“Useful to the Master”
(2 Timothy 2:20-22)
Series: Faithful to the Finish Line (2 Timothy)
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
Henderson’s First Baptist Church, Henderson
Amen! Please be seated. I invite you to take your Bibles and join me this morning in the Book of 2 Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter 2 and, in a moment, picking up at verse 20 (page 801; YouVersion).
We’re making our way, verse-by-verse, through this second letter of Paul’s, his second letter to Timothy, written around the year 65, AD 65. Paul is in a Roman prison, something of a dungeon. He is awaiting execution at the hands of Emperor Nero, he’ll be executed simply for being a Christian and for preaching the gospel. He is writing to Timothy, a younger man, a young pastor at the church in Ephesus.
And Paul is writing to Timothy a letter wherein he encourages Timothy to be faithful. Stay committed to Christ. Be a Christian worker the way a good soldier pleases the one who enlisted him, and the way a good athlete competes according to the rules, and the way a hard-working farmer works until that first harvest, enjoying the fruit of his labor. And he also encourages Timothy to handle God’s Word accurately, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Then Paul begins to warn Timothy of false teachers in Ephesus, folks from within the church who teach bad stuff. He warns Timothy about false teachers like a couple guys named Hymenaeus and Philetus (17), warning that their message will spread like gangrene within the church. But then, Paul says something rather encouraging—and this is where we left off there in verse 19. Paul writes in verse 19, “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
Paul says to Timothy, “You know, in spite of what these false teachers are doing in Ephesus, God knows those who are His, the true believers, true Christians. So don’t be shaken and unnerved by false teachers. The true followers—the church—stand as a solid foundation. So let everyone who “names the name of Christ,” just keep on keeping on—and keep on avoiding sin. Paul writes there in the last part of verse 19, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity,” depart from sin. We noted last time it means to, “Fall away from iniquity.
Paul’s been talking about false teachers like Hymenaeus and Philetus who have “fallen away” from truth and he says to Christians, “Hey you fall away—fall away from sin.”
Then Paul builds on this teaching, this matter of “departing from iniquity,” falling away from sin in verse 20 where he paints a picture of a house, a great house, a big house full of all kinds of vessels and utensils. Let’s hear the Word beginning at verse 20.
Please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.
21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Pray.
“In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay…” Not all of us live in a “great house,” but many of us get this. In most of our homes there are vessels, or utensils, made of nice or more expensive stuff—and then there are vessels or utensils made of more common stuff. Silver and gold. Wood and clay.
I was recalling an incident when my boys were much younger. We had not been in Henderson long and a lovely senior adult lady invited us to her home for lunch. She has since gone on to be with the Lord. But we went over there and the boys were like 10 and 8 years old and they were getting kind of rambunctious. And I believe in disciplining children and sometimes they need a little spanking. But I also like James Dobson’s suggestion that you not use your hand because you want your hand to be something you hold out in love or protection. So use a small paddle, or a book, or something like that. Well, we were over at this nice lady’s house—and the boys laugh about this today; we all remember it well—I had gotten so frustrated with them that I was looking for something I could use to spank them and I just couldn’t find anything in this woman’s home. Everything was nice and neatly in place. Finally, exasperated, I saw the nearest thing on a table top and I said, “Settle down, or I’ll spank you with that…gold thing!” And they just laughed, and I laughed, and today at ages 24 and 22, they still laugh at the time I threatened to spank them with that gold thing—a vessel of honor.
When I was growing up I remember we had these nice plates and cups and things all placed neatly in a china cabinet. They were all sleek-looking and shiny, a gold sort of lining around the plates and glasses. They were kept behind these glass doors of the cabinet. And all those plates and glasses stayed inside that cabinet until around maybe Easter or Thanksgiving or Christmas. Then, my mother would get those dishes out and clean them and place them on the table. Gold and silver.
So when it wasn’t Thanksgiving or Christmas, we ate our meals from the more common and inexpensive dishes and cups—the plates that were chipped and didn’t match. The cheap cups that were of various shapes and sizes, the more common stuff. Stuff from the discount store. Stuff that had stains on them. Wood and clay.
Many off us can relate to a similar picture. There’s some stuff in our homes that are really nice and shiny. And we have a special place for that stuff. And then there’s everything else. Some things used for special purposes; some things for more common use. Some things for noble purposes and some things for not-so-noble of purposes.
Keep that imagery in mind and begin to think of yourself as a “utensil,” or a vessel in God’s house. Remember that verse 20 comes on the heels of a statement made by Paul in the preceding verse—verse 19—where Paul describes the church as, “the solid foundation of God,” built of “those who are His.” If you are a Christian then you are among the number that “the Lord knows,” you are among, “those who are His,” those who make up, “the solid foundation of God,” part of God’s house. And God has a special purpose for you in His house, a great purpose for you, a high calling and purpose. So, if you like to take notes, begin here: write this down and:
Consider Your Purpose in God’s House (20)
Your purpose as a Christian. Look again at verse 20:
20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.
