The Christian Duty
Introduction: One of the most tragic events during the Reagan Presidency was the Sunday morning terrorist bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, in which hundreds of Americans were killed or wounded as they slept. Many of us can still recall the terrible scenes as the dazed survivors worked to dig out their trapped brothers from beneath the rubble.
A few days after the tragedy, there was an extraordinary story. Marine Corps Commandant Paul X Kelly, visited some of the wounded survivors then in a Frankfurt, Germany, hospital. Among them was Corporal Jeffrey Lee Nashton, severely wounded in the incident. Nashton had so many tubes running in and out of his body that a witness said he looked more like a machine than a man; yet he survived.
As Kelly neared him, Nashton, struggling to move and racked with pain, motioned for a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote a brief note and passed it back to the Commandant. On the slip of paper were but two words -- "Semper Fi" the Latin motto of the Marines meaning "forever faithful." With those two simple words Nashton spoke for the millions of Americans who have sacrificed body and limb and their lives for their country -- those who have remained faithful. (J. Dobson & Gary Bauer, Children at Risk, Word, 1990 p. 187-188)
To be a Christian means more than merely existing with peace that you believe in Jesus, biding your time until we make it to an easier world. It means to be forever faithful. To be saved requires faith, but to be a Christian requires work. "Faith without works is dead." Notice I didn't say to be saved requires work, but it seems that some people believe that being a Christian means nothing more than having said a prayer a long time ago and as such they can just kick up their feet onto the ottoman and coast onward to glory. God doesn't call us to do nothing. He calls us to certan duties
Transition: When we look into the second epistle of Timothy, we see three pictures of different professions more clearly what our Christian duties are, first ...
I. It is the Christian duty to endure hardness as a good soldier
"Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs - he wants to please his commanding officer." - 2 Tm 2:3,4
If you can't see that you are in a war, you are no veteran of the Christian religion, because those of us that have been a part of the faith can attest to the many campaigns in which we have been a part of. Christians are to endure harships and trials like a good soldier. A Christian's struggles are struggles of war, not a physical war but a spiritual war. Ephesians 6:12 says "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Eph. 6:12) None of the battles that we are called to fight can ever be won without enduring hardship.
Both, the soldier that has just been recruited into the army and the one who is now in training can say they are soldiers, but its only on the battlefield where it will be revealed what kind of soldiers they are. Until the soldier has seen the dust and the smoke of the battlefield, until they have seen the limbs of their fellow soldiers shreded and their clothes rolled in blood; until they have strained toward victory fighting until the mission has ended—they can not say they are good soldiers. Life is a battlefield, and for the true Christian the battlefield of life will test how much you can endure. A good soldier endures hardship. Being able to endure hardship is what separates a good soldier from bad soldiers. You mean there are bad soldiers? Absolutely. Consider the parable of the goats and sheep and wheat and tares and five foolsih and five wise virgins. There are some who call themselves Christians but when the day comes to stand before their professed King, he will say to them - "depart from me you worker of iniquity, I never knew you."
There was a law passed in 2005 called the 'Stolen Valor Act'. It broadened the law to exclude any wearing, making, and selling of military decorations or medals. There are new cases every week of different men claiming to have served in combat, even going as far as wearing uniforms and purple hearts and silver cross medals trying to fool people into believing they are soldiers when in fact, they are not. A soldier is a man of deeds, not of words. It will take more than words for a man to prove his military serive. Jesus said, "You honor me with your lips but your hearts art far from me." God keeps a record of all we have done and while we may have fooled people here on earth there is no fooling him there in heaven. There is a certain hypocrite that enjoys the prestige and honor of being called a Christian, however he can not endure any hardship that comes along with being one.
A soldier is a practical man, a working man, a man who fights the enemy in his enemy's country. The devil is described as the "god of this world (age)." -2 Cor. 4:4 and the "ruler of this world" -Jn. 12:31 We are the invaders of this dark world and belonging to the army of light we should see our swords hacked, and dented armor, and bruised shields, these are the things that mark the good soldier. As I was watching a documentary on WWII an old veteran said "You're cold, hungy, and wet but you still go." The good soldier carries on and goes forward in spite of discomfort. Comfort is for the rich man not for the good soldiering Lazarus' in this world. In times of war there are no luxuries; the call to arms may ring out in the middle of the night and he must rise and fight because he is called 'to be instant in season and out of season,' which means he is always to be on watch and always be ready. Christian soldiers have gotten many scars upon their souls from this spiritual war that has drained them, and wearied them, and although the violence of this world waxes their love cold, and they have gone without food for fasting and they have been weighed down like a water logged baseball, and yet they still go.
The soldier's life is a surrendered life. It is his pleasure to renounce his old pleasure for his new master. He no longer lives for himself, he lives every hour with a certain duty that has been ordered to him by his commanding officer. The soldier's life is a life of self sacrifice. Just as Christ laid down his life for us, the Christian is willing to lay down his life for another. He has surrenderd to the captain of his salvation: The Lord Jesus Christ. Spurgeon who was known for his stirring speach once said "The true soldier is an ambitious being. He pants for honor, seeks for glory; on the field of strife he gathers his laurels, and amidst a thousand dangers he reaps renown. The Christian is fired by higher ambitions than any earthly warrior ever knew; he sees a crown that can never fade;" We love a king who is worthy to be served.
The duty of the Christian is to serve our king enduring the hardships of life, like a good soldier endures the harships of war. He fights day in and day out against the spiritual enemy that threatens to hold his family and his acquantences captive. The Christian soldier swings the sword of the spirit at secular principles and thrusts it into the heart of the doctrines of demons that are flooding the earth. He releases POW's in Satan's camp and goes about pulling down strongholds so that Satan's strongholds don't pull us down.
