II TIMOTHY 4:7
COURAGEOUS COMBATANT
COMPLETES COMMISSION
I. COMBATANT: *
A. Called.
B. Commissioned.
C. Compensated
II. COMMANDER: **
A. Credible.
B. Compassionate.
C. Conqueror
III. CONFLICT: ***
A. Continuous.
B. Consuming.
C. Cosmic.
“I have fought a good fight….” What words for a valiant soldier. This veteran of the Cross of Christ was not boasting when he uttered these words, he was speaking the truth. He never thought that he would utter these words before He met Christ on the road to Damascus, but ever since that fateful day years ago, he was now able to say these words with pride and joy, and it was all because of Calvary.
Paul never started out to be a warrior for Jesus-just the opposite. Being who he was, being trained as he was, he was anything but a dedicated Christian. His zeal for his cause knew no boundaries as he sought to stamp out this new Way in which people were claiming that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. Yet, when he was arrested that day so long ago by that blinding light, he changed from being a persecutor of the Christians to a proclaimer of their Christ.
Little did he know that day what lay in his future, but he obeyed the Lord’s commands and went forth into battle, upholding the blood stained banner of that lowly Galilean. The fights he incurred were more than any ordinary man could have endured, but he endured them and now he can say, “I have fought a good fight.…” A short recap of his life as a soldier in the army of the Lord reveals the tenacity of this man as he fought many battles for Jesus. He was shipwrecked, beaten twice, driven from cities, thrown into jail, forsaken by his own people, and hunted with a bounty on his head. He went hungry, did without necessities, and worked to support himself. He was often misunderstood, lied upon, hated, reviled and finally gave up his life-all for Jesus. Yes, he did fight a good fight and in his serving in the Lord’s army, he has left something for all of us to emulate.
I see three things about this man and his message. The first thing I see is in regard to him being the COMBATANT. The next thing I note is his COMANDER. Then, I note the CONFLICT in which all Christians are engaged as we carry on Paul’s work.
* THE COMBATANT: What is there to say about Paul that has not been said already? He has been written about so many times that it is hard to write something new about him. He has been dissected, studied, analyzed, interpreted, judged and still he is the center of so much of the Christian’s writings and literature. Yet, he still holds our attention and to study him after so many times of previous study, still seems to be new and revealing. This is one of these instances that yields itself to a new and a fresh study of him, even though all has been said before. Yet, that does not stop me from writing about Paul the COMBATANT.
How did he ever get into the Lord’s army at first? We all know the answer and if we look at his induction into this army of our Lord as one would look at a modern day draft of soldiers, we can say that Paul was Called up or drafted to fight for Jesus. Just as a nation calls up its young men to come and fight for that nation, so was Paul called to be in the army of our God.
When a nation is in need of soldiers in a time of national peril, the government calls upon the pool of possible soldiers to go and fight for the safety of the homeland. Sometimes these young men and women do not want to go, but so many go in obedience to the will of the nation that they submerge all of their personal wishes and go to serve in their nation’s army. This was Paul’s situation when he received his call to go into the service for Jesus. He would have never volunteered before he was drafted, but once he received his notice for service to the King of kings, he accepted and went willingly. The Call that he received on the road to Damascus changed him forever and he became a happy warrior for Jesus from that day forward.
Once in Jesus’ Army, he received what is so common to soldiers in the world’s army of today, he was Commissioned, ordered, to do a specific task. No, he never received a title that is often given to one who is commissioned in an army; Paul’s commission was to go and preach for Jesus.
Without any ordination certificate, without any formal organization behind him, with no guarantee of money, position, or even a parish, he was sent forth to preach for Jesus. His Commission was not a piece of paper, or a plaque on the wall, nor stripes on his sleeves, his Commission was to go and preach for Jesus. That simple charge led him to and through places and events that nearly cost him his life, yet he went in obedience to his calling and commissioning and as he was approaching the end of his service in the army of his Lord, he could proudly say, “I have fought a good fight.…”
Oh, what would we Christians do with out this soldier who blazed the way before us centuries ago? What an inspiration he is. What a model he serves for we who are soldiering for Jesus. What a fighter he was for Christ. His writings, his messages, his life have helped undermine kingdoms of darkness and evil that have sprung from the pits of Hell. His messages, his might, his mission have helped undercut many dictators who strove to stamp out Christianity. He stands as a giant in our world of today and all he was, was a Commissioned preacher for Jesus. He knew no fear. He never let a person’s rank rattle him as he defended the truth as found in Jesus. He never shrunk from a battle for the right. He was always in the forefront of the fight, carrying the message of salvation to the enemy. He trampled on forbidden territory and never shrank from the battle. He was consistent in season and out of season. He was a soldier when he was sailing on a ship and when it was broken up by the waves. He was a soldier for Jesus when he was in the ornate places of judgment as well as in the odious jails of Europe. He was a soldier first, second and always. He was a soldier when he was preaching, when he was dictating letters to other churches and people, and when he was one on one with new converts and old political hacks. Once he was Called and then Commissioned. He never took a furlough, a time off, a rest or never sat idle-he was a soldier from the first, and with a grateful heart he was able to say as he came to the end of his soldier’s life, “I have fought a good fight.…” He did fight a good fight for Jesus and for the faith once delivered to the saints.
