Seeking for the help of the Lord,
I direct your prayer for attention to 2 Timothy, chapter 2, verse
21. 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. to Timothy chapter 2 verse 21,
and particularly the thought, the words, a vessel unto honour,
ready, ready for the Lord to use, or made for the Master's
use. Continuing on in the theme of
the vessels in scripture, We come this evening to one that
I feel greatly to need. The word that is before us here
is a vital, a vital word. God's people are likened unto
vessels, and vessels that are used. If we wanted to carry something
in our homes. If we wanted to do something
out in the garden and we had a bucket, a vessel, and we were
intending to carry soil in it or manure or something like that,
it wouldn't matter whether that bucket was dirty. It wouldn't
affect the use that we were intending to use it for. But what if we
wanted to use it for something that we are going to drink from?
Or carry something that we wanted it to be pure. We didn't want
it to be marred and dirtied. If we wanted to carry drinking
water in it. If we wanted to use it as a bucket
to carry newly cleaned washing out of the washing line. If the
bucket was dirty first, we would have to repair it. We'd have
to clean it. We'd have to make sure it was
very, very clean. Otherwise, it would be no use
whatsoever for that pure use. By nature, we are like those
dirty and filthy buckets. It can be used for many things
of Earth. But when the Lord would use us
for our holy use, use us for the things of God, the precious
things of God, for showing forth His praise, this people, have
I formed for myself, they shall show forth my praise. Or to bring
the word of God, to administer it, and to minister to the people
of God. A dirty, unsanctified, carnal,
worldly, ungodly vessel is no fit vessel to bring such pure
truths and to be used for a holy use. And so the word that is before
us here, a vessel unto honour. Now I want to notice a few more
points by way of a lead up to the text. In verse 17, We are given examples of two
characters, two characters in the church, and they're dishonourable characters. They were profane, ungodly, vain
babblers, and they're named as Hymenaeus
and Philetus. How could such be used in the
church? What good would they be in the
church? We have in verse 19, and nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth
sure having this seal, the Lord knoweth then that it is in his
church. And it may be those that are
His. Those that, they are not cast
away. They are not the ungodly. They are His. The Lord has called
them. He has quickened them by grace. He's given them hearing ears.
He's given them a new nature. But they have, still an old nature,
they still have an evil heart, they still have iniquity. And the Lord knows them. He can
look on his church, and he does look on his church, and he may
see two people, and they're doing the same things, wrong things,
sinful things. But one of them hasn't been called
by grace at all, And the other one has. One will heed exhortation. One
has a new nature that will listen. The other one doesn't feel the
need of any instruction. They're quite happy to go on
in a sinful and a wrong way. And so that's why in verse 19,
We have and let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart
from iniquity. We have that commanding to separate,
separate from Iniquity. Sin. Known sin. Open ways of sin. Then we have in verse 20 an illustration,
another one. A great house. A great house
and the observation is that in that house there are different
types of vessels. some of gold and silver, some
of wood and of earth, some to honor and some to dishonor. Might say a true picture of a
natural house. Our houses are like that. Vessels,
differing vessels like that. But when we think about it in
the two ways that are set before us in scripture, One is the house
as the church of God. For when he writes to the Ephesians,
he says in chapter 2, he says that in verse 21, in whom all
the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in
the Lord. in whom ye also are builded together
for an habitation of God through the Spirit. And Paul, when he
writes to Timothy in his first epistle, and in chapter 3, then
he says this, But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how
thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God which is
the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the
truth. And so the church of God, and
thinking of what has already been said, of those that were
saying that the resurrection is past, Hymenaeus and Philetus,
in the church, a great house, and the Church of God is a great
house, the Church is to deal with those vessels that are not
unto honour. Part of the sad state of many
of the churches today is that there are those that do come
into the Church of God and they start to introduce error, but
no one stands up and questions. No one is approved. We read that there must needs
be heresies among you that they that are approved may be made
