0:06 If you have your Bibles this morning, meet me in the book of second Timothy as we continue in the study of this book as a church together. In chapter two this morning is where we will begin, beginning in verse one. Here's what the word of God says in second Timothy chapter two verse one. You then my child be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses. Entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
0:53 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hardworking farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
1:23 Let's pray. Lord, that the Spirit of God rest upon the ministry of the word. Let our hearts be opened. Arrest every thought that is contrary to Christ. Pull down every stronghold.
1:39 Awaken every heart. Lord, let every man disappear, and let your son, as it was on the Mount Of Transfiguration, be the only one that appears before us. We ask, Lord, that there would be a sense of your presence, your nearness, as though you were speaking to us audibly. We long to hear from you. Lord, we come in humility.
2:00 Protect us, oh God, from being overly condemned, unnecessarily guilty, feeling helpless, but Lord at the same time, let us feel the challenge, the challenge that you call for us to embark on with the sense of hope with it that you will empower us to obey you. We give it all to you now in Jesus' name. Amen and amen. It's been a couple of weeks since we have come to this book in second Timothy. And if you recall, the last time we were together, we focused on examining the faithfulness of a man named Onesiphorus.
2:38 And this man was briefly mentioned, but Paul highlights him by the Spirit because he was a personal blessing, a personal encouragement to the apostle himself. Because Onesiphorus was a man who demonstrated unwavering commitment to the cause of Christ and to this personal individual, Paul. And he stood in contrast to so many who have abandoned this man in his greatest time of need. And there was much that we learned from this man. But if we can sum it up, it is in this, the incalculable blessing, that personal encouragement, that even your presence can bring to another believer for them to spur on and continue in the faith even as they face death itself.
3:19 The man's name, Onesiphorus, bears witness to his ministry. His name actually means bearing profit or bringing profit. No wonder every time he was in the presence of Paul, Paul says, he often refreshed me. That is a call to every single one of us, that when we come into each other's presence, we are not a burden. Yes, we carry each other's burden, but that's not what I'm talking about.
3:41 I'm talking about being a burden in an unnecessary way. We should bear profit, bring blessing, lift others up, give people wings, not wait. And this man surely did that for Paul, but why did Paul mention him? Was he trying to give him credit? Was he just simply trying to honor him?
4:01 Was he attempting to indirectly rebuke those who have left him? I don't think so. Though those might be secondary consequences, I believe verse one of chapter two highlights the the main reason why Paul brings up Onesiphorus to Timothy. And it's because he wants this man to be an inspiration to this pastor. You then or other translations, therefore you.
4:24 And he talks about faithfulness. He talks about being faithful to the cause of Christ. Faithful and being strengthened by God himself. As though as though he's saying, listen, as exemplified by Onesiphorus, draw from God's grace so that you can know his strength to remain steadfast in your devotion to him and to God's people. I delight in that thought this morning.
4:47 I delight in that thought because it makes Christianity so possible. What do you mean? Notice here that Paul is showing Timothy that you can draw inspiration from somebody who's not in full time ministry. Paul wasn't the only one presenting himself as a challenge, as an encouragement to this man. In fact, I want you to think about the people in Timothy's life that have contributed to him being built up as the man that he was.
5:15 Consider this in chapter one, his grandmother, his mother, members of his own household. And not just members of his own household, now he brings up this member of his local church because we have very much reason to believe that he was in Ephesus with Timothy. As you look at this, you have to understand that this crushes the idea, the false notion, that unless you have this vast platform of influence, you cannot be a source of impartation of power to somebody else. What would the condition of the church look like if we all really believe that models and motivation doesn't have to come from somebody who occupies the pulpit full time? What would it look like if you yourself had enough faith to believe, yeah, I can actually bless others?
6:02 And Paul's highlighting that. It's not that leaders shouldn't be models. That's why leaders are placed in their positions in the first place. But oh, it expands greater than that. Listen, you sitting here this morning hear me loud and clear.
6:14 You are not a pond sitting on the chessboard of this local church. You know those similar pieces that line up before all those other pieces that are limited in their movement, they just move forward and they seem more like distractions than anything else, but they try to help out. But they kind of get out of the way so that the big guns in the church could get things done. That's not you. That's not your calling.
6:39 And try to, by the power of God, eliminate these intrusions thought that tell you that this is a consumer experience. No, you heard it earlier. You contribute something. And Anissa Forest, what we read here is that he didn't contribute a sermon, he didn't contribute a worship song, he radiated and oozed encouragement. Encouragement.
