Lessons From An Empty Vessel

Q: What does the Bible say about being an empty vessel before God?

The Bible teaches that we must approach God as empty vessels, recognizing our need for His grace and salvation. Scripture teaches that we must come to God as empty vessels, acknowledging our inability to offer anything of value due to our sinful nature. In 2 Kings 4, the widow had nothing but a pot of oil, signifying her emptiness. The essential understanding is that before God, we are spiritually bankrupt and can offer Him nothing. This aligns with the principles of grace in the New Testament, particularly in Ephesians 2:8-9, which states that we are saved by grace through faith, not of ourselves. We must confess our emptiness to receive the fullness of God's grace.

Q: How do we know God's grace is sufficient for our needs?

God's grace is sufficient because He fills every empty vessel that comes to Him in faith. The sufficiency of God's grace is evident in the promise that all who come to Him will be filled. In 2 Kings 4, the widow gathered empty vessels, and as long as there was an empty vessel, the oil continued to flow. This symbolizes the boundless grace of God that fills those who recognize their need for Him. The New Testament echoes this through passages like John 6:37, where Jesus states that all who come to Him will not be cast out. Therefore, God's grace is always available for those who approach Him with an open and needy heart.

Q: Why is recognizing our spiritual emptiness important for Christians?

Recognizing our spiritual emptiness is crucial as it leads us to seek Christ for true salvation and grace. Understanding our spiritual emptiness is foundational to the Christian faith. It is only when we acknowledge that we are inadequate and unable to save ourselves that we can truly appreciate the need for Christ's redemptive work. In 2 Kings 4, the widow’s story exemplifies how coming in emptiness led to the miraculous provision of God. Similarly, Jesus emphasized in Matthew 9:12 that He came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. For Christians, recognizing our emptiness ensures that we remain dependent on God's grace and not on our own efforts, adhering to the principles of the Five Solas of the Reformation.

Q: How does 2 Kings 4 illustrate God's provision for the needy?

2 Kings 4 illustrates God's provision by showing how He fills the needs of those who come to Him empty and seeking help. In 2 Kings 4, the widow in desperate need represents all who find themselves in spiritual or material poverty. As she gathers empty vessels, God performs a miracle, filling each vessel with oil, which symbolizes His abundant grace and provision. This illustrates a core principle that God does not fill the self-sufficient but instead fills those who recognize their need. The New Testament reinforces this theme, emphasizing that God provides for those who humbly seek Him, as seen in Philippians 4:19. God's provision is not limited to material needs but extends to spiritual sustenance as well for all who trust in Him.

Keep your place there in Second Kings. You know, the most essential thing, the most essential thing in this life is a knowledge of the scriptures. It's a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the greatest blessing that can be bestowed upon us is to give us his word. give us a desire to hear his word, a love for his word.

I received a note last week from a fellow out west that listens to our broadcast. And he told about, he said, I work on Sundays. And he said, I often miss the service. But he said, I've been given a renewed interest in the word, he said, it's become clear to me that there's nothing more important I need to be doing when the word of God is being preached than to be sitting and hearing that word.

All that he would give us grace and wisdom to understand and to believe this message of redemption in Christ Jesus. Let me just read to you a few scriptures. I won't have you turn to them, but John 5, 39, it says, search the scriptures. In them you think you have eternal life. They are they. The scriptures, they are they which testify of me. God's word, it testifies of him.

In Luke chapter 24, verses 44 and 45, he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you when I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Old Testament, in the law of Moses, in the prophets, in the Psalms. What's that all about? What's that word all about? It concerns, he said, concerning me, concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.

And then he opened their understanding. that they might understand the scriptures. Turn with me to Acts chapter 10. Hold your place there in 2 Kings. Turn to Acts chapter 10. Look at verse 43. To Him, to Him, to Christ, give all the prophets witness that through His name, whosoever believeth in Him shall receive the remission of sins. Now here in our text, we read of a godly man that he died.

And he left his wife and his family a debt with no support, with no way of paying that debt. And the widow, she goes to Elisha and she pleads to him for help. And he says, what do you have? And she said, I don't have anything. I have nothing but a pot of oil. And he tells her, he says, you go and you gather all the empty vessels that you can find. Go through your house, go to your neighbors, any empty vessel you can get and you borrow those. And then go into your house and shut the door and you and your sons fill those empty vessels. And when all those vessels were filled, they sold them, and that debt she owed was paid. It was paid in full.

And I want us to look at this passage this morning. Go back to verse one. It says, there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets of Telisha, saying, thy servant, my husband, is dead. And thou knowest thy servant did fear the Lord, and the creditor is come. He's come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.

This woman had a debt that she could not pay. She could not pay. In Luke 7, our Lord told a parable. He said there was a certain creditor. And there were two men that owed him money. One owed 500 pence, and the other owed 50 pence. But they had one thing in common. They both had a debt, but neither one of them could pay that debt. And he says that that creditor, he frankly forgave both of them. He canceled their debt. And then he asked, he said, which one of them, which one of them is going to love him the most? A debt.