manifest. But sadly error is set forth
and no one stands up and no one challenges it. It's drunk into
and it's gone on. In the Revelation there's two
churches that were reproved in those seven letters. One was
reproved for having those in their membership that held error,
and the other was reproved that not only did they hold it, but
they taught it. And if there are those in a membership,
even if they are not yet teaching it, but they're holding it, It
is a danger to that church. It is those vessels that are
not unto honour. It's a weakness in that church. The other way of looking at the
house is an individual believer. In Hebrews 3 and verse 6, or
verse 5, we read of Moses. Verily was faithful in all his
house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to
be spoken after. But Christ is a son over his
own house, whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence
and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. And then there follows those
warnings. based upon the children of Israel
in the wilderness who grieved the Holy Spirit, who rebelled
against the Lord. And so in this verse 20, the
illustration is speaking of cleansing out those vessels that are not
to honour those things in the church, those things in our hearts,
in our lives, the old nature where we are walking not after
the spirit but after the flesh. To be carnally minded is death,
to be spiritually minded is life and peace. And so the people
of God are to be a vessel a vessel that is unto honour. I want to consider five points
regarding this vessel. The first is a vessel that is
exhorted. The vessel that is exhorted. Some people are very nervous
about speaking of exhortation. The Word of God is very, very
clear that where there is the new birth, where spiritual life
has been given, The people of God are to be exhorted and they
are to seek of the Lord grace to obey that exhortation and
to walk in those ways. Great will be the opposition
of our old nature, but the people of God are not to be of those
that just drift along on whatever is said in the Word while it
doesn't affect them. Never change their pattern of
life, pattern of thoughts or ways. That is not to be the people
of God. And so just in this passage,
rather than looking right through the word of God, we have enough
just in the lead up to our text to see very clearly how the apostle
exhorts here as he writes to Timothy, as he writes to his
son in the faith, as he writes to a believer. And remember,
Timothy is to teach others and to teach those that will teach
others as well. So it is a passing on of that
instruction. In verse 14, we have the exhortation
to Strive not, and particularly strive not about words to no
prophet, but to the subverting of the hearers. There is a clear
exhortation. A servant of the Lord must not
strive, but be gentle unto all men, as we have in verse 24. Then we have, in verse 15, study. Study to show thyself approved
unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing
the word of God. The Bereans, they search the
scriptures daily, whether these things were so, and the people
of God, especially ministers, but the people of God are to
study, study the word and study how that particularly applies
to ourselves. Then in verse 16, the exhortation
is to shun, but shun profane and vain babblings, for they
will increase unto more ungodliness. So a very distinct action of
exhortation. And you find those that are speaking
empty, empty things, babblings, they're not profitable, they're
vain. Just shun it, pass it by, don't get into, as it were, even
an argument with it. And verse 19, which you've already
partially covered, the exhortation, depart. Depart from iniquity. Those of us that name the name
of Christ So let some that nameth the name of Christ, or let just
ministers, let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart
from iniquity. Aggravated sin against light
and against knowledge. Then we have the text, purge. If a man therefore purge himself,
from these. You think if we were to have
a house and it has got things in it that were wrong, say if
we were told that something that we had bought was harmful, maybe
some things in the rooms, some product that we bought was got
something harmful in it, We'd want to purge the house of it.
We'd go from room to room. Maybe it was a deodorant, or
maybe it'd be a cleaning thing, and you'd want to get rid of
it. You'd purge it out of the house so there's nothing left
at all. And then we have in verse 23,
the exhortation to avoid, but foolish and unlearned questions
Avoid knowing that they do gender stripes. Know what it is when you see
something you want to avoid. You see a blockage in a road. There's a side road you can take.
You avoid it. You turn away from it. You see
someone yelling and cursing and angry. You avoid them. And here, foolish, unlearned questions. Those that are just really baiting
and asking questions, they really don't want to know the answer.
