The soldier of Christ

Sermon notes from Sunday 10 November 2019 am

2 Timothy 2 verses 1 - 13

Paul here writes to young Timothy, a young man going out into the preaching of God`s word.  He would face much by way of opposition.  Verse 3 "thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."  Verse 4 "no man that wareth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."  The soldier and the conflict.  We take this morning to remember those who gave their lives in world wars and skirmishes in this world.  They left our land that we might have freedom in speech and movement and do the things we can do.  Those men gave their lives for that.  There is an onus on us to protect that for future generations.  We are in a spiritual warfare.  God calls us to be a soldier.  Paul writing to a young man to give his all to God.  It is a battle today for every Christian.  If not there is a doubt over the salvation of our soul.  "We wrestle not against flesh and blood."  Paul tells Timothy "the weapons of our warfare."  At the end of his life he could say "I have fought the good fight."  I want us to look at the soldier and the conflict.  Thinking also of those who went away to fight in wars.

Firstly there is a day of enrolment.  When the young soldier signs up, puts his name on a piece of paper to say joining the army to send him wherever he was sent.  That young man went away.  Depending on a real transaction, realise look back to a day when he enrolled in the army, take him on to the battle.  God calls each of us today.  The bible says he is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to him and be saved.  We look to Calvary and see Christ with his arms outstretched to encompass everyone.  There has to be a day of enrolment before going into the battle.  When signed up giving his all.  The young man has no jurisdiction of his own.  Whenever we come to Christ, when we boy our knee at Calvary, repent of our sin, done with that past life we are giving our all to him.  Have we enrolled today?  Are you a child of God today?  Can the Lord direct your life?  Can e send you wherever he desires?  Remember Paul and Silas in the prayer group at Antioch.  The word came "separate unto me Paul and Barnabas for the work I have called them to."  Can we trust God to send us wherever he wants us to go."  In Acts 16 we read something of the background of young Timothy.  Paul refers to him as a believer - pointing back to a day when he heard the word of God.  Timothy turned from his sin and trusted Christ as Saviour.  Now Paul could take him with him on his journey.  He was no longer where he could be.  He needed to go and tell others about Christ, even leaving him at Ephesus.  We need to turn to the Lord today, trust him as Saviour and Lord.

The soldier that was going to do battle soon finds the enemy is real.  No longer in the enrolment station, given all to the British Army, now he is standing in the trenches.  The bullets are all around him.  Now he knows he has an enemy.  Maybe he heard about the armies of Europe rising up but now he knows they are real.  These young men didn`t realise the enemy until they were in that army uniform.  We know nothing of the enemy until we put on Christ`s robe of righteousness.  Paul says this battle is real.  Ephesians 6 we wrestle not against flesh and blood.  Are we wrestling today?  "but against principalities and spiritual darkness in high places."  The devil will attack sometimes through human flesh, through someone in the family, through our neighbours, someone in the fellowship.  We have to be careful.  We have to use discernment, to realise this is devil.  This is the enemy.  The young soldier realises there is a real enemy.  1 Peter 5 "be sober, be vigilant for your adversary the devil is roaring about seeking whom he may devour, endure hardship."  Verse 3 "as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."  Peter describes him as a roaring lion.  He wants to devour you.  The lion when he wants to instil fear he roars.  If you hear a lion roar it brings fear like never before.  You almost paralyse with fear.  The devil wants to prevent us from doing anything today, to stop us, stopping others coming to Christ.  The devil will hinder you in so many ways.  Many a soldier shell shocked will desert his post.  Why?  Because didn`t realise his enemy or his conflict.  We need to understand the conflict in God`s army today.  Subtle, crafty, do anything to devour you today.  Many a Christian soldier fell, has fallen because of something that was said.  There are times when we come under conflict.  The words can be sharp and even have to look further than that and understand the conflict.  Poor Demas a preacher, a stalwart, soldier with Paul.  Somehow the world got in to his life, the comforts he was missing out on, began to think if he was walking in the world I would be sure of certain things.  "Demas has forsaken me" Paul said.

Engaging with the enemy is another thing - verse 15.  "Study to show thyself approved."  When we study God`s word that is how to recognise the word of the Lord.  We are engaging with the enemy when you do that.  The young soldier knew what they had engaged in.  Enrolled in the army, standing in the trenches with a gun for the first time ever.  Now he is about to engage with the enemy.  That must have been terrifying.  You and I engage the enemy in so many different ways.  The young man in the trenches realises the bullets and shells are flying again.  A different war we as Christians are engaged in.  A battle with the enemy we are in.  Be careful to what we hear.  We can be discouraged to bring us down.  The devil is out to devour whom he will.  A battle in the spiritual warfare sense.  We have to be careful about the devices the devil brings against us.  The enemy used roadside bombs, tactics they used.  We are not ignorant of his devices.  Verse 16 "but shun profane and vain babblings for they will increase unto ungodliness."  Paul tells Timothy verse 15 "study to show thyself unto God."  Reading the word of God can bring the devil more real to you.  Praying can also be used.  The devil will do everything to stop you from doing either.  "Stir up the gift that is within you."  Paul reminded Timothy one time that is the enemy instead of.  Timothy stopping him from using his gift.  The enemy will feed the seeds of destruction and devastation into your heart.  Paul says "shun profane babblings"  Get rid of them Paul warned Timothy and the church.  We have a deceitful enemy tries to distract us from the place of prayer.  Remember Acts 6 murmuring going through the fellowship trying to stop preaching and prayer.  2 Timothy 1 verse 7 don`t despair the enemy would make us afraid, afraid to engage him.  Maybe we are saying I wouldn`t like to do that job because you would be afraid.  That is the enemy engaging.  God has not given us the spirit of fear.  There will be those who criticise.  For Timothy it was his youth.  The deception of those who profess to be saved and are not today.  That is the biggest problem we have today.  People who are apostates, deceivers today.  Paul said the devil can masquerade as a master of light.  Don`t think it strange.  His ministers come forth as ministers of light.  Engaging the enemy is what Paul talked about.

Endurance here that is exhorted.  We cannot run away in the conflict.  Think this is too hard.  Those young men who went into the conflict they had to endure all the conditions of battle.  I endure for the elects sake.  As soldiers there are endurance times, things not encouraging.  Keep on going, hold unto the Lord, looking to him.  We do know when God will answer the prayers we have been praying for so long.  Paul preached his heart out in Corinth.  People opposed to him.  People were not getting saved.  The Lord told him to endure.  Paul stayed for 2 1/2 years.  He didn`t run away. He bore the battle because the Lord asked him to do.  The Christian in conflict.  Are we in conflict today?