey, don't believe the whispers of doubt that the enemy wants to bring into your life. Don't believe the whisper that you're not enough. Don't believe it. You know, I that this is so crucial to our church. If you're ever anyone who's experienced the encouragement of a brother or sister in Christ, you would attest to this. You would attest that, man, if you've been walking with Jesus for a minute, that man, I can't do it alone. When I do it alone, I tend to fail more often. And when I do it with accountability, I tend to be successful more often. And if you're here and you're like, I'm trying to walk with Jesus, but I just can't seem to do it well, and you're doing it alone, that might be your first action step. Invite some brothers or some sisters who are walking with Jesus into your life. You know, if you looked at my resume, if you looked at at the things that I've accomplished that would qualify me for this position right now, you might agree with me in knowing that I am unqualified according to the paper. That you or you, you're like, no, okay, no, you probably look at a paper and be like, Caleb, you're right, you are kind of unqualified for this. And that's been the testimony of every position that God has ever put me in. From when I was in college and someone randomly said, Hey, you want to go to this camp and invite and lead some kids? And I'm like, You don't know my life. You don't know what I'm hiding, you don't know the double standard that I'm living. And like, yeah, but come on. And how the Lord used that. And about how I'm I'm in a place where where the Lord's called me into ministry, and yet nothing on my resume says that I should lead any people. Yet the Lord's giving me a burning desire, and there's people in my life that said, Man, I see how God has equipped you for it. I see how God has gifted you for it. I see how God has made you for student ministry. And then adult ministry, and then this ministry, like over and over again. People in my life speaking against the whispers that Satan wants to put in. Like, I'll tell you what, if there wasn't people in my life that had done this, that if there wasn't been a meaningful relationship, I would not be standing here before you today. It is because of the brothers and sisters in Christ who have seen what God has spoken over me, how God has equipped me, and then they spoke that and encouraged me in that. That we need that over and over again. We need a vulnerability and transparency with the believers around us to speak the truth of God's word to us. And this is what Paul is doing. He says, Don't listen to the whispers. Instead, do these things in keeping with the prophecies previously made about you. He said, Do these things. Remember how the Lord has equipped you for this and who he is and who he says you are. Now we don't actually know the prophecies uh that were made about him, and there's two general um types of prophecy, and you might be like, Well, Caleb, there's technically three. Well, maybe there is, but two general big buckets that I recognize. And the first bucket is like a thus says the Lord prophecy. It's Old Testament prophecy, it's Isaiah prophecy, it's it's Jonah going to Nineveh saying, Hey, thus says the Lord, he's gonna burn everything down unless you repent. The good part about Jonah is that he's like, and don't repent, it'll be fine, right? Like, hope you don't. Right? Like, thus says the Lord, guiding God's people, that was not God's word to lean on. It had not been established and put together yet. And then there's another kind of prophecy that you see throughout God's word, and it's a prophecy of when you speak truth that aligns with the word of God over someone else's life. And for Timothy, the Holy Spirit, in some spontaneous way, through another believer in Christ, gave Timothy some assurance, some guidance, some encouragement about his future. It's these words that encourage and strengthen and affirm what the Lord is doing. And Paul is reminding Timothy of this. Now, this prophecy may have come, uh, that he may have been talking about, is also referenced in 1 Timothy chapter 4. So we'll get to that in a few weeks, but this is what it says in verse 14 through 16. He says, Timothy, don't neglect the gift that is in you. Right? He's reminding him again in the same letter. Don't neglect the gift that is in you. It was given to you through prophecy, with the laying on of hands by the counsel of elders. Practice these things, be committed to them, so that your progress may be evident to all. What he's saying is a group of pastors gathered around Timothy and spoke truth over him that aligned with the word of God in a way that should inspire and equip Timothy to continue to fulfill the Lord's calling on his life. And Paul says, remember this. Be aware of this, that you have been called and equipped and gifted for this. Timothy, when the punches start flying and you feel like I can't handle the getting beat up, remember you are equipped to fight this fight. You are equipped for this specifically. That God has equipped you in this. And this kind of encouragement is what a healthy church does. When we become a people