Soldiers, Athletes, and Farmers
Text: 2nd Timothy, Chapter 2:1-13
Introduction.
N 2nd Timothy 1:14, Paul tells Timothy to “guard the Truth”. The Truth is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote this letter to Timothy from a prison cell; and, he was going to be put to death in a very short time. And in this 2nd letter to Timothy, Paul is encouraging him to “remain strong” in the difficult times that are ahead of him and to “fulfill” his ministry.
Those who preached the Gospel had suffered persecution by the Jews for years and now Tome was beginning their savage attack on Christianity. The true character of all Christians was being tested as never before.
Some of these people were now looking for a “safe” place to hide—and some were changing the Truth to fit their own ideas. Yes, this was a very difficult world Paul, Timothy, and the brethren lived in during the writing of this 2nd letter to Timothy.
This was a world that was about to explode in violence—especially for the Nation of Israel and the City of Jerusalem. Within a short time, the Roman Legion would lay siege to the City of Jerusalem. The Romans would first starve them first and then attack—they would kill many people, burn the City of Jerusalem, and then destroy the Temple.
Yes, the world Paul, Timothy, and the brethren were living in at the time this 2nd letter was written was very violent—but it had other problems as well. It was a world of distorted values, misleading commitments, confused thinking, and dangerous misconceptions.
When we read about Timothy’s world, we know it was different; but, remarkably, it was also somewhat similar to the world we live in today. This world we live in today also has distorted values, misleading commitments, confused thinking, and dangerous misconceptions.
Guard the Truth.
In his letter, Paul tells Timothy to “guard the Truth” which has been entrusted to him.
How do you guard the Truth?
I know Timothy was told to do this; however, I think everyone who has received and obeyed the Gospel has been entrusted with the promise of life, and each one of us is to “guard the Truth”.
Paul told Timothy how to guard the Truth, and gave him (4) ways to achieve this goal. I wonder if the same (4) ways Paul gave Timothy to accomplish this then—during times of great hardship—may be the same (4) ways we can “guard the Truth” today.
At one time or another, most of us have had to ask ourselves this question: “How do you bring sanity into an insane world?”
Be Strong.
In the 1st verse of Chapter 2, Paul says to Timothy, “…you be strong in the Grace that is Jesus Christ.” You see, Paul is telling Timothy to first of all to “…be strong…”. We always want to be surrounded by strong people, because it will help make us strong as well.
Paul is telling Timothy that, in the congregation in Ephesus, strength begins with him. This is not a strength that is not going to be found in yourself—it is a strength that God has provided you in Christ Jesus.
When we talk about strength that comes from Grace, those are not merely religious words—they are words of great practical value. Sometimes we chose things in this life to lean on and think they will be “reliable”. There is no stronger feeling than thinking that, physically, we can lean on something; but, when we put our weight on it, it gives way. We trusted it to support us—and we’re startled and unbelieving when it proves unreliable.
The only reliable source of strength we can find in this life is “…the Grace found in Christ Jesus.” I believe it can be likened to that old hymn we sing, “On Christ the solid Rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand…”
Surround Yourself With Others.
2nd Timothy 2:2
---2---“And the things you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”
Last week we talked about the Gospel message that is to be passed from one generation to the next. As we convert others to Christ and teach them, this will make us better able to “guard the Truth” and fulfill our ministry.
Why?
Because we are surrounding ourselves with Godly people. Living the Christian life will always be better when we surround ourselves with people who can strengthen and support us. This direction Paul gives Timothy—to entrust the Truth to faithful men who can teach others—is not a new idea. Listen to the words of Jesus said right before He ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of God—
Matthew 28:18-20
---18---“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
---19---Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
---20---teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
3 Metaphors.
Now Paul uses 3 metaphors to describe to Timothy what kind of effort it would take to be successful in Ephesus. Read with me…
2nd Timothy 2:3-6
---3---“Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
---4---No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
---5---And also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.
---6---The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.”
Let’s look at that again. What does success require?
· The dedication of a soldier;
· The discipline of an athlete; and
· The diligence of a farmer.
The Dedication of a Soldier.
Paul tells Timothy the first thing being a dedicated soldier requires is suffering—and there’s no way around it!
Sometimes I watch the History Channel—they show old films of WWI and others—and you’ll see young men going off to war with bands playing and banners flying as the crowds cheers their departure as if they were going off to participate in an exciting event.
Today, the T.V. commercials for the armed services tell us to “join up and have many wonderful experiences—and you can travel free and see the world—and even earn money for college.”
Now, I’m not saying this is not a good aspect of being in the military. What I’m saying is these things don’t make you a true soldier. These men and women become true soldiers when war breaks out and they have to go to a foreign front. It ain’t all fun and travel!
