Basic Training: Training to Be Good Soldiers

INTRODUCTION

· Our theme for 2017.

· This Series.

· - “3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”

·

CHRISTIANS ARE ENLISTED AS SOLDIERS

· We are called to active-service… to be part of the battle fighting for souls. The Lord’s army does not have any “reserves,” those who are waiting to be called to war… Every Christian is called to service… to fight.

· And being called to active-service, he is no longer just a “civilian,” and this shows in his actions. He will not "entangle himself in the affairs of everyday life." Paul is not speaking about things that necessarily are wrong in themselves. It is not that you, as a Christian, should have no contact at all with your former friends and surroundings, but that you should never be caught up and enmeshed in them. Those things are irrelevant to your soldiering and are always subject to being relinquished.

· You should never allow earthly matters to interfere with the fulfillment of your duty to the Lord. Temporal concerns and activities, innocent in themselves, have neutralized the effectiveness of many doctrinally sound churches. Though they once labored faithfully in the primary purpose of serving Jesus Christ to advance His kingdom against the forces of darkness, they have unwittingly taken themselves out of the battle.

THERE IS A WAR TO FIGHT

· We have in another lesson talked about this war that we are in as Christians. Paul, in called him (and us) to wage a good war… by keeping faith and a good conscience and by continuing in prayer for all men. Timothy, as well as all of God’s people, are in an intense spiritual battle. We are engaged in an intimate personal conflict with the supernatural enemy of God. Paul says elsewhere to the Ephesians that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, not a human enemy, but principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places. Satan is against us, and He wants to destroy God’s people. Peter describes him as a lion who is walking about seeking someone to devour…

· Paul says to Timothy that, part of being a good soldier of Christ is to “endure hardship.” (v3). Paul knows this first hand. By adding "with me," Paul assures Timothy that he hasn't asked anything of him that he wasn't willing to do. In fact, Paul was writing from a prison cell more than likely. This shows Timothy that a good soldier will go through hardship. As a Christian in the Western world, I'd bet it is sometimes difficult for you to understand what serious spiritual warfare and suffering for Christ mean. Even though the secular environment in our society is increasingly hostile to Christianity, you are not faced with loss of job, imprisonment, or execution because of your faith. With few exceptions, being a Christian won't keep you out of college or from getting a good job. But the more faithful you are as a Christian, the more Satan will put roadblocks, hardships, and rejection in the way, the more evident the spiritual warfare will become, and the more frequent and obvious the hardship will become.

· You have been called to endure hardship, and every Christian who has gone before you has had his share. And although you haven't yet shed blood for your faith (), you will experience hardship as a Christian for your faithfulness—count on it. Jesus said, "If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you" (). But be encouraged for He also said, "In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world" ().

· I appreciate all of the ‘battle’ terminology that Paul uses in his epistles, because after we face all that the enemy throws at us, it can feel like we have been fighting a long war… it takes energy… sometimes it can be tiring and discouraging… But thankfully God gives us all that we need in order to be victorious, courageous, and faithful as soldiers.

WE SUBMITTED TO THE COMMANDER

Every great and successful army has a great commander leading the way, showing them an example of bravery and self-sacrifice…

· I read a story about a... a young lieutenant named Richard Winters who, six days after D-Day, led his men to the outskirts of Carentan, France. As the officer in charge of Easy Company, of the 101st Airborne, he was tasked to clear the large French town of its German defenders. It would be a small battle, but it played a significant role in the massive effort to rid the world of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.

· As Winters led his company up the road toward town, the company started taking machine gun fire from a German MG42. The men instinctively dived for cover into ditches on either side of the road, and stayed there—they froze. Not only was the success of the mission in jeopardy, but the men were easy targets for enemy machine gun and sniper fire.

· What happened next proved to be the turning point in the battle for Carentan—it's the stuff legends are made of. Lt. Winters went into the middle of the road and, with bullets hissing past him, started yelling at his troops to get up out of the ditches and engage the enemy. His words, coupled with his heroic action, motivated the men to get up, get in the fight, and gain a decisive victory over the Germans.

· Winters' disregard for personal safety in his effort to save his men from certain death didn't just earn him a medal; his actions earned him the love, respect, and admiration of his men. They followed him faithfully from Carentan, through the nightmarish Battle of the Bulge, and on to triumph at Hitler's Eagle's Nest.

Soldiers willingly follow men like this, men who demonstrate acts of self-sacrifice in the most distressing of circumstances. How much more should we, as Christians, follow the One who endured suffering and death to rescue us from the most terrifying fate of all, an eternity in hell?

· As Christians, we have the greatest commander that none can rival... Our Lord Jesus… He has given us such an example of courage and bravery. He has shown us what it means to sacrifice self for the sake of others. He is the one who deserves our devotion. We should be willing to follow this commander even to death if necessary…

· The men who followed Lt. Winters through terrible conditions and battles in Europe did so willingly—he had earned their respect and affections. In an even greater way, the Lord deserves your honor, your affection, and your obedience for all He has done for you. His own courage on the battlefield is unparalleled. He stayed the course and went before you to win your freedom and eternal life. And now He seeks your loyal service in His army.

· To show Christ the respect and honor He deserves as our commander, Paul tells Timothy that we, to be good soldiers, must make it our aim to please Jesus. The Christian's greatest desire is to please Christ, and his fondest hope is to be rewarded for faithful service, to hear his Master say, "Well done, good and faithful slave

OUR AIM – PLEASING THE COMMANDER

With this hope in the forefront of our minds, our lives must be driven forward by our love for Jesus Christ. And make it your ambition, "whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him" ()

· A "soldier in active service" does not have a 9 to 5 job, or even a long 60-70 hour work week. He is a soldier 24 hours a day, every day of the year. His body, his health, his skills, his time—all that he is—belongs to the military. Even when on leave, he is subject to recall at any time, without notice and for any reason. And whenever ordered into dangerous duty, he is expected to put his very life on the line without question or hesitation.

· Just as the dutiful soldier places his life willingly on the line in the service of his commander, so also will you, as a faithful Christian, willingly deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Christ (). And you will find yourself echoing Paul's words: "I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus" ().

In an even greater way, the Lord deserves your honor, your affection, and your obedience for all He has done for you. His own courage on the battlefield is unparalleled. He stayed the course and went before you to win your freedom and eternal life. And now He seeks your loyal service in His army.

CONCLUSION

Seeing these truths… that we as God’s people are soldiers that are called to be part of a great war against a powerful adversary, we need to be equipped so we can be successful as soldiers in the Master’s service.