And Paul goes on in the next verse, verse 21, to extol the virtues of being a vessel of honor. That’s why he says, “If anyone cleanses himself from the latter (from dishonor) he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master…”
Paul wants us to understand that God’s greater purpose for us as Christians is that we live as vessels of honor, useful “utensils” for the Master. We are, if you like, gold and silver-lined plates and glasses inside a beautiful china cabinet.
It’s not that we were born with this special status and honor. Nor did we “earn” this privileged position. Rather, it was given to us in Christ Jesus. Remember from the opening chapter? Chapter 1, verse 9, God has “saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”
If you are a Christian this is your golden status, your silver position. This is an awesome thing—your very identity! To be “in Christ Jesus,” is to be a pristine vessel of honor. Don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t worth anything! This is your exalted and honorable position. This is you. This is your profile, your real Facebook profile!
I saw a sign in a gift shop that read, “May your life someday be as awesome as you pretend it is on Facebook.”
Well, if you are a Christian, you don’t have to pretend. You’re already awesome. You are a golden vessel “in Christ Jesus.” I think maybe that’s what we ought to put on our social media profiles. Rather than putting our education and vocation and all that stuff, just put, “in Christ.” That’s who I am! A golden and silver vessel in Christ Jesus.
So your purpose is to shimmer and shine as a beautiful vessel in God’s great house. The Lord loves you and He loves using you. He delights in you as a gold or silver vessel or utensil. Again, recall verse 19, “The Lord knows those who are His.”
You know, this is going to sound kind of strange. But I know my own glass or cup from which I drink. Like if someone else drinks from my cup, I can tell. My wife thinks I’m crazy. She’s like, “You can’t tell!” And I’m like, “Yes, I can. It’s kind of weird, I know. But I guess it’s because I don’t like sharing my glass with others. I’m funny that way. I mean I can kiss my wife, but I’m not into sharing my Diet Coke or my water with her. I have my own cup. I guard it. I protect it. It’s my cup. I own it. . No one else gets it. If someone drinks from my cup, I know it! I know my own stuff!! And I’ve got special cups or mugs like you, some that I especially like using.
The Lord knows those who are His. You are a silver or golden vessel and He knows who you are and where you are. He guards you. You’re like His special mug. He protects you. He owns you. He loves you.
God delights in you. Don’t let anyone tell you you’re nothing. God loves you. He has a great and high purpose for you.
It reminds me of what Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10 where he says, “We are His workmanship,” and the word means like, “a masterpiece of mercy.” Because we are “in Christ,” we are a trophy of God’s grace. He likes to display us, to show us off. In doing this, we draw attention not to ourselves, but to the One who owns us, the One who made us, the One who saved us.
Consider Your Purpose in God’s House. Secondly:
Consider Your Purity in God’s House (21)
21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
Paul is teaching that every Christian should desire to be used of God. Useful to the Master. A vessel that makes Him proud. Unashamed workers who bring a smile to God’s face. And here there is a contrast with those who would be ashamed before God. Rather than being an “unashamed worker, approved unto God,”—recall from last week—there are those who begin to swerve from the truth, those who begin to go down the wrong path, folks like Hymenaeus and Philetus in verse 17.
See there is this sense in which we may allow ourselves to become impure or unclean—perhaps from false teaching or wrong living. It is as though someone opened the china cabinet door and took out all the silver and gold utensils and placed them in the bathroom near the toilet. So all the shiny and shimmering stuff was stacked up in the room where—and I don’t want to get gross here—but where “other things” are, other less-noble utensils and such.
So Paul says in verse 21, “Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter (from the unclean dishonorable stuff), he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master…”
Consider your purity in God’s house.
The first time I had the privilege of meeting Johnny Hunt, I was in seminary driving him to the airport to catch his flight back to Atlanta. We talked for awhile and I asked how I could pray for him. And he replied, “Pray the Lord will keep me close and clean.” That was nearly 20 years ago and that phrase has stuck with me. God, help me be close and clean—close to you in holiness, clean in purity.
“If anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and self for the Master…”
See, just like silver and gold utensils in a great house that can become dusty or dirty—so we as Christians can allow ourselves to become unclean. Rather than transforming the world around us, we conform to the world system, we allow the world around us to shape up us into its mold.