They're just making a mockery of the things of God. Many of
us that have worked in the secular workplace, we've come across
those. that will bring questions in that way. And each one of
these things, they are exhortations. So in our text, a vessel unto
honor, but it is a vessel that is exhorted. There is a word
of scripture that is spoken to us. and that there is an action
that is joined with it, something that we should do, something
that we should avoid, something that would change our lives. The second thing, a vessel unto
honour. This is the word of our text
here. He shall be a vessel unto honour. Unto honour. Something that God will not be
ashamed of, the Church of God will not be ashamed of, but will
actually be honourable and to the glory of God. Not like the
ten spies that brought back an ill report of the land, but like
Joshua and Caleb who followed the Lord fully. A vessel that even the world
would look at and they'd say like they said about Daniel that
we can find nothing against this man save concerning his God. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
And they came to take him, came to trip him up. And those that
were sent, they came back to the scribes and the Pharisees.
And they said, why have you not taken him? They said, never man
spake like this man. They couldn't resist the grace
that was poured into his lips, how he spoke and how he acted. And the same with Stephen. in all that he spoke before he
was killed as a martyr. A vessel unto honour glorifies
the name of the Lord, it magnifies the church of God, it is the
opposite of those by reason of whom the way of truth shall be
evil spoken of. is vital that it be so not just
in honour before man, but before God. May we be a vessel that is unto
honour, that is good to be in that house, to have pride of
place in that house, and not to be one that it would be a
shame to be found there. I know as the people of God,
we often feel like Ruth did. She said, though I be not like
one of thine handmaidens, that's how she felt. But all the men
of her city, and Boaz, he said that she was a virtuous woman.
in all that she'd done. And may we be the same. The third thing is a vessel that is sanctified or set apart. The apostle when
he writes to the Corinthians, his first epistle to them, and
chapter 6, he says in verse 11, and we're going back before then,
he speaks of those that were very much dishonour. Know ye
not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators
nor idolaters. nor adulterers, nor effeminate,
nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous,
nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit
the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But ye are washed, but ye are
sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus
and by the Spirit of our God, washed, washed by the water of
the Word of God, sanctified, set apart for the Master's use." Paul, when he writes to the Ephesians
in that beautiful likeness to the church and the Lord and a
husband and a wife in Ephesians 5. He says, Husbands, love your
wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for
it. Why? That he might sanctify it,
or sanctify and cleanse it, with the washing of water by the word. that he might present it to himself
a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
that it should be holy and without blemish. A picture of a church
that is what she is by the grace of God and by God's work upon
her, changing what she once was, And by the grace of God, being
a vessel that is now an honourable vessel, because of that sanctifying
work of her God upon her. And it's through the Word, through
the Word like this one we have before us, through this passage
here, that the Lord sanctifies His people, teaches them what
is acceptable and what is right, proving what is acceptable unto
the Lord, what is pleasing to Him, and what kind of a vessel
He will use. And so I want to think then in
the fourth place, a vessel for the Master's use. Our text says,
He shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meat for the
Master's use. or looking at the original, easily
used, useful, profitable, suitable, made for the master's use. Like
the illustration I've used, if you're looking for a container
and you had a use in mind, something you wanted to use it for, and
you look at this one, is that suitable? Is that me? Can I easily use that? No, I've
got to spend several hours scrubbing it and cleaning it. Is this one
suitable? Is that one right? Is it clean?
Is it going to mar what I'm going to put in it? A vessel made for the master's
use. There's one word that comes several
times here, I overlooked it in the last point regarding, or
the point concerning honour, and that's that word unto, vessel
unto honour. That is, the Lord has a aim in
view, that that vessel, that that one he has called, he suffered,
bled and died for, he is working to an end in view, that that
vessel shall be unto honour. This people have I formed for
myself, they shall show forth my praise, because they are what
they are by my grace. They are monuments of grace.
And so we have for the Master's use, the Lord knows the use that
he is to use his people for. They are being prepared for a
place in heaven to be with the Lord. Be ye holy as I am holy. Without holiness, no man shall
see the Lord. They're being prepared for that,
for that place. They prepared people for a prepared
place. And whether to bring the word,
to be salt, to be light, to be a use in the word, in the world,
The Lord has a use for his people. Now some people may collect pots
and vessels and just look at them. But generally we have them
and we have a use for them. A reason why they're there and
why we bought them and why we've and spend time in cleaning them.
You wouldn't think of going outside and seeing someone busily spending
hours cleaning a vessel and say, what are you doing that for?
