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2 Timothy chapter 2. Last time in Timothy, or 2 Timothy, 
we considered the church's duty to train her pastors. And tonight, 
the minister's duty to endure hardship, specifically in verses 
3 to 7. You'll notice in 2 Timothy, the 
bulk of it, or much of it, is indeed personal. 1 Timothy is 
more corporate in nature, how the church is to function. Certainly 
chapter 4 deals with Timothy and his personal. and in his 
public ministry, but a lot of at least chapters 1 and 2 in 
2 Timothy are personal in nature, and I think the reason for that 
is that Paul knows that he's going to die, and he is entrusting 
gospel ministry in a formal way to Timothy, and while it is personal, 
yet it is perpetual. The things that are described 
here or the commands that are given in chapter 2 in terms of 
Timothy's conduct in the life of the church are certainly things 
that pastors today ought to be implementing. Notice in verse 
1, pastors are to be strong. Verse 2, pastors are to commit 
these things to faithful men. Tonight we'll notice that pastors 
must endure. They must consider that apostolic 
teaching in verse 7. They must remember the gospel. 
Verse 14, they must remind them of these things. They must, verse 
15, be diligent. They must, in verse 16, shun 
profane and idle babblings. Verse 22, they are to flee youthful 
lusts. Verse 23, they are to avoid foolish 
and ignorant disputes. There are several verbs in this 
chapter, while they have primary reference to Timothy in a particular 
historical setting, certainly the church and her ministers 
ought to imitate and ought to emulate these sorts of things 
in their own ministry. So beginning in chapter 2 at 
verse 1, we'll read, You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace 
that is in Christ Jesus. 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. You, therefore, must endure 
hardship, or you must share with me in suffering, as a good soldier 
of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles 
himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him 
who enlisted him as a soldier. And also, if anyone competes 
in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according 
to the rules. The hard-working farmer must be first to partake 
of the crops. Consider what I say, and may 
the Lord give you understanding in all things. Remember that 
Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead 
according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, 
even to the point of chains. But the word of God is not chained. 
Therefore, I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that 
they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with 
eternal glory." This is a faithful saying. For if we died with Him, 
we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign 
with Him. If we deny Him, He also will 
deny us. If we are faithless, He remains 
faithful. He cannot deny Himself. Remind 
them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive 
about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent 
to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not 
need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane 
and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness, 
and their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus 
are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying 
that the resurrection is already past, and they overthrow the 
faith of some. Nevertheless, the solid foundation 
of God stands, having this seal. The Lord knows those who are 
His, and let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from 
iniquity. But in a great house, there are not only vessels of 
gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor 
and some for dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses 
himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified 
and useful for the master, prepared for every good work. Flee also 
youthful lusts, but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those 
who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But avoid foolish and 
ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant 
of the Lord must not quarrel, but be gentle to all, able to 
teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition. 
If God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may 
know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and 
escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by 
him to do his will. Amen." Well, let us pray. Father, 
as we see these particular commands given to Timothy in a particular 
context, may we see them as abiding and perpetual for church life 
until our Lord Jesus Christ returns again in glory. God, we pray 
for the church. We pray for your bride. We pray 
that we would be obedient to the Scriptures, that we would 
march according to our Commander's word, that you would help us 
in these things, Lord God, that you would fill us with your Spirit, 
cause us to put the emphasis upon those things that the scripture 
does and even now we pray for the ministry of the Holy Spirit 
we pray for the forgiveness of sins and anything that would 
darken our understanding and we would pray that you would 
cause us to take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus 
Christ our Lord and it's in his name that we pray amen well as 
I have said this particular chapter is a several or several verbs 
several commands given to Timothy to instruct him on how he is 
to function in gospel ministry. And what we find in verses 3 
to 7 ties us back to what Paul has already said in 2 Timothy 
