November 10, 2019
Morning Service

Personally I found last week’s message from Paul very close to home.  I have dwelled all week in the fact that we “are not given the spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.”  I don’t have to be afraid, God is with me in each and every situation that I face.  Fear comes from our enemy and leaves us hopeless and helpless and when I live in those attitudes he wins.  Christ has given us victory over fear.  He has empowered us with the Holy Spirit, showered us with His love and blessed us with a sound mind to be able to understand those facts. It is up to us to make our faith in Him an active one and to fully trust Him in times of trouble.  By putting Him first in our lives we can remove fear from our lives.  Paul described that trust like this in verse 12:

2Ti 1:12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless, I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

            Trust Him to whom you have committed yourself to, because when you commit to Him, He is committing to you. (Romans 8:32)

 

 Rom 8:32 He who did not spare His Own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

As we begin chapter 2, Paul again encourages us to along these same lines.

 

2Ti 2:1-2 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  (2)  And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

            Grace is the “unmerited or undeserved favor” that has been given to whosoever will accept the free gift of sins forgiven and eternal life offered through Jesus Christ.  We are unworthy to receive such a gift, but it is offered anyway.  It is through this grace we are saved:

 

Eph. 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

            It is through grace that we are saved and it is through grace that we should live our lives.

 

Col. 2:6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,

To walk in Him means to completely trust in Christ and His power and not trying to live on our strength alone.  Paul encourages us to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” living our lives in such a fashion that shows we are following Jesus and that He is in control displaying the fact that we are covered in His grace.  He also encourages us to share that with others around us investing in them the truth that God loves them enough to die for them.  This is a message that must be shared and spread to everyone.  The teaching that comes from this pulpit is done to “equip” you to go and live a life that displays that grace that you received and then share that same grace with others around you who then share it with others. 

What is more important than that?

 Is it easy?

 No, it is a battle in which we must be prepared to fight, compete and farm.

 

2Ti 2:3-7 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  (4)  No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.  (5)  And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.  (6)  The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.  (7)  Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

            Paul is being very open about the commitment it takes to being a true Christ follower and he gives us three examples that we all can relate to.  First he says, you “must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”  How fitting is that we touch on this subject with tomorrow being Veterans Day?  A soldier is taught to be single minded in focusing on completing his mission and worrying about nothing else.  He must fully trust in his superior officers to train him and lead him to victory.  His job is to follow orders and trust that those orders are the right ones.  I realize in our military today and in the past, there is some doubt to whether we are doing the right thing or not, but that is from the guidance on men.  Paul is telling us to fully and totally trust Christ to lead us down the true path of victory knowing that He knows all and will lead us well.  “Where He leads me, I will follow.”  We are to be a good soldier for Christ placing our focus to please Him and complete our mission trusting Him to do the rest.

 

Mat 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

            The next comparison is one of an athlete competing in order to win.  Training and discipline are needed to compete at a high level and a knowledge of the rules is necessary as well.  Paul put it this way to in his first letter to the Corinthians:

 

1Co 9:24-27 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.  (25)  And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.  (26)  Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.  (27)  But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

            Run to win that prize that lies at the end of our lifetimes which is our eternal home in heaven with the One who died for us.  Live your life with a purpose, do things that please God and draw you closer to Him.  Paul says “I am not one who simply “beats the air” just to be doing something, but I live in discipline to stay the course that God has laid before me.”  I don’t know about you, but I certainly have had times in my life where I am just “beating the air!”  I find myself staggering through life in survival mode just going through the motions rather than living it with a purpose to serve my Savior.  Take time to sit down and really examine your lifestyle and determine if the many things you are spending your time on are just “beating the air” or are done with a purpose to aid you in receiving your crown.

        Next Paul calls us to be like a farmer.  Farming takes much patience, faith, and willing to work hard now for something that will be rewarding in the future.  Farmers are driven by the fact that they believe that their hard work will pay off with the hope of the harvest.  They till, plant, and water the seed having faith that they will rise from the ground and produce fruit to be eaten or sold. The suffering is worth the reward.  So it is with Christ followers.  We must live our entire lives here on this earth driven by the hope of the harvest.  In the end we will win!

 

 

Jas 5:7-8 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.  (8)  You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

            Every storm and every trial are simply opportunities to show our resolve to stay true to the course that God has called us to.  Patience is not something any of us will claim as one of our gifts, but we must approach our lives with the patience of a farmer looking to the “hope of the harvest.”  We are not told what the road that we will be called to get to heaven will look like, but we are assured that in the end heaven will be our eternal home.  We will suffer through some droughts and floods, but God will be with us and guide us and empower us to be overcomers.

 

 This morning Paul has challenged us to have the resolve of a soldier, the discipline of an athlete and the patience and work ethic of a farmer as you follow Jesus.  Fight, compete and farm for Jesus.

 

Heavenly Father thank You for the wonderful grace You bestow upon us and grant us resolve, discipline and patience as we make our journey to see You.