SPIRITUAL LIFE LESSONS FROM AN OLD SOLIDER

74 min

Pastor Bill Bush · May 29, 2023 · 5 min read · 74 min listen

As Christians we are called to be soldiers in a real spiritual battle, so we must stay in the fight rather than just enjoying the benefits of church.

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Scripture in this message

Big Idea

Pastor Bill draws on lessons from his father, a combat veteran of three wars, to show that following Jesus is not a cruise but a fight we're called into. Real victory comes from embracing hardship, guarding against distraction, holding plans loosely while gripping purpose tightly, refusing to complain, and taking courageous action even when afraid.

Key points

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1Being a soldier means being in a fight, not enjoying a cruise
Pastor Bill tells his father's story of shipping out to World War II as a 17-year-old, at first enjoying smuggled beer and chocolate and singing victory songs, until battle stations sounded and a Japanese submarine attacked. That moment of real danger taught him that being a soldier means being in a fight, and Pastor Bill applies this to Christians who love the benefits of church but never engage the battle.
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2We are called to be soldiers who stay on mission and stay faithful, like Paul charged Timothy
Pastor Bill connects his father's last conversation with him, urging him to stay in the fight and tell people what they need to hear rather than what they want to hear, to Paul's final letter to Timothy from prison. Paul tells Timothy to be a soldier loyal to his commander, undistracted by civilian affairs, and warns that people will chase teachers who only tell them what their itching ears want to hear.
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3Embrace the suck: choose hard things instead of merely enduring them
Pastor Bill explains the military phrase as running toward what others run from, because good things wait on the other side of hardship. He challenges the church not to just endure trials passively but to actively choose hard obedience -- serving, giving, loving a hard-to-love spouse -- pointing to Paul's list of sufferings in 2 Corinthians 6 as the pattern of a true minister.
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4Take care of yourself in the lulls, but don't use self-care as an excuse to retreat from the mission
Drawing on his father's combat rhythm and the story of Elijah collapsing after victory and being fed and rested by an angel before God sent him back into the fight, Pastor Bill warns against people who use being tired as a reason to pull back from community, giving, or serving instead of pulling back from distractions.
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5Planning is everything and nothing: hold your plans loosely but never confuse them with your God-given purpose
Pastor Bill uses his father's combat leadership principle and Paul's redirected missionary journeys in Acts to show that plans should serve God's purpose, and when a plan fails we must adjust the plan, not assume God has abandoned the purpose. He reads James 4 about the folly of boasting in plans instead of submitting them to the Lord's will.
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6You can win or you can whine, but not both
Pastor Bill shares a personal story of bowling in an Olympic qualifier, starting in 400th place and complaining until his father confronted his attitude; changing his attitude let him finish fourth. He ties this to Philippians 2, where Paul calls believers to do everything without complaining so they shine like lights in a dark world.
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7Courage isn't the absence of fear, it's stepping out despite it, one next step at a time
Pastor Bill recounts his father, who was terrified of heights, jumping from a plane behind enemy lines in Korea by focusing only on the very next step rather than the whole descent. He ties this to Jesus's words in John 16:33 that we will have trials but can take heart because Jesus has overcome the world, urging listeners to take the next step of obedience and trust God for the outcome.

Application

Pastor Bill's charge is to get in the fight and stay in it, choosing courage and obedience one next step at a time.

Get in the fight, don't just watch from the sidelines
If you're a Christian who has never really engaged the mission, have the courage today to move from being a spectator in church to actually serving, giving, and getting deployed into ministry.
Embrace the suck instead of avoiding it
Choose the hard thing this week -- serving when it's inconvenient, giving when money is tight, loving someone who's hard to love -- rather than just trying to endure or escape difficulty.
Rest in the lulls without abandoning the mission
When you're worn out, deal with the actual distractions in your life rather than pulling back from community, giving, or serving as your first response.
Build your plans around God's purpose, and hold them loosely
Examine whether your goals for career, family, and money are rooted in what God has called you to do, and when a plan fails, adjust the plan rather than assuming God has abandoned you.
Drop the complaining and take the next courageous step
Quit whining about what you lack, surrender to God as commander in chief, and take the next single step of obedience, trusting Him for what comes after.

