2 Timothy 2:1-10 3/15/26 A.M. “Methods of Warfare”
Well, as most of you all know, Old Jake Taylor back there joined the army and will be leaving next week for basic training in South Carolina. I have watched him grow and mature since he was a little boy and I am confident that he is grounded in his faith and commitment to Jesus.
We all will be praying for God’s protecting hand to be over him but even more important than that, I’m praying for him to be a light to his fellow soldiers. There will be times when he will be in some very dark places and I pray the LIGHT of JESUS will shine bright. I’m excited for him and I know he’s gonna do great things. Let’s all keep him in our prayers.
So eventually, the plan is for him to be stationed up here at Fort Riley Kansas so hopefully it won’t be too long before we see him again.
You know, I appreciate young men and women who are willing to serve. There’s a lot of talk about HONORING our SOLDIERS and VETERANS. They get discounts at restaurants and stores. At a certain point they get free health care. And you know what? THEY DESERVE EVERY BIT OF IT!!! They put their live’s on the line for this country. And what is this country? It’s individuals. It’s you and I and it’s our children and grandchildren. It’s our FUTURE.
There are churches that teach Pacifism. The Quakers, Mennonites and Amish are examples. My question to them is, “What will they do if another country invades our land?” Run?
Now looking into the Book of 2 Timothy, the Apostle Paul is giving Young Timothy some advice. Some direction.
Paul knows all too well that a war is RAGING. He’s an Old Veteran of the BATTLES that are fought for the SOULS of men and so he writes this letter to what you might call a NEW RECRUIT. A young fellow by the name of Timothy.
And so let’s look at the ADVICE and DIRECTION that was given to Timothy because it was also given to you and I. This is for all of us so let’s go ahead and read 2 Timothy 2, Verses 1-10, “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.
5 And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.
6 The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.
7 Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.
8 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:
9 Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.
10 Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”
As I read through this I saw 4 things that Paul felt was really important for Timothy to know. You might call them the “Methods of Warfare.” The way to WAGE WAR against Satan.
And so let’s go to the Lord in Prayer and then we’ll get into our message today.
I’m gonna ask Brother M. P. Lee, a Veteran of the Vietnam War, to lead us?
PRAY
And so first of all I want to point out one thing. This war that we’re fighting is NOT a conventional war. It is a Spiritual Battle. Ephesians 6:12 tells us that we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood but against Spiritual wickedness in HIGH PLACES.
Now this morning I’m not gonna talk about the WEAPONS that are used in this Spiritual Battle. Back in Ephesians 6, you can read on down there and it talks about WEAPONS. No, I want to talk about the METHODS of Spiritual Warfare. The is BATTLE is fought through the POWER of GOD and if we FOLLOW HIS PLAN we will win.
ILLUS: General Eisenhower was Supreme Commander during WW2 but he didn’t go out with a gun and fight. No, his job was to stay back and study the maps and formulate a plan to WIN the WAR. And so Paul gives Timothy and us the METHODS to win this Spiritual War.
I. And so first of all in Verse 1 he gives us the first thing we need to know to WIN.
“be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
The GRACE of JESUS.
The GRACE of JESUS is what gave PAUL and TIMOTHY the STRENGTH to keep on fighting.
“Timothy, keep on fighting. Even though times might get tough. Even though TRIBULATION and PERSECUTION may come. DON’T QUIT!!! Listen to me Timothy, the GRACE of JESUS is what will give you strength. The UNMERITED FAVOR of JESUS.” GRACE in ANY SITUATION!!!
The Old Apostle Paul knew all about PERSECUTION and TRIBULATION. You might say he was ACCREDITED to teach this COURSE. He had been through some tough times. He had been BEAT, WHIPPED, STONED, SNAKE BIT, and JAILED but yet he kept on going. How? By the STRENGTH he found in the GRACE of JESUS.
His GRACE is there whatever situation that comes our way. I’ve seen some of you all go through some HARD TIMES. You have endured things that would BREAK most people.
I’ve seen some of you BATTLE HEALTH ISSUES for years and you haven’t given up.
And I’ve watched others battle Depression and Anxiety. It’s REAL and you didn’t quit when things seemed hopeless.
I’ve watched some of you folks go through GREAT LOSS. The most important person in your life has passed away. And through the STRENGTH FOUND in the GRACE of GOD you continued on. Listen, it could have caused you to quit. I’ve watched some QUIT after a HUGE LOSS.
