A
Soldier in God’s Army (03.03.13) Christie Jeevaratnam
Series:
Be What You Are
Text: 2 Timothy 2: 1-7
A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus
2 You then,
my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; 2 and what
you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who
will be able to teach others as well. 3 Share in suffering like a
good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving in the army gets
entangled in everyday affairs; the soldier’s aim is to please the enlisting
officer. 5 And in the case of an athlete, no one is crowned without
competing according to the rules. 6 It is the farmer who does the
work who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over
what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in all things.
Introduction
Apostle Paul often used military imagery in his
letters; and, thanks to the ever present Roman legions, those images were very
meaningful to the recipients of the epistle. We have to admit that there is a military
side to what the Bible teaches about God and Christian life. “The Lord is a man
of war!” sang Moses and his people after they had crossed the Red Sea (Exodus
15:3). “The Lord is strong and mighty,” sang David, “the Lord mighty in battle”
(Ps 24:8). Even our Savoir is pictured as a conqueror riding a white horse (Ps
45:3-7; Rev 19:11-21).
Using Paul’s admonitions to Timothy as the basic for
our study, let us examine a number of topics and see what it means today to be
a “Christian soldier”.
1.
The
Soldier’s Enlistment (Recruitment)
As Christian soldiers, we are following a Commander. Our Commander has
given us joy for distress, forgiveness for indebtedness, and satisfaction for
our discontent and we find being associated with Him an exciting and enriching
experience.
2.
The
Soldier’s Enablement
3.
The
Soldier’s Enlightenment
The training manual for the Christian soldier is the Word of God. “And
the thing that thou hast hear of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou
to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Tim 2:2). Military
training manual may be outdated but not the Word of God. “Forever, O Lord, thy
word settled in heaven: (Ps 119:89). The better you know the Bible, the better
you will know the enemy and what his strategies are, as he seeks to defeat you.
The better you know the Bible, the better you will know yourself and what God
wants to do for you. Also, the better you will know your saviour and what he
can do to help make you a conqueror.
4.
The
Soldier’s Entanglement
“No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs – he wants
to please his commanding officer” (2 Tim 2:4). Jesus insisted on total
commitment and warned, “No man can serve two masters” (Matt 6:24). What did
Paul mean by “civilian affairs” (“the affairs of this life”)? He was probably
referring to those good but not important things that distract the soldier from
his number one task of obeying and pleasing his commander. In the eyes of
civilian, these things might not appear to be wrong. But in the eyes of the
commander, these “good things” take the soldier away from the better things and
the best things.
The work “entangle” also means “to entwine or braid the hair”. This reminds
us of Samson, that mighty soldier; who finally lost his power because he got
entangled with a sinful woman who braided his hair and gradually led him into
shame and defeat. Sometimes things of the world can entangle us and lead us to
sin.
How do we keep from getting entangled? By seeking to please Jesus Christ
in our every motive, word and action. “We are supposed to walk and please God”
(1 Thess 4:1). When a soldier makes a decision, the big question is not “Is
it safe?” or “Is it popular?” but “Is it right?” “Is this what my
commander wants me to do?” If we, by faith, obey our Commander; then the
consequence are in his capable hands and we don’t have to worry.
5.
The
Soldier’s Encouragement
The Christian life is not easy. There are many battles and our enemy is
extremely powerful and subtle. Sometimes the dedicated Christian soldier feels
like he or she is standing alone. What kind of encouragement do we have from
the Lord? The greatest encouragement is that Jesus Christ has already won the
fight and we need only follow him by faith. Paul tells us that Jesus Christ has
won a complete victory on foreign land that is our world and returned to heaven
in a triumphal procession (Eph 4:8; Col 2:15). He has won the victory and
sharing with us. As Christians, we smell the incense of life and victory (2 Cor
2:15 – 16). There is no reason for us to feel or act defeated, for we are
following in his train. “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:57)
6.
The
Soldier’s Equipment
The key text here is Eph 6:10 – 18 where “the whole armour of God” is
described. The purpose of this armour is to enable the soldier to “stand”
before the battle (v11), “withstand” during the battle (c13) and “stand” after
the victory (v14). As we stud the various parts of the Christian’s spiritual
armour; we should keep in mind that each part reveals two things; an area of
need in our lives, and a strategy Satan uses in attacking that area.
·
The
girdle of truth speaks of the believer’s life “pulled together” by
God’s truth.
·
The
breastplate of righteousness symbolizes the
righteousness of Jesus Christ that has been put to our account because we have
trusted him as our Saviour (Rom 3:19 – 24). Satan is the accuser of God’s
people. He enjoys reminding us of our past and makes us feel guilty. If we
listen to him we become defenceless. But if we remember that we have Christ
righteousness we can silence him.
·
The
shoes of peace have to do with a Christian soldier’s standing.
Good sandals were important to soldiers for they gave a firm footing as he
faced the enemy. What gives us our firm footing? The gospel of Jesus Christ. We
know where we stand, we are able to face the enemy and not run away.
·
The
shield of faith protects the Christian soldier from the “fiery
darts” of Satan, those wicked thoughts that he throws at us. When God’s soldier
put his faith in Him he is saved from these “fiery darts”.
·
The
helmet of salvation protects the soldier’s head just as the breastplate
of righteousness protects his heart. Satan is a deceiver and we need to think
like saved people and have the mind of Christ. The helmet also called “the hope
of salvation” the promise of Christ’s coming again.
·
The
sword of the spirit is of course the Word of God and this is used in
conjunction with prayer to defeat the evil one. Material swords are dead and
grow dull but our spiritual sword is living and gets sharper the more we use
it. The soldier doesn’t give power to the sword – the sword gives power to the
soldier. A material sword cuts the outer person, but God’s sword pierces the
inner person and exposes everything just as it is. Am material sword brings
death to living people but the word of the spirit brings life to people who are
dead in sins.
All of these are interesting, but how do we make it
work I in our daily experiences? To begin each day, we must, by faith put on
all the pieces of the armour; and we do this through prayer.
Conclusion
Being a soldier in Jesus Christ is a serious thing,
for we are fighting the battle of the Lord. It is also an exciting thing, for
we never know what will happened next. But one thing is sure; as long as we
obey Jesus Christ, victory is certain. If Christ is with us, who and what can
be against us? You can fight with confidence where you are sure of victory.
With Christ and for Christ, victory is certain. Amen.