A Good Soldier of Jesus Christ
Chuck Sligh
November 13, 2016
TEXT: 2 Timothy 2:3 – “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
INTRODUCTION
In Romans 13:7 we are admonished to give honor to whom honor is due. Sometimes we wait until someone is gone to give them their due honor. Then it’s too late for them to appreciate our appreciation.
Illus. – I read yesterday an amazing story. Imagine a funeral where the preacher’s giving the eulogy and suddenly, the “guest of honor”, so to speak, pops up out of the coffin!
Well believe it or not, this really happened! George Sogwe of South Africa decided to fake his death as a test.
He said, “I wanted to know what people would say about me when I’m dead. I’m satisfied they spoke the truth about me and not lies.”
One friend said, “George says he’s gonna keep the coffin for his real funeral . which may be held sooner than he thinks, if he keeps pulling stunts like this!”
Most of the time, people have passed away before we ever honor them properly. How sad! The same thing is often true when honoring our veterans of our armed services. Most are dead and gone before we pay them any significant tribute. Sometimes, it’s because they were killed on the field of battle. But those who survived war and service for their country should not wait until they die to hear tributes of their willingness to answer the call to serve their country.
Illus. – One thing that stands out in the book Flags of Our Fathers, which is way better than the movie by the way, is that few World War II veterans saw themselves as heroes, even if they had a Medal of Honor, Silver Star or Purple Heart on their faded uniforms. They saw the ones who didn’t come back as the true heroes.
Well, in my book, any solider who had to fight IS a hero! But whether you’ve fought in battle or served behind the lines in wartime or in peacetime, and no matter what your job, be it front-line infantryman of rear guard cook, I believe you deserve honor and respect for your service for your country.
That’s what Veteran’s Day, which is celebrated tomorrow in the U.S., is all about. Soldiers, I salute you for your service to your country. Thank you.
Now in our text, Paul tells us to “endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” We’re to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ. Now what is a good soldier of Jesus Christ? I got to thinking about that.
Part of the answer is found in the text (a good soldier endures hardness), but part of the answer is understood by looking at soldiering in real life and applying what we learn to the spiritual realm. Let’s think about what is a good soldier of Jesus Christ this morning:
I. FIRST, A GOOD SOLDIER ACCEPTS DUTY.
Upon induction a recruit becomes a soldier, but not necessarily a good soldier. A good soldier, first of all, accepts his duty. A good soldier does not shrug off his duty, but accepts it as a matter of course.
Likewise, there are duties of every soldier of the cross:
• To publicly identify with Jesus Christ through water baptism subsequent.
• To be a witness, live a holy life, read God’s Word and pray.
• To live a life of love, compassion, kindness, generosity and unselfishness.
• To serve God and others.
• To be a faithful member of a local church.
• To support that church through serving in it and tithing to it.
These are some of the things that are our duty as soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Illus. – I mentioned to you earlier that I had read Flags of Our Fathers. The first part of the book tells about the invasion of the island of Iwo Jima. The Marines had already conquered and secured Guadalcanal and other islands of significance.
However, Iwo Jima was important to Japan as the last major hurdle to mainland Japan, and because of its two strategic runways. Japan knew they would lose Iwo Jima to the American Marines. Their goal was not to hold Iwo Jima, but to cause such a slaughter of Marines that the American people would recoil in horror at the carnage and settle for a negotiated peace instead of unconditional surrender. They constructed massive fortifications, including 17 miles of underground tunnels connecting natural caves and caverns on an island roughly 2 miles wide and 4 miles long.
The battle of Iwo Jima lasted 36 days, resulting in American casualties of 6,821 dead and 20,000 wounded, almost double the toll of American military deaths in the Iraq War over a ten year period. The Japanese intended to sacrifice every one of their 22,000 defenders. They almost succeeded: Only 1,083 survived out of 22,000, almost none of whom surrendered while conscious.
How were the American Marines—humans just like you and me, with fears and emotions just like any other human—how were they able to land on the beach of Iwo Jima, and keep going forward inch by bloody inch day after bloody day for a month?
I’ll tell you what it was: DUTY!
Oh, that soldiers of the cross would fight Satan and his kingdom with such a strong, driving sense of duty.
Duty that would propel you and me to serve the Lord even when we don’t feel like it!… To do right even when we don’t want to.
To respond in love even when we would like to punch somebody in the face.
• To witness even when we’re afraid.
• To read our Bibles even when we’re not in the mood.
• To pray when we want to sleep.
• To serve when we’d rather just come to church, take a seat and be served.
• To be at church even when we’re tired, worked late, or were up late.
• That God’s soldiers would DO THEIR DUTY—and do it gladly, with honor!
II. SECOND, A GOOD SOLDIER IS DEPENDABLE (FAITHFUL)
A good soldier doesn’t sleep on guard duty. He can be counted on in the battle. He’s reliable. In other words, he’s FAITHFUL!
