Learning What’s Worth Fighting For!
1Corinthians 6:12
DATE: 13 July, 2008 AM
PLACE:
BBC Ballincollig
I.
Introduction (1Tim
6:11-12)
A.
The theme this month is
Bow the Knee Defiantly – The need for Resistance in our Worship! Not
against GOD, but against things that interfere between us and God!
B.
What do I mean by that? That
in order to worship the Lord Jesus, I must not allow anything, not ANYTHING to
come between me and doing His will. In order to yield to God, I must stand firm
against sin – amen!
C.
Maybe it doesn’t matter to
you, but it sure matters to God how easily things become more important to us
that He is in our lives. Doesn’t it amaze you how quickly we just go back to our
“old routines” right after church?
D.
At some point, a Christian
must not only bend the knee towards the Lord Jesus Christ, but also make a stand
against enslaving sin that seeks to control their lives!
E.
This morning, I want to start
a fight! Start a fight against the things that creep into our hearts and minds,
and defile us! And by the way, I want to win!
II.
Background
(Ephesians 6:13)
A.
The Meaning of
1.
A willingness to fight
2.
A casting aside what used to
control you
3.
Getting angry enough to win
against your sworn enemy
4.
A bravery towards your enemy
5.
A resistance to being
conquered
B.
There are some things are
worth fighting for because the consequences of not doing so are terrible. And so
we fight.
III.
Review
A.
Fight For Control (Luke 6:46;
Gen 32:24-28) Who’s going to be in
Control
1.
Instead of fighting to BE in
control… (oh THAT is the norm today)…
2.
The fight is for you to YIELD
control!
3.
Hey! Jesus earned that right,
but rarely do believers yield total control over to Him (Philp 2:9-11)!!!
B.
Fight for a Good Conscience
(1Tim 1:19)
1.
Oh the blessing of a clean and
good conscience! We call it INNOCENCE in children! When they can run around in a
nappy and have no thought of it falling off! When they can look straight at you
and stare and stare and have no guilt of shame at all coming to their minds!
2.
What is your conscience?
a.
All the things you think
about, are in your conscience
b.
All the things you worry about
are in your conscience
c.
What you allow or decide is
from your conscience
d.
Your conscience is what God
moves and pulls upon. The more sensitive, the easier to hear God’s still small
voice. The more defiled, means it is harder to get anything from your Bible
reading, or even from church (that’s why so many churches have LOUD drums, and
Rock Music, and a heavy emphasis on entertainment… burned out consciences)!
e.
And oh how important that our
conscience be working well! Not clogged up, and malfunctioning!
3.
What affects, and ruins our
conscience:
a.
Our Past does – the hurts we
have felt, and the hurts we have done.
b.
Our Looseness - When someone
just lives for video games and entertainment… it burns out their conscience.
c.
Our Bitterness (Heb 12:15) –
unresolved revenge
4.
What’s it like to have a
defiled conscience?
a.
Unable to sleep, or rest
b.
In bondage to fear
c.
Overwhelming guilt and shame
d.
Unable to serve and bless and
live – just want to die!
5.
Oh to fight to retain a clean
conscience, or to fight to get it back!
a.
Through the cleansing power of
just reading and meditating on Scripture (John 15:3)
b.
Through humbling yourself and
being honest, totally, and completely honest (Luke 15:21)
c.
Through believing in the
cleansing power of the blood of Jesus Christ (Heb 9:13,14)
6.
A good conscience is worth
fighting for! Would you agree!?
C.
Fight for a Soft Heart (Exodus
8:19; Pr 29:1) I think this is more
important than 99% of you will admit
1.
Oh how hard the heart can get
2.
It takes a fighter to keep
his/her heart soft – it is easy to let it grow hard!
3.
Let’s listen to God’s concern
about hard hearts: Luke 13:34 “O
4.
We need constant reminding
about this (Heb 3:13, “But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day;
lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin”)
5.
Keep your heart soft, and
sensitive to the gentle breeze of God’s holy Spirit, and the simple push of
God’s commands
6.
Stay able to feel, and able to
love, and able to respond to simple things
IV.
Message Continued
A.
Fight for a Clean Life (1Cor
6:15-20; 3:16-18)
1.
Fight either to GET Clean, or
to STAY clean! Don’t give in to the downward spiral of sin in your life
2.
Romans 6:23 is true no matter
what you think!
3.
Gentlemen…
a.
Flee fornication and
pornography
b.
Realize that God judges all
whoremongers and adulterers (Heb 13:4)
c.
Keep thyself pure (1Tim 5:22,
“Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins:
keep thyself pure.”)
d.
Realize also that your future
wife would like to marry a clean man who has everything to give her, not just
the left-overs!
e.
Fight off the
f.
Stay away from the cigarettes,
the bottles of Teacher and Paddys, Jameson and Hennessy, and from the packets of
hash and cannabis. Stay away from the ecstasy pills, and the stimulants. That
includes Red Bull. Hate ANYTHING that hinders your ability to live clean, and
right!
g.
Do you know what drug addicts
say when they are free from drugs? “I am CLEAN” 8
4.
Ladies…
a.
Don’t you believe the other
girls – they are
b.
Don’t for a minute think the
girls who play around are happy – they are only USED! And it is from that bunch
that we get feminists today who have nothing but hatred for “men” – it’s because
they thought they wouldn’t get burned, but they do!
c.