7:00 His presence blessed people. Put a smile on people's face. It gave them that sense of strength to continue on and to love Jesus. You know, scripture tells us very clearly that God has given us leadership. In Ephesians four eleven, to give apostles and prophets and evangelists, the shepherds and teachers to do what?
7:18 To entertain the saints? He gave apostles. He gave prophets. He gave evangelists. He gave teachers.
7:25 He gave pastors. What? To entertain the saints? No. To equip the saints.
7:29 Big difference. To equip the saints for the work of the ministry. Right here, right now is a transaction taking place. You are being equipped. And it's a job of leadership to furnish the people of God, to nurture them, to direct them, to clarify to them for what purpose.
7:46 So that every single person in this place will contribute to the building of the body. That's not limited to a handful of people who have titles. Nothing will get done. Nothing will be accomplished. Every single one of us in here must be built up.
8:03 And so that's what you're here for, I hope. Open minds and open hearts. Let me remind you of this, that Sunday morning isn't an evangelistic crusade. Sometimes and oftentimes churches today organize their Sunday morning worship service to reach the lost. That's not what the church is for, on Sunday morning at least.
8:26 Do we cater to the lost? Do we preach the lost? Is it possible for people? You might be in here, you don't know Christ. You'll hear gospel truth.
8:33 But the main purpose of the church gathering together is to be built up, to be matured. We gotta get deeper. I remember hearing from somebody who was in pastoral ministry and we were conversing about a certain man who had a grand ministry. But there was conversation about the fact that scripture was barely mentioned. It was just surface stuff and we wondered why and this man who spoke on his behalf said, well, there's so many people that come in.
8:56 We have to we have to paint a broad brush. No. We're supposed to get deep. We're supposed to get into the scriptures. We're supposed to leave the elementary things of the faith and go further into the truths of this word for the sake of being built up.
9:13 That's not the main point of the message today. But here it is. Your gifts will vary. Our gifts will vary. Every ministry in here looks different, but the attitude, the commitment to Jesus Christ is the same.
9:30 And that's exactly what Paul highlights in this chapter. He is going to use three metaphors. He's going to use three examples of disciplines in this life to illustrate what it is that is demanded of us as followers of this Lord. He speaks about the soldier. He speaks about the athlete.
9:48 He speaks about the farmer. And though these three things share similarities, they are uniquely different and that's why we're gonna take our time to speak about these things separately. And here's the thing that we have to understand from this moment on, from this moment on as you hear about what it means to be a soldier for Christ, as you hear what it means to be an athlete, what it means to be a farmer, we have to be convinced of this. These are not suggestions from the Holy Spirit. These are not just inspirational things that give you the possibility if you try hard enough to be like this.
10:19 No. These are the terms set by God himself. This is what it looks like to be a true Christian in God's kingdom. Contrary to the comforting thought that we can determine the level of zeal and commitment to the Lord. No, he's the general.
10:35 He makes the rules. And it's up to us to say, I will submit to you master or I will determine I will determine my own life even if I do it in your name. The first thing Paul speaks about is a soldier. He says that here in verse three. Brother Daniel, pastor Daniel in verse two already elaborated on the importance of local churches raising up teachers.
10:56 We talked about that with the church of Antioch. We won't have to spend time there. We come here in verse three, share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. You're a soldier. You're a soldier.
11:12 And what's amazing about that is it illustrates exactly what the Christian experience is like. Why are you a soldier? Why is Paul high why does the Holy Spirit say you're a soldier? Because Christian walk. Christian experience.
11:25 Christian journey is a war. It's a battle. It's not a picnic. And heaven is not gonna be an eternal picnic. We have enrolled in an ancient war that has been known since the beginning of time.
11:44 And this war is not for oil, it's not for land, it's not to try to respond to injustice necessarily. This war is about souls. And this war has such grave consequences that it will determine whether men are rescued for all eternity in the presence of God or they will be damned and sealed into an eternal hell with no escape. It's not a joke. And if you think about it, those who serve in ministry especially realize just how bloody serving Jesus Christ can be.
12:22 If I can use that word. If you think about it, everything from trying to reach out to the to the people that are vile and written off as hopeless, to trying to protect the church from devilish men who are ravenous wolves that have no issue coming in with an appetite to tear the sheep from limb to limb. From sitting down with Christian soldiers who have been wounded or have been wounded by others due to the shortcomings of sin. And on top of that, you have to deal with watching your own shoulder behind you because there's internal betrayal. And some people will come in as rogues and spies who have no issue shooting their own.
