Serving Together: Some scripture illustrations
Serving as the church: 2Timothy • Sermon • Submitted
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· 8 viewsAim: To look at 3-biblical illustrations of servants to the church
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Three pictures of faithful service
Three pictures of faithful service
We are to be servants of Christ and in our passage this morning Paul is giving Timothy three great illustrations of servants. I hope we can learn from this as we grow together in service to one another.
“it is said that Wendell Wilkie asked President Franklin D. Roosevelt, when he visited the President in his office in the White house, ‘Mr. President, why do you keep that frail, sickly man, Harry Hopkins, at your elbow?’ Said the President, ‘Mr. Wilkie through that door flows daily an incessant stream of men and women, who, almost invariably, want something from me. Harry Hopkins wants ONLY TO SERVE ME. That’s why he is so near me!’ - recorded by Howard H Hamlin M.D.
Let those words sink in Harry Hopkins only wants to Serve the President. What is our desire, what is our motive when it comes to service?
Timothy is a young evangelist for our illustrations today are not geared just to evangelists but for all who are to serve the Lord. No matter what your gift, talent or function within the body is.
Some servants to consider:
Job
Samuel
David
Timothy himself (Php2:19-22)
19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. 20 For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare.
21 For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. 22 But you know of his proven worth, that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father.
Timothy with Kindred spirit and genuine concern for the churches welfare, was of great worth to Paul and the gospel.
Epaphroditus (Php2:25-27)
25 But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need; 26 because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.
27 For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow.
Epaphroditus, servant, called fellow soldier, messenger, minister in need was willing to serve even to the “point of death” but God had mercy on him.
Jesus is the best example (Mt20:28)
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
this is just one of many examples of Jesus service given, one in illustration would be the washing of the apostles feet in (Jn13:1-17) you can look that one up.
So, this morning we are looking at the illustrations from scripture of:
The dedication of a Soldier (2Tim2:3-4)
The discipline of an athlete (2Tim2:5)
The diligence of a farmer (2Tim2:6-7)
Dedication of a soldier
Dedication of a soldier
We have recently looked at the soldier, today we will grasp a little more information regarding the dedication as one of our illustrations of serving the Lord
3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
The Soldier is long-suffering, willing to endure for the gospel (2Tim2:3; 2Tim1:8; Mt5:10-12)
The soldier must be willing to endure hardship, for the Christian it is hardship for the gospel.
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,
Jesus even said persecution and rejoice and be glad about it.
10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The Solider is focused , engaged (2Tim2:4; Lk8:14; 1Tim6:9-12)
4 A soldier on duty doesn’t get caught up in making deals at the marketplace. He concentrates on carrying out orders.
The soldier stays focused to the task at hand. He concentrates and stays engaged in carrying out the orders commissioned to him
14 “The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
The soldier is not like the seed in the thorns, for he does not get choked with worries, riches and pleasures of this like that bring no fruit to maturity. What kind of fruit do you think this is? Fruit from the gospel you have been commissioned to carry out.
9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
11 But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. 12 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.
The soldier does not get caught up, entangled in the things of the world, and he fights the good fight of faith.
The Soldier is devoted (2Tim2:4; 2Cor5:9; Col1:10)
The soldier wants to please the one who enlisted him. Speaking of enlisted, how were you enlisted? By the gospel, someone shared the gospel with you, you believe it, you obeyed it and you were enlisted into God’s army. So be a solider who is devoted to the gospel. We know we want to be pleasing to him (2Cor5:9)
The devoted soldier wants to walk in a pleasing manner, oh consider this passage
9 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.
(Transition) I think when you see a man or woman in uniform you know the sacrifice, the commitment the dedication and devotion they have for their calling to serve our country. We as Christian soldiers are called with a heavenly calling to do the same. The question comes, are we accepting that responsibility as a Christian Soldier and faithfully carrying it out. This now leads us to our next biblical example of a servant.