1 at verse 8. Notice in 2 Timothy 1.8, he says, 
Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, 
nor of me, his prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings 
for the gospel according to the power of God. So one of the things 
that Paul wants for Timothy is that Timothy maintains faithfulness 
to the testimony of our Lord. He is not to be ashamed of the 
gospel. Neither is he to be ashamed of 
the Apostle Paul. And he is to join with Paul or 
share with Paul in the sufferings for the gospel according to the 
power of God. Certainly the assumption is, 
is that when we live in a sin-cursed world, there will be opposition 
to the church, there will be opposition to the people of God, 
there will be opposition to the ministers of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we saw this morning, the very 
statement by Jesus in Matthew 18.7, He acknowledges the presence 
of offenses in this world and it certainly is consistent with 
what we find in the scripture that the world hates the church 
and unfortunately there are times that those who profess faith 
in the Lord Jesus Christ often trouble the church as well. So 
tonight, as we consider verses 3 to 7, we'll note first of all 
the command to suffer hardship in verses 3 and 4. And then secondly, 
the elements involved in obedience to that command. And essentially 
what Paul does here for Timothy is he provides three metaphors, 
or three illustrations. He points to the soldier, he 
points to the athlete, and he points to the farmer. Those men 
and the various virtues that they have are to be the paradigm 
or the pattern for the minister of the gospel. And then simply 
to fill out the rest of it, you'll notice tonight I'm going to alliterate, 
I will add verse 7 in that particular scheme as well. But note first 
the command to suffer hardship. Verse 3, you therefore must endure 
hardship or you must share with me in suffering. You must endure, 
you must be faithful, you must be persevering, you mustn't escape, 
you mustn't withdraw, you mustn't run, you certainly must not When 
the difficulties come, Timothy, you are to embrace your role 
as a gospel minister. When the difficulties come, Timothy, 
and they want to haul you off to prison, you are not allowed 
to deny your Lord. You are not allowed to deny the 
Apostle Paul. You are not allowed to say, well, 
you know, I just tried this and it didn't work out. Please don't 
throw me into prison. That is especially what Paul 
is telling Timothy not to do. You, therefore, must endure hardship. Again, this is nothing new in 
Paul's letters to Timothy. Turn back to 1 Timothy chapter 
4, verse 10. He says, for to this end we both 
labor and suffer reproach. Remember that at the time that 
Paul is writing, in the 60s, Rome is in a bad state. At this particular time, Caesar 
was the Nero in charge of the empire. I'm sorry, Nero was the 
Caesar. that was over Rome at this particular 
time. And he was a vicious man. He 
was a godless man. He was a wretched man. He is 
the man that John Fox called the Beast. What we find in Nero 
was severe oppression, severe crushing of anything Christian. 
Initially, the first opposition to the church was unbelieving 
Israel. But as time went on, especially 
in the latter part of Nero's reign, he was increasingly antagonistic 
to the people of God. And so when Paul writes these 
things, it's not theory, it's not just this idea that bad things 
happen sometimes in an otherwise good world. going on in the midst 
of the particular time that the Apostle is writing. So in 1 Timothy 
4.10, for to this end we both labor and suffer reproach. Why? Because we trust in the 
living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those 
who believe. Notice in 2 Timothy 1.8, we've 
already referred to that. Share with me in the sufferings 
for the gospel according to the power of God. Where is Paul when 
he's writing this letter? He is in prison. He is in a jail 
cell. And if we rightly understand 
chapter 4, he knows that he's going to die soon. He knows that 
the time of his departure is at hand. He knows that He is 
going to go the way of all flesh. He knows He is going to be martyred 
for the faith. He is going to die for the Lord 
Jesus Christ. So when Paul tells Timothy, you 
must endure hardship, it's not theoretical. It's not a hypothetical, 
but rather it is a reality that Timothy, as a man of God, must 
be willing to embrace and must be willing to undergo. The Christian 
life generally, and the gospel ministry specifically, are associated 
with trials, persecution, and suffering. If you want an easy 
life, if you want nothing but happiness, don't become a Christian. I mean, certainly we have happiness 
with God, we have peace through our Lord Jesus Christ, we have 
the forgiveness of sins, but being a faithful Christian in 
a very unfaithful world will not oftentimes win you a whole 
bunch of friends. It's probably not that which 
is going to advance you in your career. Do you want to be a politician? Probably the worst thing you 
could do is actually be a Christian. Because you get tarred and feathered 
any time you demand or you insist upon an objective standard. Or 
when you highlight the reality that I believe that God created 
this world out of nothing by the word of His power in the 
space of six days and all very good. I mean, they just laugh 
you right off the debate stage at that point. So you see, brethren, 
when you sign up for the cross, it really is a cross. We have 
peace with God. We have justification by faith. 
We have an entitlement to our inheritance, rather, in heaven. 
