Soldier, Athlete, Farmer

2 Timothy 2.3ff

1. Living as a Christian is not the easy option – but it is worth it!

Paul uses three illustrations to describe a committed Christian. Soldier, athlete and farmer. Christian! You are a soldier. You are an athlete. You are a farm labourer. These occupations suggest bravery, danger, strategy, effort, training, commitment, getting your hands dirty and perseverance. It doesn't sound like Big Wednesday to me – you don't get the 2 million dollars, you don't get the Audi, the Porche Cayenne, the overseas trip or the bach! Instead, you get challenge, fufiflment, satisfaction, joy and victory.

Don't buy into the lie that is being sold to you that you will have a nice life if you get stuff – that you will be happiest if you find fun and entertainment – that it will be best for you if you never face trouble and never have to suffer for anything! It is a lie.

Now some of you will immediately be turned off by the idea of a life that is challenging and at times tough. You may be saying, “I thought God was going to bless me if I go to church”. You won't be alone if you reject the life that Christ actually offers. There was a rich young community leader who came to Jesus and he couldn't face the cost of losing comfort and prestige. It pained him that he would no longer have money with which to make his life comfortable, solve his problems or gain others' respect. When Jesus said that for him to secure eternal life his decision to follow Jesus would be made around the matter of his money. He would need to throw away that crutch and lean on Jesus. But he could bring himself to do it. He went away sad. If you are still deceived into thinking that following Jesus means an easy life of getting more of what you want – then you will join the rich young man and sooner, rather than later turn sadly away from Christ – disillusioned.

Interestingly, Jesus was always making it HARD for people to decide to follow him! He doesn't want anyone to follow him under any misapprehension about what it involves. He said things like this:

Luke 14.25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Paul repeats this very challenging idea of 'counting the cost' to Timothy and to us. But it is not as if he is calling us to a miserable, downtrodden life! He is calling us to a life that counts – a life with meaning – a life that accomplishes something.

Many people would rather rust out than burn out. They waste their lives finding the easiest way through. When work is too hard, they just give it up. They are always looking for a comfortable, trouble-free existence. Their lives just peter out. It's very sad. They have a life but they never USE if for something of value. They eat the wrong food and make themselves weak and sick, because it doesn't matter to them that their body is not in the best shape possible so that it can be used in God's service. “Pop open another kingsize bag of Twisties – I'll just be curled up in front of a DVD tonight!” Wasted lives, counting for nothing, going nowhere, using up God's gracious gifts for no good purpose. This is not the life Christ calls us to take up when he calls us to follow him. He calls us to be soldiers, athletes and farmers.

According to Paul, a successful Christian life involves some suffering – it involves single-minded devotion to Christ – it involves determination to keep to the race and win it - and it involves taking a long-term view of life (not a short-term one that seeks instant gratification). IA successful life following Christ means living like a soldier, like an athlete and like a farmer. It means living with purpose and having a vision for God's big objective.

A soldier has an objective: it is to win fights and take ground for his commander.

An athlete has an objective: to defeat the opposition and win the race.

The farmer has an objective: and it isn't just to scratch the soil and throw seeds around – it is to raise a full harvest that will feed many.

You are called to THOSE kinds of lives and Christ is the only one who can make you equal to the task.

Soldiers suffer for their cause. They choose to put aside an easy life and many of the pleasures of life so they can commit to their cause. They will be eating basic food and sleeping rough. They will be under fire and have to remain alert at all times. They certainly won’t be mixed up in civilian life when there is a battle to fight. They have turned themselves over to the Commander-in-Chief and they aim to please him.

