PREACHED:OL,
“AN INSTRUMENT FOR
NOBLE PURPOSES”
INTRODUCTION:
1Ř II Tim 2.19-22.“’Let
everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.’ Now in a great
house theer are not only vessels of gold and silver
but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use and some for dishonorable.
Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master
of the house, ready for every good work.”
A. One
translation renders “…a vessel for
honorable use,” as “…an instrument for noble purposes…”
1.
There is a nobility about being a Christian!
a. We
have been granted by God’s grace to be the “special china and silver flatware”
that is “set apart,” not to mix with the common or ordinary!
B. We put
our special dishes and flatware in a China Cabinet, on display for its beauty
and value.
1. That’s
what God does with us: We are given a place of honor—put on display—not to be
used for the ordinary but the special work of the master of the house, our
Heavenly Father.
a. Because
of what God has made of us, we are too valuable, too beautiful to be used for
sinful, fleshly pursuits, but rather the noble work of displaying the glory of
God and advancing his purpose in the world!
1) That
can only happen when we have “cleansed
ourselves” from sin and committed
ourselves to his will!
3Ř Titus 2.1-10
A. “…adorn
the doctrine of God…”
1. Greek: kosmeo
a.
We get our word
“cosmetic” –
b. Adorn, trim, garnish, decorate, embellish,
season or flavor…
B. In
other words, we are to make the gospel attractive by our lives!!
1. HOW DO WE DO THAT?!
a. Titus
2.11-14 tells us
DISCUSSION:
1/ We Must be properly motivated.
A. “For the grace of God has appeared bringing
salvation to all people…”
B. Our
moral conduct is a reflection—negatively or positively—of our appreciation for
the grace of God:
1. Rom 2.4 “…do you
presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing
that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”
2. Heb 10.26,27 “…if we go
on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no
longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and
the fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”
a. Why?!
1) They
have “…spurned the Son of God…profaned
the blood of the covenant, and...outraged
the Spirit of Grace…” (V 29)
2/ We must understand the importance of our example.
A. “The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared
to…ALL MEN…”
1. In the wonderful life, example, sacrifice and death of
Jesus!!
a. Luke 11.33-36 “No one
after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so
that those who enter may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When
your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your
body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be
darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it
will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”
1) You
see, when I claim to be a Christian, and people expect to see the light of
Christ reflected in my life, and all they see is darkness, it is a reflection on the Lord
and his grace!
a) II Cor 5:15 “…he died
for all,
that those who
live might no
longer live for
themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”
B. The
only way that some folks will judge the church is by your example!!
1. Phil 1.27 “Only let
your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of
Christ…”
3/ We must know and obey the discipline of grace.
A. “…the grace of God has appeared…training us
to renounce ungodliness and worldly passion…”
1. Grace demands a choice!!
a. Joshua
challenged the Israelites: “Choose whom
you will serve…idols & God!!”
1) In the
ten commandments, God told
a) 2 Cor
4.4 “…the
god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from
seeing the light of the gospel…”
b) Mt 6.24 “No man can
serve two masters…you cannot serve God and mammon (money/ possessions).”
B. Sobering
truth:
1.
1 Peter 4.1-5 “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh for
us, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in
the
flesh has ceased
from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh, no longer for human
passions but for the will of God. The time that is past suffices for doing what
the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies,
drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised
when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you…”
C. But
it’s not just negative! It is positive!
1. “…live self-controlled, upright and godly
lives in this present age…”
4/ We must constantly remind ourselves Who owns us.
A. “…Jesus Christ…gave himself for us to redeem
us from all lawlessness, and to purify for himself a
people for his own possession zealous for good
works…”
1. The
Corinthians lived in a culture totally saturated with immorality:
a. Paul
reminded them on more than one occasion that they didn’t belong to themselves:
1) 1 Cor 3.23 “You are
Christ’s…”
1 Cor 6.19,20 “You are not
your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
1 Cor 7.24 “You were
bought with a price, so do not become slaves of men.”
5/ We must live with eternal awareness and anticipation.
A. “…waiting for our blessed hope, the
appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ…”
1. 2 Peter 3.11,12 “Since all
these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in
lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the
day of God…?”
B. If
Jesus really is coming back to ask for an accounting from his servants
of the stewardship of their lives, their abilities and their opportunities, how
should that affect the choices we face in life?!
1. Rom 6.20-22 “When you
were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit
were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death.”
2. Rom 14.10-12 “For we will all stand before the judgment
sea of God, for it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow
to me and every tongue shall confess to God.’ So then, each one of us will give
account of himself to God.”
“When Jesus comes to reward his
servants,
Whether it be
Faithful to him will be find
us watching,
With our
lamps all trimmed and bright?
If at the dawn or the early
morning,
He shall call us, one by one—
When
to the Lord we restore our talents,
Will
he answer thee, ‘Well done!’
Blessed
are those whom the Lord finds watching;
In
His glory they shall share;
If
he shall come at the dawn of
Will
he find us watching there?”