But in this current world, they're suffering. There's trial, 2 Timothy 
3.12, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer 
persecution. And so Timothy is being told 
that he needs to endure, he needs to be faithful, he needs to understand 
that this is his lot, and instead of running or retreating, he 
is to advance in the grace of God by the power of the Spirit, 
and he is to be faithful in the ministry that the Lord has committed 
to him. Now notice the specific metaphor 
that Paul uses here in verse 3 and 4. He says, therefore, 
you therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. That's the first metaphor. But 
I've made a bit of a break, so we'll look at the other... two 
or three actually in just a moment, but notice this, you therefore 
must endure hardship, you must suffer with me, persecution, 
you must engage in these sorts of things as a good soldier of 
Jesus Christ. Philippians 2.25, Philippians 
2.25, this language is used of Epaphroditus, yet I considered 
it necessary to send you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and 
fellow soldier, but your messenger, and the one who ministered to 
my need." Now, I know this may sound out of place, but I looked 
at a website today about a Christian conference that is coming, and 
I really believe all the guys that were featured there were 
wearing makeup. I don't know if that's the new thing, guyliner 
and makeup and the whole sort of thing that goes on, but when 
I looked at these pictures, soldier did not suggest itself to me. I'm not saying that all pastors 
need to have guns blazing and wear the, you know, flak vest 
and helmet and ready to roll, that sort of thing. There's something 
missing in the celebrity model of ministry today. There's something 
missing in evangelicalism and in the reform world today. When 
we have prissy, dainty ministers, that's not what Paul says ministers 
are supposed to be. They're not prissy, they're not 
dainty, they are soldiers. And that's what Epaphroditus 
was, and that's what Timothy is. Notice in Philemon, same 
language used, verse 2. Philemon, or Philemon. As our dear brother pronounced 
it. Sorry about that. I'll stick with that country 
bumpkin Philemon. If I was from Texas, I'd say 
Philemon. Notice, to Philemon, our beloved 
friend and fellow laborer, to the beloved Aphia, Archippus, 
our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house. Turn back to 1 Timothy 6. Just 
want us to see that the metaphor fits. You endure hardship as 
a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Why? Because 1 Timothy chapter 
6 verse 12, fight the good fight. That's what's involved in gospel 
ministry. Fight the good fight. There is 
the world, there is the flesh, and there is the devil. And none 
of them give any quarter. None of them give any safe passage. None of them say, wow, it's great 
that gospel preachers are here to testify to sinners the way 
of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. That is simply 
not the case. You must fight the good fight 
of faith, Timothy. And then again, in 2 Timothy 
chapter 4, 2 Timothy chapter 4, what is descriptive of Paul's 
life, Paul's labor, Paul's ministry. Verse 7, I have fought the good 
fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. So when 
we go back to 2 Timothy 2 at verse 3, Timothy must endure 
hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Now Paul fleshes 
out what that looks like in verse 4. What is it about gospel ministry 
that has some sort of a parallel with being a good soldier? Well, 
there are three things said by the apostle concerning the soldier. And this is what Timothy is to 
extrapolate and make sure is true in his own gospel ministry. Notice first he is engaged in 
warfare. He is engaged in warfare. That 
is one of the things that a man of God must appreciate. That 
this is not simply fun and game time. This is not simply let's 
everybody be happy, or let's just be better us, or let's have 
every day as if it was a Friday. No, there is a warfare at stake. There is death and hell. There is life and heaven. And 
this is warfare. There is a battle. I've referred 
to Luke chapter 8, where the devil is like the birds of the 
air. When that seed is sown, he flies down, and he snatches 
up that seed, lest the people hear it, lest they believe it, 
and lest they are saved. The devil is active in this particular 
thing. 1 Corinthians 9.7 uses martial 
or military language. You can turn there. Just to flesh 
this out, again, to see that Paul does not envisage a pastoral 
ministry that is equipped with guy-liner and prissiness, but 
rather he calls upon men to be men and to be faithful servants 
and soldiers of our Lord Jesus. When he is illustrating this 
whole ideal of paying men who serve in pastoral ministry He 
uses this particular illustration or analogy in 1 Corinthians 9-7. Whoever goes to war at his own 
expense, who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit, 
or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the 
field. Similarly to what he is doing in our passage. He uses 
these analogies to highlight something true of the Christian 
ministry. Now note 2 Corinthians chapter 
10. The martial or military language in verses 4 and 5. For the weapons 
of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for the pulling 
down of strongholds. casting down arguments and every 
high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, 
bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and 
being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled." 