This is a metaphor for the self-discipline of men and women of faith. We are to live on a war-footing – we are not indulging ourselves. We are ready to go wherever we are sent by our Commander. It is all too easy to grab as much of the fun, comfort, ease and material things that are on offer. For some of us, our lives are just a kind of shopping expedition from one trinket to the next - or from one laugh to the next. We are being pulled along by the nose by Satan himself. He give us the sniff of another bit of fun or entertainment and we run along after it. Like dogs that smell a bitch on heat, we trot along with the pack for the next bit of fun. That is not living. Christ calls us to a noble and purposeful life. We pass up many pleasures, not because we think that that will make us more acceptable to God – somehow impressing God that we are serious people by being miserable. We do it because we have found something far better, more satisfying more important and imperishable to possess.

The reason for the weakness of the Church in New Zealand is because Christians have given up on being like soldiers. No one wants to endure any discomfort. We have been sucked into the lie that God wants us to be rich and comfortable – when his strategy requires that we are prepared to suffer the loss of all things. Paul put it into perspective writing to the Christians at Philippi:

3.7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

This is not a miserable life of loss – it is the setting aside of things that perish so you can gain what is imperishable.

Paul likens men of faith to athletes. An athlete who leaves the track is disqualified. If he moves out of his lane, he is disqualified. If he takes drugs he is disqualified. The athlete commits to his event, knowing that he cannot take liberties with it! He runs in a straight line to get the prize.This is a metaphor for the seriousness men of faith have in keeping to the Word of God. We want to win the prize. And to do so not only requires self-control but you have to compete according to the rules. This doesn't mean that living as a Christian is a burdensome keeping of laws and rules and duties. God's Spirit will lift you up on eagles wings so that you can run and not be weary, walk and not faint. Keeping to the rules of the race means that you have to understand which race you are in. God's word will help you to understand exactly what it is Christ has in mind for you. He has a path of good works marked out for you – like milestones or checkpoints on the way. You are running from one good work to the next until you finish you race. This requires what Paul describes like this:

Philippians 3.12 Not that I am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Here's the kind of challenge you will face. On Saturday night, instead of getting worn out by a late night enjoying some laughs with your friends – get to bed early enough so you are in good shape for church.

Listen to how Paul describes this athlete's approach to your Christian life:

1 Cor 9.24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, [2] lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Paul likens men of faith to hard-working farmers. The farmer who puts in the long-term work of sowing, nurturing and pruning ought to get the first share of the harvest. Farming is not like working on a maching in a factory and instantly stamping out some product from a mould. It requires long-term planning, hard work and patience. This metaphor encourages people of faith that their hard work and self-discipline will not be pointless – there will be a harvest and they will be the first to share in the satisfaction of it. But it doesn't disguise the fact that there WILL BE hard work and that droughts may come or downpours might wash away the topsoil.

When you commit to working for Christ, you are committing to a long-term work. There will not be instant results in your home group. Raising your children to follow Christ will take years of consistent Christian living and encouragement and prayer and counsel and sacrifice. Building the Church is like farming – it is cyclical. Once you have planted and watered and nurtured and harvested a couple of Christians, you have to begin all over again. Paul wrote the Galatian Christians about not getting weary, lazy or discouraged by this important work:

Galatians 6.7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Three illustrations – dedicated soldier - disciplined athlete – diligent farmer – to describe your Christian life. Each of them occupations that imply a willingness to suffer in order to accomplish something of high value – defeat of enemies and the rescue of people – victory in a hard run race – a harvest of good things that will nourish a community. Are you up for it? Are you difting, or is your sail set firmly in the direction of God's will.

Paul having given these three powerful metaphors to describe the Christian life, then urges Timothy (and us) to pay careful attention – think deeply about these things. Don't let them briefly appear on the screen of your mind and then flick aside to make room for the next image you want to think about. Think over what I say...for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.V7.

