General Orders

Introduction

I want to talk to you for a little bit this morning this morning about soldiers. I have been a soldier, in some respects, all of my adult life. What we are talking about applies not just to soldiers, but all elements of the military such as sailors, airmen, or Marines.

In the military your life has one central goal, the protection of this country, its citizens, and its interests around the world.

Everyone going into the military takes as oath. The one for the Marines goes as follows:

"I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

In the military everything you train for and everything you do goes toward that one goal. That one goal is everything.

That’s why in the military, you don’t have to worry about finding a place to live. The military takes care of that for you. You don’t have to worry about putting groceries on your table. You take your meals at the chow hall, or you’re provided rations in the field.

You don’t have to worry about clothing yourself, uniforms are provided. Everything you need to live is provided to you. Now, if you think you need a wife, you have to provide that yourself, and you also have to get permission from your commanding officer before you can get married. The old saying when I was a young Marine was that “if the Marines wanted you to have a wife, they would have issued you one.”

One of the things I appreciated about the military, that and the police department later on, is I never had to worry about deciding what to wear on any particular day. Just grab a clean uniform and put it on. It was also handy in that I have never had a really good fashion sense to know what goes with what.

So, you see, military life is very different from civilian life. But, on the other side of the coin, in the military you have fewer personal freedoms than a civilian. You have a strict code of conduct that you must live your life by.

Activities that you wouldn’t think twice about as a civilian has to be carefully considered if you are in the military. You can’t separate your military duties from the rest of your life. In a sense you are always on duty.

By now you're thinking, “Why is he talking about all this military stuff that nobody cares anything about?” The reason is that The Apostle Paul often couches the Christian life in military terms, and there are a number of very close parallels between the military life and the Christian life.

Just as in the military, Christians also have a central goal; that is to worship and serve and praise God. Christians are also “always on duty.” You can’t hang your Christianity, your relationship with Jesus, in a locker and go on vacation.

Christians also have fewer personal freedoms than other people. Many things that are perfectly acceptable in society these days are off-limits to the Christian. Society in general has become more and more permissive, while the standard for a Christian remains pretty much unchanged.

Today we are going to look at what was probably the last book that the Apostle Paul wrote, that of 2nd Timothy. Paul uses a lot of that military sounding language in this book.

It is likely that Paul wrote this book from a dungeon in Rome. From the language you can tell that Paul knew he was near the end. He knew he would soon be executed. As we look at the book of Timothy, we get the impression that it might just be Paul’s final instructions to his protégé Timothy.

Today we will be looking at five points that define a good soldier and also define a good Christian.

1. A good Soldier Keeps That Which Is Entrusted to Him

(1) Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

This verse illustrates that we have a responsibility to live up to by virtue of the grace that Jesus Christ has shown to us.

If we accept an appointment into the military, certain things are going to expected of us. These things are not flexible. The guidelines you must meet are specific, with no room for our private interpretation.

This is no less true for the follower of Christ. There are certain expectations that we must strive to meet. A lot of people like to employ their own interpretation of what those expectations mean, but I think scripture makes it pretty clear to us what is expected.

When you go into the military, one of the first things you must commit to memory are what are known as the 11 General Orders. They teach you these general orders in boot camp and you are constantly tested on them. You might call the general orders the 11 commandments of the military.

Several of our points today line up very well with parts of the 11 General Orders.

The first General Order is “To take charge of this post and all government property in view.” And I think that lines up very well with our first point that “A good Soldier Keeps That Which Is Entrusted to Him.”

In the military it is not unusual to see a young person, perhaps late teens or early 20’s, that is entrusted with millions of dollars’ worth of government property, whether it be an aircraft, a weapons system, or an aircraft carrier.

As Christians we are entrusted with something of even more value. God has entrusted us to be His representative here on earth. God has given us the mission to spread His light, His word, into a world that is largely unaware of God and His principles.

Hebrews 2:3 ESV

3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,

2. A Good Soldier Is True to His Orders (the Word)

(2) and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

I can relate this passage to the 6th General Order, which is “To receive, obey, and pass on to the sentry who relieves me all orders from the commanding officer, officer of the day, and officers and non-commissioned officers of the guard.”

The scripture clearly tells us that we are responsible to pass the word of God onto others, and that these others will spread it even further. That is how what started with 12 Apostles spread to all the corners of the world.

Think of those 12 apostles, those men who travelled around with Jesus for a period of about three years. That three years was a time of training for those apostles. That was their boot camp. They had to learn how to do ministry for the purpose of spreading God’s word throughout the world.

As Christians we need that time of training as well. I love the enthusiasm of a new Christian as they witness to others about the change in their life that their new relationship with Jesus had brought about, but to be an effective witness for the Lord, you need some training.

