Identity: Know Who You Are Part 7 - I Am A Soldier

obviously you know what our identity is today I'll tell somebody I'm a soldier we have for the past several weeks wrestled with the revelation of who we are in Christ who are you who are you we've discovered that the enemy would do all that he can to distort and to diminish who God says you are and so we've learned that we are a new creation we learned that we we are friends of God we've learned that we are a saint we are Saints we still kind of wrestling with that one we are Saints the Bible says we've learned that we are children of God I'm a child of God I'm a son of God you're a daughter of God we've learned that we are chosen that God chose you the Bible says in Ephesians you were chosen before the foundation of the world which means there are no accidents in here today matters not the circumstances by which you got here sometimes you have to tell the devil I'm here now I'm gonna do all the damage I can to the kingdom of darkness so again of those who are visiting us for today today we're going to learn what it is like to be a soldier it is it's a pauline term it's a term that the paul coined and that he uses as a metaphor as a motif to describe the relationship of the people of God to the kingdom of God and so come with me to the book of 2nd Timothy to the book of 2nd Timothy that's over to your right 2nd Timothy chapter 2 2nd Timothy chapter 2 and again we welcome those of you who are part of our our fellowship and part of this family of Champions at downtown at DTLA and many around the world from South Africa Londyn we welcome you those of you around us around the country from Florida Chicago or from Cleveland we welcome you and be a part of what God is doing here and so in second Timothy chapter two in this second letter that Timothy writes to young Timothy that Paul writes rather to young Timothy try and use your sanctified imagination and imagine that this letter is being written by a sone to retired general five-star general in the army of the Lord try and imagine with your sanctified imagination that this letter is being pinned by a soon to retired general who will soon come off the battlefield Paul alludes in several of his letters that he is preparing to see the great commander and so imaginatively see him pinning or having this letter pin to this young this young lieutenant this young neophyte this young rookie by the name of Timothy who whom he calls his son he calls Timothy his son so he writes this letter from the perspective of a seasoned warrior he writes this letter from the perspective of one who has seen many battles and who has seen the delivering hand of God through all of them and so he writes in chapter 2 and he says thou are therefore my son he says Timothy be strong son be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus watch this this phrase is very important and the things which you have heard from me the things you've heard from me among many witnesses commit thou or commit what you've heard from me commit the same two faithful men faithful women faithful others who shall be able to teach others also one more time the things you've heard from me he says commit that to faithful others who shall be able to teach others next verse then he says endure thou therefore what's this endure hardness put a circle around that put a line around welcome unpack that in just a minute put a line around the word hardness endure hardness he says here it is as a good soldier there's the term as a good soldier of Christ Jesus no man that warith entangled himself in the affairs of this life that he may please to choose him orally to please him who have chosen him to be a soldier be a good soldier because you've been chosen to be a soldier you get that you got half the message every believer is called to be a soldier if believer has been enlisted in the army of the Lord every believer once you when you accept Christ you become a soldier in the army of the kingdom of God and so we we we we we often encapsulate we summarize and synthesize and we we bring together our theology in our hymn Knology so we express our theology often in in our hymnology so for example we some of you know the whole song onward Christian soldiers marching as to war with the cost of Jesus going on before you may not know that when you may not you may know I am on the battlefield for my Lord and I promised him that I would serve him till I die I'm on the battlefield for my lord okay you might not know that one stand up stand up for Jesus ye soldiers of the cross lift high His Royal banner it must not suffer loss and so we we we we describe our relationship with God in military motifs so Paul says you're a soldier and he says to this young Timothy this this young buck this young recruit this this newly appointed leader this this newly appointed officer in the in the Kingdom Army of God he says be strong he says be a good soldier man be a good soldier because God has chosen you God has called you to be a soldier and one of the things the soldiers always do and there's no military people here today and you you never leave anyone on the battlefield a good soldier is concerned about the life of every other soldier and so you you you never leave a fellow warrior on the battlefield your concern about every one of them no one is more important or less important than the other because a good soldier is concerned about their comrades those who serve with them those who who are listed with them sometimes some of us in here you've been the military and and some of your best friends you make them in boot camp because when you get out to the field that person has to watch your back but there's always a concern for one just one more one don't leave any one one one and so the the mind the spirit