Yet, as all soldiers in an army, he received some type of remuneration for his service. As other soldiers usually receive some type of Compensation for their service, Paul received his reward. No, he never received a great deal of money, as far as we know. He even had to work for his own bread at times. Yet, his salary was not/is not measured in this world’s value of monetary gain.
Thinking that Jesus would return in his lifetime or shortly thereafter, Paul discounted the importance of money and worldly gain and concentrated on laying up treasures where moths do not devourer nor rust corrode nor where thieves break through and steal the treasurer. He invested his services as a soldier of the Cross in helping to build a Church that still is in existence all of these centuries since he was with us. As a soldier, he was more interested in getting people ready for Heaven rather than seeing how much money he could deposit in his saving account. His Compensation in worldly matters was certainly not much, but he never lived for this world either. His Compensation was/is beyond the sunrise and the sunset of life. His investment in the army of the Lord is still paying great dividends for him and will be doing so as the endless ages of eternity unfold. He no doubt died poor in this world’s goods, but oh the wealth of this man’s Heavenly Compensation is beyond calculating. Little did he realize that day so long ago, on the road to Damascus, that he would soon become a COMBATANT in the army of the Lord. He was dully Called, Commissioned, and Compensated for his service to his King. No wonder he could say, “I have fought a good fight.…” He did fight a good fight.
** COMMANDER: As we look at Paul being a Combatant in the Army of the Lord, we have to look at his Commander-Jesus. Paul did fight a good fight and He did keep the faith, being who he was, but it is necessary to look at the One he was following: Jesus. Living the Christian life is full time job and it is comparable to a spiritual warfare as Paul noted. We Christians are fortunate to have as our Leader, He who goes before us and He who leads us on to victory. It is imperative that we look for a brief moment at just who this Commander is.
The first thing I note is that our Leader, Paul’s Leader, is One who is Credible. He is one who is well suited to be the Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Lord. The One Paul followed is the One who knows the terrain of the land; He knows the wiles of our enemy; He is used to hard combat; and, He is one who has not lost a battle to Satan yet, nor will He ever lose.
Take a brief moment and study the Temptations of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel and then let me know if you think our Jesus is a Credible leader for us to follow? There, in the Wilderness, the two met together on Satan’s turf-this Earth, and Jesus came away the Victor. The Bible says that Satan left Jesus alone for awhile only to return again with his fiendish plot to subdue Jesus and win over Him. The next major battle was at the Cross where it looked like Satan had at last won the battle, but three days later, Jesus rose from the dead and has ascended on high to be our High Priest and the Captain of the Lord’s army. This One whom Paul followed in Europe, Asia and on the Mediterranean, is still the One who is leading His soldiers into battles with the enemy of our souls and Jesus has not lost a battle yet.
When the battle gets heavy, and the enemy looks as if he has us cornered, look to the Captain of the Army of the Lord-Jesus and trust in Him, He knows what He is doing and He is trustworthy to lead you on to victory.
Not only is this COMMANDER a Credible leader, He is also a Compassionate General. He is not like George Patton was in World War II who was abrasive and rough on his men and his enemies. He is not like the Butcher, General Grant, of the Union Army during the Civil War, that sent waves and waves of men against the Southern forces, knowing that many of them would be slaughtered. Our Jesus is not like the Russian Army General, Jorge Zhukov, who stationed part of his army in the rear ranks of his own men with the orders to shoot to kill any Russian soldier who would dare to turn and run away from the German armies at Stalingrad. No, our Captain is one who is all Compassionate.
The old prophet said that he would not break a twig, and He has lived up to His charge. He knows when the sparrow falls from its nest and He knows when we are in the midst of a life and death struggle against Satan and his imps. The Bible says that He knows how much we can endure and He will not allow us to be tempted above that which we can bear. And, when life is over and our battles are over, the Bible says that He will wipe the tears from our eyes. He is all Compassionate to His soldiers and He knows how to deliver us from the heat of the battle.
