“Onward Christian Soldiers”
2 Timothy 2:1-4
Introduction:
2 Timothy 2:1-4, “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. 3 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs-- he wants to please his commanding officer.”
I. Protection v. 1
“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 12:1, “present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
“be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, … 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:10-17).
II. Production v. 2
“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”
A. PREPARATION
2 Timothy 1:10, 13-14; 2:21; 1 Timothy 4:6-7
B. PRESENTATION
Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 4:12; James 1:21; 2 Thessalonians 2:10
C. PRODUCTION
II. Persistence v. 3
“Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”
2 Timothy 2:10, “I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.”
“I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:27-28).
2 Corinthians 6:4-5
IV. Preference v. 4
“No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs-- he wants to please his commanding officer.”
Matthew 10:37-38, “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; 38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.”
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world-- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-- comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:15-17).
“… let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
“I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8).
Conclusion:
“No one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24).
Matthew 8:5-10
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. [The weapons we use] have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
“the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:3-5)
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store 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 longed for His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
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