1 Corinthians 4:2 says, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”
Illus. – Now I never was in the military, excuse me if I don’t get this just right, but imagine the following scenario of at a Monday Morning Accountability Formation. You can always count on a good soldier to show up for formation, right? Now imagine this: (ACT OUT THE FOLLOWING DIALOGUE SHOWING MANY CHRISTIAN’S ATTITUDES ABOUT THE LORD’S SERVICE):
PLATOON SGT: Where’s Private Jackson?
CORPORAL DAVIS: Sir, he’s sleeping in today. He was up late last night watching the Jacksonville Jaguars get smashed, and needed a good rest.
SGT: Well, that’s wonderful. We want our fighting men to get plenty of sleep! So where’s Private Hernandez!
CORPORAL DAVIS: Sir, he decided he didn’t care too much for this outfit so he’s visiting another platoon today to see about placing his platoon membership there.
SGT: Well, okay, Corporal. We don’t care where they go, just so long as they are involved in a good Army platoon of their choice. How about Corporal Ferguson?
CORPORAL DAVIS: Sarge, no offense, but he just doesn’t like you that much much. He’s visiting a platoon where the sergeant’s more to his liking.
SGT: Well, I don’t expect everyone to like me. The sign of a good fighting force is soldiers who love their superiors. All right soldiers, dismissed.
Can you imagine such a dialogue? It’s absurd, isn’t it? You cannot have an effective fighting force until your soldiers become dependable.
In the Christian realm, we call dependability “faithfulness!” We ought to be faithful soldiers of Jesus Christ. A good soldier is dependable and faithful and can be counted on.
Illus. – Down through the years I’ve heard every reason you can imagine for not being faithful to the Lord’s house. One lady told me her family stayed home because their poodle was sick.
Now, I think just out of principle that poodles—the most prissy dog ever bred—ought to be shot on sight. (…just kidding).
Okay—I can see somebody staying home to nurse Poochy-Poo if he’s truly sick enough, but THE WHOLE FAMILY NEEDS TO STAY HOME?! Dude, that’s one PAMPERED prissy dog!
But faithfulness has not just to do with regularity in church attendance, but with dependability in every area of ministry. For example, if you’re serving in a ministry, you should be dependable so that we’re not having to look for an unprepared teacher or helper at the last minute.
What am I saying? I’m saying a good soldier shows up for formation, debriefings staff meetings, etc. A good soldier is faithful! God help us who are soldiers of the cross to be faithful and dependable.
III. NUMBER 3, A GOOD SOLDIER IS OBEDIENT.
A soldier demonstrates his loyalty to his superiors by obeying orders. And a Christian demonstrates his loyalty to God by obedience to Christ’s commands.
Jesus said in John 14:15 – “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
Have you purposed in your heart to obey God’s orders given to you? The single most important word in the Christian life is OBEDIENCE.
Illus. – The story’s told of a committee of ministers in a certain city discussing having D.L. Moody serve as the evangelist during a city-wide evangelistic campaign. D.L. Moody, who lived in the late 1800s was one of the greatest preachers in America’s history.
One young minister at this meeting who didn’t want to invite Moody stood up and asked: “Why Moody? Does he have a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?”
There was silence for a minute or two. Then an old godly minister spoke up: “No, he does not have a monopoly on the Holy Spirit; but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on D.L. Moody.”
Moody knew how to take orders from God; he knew about obedience. What has God told you TO DO that you are not doing in obedience to Him? What has God told you TO STOP DOING that you are still doing? God help you to OBEY your Great Commander-in-Chief!
IV. HERE’S SOMETHING ELSE: A GOOD SOLDIER KNOWS HIS MISSION.
Now correct me if I’m wrong, but is it not true that every military unit has a mission? Also, every individual soldier has a specific mission as well. One is a medic; another is a radio operator; another a clerk; another a truck mechanic; and so on; and everybody sometime or the other is a latrine specialist.
All have diverse missions, but also one transcendent mission at the same time that applies to ALL soldiers—to defend the Constitution of the United States of America.
Now don’t get me wrong—the individual mission is important. If a soldier fails his INDIVIDUAL mission, there’s a gap in the UNIT’S mission. But all the individual missions are included into the ONE larger, more important mission—to defend the Constitution of the United States.
The same is true in the local church We all have individual missions—that is, individual jobs and responsibilities in service of the Lord’s local church. But we must not forget our transcendent mission, which is to witness and do our part to reach those without Christ with the Gospel.*
Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20 – “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…”**
Let’s never forget our ultimate mission is not in itself to teach a class, or sing on a worship team, or clean the church, but ultimately, all of these are to help us accomplish the ultimate mission of the WHOLE church: to witness and bring others to Christ.
V. FIFTH, A GOOD SOLDIER ENGAGES THE ENEMY, NOT HIS OWN FORCES.
Illus. – Listen to this true story from a Seattle, Washington newspaper article:
An eighteen-year-old apparently took a Seattle police car for a joyride. The theft was reported on law-enforcement broadcasts, and a bicycle patrol officer in downtown Seattle spotted it. A police car immediately gave chase but lost sight of the stolen vehicle after pausing to check for oncoming traffic at an intersection. It was then that a second police car pulled up and—thinking the stopped car was the stolen vehicle—rammed it from behind. The two policemen in the car that had been hit thought they were under attack. So they pulled out their guns and started shooting. A police spokesperson said the officers involved—two in the rammed car and one in the other—exchanged more than twenty rounds before they discovered their mistake! THEY WERE SHOOTING AT ONE ANOTHER!
