Seeking for the helm of the Lord, I direct your prayer for attention to 2 Timothy chapter 2, and reading for our text verses 20 and 21.

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honor and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified and made for the Master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

2Timothy chapter 2 verses 20 and 21

A Vessel Unto Honour

Paul is writing to Timothy as a father to a son in the faith and as to a minister of the gospel. But though he gives much instruction to him as a minister and giving us also guidelines as to what to expect in the Christian way and in the ministry of the word, there's also applies to all of God's dear people.

It's good for us to realize such verses as the second verse, the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the saying commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. And I often think of the Reformed seminary in that way, passing on to other men. that which they're able to teach others as well.

We think of verse six, the husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits, those things that he's setting before others he himself has actually partaken of. He knows those things himself. And so the Lord chooses sinners to preach the gospel, not angels. Those who don't have sin, they don't need a saviour, but sinners do.

And so Cornelius was directed by an angel to send for Peter, and the Lord has ordained that those that are sinners themselves preach the word. And so, Paul with Timothy here, recognizing this, Timothy is not perfect, he's got an old nature, he struggles with that which his congregation struggle with, and all men and women struggle with.

And so he gives directions that he might be rightly qualified. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

But more than that, his own vessel. Often the message is more than the message a minister brings. The minister himself is part of that message. And sometimes it is said, and it's sad that it is so, that people would wish the minister would stay in the pulpit because it's when he comes out that then he undoes what has been said in the pulpit. by his walk, his conduct, or things said out of the pulpit.

And Paul would have Timothy know that he is to be a vessel unto honor, not just when he's preaching, but all his life is to be a holy and a sanctified life, an example of the believers.

And so though he may not be ministers of the gospel, Yet what the Apostle says before Timothy, regarding himself as a vessel, as one in whom the Word of God is to be, and thinking that we are called to show forth the praises of Him, who hath called us out of nature's darkness and into His marvellous light.

He's aware with Timothy that he has those in the church that will bear influence upon him, And so he is to be fortified against that. But then there's also that, which is his own nature, his own sin. And we think of the Apostle Paul saying himself, I keep under my body, lest when I preach to others, I myself become a castaway.

And so if we are to be useful, is unto honour. And so Paul he teaches what a worker that is of use or approved of God is actually to be. Really from verse 14 he starts to set forth the characteristics of a worker and then later on in our text what follows more concentrating on the worker himself, the person himself.

Now, there are those that would view the picture that we have here, this great house, and have a picture of a house with beautiful vessels, some gold and silver, and then there are other vessels that are just wood. and they are not to honor, some to honor, some not, and they will say, well, this is pointing out the Church of God, and Timothy has got to realize that there are some, like those spoken of, Ammonius and Colitis, that need to be put out of the Church of God, as if it's just speaking of clearing out of the Church of God that which is not profitable.

But I don't believe the context fully supports that at all. This is pointing to himself, and especially when we think of that which is going before and after the text, it is speaking of personal sanctification.

Verse 19, before our text, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. That's personal sanctification. The other side of that text in verse 22, Plea also youthful lust. Again, it is speaking about ourselves.

And when we think of what the Lord said, that we are a temple of God, we are ourselves God's house built up, a spiritual house built up in Him. He is the foundation stone. He is the top stone. And we are as lively stones built up by a living temple. And Paul says that, knowing not that ye are the temple of the Holy Ghost. And we are to remember that we are redeemed. And we are to be sanctified. The Holy Ghost resides in us.

And what particularly is my burden on this, we know that the Lord sanctifies His people. It is Him that chastens them, corrects them, refines them as a silversmith or a goldsmith, using the fire, using tribulations, using those things to make His people to be what He'd have them to be.

But sometimes we can get the idea, well, this is all the Lord's work. There's nothing that I have to do. There's no effort, there's no carefulness, there's no watching. And sometimes we can get into a very lax and careless, unwatchful spirit, as if, well, we'll sit back, let the Lord do the work, but we take less care or less diligence regarding our soul and spiritual things than what we would do in a secular work or in the office or something like that.

