Thou therefore endure hardness,
as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 2:3
We no longer have outside lay ministers coming in on the first Sunday of each month. Thus, it was my turn to deliver the sermon. The message was titled, "The Art of War..."
as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 2:3
We no longer have outside lay ministers coming in on the first Sunday of each month. Thus, it was my turn to deliver the sermon. The message was titled, "The Art of War..."
This is the title of a popular but controversial book by a 6th century Chinese philosopher by the name of Sun Tsu. I did not, however, use anything from the contents of the book. I only used its title. It fit my message perfectly, which was on being a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
I spoke on the apostle Paul, a devout Jew who became a follower of the Lord Jesus, even though he had first tried to exterminate his fellow Jews who had embraced Jesus as their Savior and Messiah. How that Paul, himself, because of all the difficulties and persecutions he endured for his faith in Jesus, had become a seasoned veteran of spiritual warfare. And now he had the task of trying to comfort, encourage and strengthen a young pastor in the making, Timothy.
I shared with the congregation about my own days in the military. That I had joined the Army at the age of eighteen, and signed up for the infantry, and was sent overseas to serve in South Korea.
I told the men that a soldier must always be what the military calls "Combat Ready." Meaning that, even in peace-time, a soldier must be ready at a moment’s notice to be prepared for war, instantly ready to take his position and fight.
Therefore, since the Scriptures liken the Christian to that of a soldier, I explained to my audience that we who belong to Christ need to be:
1) Disciplined (having self-control).
2) Obedient (able and willing to instantly obey every order given to us by our Commander and Chief, who is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself).
3) Well trained (thoroughly knowledgeable in the use of our weapon, which is the Word of God, also known as the "Sword of the Spirit."
4) Fearless (never afraid or intimidated by anyone or anything that would try to keep us from serving the Lord.)
5) Faithful (fully trusting in the Lord even when we’re facing difficulties and hardships).
6) Ready (always Combat Ready to stand against the wiles and attacks of our adversary, the devil.)
I then ended by telling the men that God has already given us everything needed to fight a good fight of faith. That we are simply to stand in full assurance that the battle is the Lord’s, and He has already won us the victory.
My Scripture texts were 2 Timothy 1:7-9 and 2:1-4. Also, Ephesians 6:10-18.
D.B.
I spoke on the apostle Paul, a devout Jew who became a follower of the Lord Jesus, even though he had first tried to exterminate his fellow Jews who had embraced Jesus as their Savior and Messiah. How that Paul, himself, because of all the difficulties and persecutions he endured for his faith in Jesus, had become a seasoned veteran of spiritual warfare. And now he had the task of trying to comfort, encourage and strengthen a young pastor in the making, Timothy.
I shared with the congregation about my own days in the military. That I had joined the Army at the age of eighteen, and signed up for the infantry, and was sent overseas to serve in South Korea.
I told the men that a soldier must always be what the military calls "Combat Ready." Meaning that, even in peace-time, a soldier must be ready at a moment’s notice to be prepared for war, instantly ready to take his position and fight.
Therefore, since the Scriptures liken the Christian to that of a soldier, I explained to my audience that we who belong to Christ need to be:
1) Disciplined (having self-control).
2) Obedient (able and willing to instantly obey every order given to us by our Commander and Chief, who is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself).
3) Well trained (thoroughly knowledgeable in the use of our weapon, which is the Word of God, also known as the "Sword of the Spirit."
4) Fearless (never afraid or intimidated by anyone or anything that would try to keep us from serving the Lord.)
5) Faithful (fully trusting in the Lord even when we’re facing difficulties and hardships).
6) Ready (always Combat Ready to stand against the wiles and attacks of our adversary, the devil.)
I then ended by telling the men that God has already given us everything needed to fight a good fight of faith. That we are simply to stand in full assurance that the battle is the Lord’s, and He has already won us the victory.
My Scripture texts were 2 Timothy 1:7-9 and 2:1-4. Also, Ephesians 6:10-18.
D.B.
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