In His Majesty’s Service
2 Timothy 2:1-4
Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. (2) And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. (3) Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. (4) No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier
It is an honor and privilege to be able to serve one’s country; to stand for and defend its principles and liberties. To be in our nation’s service involves total commitment and may call one to endure hardship and make sacrifices. Those who are willing to serve see this as a small price to pay for the privilege of being in the nation’s military and wear their uniform with pride. As Christians, we have been called to be part of the Lord’s army. We need to realize that we have been given both the privilege and honor of being in His Majesty service.
I. You were selected to serve Christ.
A. 2 Timothy 2:4 “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier”
B. John 15:16 “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”
C. There are no volunteers in God’s army; when we became a believer, we were drafted into service. Every believer has a ministry, and service is not an option.
D. Every born-again believer in Jesus Christ is:
1. Created to serve – (Ephesians 2:10)
2. Saved to serve – (1Timothy 1:8 – 11)
3. Gifted for service – (1 Peter 4:10, 11)
4. Authorized to serve – (Matthew 20:26 – 28)
5. Commanded to serve – (Matthew 28:18 – 28)
6. To be prepared to serve – (Ephesians 4:11, 12)
7. Needed to serve – (1 Corinthians 12:27)
8. Accountable to Christ for his or her service – (2 Corinthians 5:10). – adapted from Dr. Stan Ponz, International Baptist Church, “We Were Made for Good Works”
E. God calls all believers to minister to the world and the church. Service in the body isn’t optional for Christians.
F. Failing to serve is no less than being guilty of dereliction of duty – the willful or conscious neglect or delinquency of one’s duty and obligation.
II. You are to seek please the Lord that chose you.
A. 2 Timothy 2:4 “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier”
B. John Kenneth Galbraith, in his autobiography, A Life in Our Times, illustrates the devotion of Emily Gloria Wilson, his family’s housekeeper: It had been a wearying day, and I asked Emily to hold all telephone calls while I had a nap. Shortly thereafter the phone rang. Lyndon Johnson was calling from the White House. “Get me Ken Galbraith. This is Lyndon Johnson.”“He is sleeping, Mr. President. He said not to disturb him.” “Well, wake him up. I want to talk to him.” “No, Mr. President. I work for him, not you. When I called the President back, he could scarcely control his pleasure. “Tell that woman I want her here in the White House.” – Copied
C. We must realize who we work for. We work for Him. We are employed in His Majesty’s service.
D. It is Christ and Christ alone that we seek to honor and please.
E. Please – to be the source of satisfaction, pleasure or contentment to another
F. Barnes states that “a good soldier's great object is to approve himself to (his Commander). It is not to pursue his own plans, or to have his own will, or to accumulate property or fame for himself. His will is absorbed in the will of his commander, and his purpose is accomplished if he meets with his approval.”- Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible
G. Even our Savior sought to please Him Who sent Him. Luke 22:42 “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”
III. You are to remain strong in order to serve Christ
A. 2 Timothy 2:1 “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
B. Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.”
C. We fight against a formidable foe and can only defeat him with God’s strength. Thus Paul admonishes Timothy to strengthen himself with the power that is provided by grace.
D. Herbert Jackson once told how, as a new missionary, he was given a car to use that would not start without a push. After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car off. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years. Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, “Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable.” He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson’s astonishment, the engine roared to life. For two years needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting that power to work. - copied
E. J. B. Phillips paraphrases Ephesians 1:19-20, “How tremendous is the power available to us who believe in God.” When we make firm our connection with God, his life and power flow through us.
F. “The secret of power is to discover and to learn from the New Testament what is possible for us in Christ. What I have to do is to go to Christ. I must spend my time with Him. I must meditate upon Him; I must get to know Him” – DR Martin-Lloyd Jones, Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure: page 298-99, 1965
IV. You are to be willing to sacrifice in the service of Christ
A. 2 Timothy 2:3 “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
B. Endure harness - Suffer hardship, suffer what is bad, suffer ill treatment, endure persecution, suffer misfortune, to be in a sorry case.
C. Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
D. 2 Timothy 3:12 “Yea and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
E. A fruitful Christian life, inevitably, is accompanied by intense spiritual warfare and opposition. The Scriptures encourage us to stand strong.
F. Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
V. You are to be set apart in order to serve
A. 2 Timothy 2:4 “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier”
B. Entangle - means in general to interconnect closely and so to wrap or twist together and thus entwine, intertwine, braid, entangle and finally to be caught in. Figuratively empleko means to become involved in an activity to the point of interference with other activities or objectives.
C. 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
D. Too many Christians are so entangled in worldliness that they are not able to live the Christian life.
E. Anything that dims my vision of Christ or takes away my taste for Bible study or cramps my prayer life or makes Christian work difficult is wrong for me, and I must, as a Christian, turn away from it. This simple rule may help you find a safe path for your feet along life's road.—J. Wilbur Chapman.
F. Romans 12:9 “Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.”
VI. You will be commended for your service after you have served Christ well.
A. Colossians 3:23-24 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”
B. Audie Murphy (Wikipedia) was an unlikely hero. Weighing in at only 112 pounds and with the face of a child, Audie was 18 years old when he went overseas during World War II. Nothing about him suggested a hero in the making. Yet when called upon by his commanding officers to do the duty of a soldier, Murphy held nothing back. By war’s end, the quiet boy from Texas had fought with extraordinary bravery and saved the lives of countless fellow soldiers. He returned home to an adoring public, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, and received at least 36 other medals—making him one of the most decorated soldiers in U.S. history, all because nothing meant more to him as a soldier than the will of his commanding officer.
C. Hebrews 10:36 “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”
D. If we consider the greatness and the glory of the life we shall have when we have risen from the dead, it would not be difficult at all for us to bear the concerns of this world. If I believe the Word, I shall on the Last Day, after the sentence has been pronounced, not only gladly have suffered ordinary temptations, insults, and imprisonment, but I shall also say: "O, that I did not throw myself under the feet of all the godless for the sake of the great glory which I now see revealed and which has come to me through the merit of Christ!" - Martin Luther.
E. Matthew 25:21 “His lord said unto him, Well done, [thou] good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”
F. Revelation 22:12 “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