Have you ever been traveling long distance and you pull over for a coffee or a candy bar? You’re on the interstate for hours and decide to exit. And there’s some obscure little convenience store and it’s all there is. So you go there. And you ask you’re wife what she wants and then you go into the store. You open the door and it has that familiar smell of cigarettes and stuffiness, but it is what it is and you’re on a mission and you look around for some crackers or something. You’re in there for maybe 5-10 minutes and you make your purchase and you leave the store and you get into your car. And your wife and family are like, “Man! What stinks?! You smell like cigarettes!” And you do. In fact, you had forgotten all about that smell. But smell you do! It’s like you’ve taken part of that convenience store with you. Your shirt smells. Your candy bar wrapper smells. Your hair smells. Everything smells! You’re like, “Man, I was only in there for a few minutes, but I need to take a shower!” And you know, if as a Christian you allow yourself to become impure and unclean, you begin “to smell.” You know what I mean. People can tell you’ve been with the world. You may have only been “with the world” for a few minutes—just a quick indulgence, a flirtatious word, a sinful glance—but you’ve been with the world, and you’ve taken the world with you. You don’t look the same. You don’t think the same. You don’t act the same. It’s hard to get rid of that “smell” unless you purify yourself.
21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
Remember that salvation is a one-time act, but sanctification is an ongoing process. Every moment of every day, we are to cleanse ourselves, to become more and more like Jesus, more sanctified, more shiny for Jesus. He owns us and we want to make Him proud, to make Him smile. Purify yourself that you may be “useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.”
Maybe the reason why it does not seem that God is using you as you’d like, the reason you are not experiencing a closeness with Him—maybe that’s because you are not clean. You have allowed yourself to get spotted by worldliness. You’ve allowed yourself to get comfortable in the dirty place in the bathroom, rather than keeping yourself pure, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
Stay close to Him. Close and clean.
Consider Your Purpose in God’s House, Your Purity in God’s House, thirdly:
Consider Your Pursuit in God’s House (22)
22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Verse 22 is a call to flee from some things and to follow after (or pursue) some things. Your pursuit.
Paul says, “Flee also youthful lusts.” Also translated “passions.” Youthful passions or lusts include anything that would pull a person away from Jesus. Certainly sexual lust is included here, but the idea encompasses anything, anything that would cause a person to fall away from pursuing Christ—a recurring temptation to sin, to sexual sin, to rebellion, to personal impurity through alcohol or drugs, to anger or an argumentative spirit—whatever your particular lust or passion.
Paul warns, “Don’t dabble in it,” rather, “Flee” from it. It’s the Greek word from which we get “Fugitive.” Run away like a fugitive from the thing that will hold you captive.
Michele and I were watching a series on Netflix…just had to stop watching it…
Running away is not always a cowardly response! Often it is the best thing you can do. You see sin and temptation coming your way, go the other way. Avoid it. Don’t hang with people who bring you down. Hang with people who bring you up. Hang with brothers and sisters in Christ. That’s even in the text. Paul writes in verse 22:
22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Pursue the right things “with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
One the ways we grow in our sanctification is by regularly coming together with other brothers and sisters in the gathered community of worship and fellowship. Church. Gathering together with others, “who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” You come regularly to Sunday school and worship you are far more likely to remain clean and to flee the bad things and follow after the right things, pursuing things like, “righteousness, faith, love, and peace.”
We don’t run the Christian race alone. We run with other believers. We journey on together. Connection with the community of faith. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
Church connection is essential to growth, to sanctification, to ongoing cleanliness, purity and holiness.
Your purpose, your purity, your pursuit. Let’s pray.
Would you bow your heads?
RESPONSE:
Consider Your Purpose in God’s House
Are you a vessel of honor? Have you been saved?
The Christian faith and salvation name is not about morality, it’s about redemption not about getting better, but about becoming new.
“Lord Jesus Christ, I admit that I am weaker and more sinful than I ever before believed, but, through you, I am more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. I thank you for paying my debt, bearing my punishment and offering forgiveness. I turn from my sin and receive you as Savior.
Consider Your Purity in God’s House
Do you have a recurring temptation? Is there a temptation in particular that you find difficult to resist?
Let me encourage you to daily purify yourself and then remove yourself from any temptation that may stimulate your desire to do something you regret.
Continue to be evangelistic and missional. Christ has commissioned us to be lights that shine in the darkness. But be careful. You know your weaknesses. Remember: “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”
Consider Your Pursuit in God’s House
Remember that one of the ways we grow in our sanctification is by regularly coming together with other brothers and sisters in the gathered community of worship and fellowship. Church connection is essential to growth.
Solomon said in Proverbs 13:20, “He who walks with the wise becomes wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”
Pray this prayer:
“Cleanse me from my sin, Lord.
Put Your power within, Lord.
Take me as I am Lord,
And make me all Your own.
Keep me every day, Lord,
Underneath Your sway, Lord.
Make my heart Your palace,
Your royal throne.”
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