of a soldier is let's get one more [Music] it's a true story about a soldier who was in the middle of battle he's a medic and over and over and over again he goes back to bring down to drag down to pull out of that war just one more and in the midst of the battle he says Oh Lord let me reach one more let me bring one more let me I don't want to leave one person on the battlefield how how concerned are you about the spiritual life of others does it matter at all or better yet how how concerned are you about wounded soldiers it has been said and regrettably it is true in many cases that the Christian army is the only army that shoots its wounded I've been said that if you you get wounded you can get wounded more by the Saints then then back whatever wounded here we're the only army in history that we find somebody wounded we shoot him right there we shoot our own wounded who who cares enough to buy in the phones of wounded soldiers III I fear those of you who've never been wounded no better yet I fear those of you who've been wounded but don't want to admit that you've been wounded and you don't know HAMP how to handle those of us who have been wounded but a good soldier is concerned about every soldier the problem is we live our life listen now we live our lives as soldiers from victory to victory with wars in between and again we live our lives from victory to victory and in between each victory is a war it's almost as though we live perpetually either in war or preparing for war when in fact we live from one victory to the next victory for the soldier knows that this army will not lose that there is victory at the end of the battle and so God calls us onto the battlefield and he calls us to do war we your call to do war war against darkness war against ungodliness war against sin war war against the enemy who would seek to pull those away from God and so welcome to the war the problem is I suggest it is the same problem that was back after Joshua died after remember Joshua and Jericho walls and all the kind of stuff and shouting and bring down the walls and many many battles when Joshua died the Bible says another generation rolls come with me to the book of Judges back to your left judges judges Genesis Exodus Leviticus numbers Deuteronomy Joshua judges such as judges judges chapter two the problem was not the warfare problem was not the battles problem was not even the victories after the battles but Judges chapter 2 identifies a very tragic scene for it says in verse 10 come down to verse 10 after that and before before that when chapter 1 and out the first nine verses speak of what God had done and how God delivered them and how Joshua did this and got ducks wood did that and then it says and Joshua died after that verse 10 after that whole generation had been gathered to their answers in other words after one generation passed away another generation get the pencils on this one another generation grew up who did not know neither the Lord nor what the Lord had done stop right there the Bible says that there was a whole generation what's this now an entire generation who did not know the Lord nor did they know what the Lord had done which means there's a whole generation who does not know how to fight because the stories that had come down through the generation of Joshua were do that he's a God of deliverance he's the God who fights through battles he's a God who is the winner he's the God who conquers yet the Bible says that here comes the whole generation who knew nothing about that that means they did not know about the Jericho wall they did not know about the walls to me they did not know about the thirteen battles that Josh will let the people in and how God was victory victorious they know nothing about it because the Bible says they know nothing about what God had done they know nothing about God which raised as one of two options maybe they did not know because the previous generation did not tell them let's try that again one of the reasons they may not have known is that the Bible says when that generation passed maybe that generation did not tell them maybe the generation did not pass the baton maybe the generation did not tell this story have you told your story or maybe we don't know but maybe the generation told them but they didn't believe it maybe there's a generation who knew not God because no one told them maybe that's the generation who did not know God because they heard it and didn't believe it back back when you first start preaching here back in the day some of the old preachers were always preaching they tell the story and they say well you know Moses got delivered through the Red Sea and you know the story and three Hebrew boys was in the fiery furnace and you know the story and Paul and Silas were and they don't know the story so there's a whole generation who doesn't know how to fight who doesn't know victory who doesn't know deliverance and yet God says he's raising up an army and he calls this young book he calls this this young neophyte this young rookie named Timothy says now Timothy be a good soldier because you've been a call to be a good soldier when he says he's saying you're on active duty and you tell somebody today you're on active duty you're not on furlough and the problem is that when the when the battle breaks out many of us are AWOL for you none military minded that means you're absent without leave that means you're supposed to be in the battle in your awesome work on furlough and yet Paul says you're on active duty God has called you God has called you to serve in this army and this army wins battles God's work to someone is because you're a soldier and the army of the Lord this is God's word for somebody you're gonna win that's only for about 19 people who'll get