And then, of course, Ephesians 6, 10 to 17. What are we told 
there? We're told to take up the full 
armor of God. You see, this is a fit analogy 
to the Christian life. This is a fit metaphor for the 
Christian life. It's a battle. It's a warfare. 
There is trial. There is persecution. There is 
hardship. There is offenses caused by the 
world and unfortunately by brethren in the Church of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Calvin makes this comment. We see how many there are every 
day that throw away their spears. who formerly made a great show 
of valor. When does this arise? Because 
they cannot be inured to the cross. First, they are so effeminate 
that they shrink from warfare. Next, they do not know any other 
way of fighting than to contend haughtily and fiercely with their 
adversaries, and they cannot bear to learn what it is to possess 
their souls in patience. See, he does acknowledge that 
the man of God, the saint of God, acknowledges that this is 
a war thing. This is a battle. I remember 
reading a meditation or devotional, or it might have been in the 
book Pleasures of God by John Piper. He said, you know, we 
oftentimes treat the Christian life as if it's a day at Disneyland. We just skip around looking at 
the events and doing things and, you know, how fun this is. And 
he says it's more akin to a battlefield with bullets whizzing by. That's 
legit. That's the reality. That's what 
Paul tells Timothy. He needs to endure hardship as 
a good soldier of Jesus Christ. The first element of that is 
he is engaged in warfare. He acknowledges that. Secondly, 
he does not entangle himself in the affairs of this life. 
No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this 
life. The Roman soldier was not a shopkeeper. The Roman soldier was not a banker. The Roman soldier was not a farmer. The Roman soldier was a soldier. He was always ready at a moment's 
notice to go into battle. He was always ready at a moment's 
notice to take his spear, to take his shield, to go out and 
break things and kill people. That was his calling. That was 
his function. That was his focus. He didn't entangle himself in 
the affairs of this life. I believe the point that Paul 
is highlighting in this particular element is that he is devoted. He is devoted. The minister of 
the gospel is to be devoted. He is not to be sidetracked by 
things that would keep him for the great end for which he was 
ordained. And I think it's wrong to take 
from this passage that the minister of the gospel just sits in his 
holy place and then people carry him out to his pulpit and then 
he does his thing because he can't entangle himself in the 
affairs of this life. That's not what's in view here. Just come and get me, holy brethren, 
and we'll do the thing." That's not the point. I think Knight 
captures the idea. The passage does not teach that 
Timothy or any other minister should withdraw from everyday 
life. Paul is not teaching monkery. 
Paul is not teaching monasticism. He is not saying, you're a minister, 
so do not be entangled with things like food or shelter or clothing. 
Even soldiers have to look after food and shelter and clothing. 
I mean, when they get a day off, they have to go to the BX and 
they have to buy things and they have to do that. That's not what 
Paul means. Knight says, this passage does 
not teach that Timothy or any other minister should withdraw 
from everyday life, but that he should not let it and its 
affairs distract him from service to his commander. The idea is 
the devotion of the soldier to that particular end for which 
he has been called. And that is further illustrated 
by what Paul goes on to say in verse 4. He does not, or no one 
engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this 
life that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. Any other thing that gets between 
a minister of the gospel and pleasing the Lord is something 
superfluous and something that he ought not to spend his time 
with. Again, that doesn't mean that he can't have a day off. 
That doesn't mean that he can't walk by the lake. That doesn't 
mean that he can't go to Walmart. But the idea here is that he 
is devoted as a soldier is. And when the soldier is called 
to battle, the soldier goes to battle. He is not distracted. 
He is not entangled. If the call comes, we need you 
on the battlefield, he doesn't say, but I have to first tend 
to my shop. I have to first tend to my garden. 
No, you just go to battle. You are devoted to the service 
of your commander. You are to do what he calls you 
to do, and you are to do it consistently with the means, or by the way, 
that he calls you to do it. The devotion of Timothy was to 
be seen in this one great aim to please the Lord Jesus who 
enlisted him as a soldier. All other things in this life 
were subservient to that great end. Towner says the soldier's 
goal is to please or satisfy the wishes of the commander who 
expects nothing less than complete attention to duty so that the 
military objectives will be accomplished. So you see, Timothy, you are 
to endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. So we 
might just suggest that this is the command, endure hardship, 
and then there are four means, or four ways, or four ideals 
that are given. The first we've just seen, the 
devoted soldier. Notice, secondly, the discipline 
of the athlete. How do you endure hardship? Or 
how do you suffer hardship with the Apostle Paul? You need to 
be disciplined. You need to be disciplined, and 
this isn't just for gospel ministers. This is for every Christian. 
