Spiritual Veterans
2 Timothy 2:1-7
“Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” vs. 3
Surprise! I’m Home!
Show video of army veteran who comes home and surprises daughter at her first gymnastics meet.
Read Passage – 2 Timothy 2:1-8
You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. 3 Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 5 Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. 7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.
Decoration Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday which occurs every year on the final Monday of May. Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. By the 20th century, Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died while in the military service. It typically marks the start of the summer vacation season, while Labor Day marks its end.
Many people visit cemeteries and memorials, particularly to honor those who have died in military service. Many volunteers place an American flag on each grave in national cemeteries.
And that is the sobering thing about memorial day, it’s for those that have died in the service. If you serve or have served, you probably hope to celebrate Verteran’s Day because that means you made it. But celebrating Memroial Day is really for remembering those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Strong
Paul is in prison awaiting his execution. He knows he is going to die yet he writes 2 Timothy to encourage this young pastor to remain faithful in serving God. He wants Timothy to lead the church. In verse 1 he writes:
“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” vs. 1
Paul points out to Timothy that it takes strength to faithfully serve. To drive this point home, he mentions three examples of strength; a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer. All three are symbols and a picture of people who work hard, serve long, and all of them need to operate out of strength. These examples are not of the faint of heart or for people who give up easy.
A Soldier’s Life and Mindset
Today, being that this is Memorial Day weekend, we are going to focus on the soldier example that Paul gives. When you think about it for a moment, there are quite a few things that we can learn from a soldier that apply directly to our lives as well. I thought that Paul, in this passage, helps us understand what the lifestyle and mindset of a soldier is and from that we can better understand what we can learn from them for our life.
• Commitment and Devotion
The first mindset is that a soldier has deep commitment and devotion. Paul asks us to join him in suffering like a good soldier. A soldier is wholeheartedly committed and sold on what he is and what he does. It’s not a commitment you make casually. Many soldiers make the commitment for life and it becomes who they are.
Soldiers have to commit to a certain period of service and then “re-up” when their time is up, unless of course they decide to retire. They are expected to be totally committed to their job and their country. There should be no wavering or second guessing. It really is all or nothing. Jesus, in Luke chapter 4 is being tempted by Satan. Satan offers to turn his whole legion of angels over to Jesus if Jesus will just bow down to him. Jesus replies in verse 8:
“It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” Luke 4:8
Jesus is committed to God and to His ways. There is no wavering in that devotion. I think of that with soldiers as well. They are to be totally devoted to their unit, their branch of the service and to their country. In fact, when Jesus is speaking on the Sermon on the Mount and giving those listening teaching on how to live their lives he says in Matt. 6:24:
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” Matt. 6:24
As a soldier, your heart cannot be divided. One of the evidences of this is their uniform. When a soldier goes to a wedding, a funeral, a special event, etc. they wear their uniform. It’s part of who they are. The wear it proudly and it is always well kept and neat.
Ex. Now many of you don’t know this about me, but I served…in the cub scouts. I was a cub scout and a Weeblo for many years. One of the things about being a cub scout was we were to wear our uniform every day that we had a den meeting. I remember going to school with that uniform on and even being asked many times why I was wearing it. I was proud to be a cub scout and proud to wear that uniform. Even some of my childhood school pictures were in that uniform.
Of course being in the cub scouts is not the same as being a soldier but there are some things that we learned that are similar to it. One thing is that uniform. “Uni” means one. We were expected to stand up for each other and hold together as a group or den. Let me show you how important that uniform is. You would never see a Navy man dress up in an army uniform or a Marine uniform. They were their uniform proudly and it is a respect and devotion to who they are. Each uniform is very distinct and you can tell which branch of the service they are in just by looking at their uniform.
Question: Can people tell you are a Christian by the way you look?
• Focus and Sacrifice
A second mindset of a soldier and one that Paul keys in on is a soldier has focus and makes a big sacrifice to be a soldier. Verse 3:
“Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” vs. 3
Paul talks about suffering. When you sign up to be a soldier, you put aside your own desires, your own ways, and your own agenda. Most of the time, a soldier doesn’t decide where they will serve, or what they want to do that day, or where they will live. They are at the beck and call of the branch of the service they are enlisted in and they take orders. They sacrifice time with their spouse, time with their children, they sacrifice professions at times, and many times their hobbies as well. They go away for long periods of time and they miss much of the everyday things that regular civilians do. I 1 Samuel 12 the prophet Samuel is ready pass away and he is giving instructions to the nation of Israel. He says in verse 24:
“But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart…”
1 Samuel 12:24
He calls the nation to serve God faithfully. Faithfulness is keeping your focus to your commitment and making sacrifices to your own will and ides.
Ex. To give you an idea of what this is like, I’ve asked a veteran to give us a bridef overview of the sacrifice of a soldier.
One thing that goes along with being focused and sacrifice is that you have to be willing to be different; willing to act differently.
Ill. If you hear people who are gossiping, you decide no t to gossip. If you hear people putting others down, you have to be willing to love, if you see people hoarding and only being concerned for themselves, you have to be willing to give generously and not give in to making it all about you and you only, etc.
• A Team Player With Individual Gifts
And that leads us to the third mindset of a soldier, that you are a team player with individual gifts. Remember what Paul wrote in verse 2:
“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people…” vs. 2
Reliable people who will be a witness. That is the idea of using however you are gifted to spread the gospel and to use your gifts. Each of us has been given gifts, by God, and we are called to use them to serve others, and to bring glory to God. Peter said in 1 Peter 4:10:
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10
Think about how an army unit is set up. Each person has a job and they are expected to do that job well and they are expected perform that job in a way that best benefits the unit as a whole.
Ex. Army unit Sergeant, Corporal, Specialist, Private first class, Private, Private
Devoted For Life
Adoniram Judson, Jr. (August 9, 1788 – April 12, 1850) was an American Baptist missionary, who served in Burma for almost forty years. At the age of 25, Adoniram Judson became the first Protestant missionary sent from North America to preach in Burma. His mission and work led to the formation of the first Baptist association in America, inspired many Americans to become or support missionaries, translated the Bible into Burmese, and established a number of Baptist churches in Burma.
“The motto of every missionary, whether preacher, printer, or schoolmaster, ought to be “Devoted for life.”
It takes a lot to be a soldier and many pay the ultimate price, their life. Paul is encouraging Timothy to hang tough. Hanging tough is being committed, devoted, focused, sacrificial, and a team player. Don’t forget Paul’s words in verse 1:
“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” vs. 1
We are called to be like a soldier in our commitment to God and his church and to be the
Reliable witness to the world that God is real, God is love, and that God wants everyone to know him and his son Jesus Christ and that is the key, Jesus. We can only be strong with His help.