There is always that balance to be, how much we are looking to the Lord's work and how much that we are actually doing ourselves. We think of when the children of Israel came out of Egypt and 2 Then came Amalek, and fought against them. then Amalek prevailed. As soon as it lifted up, then Israel prevailed. But there was Joshua. He was fighting. He was using normal weapons. And we are to do the same.

In one of Mr. Hansvogren's books, he gives a little example. There was two girls, and they were running to catch a train. And one of them said, let us stop and pray that we might get the train. And the other one said, no. Let us run as hard as we can and pray while we run. And you see they're using the means and using prayer as well.

And some will say, well we just pray and we're not going to use means. We're just going to wait for the Lord to do it. And sometimes that can happen in simple things. You might have a maybe a solicitor or someone working for you, and nothing seems to be done. One person will be ringing them up every day and cheering them along a bit, the other one just sits back and just waits for the Lord's word. And the one that is actually putting their hands to it and getting them, pushing them along a bit, gets it done. It needs to be both be done.

I look back at some occasions in my life, even when he forecalls, and just to sit back and wait, then, well, I wouldn't have had my first job, and many other times I wouldn't have had. There are times to act, there are times to wait, but then people can do the other side, and all they do is to work, and they leave off prayer, or they're looking to natural things and not looking to the Lord at all. And sometimes it's hard to discern what we're actually leaning upon.

My brother was very afflicted years ago, and he was told about a specialist doctor in London, waiting, waiting to get the appointment, very expectant that he would be healed, and when he came to, the specialist couldn't help him, and he realised that really he'd been looking more to man than looking to the Lord, and sometimes we need the Lord to show us that.

But we have this balance here, where the Apostle is pointing Timothy to a path where he is to be watchful and diligent, where he himself is to do purging. If a man therefore purge himself from these, for himself, and it's in that way, looking at ourselves as a vessel, and as ministers, bearing the word of God, often think with this illustration of a vessel, and we think of the other text, we have this tradition, earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

If we had a vessel, a jar or something at home, and we'd been using it outside in the garden, and we got all the soil and dirt in it, but we wanted to use it to bring some water into the house to use, with it all being dirty, it's not fit, it can't be used for that. It's got to be washed and cleansed first, and then when it's washed and cleansed, that same vessel can bring pure and the Lord would have his servants in that way, as a vessel sanctified, one that is still of earth, but has in it precious things, things that are not marred by the vessel itself.

Precious truths may be brought forth, but if we're not careful, as the minister himself, we mar that by our own walk, our words, our conversation, our actions, and that's very sad when that is the case. But I want this word to be as a help, whether we're bearing the word of God in ministry or not, that we are to show forth God's praise, and whether we're before our children, we think of if we're parents, we've got our children, they see our lives, they see how we walk, they see how we speak, We may be teaching them faithfully the truths of God, but may be undermining it by our own actions and what we do.

And so that applies for everyone that we're coming into contact with. I remember years ago, as a 23-year-old and very well known in the office for one that feared God and walked in His ways, And I went from the drawing office. I needed some information from one of the people in the workshop. And he was tending to one of his workers at the first aid cabinet. And I said, well, don't worry about that. I need to know this. Can you tell me this? Answer this question. And he said, oh, that's not very Christian, is it? What an attitude that is. And I immediately realized, I said, I'm very sorry. I should not have done it. You turn to your chat and afterwards you can come to me. And the best way of dealing with it is when you're caught out like that, is to humble yourself and acknowledge that you're wrong. But immediately I could see the damage that I would do if I let that go. All my other testimony, everything, was all gone. And lessons are learned. I remember that to this day and that years ago.

and so maybe pay much attention actually to ourselves. So I want to look at this word. Firstly, that to be purged, what is it that is to be purged? And then secondly, a work of intention, purge himself, and then some directions to purging that actually are in. this portion. But firstly that which is to be purged.