Well, I don't know. I just thought it'd be nice to
be clean. Haven't you got any use for it?
Have you not got something in view, in mind, why you're cleaning
it, why you're doing this to it? Well, the vessel here is for
the master's use. I hope it is that we turn some
of these things into prayer. Isaiah said, here I am, send
me. Saul of Tarsus, Lord, what wilt
thou have me to do? It seemed an automatic reaction. When the Lord would call him,
that there must be a purpose. No, if we had our children, or
if you had a worker in the field, if you called him from across
the field, you said, come here. And he came. And then you just
went about your business. Why did you call me? Did not
you want me to do something? Is there not a work to be done?
And with the Lord's people, the Lord has a purpose for them,
a reason. that which you use them for.
Really, every member of a church, they should be mindful of the
talents God has given them, the gifts that God has given them,
the abilities that the Lord has given them, all differing ones,
but to seek that they might be used for the honour and glory
of God. And that those things that greatly
undermine our usefulness. And when we are worldly and calmly
minded, when we have our affections on things on the earth, when
our appetite is for them, then we're not ready for the Lord's
use. Remember years ago, going into
the common room and the workers there that were on the shop floor
and they were speaking all sorts of just light and trifling things
and I drunk into their spirit joined along with them and then
they started to take the Lord's name in vain and they started
to saying things that I knew I should take action, I should
speak regarding these things. But I'd so drunk into their light
and trifling spirit that I wasn't ready. I couldn't speak and the
time, the moment of speaking was gone and was past. And I
always remember it and realise I let myself get into a position
where I was no use to bear any witness for the Lord at all. And there's been other times
in my life that that has been the case. A vessel then for the
Master's use or made for the use, easily used, that is, it
doesn't need a lot of time and effort It is already right ready. Where there's suddenly a need,
there is that vessel. It can be used straight away.
It doesn't have to have a lot of work done on it first. That
work the Lord is doing, sanctifying, cleansing it. You might say,
well, I don't know what the Lord would have me to do. But the
Lord is doing a preparation work. And that's what I want to notice
in the fifth place, because we have in our text not only meat
for the Master's use, but and prepared unto every good work. A vessel that is prepared. A prepared vessel. Joseph did not go straight from
his father to being next unto Pharaoh. The Lord gave him the dreams, and then he went through all
the suffering in the pit, the false accusations, the imprisonment,
and being forgotten, and then he was brought next to Pharaoh. Queen Esther It was through Vashti
being rejected, and she was brought into the kingdom. And the time
that she was brought to be queen, it was not evident why she was
actually to be in that position and to be able to speak for her
people. But then suddenly it was evident.
And Maudikei, he says, who knoweth but that thou had come to the
kingdom for such a time as this. You've had the preparation, not
another. And who knoweth, this is the
work that you are to do. Arise and do it. That's what was said with Ezra.
When there was the putting away of the strange wives, the dealing
with the sins of Israel when they'd been brought back from
Babylon and captivity, they said, arise and do it. This matter
belongeth unto thee. Rise and do it, and we will be
with thee. Those that the Lord has appointed
in that way. Moses, another good example. 40 years preparation in Pharaoh's
household. 40 years further preparation
in the backside of the desert, tending his father-in-law's sheep. You think, what is all those
80 years for? And when the Lord does appear
to him in the burning fire, in the bush that didn't consume,
then Moses has all sorts of excuses. And he says, send by whom thou
wilt send. And the Lord was angry with them.
Moses, would all that work of preparation be done and then
another is going to be sent? Is it not evident that that preparation
was for something? Sometimes we cannot tell in our
lives. It might be just a perplexing
thing. Why has this happened? Why have
we gone through that? And why are these strange things
happening? But we don't know yet what the
Lord is preparing us for. Our text says it's a vessel that
is prepared unto every good work. In one sense it is prepared unto
the good work that God will choose at that time. Maybe it is in,
if you use the illustration of a householder, and they know
that there's many different things they're going to need some very
clean vessels for, and they take a lot of time, they prepare these
vessels, and then it comes up what they need to use a clean
vessel for. And they say, we'll take that
one, and we'll take that one, and we'll use this one for this,
and that one for something else. and they've been prepared unto
a good work, a clean work. In the Lord's case, of course,
he knows exactly. He knew with Moses exactly what
he was preparing him unto. There's no doubt in the Lord's
mind at all. The same with the apostle Paul.
