From gck1487@jackson.freenet.orgSat Mar 16 11:42:22 1996 Date: Sat, 16 Mar 1996 11:31:40 -0600 From: "Gary C. Kerr" Reply to: garyslist@jackson.freenet.org To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: BATTLEGROUNDS (Sermon) Text: 2 Timothy 4:1-8 Intro. Many good lessons to be learned from this text ... but today, one phrase in particular -- "...the good fight" (v.7) In connection with this "fight," it follows that there must be a place for the fighting to be done - a BATTLEGROUND! Those battlegrounds are the subject of this lesson. Battlegrounds are the places we have to fight to build the kingdom of God. CONFLICT has been with man from the beginning, and will be with us until the end of time. This conflict is waged on many battlegrounds, and we want to notice some of them in this lesson. To illustrate, we will use Nehemiah the prophet. -Wanted to return to Jerusalem and rebuild walls of Jerusalem -Got permission from king of Persia, and returned to start the work Let's use the example of Nehemiah, and notice some of the battlegrounds that he and the Jews had to fight on to get the city rebuilt - they are the same battlegrounds we must take our stand on today! BATTLEGROUND #1 - RIDICULE AND CRITICISM (Neh. 4:1-3,6) One of the first battles the Jews had to fight to get the walls rebuilt was the ridicule of their enemies. Notice their response in v.6 -- this is still the best response to this kind of battle today ... just go on about our work! This is a common battleground for Christians today as we labor to build the church. (cf. Paul, Acts 14:2). Point: If we allow ridicule & criticism to keep us from doing God's will, WE ARE LOSING TO SATAN ON THE VERY FIRST BATTLEGROUND! BATTLEGROUND #2 - OPEN WARFARE! (Neh. 4:8,14) When ridicule & criticism didn't work, the enemies of the Jews began to physically threaten them. Notice the Jews response - WE ARE READY! (v. 17) They stood constantly prepared to meet this challenge. And so must we! There are many today who are declaring "open warfare" on the church: -They challenge our name (Christian) -They challenge our moral standards (family, honesty, etc.) -Evolution, humanism, etc. By "open warfare" we aren't implying anything other than honest, sincere, gentlemanly defense of the truth - BUT IT MUST BE DEFENDED! BATTLEGROUND #3 - INTERNAL TROUBLE! (Neh. 5:1-12) Up until now, all of the problems have come from the outside - now the trouble is internal, AND PERHAPS THE MOST SERIOUS OF ALL! Notice how Nehemiah handled it -DIRECT, STRAIGHTFORWARD, etc. Paul recognized that this would be a battleground in the church, too (cf. 1 Cor. 6:1) Example: In every marriage, there will arise little "problems" to be dealt with from time to time. How they are handled will determined how successful the marriage will be. Same is true in the local church - how these problems are handled and settled could well determine whether or not we will win the battle on this battleground (cf. Acts 20:29-30) BATTLEGROUND #4 - COMPROMISE! (Neh. 6:1) *This is the most dangerous of them all - more Christians are lost on this battleground than all the others. Most Christians would never consider compromising the truth ... but they will often compromise: -Their time (i.e., how much spent serving God) -Their influence -Their moral standards (i.e., modesty) etc. CONCLUSION: Let's notice one final passage in this book - Neh. 6:16 If we win the battles on these battlegrounds ... God is the basis for our victories (Phil. 4:13) Are you fighting the battle for God? Remember: "If the devil isn't bothering you, it's probably because you aren't bothering him!" The cause of Christ in this place depends on whether or not we are winning these battles! If you are not a Christian, you haven't won any battle yet ... but you can win battle #1 against Satan right now by responding to the invitation! ========== +==================================================================+ | Gary C. Kerr (901) 664-5295 (home) | | 245 Chickering Rd. 668-1794 (office) | | Jackson, TN 38305-1754 935-5328 (cell) | | Internet Address: gck1487@jackson.freenet.org | | Home Page Address: http://jackson.freenet.org/jfn/gck1487/ | | | | "I would rather be right than consistent." Winston Churchill | +==================================================================+