Paul verified this when after being beaten by the Romans, he was then thrown into the innermost part of the jail. There tied and shackled, he and Silas began to sing the Psalms of Zion and from way beyond this Earth the Heavenly Father’s heart was griped with mercy and as He looked over the ramparts of Heaven itself and looked way down into the dungeon at Philippi and said, “Enough is enough.” Then with a gentle wind from Glory Land, breathed by God, it picked up speed and by the time it hit old Mother Earth, the ground shook and swayed and the quake was so powerful that the chains which were holding His servants snapped like little twigs, the doors flew open, and God’s men were free. Our Leader is Compassionate to His core and it is a privilege to serve Him.
One more thing about our COMMANDER and that is He is a Conqueror. He was born in an out of the way place; He was laid to rest in a manger; His company were animals and Shepherds; He was soon ushered into Egypt as one on the lamb; He was brought back home and was taken to live in a disreputable city, called Nazareth; He never attended a school as we know it; He worked in His earthly father’s shop as a lowly carpenter; He left home around the age of thirty to walk the dusty highways and byways of Palestine; He never owned a home of His own; He was more free than the birds of the air who have to return to their nests to feed and protect their young; He was hounded by the Pharisees and Sadducees as he talked about Heaven, Hell and the coming judgment; He was finally put on a cross; and yet, He won over all odds and still lives, a Conqueror over Death, Hell and the Grave. This Man knows how to survive. He cannot be silenced; He cannot be killed; He cannot be humiliated, out foxed, out maneuvered, side-tracked nor damaged in any way, shape or fashion-He is the ultimate Conqueror. This was the One that Paul followed and this is the One who is our Leader today. He will win, and for this reason, Paul says that, “I have fought
a good fight.” How can we Christians do otherwise than fight a good fight for Jesus seeing who He is and how He will lead us to victory?
*** THE CONFLICT: Since Paul was in the Army of the Lord and fought a good fight following his Leader, we who have come after him are also in this same army and we are still following our Lord who is leading us to victory. But what about our fight? Are we fighting the good fight of faith? Let us look for a few minutes about our Army and what we are doing in this battle for Jesus.
First, the battle in which we are engaged is a Continuous battle. There is no let up, no R and R in this fight. We are engaged in a life and death struggle that will only cease when we lay down our bodies in death or when Christ comes back for His Redeemed. The fight began when Satan revolted against God and it has gone on unabated since then. We who come to believe in Christ as our Lord and Savior, are just a continuum of the millions of saints who have preceded us. We join the ranks of the Redeemed, we serve side by side others who have been valiant warriors for years. Soon they pass on to glory having fought a good fight for Christ and we take their place. We are soon joined by new believers the world over while we continue to grow older and wiser as we follow Christ. Soon these new ones will take our place and we will lay down our arms saying, “I have fought a good fight” and the battle is Continuous, it never abates.
Not only is the battle an ongoing battle, but it is a Consuming battle. It demands all of our labor night and day. We are always on duty. There are no stops, no furloughs, no back ups, no retreats. It is always on going and upward moving as we push toward the mark that is set before us. To be a Christian means being a real man or a real woman. There is no room for sissies or crybabies in this Army of the Lord. Serving Him demands our all, and we are giving it our best all the time. Paul did and he said, he fought a good fight. We have to do just as he did if we are to say the same thing when we face life’s ending time.
Lastly, this battle in which we are engaged is a Cosmic struggle of the greatest proportions. It involves the very essence of all things both seen and unseen. We wrestle with powers of darkness that seek to damn our souls, and we are engaged in a fight that is visible to God but invisible to us.
Satan seeks to disrupt the Army of the Lord in so many ways, ways of which we know so little, but ways that God sees and He, as the COMMANDER of His forces, deploys His army here and there to thwart the plans of Satan and to win the battle. We cannot see beyond the veil, but we serve Him in this on going CONFLICT and if we are true, someday we will say as Paul said, I have fought a good fight.
Let us honor Paul, others and especially the Lord of our Life as we follow Him where He leads us in this ongoing struggle in our fight with the evil of this world and the world of the unseen. There are just a few more battles to fight; there are just a few more tears to shed; there are just a few more prayers to be said; and, then, God will call us Home and there we will at last gaze upon Him who shed His blood for us and with a straight back, standing at attention, we will proudly say, “General Jesus, I have fought a good fight for you.” Nothing less of us can be expected.