Saw that he was sitting at the feet of Gamaliel. He knew what
he was being prepared for. But he did it. He thought he
was doing the Lord's will and favour in hailing men and women
to prison. He says that he did it with a
clear conscience. But then the Lord met with him
and revealed his son to him. And then he immediately was able
to preach the Lord Jesus Christ. He already knew the scriptures,
but he needed that key to shine upon it, a vessel. A vessel unto honour, a vessel
that is ready. It is made for the master's use,
prepared unto every good work. It is one test to the people
of God. The love of Christ constraineth
us. And the desire will be to actually
be, instead of the servants of Satan, to be the servants of
the Lord. And though we have great struggles
and conflicts with sin in our members, and if it was not so,
that would be, we'd say, well, why is all the exhortation in
the word of God? Why does Paul say, I keep under
my body, that having preached to others, I myself should be
a cast away? Why does he write to the Romans
and say, if you through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body,
you shall live? Because the deeds of the body
are strong. He says, the good that I would,
I do not. The evil that I would not, that
I do. A wretched man that I am. And the people of God have a
constant battle in that way. And the Lord has a constant work
with them in chastening, correcting, instructing, shepherding. And it is His grace, His teaching
that makes the difference between them and an unbeliever. Just because one is called by
grace doesn't automatically make them a sanctified vessel. They are separated, separated
in the purposes of God, in the eternal choice of God and in
His calling. But in that instruction that
He gives them through their lives, that is what we have before us
here. That there is a need of instruction,
a need of exhortation, Our hearts are hard like the children of
Israel. We're so prone to rebel, so prone
to walk in ways which will end up, we'll sit there and we'll
think, well, why was that one of the Lord's people chosen to
do that work and not me? And why did the Lord bless that
man's ministry but not mine? And why did he Choose that person
to have that post and not me. And the Lord could turn around and
say, well, they were sanctified. They were ready for my use. But with the things that you've
been filling your mind with and how you've been walking, how
could I use you? While you've been trying to cast
down, a mote out of another brother's eye, you've got a beam in yours,
you'd better cast that out first. How many things in the word of
God, and it comes very close, and I would fall under it myself. I feel the need of such exhortations
myself. We can get careless and indifferent. Sometimes if we could see that
there's a work that we could do, And we think, well, it's
worth making that effort. But when the Lord hasn't shown
me what he's going to do for my life, then we start to get
careless. And yet, as we've seen with Joseph
and Moses and many others, Jeremiah sanctified, set apart from the
womb to be a prophet unto the nations. The Lord does a lot
of preparation before He then reveals how He's going to use
His people, what He's going to use them for. And our part is
to listen, listen to the Word, and to be, and seek by God's
grace to be, a vessel unto honour. meet for the Master's use, and
prepared unto every good work." All of the exhortations that
surround this word, the whole context, is like in verse
19, departing from iniquity, verse 22, fleeing youthful lusts,
following after righteousness, faith, charity, peace, all the time. It is seeking to
walk in an upright, God-glorifying way, crucifying the flesh and
the affections thereof. May the Lord grant us that grace
and help to heed the word and that we might think of this picture
of the vessel. What kind of use is our vessel prepared to be
used for? Are we right to bring the word
to a seeker? Are we right to speak to those
that are on the borders of eternity and dying? Are we right to be able to speak
comfort for those in distress? Or to admonish those that are
walking contrary? The Lord has his people that
are for the work that he will choose. And our text is a text
that speaks of the preparation that he does upon a poor sinner
to make them a vessel unto honour, a vessel made for the master's
use and prepared unto every good work. The Lord bless us with
this and may we be able to see maybe some of the hard things
the Lord's bringing us through. those lessons that are hard to
be learned, that they're needful, needful. And the Lord has a purpose
in shaping us and fashioning us and making us to be what he'd
have us to be. May the Lord add his blessing. Amen.