Brothers and sisters, this is not much different than some churches. Some church members do more shooting at one another than the real enemy. Listen, we Christians are at war, but we’re not to be at war with one another! When we shoot at one another we’re only helping the enemy. The devil loves church fights, and jealousy and silly, petty insults.
Praise God, we’ve been spared that for the most part at Grace Baptist Church—but I want to tell you something: That old buzzard Satan is waiting right outside the door. In fact, I can just guarantee you—since God wants to do BIG things at Grace—I can guarantee you, he’s already IN the church.
And he’ll use one of his secret agents to sow discord and get you to listen to gossip and try to tear down other brothers and sisters in Christ. Don’t fall for it! Don’t listen to it! Get away from people like that! They’re poison—to a church, and to you!
Be loyal; be true to your fellow believers. And don’t shoot at your fellow Christian soldiers. Save your ammunition for our adversary, the devil.
VI. FINALLY, A GOOD SOLDIER IS A SOLDIER NOW.
“IS a soldier; not “was.” I don’t know how many times I’ve talked to people and they’ve said, “Well, I USED to serve God”; or “I USED to be a Sunday School teacher”; or “I USED to be faithful to church”; or “I USED to witness”; or “I USED to read my Bible and pray.”
Listen, you may have been on the injured list for a while, but it’s time to get back in the battle! You may have gone AWOL for awhile, but the battle’s still raging and it’s not too late. Unlike the Army, your commander-in-chief will willingly take you back into service. Just confess your sin and tell God you’ve been AWOL and get back in the fight!
God wants you faithful to him NOW! to serve Him NOW! to get busy for God NOW!
CONCLUSION
Brothers and sisters, we’re called to fight in a war, not just sit around.
The following is attributed to “Gentleman Jim” Corbett, who held the heavyweight boxing title for five years at the end of the nineteenth century:
Fight one more round. When your feet are so tired that you have to shuffle back to the center of the ring, fight one more round. When your arms are so tired that you can hardly lift your hands to guard yourself, fight one more round. When your nose is bleeding and your eyes are black and you are so tired that you wish your opponent would crack you on the jaw and put you to sleep, fight one more round—remembering that the man who fights one more round is never whipped.
Brethren: Fight one more round. After that round, fight another. You must keep on fighting to the end if you expect to experience victory.
Illus. – After the deliverance at Dunkirk, Winston Churchill rallied Britain with his most memorable speech: He said, “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall NEVER surrender.”
In Revelation 2:10 Jesus said, “Be thou faithful, even unto death, and I will give you a crown of life.”
That’s my challenge to you this morning: to be faithful to God, even unto death.
If you would be faithful even unto death tomorrow, you had better get back into active service for the Lord today…
• If you’ve been a slacker and not been serving, it’s time to change that: Find a place of service and serve the Lord and others.
• If you’ve not been faithful to the Lord’s house for worship and fellowship and hearing God’s Word, it’s time to start reporting for duty every Sunday.
• If you’ve been spiritually AWOL, it’s time to get back to your place of duty and serve and be faithful and be counted and stand in the gap. – Confess it to your Commander-in-Chief and He’ll make everything right again.
• If you’ve been disobeying your commander-in-chief, it’s time to begin obeying NOW! – Confess it and forsake it and DO what you know you should do.
• If you’ve been shooting at the brethren, it’s time to make it right and stop it right now. – This battle for the Lord is too important for carnality and infighting.
• Finally, if you’ve not joined up yet, I challenge you to join the Lord’s Army today.
To sign on the dotted line, all you have to do is realize that your Commander-in-Chief, the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sin.
Believe on Him and trust His work on the cross to save you from your sins.
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*This first point was deleted to cut the length of the message and can be used if desired.
I. FIRST, A GOOD SOLDIER IS A VOLUNTEER
A. God doesn’t have draftees in His Army; that is, He does not force anyone to be saved.
B. Illus. – Years ago during the Reagan administration there was a civil war in Nicaraguan.
1. Nicaraguan soldiers frequently forced young people at gunpoint into military service.
2. The result was massive desertions.
3. There is a time for a rational draft, but forcing people into service at the point of a gun does not always make good soldiers.
C. Only those who willingly join His forces are accepted.
D. So spiritually speaking, a good soldier of Jesus Christ is first of all one who has been saved; one who has joined God’s Army voluntarily.
**This illustration was deleted here because it had been done recently and to cut the length of the message down:
A. Illus. –Get three volunteers and do the firemen’s job illustration.
1. 1st fireman – Your job around the fire hall is to cook meals.
2. 2nd fireman – Your job around the fire hall is to cut grass around station, and wash the trucks and keep them nice and clean.
3. 3rd fireman – Your job around the fire hall is to sweep and clean the station inside.
4. (ASK EACH ONE WHAT HIS JOB IS. THE ONLY CORRECT ANSWER: THE JOB OF A FIREMAN IS TO FIGHT FIRES.)