that you're gonna win I don't care what battle you're going through I don't care what opposition you face I don't care what comes against you you're on the winning side if you don't believe it turn back to the end of the book of the book of Revelation you'll find out if you go back to the end of the book we win once you know the end you can go back and read through all the stuff in between cuz you know in the end i'ma win this thing I watch the foot watching uh news last night and it gave the the the scores of the various football teams and and so I knew I knew the stories I knew who won who lost and so later on that night they played a replay and one of the teams was behind way behind waving way behind way behind and and I would have been upset [Applause] but I had seen the news report and the news report said they are gonna win so when they were fumbling balls all over this but all over the field and everything it didn't bother me at all because I know what they didn't know then I knew that in the end they win I came to tell some batter today I don't care how many balls you've been fumbling I don't care how many times you've been hit I don't care how many times the enemy has knocked you down and pulled you back I don't care how many times the devil said you wouldn't make it I've already seen the end of the book and I got to tell you in the end you win baby but I received that one for myself right now when when when the alarm is sounded when the alarm is sounded you fall in formation and you go into battle when the alarm is sounded you fall in formation and you go into battle you leave your Hut you leave your barracks when you get into position you go into battle you leave your Hut you leave your barracks you leave your position and you get in position for the battle the problem is that many of us are trying to fight the battle in the barracks and some of us only come to the barracks once a week so you're here today in the barracks till your neighbor the barracks ain't the battle I know it's bad English but it's good theology I'll just stay with me yeah yeah you don't do the battle in here you come up in here to celebrate the victories that you've already won you come in here with a testimony of what God has already do you're coming here with declaring the faith that when you know you've got another battle starting on Monday you've already got the battle one so you're gonna come back next Sunday with another testimony who am I talking to it here you don't fight the battle in the barracks because God has called us to take the battlefield and so Paul says you're you're in the army but what they did not know and what they didn't the same army didn't realize is that that listen warfare is likened to worship in the kingdom warfare is sacred in the kingdom how do you know that but I want the Battle of God would say to them things like sanctify yourself when God get ready to do mirror to drop the wall of Jericho he told through through Joshua he says tell the people sanctify yourselves because tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you this sanctification process this purification process was likened to the same kind of ritual as when they went into the presence of God to worship Him so that warfare is sacred you do battle in the name of the Lord Jesus you do battle under the cross of Christ you do battle under the banner of the kingdom of God you do battle from the winning side that's God's word for someone today God brought someone here today and you're in the middle of the wars battle worst battle you've seen in years you you're in you're in a rough position rougher than you've ever been in before and God brought you here today don't give up the battle for some reason there was a young preacher thirty years old who gave up this week tragic story young young young man of God thirty years old married with kids for whatever reason could not see the end of the battle I came to tell somebody today don't give up you're too close to your win on the hood it wasn't so just tell first next to you don't give up submit to put your finger up and go home that's your word right there that that's the reason God brought you here this morning that's your word you don't get no better than that don't give up because you in the winning team so he discourages him rather he encourages him because he knows that this young Timothy is being discouraged he's a young leader of these people of God he's facing opposition on us on every hand he's got the Roman army behind against him he's got the culture behind him against him he's got people even inside the camp who are against him and so he's discouraged and so Paul tries to encourage him and so he says he says don't be strong son be strong and and the phrase the word for be strong the phrase implies Seve strength you missed it it's not like you can pop up enough strength when Paul says be strong he's saying be receiving strength from God allow God to give you the strength to win this battle who was that foreigner who does one allowed the the strength the phrase that suggests this there's God is passing out daughters releasing strength and so he says that this this young soldier receive it so when he says be strong it's not go and do some more sit-ups he's saying receive the strength that God has he's pouring out strength he's pouring out power he's pouring out deliverance he's pouring out a win and so God says there's some matter today don't give up don't give up just allow God to give you enough strength to make it so that you can see the victory that God has already awarded to you gosh I felt that so he says be strong bill and then he says then he says but now be careful my son be careful don't be a shame it's over and over he says don't don't be ashamed I'll come back to I think