The Soldier, the Athlete and the Farmer

2 Timothy 2:14–16 (NIV)

Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.

The Soldier, the Athlete and the Farmer Introduction

I want to start this message out a bit differently. This is a thought exercise that I do here in the Leadership College. I call this “Who Are You Becoming?”

So here is what I want you to do. I want you to think back over the last four weeks. No further, OK, just the last four weeks.

And I want you to start examining the things you’ve repeatedly did or did not do over the last four weeks. With that in mind, that is who you are becoming.

So let me dig in… in the last four weeks, how many times have you exercised? If you can say I worked out 3-5 times every week for the last four weeks, then you are becoming a person who prioritizes their health and fitness. If you have not done that, then you are becoming a person that does not make time to exercise and make their health a priority.

How many times have you taken your wife out? No kids. Just you two. You are either becoming a couple that is investing into their marriage, or you are becoming a couple that doesn’t make time for each other.

How many books have you read? Podcasts have you listened to? You are either becoming a person who has stopped learning, or you are becoming a person who has a hunger for growth.

OK, here is the last one. How many times have your prayed and read your bible alone? You are either starting to drift from your relationship with God, or you are growing and going deeper into your relationship with God.

Now that I’ve woken everyone up, why do I say that?

Because you are not moving in the direction of your goals, you are moving in the direction of your habits.

I can tell you where you are going, not by your goals or your vision board or you social media highlights. I can tell where you are going back simply taking an inventory of the last four weeks of your life. I don’t need to see your goals. I just need to see your habits.

Transition

Today I want to inspire you through Paul’s letter to Timothy to evaluate where you are going based on this idea, “Who are you becoming?”

Text

Before we get into Paul’s words lets for a moment set the context of their relationship.

Paul was a follower of Jesus, missionary, church planter, and he wrote about half of the New Testament in your Bible. Prior to that, Paul went by the name of Saul, and he actively persecuted the early followers of Jesus. He was radically saved and that story is in Acts 9 of your Bibles.

On one missionary trip he met a young man by the name of Timothy.

From what we know about Timothy he appears to have been the son to an unwed mother. It is likely that his father was deceased, but we don’t totally know the details of how his mom became a single mother.

In spite of that challenge, we read that Timothy was discipled by his mother Eunice, and his grandmother Lois. And listen, Mom and Grandma did an outstanding job discipling Timothy. Teaching him to pray. Teaching him the word of God. Teaching him to be a devoted follower of Jesus.

Paul meets young Timothy and said, “I want you on my team. I want you to join me on my missionary journeys and learn from me.”

This was the beginning of their relationship and it would only grow from there.

Timothy was Paul’s spiritual son.

And after a time of discipleship and training, Paul released Timothy to be a Pastor or an overseer to the churches that Paul helped plant in Ephesus.

Now, when we read 1 Timothy we can see that Paul was sending Timothy into Ephesus to correct some of the false teachers who had infiltrated the church.

Last week in Bible College we talked about the miracle of the growth of the church in spite of the opposition that they had to endure. One of those was the false teachers who Paul sent Timothy to deal with. That was 1 Timothy.

Now, we get to 2 Timothy, and this is Paul’s final letter. Not just to Timothy, but to the church and what would eventually make it into our Bible.

Paul is writing from Rome and he is about to die for his faith, but the last order of business was to write a letter to his young protege who he had heard had fallen on hard times.

Off the Rails

So now we get to 2 Timothy and Paul knows that young Timothy is worn down from leading the churches in Ephesus. Pastoring back then was not like Pastoring today in America. Pastoring in a hostile environment was difficult. Pastoring with opposition from not just outside the church, but also from those who had infiltrated the church, was not light work.

And here is Timothy, tired from what he has endured. Here is Timothy in need of someone to help him get his second wind in life.

Can anyone relate to Timothy?

I know that your situation isn’t Pastoring a church in a hostile climate, but have you ever felt like life was getting overwhelming? Have you ever felt like things were not working? Have you ever wondered how you would overcome a difficult situation that you were in?