Going back again then to our text, in the illustration verse 20. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and of earth, some to honor and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, that is, those which are to dishonour, those of wood and of earth, those dishonourable vessels, what are they? What are those things? How can we put them in a practical way, those things in a natural way, they're just for common use, lesser things, impure things, they can be used like we use the vessel for the, bring some water in from outside, while it's dirty like that, well we can use it to carry soil around, it's alright for that, but it's not if we want to use it for something pure.

So in a house in a natural way, we might be able to use things for one purpose, but they not be for another. And of course for the things of God, We're wanting that to be used for pure, for sanctified, for holy things. So it is those things that are sinful, sinful lifestyles, lust, gluttony, perhaps sexual immorality is brought in again and again. It's this that Paul speaks about, keeping under his own body drunkenness, other Fleshly desires, those things that have an effect upon us and also seen by others as well.

Then we have things like false doctrine, those things that are not really relevant or conducive, they divide rather than help, ungodly discussions. You know, we can get caught up with political things, or caught up with things that are not to do with the gospel at all. And sometimes it's, I remember years ago in Australia, I said to our deacon there, I said to him, Roy, I said, you know, what would the devil do? What do you think, if someone had been blessed during the service, How best way to take that word from them, to rob them of it? I said, wouldn't it be a good idea if you put the pastor or the minister and the deacon at the door, and when everyone went out, they got them to speak about the weather and their job and this and this and this, and wouldn't that be a good way of robbing them of the word? The very ones that have been the means of bringing it It means the doorstep taking it away, or perhaps in the lunchtime in between the services.

And it's very searching, because sometimes you might think, well, the only time maybe I see the congregation is on the Sunday, isn't it right to ask those things? Yes it is, but we need to be very, very careful that we're not actually harming that word. So foolish speculations, arguments that create strife, things that may be of a political nature, getting involved with that. I remember reading about the history of the church in Australia where I was a member there, and one of the former pastors, he got very involved with the movement outside the church, thought it was good, it was mythical, it was praiseworthy, but in the end, he found it just undermined his own faith, and it was detrimental to the church as well. And the Satan has many, many ways of trying to defile the people of God, especially that bring the word of God to worldly influences as well. They also defile this vessel, they make it like unto a dishonor, the wood, the earth, these things that are coming where the word of God is going to come.

Now when we think of the word resting in our minds, what do we think of? What are our minds possessed with? What are they full of? You think of the apostle writing to the Philippians, giving very clear directions, think on these things. All of the things, are they true? Is it honest? Is it pure? Does it have virtue? Is it praiseworthy?

And those vessels of dishonor, when our minds are filled with all of these other things, and then we expect that the Lord is going to put into our minds, the precious truth of God, and it flow out. Why the Lord says that it is from the heart that proceeds all of these things, all of these dishonorable things. And yet, out of the abundance of the heart man speaketh. And if we are to convey the precious things of God to others, like conveying that clear water and the vessel is unclean, we can't think that the word there is going to be clean that comes out from that.

And so those things that are to be heard, we think mainly they belong to our old nature, corrupt nature, they're those things that are contrary to the Word of God, those things that would defile the Word of God and mixed with it. Often we read of the Word of God that is to be kept pure. Now, purity means not mixed with something else. As in engineering, many metals that we use, they were alloys, so they're one metal joined with another. and our rings that we have, you say they're gold rings, but they're not pure. If it was, it would be too soft to actually wear. It's alloyed with something else.

But when we come to the Word of God, we don't want to be like the Roman Catholic Church that were drawing together tradition with the Word. We want the pure Word of God. So if that Word of God is going to be conveyed in vessels, we don't want something of that vessel mixing actually with the Word as well. That is why the Apostle warns that we are to preach the Word, and study to show ourselves approved of God, rightly dividing the Word of God. It's so easy to introduce our own thoughts, our own ways into the Word, into what we're saying, whether it be to a congregation, or to children, or to friends, or to loved ones.