that recognize that our words can bring death or they can bring life. That's that's Proverbs 18, 21. That your words can bring death or it can bring life. And a healthy church is a group of people who choose to speak truth over those around you for the benefit of the kingdom and the glory of God. It's people who are following Jesus together and then choose to be really generous with their words. Saying, let me just identify. Let me just point to what I see God doing in you. Let me see, let me let me show you and point to how I see God sanctifying you and changing you. Let me remind you of who you used to be and who I see you are now. Let me remind you of the strength of God that that rescues you in your doubt and in your fear. Let me remind you of salvation. Let me remind you of eternity. And here's why this is important. He goes on, he says, Hey, uh, Timothy, I give you these instructions in keeping with the prophecies made about you, so that, anytime you see so that in your Bible, you should underline it or highlight it, it should stick out to you. He says, so that by recalling them you may fight the good fight. So that that would be your motivation, that you would fight the good fight. That these things the Lord has allowed you to see and hear were for his purposes. That you were exposed to the encouragements and the callings, not by accident, or that you may be passively or flippantly uh aware of it, but but rather that you would go to war. He says that you would do the good work that God has created in advance for you to do according to Ephesians 2.10. He says, Man, you've been called to this. Now, this is an interesting thing because what's true about Timothy, I think, is true about you, is that God has not saved anyone for nothing. That God recognized you were a sinner. He sent Jesus down to die for your sin in your place that you would have life. And he didn't do that, so you could go sit on your couch and do nothing. Like, oh, I'm saved for now, just wait until eternity. No, he says, Man, I've saved you for something. I've saved you that you would fight the good fight, that you would go out and walk with him. I didn't save you for nothing, I saved you for something. Sometimes we have that misnomer, that belief that, man, as a Christian, he just saved me because he saved. No, he saved you for mission. He saved you to push you back out into the mission field, redeemed and sanctified, and quit. Knowing what has been spoken about you, that you have good works that he have prepared and advanced for you to do. And that walking with Jesus is taking a step deeper into spiritual warfare. That you have an actual enemy fighting a real spiritual war. And he says, So these instructions, instructions I'm giving you, that you remember you've been equipped for them, that you would fight the good fight, and then you'd live out these instructions. And the instructions can be summed up if you if you uh looked at 1 Timothy chapter 1, verse 5, or 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 12. They kind of sum up Paul's instructions to Timothy for what the healthy church should look like. And basically he says, these instructions are to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. That we would let go of this life and that we would take hold of eternal life and we would teach others to do the same. He says, Man, you have been prepared for this. You are equipped for this, and it is gonna be a battle. Like, I don't know if you've ever tried to tell somebody to like, hey, stop with the addiction that's leading you to death and turn to Jesus. I I would love to hear a testimony. And someone said, I did that once, and this guy was like, you know what? You're right. Pipe down, running with Jesus. Like, that doesn't happen that way. No, it's a battle of you living out the gospel in front of these people, of you demonstrating the grace of Jesus and the mercy of Jesus and the power of Jesus in your own sinful life as He's redeemed you. It's you fighting for the gospel, truth, and speaking that truth over them and sharing God's word with them and the promises of God's word with them. It's a fight, it's a battle. He says, Man, this is what this looks like. And that you would do it over and over again. And then he says, and here's the strategy to this fight. Here's how you endure the hardship successfully. He says, you do it by having faith and a good conscience. By having faith and a good conscience. So this is not necessarily saying that you are perfect. Rather, you do this by having a sensitive heart that quickly repents when it messes up. It's likened to like a window taking in God's truth. And as a result, it requires. Obedience and integrity and conduct. He says, This is how you fight. You have faith, you trust in the Lord, and you have a good conscience. But then he says, But some have rejected and have shipwrecked their faith. Some of these people have rejected faith in a good conscience, and the result is a shipwreck of their faith. That they are rejecting the mind that says, Don't do things that belittle or imply slander or devalue the glory of God. They're rejecting the mind that