2 TIMOTHY 2:14-26
In the passage, Paul desires that young Timothy is a man set apart for God’s work. The study aims to encourage us to that same standard of holiness and the path to a life of holiness.
I. Purposes of a vessel.
There are two main types of uses for a vessel and they are described in verse 20: There are gold and silver articles and wood and clay in a large house; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble.
But to be a vessel used for noble purposes, something has to happen. Our Scripture passage today tells us in verse 21: If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. We need to get rid of those things that make us unclean and hold those things that reflect a clean life.
Q: Is it only preachers that are expected to be clean vessels in the church?
Q: Give examples of things that can make a believer unclean in God’s sight?
II. Attributes of a clean vessel.
A. Clean speech: V14: Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. V16: But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. We are told to stay away from foolish arguments and to instruct those who oppose us gently.
B. Clean character: Paul lays out the k
eys to a clean character in statements like these:
V15: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
And this one:
V. 22: Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Timothy was leading a growing church in Ephesus, and he had to be careful that his character was beyond reproach. People needed to see that Timothy was living a life that pleased God and brought honor to His name.
III. How do I become a clean vessel?
A. Be saved: You need to have confessed and repented of your sins, trusted Christ as your Savior, and receive by faith the salvation He bought with His blood at Calvary.
B. Be sanctified: To be sanctified means to be set apart. In the Scriptures, it means explicitly being set apart for God.
Jesus said in John 17:17that He desired that His followers become sanctified by the word of truth from the Father.
Paul prays in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 that the believers there would be sanctified through and through. We are initially set apart and clean when we came to Christ, which continues as we grow in Him.
Q: Is it possible to be holy and are there examples of holy people in scriptures?
There are two parts to this beautiful work we call “entire sanctification.”
1. Our part: consecration.
Consecration means that you are committing everything to God, endeavoring to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, which Jesus says is the first and greatest commandment. You are placing your whole life on the altar, dedicating your entire being to God.
2. God’s part: sanctification.
When you consecrate yourself to God entirely, the Holy Spirit sanctify you, setting you apart and empowering you to live the life you have committed to living. Because you see, you can’t do it on your own. He cleanses you, making you a vessel fit for noble purposes.
Conclusion
If you are running around in defeat, you need to let the Holy Spirit do this incredible work in your life. Let Him have His way with you. His ways are ultimately better than yours and mine. Allow the Spirit’s sanctifying power to live in you starting today.
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