13:08 Christianity isn't a joke. It's a battle. And there are times of peace, but I'll tell you this, that even as you're building the church, as you are part of building the walls of salvation and praise in this generation, like those in Nehemiah's time, you have a hammer in one hand and a sword in another. You're always on guard, man. Because you just don't know when a surprise attack will come.
13:32 You don't know when things will turn around all for a sudden. It's a regular business to encourage other soldiers to maintain and to walk in the faith. But let me tell you this, when you see somebody who's snatched out of the enemy's camp, it's all worth it, man. It's a joy to know that all those efforts and all the bombs that go off and all the scrapes and the scars and being in the trenches and wondering when the rescue team is gonna come. What's the strategy for the next move?
14:00 It's all worth it when souls are saved and Christ is glorified. You have to understand this morning that if you think that coming to Sunday morning church is about putting your latest and cutest outfit on and hearing an inspirational message with with some talented music with other people who have conservative values. If you think that's what churches, you're dead wrong. You're in a war and it's happening twenty four seven. There's no breaks.
14:28 When you think you're on break from war, the war is still happening and you might as well think of yourself as a victim in that moment. It's a battle. And it's amazing here that there are many insights to be derived from this warlike metaphor, but Paul highlights one thing, the hardships. The hardships of being a soldier for Jesus Christ. Now notice, he doesn't say share in suffering as a soldier of Christ.
14:52 No. Holy Spirit is very specific. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. So we can be soldiers, or in God's eyes we can be good soldiers. And what determines whether a soldier is good?
15:08 Very simply this, that he's willing to endure all the difficulties that come with a commitment to the King of Kings and the lord of lords. You don't give up. You don't throw in the towel. You don't surrender the badge. You don't fail to plant the flag of Christ on every hill that is available to you.
15:29 You press on. You cannot separate suffering from serving. You cannot separate this experience as you walk with Christ. It's seen in the call of the Apostle Paul himself. When the Lord spoke to Ananias, you gotta go meet this man, lay hands on him so that his eyes can be opened, be baptized, and that he can move on in his ministry.
15:52 Listen to what the Lord said concerning Paul in Acts nine fifteen. But the Lord said to him, go for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. Oh, wonderful. I would love that. You're telling me I'm gonna preach before kings and other nations I've never been to and even my own brethren?
16:12 Yeah. But it comes with another package in verse 16. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name. We interpret Christian experience and Christian ministry verse 15. No, the path of glory is gory.
16:29 The path of glory is gory. It's hard sometimes. It's brutal sometimes. Man, you see people, and as much as you see people who have a depth of love for Christ, you also see a depth of the potential of evil that can ooze out of a human being. The unrelenting attacks and slander, and even the willingness to cut you off the earth, if somebody is possessed enough by a devil.
17:02 It's not it's not roses, it's not peaches and cream. No. It's it's a battle. There is suffering. Now consider these things.
17:14 A soldier is different from a civilian for many reasons and here's one of them. That a soldier is exposed to much more danger and pain and obstacles than a civilian is. And I want you to think about suffering for a moment. What kind of suffering are we to share in? What kind of suffering will Christians know that this world will never be able to understand?
17:35 Number one, the suffering of self denial. The suffering of self denial. Every single day, your flesh tries to convince you to abort your mission, and has many ways of doing so. Everything from self pity, to the winnings of your temptations to being satisfied, to trying to battle the lies that there is a lifestyle that is more comfortable and more profitable than this, to shaking off the lullaby of distractions. You and I have to understand that this war is mainly with ourselves than it is with something outside of us.
18:14 Jesus didn't say, crucify Satan. He says, carry your cross. Take up your cross daily. Deny yourself and fall. He didn't say, go and try to find Satan and crucify him.
18:25 Satan is not your main problem. You're your main problem. I'm my main problem. So there's an element of suffering concerning self denial because no matter how close you are to the Lord or how many people you have influenced with your walk with Christ, know this, there's not one person in here that can deny the struggle of the flesh. And if you do, I might have to say that perhaps you were not being honest.
18:51 John said something quite amazing. I love John's little letters and there's one little command in the second epistle of John, where he writes this in verse eight, one chapter. Watch yourselves. Two John eight, watch yourselves so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. What a command.