Then I think we can lean in and learn from Paul & Timothy.

Remember Who You Are

2 Timothy 1:5–6 (NIV)

I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

So look at the first piece of advise that Paul gives Timothy - Remember who you are!

Timothy, you have a legacy here! Your mother, and your grandmother, worked too hard for you to get discouraged now. I know that things are tough right now, but every opportunity you have in life is because someone loved you, and did everything they could to hand you down this precious gift of faith.

Paul calls it sincere faith.

Not a casual faith.

Not a lukewarm faith.

Not a fickle faith.

And if I can make an application right now… Some of you are insincere about who you are becoming.

You want to get in the best shape of your life for your family, and you’re eating a double-double animal style with animal style fries and a Diet Coke. Come on guys, let’s get sincere about being the best spouse we can be. The best parent we can be. The best student we can be.

Ok, let’s back to Timothy before I lose the room.

Paul is saying to Timothy, remember who you are man! You have been given a gift. You have been given a legacy.

And maybe there’s some of you here that are thinking to yourself, “I don’t come from much Pastor. I don’t have those things working for me. I didn’t have the best parents. I didn’t have the best upbringing.”

Well, let me remind you who you are according to God’s word.

The day that you gave your life to Christ, and the day that you made Him the Lord of your life and the day that you were water baptized, you were born again.

So that means, whatever family you were born in to, whatever your situation at home was or wasn’t, you have been born again.

And you now have a Heavenly Father, and he’s a good father! He will never let you down. He will never leave you. He is always present through the ups and downs of your life.

You have a Heavenly Father, and the Bible says that he owns the cattle on a thousand hills. That means that your Heavenly Father controls the resources of this earth. Just becuase you don’t come from much, doesn’t mean that you cannot become much.

You have a Heavenly Father, and he goes before you. He is fighting your battles. He is going to make you the head and not the tail. He is going to make you an overcomer. He is going to make you more than a conqueror.

And if that’s not good enough, He’s going to fill you with the Holy Spirit, and when you’ve been filled with the Holy Spirit, you’ve got power on the inside of you!

So pick your head up child of God and remember not just who you are, but WHOSE you are.

[Pause]

Paul reminds Timothy that he has been given an incredible gift, and he goes on to say this:

2 Timothy 1:5–6 (NIV)

I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

So after Paul has reminded Timothy what has been given to him, he then tells him that he has an active part to play in this thing.

Timothy, you have to fan into a flame the gift of God.

Timothy, that’s your part.

You have a role in this Timothy.

How many of you been around a fire pit?

What happens to a fire if you leave it alone all by itself? It’s going to burn out. It doesn’t keep burnin forever.

And that was the condition of Timothy’s soul. The fire that he had was burning out to embers.

But listen, how many of you know that you can start to fan the embers of a fire and get that fire going again. You feed it another log and you get it going again. As long as there’s heat, you can build up that fire again.

And this is when it comes back to your habits. What are you habitually doing to fan the flame of God’s spirit on the inside of you?

I am going to borrow an example from my Pastor right now.

Let me ask some questions.

“How many of you have plans to be in a better financial position in five years than you are right now?”

“How many of you want to be healthier in five years from now than you are right now?”

Now let me flip this a bit…

“How many of you no longer want to attend church five years from now? How many of you don’t want to be in relationship with God five years from now?”

OK, my point is, no one in here is planning on that…

But in five years, that will happen. There are people all across San Diego, that will fall out of relationship with God in five years. Not here, because you guys are saints!

So what happens?

Well, it’s what doesn’t happen.

Without the intentional fanning of the flames. The habitual discipline of prayer, bible reading, Sunday services, small groups, serving, and on and on… When you stop fanning the flame, don’t be surprised when it burns out.

It is our daily small choices that we make that determine the difference between who you are and who you can become.

Who are you becoming?

What direction are your habits moving you in?