They both had a debt that could not be paid. And they were brought to the point where they had to confess that they couldn't pay the debt. Nothing to meet it with. The time of payment had come. but nothing to satisfy that debt. And you know that's the condition of every one of us by nature. The law, it requires perfection. It requires a perfect obedience. God's justice demands it.

And not one of us can pay it. Not one. We can't even attempt to pay it. We can't even make a good effort at paying it. And that inability, it's within us. It's our problem. It's our own fault. It's of our own making. There's no one else to blame. The weight of sin, the guilt of sin, the shame of sin, We cannot pay it. And if that debt is left unpaid, it will result in eternal separation from God. Let's read on in our text, 2 Kings 4 verse 2. Elisha said unto her, what shall I do for thee? Tell me, what do you have in your house? And she said, thy handmaid hath not anything save a pot of oil. And he said, go.

Go and borrow the vessels abroad of all thy neighbors. That word even is added. It's just empty, empty vessels, empty vessels. Now that's the second point here, empty vessels. First, she had a debt she couldn't pay. Second, we read of empty vessels. Now listen, we hear of half empty or half full. This was neither. These were empty, completely empty. To approach God, to come before Almighty God for mercy. for grace, for salvation, for help in time of need, we have to be brought to know this. We are empty vessels. We have nothing. We have nothing to offer unto a holy God.

Augustus Toplady wrote this. We sing this often. In my hands, no price I bring. That's what I have to offer. I have nothing, nothing to bring before a holy God. In my hands, no price I bring, simply to the cross, simply to the Lord Jesus Christ, I clink. What are we saying? I'm empty. I bring nothing. And all who would come to Christ, come without merit, Without works, without goodness, we come empty.

He makes listen. Who does he give life to? He gives life to the dead. Who does he cause to see? The blind. Who does he cause to hear? Is it not the deaf? Who does he clothe? The naked. Who does he call us to walk? Those who are lame, those who cannot do anything.

For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. How do we come? Empty, empty, not by works of righteousness, which we've done, But according to his mercy, he saved us by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. If we come to Christ, we must come as an empty vessel.

In the word of God, we read that Christ, think about who he passed by. He passed by those who claimed to be righteous, those Pharisees, those self-righteous Pharisees. And who was he pleased to dwell with? With publicans, with sinners, with harlots. Matthew 9, turn there with me. Look at verse 10 of Matthew 9. And it came to pass as Jesus said it meet in the house. Behold, look who came to him.

Many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, They said to his disciples, why eateth your master with publicans and sinners? And when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, they that be whole, they don't need a physician. Who needs a physician? They that are sick, those that are in need. But go ye and learn what this meaneth. I will have mercy and not Sacrifice. I came not to call the righteous. Who did he come to call? Sinners. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Well, back to 2 Kings. 2 Kings 4. Look at verse 3.

He says, He says, borrow not a few. Don't just borrow a few, but many, okay? That's what that means, not a few, many. And there's no specific number here, but it's many. Here's the third point. God has abundant grace for a number which no man can number. Not a few, not a few, many.

In Revelation 7 verse 9 it says this, it says, After this I beheld and lo, a great multitude. He said it was a great multitude, which no man, no man can number. Of all the nations, of all the kindred, of all the people and tongues, and they stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, clothed in the very righteousness of God. How many? Many, many.

And he can save many sinners. The command of our Lord is this, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. It's not our job to sort them out. It's our job to preach the gospel to every creature. Knowing this, Almighty God is able to save to the uttermost them that come to God by Him. Paul, writing to the Romans, he said, Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. He is pleased to save all kinds of sinners. Aren't we thankful? Aren't we thankful?

Listen, there's no mention here. He said, just go gather empty vessels. There's no mention of the size of the vessels. There's no mention of the age of the vessels. No mention of the shape of the vessels. No mention of the condition of the vessels. None of that mattered.

This was the distinguishing part. He said, you go get empty, empty vessels that need to be filled. This is the command of Christ. He said this, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden. What's the command? Come. What's the promise? And I will give you rest. Verse four, 2 Kings four.

When thou art come in, shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons and pour out into all those vessels and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him and shut the door upon her and upon her sons and the vessels were brought to her and she poured out and it came to pass When the vessels were full, she said unto her son, bring me yet a vessel.

Bring me another vessel. And he said, there's not a vessel more. Not a vessel more. Every vessel that had been gathered. Here's the fourth point. The abundance of God's grace. Not one. Every empty vessel was filled. Not one of God's sheep is going to be lost. There is mercy reserved for every one of his elect. Not one of Christ's sheep will ever perish.

Not one. For those that believe, those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, those who have received eternal life, they'll never perish. Let me just read a few scriptures to you. Christ himself promised this. Not one will be lost. In John 10, 28, he said, I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone pluck them out of my hand. Almighty God purposed to save a people.

I can purpose to do a lot of things. You can purpose to do a lot of things. And our purpose can be frustrated. We can make plans to do this or that, and something happens and it changes. God's purpose is never frustrated. Never. Turn to John 6. John chapter 6. Look at verse 37.