19:12 Watch who? Oh, my responsibility is not just to watch what's happening in the world, not just to watch my brothers and sisters and make sure they're in check, not to watch the latest sermon series that will move me and stir me and give me more insight. No. Watch you. Watch yourself.
19:26 The word watch means discern. Study yourself. Examine yourself. Look at yourself from head to toe. Think, meditate, and wonder.
19:37 I wonder how many of us as soldiers are taking this discipline seriously. Watch yourself. Questions like, how's the pulse of my devotional life been lately? Is my appetite for the word the same or am I am I being drawn to other things? Am I loving money more?
19:57 Do I still see it in its rightful place? What's my attitude with, like, other believers? Am I am I quick to be angry? Am I quick to respond? What's my language been like?
20:07 Watch yourself. Look at yourself. Examine yourself. Take the time to meditate in this noisy world. Pause and say, Lord, where am I with you right now?
20:18 As you're driving, take that time in the commute instead of being frustrated to watch yourself. I've talked to many believers who do this and they say, man, I I could tell you, I realized lately I've been spending more time on this than I am in the word of God. And I had to check myself and pull back and this That's what it means to watch yourself. But then John says something else in first John, the last verse of that glorious epistle to give assurance to believers whether or not they are saved. In first John five twenty one, he says, little children, keep yourselves from idols.
20:57 Two John, watch yourself. First John, keep yourselves. The word keep is the same word used in Luke two eight, where the shepherds who are in the field, we are told that they kept watch over the sheep by night. The idea there is guard and protect. What do they do with the sheep?
21:16 They make sure they don't wander off and they make sure that nobody comes to take them away. But you can't keep yourself until you first watch yourself. And if you go long enough without watching yourself, it won't be very long before you'll see yourself wandering and you won't keep yourself in the love of God. See, every single one of us is saying, who thinks like this? Soldiers think like this.
21:45 Who lives like this? Soldiers do. Not pew warming Christians. Soldiers. They think like this.
21:51 I'm not talking about intense introspection where you're walking around with guilt all the time, I'm not worthy. I'm talking about calculated thinking, discernment. Lord, where have I been with you these past few weeks? That's holiness. That's seriousness.
22:06 And we see here that the command is to keep yourself, keep yourself. Because without prayerful surveillance over your heart, watch what will happen if you let yourself just float in the ocean of this world. You will be pulled by the tide of temptation. And like you've experienced playing in the beach, right? In the water with the waves, sometimes you just stop, you look back, and you see how far your towels and your cooler is.
22:30 How did I get this far? I was just playing around. That's exactly what many Christians experience. Keep yourself. How real is this?
22:39 How real is it for John to leave it as the last instruction of that amazing epistle? So real that the case study of the potential falling into it is the man who wrote it himself. Turn to Revelation 19, please. And verse nine. John who wrote watch yourself, John who wrote keep yourself is John who wrote the amazing revelations found in the book of Revelation.
23:11 We are told in Revelation nineteen nine, and the angel said to me, write this, blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb. And he said to me, these are the true words of God. This is an angel speaking. Now look at the response in verse 10. Then I fell down at his feet to worship him But he said to me, you must not do that.
23:33 I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. John? John. John who has been given end time insight.
23:51 John who fell at the feet of Jesus in chapter one as though he was dead. John who laid his head on the bosom of the Son of God incarnate. That John fell under the weight of being mesmerized by a creature and gave to him what solely belong to God. John worshiped an angel. Oh, you think that's astounding?
24:16 Go to chapter 22 and verse eight. I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me. But he said to me, you must not do that. I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book, worship God.
24:44 John, not once, twice, two times. Now, if this man is able to crumble under the weight of worshiping something else or giving adoration and devotion to something on the same level as Christ, who am I? Who am I? Who am I to think that I don't have to take a command like, keep yourself from idols seriously? Who am I?
25:15 Pastors are not exempt from this temptation. Gifted worship leaders and musicians do not have immunity to such a thing. Those who enjoy listening to sermons can sit and listen to sermons while they have exalted something above Christ without even realizing it. Look at this, chapter 19, he falls and worships. He gets more revelation and he still falls down and worships another angel.
25:41 Showing what? That no matter how seasoned you are and how much of the bible you know, this is an ever present danger. How easily are we mesmerized by the mirages of empty promises of this world? How easily are we even able that we think we are walking in complete freedom of idolatry worship a pastor? Worship a minister, worship a ministry.