As an old history buff, I loved to talk with true soldiers—those who really fought the battles—and thing I learned very quickly was that war involved suffering.
A hundred years ago—before radio and television—people could only read about victories and defeat. However, the first war actually viewed via television was Vietnam, with the daily video of the daily suffering of the soldiers. Television showed us what war was really like—and it wasn’t pretty!
Jesus said there would “always be wars and rumors of war” and we’re living that today with Iraq. Now I don’t want this lesson to turn into a discussion of whether that war is justified or not. We have elected governmental authorities to determine that issue and we will support them.
Two weeks ago the news program Good Morning America, did a week-long series on our military—the soldiers, sailors, and airmen that protect this country—and the technology they have to use to accomplish their mission. I have to tell you, I was very impressed.
The main thing that impressed me is the dedication of these people. We have a professional army now—no draftees—and we have reserve soldiers, which include seasoned veterans, some 30 years old and older.
The program showed an interview with female soldier who had been called up. This woman had a 4 year-old son, and when she was called up, she had to leave the child with her mother or sister. Her husband was a soldier as well who had also been called up. Both were both being sent to Kuwait and as the interview continued, a picture of her child was shown and the woman had tears streaming down her face.
The interviewer asked the woman, “If they gave you a chance to say “No” about coming here to Kuwait, would you have said no?”
The woman replied, “I would not have said “No”, because I’m a soldier, and protecting my son’s future is why I’m here.”
I thought, “Wow!” This is the dedicated soldier the apostle Paul is referring to in 2nd Timothy, Chapter 2. I never heard even one soldier interviewed say, “I want war.” However, every one of them was committed to fight if that’s what it comes down to.
· War is not a picnic; it involves the suffering of a good soldier.
· War results in death, maimed bodies, and destroyed minds.
· War involves the evil; but, it also involves the innocent.
· I guess war involves the consequences of evil found in the world!
Paul uses the metaphor of a dedicated soldier so Timothy can understand Christian warfare and what being a true dedicated soldier can involve.
Timothy—as well as every Christian today—is to be involved in Christian warfare. That means accepting our share of the pain, the hurt, and the suffering is inevitable.
Paul tells Timothy to be a dedicated soldier requires “single-mindedness”. We cannot become entangled in “civilian” pursuits, rather we must satisfy the one who “enlisted” us.
In the Roman army, not only was the commander the leader; in many cases he was also the recruiter. Naturally, he wanted men who were loyal and loved and trusted him. These traits won battles, and the Roman legionnaires knew how to win.
There could never be a “two-fold objective” for a dedicated soldier and James tells us we can’t be double-minded either!
James 1:6-8
---6---“But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
---7---For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
---8---Being a double-minded man, unstable in all of his ways.”
Now some may ask, “Does this mean that we should not use our civilian resources and abilities in this war?” Well, Paul certainly used his, because he was a tentmaker and he used his vocation to further the cause of the Gospel.
Many of the apostles were fishermen and they used that pursuit. However, this was only their vocation—not the great pursuit in their lives. Someone once said, “Christianity is not a way of doing special things, but a special way to do everything.”
As Christians, we are seeking to please Him as dedicated soldiers!
The Discipline of an Athlete.
Paul tells Timothy, “…an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” We are given certain standards to meet in order to win—with honor—the prize. This takes discipline—the perfect example of discipline found in the life of an athlete.
Now I can hear some of you thinking, “Oh no. The ex-coach has just got to talk about sports again.” I know I use a lot of examples which relate to my past life; but, there are many similarities between preachers and coaches. Both are cheerleaders for their groups—both point out what not to do as well as what to do—both exhort—and both know you have to be steadfast to win the final prize.
Anyway, this reminds me of a preacher J.C. told me about last week. The preacher had just been hired into a new congregation. The first few months every sermon he preached was on the topic of baptism.
Finally, one of the Elders though he could help the young preacher, so he told him, “I’ve noticed that every sermon you’re preaching is on baptism, and I know that’s important; but, you know, there are a lot of different topics and scriptures to preach on that are also important.”
The preacher replied, “Well, where do I start?”
The elder replied, “Why not go back to the beginning?”
To the young preacher, the “beginning” meant the first book of the Bible—Genesis.
So, the next Sunday morning rolls around and the preacher announced to the congregation, “Our topic this morning will come from the Book of Genesis, Chapter 1.”
Then he said, “And the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters, and this scripture brings us to our topic this morning, which is “BAPTISM”.
I do want you all to know, however, that I didn’t pick the example of the athlete—the apostle Paul did! The athlete is the perfect metaphor for what Paul is telling the young evangelist, Timothy.
The discipline of an athlete means many different things. Athletes have to follow the rules for making champions to be able and worthy to wear the crown. Athletes have to be willing to sacrifice, which means denying themselves all things that might hurt their performance.
