Soldier, Athlete, Farmer
2 Tim. 2:3-6.

Sermon Outline from the Morning Service - 4 June 2000

I. The Christian is a soldier (3-4)

A. He is a good soldier -- excellent, eminent, choice

1. It is a battle that Christians are called into -- Eph. 6:10-17
2. Knowing that the world, flesh and the devil are against us is half the battle. Being prepared to face them is the other half.

B. He must endure hardship

1. His training, discipline and subordination prepare him for more effective service.
2. The life of a soldier is a life of deprivation, but it is being deprived for a cause that is more than worth it.

C. He must not entangle himself -- 1 John 2:15-17; James 4:4

1. He gives no thought for his daily needs. (Matt. 6:25-33)
2. His primary duty is to his general, and that takes priority over every other relationship and
responsibility in life. Duty to God should never conflict with duty to family, work, society, etc.

D. He must please the One who chose him (John 15:16)

1. Being selected as a Roman soldier was an honour that could be taken away if one was found unfit.
2. Paul suffered hardships (2 Cor. 11:23-28) to please the Lord.

II. The Christian is like an athlete (5)

A. Choosing to excel -- "striving for the masteries"
He does not give himself to exhaustive training in order to lose or to run half-heartedly!

B. There are no short-cuts to total preparedness.

1. For the Christian, there are no short-cuts to understanding the Word, gaining patience, attaining
maturity, or being crowned.
2. The "race" of your Christian life will only be as good as the training you do to prepare for it.

III. The Christian is like a farmer (6)

A. Work comes first. The Bible often parallels farming and evangelizing -- Ps. 126:5-6Matt. 13, John 4:35-
38

B. Rewards come later, and are based on our work. Lk. 12:42-47

Soldier, athlete, farmer or spectator?