26:05 Man, we might we gotta be careful. Keep yourselves. How do I well, I gotta watch myself, watch my affections, watch where where my energy is, watch where my mind has been wandering, Watch my appetite and the things of the spirit. You see, John didn't bow down to this angel because he hated Jesus. He loved Christ.
26:27 But in this moment, he failed to keep Christ before him and so he was able to give equal attention and adoration and love to a creating instead of the creator himself. Thomas Guthrie wrote this, quote, if you find yourself loving any pleasure if you find yourself loving any pleasure better than your prayers, any book better than the Bible, any house better than the house of God, any table better than the table of the Lord, any person better than Christ, any indulgence better than the hope of heaven, take alarm. You and I have to watch ourselves. Soldiers do that. Soldiers are serious, man.
27:14 They're not civilians that don't care and they just go around in life and, oh, no, soldiers don't they watch and they keep themselves. And if you do that by the power of the spirit, you will know greater graduation in the things of God. Suffering from self denial, but not just suffering from self denial, suffering from satanic forces. You get serious with this thing, I'll tell you, you'll realize that this thing is very real when you realize that there's a real devil. I I've actually heard testimonies of people who've come to Christ when they were exposed to Satan.
27:45 And seeing the evil and the wickedness of the world and in their own world. If there's a devil, surely there's a God. And you'll know that. Serve God long enough and you'll not just know the beauties of Jesus, you'll know the viciousness of the evil one. And we all know that Christian, when he lives like a soldier, Satan takes notice and he will spend his limited resources on trying to put hindrances, frustrations, intimidations, discouragements, to try to put any kind of obstacle before a faithful man or woman of God.
28:18 And oftentimes his efforts are not to make you wear a new uniform altogether, but they just make you from a good soldier to a soldier. If he can do that, he's won many victories there. But Paul could tell Timothy in this verse, share in suffering. Don't be afraid of whatever belches out of hell. Don't be afraid of governors.
28:46 Don't be afraid of kings. Don't be afraid of the Jews. Don't be afraid of anyone. Why? Because there's a truth from cover to cover in this book that tells us that although there is much suffering in serving Christ, there is a God who is sovereign over our sufferings.
28:59 You're still in Revelation. Right? I want you to see this this morning. I want you to be encouraged. I'm speaking to the soldiers in this place so that you are able to weather the storms and you're able to stay in that foxhole.
29:12 And as you hear bullets whizzing by your ear, you're saying, I'm not moving anywhere. Revelation chapter two verse 10. Here's what Jesus wrote to the church of Smyrna. I love the seven churches in the book of Revelation because you can almost say that they are the seven epistles of Jesus. Seven personal letters of Jesus to seven different churches.
29:33 And what I love about this point is I always think to myself, myself, being in the position that we are today, Lord, if you were to write a letter to this church, what would you say? I always wonder if Paul was alive today, what kind of epistle he would write to the church of America. Revelation two ten, do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold the devil is about to throw some of you into prison. Imagine reading that to your congregation.
30:06 That you may be tested and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life. Here the Lord comforts, not just writes, he comforts the Christians of Smyrna not to be afraid about what they were to experience. Some of you in church, imagine this, imagine reading that as a pastor to your congregation. Some of you in this place, you're going to jail.
30:29 And jail then isn't jail like here in America. Jails here in America in comparison were like hotels compared to what they had to endure. Dark stinking holes where rats nibble at your toes and try to get the little bread crumbs that you were offered for your lunch. Some of you are gonna be thrown into prison. And what's amazing here is that he's attempting to comfort them, but what's so comforting about that?
30:54 Church members being taken away from the assembly? People being split apart from their families? The comfort is in the fact that God is the one giving the news. And he's not just giving a heads up of what's coming, he's letting them know who's really in charge. Oh, yeah.
31:08 He's talking about the real source of the persecution. It's Satan himself. The devil has found vessels to come through your doors, arrest some of you, pull you out, and bring you into prison. But I'm not just telling you what's coming, I'm letting you know who's in charge. Do you think the devil is interested in only throwing people into prison for ten days?
31:28 Do you think if the devil had his way with Job, with no restrictions, that he would just give him some kind of boils on his flesh? No. The devil wants to crush us to find powder. And God had a sovereign purpose for this church. I wanna test you.
31:43 I'm gonna use the devil to do so, and what's even more encouraging is not that the fact that God has purpose behind the suffering, he even determines that the timing. The length, the enduring time that they would have to go through this. I believe it's ten literal days, some say it's symbolic of this and that. I believe it's just ten days. You're gonna go to prison for ten days.
