Soldier Boyz

9, January 2005

Dakota Community Church

Soldier Boyz

Introduction:

2Timothy 2:3-7

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. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

Endure hardship? What does that mean? Does a good soldier endure hardship by letting the enemy walk all over him?

No the hardship a good soldier endures is the discipline of the job.

What are the civilian affairs here?

Illustration:

A soldier fighting over in Iraq received a letter from his girl friend that said she was breaking up with him. She also asked him to send the picture she had given him when he left because she needed it for her bridal announcement. The soldier was heart broken and told his friends of his terrible situation. So his whole platoon got together and brought all their pictures of their girlfriends, and put them in a box and gave them to him. So he put her picture in the box with the rest along with a note that said, “I’m sending back your picture to you, please remove it and send back the rest. For the life of me I can’t remember which one you are.”

My Poppa left for World War II when my mom was 2 years old and returned when she was 7.

Is that what the Lord wants? We should be so busy with church that our families are neglected?

No, in this war our family is a part of the battle front.

What are the civilian affairs then?

- Things that hinder our Devine purpose.

- The time wasters.

- The distractions, the habits and sins.

- The self directions.

Well how does a good soldier please his commanding officer then?

1. A good soldier knows the commander and what He wants.

It is all about relationship. The battle is real; the consequences of war are devastating. If you don’t know the commanding officer you run the risk of making up your own orders – that is fatal.

Who is directing your life if you aren’t hearing from Jesus?

Illustration:

In the movie CASUALTIES OF WAR, Michael J. Fox plays Private Eriksson, a soldier in Vietnam who is part of a squad that abducts and rapes a young Vietnamese girl. He didn’t participate in the crime.

Afterward, as he struggles with what has happened, he says to the other men in his squad, "Just because each of us might at any second be blown away, we’re acting like we can do anything we want, as though it doesn’t matter what we do. I’m thinking it’s just the opposite. Because we might be dead in the next split second, maybe we got to be extra careful what we do. Because maybe it matters more. Maybe it matters more that we ever know."

How in tune with what matters are you?

How aware of the commander’s heart are you on an average day?

Are you spending time with Jesus?

Who is influencing you most?

Proverbs 22: 24-25

Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.

Acts 4:13

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

If you hang around with a bunch of Newfies you will start calling everyone buyz.

When the Brits were in town after one weak I had to concentrate not to say “Brilliant”

What does the bible say? Be imitators of Christ!

1Chronicles 20:4-8

4Now it happened afterward that war broke out at Gezer with the Philistines, at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Sippai, who was one of the sons of the giant. And they were subdued.

5Again there was war with the Philistines, and Elhanan the son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

6Yet again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, with twenty-four fingers and toes, six on each hand and six on each foot; and he also was born to the giant. 7So when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.

8These were born to the giant in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.