One of the biggest reasons why you don't grow as a Christian is that you don't devote enough time to thinking over what God's Word says. This is why you keep falling to the same habits, the same disappointed frame of mind, the same disputes with the same people, the same frustrations and the same excuses. When we really hear what God's Word is saying and take it away to think if over before God, he will give you amazing insights and understanding about everything – starting with your own life – but exanding quickly to learn about him and what he is doing in the world of people around you. You can start to live and think realistically, instead of sloshing around in the shallow dregs of your own ideas of what your life is supposed to mean and be used for. If you will only spend time in the Bible – the Book for Man – you will start to see how everything starts and ends with Jesus Christ for you. You will see how out of Christ's fullness God will give you grace upon grace. He will lavish upon you wisdom upon wisdom – opportunity upon opportunity – strength upon strength – hope upon hope – forgiveness upon forgiveness – eternity upon eternity. How come? Because God's grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Giving Christ to the world is the means by which God's mercy, love and help comes to people like us, who actually deserve his judgement. But in order for you to get the sweet juice of these truths into your own spirit, you have to suck on his Word.

Look and see how Paul makes it really explicit what thinking over his message, his gospel, means: Verse 8: Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David!

That's where your thinking must be anchored – on that Rock. Get Jesus himself at the centre of your thinking and your life. Don't worry about how you will do this – it is the Holy Spirit's work. He make Jesus known toyou as you read the Bible. He will bring to your mind the things he said and did for you – even when you are in the midst of crisis. He will give you the words to say when you are challenged about your faith. That is his work; the Holy Spirit teaches you about Jesus through him you are joined to Jesus. That is what new birth is – the Holy Spirit joining your spirit to Jesus Christ, so that from Christ's fullness grace upon grace will come to you in every circumstance you face.

Remember Jesus Christ – risen from the dead. As you face criticism and attacks, remember that he has already defeated all your enemies – he is outside the grave on the other side of it – he has already endured the worst things your enemies might do and he promises to be with you – to never leave your nor forsake you. You were crucified with Christ because you are a guilty sinner, but his death and burial satisfied God's hatred of your sin and, through new birth, you were raised with Christ to walk in a new life. Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, because he is your guarantee that death will not touch your spirit – you will not taste death.

And in case you think that what happened to the Son of God, can't happen to you – that you won't be able to defeat the temptations and weaknesses and death that claims human beings – remember Jesus Christ is the offspring of David. Christ took to himself flesh and blood and a human soul and mind like yours. He is genuinely human person as well as Son of God. He wept, he sweated, he got exhausted, he was strongly tempted, he felt pain, he experiened loneliness and he breathed his last. And STILL he triumphed over the grave and was seen by many (even 500 people at once) to be alive. Remember Jesus Christ – he has experienced more thatn the troubles you will ever know and death could not hold him down. So join his army as a good soldier. Get running in the race set before you, keeping your eye on Jesus who has already completed the section of the race still in front of you. Work as the diligent and patient farmer in his fields, knowing that there will be rich harvest and you will share in the unspeakable joy on the day it is brought it.

Paul bears witness to us what it is like to live like this. It certainly doesn't sound boring, depressing or useless. You can catch a sense of his pride and confidence in his Lord:

8Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, 9for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained. 10Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

11Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him,
we will also live with him;
12if we endure,
we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
he will also disown us;
13if we are faithless,
he will remain faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.

Notice the tremendous promises in this short poem or hymn that Paul quotes. Promises that state that when we commit fully to Christ, he is fully committed to us. That having died to ourselves so we can live for his cause, we will share in his eternal reign of victory – but that if we disown him and choose to chase after short-term pleasures he will not include us has his own. However, even if some are faithless and fall away from such weighty promises, nothing will stop him from succeeding in his work. Even if some turn out to be faithless he will remain faithful to himself and his plan – he will not and cannot make room for evil.

So, there it is – you and I are called to a total giving up of ourselves to Jesus Christ. So total that it is called 'dying to ourselves'. But what a magnificent exchange: the loss of what is dragging us down into death and judgement – for the gain of a life forever joined to Jesus Christ, from which grace upon grace is forever poured into us. No short-term suffering is worth escaping if it means missing out on THAT.