Wise Words From An Old Soldier
Introduction
Today we celebrate and honor our veterans. We thank you for your service.
2 Timothy 2:1-4 NKJV
1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
Paul had lived his entire life in the Greco-Roman world of the first century. He had witnessed the Roman army and had friends and fellow Christians who were soldiers. Some of the greatest examples of faith in the NT were centurions. It was a soldier whose servant was sick who said to Jesus:
Matthew 8:8-10 NIV
“Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.
The Gospel of Mark begins with Jesus's baptism:
And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11)
It ends with a voice from the earth, the voice of a soldier.
And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39)
It was to a soldier, Cornelius, that the message of the gospel first came to the gentiles. Peter went to a soldier's household and shared the story of Jesus and invited a soldier's family to believe the gospel and be baptized in Jesus's name. God poured out His Spirit on a gentile soldier just as He had on the day of Pentecost and they spoke in other tongues.
When John the Baptist preached the kingdom of heaven he invited the soldiers to do things right. He never told them to stop being soldiers (Luke 3:14).
It was a soldier who God used to protect the apostle Paul in the book of Acts when others would have killed him (Acts 27:43).
Paul used the imagery of warfare and the armor of the Roman soldier as an illustration of the battles that Christians fight, not against flesh and blood enemies, but against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:10-18).
Some of the greatest sheroes and heroes in Scripture were soldiers both spiritually and literally. The writer of Hebrews speaking of some of God's veterans wrote:
And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets... (Hebrews 11:32 NIV)
And there is Deborah and Jael, and David's mighty men...
As Paul approached the end of his life, he spoke like a seasoned veteran, the words of our text. He uses the imagery of a soldier, soldiers he had respected, soldiers he had witnessed life a life of strength and discipline. Timothy was a young pastor. Our text is filled with the wise words of an old soldier. Words of a veteran Christian to Timothy and to us...
Speaking Points:
1. Be Strong
"Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus..."
Being a soldier takes strength. It takes courage. We are grateful for the courageous efforts of our veterans. We recognize their strength and example.
Being a Christian takes strength. It takes courage. Our strength comes from one place, God's grace. He is the One who empowers us to do what He has called us to do. It is His unmerited favor and the empowerment of His Holy Spirit that gives us strength. There are moments when we are weak, and it is His Strength that helps us. God does not expect us to do it alone. He promises to be with us always.
2. Be an Example
"...the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."
Being a soldier means being an example. We look to our veterans as examples of committed women and men who have served a purpose higher than themselves, faithfully.
Being a Christian means being an example. Paul could confidently invite Timothy to follow his example. As soldiers of Christ, we should live our lives in such a way that we can say with Paul, "Follow me as I follow Christ..." (1 Cor 11:1).
Soldiers have the responsibility to teach. There is always someone ahead of them in rank and always someone below. We are all responsible for one another. No one can be left behind.
3. Be Enduring
"You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."
Endurance is a must for soldiers. From the first days of Bootcamp to the days of active service and sometimes battle and the lifelong effort to stay physically fit for those who are career military, it takes endurance.
Being a Christian takes endurance. It is not easy to go against the flow, to stand out. Paul tells Timothy to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Each US soldier takes an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. They serve an idea and there is a Commander-in-Chief. Jesus Christ is The Commander-in-Chief of the soldiers of the kingdom. We answer to Him.
4. Be Engaged
"No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier."
God calls us to be actively engaged in being a soldier. We cannot be a soldier and be tangled up in the affairs of life. Enlisted soldiers have one job. They cannot have entanglements and do the job they have signed up to do.
The world in which we live is filled with things that would entangle us, the world, the flesh, and the devil can keep us from fulfilling our mission. We want to please the one who called us. It is a wonderful honor to be a soldier in our military. It is an even greater honor to be a soldier of Christ. He has called us.
Closing:
One soldier had this advice on his Instagram reel:
1. The life in front of you is more important than the life behind you.
2. Ask yourself if what you are doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow,
3. Don't be a prisoner of your past. It was just a lesson, not a life sentence. You don't live there anymore.
Finally, are you answering the Call of the Lord Jesus Christ? Whose side are you on?
ILLUS: During the US civil war Abraham Lincoln was the Commander-in-Chief of the Union Forces. It was a great burden knowing that his orders would put many lives at jeopardy. One morning he met with a group of ministers for a prayer breakfast. The different ministers spoke about the different needs that they must pray for and one of them said, “Mr. President, let us pray that God is on our side.” Lincoln’s response showed far greater insight, “No, gentlemen, let us pray that we are on God’s side.”
ILLUS: In 1951, the Old Veteran Soldier, General Douglas MacArthur, gave a speech to a joint session of congress. He closed the speech by saying “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.” I thought about that Old Battle Hardened Soldier of the Cross, the Apostle Paul, there in that Roman cell. HE DID DIE. But 2000 years later his words have NOT faded away. They are just as powerful today as they were when he said…
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)
As we honor our veterans today, we pray for them and their spouses and their children. Some bear the scars of war, mentally, emotionally, spiritually... Many of our homeless community are veterans. We honor them today. We thank them today. We pray for God's grace upon you all today.
Perhaps, you like Cornelius are a soldier who is wondering what to do to enlist in Christ's army. Believe the gospel. Be baptized in Christ's name. He will fill you with His Spirit. (Acts 2:38)