But yet, through the GRACE of God, you’ve ENDURED and even FLOURISHED.
Listen, Paul was teaching Timothy here to LEAN on the GRACE of JESUS when things got hard. And that’s what we need to do today.
II. And for the second method of winning this war, Paul tells Timothy to PASS ON what you GAIN. Look at Verse 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.”
Listen, Paul was done and he knew it. This was his last letter written. He was done starting churches. He was done preaching the Gospel. He was finished fighting but the WAR would continue without him. He would soon die. And so he passed on what he KNEW to Timothy and he told Timothy to pass it on down to others.
Folks, this war has been ongoing since the Dawn of Time. From the moment Adam and Eve gave in to the TEMPTATION of the DEVIL this battle has RAGED.
The Prophets of the Old Testament fought it.
NOAH preached RIGHTEOUSNESS to the people and they wouldn’t listen. And so he built an ARK and souls were saved.
Abraham BELIEVED God and it was counted to him for RIGHTEOUSNESS. He kept the FAITH and Isaac was BORN.
Old Moses REFUSED to be called the daughter of Pharaoh and CHOSE to FOLLOW GOD as he led the Children of Israel out of Egyptian Bondage. Then he passed it on to Joshua.
Elijah WOULDN’T GIVE UP and he fought the Prophets of Baal there on Mt. Carmel and he won. ThenElisha took over.
We can go on through the Old Testament and we can see both MEN and WOMEN who STOOD for GOD and they passed it on down to the next generation. They SHARED what they had GAINED in their BATTLES against SATAN.
Paul kept on fighting the good fight of FAITH and he wanted TIMOTHY to do the same. TIMOTHY DON’T QUIT!!!
And so many of you folks setting here today have FOUGHT the BATTLES. You have DEPENDED on the GRACE of JESUS for your STRENGTH. And let me tell you something. NOW is not the time to QUIT. NOW is the time to SHARE what you have GAINED. What you have learned from your years of fighting.
ILUUS: I was thinking about Jake going into the service a WEEK from today. And I know some of you folks have probably shared with him YOUR EXPERIENCE when you first went in. Maybe the MIND GAMES the DRILL SERGEANT will play on him. Maybe the TEAR GAS he’ll have to ENDURE. The 100 mile HIKES with a full RUCK SACK. And to be honest I think that’s good. He’s gonna know what to expect.
And you and I as VETERANS of this FIGHT need to share our own testimonies with others. Some of these NEW RECRUITS need to hear how GOD brought us out of a MESS. They need to hear that HIS GRACE was always ENOUGH. They need to HEAR the THINGS THAT WE HAVE GAINED ALONG THE WAY!!!
I’ve only been a pastor for 12 years but I have some things to share with young men who may be getting ready to go into the ministry. Battles that I have fought and WON through the POWER of JESUS.
I don’t want to embarrass Brother Donald Lewis but he has a TESTIMONY of the POWER of GOD when it comes to addiction. And he needs to SHARE WHAT HE HAS GAINED along the way with others. People who may be struggling with some of the same things he struggled with. I’m proud of Brother Donald and I HOLD HIM UP of a TROPHY of GOD’S GRACE!!!
Ok, so the first METHOD of WARFARE Paul spoke about was DEPENDING ON the STRENGTH of the Grace of Jesus.
The second METHOD was SHARING what you have GAINED with others. Pass it down.
III. And so I had to have another “G”. Let’s look at
Verses 3 and 4. “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.”
So how do I get a “G” out of that? Well, right here. “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life”
Listen Timothy, don’t get all GUMMED UP with the things that are going on in this life. Why? So that you can please the One who called you into the service. Your Commander.
You know Jake is gonna have to give up a lot to be a good soldier.
He’s gonna have to give up things that would GUM UP his SERVICE to the United States Army.
He’s gonna have to give up time at home. He’s giving up HIS MAMA’S GOOD COOKING!!!! Now don’t start crying back there Jake. He’s basically giving up his freedom to do what he wants to do when he wants to do it. He is now the property of the United States Government. And they will train him to be EXACTLY what they want him to be.
Jake is gonna give up his WILL.
And if you and I want to be a GOOD SOLDIER for the Lord Jesus Christ we’re gonna have to GIVE UP the things that will GUM UP our service to Him.