it's chapter 1 verse 8 chapter 1 1 8 2 & 8 1 & 8 chapter 1 verse 8 2nd Timothy he's trying to encourage a young soldier who's in who's in trouble God brought someone here today to encourage you in the midst of the battle God brought someone here today and you didn't even really want if you had your waters you really wouldn't have come today you're going through so much don't know ready answers true story you just got brought someone here today and you're going through so much right now you almost didn't come you're in the midst of a darkness in the midst of a battle in the midst of a struggle and you almost didn't come but the devil in hell could not have stopped you from being here today because God has a word for you so it's Jim Paul writes to this Timothy to encourage him he says he says be a good soldier then he says but now don't be ashamed son don't be ashamed don't be ashamed go to verse 8 he says this 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 law let me unpack that verse he says this don't be ashamed first of all don't be ashamed of the word of God don't be ashamed of the testimony of God now listen and the reason that was so significant is because that now rumors had already spread that this Jesus was just an ordinary Jew who got killed and talked about how he died and suffered it so Paul is reminding him of the Lord who is the king of the of the army and he says don't be ashamed of Christ don't be ashamed of what he went through it's a tough story it's a rough story it's a bad story but he came out on the third day morning with victory and a resurrection power in his hands so he says don't be ashamed then he says this don't be ashamed of me mmm young Timothy lieutenant don't be ashamed of me why might he even have been ashamed of Paul was this see Paul is writing from a jail Paul is writing in shackles Paul is writing in bondage and maybe Paul felt that he felt Paul was not a good advertisement for the victory that he says is coming you only ain't got them they maybe he felt like now now I know I'm writing this from a jail and I'm writing it with shackles on my hands and rivers and I know I'm I'm sure I'm in bondage here but I'm pinning this and I'm saying don't don't be don't be ashamed of me I'm going through a rough time right now don't don't be ashamed of me I'm I'm in a bad place right now I'm and I'm writing trying to encourage you but I admit I'm in a bad place right now have you ever tried to bless somebody when you needed a blessing yourself they come from you you going to stuff on your own and here you are trying to help somebody else that's the way the kingdom works you you often don't have enough to encourage yourself and here you are trying to encourage somebody else Nepal says don't be ashamed of me don't let my shackles shame you don't let the bondage that I'm in be a negative reflection on your own faith don't be ashamed of me I think in the last 37 years of standing in this house my greatest fear in the natural my greatest fear in 37 years my greatest fear in the natural it's asking God Lord don't let me do anything that would make one member ashamed of me don't don't don't let me do anything that would shake somebody's face Paul said don't don't don't be ashamed of me he feared that maybe he was going through some stuff that might make them ashamed my my greatest fear in the last thirty seven years or so is that look don't don't let me walk down the aisle in a mall and have someone drop their head a shame to claim me as their pastor I know where Paul's coming from I get that I get that what is saying or don't don't let maestro shake this boy's faith don't let the barrel that I'm going through shake this young boys faith don't be ashamed of me process process but join me ah what's this do don't be ashamed of me but join me here's what he says he uses the phrase endure hardness and let me unpack that endure hardness this and there is a compound word it means just listen it means to suffer it means it means to go through negativity it means to go through the bad with somebody you missed it the word the word endure means to go through stuff so the theological were right there stuff good to go through stuff but the word means to go through stuff with somebody now still ain't got it Paul is saying endure and do a poet saying go I'm going through some stuff right now but join me join me in my stuff I'm in a dark period right now but join me in my darkness I'm going through some struggles right now and I'm not sure how to things that work out I'm just trusting God but join me in my struggle never forget when I first came to this church you know wouldn't he wasn't young but the deacon said to me he said young man chose you how long ago that was because he was still calling me young man just letting y'all know kinda aging myself on that one I never forget this he say young man I'm with you as long as you write [Applause] so I don't know whether to thank him jump into the flesh and say something spiritual I don't need to hold out a with me when I'm right I need somebody who loves me enough to get down in my mess and love me enough to pull me out and pray me out and walk me out and talk me out and stand with me I need something I understand with me when I can't stand up myself I need somebody to prop up my arms and say you gonna make it out of this man you gonna come through this thing I need somebody to help me in my stuff he says come on join me join me in my problem what's this because the word means to suffer illness or to suffer badness or to suffer struggle to suffer bad stuff with somebody a whole lot of folk can praise God when the sun is shining I've been talking about to Bishop Ellis all week Lohmann and and and you guys know what's happening in Mohammed and he was saying how the