Transition: The duty of the Christian is to endure trials like a good soldier and the second Paul paints for us in the next verse is one of an athlete...
II. It is the Christian duty to compete as an athlete
"Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules." - 2 Tm 2:5
In the King James it reads "if a man also strives for masteries" which means 'if a man strives for masteries (in the games)' A form of the Olympic games existed in Paul's day and he draws an analogy from their desire to win the victors crown, we too, compete to win one or more of the five crowns. Just as the athlete must submit to the rules, so they are not disqualified, we must do likewise.
Sports fans have the luxury of feeling victory without putting out any effort, and turning off the television when their team is losing. They cheer from the stands, but they are not sweating, bleeding, struggling on the field. We are not called to be fans of Jesus we are called to be followers of Jesus. Jesus has always had many fans, but he doesn't have many followers. When he preached there were thousands gathered around to hear his words, perhaps to see a miracle, but only 12 followed him and one of them was a traitor. Jesus said "whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, pick up their cross and follow me."
In order to receive a crown at the end of this race, you must follow the rules and the rules are clear: you must deny yourself. You can not submit to the flesh whenever temptation comes your way, instead you must submit to the Spirit and resist temptation because that is part of being Christ's disciple.
When trials and tribulations weigh the disciple down with much pain he must endeavor to continue onward. In comparison to sin, the weight of the cross is an easy yoke and a light burden. As he suffered we suffer, and like the apostles we rejoice because we are counted worthy to suffer disgrace for his name.
Jesus is at the finish line and if we strive to see him, He will lead us on the narrow way that is the way of truth and life.
If you do not follow the rules you will be disqualified. Paul said "No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." Paul was going to make sure that there was no stumbling blocks to his faith, by making his flesh a slave to the spirit. Just as Christ died by crucifixion, we crucify the flesh; and as he rose again and lives today, we died to the flesh and live again by his Spirit. In this race we are not competing against each other, we are competing against sin in the world flesh devil.
Ill. The Greek had a race in their Olympic games that was unique. The winner was not the runner who finished first. It was the runner who finished with his torch still lit. I want to run all the way with the flame of my torch still lit for Him.
It is wide gate that leads to hell - broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it. In John 6:66 we read about those apostates that followed for a while and then gave up- "From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him." When Jesus' words became too much for them to believe it was easier to retreat than to continue to follow.
Like an athlete that runs half way through the marathon and then reconsiders the possibility of rain that put out his light or that the race is longer than he planned or trained for; some believers reconsider their cross carrying journey and decide it is better to leave it behind and enjoy a life of pleasure and a life of ease.
Transition: The Christian duty is to obey the Lord's rules clearly defined in his word. Above all to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and love others as yourself. The last Christian duty Paul writes is like the farmer
III. It is the Christian duty to be hardworking like the farmer
"The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops." - 2 Tm 2:6
All three of these professions have one common characteristic: endurance. The farmer works hard, patiently tilling the soil and sowing his seed, and day after day carefully watching over his garden protecting it from insects, animals, and if possible the weather. We must labor before we rest, we must sow before we reap, We must toil in the garden before we receive the harvest. Timothy was being reminded that if he wanted the crown as Paul did he must be willing to endure harship. All of our rewards and treasures that are laid up in heaven are not given freely. Salvation is not earned, but those treasures that will be received once we get to the Bema seat judgment (2 Cor 5:10) have been earned through our faithful labor and patient endurance for the Lord. He records all things- every idle word (Mt 12:36) is written down and will be repeated back to you someday.
If you do not receive a blessing here for your loyal devotion, God is a just employer and will pay you your fair wages in heaven. It is better to receive your reward in heaven than on earth - that is why we should not let the left hand know what the right hand is doing. As one hand is helping someone here or there it is simply a part of what we enjoy doing for others as if we are doing it for the Lord and we do it so often we couldn't possibly count every good work and we shouldn't either for the same reason David shouldn't have had a census for his soldiers. Out of pride we might be tempted to trust our works like David trusted in his men. It offends God when we don't trust him and take actions that show we trust ourselves more than God.
Conclusion: The aposlte Paul makes it clear in this triple picture that not every soldier wins his commander’s applause, but only the veteran who devotes himself heart and soul to his profession being forever faithful; not every athlete wins the crown or prize, but only the one who trains with painful care; not everyone who plows the ground gathers will gather the earth’s fruits, but only the patient toiler will.
Its the same for the Christian. It is not enough to say we are Christians, or even to wish to be of the brotherhood of Christ. Men must really live the life of what they say they love. We are doers of the word and not hearers only.
Ill. The time was the 19th of May, 1780. The place was Hartford, Connecticut. The day has gone down in New England history as a terrible foretaste of Judgment Day. For at noon the skies turned from blue to gray and by mid-afternoon had blackened over so densely that, in that religious age, men fell on their knees and begged a final blessing before the end came. The Connecticut House of Representatives was in session. And as some men fell down and others clamored for an immediate adjournment, the Speaker of the House, one Colonel Davenport, came to his feet. He silenced them and said these words: "The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish, therefore, that candles may be brought." (Robert P. Dugan Jr. Winning the New Civil War, p. 183)
When the Day of judgment comes, the desire of every Christian should be to be found doing his duty. Use the talents he has invested in you to win back to him a spiritual profit. That is why he invested his talents in you in the first place. And it is time to get to work.
Amen.