God CANNOT USE US if we let ourselves get TANGLED UP with the things of this world. He CANNOT USE US if we HOLD ON TO things that will HINDER US in our SERVICE to the One who has called us.
I talked about this last week but in Hebrews 12:1 Paul told the Jewish people that they needed to LAY ASIDE the WEIGHT of SIN that was holding them down. And so many people get so GUMMED UP in the things of this world that it becomes a HINDRANCE in their Christian Life.
I’ve known WELL MEANING PREACHERS that get so EATEN UP with POLITICS that it HINDERS their ministry. Politics DO NOT belong in the pulpit. Preaching the BIBLE and what it says about MORALITY and how we live our lives, DOES BELONG in the PULPIT.
So I beg you as a FOLLOWER of JESUS, don’t get so ENTANGLED, so TIED UP and BUSY, so GUMMED UP with the things of this world that you can’t be a GOOD SOLDIER for Jesus.
And so be STRONG in the GRACE of JESUS.
SHARE what you’ve GAINED with others. Pass it on down.
Don’t get GUMMED UP with the THINGS of this LIFE.
IV. And the last METHOD of WARFARE I see here is found in Verse 8.
“Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel.”
Don’t forget Timothy, it ALL goes back to the GOSPEL.
The reason the Apostle Paul endured what he endured was for the Gospel. All of the things that Timothy would endure would be for the Gospel. Romans 1:16,
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
In 1 Corinthians 9, Verses 19-23 Paul says,
“For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
23 And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.”
NO OTHER REASON. I don’t think Paul cared about FAME. He sure didn’t care about RICHES. He must not have cared much about COMFORT and SECURITY because he left all of that behind on the Road to Damascus.
No, the only thing that Paul really cared about was the GOSPEL. The GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ.
And I have to tell you, that really CONVICTS ME. Why? Because I don’t have that kind of PASSION for the lost. Oh, listen, I do CARE and I SHARE the GOSPEL. I get up here and I PREACH what I believe God wants me to. I TALK to people I meet about Jesus. I TRY to LIVE a LIFE that is pleasing to the Lord. But I don’t have the CONCERN and the PASSION that Paul had. I’m just being honest with you. And if you’ll be honest with yourselves, I bet most of you all don’t either. I think if we could just take a quick little look into HELL it might IGNITE our PASSION. If we could SEE for ourselves where our LOVED ONES are going to spend eternity without Jesus, we might be better SOLDIERS for Jesus.
Listen, every part of our life needs to go back to the GOSPEL. The GOOD NEWS of Jesus.
And so what are the Methods of this WAR?
Be STRONG in the GRACE of JESUS.
SHARE what you’ve GAINED with others. Pass it on down.
Don’t get GUMMED UP with the THINGS of this LIFE.
Because it all goes back to the GOSPEL.
A couple of months ago this is the OATH that Jake swore to “I, ____________________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”
Jake is gonna learn all kinds of things in the United States Army. How to shoot. How to fight. How to clean a toilet with a tooth brush. How to work on equipment. BUT IT ALL GOES BACK TO THIS OATH. To DEFEND the CONSTITUTION and OBEY his Commanders all the way up to the Supreme Commander. The President.
Listen folks, we don’t have much choice. If we’re going to be a follower of Jesus we’re gonna have to FIGHT. If we’re going to INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE, we have to OBEY our COMMANDER and HIS WORD.
In His earlier letter to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:12 Pauls says
“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”
This life is not like the story Jack Handey told.
He said, “There used to be this bully who would demand my lunch money every day. Since I was smaller, I would give it to him. Then I decided to fight back. I started taking karate lessons. But then the karate lesson guy said I had to start paying him five dollars a lesson. So I just went back to paying the bully.” Too many people feel it is easier just to pay the bully than it is to learn how to defeat him.
Too many people today want to just GO ALONG with the DEVIL instead of FIGHTING HIM. That’s not gonna work. You can’t have it both ways. Jesus said in Matthew 12, “You’re either for me or against me.”
There is a BATTLE to FIGHT and Paul shares with us the METHODS of WARFARE. He told us how to fight and how to win. So folks, let’s FIGHT and let’s WIN.
Be STRONG in the GRACE of JESUS.
SHARE what you’ve GAINED with others. Pass it on down.
Don’t get GUMMED UP with the THINGS of this LIFE.
Because it all goes back to the GOSPEL. The Good News of Jesus.
Let’s Pray