We see the great feats these athletes perform, the skills they have, and we see them winning the crown—but we don’t see all their sacrifices, their hard work, and their discipline. The sacrifice might be not eating or drinking certain things—it might be the hours they sweat in the weight rooms or running the road in the early morning when the rest of us are still in bed. But, they must sacrifice in order to win the crown.
The discipline of an athlete must be 100%, because 99.9% will only get you to 2nd place. If we look at our world, we can see what we get when someone gives only 99.9% effort—
· When the soft drink industry gives you only 99.9% effort, 5.5 million cases of Coke will be sent to the store with not fizz—FLAT!
· The pharmaceutical industry will fill 20,000 prescriptions INCORRECTLY with only a 99/9% effort.
· Processing at only a 99.9% effort, the IRS will lose 2 million documents.
· At 99.9% effort, the shoe industry will ship out 114,000 pairs of mismatched shoes.
· At a 99.9% effort, the medical system will 12 newborns to the wrong parents—and 291 pacemaker patients will receive the incorrectly performed surgery.
No, giving 99.9% just won’t get it—not with an athlete and not with a Christian! Discipline requires a 100% effort. Paul had already made that clear in his 1st letter to Timothy.
1st Timothy 4:7
---7---“Discipline yourselves for the purpose of godliness.”
The Hebrew writer also touches on this subject in Hebrews 12:11.
---11---“All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”
Discipline requires running through the pain with endurance to compete and finish the game.
In the summer of 1968, the Summer Olympics were held in Mexico City. Runners ran an event called “the Marathon”, which was a 26-mile race. The race was finished—the gold, silver, and bronze medals were given our and national anthems played.
But, the sports announcers discovered the marathon race was not over—there was still one runner on the course running for the finish line. Early in the race, this runner had been injured in a nasty fall. He was bleeding, his muscles were cramping, and he was suffering from dehydration—but he kept on running!
This runner would not stop—he would not quit until he crossed the finish line. He was from the African nation of Tanzania and hours later—after all the ceremony was over—he finished the race!
The television cameras were on him and the crowd stood and cheered him as he entered the stadium and finished that last lap of the race. Reporters asked him, “Why didn’t you just quit and seek medical care?”
The runner replied, “My country did not send me 5,000 miles just to start a marathon. They sent me here to finish the marathon!”
Hebrews 12:1-2
---1---“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us;
---2---Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of Faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
The Hard Working Farmer.
Paul tells Timothy, “It is the hardworking farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.”
Why is that?
Because his diligence had caused him to deserve it. The crop was brought in because of his hard work.
As I read some of our notable scholars concerning 2nd Timothy, Chapter 2, I noticed they knew much more about being a soldier or an athlete than they knew about being a farmer. Maybe they never lived that life—and you have to lead the life to understand it.
I never thought hard working farmers got enough credit. I saw a bumper sticker on a pick-up that read, “If you eat, you are involved in farming!”
There’s nothing greater than honest hard work. Sometimes our world acts as if “hard work” is something bad; but, a great man once said, “Nothing great is ever achieved without hard work.”
Thomas Edison once said great inventions were the result of “10% inspiration and 90% perspiration”.
Paul uses 3 different metaphors in Chapter 2; but, they all add up to the same conclusion—
· Christians must commit, without reservation.
· Surrender your options and give up all other objectives as Number 1.
· Admit no alternatives.
· Focus on Jesus and living the Christian life—wherever you are, in whatever you are doing!
Paul ends Chapter 2 of his letter to Timothy by telling him what he gets if he does the things that have been asked of him. Paul gives Timothy (5) great reasons to fulfill his ministry in Ephesus.
In verse 7, Paul says, ---7---“Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”
In verses 8 & 9 he reminds Timothy of the presence of the resurrected Christ, yet very human Lord.
---8---“Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my Gospel,
---9---For which I suffer hardships even to imprisonment as a criminal…”
Then Paul goes on to finish verse 9 with these words, “…but the word of God is not imprisoned.”
The Word of God is not bound….
Paul was chained to a Roman guard, but he was not frustrated, because God’s Word was not bound. God’s word is not bound today, because it will still save today.
In verse 10, Paul tells Timothy he will be encouraged because others are saved.
---10---“For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Jesus Christ and with it, eternal glory.”
In the last 2 verses (11-13) Paul says if we endure with Him, we will also reign with Him, and that is a big encouragement for us all. If is the conditional statement. If we do this, then we will receive that.
Listen to the way Paul ends this chapter in his letter to Timothy:
---11---“It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him;
---12---If we endure, we shall also reign with Him;
If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
---13---If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.”
Invitation.
Based on this statement, where do we find ourselves this morning?
