Sermon Tone Analysis

A. Introduction/Background

I want to start by asking you to think back to the time when you first came to Switzerland... or when you first decided to come to Basel… or when you realized that you would probably be staying in Basel for a long time.

I want you to reflect a bit on the reasons for coming to Switzerland, the reasons you decided to stay.

Were you brought here against your will?

Were you no longer able to live or to make a living in the country you were in?

Were you perhaps convinced that God was sending you here to further his Kingdom.

Did you have the explicit urge to come here, because you care for God’s sheep, either those already saved, or those not yet.

Or did you come here for other reasons?

Maybe to further your career, or because the opportunity was too good to let it pass by?

Whatever your reasons, I want you to now take them and compare them with the overall message in the New Testament.

More specifically, compare them with the great commission.

Compare them with God’s plan with the world, with Christ’s words

I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.[1]

If it makes you uneasy, then there is good reason.

There may in fact be a very serious conflict between what you want for your life and what God wants for you.

The title of the sermon is “God does not call us to be expats, but as soldiers” and my purpose is not to simply make people feel uneasy, but to have all our hearts persuaded and converted to the purposes of God.

B. Exegetical comments

To achieve that, I want us to first take a step by step look at the text so that we have a firm grip on what the Spirit through the apostle Paul was saying to Timothy so that we can also understand what He is saying to us this morning.

1. Verse 3 – Suffer along

LEB: Suffer together with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

NIV: Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

As a good soldier, not like a good soldier: There is quite a difference here, I believe Paul is not using simile with his statement, but that he literally thinks of Timothy as a soldier of Christ.

It is in the capacity of a soldier that Timothy was to suffer alongside with Paul and all the saints.

Paul often uses warfare language to make it clear that the Christian is literally in a war.

In 2 Cor 10, he says that our warfare is different from what we recognize in the world because our struggle is against powers and principalities.

This is not meant metaphorically, but literally.

In 1 Tim 1:18 he says to Timothy should wage the good warfare.

Furthermore, saying that Timothy should be like a soldier of Christ, does not make much sense – if Paul was comparing Timothy simply to a soldier as in verse 4, then we could understand the verse as simile, but to compare Timothy with a soldier of Christ, Timothy would have to be acquainted with soldiers of Christ to understand what Paul meant.

No, the only soldiers of Christ are all those whom Christ have called to himself, to literally be part of his kingdom.

Paul was telling Timothy to suffer as a soldier of Christ - as a good soldier.

A good soldier: The opposite of a good soldier is a deserting soldier, someone who betrays the code under which he swore allegiance and subservience.

The good soldier does not only take part in a skirmish here and there but has his eyes fixed on victory in war.

Paul had firsthand experience of bad soldiers that deserted and abandoned him, but I think he probably had Demas foremost in his mind when thinking of a deserting soldier.

Demas had deserted Paul, not from fear of persecution, but from his love of this present world.

And so he left Paul for Thessalonica to serve his flesh.

Why stand with Paul in defense, while the world was offering its love, peace and safety now.

To Demas, suffering for the gospel made little sense in comparison to the life on offer to him in this life.

A good soldier of Christ stands his ground, remains loyal to the end and endures whatever difficult circumstances is presented to him.

Mercenaries will always exist to fight battles, but a good soldier has his desires set on a war being won.

Suffer along: - Paul does not explicitly identify those whom Timothy is to suffer along with, but for sure it includes Paul himself, as he has explicitly mentioned his own suffering 2 Tim 1:8:

“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,” (2 Timothy 1:8, ESV)

Yet, just in the next chapter, verse 12, Paul states the universal truth that everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

I believe Paul is saying that because suffering is an unavoidable element in this spiritual war, it is necessary that Timothy line up together in the trenches and suffer alongside with all the saints, including Paul.

2. Verses 4-6 – examples to understand how a good soldier endures

As we look to verses 4-6, we see that Paul now draws attention to three examples from the world to build out what it means to endure as a good soldier of Christ.

4) A good soldier is loyal to Christ, 5) he does not disqualify himself and 6) his suffering is not in vain.

3. Verse 4 - Soldier focus (Jesus enlists us - You come follow me)

LEB: No one who serves as a soldier is entangled in the activities of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him.

NIV: No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.

The first of three examples speaks specifically about a soldier in active service – The NIV is accurate to translate it as “No one serving as a soldier”.

