Soldiers Of Christ Arise 2 Tim. 2:3-4

Soldiers of Christ

1st step is you have to join the army. Believe, confess, repent, baptized

There is always someone who is of higher rank than you. Jesus is commander and chief

2nd that means there are orders or rules to follow. to refuse to follow orders is treason. Obey his orders even to death.

Matthew 16:24 NASB95

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.

James 4:17 NASB95

Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Are we a traitors, are we committing treason by not following his orders?

We are to be good soldiers, and good soldiers of Christ follow and obey Christ.

He is active

He is in the fight. Not sitting on the sidelines why his brothers and sisters do all the work. Not sitting in the barracks while his fellow soldiers do all the work.

A good soldier is in the trenches with his fellow soldiers fighting the good fight. He is suffering with the rest of his brothers in arms. a good soldier doesn’t turn and run at the first sign of trouble or conflict. a good soldier doesn’t quit because he tired or doesn’t want to do this anymore.

if we claim to be soldiers of the cross then it is time to get in the trenches and wage war against evil.

1 Timothy 1:18 NASB95

This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight,

1 Timothy 6:12 NASB95

Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

You cannot put off this fight for another day, or pass it along to someone else. a good soldier checks with his commander to see his orders, he checks his equipment and he faithfully performs his task. That is part of his daily routine.

There are no reserves in the Lord’s Army, every one of us is currently called to active duty. The fight that we are supposed to be engaged in is the most important battle ever fought, this is not a time to be passive. Arise ye soldiers and put your armor on stand strong in the strength which God supplies.

determined driven and dedicated

a good soldier of the cross is determined, driven, and dedicated even when it means he has to suffer.

We are to be so DDD to the cause that we are prepared to suffer for the mission. Paul was a good suffering soldier wasn’t he? 1 Cor. 11:23-33

all Christians are told to put on that full armor of God Eph. 6, the reason is because Satan is pounding Christians with heavy artillery day after day. Our hearts and minds are under attack. have no doubt about it we are in a serious life-threatening battle, and half-hearted, half-committed soldiers will be casualties

James 4:7 NASB95

Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

1 Peter 5:8 NASB95

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

a good soldier of the cross is determined, driven, and dedicated to not being tangled up in the world, to not getting himself entangled in the affairs of everyday life. Why do soldiers stay on base away from everything else? Why do they have what they need provided? Why do they have people cook for them? So they can focus on war. We have so many things that we are entangled with in the world.

we are so wrapped up and scared about this virus that we are staying in our tents why while people are loosing their lives. The enemy is gaining ground. Precious time is being wasted. Brothers and sister are all shot up and wounded seeking help and we are in our tents. Where would the soldiers be in a war (chemical,nuclear, etc.) in the battle protecting those who can’t defend and protect themselves. they don’t sit in their tents while people are dying.

We are entangled in politics. We sit and we watch those news channels, we are mad at the outcome, worried about the outcome, happy about the outcome and gloating about it. we are committed to following it and watching it. We know more about all the side stories, every lawsuit, every pardon, we can name senators and house of representatives, judges, we know Biden's cabinet. W e know what Trumps is and isn’t doing. We talks about it to our friends and family. We forget that this world is not our home that we are just strangers, aliens, pilgrims in this world. We forget about eternity and helping others get there because we are so entangled in the affairs of everyday life.

we are entangled in our own self preservation. Gaining more, having more, maintaining what we have, keeping up with the Jones's. Making life easy for ourselves. I have my own pursuits, desires, desires, dreams, goals. I think about my 99.9 % of the time. I think that is probably what I desire most about a soldier. Is they have the bear minimum. They are focused on one thing and that is fulfilling their mission. they don’t have all that other stuff to be worried about or to be distracted by.

a good soldier of the cross is determined, driven, and dedicated to not being tangled up in the world, but absorbed in the cross.

1 Timothy 4:15 NASB95

Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.

a good soldier of the cross is determined, driven, and dedicated to pleasing the one who enlisted him.

2 Timothy 1:9 NASB95

who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,

God enlisted us. He would be very disappointed if we did not become a soldier or if we turned out to be a bad soldier. one who is not determined, driven , and dedicated.

The good soldier has no higher goal in his life than to please His Superior. He knows that anything that interferes with that must be done away with. He does what ever he has to do to get the job done.

how do you know how to please him? Now the Lord’s voice

John 10:3–5 NASB95

“To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. “When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. “A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”

Who comes first in your life?

ARE YOU A SOLDIER OF CHRIST/CROSS?

WHAT KIND OF SOLDIER ARE YOU? are you an active, determined, driven, dedicated soldier?

HAVE YOU GOTTEN ENTANGLED IN EVERYDAY AFFAIRS?

ARE YOU READY TO SUFFER

ARE YOU DOING EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO PLEASE THE ONE WHO ENLISTED YOU?

ARE YOU A FINISHER

2 Timothy 4:7–8 NASB95

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Conclusion: Would you classify yourself as a good soldier of the Lord? If you are like me, you probably recognize areas where you could be a better soldier. If so, then I challenge you to come to the Lord right now and let Him make things as they should be. If you have never joined the army of the Lord, then today would be a good time to make that a reality. When you pass from the scene, will it be said that you were a good soldier of the Lord? It can be! But, that is up to you!