Spiritual Warfare
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Background & Introduction
Background & Introduction
Background
2 Timothy was written by the apostle Paul. It was his last letter before his martyrdom, about ad 67. It was written to Timothy who Paul had placed in charge of the church at Ephesus. Timothy was a young companion of Paul, and this letter as well as 1 timothy was written to him for encouragement, strength, and correction of his duties leading the Ephesian church. Whether you realize it or not there is a spiritual war going on each and every day (Ephesians 6:12) as Christians we are all involved, or should I say we should be involved. So today we are looking at what we should be doing in this war. Paul uses four illustrations to paint us a picture of how we should be engaged in this war. 1 the Teacher 2 the Soldier 3 the Athlete and 4 the Farmer.
1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,
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.
3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.
5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.
7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
The Teacher Vs. 2
The Teacher Vs. 2
1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,
The Teacher
2 Timothy 2:1-2
Paul refers to Timothy as his child, he is Paul’s child in the faith. Paul starts out with a word of encouragement in verse 1, he tells Timothy to be strong, but how are we to be strong, it is through grace, the free gift from our Lord and Savior. this grace is the empowerment of the Christian by God through His grace. It is only by God’s grace that we can be strong, we must rely on that not our own strength. Scripture makes it clear that we are to be strong, we see it here and there are many other places as well like Joshua 1:9. We need God’s strength for the spiritual warfare we face everyday.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
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.
Paul now moves to the teacher, you hear me say this allot we all have one job that is the same, share the good news. Paul commands Timothy to teach, and we are to teach as well, we are teach people the word, he tells Timothy to teach to those who are faithful and will be able to teach others . (Human Chain) You may be thinking I cant be a teacher I don’t know enough, well find someone who knows more and learn from them and also find someone who knows less and teach them. It is our duty to teach others, we must pass on the truth which is God’s word. This is how we grow stronger, we learn more and share more. Apologetics is the practice of defending our faith, which is very important, but it is not all about defense. Charles Spurgeon once said “The Bible is like a lion; we do not need to defend it as much as we need to turn it loose” We should be on the offensive allot more than we are, we should be diligently be doing the work God has called us to do.
The Solder Vs 3-4
The Solder Vs 3-4
3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.
The Solder Vs 3-4
We all know the song Onward Christian Solders, well that couldn’t more true. We are all solders in the Lord’s army. But first Paul exhorts us to remain faithful. There were those who had abandoned Paul because of his imprisonment and we see here a call to share in each other suffering. We are to help one another, come alongside each other in this journey.
Verse 4 Paul points out the devotion it will take. When an individual enlists in the military you belong to whatever branch you signed with, 24/7 365 days a year you belong to them. It is the same when we give our lives to Christ, it is not just a Sunday, Wednesday thing it is 24/7 365 days a year a lifetime of devotion. The solder does not get caught up in the frivolous things of this world he or she only cares about what the one whom enlisted them wants. For us as Christians we ought not worry about the world, and focus on what Christ wants us to accomplish. Our focus day in and day out should be serving our Lord in the spiritual battle we all face. Another thing about solders is that they are servants, we are the Lord’s servants, and we should be busy in battle.
The Athlete Vs 5
The Athlete Vs 5
5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
The Athlete Vs 5
The only way an athlete gets their reward is if they follow the rules and compete. They don’t get a participation trophy. We must not be sitting on the side lines watching everyone else compete. We must get in the game and do our best. Remember we are empowered by God’s grace.
The Farmer Vs 6
The Farmer Vs 6
6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.
The Farmer Vs 6
Paul speaks of a farmer, but not just any farmer a hard working farmer. The language Paul uses here means to work to the point of exhaustion. He is calling Timothy and us as well to not be lazy, we should be diligently working until the harvest comes.
Think About It Vs 7
Think About It Vs 7
7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
Think About It Vs 7
Paul calls us to think about what he has just said. But what if we are unclear, God will give us the understanding we need. We still have to do our part, studying and praying for God to help us understand. We should meditate on the word. I cannot stress how important it is that we spend time in God’s word. It is not just enough to come on Sunday and Wednesday. We need to be nourished everyday. It is God that changes us, He gives us the understanding of his word that changes us.
What is Your Choice?
What is Your Choice?
Closing
I have two questions for us today. The first is have you enlisted, have you given your life to Christ and become one of His solders. If not today is the day. The second is if you have made that decision if you have signed your life over to Christ, are you on active duty or are you letting everyone else do the work. Are you happy just being saved, have you become a stagnate Christian.