Here’s something I find odd: Christians who affirm all the right theology about trials, difficulties, and suffering up until the moment they themselves face a trial, difficulty, or suffering. Then they lose all their bearings and wonder, “Why did God let this happen?!” I say, “Why did YOU let this happen?!” The problem is not what’s happening to you. It’s your perspective on what’s happening to you.

We’ve been studying Paul’s first letter to Timothy for four months now, and it is coming to an end soon. Paul sent the letter to address difficulties in the church in Ephesus.  If you’ve been in the church long enough, you’ve experienced some sort of hard time as a church family. Because our relationships as Christians are bound by the Spirit, these upsets are both communal and personal. There’s no real way to separate that.

As Paul summarizes in 1 Timothy 6:11-16, he provides the thesis for his entire argument. The way to overcome the difficulty they were facing was to flee temptation, fight for what mattered, and fall before the Lord in worship. That’s what it means to live by faith no matter what we face. And that’s a great biblical template for anything we might face.

Series: The Good Fight (1 Timothy)

Message: 17 – Fight the Good Fight

Text: 1 Timothy 6:11-16

Todd Dugard

Harvest Bible Chapel

August 17, 2025

I will resolve, as a believer, to deal with difficulties by faith…

…fleeing temptation and avoiding disaster. (v. 11a)

Don’t let sin against you produce sin in you.

Attributed to J. C. Ryle

Trauma Response: Flight, Freeze, Fight

Matthew 5:29-30

…fighting the right battles. (v. 11b-12)

Fight – Greek: ἀγώνος (agōnos); English: agony

verb: to strive to do something with great intensity and effort—to make every effort to, to do everything possible to, to strain oneself to;

noun: an intense struggle involving physical or nonphysical force against strong opponent

L&N 68.74; 39.29

Jude 1:3b

It does not mean to fight to maintain his own faith in his heart, but to defend the substance of the Christian faith, the gospel that is attacked by his opponents.

R. C. H. Lenski

Faith is believing the Word of God and acting upon it no matter how I feel knowing God promises a good result.

Ron Allchin

…falling before the Lord in worship. (v. 13-16)

John 18:37-38a

Mark 1:38

Luke 4:18-19

1 Corinthians 15:53-57