says, Don't do these things because it it uh slanders the Lord. They reject the voice that screams, no, the glory of God is better than the things you are choosing. They're rejecting the clear conscience that says, this is the way to walk with Jesus, and they say, No to that. I don't want to walk with Jesus. I want to choose me over the commands of the Lord. They're rejecting the voice that instructs them that the ways of the Lord are more life-giving than the ways of your flesh. Than the ways that your sin is choosing. See, in each of us as we walk with Jesus, man, it is everyday decisions, every moment decisions that says, Is God the king of my life? Or in this moment will I live in sin and be the king of my life? Is God the king of my life when it comes to this relationship? Right? And they reject the voice that says, hey, don't invite her over tonight. Don't invite him over tonight because it's gonna lead to your sin. And they reject that. Nah, it'll be good. Don't go back to that bottle because no, no, it'll be okay. I can handle this stream. They reject this voice that says, Don't give in to your pride, walk in humility. No, no, no, no, no. I gotta be prideful and strong here to achieve this. Like the good conscience says, follow Jesus and his ways, for they are better. And and you either follow it or you reject it. Now, here's the thing: there is no middle line here. This is what's interesting to me is there is no middle person. Paul describes two types of people those who walk in faith in a good conscience, and those who have shipwrecked their faith. There is no, well, I can sin a little and be cool. That I can just kind of like float this lazy river of Christianity right down the middle, and I'll just be alright. There's either those who say, Man, Jesus, I need to take your calling in my life seriously, or I'm gonna shipwreck my faith. And I'm gonna shipwreck my life. Proverbs 7:7 actually says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This is something I preach to my kids all the time. I'm like, the fear of your father is not the beginning of wisdom, it's a it's a start. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And then you know what it goes on to say? It says, and a fool despises it. Those that don't pay attention to the fear of the Lord are foolish. And this fear of the Lord is not like a terrifying fear of God. I I liken it to uh to like a train. Like if I was to come up to a train crossing the tracks. I don't know about you, I occasionally, if I'm honest, transparency between you, me, and live stream, uh I sometimes run a yellow light. You know what I've never done? The arms of a train track coming down, and I'm like, I can make it. Never done it. Complete honesty, never done it. Why? Because it doesn't matter how big your car is. And I at a time at times drive a pretty big vehicle, 9,000 pounds, and I still look at the train, and I know if I try to jump in front of the train and the train hits me, the train wins every time. And I've never set it a train, and as the train's going being like, man, this train's taking too long. You know what? Let's push it out of the way. You know what? I can fit between the cars, I can make it. Not one time. Why? Because the train is bigger and it is stronger. And you know what it's given me? It's given me a healthy fear of like, you know what, I'm not scared of the train, but I deeply respect the power and the direction of the train. And I know I can either yield to the train's direction or I can go in the same direction of the train, but I cannot stand in its way or go against it. I will not win. And Proverbs 7 is saying, hey, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. When we like the train, look at God and with a holy awe say, God, you're different than me. Your power is greater than anything that we've experienced on this planet. You are holier than anything that I think is perfect. You're mightier, you're all-knowing, all-present in all times. And so, God, your direction and your way, I will follow. I will not stand in the way. I will have a healthy fear of you, God. He says, that's the beginning of wisdom. That's just the start of wisdom. Is to take God's word, not to look at it flippantly or as optional, but to say, God, no, I fear you. God, I recognize your power. He says, the way you fight a good fight, the strategy to endure is that you would pay attention to the word of God and you would apply it to your life. And you would do it rigorously. You would do it continually. You would do it seriously. He says, but there are some who have rejected and have shipwrecked their faith, and among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, which is just wild. He called them out by name. Can you imagine if I was in here and I was like, guys, we're all doing pretty good. There's a couple in here. Uh, Johnny and Richard, you know, shipwrecked. You would be like, that's crazy, dude. And then you'd probably get your life together like quick. You'd be deleting Instagram posts and stuff. Like, don't let him see. Paul, Paul said it, and it's in the Bible forever. Right? There's not one person in here named Hymeneus. Some