9 to 5 Christianity
2 Timothy 2:1-7
Intro:
One day a little boy anxiously waited for his father to come home from work. He had seen a bright shiny toy train in the toy store window and just had to have it. He asks his father, if he could do something in order to get this train. His father replied that he would have to and mow the entire lawn. The little boy quickly agreed and went right to work to next morning. That afternoon as the father approached the house, he noticed that the front yard looked wonderful. But he decided to head to the backyard first before heading into the house to congratulate his son. Upon opening the gate, he noticed that backyard was a complete mess, and it seemed that his son had dumped all the lawn clippings there. Very disappointed the father informed the son that he would not be getting his gift.
Often as Christians we take the same approach to our Christianity. We put on a wonderful looking exterior, but our back yard is a complete mess. A large majority of Christians only due the bare minimum they believe it takes to get by. We often fall into the habit, I like to call “9 to 5 Christianity” and only want to do just enough to get by.
Body
Our salvation is free, but Christ calls for us to follow His Word and all the commandments found within it. In the book of 2 Timothy 2, we see an example of the Christian life and what Christ is expecting of us all.
READ: 2 TIMOTHY 2:1-7
PRAYER
*3 Examples of the Christian Life*
I. The Soldier – vv. 3-4
a. Never off-duty
i. On-duty all the time
ii. Expected to be ready to go when the Commander Calls
b. Equipped for the Battle
i. Always have the right weapons and armor to succeed
c. Not concerned with Worldly affairs
i. Keep focused on the Commander and the mission
II. The Athlete – vv. 5
a. Trains hard
i. On-going process of trying to improve
b. Doesn’t let set backs stop them
i. They pick themselves up and prepare for the next event
c. Focused on the Gold
i. Doesn’t train for second place
d. Not a spectator
i. Doesn’t watch the game, but is active in it.
e. Follows the Rules
i. God knows everything that we do. There is no hiding it.
III. The Farmer – vv. 6
a. Back breaking Work
i. God never promised a downhill trip to Heaven
ii. Heaven is above us, not below us.
iii. Any dead fish can float down stream.
b. Always works at the Crops
i. Works from dawn till dusk
ii. Constantly tending them (Plants, works, & harvest)
c. Works hard to reap the reward
i. We reap what we sow
ii. Lazy farmers reap bug infested crops
Conclusion
Christ did not call us into 9 to 5 Christianity. God has called us all to be hard fighting, goal minded, soul winners.