How is it that you're going to face a warfare? How is it that 
you're going to show devotion? How is it that you're going to 
actually persevere for or to heaven without discipline? You 
see, that is one crucial element of the Christian life. What does 
Paul tell Timothy? in 1 Timothy chapter 4. He tells 
him he is to exercise himself toward godliness. What does Jesus 
tell us in terms of discipline? We need to take up the cross 
daily and follow Him. Isn't that discipline? Discipleship? When Jesus says you're to hack 
off hands and cut off feet and pluck out eyes? What's behind 
that ideal? A discipline that sees the value 
and prizes the glory of heaven and takes radical measures to 
deal with those things that would keep one from reaching that particular 
end. The athlete serves as a good 
example for such a trait. We have the devotion of the soldier, 
we have the discipline of the athlete. Again, not that soldiers 
aren't disciplined, but Paul is drawing out by a series of 
metaphors things that Timothy needs to look like. First Corinthians 
9, you can turn there. just to see where Paul uses these 
things, not just in the context of gospel ministry, but as well 
with reference to all of the people of God. 1 Corinthians 
9.24, 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. 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. I've always just been 
amazed by this passage. They show discipline for a perishable 
crown. They are temperate in all things 
for a perishable crown. Probably the perishable crown 
was a was a garland wreath upon their head or laurels on their 
heads and tickets to the theater. That doesn't sound like a big 
prize, does it? That doesn't sound like a million 
dollars. When he says that the athlete 
competes according to the rules, some suspect that the according 
to the rules there were the rules concerning a 10-month training 
period that every athlete went through prior to competing in 
the Games. In other words, we are coming 
to see trained, well-performing athletes. We don't want some 
slob who just fell off of his couch, who's got Cheeto dust 
all over him, go out there and try to throw a javelin and get 
it like three feet. No, you need to train for 10 
months and you need to work hard. You need to discipline yourself. 
You need to be temperate in all things. That means get up early. That means go to bed early. That 
means forego partying on Friday night. That means not eating 
fatty foods. That means having a balanced 
diet. That means disciplining yourself so that when it comes 
time to throw the javelin or when it comes time to run around 
the track, you do it in a way that will please, in a way that 
will impress the audience. And this is the parallel that 
Paul draws. He says they do it to obtain 
a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable. They'll get 
up early, they'll control their diets, they'll go to bed early, 
they won't go out to party, they'll do those things that only lend 
themselves to a disciplined life so that they can compete and 
win the games. We're heading to heaven. We have 
an imperishable crown. We have everything proffered 
to us by our blessed God. We have an inheritance. We are 
joint heirs with our Lord Jesus. We have every reason to get out 
of bed in the morning. We have every reason to be temperate. 
We have every reason to be disciplined. We have every reason to run fast. 
We have every reason to run hard and to be disciplined. Yet, at 
times, you look, and you make the connection, and the athlete 
trains a whole lot harder for his perishable ground than we 
Christians do for an imperishable ground. Remember, we are not 
competing in order to win, in the sense that when we do this, 
and we've lived a disciplined life, and we've been temperate, 
and we haven't eaten fatty foods, and we haven't gone out on Friday 
night, well then God will save us. No, we do this because we've 
already received. We've already been begraced. 
We've already been blessed. We have every spiritual blessing 
in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That's what motivates 
this sort of life. That's what fires one up. That's 
what causes men to deal radically with sin, because they have been 
saved by grace through faith. and they want to serve, they 
want to please, they want to honor the master who enlisted 
them. Paul describes his own life, therefore I run thus, not 
with uncertainty, thus I fight, not as one who beats the air, 
but I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, 
when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. You see, that is part and parcel 
of the Christian life. Back to 2 Timothy chapter 2, 
you must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Verse 
5, and also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned 
unless he competes according to the rules. This is absolutely 
necessary. The devotion of a soldier, the 
discipline of an athlete, and then notice thirdly, the diligence 
of a farmer. I mean, yes, soldiers and athletes 
should be diligent. But who gets the capital D for 
diligence in the world of men? It's farmers, man. Farmers who 
get up at, oh, dark 30 every day. Farmers who are doing things 
most of us never have to do. Farmers have to know everything 
about everything on that farm. They don't have to fix stuff. 