are Alexander. Y'all didn't know about that part in the Bible. You're like, this is a good name. Don't shipwreck. He says, I have delivered them to Satan. That's crazy. He said, There's two guys that have shipwrecked their faith, and I've delivered them to Satan. This is intense, but it is necessary. He said, I've allowed them to go their ways. And you're like, what about grace? What about grace? It's written on our walls, we're a place of grace. And I've heard it said, grace to a wolf is hate to a sheep. And there are times when you've got to take the divisive, you've got to take the rebellious, sinful people that are unwilling to repent or acknowledge. And you've got to let them go their way. And you've got to let them go their way. And he says, but here's what he sees, or here's why he does it. And this is the encouraging part to me. He says, but so that, there's that word again. He says, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme. That they have been handed over to their ways, not just to see them suffer, but to see them redeemed. See, the opposite of a good conscience is blaspheme to the Lord. The opposite of a good conscience is you saying, God, I recognize your way, but I think my way is better. God, I recognize you call yourself God, but I actually think I can be a better God than you can. No, God, I know I can't make it around town without my GPS. And occasionally I overdraft my account. And sometimes I get confused on people's names. And God, there's this addiction. I can't break it, but God, I'm honestly a better God than you. I can make a way. Yes, I'm currently lost right now and need to pull my GPS, but no, I know the word with the world and the way and the future. He says, that's blasphemy to the Lord. To not recognize your own weakness, but to think that your way is better than God's way. See, the follower of Jesus is the one who says, in humility, I'm sinful in need of a savior. Jesus is that savior and my king, and I'm following him. Because he makes a better king of my life than I do. And Paul says, and I've handed them over, not that they would suffer, but maybe that they would learn not to blaspheme. That they would experience the grips of Satan and the torture and the pain and the and the hardship. And they would turn. See, we fight a good fight through faith with the hope that even those who oppose us would not be defeated but would change to know and to love Jesus. He says it's a fight for the sake of humanity giving glory to God. And for our church, corporately and individually, this is an instruction and an invitation. See, it's an it's it's an it's an understanding that you have a real enemy, but it's also the understanding that you have a real faith in a powerful God who has defeated sin and death. That this is what the gospel is. That we serve a God who saw us in our sin and with love sent his own sinless son to live a life, to experience the temptations and the hardship we experience, but to do it without sin. And then to go to a cross as the perfect sacrifice for your sin and for mine that separates us from God, and to die the death that we deserve, that our sin deserved, and then to rise again three days later and to look back on humanity and said, But anyone who would believe in me as the payment for their sin would have eternal life, their sin would be paid for through my righteousness, that God's wrath completely and fully for you would be poured out on me, that you would have new life. And God's word is very clear that that invitation is open to anyone who would call on the name of Jesus. That if you're in here for the very first time, you're hearing that the invitation is open to you, that you would call on the name of Jesus right there in your seat. And that you would ask him to save you from your sin to rescue you, that he would be the king of your life, and you would no longer live in blasphemy of the Lord. And that we would remember he did that for us. That our motivation is the war has been won. So we can fight this fight. And that we would walk with a real motive, that God is equipping you, that you were dead and now you're alive, that you were lost and now you're found, that the Holy Spirit lives in you, and God has placed you where you are, that the lost would be saved, that the kingdom of God would grow and the hopeless would find hope, that you are in your neighborhood with your neighbors for a reason, that you are in your family with your lost family for a reason, that you are at your work with those lost coworkers for a reason, not that you would just continue to live in comfort, but that you would live on mission, fighting the good fight. So you need to come to Jesus and know the gospel for his return. It's near. He paid for it. Would you find hope in it? Dwinking. We couldn't keep walking like halfway with Jesus and halfway in our comfort. That his mission would be preeminent in our life. We have a real motive, and that we have a real strategy, that we would trust in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the leading of his Holy Spirit in us, that you don't walk into the battle alone ever.

unknown 34:33

Right?

