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Title: For Honor Text: II Timothy 2:20-26 FCF: We often struggle meeting the purpose of our calling. Prop: Because we have been seta apart to be useful and ready for good works, we must flee sin and be like Christ. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to II Timothy chapter 2. Last week, Paul began his instruction on how to deal with these false teachers in Ephesus. He told Timothy not to engage them in their disputes about nonessentials or profane chatter, but instead to focus on being a diligent, approved, unashamed, and accurate truth teacher. This was his opponent’s failure. They strayed from the truth, and they have led themselves and others to ruin. But then Paul gives the comfort and exhortation. The tension between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. God knows and keeps those who are his AND everyone who names the name of the Lord must turn away from evil. Although a paradox both of these are absolutely true. God’s keeping work does not negate our responsibility to obey. In many ways, Paul restates this exact point again in different words to finish out this chapter. But rather than stay in the realm of the non-specific… Paul moves directly to how Timothy and all Christians should deal with all men. Those in the church, those who are in the church but we are not sure of their spiritual state, and those who oppose us. How do we then live toward these people? Paul says all this and much more in our passage today. I am in II Timothy chapter 2. I’ll begin reading in verse 20 from the CSB, but you can follow in the pew bible on page 1343 or whatever version you prefer. If you do not have a bible of your own, you are free to take a pew bible home with you. Transition: Unfortunately, our first step into the text this morning poses for us a perplexing problem. So let’s dive in straight away. I.) Since we have been set apart to be useful and ready for good works, we must purge ourselves of dishonorable things. (20-21) a. [Slide 2] 20 – Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also those of wood and clay; i. Paul presents a metaphor to Timothy. Here is the difficulty with metaphor; unless it is fully explained, many times metaphors are not easily understood. ii. So, we face a difficult challenge here. How far do we press this metaphor? Does every component in the story correspond to a present reality? Does every detail need to be included? iii. If Paul does not spell out each detail and what it means in real life, how does that effect how dogmatic we can be on the understanding of the text? iv. The answers to these questions are not easy ones. However, there is an interpretive principle that I do think helps us here. v. [Slide 3] Context is King. If we can understand what Paul has been saying and will be saying, it should help us understand how far we can or should press this metaphor. vi. [Slide 4] First let’s understand the metaphor plainly and then we will attempt to grasp its components. vii. Paul speaks of a wealthy home. In wealthy homes, there are bowls, utensils, vases, plates, and other household items that are made of precious metals. But even in a wealthy home, they do not use expensive vessels only. They also use vessels of clay and wood. viii. If we were to put this in our understanding we could say, In a rich man’s home, not everything is a top dollar item. There are some things there that a common person would own too. Rich people still buy toilet paper. Perhaps even the same brand you do. They still buy plastic trash bags. They still buy Drain-O. They still buy furnace filters. No matter how wealthy they are, they still need common household items. ix. Why? b. [Slide 5] Some for honorable use and some for dishonorable. i. No matter how you spin it, there are some uses of utensils that all of us have. ii. There are honorable uses for vessels of precious metal. We probably would not eat hot dogs and hamburgers with silver forks and China. We would probably not buy a gold-plated plunger for our toilet. Nor would we use leather for our trash bags. iii. Typically, the dirtier, and more disgusting the job, the less money you want to spend to accomplish it. We use plastic bags for refuse and water to flush our toilets. These are relatively inexpensive things to deal with a really gross problem. iv. In fact, in the first century, by wood and clay vessels, Paul is probably referring to chamber pots for collecting human eliminations. v. Even wealthy homes had these. vi. So here is our challenge with this metaphor. What is the house, what are the vessels (precious and common), what is honorable and dishonorable use mean in real life? And we have even another layer here. Paul uses a similar metaphor in two other places in his corpus of writing. And both of those writings had already occurred. vii. II Corinthians 4:7 – Paul compares God’s people to earthen vessels in which God has placed His treasure. viii. Romans 9:21-24 – Paul contrasts God’s people as earthen vessels meant for special purposes, which were formed form the same lump of clay molded into jars meant for common purposes. ix. So, in the limited pool of Pauline metaphors – Not only are God’s people always earthen vessels, but the precious vessels are never mentioned. x. Let’s let all these questions hang for now. Let’s get to how Paul applies this metaphor. c. [Slide 6] 21 – So if anyone purifies himself from anything dishonorable i. Paul now, utterly shatters that metaphor. How so? ii. Although today we do have self-cleaning toilets that reasonably keep the inside of the bowl clean, they are quite expensive and do not clean the outside of the toilet. iii. And certainly, in the