Keep your purity young ladies!
The Bible word for it is virginity – what a great word!
d.
Fight off the
e.
Every used-up girl
f.
They ALL
5.
Fight to keep your life clean!
It doesn’t happen by accident! And it is not ever an easy fight!
6.
But every methadone addict
will tell you they
7.
Let me tell you, there is no
one in this room who has not lost a fight against sin, and against the devil!
8.
But there are plenty in this
room who have recovered themselves out of the snare of the devil, out of the
grip of Satan’s jaws – just by God’s grace and truth!
9.
Methamphetamine, also known as
“meth,” “speed,” “crank,” or “ice,” is a powerful and highly addictive stimulant
that affects the central nervous system. Meth is a synthetic drug produced or
sold as pills, capsules, or powder that can be smoked, snorted, injected, or
swallowed.
10.
Methamphetamine is neurotoxic,
meaning it damages the nervous system. Meth use can cause dependence and
addiction psychosis, stroke, dangerously high body temperature, and cardiac
arrhythmia. Withdrawal often results in severe depression and paranoia.
11.
Did you know, that Methadone
kills more people than heroin?
B.
Fight for a Godly Home
(Nehemiah 4:14)
1.
Godly homes are rare!
a.
Recent announcement that
homosexual couples can "marry" in
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
b.
It seems judges have lost all
moorings. Governments don’t care about their societies, only about pressure
groups!
2.
Folks, Nehemiah lived in a day
when the home was being attacked on every side. He was attempting to rebuild the
city walls that had been torn down because of the sins of his great grandparents
a.
Listen to His resolve: "Be ye
not afraid of them: remember the LORD... and fight for your brethren, your sons,
and your daughters, your wives, and your houses." (Nehemiah 4:14)
b.
Do you ever wish you could run
away from all the ungodliness and humanism which is prevalent in the world?
c.
But God has put us where He
has us for a reason. He has called us as parents to a great work. I cannot shirk
this responsibility He has given me to glorify Him as a child of God!
d.
This verse commands us to
stand firm in our Biblical beliefs even when it seems the world is crumbling
around us
3.
You and I may not be able to
change the world, but we can have an impact in our homes by training and raising
up our children, our wife, our husband to be valiant warriors for the Cross of
Christ.
4.
I read of a Christian author
who described the immense efforts it takes to raise our children, and referred
to it as raising up "intercontinental ballistic missiles" in the battle for the
home!
5.
The world may laugh, the world
may scoff, the world may persecute.
6.
But I have determined that I
must persevere. I must press on. I must be faithful to the Biblical pattern for
the home. Not the Homer Simpson pattern!
7.
How do you fight for your
home?
a.
Bring the Lord into your home
– don’t leave Him “at
b.
c.
Teach – don’t just expect
people to do right
d.
Make some decisions for your
home as leaders (Josh 24:15). Quit wimping out! “Choose
you this day whom ye will serve; ... but as for me and my house, we will serve
the LORD.”
e.
Pray for your parents, your
husband to yield to God’s authority instead of Satan’s!
f.
Become a great follower –
crucify the rebel in you
g.
Take back control of your TV,
and your radio, and your kid’s rooms and their computers! Amen!
h.
That is, if you want your home
to survive!!!
8.
My home, and my wife, and my
children, and my grandchildren someday, are all worth fighting for! The world is
not getting my kids without me putting up a serious fight!
C.
Fight for a Lost Soul (2Tim
2:4; 23-26; Isaiah 1:18)
1.
We must be more than just
people who live differently than the world around us
a.
Yes, a believer is a “light”
in a very dark world – even when Christians say nothing, they shine!
b.
But a light can only
illuminate, and can only warn of dangers like a lighthouse can
2.
We must engage the enemy where
the real battle is – in the heart
3.
How to Win a Soul
a.
Pray specifically for that
person
1)
Pray passionately for God’s
help to open their eyes to the truth
2)
Pray against the confusion and
grip of the devil over their hearts
b.
Present the crucifixion (gal
3:1)
c.
Place yourself at the cross –
as deserving it
d.
Plead with them from the
Scriptures of their need. Take time to teach people, answering their questions
e.
Press them to make a decision
– not to put it off
4.
Why all the effort? Because
the consequences are eternal!
5.
Folks, there still is a hell.
And good people end up there simply because they don’t know any better, or they
have
6.
Psa 142:4
“I looked on my right hand, and
beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared
for my soul.”
7.
But if I have anything to do
about it, I am going to make it very hard to go to hell in Ballincollig!
V.
Conclusion/Application
A.
This morning, I hope I got you
into a fighting mood! I wanted to start a fight… a fight against the things that
creep into our hearts and minds, and ruin us! And, I want to win!
B.
I believe that there are some
things are worth fighting for, because the consequences of not doing so are
terrible and so wrong. And so we fight.
C.
Please, start a fight…
1.
For Who’s going to be in Control
2.
For a Good Conscience
3.
For a Soft Heart
4.
For a Clean Life
5.
For a Godly Home
6.
For a Lost Soul – isn’t there
ANYBODY that you care about? That you will fight for in prayer, in preaching, in
pleading?
D.
Maybe it is YOU whom someone has been burdened with
Craig Ledbetter | Pastor |