Sermons
July 7th, 2024 by Pastor Solley070724AM God’s Good Soldiers
Sub. Soldiers
Theme: God’s good soldiers.
Text: 2 Tim 2:1-4
“God’s Good Soldiers” 2 Tim 2:1-4
Introduction
I want to speak to you this morning about being a good soldier. We celebrated our freedom this past Thursday, our Independence Day, because good soldiers answered the call. Good soldiers gained our freedom, secured our freedom and have preserved our freedom down through the years. Praise God for America’s good soldiers.
I. I want to speak about God’s good soldiers this morning: 2 Tim 2:1-4 Here we find that we are to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. – 2 Tim 2:3 – God and the cause of Jesus Christ needs good soldiers today.
A. For any who do not know we are in a battle today, in a spiritual warfare today, they are fulfilling verse four: 2 Tim 2:4 The Bible says that there is a danger of being entangled with the world. – 2 Tim 2:4 – There are two different applications concerning being entangled in the world.
1. First, one can be so caught up with the world and with the good things of life that they allow those things to take them away from the Lord: The Lord Jesus Christ is replaced in their lives by what they see as the good things of this world. Many put many things of the world before the Lord Jesus Christ in their lives.
2. Second, we can be so deceived by the world, entangled in the wiles of the devil one forgets that there is battle going on: Things getting so evil at such a rate that God’s people are lulled asleep or swept away with the world.
3. Friends, we are in a spiritual battle today and the stakes are high:
B. There is a need for good soldiers for God: 2 Tim 2:3-4
II. But what makes a good soldier for our God? 2 Tim 2:3 What are God’s requirements for a good soldier?
A. As we look through the pages of the Bible we can find many who were not good soldiers: Samson was not a good soldier, Solomon for a long time during his life was not a good soldier, the kings of the northern kingdom were not good soldiers. You can look through the pages of the Bible and find many who were not good soldiers.
B. One can also find many good soldiers in the Bible: Joseph, Daniel, Jeremiah, Peter, John and many, many more who were good soldiers for the Lord Jesus Christ.
PROP: Every born again child of God needs to know what God looks for in a good soldier. TS. So that we might obey the command of 2 Tim 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Body
I. First, the need for good soldiers: 2 Tim 2:3-4 One should not be so entangled with the world that they do not see the need to be a good soldier. Yet, I fear many are.
A. Satan has soldiers and they are active: Eph 2:1-2 It makes sense that the prince and power of the air would have soldiers at his disposal. Be they fallen angels, demons, or evil men, Satan has soldiers.
1. To whom did the soldiers belong that led Jesus to the cross, that beat Jesus, that mocked Jesus, to whom did they belong? More than soldiers of Rome there were soldiers of Satan.
2. Thirty years before to whom did those soldiers belong that murdered all the male babies two years and under in Israel? More than soldiers of Herod they were soldiers of Satan.
3. To whom did those sailors belong that would have abandoned the ship and allowed Paul to perish before God was through with him? They were more than sailors, they were soldiers of Satan.
4. To whom did Saul belong before he was saved when he was committing Christians to prison and death? More than belonging to the Pharisees he belonged to Satan.
5. Satan has soldiers and they are active: So much so that iniquity is abounding more and more.
B. There is a need for soldiers today because of who God has placed in the fight and who is to stand for the Lord: On he front lines of the battle we are in God could have placed angels, but God did not. God could have resurrected Old Testaments prophets, but God did not. God has placed men and women of faith on the front lines of the battle today. – 2 Tim 2:1-4 – There is a need for good soldiers for our God today, good soldiers for the Lord Jesus Christ.
C. What makes a good soldier for our God?
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I. God’s good soldier is a devout soldier: Acts 10:1-2 Cornelius was a soldier. Cornelius I believe rose through the ranks to a place of leadership. – Acts 10:1 – Those places of leadership were handed out to those whose families could buy them, to those who had by hard work and faithful service risen through the ranks. Cornelius rose through the ranks because most of the people who purchased those positions were not devout. Cornelius was devout.
