Vessels of Honor

 

2 Timothy 2:20-26

20 Now in a large house there are not only vessels and objects of gold and silver, but also vessels and objects of wood and of earthenware, and some are for honorable (noble, good) use and some for dishonorable (ignoble, common). 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things [which are dishonorable—disobedient, sinful], he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified [set apart for a special purpose and], useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. 22 Run away from youthful lusts—pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those [believers] who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 But have nothing to do with foolish and ignorant speculations [useless disputes over unedifying, stupid controversies], since you know that they produce strife and give birth to quarrels. 24 The servant of the Lord must not participate in quarrels, but must be kind to everyone [even-tempered, preserving peace, and he must be], skilled in teaching, patient and tolerant when wronged. 25 He must correct those who are in opposition with courtesy and gentleness in the hope that God may grant that they will repent and be led to the knowledge of the truth [accurately understanding and welcoming it], 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

 

Vessels of honor.  I love the sound of that!  I want to be used for His glory!  I have been a vessel of dishonor many times, but by the grace of God, I am going to become a vessel of honor more frequently.  Paul (under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost) gives us some instruction of how to be a vessel of honor in this letter to Timothy.

 

The first thing we see as a requirement for becoming a vessel of honor is the command to cleanse ourselves.  Obviously it is the Lord who ultimately cleanses us, but it does not happen apart from some willful choices on our part.  We have to choose to remove ourselves from certain activities and influences.  We should not only cleanse ourselves from things based upon what will cause us to be lost or saved, but we should also lay aside things that hinder our ability to be used in a greater capacity.  We should not only be willing to cleanse ourselves from every sin, but also the weights that hinders us in running the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1).  Weights are not sinful in themselves, but they impede our progress.  If we want to be a vessel of honor, we must be willing to cleanse ourselves to a greater degree than the person who is only interested in doing the bare minimum required to make it into heaven.

 

To be set apart for a special purpose, we have to flee youthful lusts.  David Guzik’s study guide on 2 Timothy 2 says:

 

“Youthful lusts describes the sort of desires and temptations that are especially prominent when someone is an adolescent or young adult. Sexual temptation, illicit pleasure of the flesh, and a longing for fame and glory often mark one’s youth.  

 

The command is simple: Flee also youthful lusts. Don’t entertain them. Don’t challenge them. Don’t try and endure them. The idea of “I will just test myself on this one to see if I can stand against it” has made many fall into sin.”

 

Separation from sin is not a separation that leads to isolation – it is a separation unto God.  We don’t flee youthful lusts and run towards nothing.  When we change course and run away from youthful lusts, we set our course to pursue “righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those [believers] who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2 Tim 2:22) Separation from sin leads to:

 

Righteousness:  The condition acceptable to God.  holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight (Colossians 1:22).

 

Faith:  By fleeing youthful lusts we are showing our faith in God.  We are saying, “God’s ways are better than my ways.  Even if something has pleasure for a season, I would rather have the favor of God.  I would rather pursue eternal things.” Like Moses…

               

         Hebrews 11:25-26

25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

 

Love:  When we choose to forsake the gratification of our insatiable lusts, we become a caring, compassionate person, no longer concerned with only satisfying our needs.  Selfishness is extinguished by love.

 

Peace:  A state of quietness and rest, and an absence of conflict with God and our fellow man. 

 

We are not to pursue these things alone, but we are to pursue them with our fellow brothers and sisters in the faith, who are also calling on God out of a pure heart.  We need to be pursuing the Lord with other believers.  There are no Lone Rangers in the kingdom of God.

 

Most of us are well aware of the challenge presented by Paul up to this point.  We understand we are to set ourselves apart by fleeing youthful lusts and pursuing the things of God with other members of the body of Christ.  The next few verses may be a little more challenging. 

 

2 Timothy 2:23-24

23 But have nothing to do with foolish and ignorant speculations [useless disputes over unedifying, stupid controversies], since you know that they produce strife and give birth to quarrels. 24 The servant of the Lord must not participate in quarrels, but must be kind to everyone [even-tempered, preserving peace, and he must be], skilled in teaching, patient and tolerant when wronged.

 

Do these verses describe our interactions with others in social media platforms?  Do these verses define our conversations with our coworker who is an unbeliever?  Do the verses accurately depict the discussions we have with our antagonistic family members? 

 

Part of the cleansing process that sets us apart for God’s use involves avoiding fruitless discussions.  If people are sincerely discussing things in pursuit of truth, then we can continue discussion despite the current disagreement, believing they will accept truth as they grow in their understanding of it.  But some people have no desire to give an inch on their stance of controversy, they just want to argue and debate.  Avoid these types of conversations.  I know that sounds harsh and we need God to reveal to us when this is the case, but we must heed the command – The servant of the Lord must not participate in quarrels, arguments, or fights. 

 

It is hard to have a mind that is surrendered to God when we are engaged in arguments.  God doesn’t call us to argue with people.  He calls us to communicate the gospel to people who will listen.  The moment it becomes a fight, we need to remove ourselves from the situation.  That doesn’t necessarily mean we will never talk to them again, but useless, unedifying controversies put a strangle hold on our minds.  These conversations only breed confusion, anger, and strife.  We need to cleanse ourselves from such discussions. 

 

There are many things happening in our world right now that are breeding division (racial tension, political views, social agendas, etc).  We cannot allow these things to invade our thoughts and cause division in the body of Christ.  In order to be used as a vessel of honor, we need to flee these things.  Run from these discussions.  Don’t worry about getting in the last word, or proving them wrong.  Don’t worry about defending your position or your intelligence.  Flee these controversies!  Avoid them at all costs! 

 

Many times Jesus said nothing to his accusers.

 

2 Timothy 2:25-26

25 He must correct those who are in opposition with courtesy and gentleness in the hope that God may grant that they will repent and be led to the knowledge of the truth [accurately understanding and welcoming it], 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.      

 

In the case where the Lord leads us to correct someone, we must do so with courtesy and kindness.  This takes a lot of grace!  Our flesh, especially if we are competitive by nature, wants to win the argument.  Our flesh delights in saying, “I told you so!”  Our flesh loves to put people in their place.  This is not a Christ-like approach.  We should not desire to win arguments.  We should desire to win souls.

 

The constant barrage of media invades our thinking with many competing philosophies, values, opinions, and views.  In order to be a vessel of honor to reach our generation with the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have to learn the art of communicating with gentleness, courtesy, respect, and kindness.

 

Do you want to be a vessel of honor or dishonor?  Do you want to bring honor or dishonor to Christ in the way you communicate with unbelievers and fellow believers?

 

Prayer:

Jesus, grant us the wisdom and grace to set ourselves apart from youthful lusts so that we may be vessels of honor, prepared by You for every good work.  We will continue to engage in conversations about the Faith with those around us, but we believe you will give us the discernment to avoid useless and fruitless arguments.  Help us to forgive anyone who we may be in dispute with at this time, or someone who has hurt us in the past.   We acknowledge that in our flesh is no good thing, and the ability to lead people to repentance is only possible through your grace.  We desire to be used by you to bring multitudes out of darkness into your marvelous light.  We desire to be like the early church, who filled their city (Jerusalem) with their doctrine.  We want to fill Washington County with your doctrine.  Help us to keep our minds unclouded from anger, fear, and strife.  Help us not to get caught up in all the divisive, slanderous activity of Satan.  Keep us from harshness and rudeness.  Let us be governed by righteousness, peace, and joy alone.  Thank you for your abundant mercy and grace.  Thank you for the washing and cleansing that comes from studying your Word.  We receive your cleansing today in Jesus name.