first century, there was no such thing as a self-cleaning chamber pot. Even to empty it, they would need to go to the river to do so, or at least bury it in a field. iv. Even gold and silver vessels could not clean themselves if they were to get dirty or be ill fit for their purpose. v. So the metaphor steps into comedy as we imagine a bowl scrubbing itself thoroughly to rid itself of any remnants of dishonorable things. vi. What is clear here is that although Paul’s previous metaphor in verse 19 had God’s sovereignty first and human responsibility last – Here Paul flips them. vii. Paul first establishes human responsibility. viii. He tells Timothy, if anyone would wash himself thoroughly from dishonorable things… d. [Slide 7] He will be a special instrument i. You will be (future tense) a vessel or instrument used for a special purpose. ii. This phrase depending on which pot we are talking about strikes us rather odd. iii. For a golden vessel or clay pot to clean itself is odd enough. Now we have this pot being cleaned to the point that it is fit to be used in the future for a great purpose. iv. But if we are talking about wood or earthen vessels used for human eliminations, this seems quite odd within the metaphor. v. I don’t mean to turn your stomachs this morning – but how clean would your toilet have to be for you to use the seat as a plate to eat your next meal? Or the toilet bowl for your bowl of cereal? Could you ever get it clean enough? vi. This is perplexing indeed. vii. So, for now, let’s leave this and move forward. e. [Slide 8] Set apart i. Try though I did, I cannot for the life of me understand why there is no translation that does not render this “having been made holy” or “having been set apart” ii. This is a perfect passive participle. Much like in verse 26 where the text says “who has taken them”. Same exact morphology but is not translated “taken” iii. For me, the proper understanding of this word greatly helps us to interpret this passage. iv. So it should say - “if anyone would cleanse themselves of dishonorable things, they will be a vessel for honor having been set apart.” v. If all that is maintained we have a present condition, promising a future use, based on a past work done to us. Which looks exactly like verse 19 only backward. f. [Slide 9] Useful to the Master i. Diving back into the metaphor ever so slightly, we see that an instrument, set apart for something honorable, that cleansed itself from dishonorable things, is now useful to the master for the purpose for which it was set apart. ii. Meaning that unlike the passages in II Cor 4 and Romans 9 – Paul is not saying that believers are wood and earthenware. Rather those are Hymenaeus and Philetus. How do we know they are vessels meant for dishonorable use? Because that is what fills them. Dishonorable things. iii. God’s people in this passage are the gold and silver vessels. Set aside for noble purposes. And as long as they cleanse themselves of dishonorable things, they will be used this way. g. [Slide 10] Prepared for every good work. i. Again, we can add to this participle “having been” prepared for every good work. ii. Finally, we understand what dishonor and honor means. Blurring the lines between metaphor and reality Paul has said what this vessel’s special use is. A vessel that has been set apart, that cleansed itself of dishonor, its special use is to bear fruit. It is to hold good works. iii. We have been made to be golden Spiritual Fruit bowls – Displaying the grace and power of God in our lives. h. And so even though this metaphor can perplex us, it seems that Paul is simply restating what he did in verse 19 only in backward order. Yes, God knows who are His, but also all who call on his name must depart from evil. i. In the same way, all who purge themselves of evil, will be those used of Him, because He has set them apart for honor. j. [Slide 11] Passage Truth: So, Paul reveals a truth here that endures to the end of this passage. That truth, is that God’s people have been set apart, so they can be useful to their Master, and prepared to display good works. In response to that truth, what is Timothy’s responsibility? k. Passage Application: Timothy must purge himself of all uncleanness. He must actively depart from all that is dishonorable. Paul will continue to open up to us exactly what that looks like – but at this point that is where Timothy must begin. l. [Slide 12] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out to the whole of scripture, this is essentially the same thing he says in Ephesians 2:8-10 where Paul shares that God saves us by grace through faith, not of works, but as a gift so that we can do good works which God has prepared for us to do before time began. This is the entire purpose of God selecting and working within the line of Seth, through Noah, to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, David, and then finally Christ. God’s divine appointment and setting apart for His service is His side of the equation. m. Broader Biblical Application: Our side is this…. we must be cleansed of dishonorable things. Although we only have a hint of what this means, we can reasonably conclude that if good works are what is to fill our cup, then dead works and evil deeds are what must be purged. Experientially we know that this is an ongoing process to stay pure and remain pure. We must continue to turn away from evil teachings, lifestyles, and those who preach and practice them. Transition: [Slide 13(blank)] But it seems like we need a little more specificity here. This is the second time in a few verses that Paul has referenced a purging or opposition to evil things. But what specifically ought we to purge? And what