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out, for I came down from heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me that all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing, not one, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up again at the last day."

The Lord. will have, he will have mercy. Listen, he's gonna have all that he has given his son. All whom Christ purchased, he must have. He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. Not a vessel more. Not one lost. He that hath begun a good work in you, what's scripture say? He'll finish it. That which God has begun, he's gonna carry on to perfection. And nothing and no one can halt his work. not one, those for whom the Son of God pleads can never perish.

John 3.16, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. The believer's resurrection is sealed and secured in Christ, in him. Turn to Ephesians 1. Just a few more scriptures. Ephesians chapter 1. Look at verse 13 of Ephesians 1.

In whom ye also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after you believed you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance. It's the guarantee. of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory."

Well, quickly, turn back to 2 Kings. Look at the last few words here of verse 6. It says, the oil stayed. And then she came and told the man of God, and he said, go sell the oil. Pay the debt and live, thou and thy children of the rest. Here's the fifth point. Pay the debt and live.

This widow, when we met her, what do we know? She owed a debt that she could not pay. And now, now the debt is paid. Isn't that a clear picture? A debt that could not be paid and now the debt is paid in full. Jesus paid it all. All the debt owed. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow. Eternal salvation because the debt is paid. The Lord Jesus Christ, he went to the cross at Calvary. The judgment, the wrath, the punishment of Almighty God on him for sin, it all fell on him. Scripture says He bore our sins in His body on the tree. It says He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. Chastisement of our peace, where was it?

It was upon Him. The justice and judgment and wrath of God fell on Christ. that which I deserve, that which we deserve. And he stood there in the place, he hung there on the cross in the place of every one of his elect, every one of his children. And now God can be just in justifying the ungodly because the debt has been paid Christ paid the debt. The debt of all of our sin paid. The Lord Jesus Christ, who had no sin, who did no sin, who knew no sin, stood in my place. He served my sentence. He died my death. And now I can go free. Why? Because the debt is paid in full.

At Calvary, the righteousness of God is displayed. The justice of God is honored and satisfied. And the sinner, listen to this, is set free. The debt paid. Jesus Christ, who is the author of eternal salvation. He made, Scripture says this, He made one sacrifice for sin forever. This man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sin forever, he sat down. The work, the work complete. Sat down at the right hand of Almighty God. One sacrifice for sin forever. The work done. The sacrifice accepted. His people sanctified. Our sins pardoned. He sat down.

The debt paid. In my study there on the desk, there's a note from the bank. We had a mortgage here for a good while. There's a copy of that mortgage. And right on the front of it, there's a stamp. You know what it says? Paid. Paid. Don't owe another dime, right?

Scripture declares this. There's no more offering for sin. No more offering for sin. Remission, forgiveness, the cancellation of our penalty. One offering paid. He paid the debt and he paid it in full. There's no more sacrifice for sin. There's none needed. There's none required. It's paid.

And listen, let me just say this in closing. Those empty vessels, as long as there was an empty vessel, there was oil to fill it. As long as there was an empty vessel in that house, the oil of God flowed freely and sufficiently. But there was a point. Where she called, she said, is there another empty vessel? There was none. There was no need. And the oil at that point was stayed. Same today. Same today. As long as there is an empty, needy center.

Maybe you say, I don't know if I'm God's elect. Are you a sinner? Are you in need? Then come to Him. Come to Him. As long as there's an empty, needy sinner, the grace of God flows freely. Where there's spiritual need, there's mercy. Where men are lost, Christ saves. Where you have sinners, there's salvation.

That well of mercy, it never, as long as this world's spinning, God continues to call out his sheep. And where there is a need for mercy, There's plenty of mercy. David wrote this. He said, let Israel hope in the Lord. For with the Lord, there's mercy. With the Lord is plenteous redemption. When men are full, when they are rich, when they are increased with goods, when there's No need of nothing.

That oil of grace stops. That's what happened there. When the last vessel was filled, the oil was stayed. You know there, back in the time of Noah, when everybody was in that ark that was supposed to be in that ark, the door was shut. And judgment fell. And when the last stone of this living temple is laid, when that last vessel is filled with oil, there'll be no more. And judgment will fall on this earth.

I ask you this, are you an empty vessel? Are you in need? Come to Him. Come to Him. Listen, as long as there was an empty vessel, as long as there was a need, there was plenty of oil, wasn't there? All right. May the Lord bless His word. Isaac, come lead us in a closing.

Lessons From An Empty Vessel

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about being an empty vessel before God?

How do we know God's grace is sufficient for our needs?

Why is recognizing our spiritual emptiness important for Christians?

How does 2 Kings 4 illustrate God's provision for the needy?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

Lessons From An Empty Vessel

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about being an empty vessel before God?

How do we know God's grace is sufficient for our needs?

Why is recognizing our spiritual emptiness important for Christians?

How does 2 Kings 4 illustrate God's provision for the needy?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

More from Eric Floyd

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Suggested for You

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book