And so the vessel, the one that is to be used in this way, if it's going to be profitable, if it's going to be of use for those heavenly, sacred, lovely things of God, be like a golden of silver, then there are things that are to be purged. I want to note here, secondly, a work of intention. Paul says in verse 21, if a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified of meat for the master's use, prepared unto every good work. And there's simple things here. It is an intention. Now people say, well, we would like to have a close walk with God, we'd like to have communion with God, There's not the intention of thinking, right, I'm going to get up at this time of day, I'm going to allocate from this time to that time, and that is where I have my devotions. I'm going to have my reading and prayer time there. It's so easy to not have an intention, and just get up whenever, and just drift along, and if something else comes in the way, you go after that. And there's not a conscious, definite saying, This is what I want to do. This is the time I'm allocating for it. This is how I'm going to do it.

We're used to, in many aspects of our life, especially in our work life, to have intentions, to have a list of things to do, an aiming view. And Paul is often speaking of the aiming view. It ran the race that he set before us, looking unto Jesus. He presses towards the mark of the prize of the high calling of God. He uses the analogies of running or in Olympics, where they always had an aim to do.

And with this perching work as well, it's not something that is just left, you might say, to chance or without consciously thinking, what is it that in my heart and in my life is actually defiling me, that he's taking away from what I should be as a vessel unto honour.

And so the word here, really cutting across the idea, well this is all God's work, this is his work, is saying no, God has opened your ear, he's opened your eyes. Timothy, he's given you Paul as instructor, you to listen to His instructions, you to follow them, is a preceptive part of the Word of God. Be ye doers of the Word, not hearers only deceiving your own selves.

The words of our Lord, when He told of the parable of the man that built his house upon the rock, and built it on the sand. Here we have the picture of a house and it is speaking there of a man. And the difference is one that hears the word of God and does it and one that hears it and doesn't do it.

We think of James. He gives an evidence of faith. Faith without works, he says, is dead. If we see a brother destitute of food, water, warmth, And we say, be you warped and fed, but give not those things necessary, what does it profit? And so he's speaking of actual practical things of getting up and doing, not just thinking or not just saying.

And so here as well regarding sanctification. if we realize there's things perhaps we're looking at on our phone, or on the internet, or reading, and they have a defiling action upon us, or things that we pass by, maybe on the shops, or those things that have a defiling influence upon us, it is if a man therefore purge himself from these.

So it's identifying what is it that is defiling first, and then Like Paul said, I keep under my body and it shall be a vessel and on the sanctified or set apart, made holy, right made for the Master's use. And another aspect here, it is prepared unto every good work.

It's not like saying, going back to our analogy with the vessel, oh we need some clean water, where there's this vessel, this vessel needs purging, it needs cleaning, and then I can use it for the water. The picture that is here is that when there's a need, the vessel is already cleansed. It's already right to use.

And I've often felt there's, again, let's go to another illustration from my work, probably when I was 24, 25, same firm. No, no, a different firm in this case. And in the workroom, the men were in the lunchroom, the men were speaking, and they started to call the, took the name of the Lord in vain. They said other things. Now normally, I would have reproved them. But, and before that happened, I'd been left to a light and trifling spirit myself. And though not sinful in itself, it defiled me enough that when my conscience said, you should speak to the honor of your God, you should make a stand here, I was not prepared to do it. I was not able to do it. I was not ready at that instant.

Very often with the Lord's people, You only have a second or two to speak or not to speak, to make a stand or not to stand, and to have a witness for the Lord. And the picture is here, being actually prepared when the Lord himself chooses to use you, when the Lord would choose to speak by you. And this is what the apostle was saying to Timothy, this is a work, this is something you need to be mindful and conscious of.