They know how to deal with cows. The whole spiel. The whole shooting 
match. They are diligent. And this is 
what Paul says. We've got the devotion of the 
soldier. We've got the discipline of the athlete. Verse 6, he goes 
on to say, the hard-working farmer must be first to partake of the 
crops. You see, hard work is what the 
Christian ministry is about. It's not about prissiness. It's 
not about daintiness. It's not about a circuit or a 
tour. It's not about coffee cups with 
your face on them. It is about hard work and diligence 
in the Christian ministry. When Paul tells Timothy in verse 
15 what his study habits are to look like, He says, be diligent 
to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not 
need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. I'm sorry, 
brethren, when a man stands up and gives you a 20-minute sermonette, 
that betrays what has been enjoined upon us. It's not diligence that 
produces a 20-minute sermonette. It's not hard work. You could just ponder for a second 
and bring something like that in. It's diligence that is necessary 
for a faithful ministry, and that's what Paul enjoins upon 
Timothy. The devotion of the soldier, 
the discipline of the athlete, and the diligence of the farmer. Note the text, the hard-working 
farmer must be first to partake of the crops. It's an interesting 
statement. Calvin tried to remedy it by 
saying, the farmer works hard first, then partakes of the crops. That makes more sense. He works 
hard first, and then he partakes of the crops. In the way that 
it reads in the New King James and the other versions, the hardworking 
farmer must be first to partake of the crops. What is obvious is that the farmer 
works hard. The farmer is diligent. The farmer 
realizes cause and effect. The farmer knows that if he isn't 
up at 2 or 3, if he's not out of bed at oh dark 30, if he is 
not with the cows, or he's not with the chickens, or he's not 
with the sheep, or he's not with the bulls, or he's not with those 
animals, they're not going to eat. Meaning they, he and his 
wife and his kids. You see, that diligence drives 
him to effectively accomplish the task which has been given 
unto him. So these three metaphors, George 
Knight says, Paul has called on Timothy to suffer hardship 
and has placed before him three models for him to consider in 
that service. The soldier who pleases his commander 
and is not distracted from his service to him, the law-abiding 
athlete who gains the crown, and the hard-working farmer who 
receives his share of the crops. Together they speak of a vigorous 
and undivided service that is rewarded. I did mention a fourth 
deed. Notice the dedication of the 
disciple. Verse 7. Yes, you are to be like 
a devoted soldier. Yes, you are to be like a disciplined 
athlete. Yes, you are to be like a diligent 
farmer. But you're to be a dedicated 
disciple. Look at what Paul says in verse 
7. Consider what I say. I don't think that means just 
let it go in one ear and out the other. No, roll it around. 
Reflect upon this, Timothy. Meditate on this. Contemplate 
this. Be a dedicated disciple to the 
Apostle Paul, to apostolic doctrine. Consider what I say, and may 
the Lord give you understanding in all things." He's not saying, 
I want you to wait for new words from the Lord. I want you to 
speak in tongues. I want you to prophesy. No, consider 
what I say. And he asks specifically that 
the Lord would give him understanding into what he has said. The Lord 
gives understanding to His Word. The Lord makes clear those things 
in His Word. It's the Word itself as spoken 
by the Apostle. It's the implications teased 
out of it. It's the theology that develops 
as a result of it. Paul wants Timothy to reflect 
upon these things, to consider what I say, and may the Lord 
give you understanding in all things. The all things is regulated 
here, brethren. It doesn't mean investment banking. 
It doesn't mean water polo. It means the things that Paul 
has spoken. The truth of God's Holy Word. Not new revelation, not additional 
revelation, not subsequent. It is the Word that Paul has 
said under the inspiration of the Spirit. I want you to think 
through it, Timothy. I want you to make the implications, 
Timothy. I want you to roll it around 
in your head, Timothy. And I want our Lord to give you 
understanding in all things so that you may effectively engage 
in the warfare as a good soldier, so that you may compete in this 
race as a good athlete, and so that you may farm the ground 
as a hard-working farmer." In summary, what Paul wants from 
Timothy is a diligent, disciplined, and devoted ministry to Christ 
and His people. Well, in conclusion, first, the 
reality of hardship. Endure hardship. I mean, as many 
times as we see that in the Bible, we probably just want to gloss 
over it and say, well, that was then and this is now, right? 