Let me put a few parts of your life under the inspection:

Who are you becoming in Christ?

What is your marriage becoming?

What is your family becoming?

What is your health becoming?

What are your finances becoming?

Are your current habits moving you in the direction of who you want to be in five years?

Make the Shift!

Paul goes on to give Timothy three examples of how to get out of the funk that he was in.

The first is the example of the soldier.

2 Timothy 2:4 (NIV)

No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.

Fix your focus.

You don’t have time to do things with your life that do not move you in the direction of God’s plans and purpose for your life. You don’t have time!

What is God calling you to do? Then do it!

What kind of spouse or father do you want to be? Then be it!

What kind of impact do you want to make on this world? Then do it!

Teach us to number our days - Help us to make our days count! Because after today is over, it is never coming back. Will today be a day that moves you closer to who you want to be in five years, or did it move you further away?

The Example of the Athlete

2 Timothy 2:5 (NIV)

Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules.

Play to Win.

Listen, there are no participation trophy’s in life. You either devoted yourself to be a loving father and you won at home, or you didn’t.

Too many men are losing at home with your wife and especially with your children! Being physically in the room with your children doesn’t make you present as a parent.

“Well I signed you up, didn’t I?”

But did you practice ball with your son. Did you take him outside and work with him? Were you watching at practices and games or were you there doom scrolling? He’s watching you.

Men, wake up!

Your sons and your daughters need you and you are satisfied with just being around. Get in the game Dad.

Athletes don’t just show up to the game, but they show up to win.

Are you winning at home or just showing up?

And listen, if right now you are feeling called out, that’s not my point. I am trying to call you up. I am trying to call you up into the role that you have as a Father.

The Example of the Farmer

2 Timothy 2:6 (NIV)

The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.

I love the example of the farmer because farming is a lot like compound interest. Here’s your handle, Play the Long Game.

The Bible is literally packed with the illustrations of gardening and farming. After creation, the setting of the Bible is a garden. After the end time events that we read about in Revelation, we see a vision of a garden. We read throughout the Bible the law of sowing and reaping.

And yet, so many of us miss the fact that gardening and farming is a long game.

You plant a seed and what do you see the next day? Nothing.

You see nothing.

So did you do anything significant if you can’t see anything significant a day later? Well the answer is yes, of course you did.

So then daily, you water and you treat the ground where you planted the seed. You want to make sure there’s enough exposure. You want to protect what you have planted.

Can you see results immediately? No.

Is something happening? Yes!

It’s happening under ground. You can’t see it yet, but the seed starts to germinate. Then out come the roots. And if you are doing your part above ground with water and nutrients, then under ground the roots will grow and anchor the plant into the ground. Then over time a green shoot, and now the seed has become a plant. Give it enough time and it becomes a tree. Give it more time, and the tree produces fruit.

So if we sow and if we provide care, there will be growth.

It may seem like nothing is happening at the beginning. But play the long game. Keep on sowing.

James Clear said it this way, “Time magnifies the margin between success and failure.”

It’s doesn’t look like much today, but You In 5 Years is the dividend of what you invest today.

Conclusion

As I close, I want to complete the Bible story here between Paul and Timothy.

Paul writes this letter to encourage a tired and worn down Timothy. He’s trying to get Timothy to get his head back in the game. Does it work?

Well, let’s fast forward to who Timothy becomes.

Church tradition tells us that Timothy becomes the Bishop to the Churches of Ephesus. He is Paul’s successor. He has to fill the immense shoes that Paul leaves behind.

But we read that Timothy, picked himself up from this funk that he was in and preached against the sexual immorality that was rampant at that time. He called out the idolatry and took a stand against the culture. He wasn’t a worn down Pastor contemplating quitting the church. He was a fiery Pastor that wasn’t afraid to die for his faith. And he eventually was killed by an angry mob that did not like his message of repentance.

God, give me that type of faith.

God, put a fire like that in me.

Make me a man so committed to things that you have called me to that I am willing to die before I give up.