Now we are seeing that we should be strong to hold the truth of God in the days in which we now live. In chapter two of our epistle, we have already noted that the truth of God should not only be held by God's people, but to be taught by faithful men to others who should be able to teach also. Only I encourage my fellow Christian to see the responsibility, whether man or woman, to be faithful to the truth of God. And in whatever capacity and measure of opportunity you have, in the name of your Savior, to tell others the truth of God, to do it. but without question of doubt we have the greatest need of godly taught men well taught in the scriptures who as gifts of teachers to the church will be faithful to the truth they know and pass that truth on to others that the truth might be spread now we come to the third verse of our chapter and from verse three and on down i want you to follow with me to see the characteristic features that the apostle names that should be the characteristic of a believer in the present day. Paul uses illustrations that are found in life itself to thus convey what should be the character of a believer in the last days of Christianity. Now may I read verses three and four. For here we have the apostle saying to his servant, his young son in the faith, Timothy, Thou, therefore, endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, for no man that wareth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. Now what I want you to note, first of all, is this fact. Paul likens the characteristic feature of a believer as it should be in these days of testing, to a soldier. I'm sure that every one of us are very conversant and acquainted with what a soldier should be. We recognize that a soldier is a person who is in the service of his country, under the service and authority of his king or chief, as the case may be. and that it is his responsibility to be a good soldier of whatever country, of whatever monarch he may be serving under. My beloved Christian, may I suggest to you as well as to my own heart that you and I are responsible to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ. I want to challenge and ask you the question, what kind of a soldier are you of Jesus Christ, my fellow believer? We sing the grand old hymn, and it is a grand hymn, Onward Christian Soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before and so on. And it's a great martial hymn that has been given by God to the church without question of doubt. But now let's search our heart. Let us ask ourselves, what kind of a soldier am I? Am I a good soldier of Jesus Christ? Now one of the first features of a Christian soldier is revealed here in our text is this, is how much he can suffer. For what the apostle says in the opening of verse three is this, accept thy share of suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. It's not merely what a good soldier does that counts him a good soldier, but really and basically it's what he can put up with it. the hardships that he may endure, and the testing of that endurance in the testings of his career as a soldier. What he goes through. My beloved Christian, I want to ask you one question. I ask it of my heart too. How much are you and I willing to go through for the Lord Jesus Christ? I speak specifically to my Christian fellow believers. I ask, how much are you willing to suffer for Jesus Christ, your Savior, who redeemed your soul from eternal hell and brought you with his own precious blood? And we are living in days when Jesus Christ needs good soldiers. And how much can you endure? For that's the very testing of a good soldier. How much can he endure? How much discipline is he willing to endure in his career as a soldier? And I want to tell you something else. The career of a Christian soldier is not for one year, nor two years, nor three years, nor four years, nor five, nor name them all. The soldier of his country enlists for a particular period of duration. But you know, when you look at the soldier of Jesus Christ, You're in the battle and you're in the career for life. I know time goes on. I know that years go by. I know that eligible, normally speaking, according to the ministry and according to that which I'm in as a soldier of Jesus Christ, I am not in the same specific condition that many of my friends in relation to their work may be. Many of my friends have retired from their business, and they are entering into the comforts and to the ease of retirement. And sometimes I feel envious in the flesh that they can take it easy. And age-wise I confess very readily that I am eligible according to the standards of this life to retirement. But when I look at the Scriptures of God, I hear my master say, Occupy till I come. And I realize, as far as I can see in the Word of God, I read of no retirement from being a good soldier of Jesus Christ. And that I should endure. put up with the discipline and accept my share of suffering in this war that will not cease until Jesus comes or until my life ends. Now I want you to note what follows. I'm not only to accept my share of suffering as a good soldier with Jesus Christ, but here's some responsibilities that are set before me. As Paul writes saying, no man that wareth, no man that takes up the battle, will entangle himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who have chosen him to be a soldier. Now may I say, there are many Christians who have got themselves entangled with the affairs of this life, to the detriment of their obedience and their service to the Lord Jesus Christ. I think back in the history of the British nation, On one man, and he was a very devout Christian, who was head of the British Army, known as Lord Kitchener, a godly man, and a soldier. Now, Lord Kitchener was a man who did not believe if any man gave himself to the service of his country, and thus made the service of his country in the British Army, or in the British service of the government, as a life worked He did not believe that such a man should even marry. And he kept his conviction even in his own life. For he felt that such a one was to be devoted and completely devoted to the service of the king or the queen as the case may be. Well, that was his personal conviction. But may I say, there's a greater responsibility for a believer. Every believer, whether married or unmarried, is to be devoted in service to his and her Lord. But so many believers tangle themselves up with the affairs of this life, and they cause the vocation of life, the responsibilities of life in this scene to prevent them from being good soldiers of Jesus Christ. I know that's true. There's not many Christians in the churches today who really carry the warfare. I'm of the humble and convicting opinion that the work of God is carried on today chiefly by a few and not by many Christians. And I speak again without sparing my fellow believer or even my known heart. What kind of a soldier are you? What kind of a soldier am I? Have I so entangled my life to such a degree that the service of Jesus Christ, which is the greatest service, is suffering? And I am failing to please my Savior. You know what Paul says at the close of this verse. That he may please him who has chosen him to be a soldier, he will not entangle himself with the affairs of life to such a degree that he cannot please his Lord. Now I know these are searching words, but I'm not minimizing and I'm not apologizing for them. They're not my words. They are the words of the Lord Jesus. And with to God I was able to reach with this message and this challenge, every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, I don't care who they are and where they are. For I acknowledge them as being fellow believers in my Savior's love. as well as they are to be fellow soldiers of Christ with me. And I want to challenge your heart, my fellow Christian. What are you doing to serve your Lord? What kind of a soldier are you? And if you feel your unfaithfulness, why not get to the Savior and in confession acknowledge it and get things in your life and in your soul right with him and begin serving him as a good soldier. My, I wish I could enlist the people of God as good soldiers for Jesus Christ. This is my earnest prayer and desire, and it's the desire of the Spirit of God. Are you willing to be a good soldier? Whatever the cost, God grant you will, time is gone, but let us pray. Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus, make thy people good soldiers, in the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of thy word. And those who are not even in the army of the Lord, bring those poor souls out of Christ to trust the Savior now and follow him. For his namesake, amen.