So, what does this training look like? It looks like this. It looks like Sunday School, it looks like Bible study. It is your daily scripture reading and personal Bible study. It is your private prayer time and your quite time where you are seeking to understand what God is speaking to you.

You wouldn’t try to fly an airplane without some serious training. You wouldn’t hang out your shingle as a doctor without going to medical school. Why would you undertake to represent yourself as a Christian without some serious training?

I am not asking you to memorize the Bible, or to go to seminary, but you should be familiar enough with scripture that you can relate the things that are found there to those around you.

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

If you have the Spirit in you, people will see that in you, and it will make them curious to find out more. It can provide you with opportunities to tell others about Jesus. You should wear your relationship with the Lord in such a way that when you walk into the room, people know that something has changed.

They get a sense that somehow the atmosphere in the room has changed. That is the result of that “hope that is in you” that the scripture talks about. That hope that is in you will be seen and sensed by others.

(Surely you must be a child of God illustration)

You know, I can stand up here and preach to this little group of people until Gabriel blows his horn, but that is not going to add people to the Kingdom. That is not going to encourage people to have a relationship with the Lord. That is not going to add to the Kingdom, what adds to the Kingdom is people in the community spreading the light of God to those in darkness.

3. A Good Soldier Remains at His Post Until Relieved.

Look at verse 3:

(3) Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

I relate this verse to the 5th general order: To quit my post only when properly relieved.

It means don’t be found sleeping.

If you fall asleep on your job in the civilian world, you could a strong reprimand or maybe even get fired. If you fall asleep on your job in the military, you could go to jail.

The scripture tells us to “share in suffering” or “endure hardness.” One of the disservices that we often visit upon new converts is to tell them that all their troubles will be over when they trust in the Lord. Those who are mature in the faith know that is just when the difficulty begins.

In our affluent, privileged society, hardness is not something we are used to contending with. As a matter of fact, if someone endures any hardness these days they are likely to take you to court to remedy the perceived injustice that has been done against them.

I had to pull guard duty for a few months. Our overnight shifts were four hours on and four hours off, and I considered them a hardship. It is not easy standing a four-hour shift in the middle of the night.

Generally, all you are doing is watching a group of buildings, or a flight of aircraft, or a motor pool of trucks and jeeps. It can be quite boring. But you still have to be vigilant.

I recall one poor Marine who was caught sleeping on post by the Officer of the Watch. We was lucky to escape with extra duty, and barracks restriction, kind of like house arrest, but the example made me even more attentive to my own duties. That young Marine should have remembered-Mark 13

Mark 13:35–36 ESV

35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.

Don’t let the Lord find you sleeping when He returns.

4 A Good Soldier Is Dedicated to His Task

Verse 4 tells us: (4) No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.

I can relate this to general order#2: To walk my post in a military manner, keeping always of the alert, and observing everything that takes place within sight or hearing.

What does it look like as a Christian, to be dedicated to your task? What are the signs of someone who is taking seriously their role as a follower of Jesus?

This is the person who you know is going to do the right thing no matter what the circumstances are. This is the person who is not going to take advantage of a situation for their own personal gain. This is a person who you don’t have to test their mood before you approach them.

Have you ever known a person who you would watch to get a clue to their disposition on that particular day before you approach them? A follower of Jesus should not be that person.

One of my cousins told me a story of a place where she used to work. One of her co-workers had some behavior issues in the workplace and had been to counselling with a psychologist for it.

The solution that the company arrived at involved a fuzzy stuffed frog. If the frog was on her desk, you could feel safe in engaging her in conversation. It you didn’t see the frog; you were better off staying away. If you are a follower of Jesus, you shouldn’t be that person with the frog.

5 A Good Soldier Receives Commendation From The Chief Of Staff

(5) An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

The illustration Paul is using here is that of a competition. In any competition, whether it be academic, or athletic, or whatever, you will not win the competition, you will not win the prize, unless you follow the rules.

Saying you are a child of God does not make you a child of God anymore that standing in a garage will make you an automobile.

If you are a child of God, there will be evidence that shows that. It doesn’t take very long for people to learn if you are genuine or not. You can only pretend for so long before the truth is discovered.

1 Corinthians 9:25–26 ESV

25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.

Everyone that competes for a prize knows that they must be disciplined and dedicated. It is no different from the Olympics than it is for our Christian walk, but those who compete in the Olympics strive to win a prize that will not last.

Gold medals and silver cups will be destroyed in the end, but the prize we seek is an uncorruptible one, one that lasts for eternity.

Paul says the Christian is the one who is serious about the prize they want to win, they are not like the aspiring fighter who is only a shadow boxer, the one who is “beating the air.”

Let us be careful that we do not take our relationship with the Lord for granted.

In conclusion I would like to leave you with these three thoughts:

Do your training

Stay awake

Don’t be the person with the frog