Discipline of an athlete
Discipline of an athlete
An athlete that wants to excel has to train, has to discipline his body to accomplish the goal. Paul uses an athlete for Timothy for the type of disciplined service needed.
5 An athlete who runs in a race cannot win the prize unless he obeys the rules.
The athlete must be obedient (2Tim2:5; Mt28:20; Lk6:46; Jm1:22; Mt7:21-27)
The athlete knows the rules and must adhere to the rules if desires to wins.
Think about this are Christians, here I will say Christian athletes running the race set before them (Heb12:2) any different, don’t we have rules to know and rules to abide to?
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
the Christian is to observe all that has been commanded
46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
Now think about this passage; If we are competing, running the race, we run according to the rules, keeping His commands, Jesus says why call Him Lord if you do not do what he says. he says if you love me keep my commands (see Jn14:15)
As a Christian athlete running the race set before us we need to be a doer of the word not just a hearer
22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
Jesus addressed this too in Mt7:21-27, let me summarize that
Not everyone who says Lord will enter the kingdom, though many will say “did we not prophesy, cast out demons, perform miracles in your name” Jesus will say be away from me who practice lawlessness, and lawlessness is sin (see 1Jn3:4). but then look at
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Be a house builder as an athlete building on the rock, which is Christ (see Mt16:18)
The athlete must be self-controlled (2Tim2:5; 1Cor9:24-27; 1Pt1:4; 2Cor13:5)
The Christian, the athlete racing for the prize, reaching for the goal must be self-controlled, by the way is a fruit of the Spirit (see Gal5:23)
For the Christian strives for an imperishable crown
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; 27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
We can know we are not disqualified by following the rules, by being disciplined and having self-control.
5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?
So, test, example yourself, your faith! Not to disqualify yourself, but to have the assurance of the Christ in you. The assurance, an inheritance your salvation.
4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
So, when you turn on the Olympics here in a few weeks, or you watch a football game and you look at the discipline and self-control of the athletes competing by the rules, look at your life as a Christian athlete running the race set before you! How are you running?
(Transition) this now leads us to our third biblical illustration that Paul offerers to Timothy, to the Church at Ephesus and to us as the church today.
Diligence of the farmer
Diligence of the farmer
Dedication, discipline now diligence, all sound like there is something that the Christian is to do, not for salvation but from salvation. The farmer is a great example of faith in action. May we take a few minutes together and look at the farmer?
6 The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.
The farmer is hardworking (2Tim2:6; Mt9:37-38, 20:1; Jn4:36)
I think we can agree since we live in a farming community that farmers cannot be called lazy, and that farming is no easy task. They like the athlete need to be discipline, and like the soldier be dedicated if they want to produce, expect a crop.
As Christians we are labors in the vineyard of the Lord (see Isa5:7) and workers for the harvest are needed as jesus said.
37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
and consider
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
How does the lord find, hire workers for the harvest, for the vineyard. He got them through the sacrifice of the Son on the cross, the very blood shed was the cost for the workers. - as workers we are gathering fruit, not fruit we created, well, think about this
36 “Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.
Gathering fruit for eternal life! The fruit we gather for the Lord as laborers, as farmers with all diligence is the very soul of man, leading them to the vinedresser (Jn15:1) who sent the Son to save the souls of sinful man.
The farmer is motivated (2tim2:6; 1Cor15:58; Rom6:22-23; 2Tim4:8)
He is able to partake of the first fruit of the crops. Now I’m sure you would agree with me a new Christian is a great motivator!
The Christian farmer, laborer is done not in vain.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
The end result of the labor is a crown of glory
22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
oh wait, we need this to complete that thought
8 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.
(Transition) so we have the dedication of a soldier, the discipline of an athlete and the diligence of the farmer that are great illustrations for a Christian, for we need these things.
Oh wait, I forgot one more scripture for today to finish off this passage
7 Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
May our Lord give us understanding in our life as a Christian regarding dedication, discipline and diligence so that we may please our God.
(Invitation - obey the gospel) (Song) (Prayer)