7.1 Key themes⤒🔗

• A Christian is a soldier of Jesus Christ.
• Christians have three enemies:
  - the darkness in this world,
  - the sin in their own hearts, and
  - Satan.
• To be a good soldier, a Christian should:
  - endure hardship,
  - be focused, and
  - live to please his Commander.

7.2 – 2 Timothy 2:1-4←⤒🔗

^2:1 So you, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

^2:2 And entrust what you heard me say in the presence of many others as witnesses to faithful people who will be competent to teach others as well.

^2:3 Take your share of suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

^2:4 No one in military service gets entangled in matters of everyday life; otherwise he will not please the one who recruited him.

© NET Bible

7.3 Ephesians 6:10-12, 18←⤒🔗

^6:10 Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power.

^6:11 Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

^6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.

…

^6:18 With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and requests for all the saints.

© NET Bible

7.4 Soldiers of Jesus Christ←⤒🔗

Christians are soldiers. This may sound strange. Shouldn’t Christians be peaceful and makers of peace?

It is true that Christians should not fight with other people. They should love their enemies. But according to Ephesians 6:12, there are enemies which Christians must fight against. These enemies are “the spiritual forces of evil”.

Jesus Christ himself came to earth to fight against Satan. Jesus is a mighty warrior who came “to destroy the devil's work” (1 John 3:8). Through his death and resurrection, Jesus rescued us from the power of Satan and the power of sin and death. One day he will come again to have the final victory!

Until that day, every Christian is called to fight. Yes, Satan has already lost the fight against Jesus. But Satan is still busy in this world. He is trying to take people away from God and from the gospel. He is keeping many people in darkness.

The Bible speaks of three enemies that Christians must fight against:

• We must fight against the darkness of this world (the wrong ideas in this world, and the wrong things that happen in this world).
• We must fight against the sin in our own hearts.
• We must fight against the devil (Satan).

Yes, your enemies are strong. But as a soldier of Jesus Christ, you are never alone. The Holy Spirit is with you to make you strong in the fight. Also remember: Jesus Christ already gave you the victory, through his death and resurrection. You are fighting a battle that Jesus Christ has already won!

In the passages that we have read, we see three things that a good soldier of Jesus Christ must do. A soldier of Jesus Christ must:

1. endure hardship,
2. be focused, and
3. live to please his (or her) Commander.

7.5 Endure hardship←⤒🔗

Paul had trained Timothy to be a church leader and an evangelist. Now Timothy was doing this work in (and around) the city of Ephesus. Timothy experienced many challenges. There were false teachers who tried to teach false messages to the church. There were also people in the church who liked to fight.

In the passage that we have read, Paul tells Timothy to “endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Jesus Christ”. To endure hardship means to stand strong in times of hardship (suffering).

Think of a soldier who goes to war. There will be times when he is cold and wet. His feet will get sore from all the walking. He will feel alone sometimes. But he must still obey his commander. He must not stop when things become difficult.

Soldiers of Jesus Christ will go through trials. Some trials are big and clear for everyone to see. For example, some Christians today are put in prison or even killed for their faith.

But there are also secret trials. For example, think of a Christian woman who is looking after her sick mother. It may be very difficult for her to do this every day and every night, without complaining. It is part of the good fight that she has to fight.

7.6 Be focused←⤒🔗

Secondly, we must be focused. Paul says to Timothy that he should not become “involved” in this world (2 Timothy 2:4). This means: Timothy should not become too busy with other things. He must focus on the work that the Lord gave to him.

Jesus said that some people are so busy with the “worries of this life” that they forget the things of God. Other people forget the things of God because they are too busy making money and enjoying life (Matthew 13:21). That is not what soldiers of Christ should do. 

As a pastor, Timothy had a special task from the Lord. He had to preach the Word at every opportunity (2 Timothy 4:2). Not all Christians have this task. But all of us have the task to pray (Ephesians 6:18). Prayer is a great part of the battle. We must make time for it and we must focus on it every day.

All of us also have the task to fight against the temptations of the devil (Ephesians 6:11). As soldiers, we must always be “alert” (Ephesians 6:18). And we must be ready to sacrifice anything, in order to serve Jesus Christ and his people.

7.7 Live to please your commander←⤒🔗

Lastly, Paul tells Timothy that a soldier wants to “please his commanding officer” (2 Timothy 2:4). Our commanding officer is Jesus Christ. As Christians, we must live to please him (to make him glad).

Jesus Christ is glad when you are fighting the good fight with him. He is glad when you are living by the power of the Spirit and fighting against the sin in your life. He is glad when you are doing things to serve other people. He is glad when you are making time to pray. He is glad when you stand strong, even in times of suffering.

Are you a soldier who lives to please your Commander, Jesus Christ?