are these good works that should go in its place? Paul addresses both in the next two verses. II.) Since we have been set apart to be useful and ready for good works, we must flee sin and pursue holiness. (22-23) a. [Slide 14] 22 – Flee from youthful passions, i. Up to this point in this passage most of Paul’s words have been conceptual. ii. He speaks of working hard, reminding, being diligent, being committed, playing by the rules. iii. For many of these Paul simply said – I trust the Lord will give you understanding on all this. iv. And most recently he told Timothy that God’s true people oppose evil and purify themselves of dishonor. But what does that mean? v. So, Paul gets practical. vi. Flee. Youthful. Passions. vii. What are young people consumed with today? I think our answers could be quite varied. Everything from sex, drugs, and rock and roll to entitlement, rashness, laziness, arrogance, seeking praise and a following, and desiring to fight and argue. viii. If it is a normal young person’s lust… it is a good bet that it is not worthy to be pursued by anyone who claims the name of Christ. ix. These are the dishonorable things that must be shed. b. [Slide 15] And pursue righteousness i. Rather we should be pursuing righteousness. Holiness, and godliness. ii. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God and His righteousness ought to be our first pursuit. And Paul, as he should, agrees with His Lord. c. [Slide 16] Faith, i. Just as righteousness is God’s and must be obtained from Him, so also faith is not something conjured from within but is rather a grace of God to us. ii. Faith that believes His word and trusts Him without faltering. iii. This is what Timothy must pursue. It is the true antidote for his timidity. It is faith and hope in what God has said and what God has done. d. [Slide 17] Love, i. An attribute of God. One in which we have no part unless He loves us first. ii. For us to pursue this love is not in the sense of being lovable to God. For that is not possible and is ultimately ineffectual. iii. Rather it is the pursuit of God’s love. That we may have His love for Him and for one another. e. [Slide 18] And peace along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. i. Peace could certainly be used here as a cessation of hostility between God and man, but to pursue this is impossible. Rather as with the others this seems like the pursuit of something God grants in His Son through His Spirit. ii. It makes sense then to combine it with the following phrase as it explains the true focus of that peace. iii. It is toward and with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. iv. We might remember the last time Paul mentioned this where there is some uncertainty that not all those who call on the name of the Lord are truly His people. And yet, Paul makes plain his meaning. It is those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. It is those who have been set apart. It is those whom the Lord knows are His. v. The word pursue continues throughout the text as the command for all these qualities. vi. Indicating that they are in fact – as with the fruit of the spirit – 1 pursuit not many. vii. We cannot divorce righteousness from faith, or love, or peace with our brothers and sisters. viii. Indeed, to have all but one is to fail them all. ix. And so youthful passions are the dishonorable things we must clean from our silver vessel and these things must go in. These are what we have been set apart to be and do. f. [Slide 19] 23 – But reject foolish and ignorant disputes, because you know that they breed quarrels. i. Again, Paul makes mention of this to Timothy in the discard pile. ii. Based on the two kinds of discussions Paul references in verses 14 and 16 it seems like he has combined both of these into one. iii. Foolish disputes would go along well with profane chatter since they are ungodly. And ignorant or silly disputes would go along with the wrangling of words. iv. All of these things, avoid them, stop them, reject them. Why? v. All they do is start fights. That is the opposite of being at peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. g. [Slide 20] Passage Truth: Once again, the primary backdrop of truth for this whole discussion is that God has set apart His people to be useful and prepared to do good works. So, if Timothy is truly a child of God, what will he do? h. Passage Application: He will discard the attitudes and actions of immature people living lives ruled by their passions, and will instead pursue heavenly virtues that can only come as gifts from God. He will receive these in order that he may minister to the body of Christ with them. i. [Slide 21] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out from our text, we know that God has this mega theme throughout scripture with the expectation of His people living differently than the world around them. j. Broader Biblical Application: And so for us at CBC, we must not be controlled by our culture. Rather, we should flee passions bred in immaturity. Not just sexual dalliances but even disputes, arguing, a critical and judging spirit, arrogance and vain glory. All of these ought to be washed clean from us by the blood of Christ. Instead we should see holiness, love, faith, and peace with all people who are our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are the body, and we ought to be united. Not in arbitrary “get-alongedness” ignoring failings or false teachings. But unity in holiness, truth, love, and peace. Transition: [Slide 22(blank)] So we have seen some applications of this teaching that we must purge ourselves of sin and be ready for good works. We have even seen what some of those good works