And if we're trying to do this, we'll be seeking the Lord. We'll be making it a matter of prayer. And yet, while a matter of prayer, also paying attention to the Word of God. It's good when the Lord teaches us to pray in this way.

You know, when I first, one of the first instances when I first started to pray, and I knelt at the chair, I lived on my own at that time, very early twenties, and no words came. I couldn't think of what to pray or how to pray at all. And as I knelt there, all manner of evil thoughts came into my head. And I thought, this is a terrible thing. I'm in the attitude of prayer, and all of these evil thoughts are going on in my head, and I prayed to the Lord to take them away, to deliver me from those, and I prayed for a little while like that, and then I stopped, and I thought, well that's good prayer, wasn't it? What a good prayer you prayed. And I thought, well this is, this is terrible. A moment ago you had no prayer, and then you had evil thoughts, And then the Lord gave you prayer, and now you're proud of that prayer, that you prayed to have those evil thoughts taken away.

And it all taught me that real prayer is those things where you really feel to need prayer. I needed to pray against the evil thoughts. I needed to pray against the pride. And the Lord brought those things in. The devil would say, well, how can you be the Lord's people if you have those things going on? The Lord will say, go on, bring those to your, right in the fore, right before your eyes, so that that is the things you pray for. Because they are the ones that are attacking, they are the ones that are defiling your temple at this time.

So in that very way, the Apostle saying, purge himself from these, he's pointing Timothy, really, what to pray for, what to ask for, what are the things that he needs the Lord to do for him. And he is ready to do it.

That's another illustration that I've come across. Over in Holland, they have bikes, many bikes, and a lot of them electric bikes. But the electric does not work unless you pedal. If a policeman was to see someone on an electric bike not pedaling and coasting, speeding down the road without a helmet or registration on, they'd pull them over and they'd fine them. bridge the electrics and make the thing work without pedalling. The whole design is that it's assisted power. So as soon as they start pedalling, then the electric comes in and supports them. If they were to look at a hill and think, I can never pedal up that hill, I'm not even going to try, not even going to try and do it. They wouldn't get up the hill. But if they thought, we're going to try, we know we've got something that will help and strengthen us here. And so they started pedalling, and then the electric came in, and it would start giving them power. We think of the Lord with the man with the withered hand. He asked him to stretch it out. The man didn't say, Lord, my hand is withered. I cannot stretch my hand out. He didn't. He ventured. He stretched his hand out, and as he stretched it out, it was strengthened.

And it is in this way, whenever we get the precepts of the word, whenever we are exhorted to do things that we might say, well, I cannot do that in my own strength. I cannot walk that way. The Lord would say, my grace is sufficient for thee. This is the way, walk ye in it, and this is the path to walk.

So I want to look in the third place at directions to purging in the very context here. We know throughout the Word of God there will be many others, but just in this portion. If we were to go to verse 16, There is a shunning, profane, and vain babblings, for they will increase unto more ungodliness. So, there's a direction there. Those that are speaking profane, vain, empty things, that doesn't lead to godliness, not to the gold and silver, a vessel unto honour. but those are things to shun.

Then we have in verse 17 the warning that their word will eat as doth a canker and there's given an example of two men here. It's a good thing when the scriptures give examples and say look, there are men that bear this. It is It is actually people that you are to avoid sometimes because of what they are doing, because of what they are saying and how they are acting.

And so we have in verse 19 that the foundations of God stand ashore, having this fear of the Lord, knoweth them that are his. And that everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. So it is avoiding men that lead astray and avoiding iniquity and evil and sin that is bound up with them.

We perhaps think of other texts, be not partaker with other men's sins, keep thyself pure, how easy it is to be drawn aside. Sometimes even we might find the Lord's people. We read in the Word where Paul reproved Peter very severely because Peter, he dissembled when the Jews weren't there. He sat with the Gentiles. When the Jews came, he separated himself And he was undermining the very word that he was preaching. He was preaching that Jew and Gentiles are one, the Jews are one with us. There's that barrier, that wall of separation is broken down. That was his words, that's what he's preaching. But in his practice, he undermined it because he separated through the fear of man.