32:05 Who determined that? The devil? God did. How encouraging that even though I'm living in a nightmare, that if I'm walking in the will of God, my suffering is on schedule. That God knows exactly when this will end.
32:22 And he knows the amount of days, the amount of hours, weeks, and months, and maybe even years. He knows the exact schedule that is required to have the full potential of the suffering having its effect on my life. And when he says it's done, it's done. Can I not sleep at night with that knowledge? Can I not rest even though I am enduring hardship?
32:42 He determines the timing. So even though it's ongoing, even though it doesn't seem to end, even though there seems to be no solution, God knows when he will lift it off of you. What an amazing thought. We would like it for for it then earlier, of course. But he is sovereign and he knows.
33:01 But God doesn't just determine the duration of your suffering brothers and sisters. He even determines the degree of its severity. Remember Job? Satan wanted Job, or at least he was introduced to the possibility of testing Job. And he said, how how can I how can I come to him when you have this hedge around him?
33:25 And I love this language. Don't turn there, just hear it. Look what the Lord says in Job one twelve. The Lord said to Satan, behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.
33:36 And he does it. Then you come to chapter two verse six, and the Lord said to Satan, behold, he is in your hand, only spare his life. The enemy can't have his way with God's people. You know why? Because whether you see it or not, there are layers of protection over your life and everything that you have dedicated to God.
33:59 And here's the wonder of this, here's the glory of this, that every layer must have permission from God for any devil in hell to have access to it. And you can know this, that if even something is being afflicted in your life, God lifted it for a purpose, How can I not share in the sufferings of Jesus Christ when the Good Shepherd is the one who is sovereign over the duration, the severity, and the purpose of my hardship? Share in the sufferings. Yeah. It'll get ugly.
34:33 Yeah. It'll be difficult. Yeah. It will be it'll be it'll be horrific maybe at times, but realize this, your king is sovereign over it. So how can you not share it?
34:44 We come to verse four of second Timothy two. He expands by saying, no soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. Listen, for God to say Christians are soldiers tells us that we are a different category of people. He brings a contrast between a soldier and a civilian and we would fall into another extreme if we read this verse incorrectly. Paul is not saying that if you're a soldier, you don't get involved with civilian affairs.
35:20 No. He says you don't get entangled in them. If you're a pilgrim in this world, you know that you have to interact with engagements and events in this life and responsibilities. That includes working. That includes building, planning, laughing, resting, enjoying.
35:43 All of those things are part of the Christian life. All those things are realistic, but the idea here is this. The concern that Paul has is when you come to the point where you are entangled, where you are caught up, where you are paralyzed by these affairs, you're not a soldier anymore. You've lost focus. You've lost your ambition.
36:06 You've lost the ability to soar over these things and use them as means to an end. They become an end to themselves. And I believe that what Paul says in verse four has been stripping the effectiveness of most soldiers in America than any suffering. We don't know suffering. Come on.
36:27 We're we're ready to cry when somebody leaves a negative review or tells us something on Facebook or somebody doesn't invite us to something, and we're ready to throw in the towel. And there are people in Afghanistan that are sitting in their homes and the Taliban's knocking on the door ready to take their children if they don't deny Christ. What's happening to majority of soldiers in America and Christendom? They're getting entangled. That's the concern that Paul has here, and that's why he writes it by the spirit of God.
36:56 There are two dangers that are being presented in these verses. And what's beautiful here is that he's calling for an extreme carefulness. It goes back to watching yourself, keeping yourself. But what's the main difference between a soldier and a civilian? I'm sure you can list it, but here's one that covers a lot of it.
37:16 A soldier sees the world differently. He interprets events differently. He has insight that an average civilian does not have. There is a readiness, an alertness, there is a there is a discernment, There is a knowledge that there are things happening beyond life, beyond day to day affairs that are more real than people can imagine. And what's beautiful is that a soldier seeks an unfamiliar type of honor.
37:49 He's called to a deeper level of sacrifice. And while the majority of people are trying to accomplish personal priorities, he wants to do one thing, please his enlisting officer. And that's why you commit to prayer every Wednesday. Right? That's why you come to pray.
38:09 That's why you block out time no matter what happened that day, how tired you are from work. You're like, man, we have this weapon called prayer. I'm a soldier. I'm gonna pray with fellow soldiers. That's why you set apart daily time as a soldier to come before your enlisting officers saying, lord, do you have any fresh orders?