are… but Paul has one more set of put off, put ons for us here. III.) Since we have been set apart to be useful and ready for good works, we must not quarrel but meekly instruct our opponents. (24-26) a. [Slide 23] 24 – The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, i. Remember, context is King. ii. Paul has been talking about people who died with Christ, who endure vs those who deny and are without faith. iii. He compares the message of truth with the word-war, ignorant, foolish and profane discussions of the group of Hymenaeus and Philetus. iv. He specifically calls on Timothy to be at peace with God’s true people. v. Now he says that the Lord’s servant – which could be applied to all Christians generally, but is surely applied specifically to Timothy as a Spiritual leader. vi. He must not quarrel. vii. But with who is Paul referring? In some sense, he has already spoken with reference to those who are true believers. So who else is the Lord’s Servant and minister of the gospel not to quarrel with? b. [Slide 24] But must be gentle to everyone i. Everyone. All men. ii. The minister of the gospel ought not be quarrelsome to any. Indeed, it is a qualification of an Elder to not be quarrelsome. iii. And this is not just to those within the church, it is not just to those of whom it is evident that they are believers. It is with all men. iv. Those whom it is not evident that they are believers. They have made a confession but their lives are suspect. They are in this list. It is not the place of the minister to quarrel with them. v. What about those with bad theology? What about those with clear contradictions in their lifestyles? vi. Well, quarreling with them is NEVER the answer. vii. What is? c. [Slide 25] Able to teach i. A true minister of the gospel should relish the opportunity to take someone from ignorance to understanding. To train up someone in the ways of the Lord. ii. A minister of the gospel should chomp at the bit to have the chance to deepen the understanding and wait for God to click the lights on for the slow of hearing. iii. This includes not just instruction but rebuke, reproving, correction, and instruction in righteousness. iv. And this kind of teaching without leading to quarreling takes what? d. [Slide 26] And patient i. You betcha it does. ii. Do you know what the single most consistent theme of my 11 years of ministerial teaching and counseling is? People do not listen. iii. By the grace of God, for the most part, I have yet to become cynical and assume it of people. I remain hopeful that they will listen. But by and large – people don’t. iv. At first. v. But God is gracious in that he has, at times, had people I have counseled, people who have rejected my advice initially, come back and thank me for it later. vi. I can tell you that is a gift from God. Because sometimes it feels like you are wasting your time trying to teach people His truths. And usually just when you start to think such a selfishly sinful thought… it is just then when people come with thankfulness for your input in their lives. vii. That gives me as a minister of the gospel of Christ, the patience to continue on, without being quarrelsome and beating people over the head… viii. But what about those who don’t even claim to be Christians. What do you do with them? e. [Slide 27] 25 – instructing his opponents with gentleness. i. Gently, in love and humility, with the great authority of the scripture alone, instruct ignorant, profane, and ungodly people. ii. Those with whom you disagree so sharply. If you are not careful you can either attack them to undermine their argument, or even dismiss them without dignity of their person. iii. My friends, even those who we think do great damage to the gospel with their foolish arguments, will have no effect on it in reality. Christ’s gospel will go on unimpeded iv. So, what then? Shall we attack someone who has no power to overthrow the truth? Can we not see them for what they are, for what we once were? Blind and dead? v. Even the greatest opponents of the gospel of Jesus Christ deserve to be instructed with gentleness. Corrected… with meekness. vi. Some say, but Jesus did not instruct the Pharisees in this way. Surely there must be an occasion for us to speak harshly to our opponents as Jesus did to His. vii. We forget that Jesus knew something about His opponents that we do not know about ours. viii. What is it? f. [Slide 28] Perhaps God will grant them repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth. i. Jesus knew that the Pharisees had committed the unpardonable sin. ii. That they were opposed to the teaching of Christ even though they believed it to be true. iii. Jesus knew each and every Pharisee He rebuked, would never repent. And so, He spoke harshly to them as having the keys to the kingdom yet denying others entry and not going in themselves. iv. But our opponents – we cannot see their heart. v. Some of the most aggressive opponents of the gospel of Jesus Christ, have been changed by grace to believe. From Lee Strobel, to Augustine of Hippo, to Paul the Apostle, to the thief on the cross. These men, all of them, tried to make a mockery of Christ. vi. And they failed utterly. In the end, they were broken and empty and repented of their sin. vii. We do not know whether the person we see today, uttering insults on the name of Christ, may yet be our brother or sister in Christ, foreordained and predestined before the foundation of the world, chosen in Christ, having been set apart for honorable use. viii. How could such a person be called for honor? ix. Because all men who repent, and are led to a knowledge of the truth are granted both repentance and knowledge of the gospel by God