A. To be devout means to be Godly: It means one pleases God with their actions, with their dress, with their language, and with the intentions of their heart. To be devout means one is Godly. That does not mean one is weak. The world presents the lie that a devout individual, a devout man, a devout woman is somehow weaker than a man or woman who is worldly. Devout doesn’t mean weak.
1. The sons of thunder, James and John, were not given that nickname because they were weak:
2. Moses, David, Daniel, Isaiah, Peter, Paul were not men of weakness: They had great strength, power, and abilities.
3. You can be a man’s man and at the same time be devout:
B. These would be part of the qualities that make up a devout soldier: None of them point to a weakness but to strength in the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember to be devout means to be Godly.
1. A devout soldier would have his or her mind settled upon the Lord: Phil 4:8 A sound mind settled upon the Lord.
2. A devout soldier would have his or her love settle upon the Lord: 1 John 2:15 They will love the Lord Jesus Christ with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength. They have a right love.
3. A devout soldier would have his or her steps guided by the Lord: Ps 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Steps guided by the Lord.
4. A devout soldier would have all glory be given to the Lord Jesus Christ: 1 Cor 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
C. God’s good soldier is a devout soldier: Are you that devout, Godly, soldier today?
II. God’s good soldier is an obedient soldier: 2 Kings 5:1-6 Naaman was a soldier. Naaman had a problem. – 2 Kings 5:1
A. To begin Naaman is exactly opposite of what God wants his soldier to be: 2 Kings 5:7-12 Naaman is willing to go home in the same condition that he arrived, a leper. Humanly we can understand why perhaps.
1. Naaman had taken many baths in his life: 2 Kings 5:10 After each bath he remained a leper. Bathing does not cleanse a leper.
2. The Jordan was and is a muddy river: 2 Kings 5:12 If clear water could not cleans him, how could muddy water cleans him?
3. Naaman needed a miracle that he could understand: 2 Kings 5:11 Naaman wanted something done that he could understand.
4. Naaman was willing to go home with the same problem he arrived with, Naaman was a leper.
B. But when Naaman obey God great things happened: 2 Kings 5:13-15 Interesting that where cleansing never worked it did work when it was done according to the Word of the Lord. Interesting that muddy waters could cleans a leper when everything else muddy water touched was left looking like it needed a cleansing.
1. Naanman did not need to understand: Naaman needed to obey.
2. It did not need to make sense to Naaman: Naaman needed to obey.
3. Naaman needed to obey God unconditionally: When Naaman obeyed God great things happened in his life.
C. What does God want from us today? Not that we understand everything, not that everything makes sense to us.
1. God wants us to obey and when we do obey God promises to bless: James 1:22-25 I do believe the Bible.
2. God blesses obedience: James 1:25
D. God’s good soldier is an obedient soldier:
III. God’s good soldier is a persistent soldier: 1 Sam 30:7-10 David was a soldier. David was tired. – 1 Sam 30:10 – David was faint.
A. Follow David through the Bible and you will find that he had been through a great deal up to this point: Trouble after trouble mounting up upon David and then he finds that his family had been taken captive. – 1 Sam 30:1-6 – David enduring persecution from Saul, his family taken captive and now the people who joined him wanting to stone him. – 1 Sam 30:6 – David was faint.
1. In the same condition Elijah would request to die: David was faint, David was ready to stop fighting, David was faint. Wouldn’t it be better to just stop, wouldn’t it be better to be with the Lord? David was faint.
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2. But God wanted His soldier to continue on: 1 Sam 30:8-10 God wanted His soldier to continue on.
B. It is so easy to become weary and discouraged in our present day: So easy to become wearied with the world. Health problems, financial problems, family problems, crime, evil called good, it is so easy to become weary today. Wouldn’t it be better to just be out of the fight, better to be with the Lord? I have had enough and it would be better to just be with the Lord.