38:28 Lord, what are you saying to me today? Lord, how are you gonna guide me today? And sometimes he'll make it extremely clear, and sometimes he will just honor you because you have made your presence known to him. And that's why you look at the chaotic events in this life, and you don't interpret them in the flesh. You don't interpret them politically only.
38:49 You don't interpret them socially or economically. You have a blueprint from heaven that helps you understand what the world fails to realize. You're in a war. This is a war. There's no neutral space in our universe, guys.
39:06 There's good and evil. Righteousness, wickedness. God and the god of this world. There's no middle space. There's nothing in this life that has a category that doesn't touch one of those things.
39:20 And you know that because you're a soldier. Consider this. This is our final text before we break bread together. In the old testament of first Chronicles, I want you to see something quite interesting. In first Chronicles chapter 12, David is about to become king.
39:41 And what's happening is now people are joining his ranks, and the Holy Spirit chooses to highlight the different tribes and how men from these tribes have linked themselves to David as the kingdom now shifts from Saul to this once shepherd. And we can see that here in verse 22. From him day to day, men came to David to help him until there was a great army like an army of God. And then down from verse 23 until the end of the chapter, we get these lists of the tribes and how certain men came from this tribe and certain men came from that tribe. And what's so interesting, in the context of war, in the context of an army, you see a highlighted distinctive from a certain tribe found in verse 32.
40:35 And what does it say here? Of Issachar of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, To know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs and all their kinsmen under their command. What a highlighted quality. Men who had understanding of the times. They knew how to interpret the political fallout that was happening.
41:05 They knew how to read what was occurring in Israel that day. They saw the shift. They read the breaking news. And and more than that, they were not just aware. They knew that this had to call them into action.
41:19 They possess an alertness. An alert is so keen that it developed a wisdom that did what? Kick them into gear at the right time. It invited them into a specific way of life, into a specific action based on the ability to understand what's happening. And they realized David now is being elevated by God.
41:45 This is the time to join him. This is the time to pledge our allegiance to him. This is our time to now become soldiers for him. You see where I'm going with this, I think. I read a verse like this, and I thought to myself, how many believers today have an understanding of the times in which we live?
42:06 Because you see, it's one thing to have the understanding of the times. That's not what what they just had. The times called them into action. Because they understood what was happening, they said they knew what Israel ought to do. Let me put it this way.
42:23 If nothing has changed in your spiritual life, since this whole COVID fiasco broke into our world, if nothing has changed in your spiritual life, you're not thinking like a soldier. Maybe you're entangled. Maybe the greatest upset for you in this past year and a half is is that you couldn't go to your favorite restaurant like you used to, and you can't travel the world like you used to. Is that how soldiers in God's kingdom think? If nothing stirred in you this past year and a half, wow, Lord.
43:00 These are strange times indeed, and they are lining up with biblical prophecy. Maybe I should refocus and ask my God what it is that he wants me to do in this time. That's how soldiers think. That's how soldiers think. And if that hasn't been true for us, this is God's call to wake up and be good soldiers.
43:20 And I praise God that in this place, people have been speaking like soldiers. I praise God that mothers have been saying, it's time to shelter our babies. The world is getting crazy out there, and they're planning now how to raise their kids. I thank God for men, even men who have approached me when this whole thing was peaking. And they approached me and they says, brother, what's the plan?
43:43 What happens if something happens to you? Oh, I didn't think about that. Soldiers, Your life is not just about paying your bills and making sure you get the latest toy in your garage. You're a soldier in God's kingdom. You think differently.
44:00 You strategize. You analyze. You understand that you have a purpose and that's communicated, and that's seen, and that's realized. And this church must be a bunker. It must be a place where soldiers are trained.
44:18 I remember when I first got saved, I had a group of friends, and we coined this phrase, living the mission life. Living the mission life. And that phrase came up because we would go do things and sometimes travel and do things with ministry in in a very small level, just as friends wanting to do things for the Lord. And sometimes we couldn't do laundry like we wanted to, we couldn't eat. And so what we would say to each other, we would look at each other and say, brother, living the mission life.
44:50 And we even came up with a song, but I'm not gonna sing it to you. To comfort us. Right? To comfort us and to incur and we would laugh, man. Serving God is so amazing.
45:01 What a joy. What a joy to serve the Lord. And so we would look at each other from time to time, living the mission life, man. We're freezing in this cabin as we're up at a conference. We can eat.