Saints came last Sunday praising God no worse we got some of them lost the whole thing so somebody have families who lost the whole houses there are churches that lost everything over there and yet they could make it if I can just make it to the house of God once if I can get through all this rubble and all this stuff if I can just step into a place where the glory of God is falling out people love the name of the Living God and there's a freedom and deliverance there if I can just get there I can make it through one more day God brought somebody here today to tell you you don't don't you give up because you're about to make it through your hardest day I declare that what is coming to you is better than what has been I don't care how bad it was I don't care how dark it was it is in your rear view mirror look in your windshield to where you're going get your face out of your rear-view mirror of where you've been cuz where you've been ain't where you're going who am I talking to in here today some like somebody it was a some somebody just came to a rough business deal don't let raise your hand or something business something I do with your business something something financially economic a rough but I don't of a bad decision whatever it was but you're gonna come through that your company is gonna come through that your brand I don't know who it is your Rand is gonna come through that so Paul says Paul says I need make sure come and join me join me join me then he says to him guard guard the deposit the deposit was the Word of God he says this I I have deposited in you I have given to you the word means I have placed into your control I've made it I made a deposit I made an investment in your life he says now you've got to be a good steward of it I bless you now you can't keep that blessing by yourself so he says what I watch this now what I've taught you teach others I talk to you you teach others and you teach others who may teach others you missed it that's four generations of discipleship y'all ain't got that Paul got it from Jesus Paul passed it to Timothy Timothy was the passage of faithful men who are passing on the faithful men y'all still ain't got it it's four generations of discipleship what you get from God is never just for you but says whatever you get from God you pass it on to somebody else who are passing on and pass it on I came to tell you and come to a pass on party go to a place where you can deposit blessing into somebody and then watch them send into another generation and let somebody else see what don't ever keep your blessing to yourself who is that for don't don't ever and don't ever let the devil get you shame on your blessing know when God doesn't stand up bolli and give God the credit for it and don't care who sees it I don't care who doesn't like it cause some of the folk who saw you get blessed didn't want to see you get blessed in the first time so you stand up and tell nobody but God did it God open this door if it had not been for God on my side I don't know where I would have been God did you've gotta learn how to give God some credit and give God the praise no matter where you're going through cuz if you're going through that means you're coming out the other side oh who was that for I don't know where that came from gosh so he says guard guarded guard this testimony guard this word guard this experience guarded protected guarded listen I mean because he knows the devil will always hit you in your unguarded places whoo that was long the unguarded places in your life become a target for the enemy so when Paul stays guarded guarded guarded you saying protected because the enemy will always attack you at your unguarded place when you're not looking when you're not aware when you're not when you're not alive alert and on when you're not in service on duty and so he says he says he says guarded guarded guarded the deposit watched us now I'm almost done the deposit was the gospel because it the truth so the deposit that he invested into the life of young Timothy was the gospel and he says guarded guarded with your life guard it with your life he says the truth that I've entrusted to you word and trust means that I've deposited into you the truths that God gave me I passed it right on to you and so he says guard it God stay alert stay alert guarded guarded guarded guard the gospel little unofficial unscientific poll this week and one of our staff means I passed out cards and I said write down where is the gospel unexpect nobody knew what I was gonna do it unexpectedly I said right now this past our cars are right what's the gospel and I don't know how many cars I got back to heaven however many I got back it was that many different versions of what the gospel is now the ones who were close to it uh-huh well close to it I think that that much time but it was no because because there can be versions of it there can be elaborations on it there can be just statements of it Paul give here's one example quick example Paul gives an example of what the gospel is in the book of 1st Corinthians chapter 15 I'm almost done go with me real quick first Corinthians chapter 15 1st Corinthians chapter 15 what is the gospel because whatever it is he tells Timothy you better guard it man guard it guard it garnet what is it then what is the gospel we're gonna unpack this later in a couple of weeks from now we get on the get onto the the series of what do I believe but what is the gospel let's just start right there what is the gospel we we hear it all the time we use the term all-time gospel gospel my mother hid my mother was in the gospel course at her church and if the word gospel means good news some time it was good news some time it wasn't good news that's a whole nother conversation but it was the gospel