1. But God doesn’t want us to stop, doesn’t want us wearied like so many of us tend to be from time to time: Gal 6:9 ; 2 Thess 3:13
2. God wants His soldiers to finish and to finish well: To quit like men, to finish the course with Joy.
3. Consider Elijah when he decided to quit: 1 Kings 19:1-9 What are you doing Elijah? It is time to go on, not time to quit.
4. We are not to be weary in our well doing, we are to continue on for our wonderful Lord:
C. God’s good soldier is a persistent soldier:
IV. By the power of God and because God’s soldier is devout, is obedient, is persistent, he or she will stand out: For this point we go to some soldiers who are identified by God as mighty. – 2 Sam 30:8 – These soldiers, these mighty men did some mighty things, men who did things when outnumbered and overmatched. – 2 Sam 30:8 – Three hundred at one time and that is just the beginning.
A. Eleazar was a man who would not be stopped: 2 Sam 23:9-10 This man would not stop, he was persistent.
1. All those around him looked at the enemy and ran away: 2 Sam 23:9
2. But Eleazar ran to the fight and continued in the fight until it was impossible for him to lay his sword down: 2 Sam 23:10
3. Eleazar was a man who would not be stopped, he was persistent:
4. We are not to stop no matter what:
B. Shammah was a man who would not give and inch to the enemy: 2 Sam 23:11-12 Lentils could be barley, could be leeks, could be even another plant good for food. But there were several such fields in Israel. What made this one important?
1. What made it important is that the Philistines wanted it: 2 Sam 23:12 Because they wanted it Shamman was not letting it go.
2. He would not let Satan take away what was his, important or not, he would defend what was His:
3. Don’t give Satan an inch, don’t give Satan a place in your life, defend what is yours in the Lord:
C. Abishai with only a spear went out against three hundred: 2 Sam 23:18-19 Noteworthy because a sword or a bow would have been the choice of weapon, not a spear.
1. A spear is hard to turn quickly, a spear has only one killing point, a spear would not be the weapon of choice: But it is the weapon that Abishai had.
2. What God had provided for him Abishai would use: Not the best equipped, but equipped by God and God gave the victory.
3. We need to go out with the abilities that God has given us: We may not be the strongest, the smartest, the youngest but God already knows those things.
4. Go out with what God has equipped you with and God will use you:
D. Benaiah did things that seem above and beyond the call of duty: 2 Sam 23:20-22
1. The two lion like men most likely paralyzed many with fear: Not Benaiah.
2. Who would jump down into a pit with a lion with snow on the ground: Benaiah would if there was a need.
3. Like David, Benaiah took care of a giant: 2 Sam 23:21
4. We also need to do whatever needs to be done:
E. By the power of God and because God’s soldier is devout, is obedient, is persistent, he or she will stand out: Are you standing out today? God is looking for soldiers who will stand out.
Conclusion
We are called to be good soldiers, that is clear. What makes a good soldier?
I. God’s good soldier is a devout soldier: Acts 10:1-2 Cornelius was a soldier. Cornelius I believe who rose through the ranks to a place of leadership. – Acts 10:1 – Those places of leadership were handed out to those whose families who could buy them to those who had by hard work and faithful service risen through the ranks. Cornelius rose through the ranks because most of the people who purchased those positions were not devout. Cornelius was devout.
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II. God’s good soldier is an obedient soldier: 2 Kings 5:1-6 Naaman was a soldier. Naaman had a problem. – 2 Kings 5:1
III. God’s good soldier is a persistent soldier: 1 Sam 30:7-10 David was a soldier. David was tired. – 1 Sam 30:10 – David was faint.
IV. By the power of God and because God’s soldier is devout, is obedient, is persistent, he or she will stand out: For this point we go to some soldiers who are identified by God as mighty. – 2 Sam 30:8 – These soldiers, these mighty men did some mighty things, men who did things when outnumbered and overmatched. – 2 Sam 30:8 – Three hundred at one time and that is just the beginning.