Join me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
3 sermons cite this verse
to preach a message today, write down the title. It's called, The Best Ability is Availability. And Paul keeps trying to encourage Tim, stay in the story. Stay in the fight. Do everything you can to keep your life right and your heart clean so you don't get swept away, you don't get taken out, you don't get bamboozled. No, you stay in the good fight. He's trying to teach him over and over again that the best ability in this kingdom is availability. And I don't know about you, but this year I want to tell God, I am available for you to do something in me and you can do something through me. I've always believed God's just not looking for gift. He's not looking for talent. He's just looking for somebody he can use. And you might not be the smartest person. You might not be the most talented person. But God cannot work with people that aren't here. He can only work with people that are here. …
… about the soldier and the athlete and the farmer. Hear then from 2 Timothy 2, verses 1 to 7. You then, Timothy, Paul says, my child, in the faith, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus. That's so good. Strengthened by grace. 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. Maybe you've heard that verse 2 as we've talked about D groups for the fall. At least the D group leaders. Verse 3, share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hardworking farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. Let me pray for our few moments in God's word. …
… way, an easy way, a lazy way to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, forget it. The Bible says we're to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. We say, well, it pays to serve Jesus. Yes, it does, but it also costs to serve Jesus. It costs every day. It costs every step of the way, and there is no fine print in the contract that Jesus Christ gives. The problem with many people today is, they have sort of a cheap grace and easy believism. The way of Jesus Christ while salvation is free on the one hand, yet there is a discipline to the Christian life. Any dead fish can float down the stream. You see, without discipline there's no power. Loose wires just disconnected don't make A beautiful sound, but if we connect them and put them in one of those marvelous pianos and stretch them until there's tension there, discipline there. Then we get the music, steam and vapor in the air, there's no power there, but we, we compress it and put it in an engine and it will turn the turbine and the Pistons because there is power there. Take a river and just let it meander and there's no power there, but damn it up and it makes a power dam that can light up a city. Broad is the way, easy is the way that leads to destruction. A few years ago, ago. There was a young African. He was martyred for the cause of …