It seems to be one of the failings of Peter, denying his law three times through fear of man. And then in that instance, the fear of man as well. The Lord greatly used Peter, but Paul had to reprove him at that time, because he said many were drawn away with his dissimulation. And as if you would say with Timothy, if you see this, depart from those men or reprove those men, because it's something that would just grow worse and worse going down that track.

So people that are holding error, In the letters to the churches in Asia, there's two churches there. One was reproved because they had in membership those that held error, and the other was reproved because they had in membership one who were actually teaching error. And Paul would say, well, these need to be avoided, or the church should deal with them. But as a person, we should Because remember, those around about us are going to influence us one way or another.

Then we have, secondly, the fleeing of youthful lusts. In verse 22, flee also youthful lusts. Those things that are temptations, that are attractive to our old nature. We think of Joseph fleeing out of the wife of Potiphar's house, and not dealing with it, but fleeing from it. And this is the direction, a very clear house is, Timothy might say, how am I going to purge myself from these? You flee from these lusts.

And then there's the positive side in that same verse. But follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. So again, on one hand he's saying don't associate with these people that are having a detrimental effect, on the other hand he's saying do associate with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Always it is there must not be a void and emptiness. When the children of Israel went into the promised land, they were told they were not to take all of the land at once. lest the beast and the field increase upon thee. So they were given so much land, when they increased in number and the tribes, then they took more land and more land, that there's not to be a void.

And the Lord spoke of that one that had the devil cast out, and he went out seeking places and finding none, seeking place in the rest. And he came back to his own house and found it swept and garnished. And he took to himself seven other devils worse than the first. The latter end of that man was worse than the beginning.

It's not just a fighting against or purging ourselves from that which is wrong. It's also following after that which is good. It is not just getting rid of, but it is replacing it with righteousness, faith, charity, peace. and in association then the call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Then there is lastly the avoiding of pointless disputes, verse 23. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender stripes. And as a servant of the Lord who knew great wisdom on that, our Lord was asking that were just designed to trip him up. But there are other times that he has asked questions with a real desire to know.

And whether we are private Christian or Lord's servants, we are to discern that. What is the spirit that this question is being asked? Is this person just genuinely wanting to know the truth? They're troubled by this question, they need an answer. Or is it someone just with an ulterior motive that's just leading up to trap and they don't desire it at all? You need much wisdom in that.

It's a sad thing. If the Lord's people just fob off those that are genuinely seeking and genuinely have questions, they need answers. But they're not heard and they're not answered. And so, Paul, when he gives this direction He gives his illustration of the great house and the different vessels, and then he gives the direction to purge. He is giving specific things and how it is done, and what things to actually look out for, and what a blessed end it is, prepared unto every good work, to be like Isaiah, here am I, send me.

To have a work that the Lord would have us to do, choose, that he would cause us to be the one that helps that soul, speaks a word in season to them that are weary, that directs another, that comforts another, and he chooses to use us because he himself has sanctified us, opened our ear, given us to be obedient to his word and to be really watchful.

What kind of a vessel are we? What a question to leave us with. Has the Lord caused us to hear this word and to walk in it?

Well, the Lord deals with sinners and he has words for sinners that bear precious words and the precious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. He would remember that the word that is put into these vessels, the purchase of Christ, the precious blood of Christ, Those things that are most precious, most holy, they are the things that aren't being conveyed.

The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, that one name given among men whereby we must be saved, that name which is above every name, the name of Jesus, every knee should bow. The woman that followed Paul, these men, show us the way of salvation, those that took knowledge of them, Peter, the apostles, they had been with Jesus. They noticed the effect. They noticed not just the word, but the messenger who was bringing the word.

May the Lord bless the word and make us to be what he'd have us to be, and useful in his church and amongst his people. Amen.