Any good soldier on active duty would know that survival depends on being resolutely focused on his job, rather than being distracted by the otherwise ‘legitimate’ concerns of everyday life.

Farmers and parents enlisted to active duty are expected to free themselves up from their usual responsibilities, because having any sideline business going on puts himself and those around him in danger.

An enlisted soldier cannot serve two masters, he is free from worldly entanglements so that he can devote himself fully to the authority of his human commander.

In the same way, Timothy’s desires were to be unbendable with respect to pleasing and following the one who called him – The Lord Jesus Christ.

4. Verse 5 – Rules of engagement

LEB: And also if anyone competes he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

NIV: Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules

The second example draws upon the integrity of an athlete that competes for a crown.

The rules can either refer to the rules during the competition, or the rigorous training that mandatory in participation for the games.

In either case, Paul is emphasizing this one aspect in the metaphor – that the threat of missing the crown is from within the athlete, not from outside.

His point here does not include technical disqualification or coming second in a race, but neglecting to follow the explicit rules of the game.

I believe it is also correct to recognise meaning for what the crowning in the metaphor may point to.

I do this, because Paul himself does indirectly comes back to this metaphor in 2 Tim 4:8 as he talks again about the crown that awaits him.

He says from verse 7

I have fought the good fight, I have completed the race, I have kept the faith.

8 Finally, the crown of righteousness is reserved for me, that 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.

The crown that the good soldier of Christ will receive is the crown of righteousness.

Having fought the good fight, having completed the race and having remained faithful, there is but the glorious crowning by the Lord Himself that awaits.

The crown of righteousness represents having clung to Christ’s righteousness for salvation.

There is an honor and recognition that awaits the children of God which reflects their utter dependency and union with Christ’s righteousness to the end.

There is a necessary connection between receiving the crown and what the crown represents.

The receipt of the crown is the joyful expression of all that it stands for.

And so, contradicting or denying our utter dependency on Christ’s righteousness is a disqualifying factor for the Christian.

Now remember that the context from verse 3 is that we suffer along as good soldiers of Christ.

If we somehow scheme to sidestep this, we also deliberately choose against what the crown stands for.

This is even more clear from verse 12 – the well-known words among the faithful – “If we deny Him, he will also deny us.”

Awaiting his execution, Paul must have recalled these word of the Lord in Mat 10:32-33:

“..everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”

(Matthew 10:32–33, ESV)

Sidestepping or avoid suffering as a Christian was a disqualifying factor, because in most cases it amounted to a treacherous denial of Christ.

5. Verse 6 – Toil that is not for nothing

LEB: The farmer who works hard must be the first to receive a share of the crops.

NIV: The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops

The examples of the hard-working farmer elsewhere in Paul refer to a worker that deserves his wages, but here the emphasis is different.

Rather, Paul is assuring Timothy that just as it is obvious for a hard-working farmer to be first in line for the fruit of his hands, so the suffering of a good soldier is not for nothing.

Indeed, suffering lead to endurance, character and hope, or as Paul says in 1 Tim 4:8-10 suffering and hard work produces godliness that is profitable in the present life and the life to come.

Timothy should not consider suffering a futile curse in life, but gain confidence by it as he hopes in the living God, who is His savior.

6. Verse 7 – Give serious consideration to this

LEB: Consider what I am saying, for the Lord will grant you understanding in all these things.

NIV: Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

Paul is not adding this instruction because what he says is hard to understand, but instead because these three examples from ordinary life is to be extrapolated to the Spiritual life that is so much more significant for those who profess to follow Jesus.

We should ponder the implications for us from these three examples and ensure that what they point to are applicable to us as followers of Christ.

C. Exposition

1.

What is an expat?

Now, let’s get back to the title of my sermon.

As was mentioned already, the main point of my sermon is ‘God does not call us to be expats, but as soldiers’ - to be good soldiers.

Now when I say expat, I of course have a narrow meaning in mind, not simply someone who lives outside his fatherland.

The type of expat I am talking about is the type that leaves his fatherland not out of necessity, but to pursue a dream, or rather many dreams – a fleeting kingdom of experiences and opportunities.

This type of expat dreams of access to exotic places, or ‘quality of life’, or that juicy package, or that step up the ladder.

To put it frankly, the expat I am talking about really is a sophisticated type of hedonist that has a ‘my best life now’ agenda.