Take it into your week

Scripture in this message

From the transcript
“It's a man named Paul and he's writing a letter to a kid named Timothy a younger leader a pastor and Paul's now in prison second Timothy. It's the last thing he wrote”
From the transcript
“he says something very similar to what my dad said, only he says it a lot better because he's a pastor and a writer and a theologian and the Holy Spirit inspired him. My dad said a little bit rougher than this, but he says this, for a time in verse three of chapter four”
From the transcript
“Matter of fact, that's what Paul was saying in second Corinthians chapter six when he's talking to this Corinthian Church and challenging them. He said guys, do you know what we've had to do to bring you the gospel? And look what he says in chapter six verse three”
From the transcript
“Go read first Kings 19. There's a story about a guy named Elijah that's serving God, doing great things. He has this incredible victory, but then he feels alone and the queen says it”
From the transcript
“Matter of fact, the book of James talks about this. In James chapter four, he says this in verse 13. Look here, you who say today or tomorrow, we're gonna certain town and we'll stay there a year”
From the transcript
“And the reason I know that's what he's saying because if he's not saying that, verse 17 makes no sense. Because it just randomly says, remember, it's a sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it”
From the transcript
“Look what it says in Philippians chapter two verse 14 through 16. It says do everything without complaining and arguing. Oh, man. So that no one can criticize you”
From the transcript
“What do I mean by that? Jesus says this in John sixteen thirty three. Look, he says, I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me”

7-day devotional

A personal reading plan from this message — scripture, reflection, and prayer for each day.

Day 1

The sermon opened with a picture most of us don't naturally reach for when we think about following Jesus: a soldier. Not a tourist. Not a spectator in the stands. A soldier who has signed up for something hard and knows it going in. Paul wrote to Timothy with the same image — endure hardship like a good soldier of Christ Jesus, and don't get so tangled up in civilian life that you lose sight of who you're serving. That's a striking word: entangled. Paul wasn't saying comfort is evil. He was saying that when the pursuit of ease becomes the main thing, it quietly crowds out the mission. The pastor's phrase 'beer and chocolate Christian' is a vivid version of the same warning — someone who shows up for the benefits but never deploys into the fight. It's worth sitting with that honestly, not as an accusation but as an invitation. What would it look like to hold the good things in your life a little more loosely, so they don't become anchors? Faith that costs you nothing tends to mean nothing — to you or to anyone watching. The call here isn't to manufacture suffering but to stop flinching when hard things land on the path God has already laid out.

For reflection

Where in your life right now are you most tempted to enjoy the benefits of faith without accepting the weight of the mission?

Pray

Pray for an honest look at where comfort may be quietly crowding out your calling.

Small-group discussion guide

For leading a group conversation about this message.

Open

This message used the lens of military service to describe what active, all-in discipleship actually looks like — and it didn't pull many punches.

Discussion questions

1
In 2 Corinthians 6:3–10, Paul describes ministry as a kind of endurance through hardship — beatings, sleepless nights, poverty, dishonor. What do you think Paul means when he lists these not as unfortunate side effects but as the actual credentials of genuine service?
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In 1 Kings 19, Elijah collapses under a tree after a great victory and tells God he's done. God's response is to feed him and let him sleep — twice — before sending him back out. What does that back-and-forth tell us about the difference between healthy rest and using exhaustion as a reason to quit the mission altogether?
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James 4:13–17 pictures someone laying out a detailed business plan and then reframes the whole thing around the phrase 'if the Lord wills.' How does centering a plan on God's purpose — rather than asking God to bless a plan we've already made — actually change the way people plan and make decisions?
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Philippians 2:14–16 connects doing everything without grumbling or arguing to shining 'like stars in the sky' in a crooked world. What's the connection Paul is drawing between a complaining attitude and the ability to point people toward something better?
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In John 16:33, Jesus tells His disciples 'I have overcome the world' — and says it in the same breath as 'you will have many trials and sorrows.' How might holding those two statements together shape the way people respond when fear shows up before a hard next step?
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The message described what the pastor called a 'beer and chocolate Christian' — someone who stays close enough to enjoy the benefits of faith without ever deploying into the fight. Without pointing at anyone in particular, what do you think makes that posture so easy to slide into, and what tends to pull people back toward active engagement?

Pray together

courage to take the very next step when God's will points green — and honesty about where we've been holding back

Ask Rewind about this message

Scripture in this message

SPIRITUAL LIFE LESSONS FROM AN OLD SOLIDER | Full Service

Big Idea

Key points

Application

Take it into your week

Scripture in this message

7-day devotional

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Small-group discussion guide

Open

Discussion questions

Pray together

Go deeper

Not Done Yet | Part 4

Love Defined | Week 7

Essentials | Week 4

Essentials | Week 3

Weekday Warrior | Week 4

Weekday Warrior | Week 3

SPIRITUAL LIFE LESSONS FROM AN OLD SOLIDER | Full Service

The big idea

Ask Rewind about this message

Scripture in this message

Big Idea

Key points

Application

Take it into your week

Scripture in this message

7-day devotional

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Small-group discussion guide

Open

Discussion questions

Pray together

Go deeper

Not Done Yet | Part 4

Love Defined | Week 7

Essentials | Week 4

Essentials | Week 3

Weekday Warrior | Week 4

Weekday Warrior | Week 3