No, there's hardship, there's difficulty, there's trial in 
the Christian life. Woe to the world because of offenses, 
Jesus said. John 16, 33, in this world you 
will have tribulation, but be of good cheer for I have overcome 
the world. What is part and parcel of the 
Christian life? It is difficulty. It is hardship. And what we need today are men 
and women committed to the Lord Jesus Christ that when hardship 
comes, they don't buckle. They don't collapse. They don't 
run and hide. I've always been bothered by 
Christian retreats. Christians have retreated for 
far too long. We ought to have Christian advances. We have to retreat. It just sounds 
prissy and dainty. God has called us as men and 
women to act like men. God has called us as children 
who profess saving faith in Jesus to act like men. That doesn't 
mean spitting and belching and doing those sorts of things that 
are indicative of men. It means bravery. It means courage. It means doing the right thing 
every single day. It means faithfulness. It means 
in the eleventh hour to be able to say with Paul, I have fought 
the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Every single Christian in this 
room ought to want to be able to say that to his children and 
to his grandchildren at his deathbed. He ought to be able to say to 
them, I have, because God is gracious and God is faithful. That's the kind of Christianity. 
The Puritans used to talk about the church militant. You've got 
the church militant, that's the church on earth, and you've got 
the church triumphant, that's the church in the Eschaton. We 
have triumphed. It is the end. It is the consummated 
glory. There's no more need for militancy 
when you're in the New Jerusalem. There's nobody to fight, nobody 
to argue with. Isn't that wonderful as Christians 
in the New Jerusalem? We won't even argue with each 
other. It's going to be wonderful. It's going to be beautiful. It's 
going to be blessed. But the church militant describes the 
body of Christ on the earth, soldiering onward, not doing 
ballet, not sipping chamomile, not seeking to make people happy 
in this life, but preaching the glories of Christ. Seeking by 
the grace of God to advance the church. Seeking to be an encouragement 
and to be a help and to be a part of the solution. To be those 
men and women that take seriously the reality that we are soldiers 
under the cross of our Christ. And whatever He bids us to do, 
our desire is to please Him. It's not about us, you see. You 
were not saved so that you could just enjoy all these blessings 
and glut yourself on these deities and never serve the Master. You 
were saved to glorify Him. You were saved to honor Him. 
You were saved to persevere through hardship. You were saved to suffer 
hardship with others. You were saved to endure as a 
good soldier of Jesus Christ. Do you think a good soldier, 
when it comes to a skirmish, when it comes to the enemy making 
advances on their position, does a good soldier put his weapon 
down and throw his hands up? No, he fights to the death. He 
fights to the end. Why do we read stories of men 
who've served in wars that are heroes? Because there's something 
about that that encourages the heart of man. And when we read 
the stories and history of the people of God who have suffered 
grievously for the cause of Christ, when we read of Polycarp, for 
eighty and six years I have served my Lord and He has never done 
me any wrong. You burn with the fire that burns 
for a few moments. But you are going to the fire 
that burns forever. Can you imagine an old man standing 
before a godless government and telling them that? That is rousing 
biblical militancy. That is the kind of Christianity 
that I believe that Paul has enjoined upon the church. You 
are good soldiers of Jesus Christ. You may be tired, you may be 
weary, you may not want to, But guess what? You've got to persevere. 
You've got to man up. You've got to be faithful. You've 
got to get out of bed. You've got to join the fight. 
That's just all there is to it. These are non-negotiables. With 
reference to these models for the Christian ministry, or at 
least metaphors or examples or analogies, devotion, discipline, 
diligence, and dedication. That is a good sort of a pattern 
that men ought to aspire to. The devotion of the soldier, 
the discipline of the athlete, the diligence of the farmer, 
and the dedication of the disciple. All of which necessitate, all 
of which demand perseverance. Demands slugging it out. Demands going forward. demands 
a willingness to forego earthly comfort in order to faithfully 
execute the office of a faithful minister. And then look at the 
common theme in each of these metaphors. The good soldier doesn't 
entangle himself so that he may please his commander. The athlete 
runs the race so that he may receive the crown. The hard-working 
farmer does what he does. Why? So that he can eat the crops. You see, there's a reward motif 
in each one. The soldier gets to please the 
master or the commander. The runner gets to wear the victor's 
crown. The farmer gets to eat. What 
does this tell us? It tells us that in the Christian 
life, it tells us that in the gospel ministry, There is reward, 
there is benefit, there is blessing enjoined by God to this. If we look specifically at the 
gospel ministry, what is the end in view? What ought to be 
the goal when a man takes to himself, or rather the church 
recognized to this, of this man, that he is to be in the gospel 
ministry? It's the glory of God. Everything else is subservient 
to that. That's it. That's paramount. 