cause so what is the doc well here we go first Corinthians chapter 5 almost ready get ready Kenny here we go first Corinthians chapter 15 first Corinthians chapter 15 verse 3 says this for what I received I pass on to you as of first importance here it is that Christ died for our sins stop stop right there someone has called this the irreducible minimum of the gospel that in five words the gospel is summed up Christ died for our sins someone has called that the irreducible minimum of the gospel and you can expand on Christ and widows the son of God you can you you can expand on died why did he die who would have to die for for our stands where did I get sin from you expand all that but the essence the essence is in these five words Christ died for our sins and so Paul saying don't back down from the gospel few weeks we're gonna get in the details about what that really looks like especially in a world like this where this generation does not know God nor know what God can do here's the last thing he says as a good soldier a good soldier lives to please his commander he says to please the one who brought him into this army when Virgil says to please the one who enlisted you let me tell you something as a soldier as a believer as a man of God a woman of God here's your choice whenever you choose to please God watch this now I promise you when you choose to please please God you will often have chosen to displease somebody else I said it much too fast I'll give it to you again he says as a soldier please your God please you live your life to pizza not anybody else you live like them is God pleased with me and so what you must understand is the moment you decide that nothing else matters as long as I please God you just made a decision that will that will upset somebody I went wrong way that will upset somebody because you made that decision because when you choose to please God you also have chosen to displease somebody else another question is who then will you choose to please because when you choose to please God you may end up not pleasing somebody else and God knows when you choose the pleas of somebody else you run the risk of never pleasing God I don't know who I'm talking to but he says your priority as a soldier is to please the one who brought you into the army in the first place how willing are you to choose god if it means disappointing somebody [Applause] what if it means you'll stop paying your rent nobody on this side of the church like me on the ground what if it means you may lose a friend what if it means it upsets your financial arrangement because I promise you choosing the life to choose to please God you will ultimately and often hear me you will ultimately and often likewise choose to displease somebody and you'll end you end up just like Josh what you end up now choosy who you will serve as for me and my house we choose to serve the Lord I'm ready to go home last thing he says is don't be ashamed of your testimony I'm ready to go every believer ought to have a testimony my god I feel it every soldier ought to have some war stories every soldier to be able to sit and say you know back in 1975 you ought to have some war stories of when you were in the thick of the battle and it looked like you were never gonna make it out and there was no way to turn couldn't go forward back left or right and yet God steps in and made a way where there was no you ought to give your testimony you ought to have a story about the times when you could not make ends meet and you ran out of money before you ran out of months and you end up paying your bills with a zero checking account and no checks bounced you ought to have a testimony when you stood for right and because you stood for right others would not stand with you and you found yourself standing alone and yet God brought you through anyhow every child of God ought to have some war stories when you were just about ready to throw in the towel and give it up because you could not make your way and see your way through this and yet when God stepped in he shifted the whole thing he tilted it in your favor and you walked out giving God the glory every believer ought to have a war story if you are a soldier Paul said don't be ashamed of being a soldier sometimes you got to you got to make a decision I can't do this because I'm a soldier I can't go down that road because I'm a soldier I can't make that choice because I'm a soldier I can't cross the line what I'm supposed to be on the battlefield because I'm a soldier I can't follow another leader because I'm a soldier I cannot make my own way because I must so anybody in here got a testimony you look back and see how good god has been when it begins to ring in your ear you just kind of get a little rhythm to it and you think about how good when I think about the goodness of Jesus and all that he's done for me I dare you to start thinking if you think you will thank show me somebody that's not thinking God I'll show you somebody who's not thinking about the goodness of the Lord when you think about your back was against the wall and God stepped in and made a way out of no way you ought to have a testimony you gotta tell the devil who you are you must not know who you messing with you came by the wrong house you jumped on the wrong marriage you're messing with the wrong husband messing with the wrong son or daughter this is a child of God this house is covered by the authority of the Living God and I ain't ashamed of it anyway

Channel: Faithful Central

Views: 705

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Keywords: bishop ulmer, kenneth ulmer, fcbc, faithful central, message, I Am A Soldier, soldier, sermon

Id: glm7KeooAI8

Length: 43min 47sec (2627 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 17 2019