Sermon Tone Analysis

“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.”

[1]

Suffering well is a ministry in itself!

Note that I did not say that suffering is a ministry.

Few of us tolerate suffering of any sort.

Whenever we think of suffering, we may be focused on any of a variety of conditions.

All suffering shares in common discomfort or distress arising from some particular condition that is out of the normal realm of life.

Suffering likely will entail pain—physical, emotional and/or mental.

Suffering may be the result of unjust accusation or it may arise from a broken relationship.

Sorrow and grief arising from any of a variety of causes result when one suffers, and the pain may arise even from personal reversal.

While we know that suffering ultimately is the result of sin in our broken world, when our suffering has no immediately obvious reason we struggle against the burden of the challenge.

We may complain when suffering results from our own wicked choices, but in that particular instance we know we are the cause of our own grief.

However, pain, injury or loss of health that arises because we are part a fallen race often seems unjust; such seeming injustice often leads us to complain, much as Job complained when he was pummelled by the Adversary.

When hurting, we whinge and whine, grumble and complain, plead and wheedle, but the challenge of pain or the sense of deprivation continues nevertheless.

Though friends tolerate some of our complaining, we know that eventually they will tire of our protests and grousing.

And, yet, those who walk in the Faith must know they will suffer—often because of the Faith!

The Word of God is replete with warnings that following the Christ will bring suffering because you follow Him.

As I have often pointed out, Jesus warned us who would follow Him, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’

If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me” [JOHN 15:18-21].

I am always humbled by the statements given by those who gave us the Word warning us as believers.

As he opens his first missive, Peter has written, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Though you have not seen him, you love him.

Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” [1 PETER 1:3-9].

Opening the Second Letter to the Church of God in Corinth, Paul spoke of their suffering.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.

Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort” [2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-7].

In either letter to the Thessalonian Christians, Paul spoke of their suffering as something to be anticipated in this life.

These saints had suffered because of their Faith.

Paul notes their struggles when he writes, “You, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea.

For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins.

But wrath has come upon them at last” [1 THESSALONIANS 2:14-16].

Paul was obviously concerned for them, especially since they were experiencing assault because of the Faith.

Thus, he writes of his response to their trials.

“We sent Timothy, our brother and God’s co-worker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions.

For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.

For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know” [1 THESSALONIANS 3:2-4].

When Paul writes of their affliction in verse three, he uses a Greek word that speaks of distress that comes from outside of a person.

The word might also speak of mental or spiritual affliction.

[2] Today, we might speak of anguish.

When he speaks of affliction in the fourth verse, he uses a different form of the verb, emphasising oppression from outside.

[3] So, the Thessalonians experienced genuine anguish arising from outside opposition and assault.

This is indicative that Christians can expect opposition because they are followers of the Christ, and the attacks from outside will be sufficiently severe to cause real anguish.

This anticipates the pressure Christians in Syria, Libya and Iraq experience in this day!

In the Second Letter to these same Thessalonian saints, the Apostle again wrote, “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.”

However, note what follows as the Apostle continues writing.

“This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels” [2 THESSALONIANS 1:3-7].

Consequently, these believers were experiencing anguish (the word used in the previous letter), but Paul also mentions that they were experiencing “persecutions.”

The word used may speak of the infliction of harm; it may include threats or even chasing individuals from place to place.

[4] What is important is to note that his particular word is reserved for religious persecutions.

[5]

I have invested more time than usual on introducing the message; however, I believe the information will prove beneficial for us.

I do not want anyone to say they come into the Faith under the illusion that if only they will become a Christian, all their problems will be solved—they will not!

In fact, on no less authority than that of Jesus Himself, I can assure you that if you become a Christian you will be targeted by the enemy of souls.

He will work through people whom you love, whom you respect, people whom you count as friends, and you will be attacked.

Still, together with the Apostle, I call on you to become a Christian, and more than that, to become “a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”

*ENLISTMENT* — “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” [2 TIMOTHY 2:3, 4].

Enlisting in the United States Marines was relatively easy.

It was during a time of war, and the Corps needed warm bodies.

During times of national crisis, enlisting in the armed forces is not particularly onerous.

The recruiter is given a job of signing people up for the various forces.

Something of the same concept applies in the Christian Faith.

We are at war.

It is not a war as people might normally think of war—ours is a spiritual conflict.

It began with a sneak attack against our first parents when they were in God’s Garden.

Adam had been assigned responsibility.

Moses writes, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it” [GENESIS 2:15].

The verbs chosen give insight into the responsibilities Adam had received.

The word translated “to work” is most often translated “serve,” which provides some understanding of God’s intent.

[6] Depending on context, the word could speak of working the soil or worshipping.

In a biblical sense, there need not be a difference in our work and our worship, since we are taught “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” [COLOSSIANS 3:17].

Not only was Adam to work the Garden, he was to “keep it.”

This is another word that conceals as much as it conveys.

In that Hebrew tongue, the word presents a specific concept.

“The basic idea of the root is ‘to exercise great care over.’”

[7] We would not do violence to the meaning were we to say that Adam was to guard the Garden.

Certainly, he was to exercise due care of the Garden.

What was he to guard against?

Well, there had been a rebellion among the angels of God, resulting in one-third of the angels being cast out of heaven [see REVELATION 12:4], An angel that had been the anointed guardian cherub [see EZEKIEL 28:12-19] was thrown down out of heaven [see REVELATION 12:9; see also LUKE 10:18].

This event appears to have occurred sometime prior to the man being placed in the Garden.

You know the remainder of the story.

Satan deceived our first mother, and Adam, our first father, chose to rebel against God [see GENESIS 3:1-9].

Since that time, war has continued on earth.

The universe was plunged into ruin, and death has reigned over mankind since that time.

The war is not a physical war, as mankind imagines war—it is a spiritual conflict, and most people remain unaware of the conflict.

Paul writes of that unseen war and the participation of believers in the encyclical we have received and know as the Letter to the Ephesians.

“Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.