The Soldier of Christ

2 Timothy 2:1-4

Paul in his final letter to Timothy encourages him “to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Our strength as Christians does not come from outside ourselves but from inside ourselves. Grace flows from within! Then he gives him a good illustration of what the Christian life is like. It is like being a soldier!

As we have just celebrated Memorial Day, we should be reminded that the hero’s of our day shouldn’t be the baseball players that play on Memorial day, or the stars of pop culture and the entertainment industry, but those who fought for this country and the freedoms that we celebrate on that day. We as Christians can learn a lot from the service and life of soldier and I think that’s why Paul chose to use this illustration. What can we learn?

First of all we learn that a shoulder must be strong. The Christian must be willing to “endure hardness.” The Christian life is hard and it is a battle. The enemy we face is one that is spiritual and not physical. What makes the fight tough is that there are so many ways at which the enemy can attack and we must be watchful. It is an everyday battle against temptation and sin and sometimes it can be easy to grow weary in well doing. But just as a soldier must train everyday to stay fit and learn about his enemy, we too have to exercise ourselves in prayer, meditation, and reading the scriptures to frame our minds and hearts. This takes discipline! Which leads is to our next point.

Second we must be separated from the world. Paul says that a good soldier does not “entangle himself” in the affairs of this life. To be a Christian takes focus and discipline. The world is so alluring and just as John in Revelation wondered after the woman sitting on the beast, we too can find ourselves gazing at and longing for the things that the world has to offer through the “lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” (1 John 2:15) The Enemy of our souls is so cunning, that if we are not aware of his devices, we can become ensnared by the many footholds and strongholds in his arsenal.

In Hebrews 11 we have a memorial of those who “Died in faith.” Some were warriors, some were prophets, while others were just common people in whom God chose to fulfill his purpose. But when you look at them all, the one thing they all had in common was they were soldiers for God! They were strong in grace and separated unto the Gospel. These are they who bear witness to us that the faith and the fight are worth it! The Christian Anthem should bring each of us courage in “Fighting the good fight of faith.” (1 Timothy 6:12) That anthem is none other than Onward Christian Soldiers!

Onward, Christian soldiers! marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before. Christ, the royal master, leads his armies on: forward into battle till the fight is won! Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before.

Pastor Robby