45:14 We don't have these comforts. This bed is uncomfortable. Oh, poor me, American Christian. This bed is uncomfortable. Living the mission life, there's nothing like it.
45:27 If you're bored as a Christian, guess what? You're not a soldier. I'd be bored too if all I did with my Christian experience was sit on a pew and hear nice sermons. That's it? No wonder you're bored.
45:38 But when you say, Lord, show me, speak to me, give me something to do. What it is, I don't care what it is, Lord, as long as I know that I'm pleasing you, and that's the last point here. He concludes by saying that a true soldier in second Timothy four chapter two, he seeks to please his enlisting officer. You know what's amazing about the Holy Spirit in the scripture? That no matter what metaphor is presented to us of what the Christian life is like, God never fails to bring it down to this foundational thing.
46:09 It's about a relationship. That's the foundation. Share in suffering. Why? Live a sacrificial life.
46:22 Why? It's not about why, it's for who. It's not for what, it's for whom. See, all those points that were just presented won't mean anything. It won't stick.
46:32 It's just gonna fall right off one end or the other. Why? Because if it doesn't come to a place from from relationship, I do it because he's worthy. I do it because he is the love of my life. I do it because he is the savior of my soul, not just the world, my soul.
46:51 That's why I'm willing to stay in the trenches. That's why when it gets tough and it gets ugly, by the grace of God, I grip my feet and I hold on to his promises. I link arms with other soldiers and I endure for his namesake. I do it to please him because he saved me And because I see the wounds and the tokens of his love in his hands and his feet and his side, so let those wounds come to me, for I see the wounds that he has paid for me. And Paul says it's it's because of him that you're a soldier.
47:29 It's not because of a policy. It's not because you wanna be proven right. It's not because your belief system is logical and that's why you debate people. No. You love Christ.
47:39 He is the lover of my soul, and I wanna live my days for him. He didn't say it would be easy, but, God, I know that it is worth it. Are you a soldier today? I wanna comfort you if you are because I know I know that in this church we have soldiers. I wanna encourage you.
47:57 I'm not trying to beat you down here. But you know what is amazing though? When soldiers are trained, man, those guys are not nice. They bark at you and they say things to you and those guys just take it. I'm not saying I'm gonna do that to you this morning.
48:12 But what I am saying is we cannot shrink away from challenge. We can't be into it was a little intense today. That's okay. You're a soldier. You serve God.
48:24 You have a different purpose in this life. Shake out of it. So I wanna tell you today that there is no greater joy as we come to the table of the Lord than being reminded. Now, you're coming today. We often come to this table as a family with that mindset.
48:39 We're family, brothers and sisters. This morning, we're coming as soldiers. And we're coming to this table and we're being reminded why it is that we are suffering. Why it is that we are willing to endure. Why it is that when my body tells me, you don't need to pray, you don't need to read, you don't need to go to church.
48:54 You say, no, he died for me. He set me apart for a purpose. He sanctified me for his glory. I am not a pawn on this chessboard. I have a part to play in building the body of Christ.
49:12 That's you. You You know what the scripture says in Ephesians four? That when every part is working properly, then the body is built up. This thing isn't dependent upon elders only. Every single one of you has a part to play and God will build this church.
49:29 Let's pray. Thank you, Lord, that you've taken enemies and you've made them soldiers. There's no general like you. There is no mind like your mind. There's no love like your love.
50:12 Lord, if you were to just arrest us and make us servants for all eternity or prisoners that get to live, we would still consider all of that a grace. But Lord, you have rescued us from the domain of darkness, and you've transferred us into the kingdom of your beloved son, and you've made us soldiers. What an honor. Lord, we pray that not one person in here would think that this was not for them. Every father that works that works the nine to five, he's a soldier.
50:54 Every mother that's raising babies, she's a soldier raising up future troops for the kingdom. Every single student in this place is a soldier. And Lord, you have placed us in different areas, in different places, and Lord, we come here to receive what you've given us from your word so that we can go back out there and weather the storm and fight. Fight for truth, fight for the souls of men. Lord, this can very easily just be an inspirational message and have no practical implications.
51:31 But we pray that you would help us watch ourselves so that we can keep ourselves, so that we can focus on what it is you have for us. Lord, as we come to your table, we are reminded of why we're in this war, and we are reminded that we were once enemies wearing a different uniform, hating you and your truth, hating righteousness. But then your grace met us, and you've adopted us. Lord, we love you. Help us be prepared to eat of this so that it can be our encouragement to love you more.
52:13 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