That's the pinnacle. That's the Mount Everest. What 
are you doing what you do? Or why are you doing what you 
do? Because I want to see God glorified. Not so I could wear 
guy-liner and make the circuit around the various celebrity 
churches. That's terrible. The glory of God. That is everything. That is what it's all about. 
That's why we exist. That's why we meet on Sunday. 
You come here on Sunday and I hope your batteries are charged. I 
hope you're encouraged. I hope you're blessed. I hope 
you're benefited. But primarily, why you are here is so that God 
is glorified. That's why you function. That's 
why you live. When you say something like, 
well, no one will miss me when I don't go to church. The Lord 
God Almighty, who has saved you so that you'll come here and 
join His people in song, He'll miss you. I'm speaking as a man. This isn't properly predicated 
of our God, but it is an improper predication. That's for those 
following the impassibility debate. You were not saved for you. You 
were not saved for me. You weren't saved for your husbands. You weren't saved for your wives. 
Those are blessed corollaries. Those are blessed benefits. Certainly 
when God saves a husband and a wife, they both benefit because 
they're both saved. But why does God save you? It's 
for Him. I love the verb in Ephesians 
1, He chose us in Him. I believe it's a middle voice. That means He chose us for Himself. He did what He did to make you 
a glorifier of Him. Everything else is subservient. If we were to train our minds 
like the athlete trains his body, if we were devoted to our service 
the way the soldier is, if we were hardworking and diligent 
like that farmer, we would live with that in our minds. God has called me, God has saved 
me, God has purchased me so that I might bring glory to Him. Is 
me looking at this garbage going to bring him glory? No, I shouldn't 
do it. Is me being in church singing praises to God going 
to bring him glory? Yes, then I should do that. This ought 
to be the overarching concern with Christians and with gospel 
ministers. As well, with reference to the 
fruit of the faithful ministry, the glory of God is chief and 
foremost. The edification of the saints. 
The faithful minister who works hard, the faithful minister who 
is diligent, who is disciplined, who is devoted, ought to expect, 
not because he's carnal, or crass, or wicked, or evil, but he ought 
to expect that God the Spirit is going to mature the people. 
They're going to grow. They're going to learn. They're 
going to gain understanding into the mysteries of God, and it's 
going to be helpful to that. The glory of God, the edification 
of the saints, and the salvation of sinners. That is what the 
minister aims at. That's it. That's what it is. 
That's what it's about. That's what ought to dictate. 
Next time we bring a man into the eldership, let's ask him 
the question, why do you want to be an elder? I want to glorify 
God. I want to see saints edified. I want to see sinners saved. 
Bingo. That's excellent. That's what 
we want. That's what men ought to aspire to. with reference 
to gospel ministry. If any of you young men have 
aspirations, you have any desire, you want to learn the scriptures, 
you want to learn theology, with a view to serving God, this ought 
to be your marching order. This ought to be the thing that 
gets in your head. This ought to be the threefold 
goal as to why you want to do this. God's glory, the strengthening 
of the church, and the salvation of sinners. Well, brethren, may 
God indeed cause us to see how important these things are in 
our own lives, in our own ministry, and as well, may we see that 
God Most High is about the salvation of sinners. You might wonder 
how I pull that out of this, because Paul wants ministers 
who function this way. Why? Because the church needs 
to be edified, but because the sinner needs to be saved. God 
Most High has designed a particular office that is charged with preaching 
the gospel of free and sovereign grace so that men who are dead 
in their trespasses and sins can pass from death unto life. The Lord God Most High is about 
the salvation of sinners. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for your word and we thank you for its clarity 
and for these good examples that Paul gives to Timothy. May you 
help us to understand these things, help us to implement them in 
our own personal lives, and may our pulpits and may our churches 
and may churches throughout the world be filled with men who 
function in a capacity like this. God, we ask that you bless Pastor 
Cam, bless me, help us, God, not to be lazy, help us not to 
be slugs, help us not to be effeminate men, but help us to be faithful 
servants of Jesus Christ Most High. Forgive us for our sins 
in these things, cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and may 
the Brethren pray for us, and may we seek to glorify you. May we seek to see the people 
of God edified and built up, and may we have a genuine desire 
and a burden to see sinners saved by sovereign grace. And we pray 
these things through Christ our Lord. Amen.