SPEAKER_01 34:33

It's the truth I tell my kids all the time. We're like, I'm kind of scared, I'm alone. I'm like, you're never alone. But God is with you. And some of us adults need that. We need that understanding that when we're walking into hard things and into battles and into hard conversations we don't feel equipped for. You should know you're not alone. His Holy Spirit lives in you and is giving you power to testify of his goodness and his glory in ways that you can't do on your own. So know that, yeah, I'm not equipped, but he is. And that he gives you power and strength. And you would walk with him. And that you'd be reunited to open God's word. And that you begin to study it, not with like, what do I get out of it? How does it help me? But rather, God, what does it tell me about who you are? What does it tell me about your heart and your love and your care for me? We'd stop treating this as optional. We'd stop treating this as boring. We'd stop treating the holy word of God as something that's like, I'll do it when I can. If I need it. We'd treat it as water to our soul. That we die without knowing the word of God and the truth of God and the power of God. We would worship the Lord. No, we would just worship God. You're an ant in a bucket compared to the Lord. And you're less than that even. And that we would be obedient to the conscience the Lord has given us. We pay attention to the Lord's calling on our life. What's really cool is that by taking God's word seriously, individually, and then as a church family, and then as an individual family, we get to get really serious about seeing our world with a spiritual lens, about understanding this war that's going on in us and around us, and then seeing the hope that the war has been won through Christ. We get to start seeing things through eternity instead of temporary. And we get to fight the good fight, especially on mornings like this morning through communion. And you'd be like, that's really cool. Y'all planned that, that all aligns really well. We didn't. We're not that smart. But the Lord did. That we would come together and we would take communion, the juice representing the blood of Christ that was shed, and the bread representing the body of Christ that was broken on our behalf for our sin. That we would proclaim when we take communion that the battle has been won by Jesus, that it is well with my soul because of what Jesus did for me on the cross, that it represents a new covenant, that we don't make a sacrifice for our sin. Because Jesus has made the sacrifice for us. That the physical thing we do symbolizes the eternal thing that Jesus did. And so if you're not a follower of Jesus in here, if you've never had a moment where you've proclaimed Jesus as Lord and Savior, if you've never publicly testified about that, I would encourage you that you would not take communion. But rather you would consider who is Jesus to you and why have you not. The Bible teaches that as Christians we should take it together and we should take it seriously. 1 Corinthians 11, 26 through 29 says, For as often as you eat this bread and you drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. So then whoever eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sin against the body and the blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself in this way. Let him eat the bread and drink the cup. Forever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. That there is a direction, that we would examine our lives and we'd go before the Lord and say, God, would you examine, is there anything in me that does not align with your way and your will and who you are? And Lord, if there is, would you bring deep conviction about that and would you bring me to repentance? And for some of you in here, you recognize you're in a lifestyle that is not in alignment with what God has called you to be. And that your repentance actually takes more than just saying, God, I repent. It actually takes some action. And maybe you should put pause communion for a minute. Maybe you should leave this place after the service. You should go home, you should sting something, like really repenting. Like, God, what in my life do I need to do to be in alignment with you? Maybe you need to ask somebody for forgiveness. That you just openly sinned against somebody. Really, before you come to God saying, Yes, I'm living for you as my Lord and as my Savior. I just need to work out some of this. Some of you in your seat, you just need to, you know, there's some things in your heart and mind that are going on. You just need to repent of that right here, right now. But that we just take a moment. Allow the Lord to search us. And then we would take communion together, that we would examine, that we would repent, and then we would partake. So this is your moment, our moment right now to do that. And then I will pray for us and we will take communion together. And we rejoice in that. Lord, if there's anyone in here who does not know you, would they come to a saving faith this morning? Would they trust you and they follow you? Lord, thank you for the opportunity to take communion together as a church where we would proclaim your life, your death, your resurrection counted for us. Thank you for forgiveness, God. As we take this in a spirit of repentance and also a spirit of worship. Thank you, God, for your goodness and your mercy. Would you bless these moments as we proclaim what you have done for us? In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 1 Corinthians 11, 23 and 24. Jesus is teaching the disciples, and Paul is communicating what Jesus taught. He says, For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you. On the night when he was portrayed, the Lord Jesus, he took the bread. When he had given thanks, he broke it. And he said, This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. And in the same way, he also took the cup after supper and said, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it, and remembrance is me. For as often as you eat this bread and you drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. God, we love you and we thank you for your goodness and your power. We thank you for the way that you have called us out of darkness and into new life. To the mission field. Lord, you've invited us in to be a light in the darkness. Lord, I just pray for my church family as they go into their workplaces, as they go into their neighborhoods, as they go into their families. God, as they spend time with you personally, that God, you would use them to share the good news of who you are, that people would be saved, that people would find hope. Lord, I pray for our team that goes out every Sunday, goes and knocks on doors and shares the gospel and prays for our community. God, would you be with them today? God, would they be effective in that? Lord, would you prepare hearts and minds for that? God, would you give those individuals strength as they walk and as they minister? God, would you be glorified? Lord, would you would you bring people to faith and then would you send them out to be missionaries and church planners and disciple makers all throughout our community? And Lord, as we worship you now, would you meet us in this place? Would you be glorified? In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 45:01

Good morning, everyone. We are glad you were able to join us, and we pray that it was encouraging for you this morning. We ask you to subscribe. That way you can see all of the sermons. But we hope to see you in person next week. God bless.