Himself. x. Repentance and knowledge of the truth are not things that we innately possess nor have the ability to do. God must grant them to us. And up to the very moment He does – that heart can be black as oil and spout venomous attacks on their God and King… but when God breaks a man… there is no turning back! There is no unseeing what has been revealed. xi. Paul was on His way to kill Christians. Lee Strobel to disprove Christ, Augustine to spit on his upbringing and the thief had already mocked Christ to His face– and God said… ENOUGH! You. Are. Mine! xii. My friends, these stories not only give us hope for all men – no matter how far gone they appear – but they also reveal to us the foolishness of dealing harshly with opponents. xiii. For all that separates them from us is God’s granting of repentance. xiv. And what is the fruit of repentance? g. [Slide 29] 26 – Then they may come to their senses and escape the trap of the devil, i. They must come to their senses. Why? ii. Because they don’t even know they are in a trap! iii. They have been lulled to sleep in a perfectly comfortable prison. iv. There are cracks on the walls – but they do not see them. v. They are blind! They are dead! But when God grants them repentance and a knowledge of the truth- all of a sudden the lights are on! They realize that they are headed for hell. And they need a savior. vi. They are trapped. vii. My friends we cannot deal harshly with opponents of the gospel. Why? h. [Slide 30] Who has taken them captive to do his will. i. They are just obeying their master… like we are. ii. We clash because our masters are different not because we are better or they are worse! iii. And God through Christ has made a way to be free of the slave master Satan with his traps of sin and death. iv. Christ has conquered sin and defeated death. v. Mankind is naturally a slave to the will of Satan. But when God opens their eyes and pulls them out of that trap, when he grants them repentance and understanding of the gospel – vi. They have a new master…. vii. And that my friends, truly, is the only difference between the elect of God and present-day unbelievers. viii. And this is why we must instruct. We must correct. We must teach the truth meekly. With power but in control. Not attacking the person but their false beliefs. Being kind and gentle. Perhaps God will grant them in our speaking or after – repentance and faith. i. [Slide 31] Passage Truth: As is hinted with his opening remark, God’s servant must behave in certain ways. This is because they have been set apart for this use by the Lord. j. Passage Application: Timothy, as a minister of the gospel, must not be quarrelsome but rather instruct patiently and meekly, especially toward those who are his opponents. k. [Slide 32] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out, all of scripture points to this truth. That we are to be remade image bearers. Not due to our creation by God, but rather our re-creation by God in Christ. That has propelled us as set apart people to not only be able to do what God has asked, but to succeed in doing what God has asked. l. Broader Biblical Application: So we must teach the truths of the gospel and correct, rebuke, and exhort with gentleness, and love, and kindness… knowing that God is the one who works in the hearts of men. We must not fight with people to prove our point true or their point wrong. Why? Because we know that ultimately it is GOD alone who grants repentance to men. Why? Because they are enslaved to the Devil unable to see the trap they are in. And there are no words of ours that could ever shake them of this… unless the Lord does to them grant… eyes to see and ears to hear. So why fight with them? Will all our thrashing do more for them than God can? Will all our slices with harshly spoken words aid God in His work? God forbid we think it does! A soft word spoken with authority of God’s word is what God requires of His people. Not because it will guarantee His work… but because we have been set apart for this purpose. Conclusion: [Slide 33(end)] So what can we do today CBC with such a passage? As far as applications go there are, depending on how you see it, around 7 or 8 applications here. Shall I conclude with an 8 point rehash of all that Paul has said to Timothy? Or shall I just say this. God knows who are His. And all His dear children have been set apart to be useful to Him and prepared for good works. All His true children are golden and silver vessels designed for a noble purpose. His children have been chosen in Christ, not only to display the excellencies of His grace in this life, but forever in the life to come. We are made For Honor. So friends, If you name the name of Christ… why are you wasting yourself on youthful passions? Why do you continue to fight and dispute, and argue and quarrel over nonessential or ungodly things? Why do you continue to pursue the gratification of putting people in their place? Why must you be right all the time? Why must you be first all the time? Why do you continue to complain and grumble when things are not done the way you would have them done? Why are you filling your golden serving bowl with garbage and dung? Dump it all in the fire! Even our opponents do not deserve this vitriol and rage. We were once just like them. But… God. Only when your golden dish is empty and cleaned thoroughly, can it be used for its intended purpose. To display the manifold graces of God, in holiness, faith, love, and peace. Not quarrelsome. Not arrogant. Not always insisting on your way. Not selfish. Not lewd. Not out of control. But godly. My friends… We as God’s people were made for honor! So, clean out your bowl… and fulfill your purpose!