Monday, January 2, 2017

BECOME A CLEANSED VESSEL

2Timothy 2:19-21: 19Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.20: But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.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.
                                                                                                                                                                       
A vessel is an object designed for the sole purpose of holding or containing something. For example, a bucket, bowl or bottle and I believe that these vessels are a common thing we come across in every home. These vessels are sometimes grouped in to various categories. For example, the vessel used to serve a member of the household is different from the one used to serve a visitor and sometimes a vessel has to be cleansed with special soap/ cleanser before its status can be changed for use on special occasions and If contamination is an issue the inside of the vessel must be cleaned in order not to mix residue of the prior contents into the new contents.
We are also vessels for the Lord. In fact, the Lord wants us to be vessels for his honour.
In Acts 9:15 God refers to Paul as a "chosen vessel" unto Him, to bear His name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. We, too, are chosen vessels designed to be used and filled by God. God chooses us to be His vessels, yet He will never force us to be used. Our God loves us so much that He gave us the thing called choice. We can even choose whether or not to believe in Him. . . the One who made us! We can choose to allow Him to use us but once you make the decision to be used by God, it should be for your life. It is also necessary that we be clean and holy vessels. As a dirty bowl will contaminate foods placed in it, we will contaminate any good thing God wants to use us for if we are not clean and holy.

Why God needs Vessels
To accomplish his purpose on earth, God needs human vessels. To deliver the Israelites from the Egyptian bondage and bring them into the Promised Land, God got Moses as His human vessels. To save Israel from the hand of the Midianites, God got Gideon as his human vessel. To get the gospel to a large numbers of the Gentiles and pagans, God got Paul. God needs some human vessel to start every revival He has ever blessed our world with. God needs human vessels to do whatever great things He wants to do to bless the world. eg. John the Baptist, preparing the way for Jesus. When the Lord wanted to get the Bible written, He got hold of faithful vessels and anointed them for the great ministry (2 Peter 1:20-21). Ephesians 2:10 says- For we are His (God’s) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Brethren, God needs us for His works in these last days. He says His word should go everywhere before Christ returns, He says we should be His ambassadors and show forth His glory and be a light unto the world. Are you clean inside to be God’s useful vessel?

The Church
In the church (great house), we have persons of honour as well as persons of dishonor. Who are the persons of dishonor within the church? They are those who have a form of godliness but are denying the power of God in their lives. These people are likened unto the foolish virgins in Mathew chapter 25 who did not take any oil (anointing) in their lamps (vessels) with them. When the Bridegroom (Jesus) made His appearance, they were not ready to meet Him and so the door (heaven) was closed to them. 
God is seeking vessels of honour to serve Him. If we are not vessels of honour serving in His kingdom, we will be bringing a wrong message to those we meet. In other words, people will see our hypocrisy and maybe will turn away from the gospel. 2Timothy 2:19B says- And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

The Vessel God needs
1. The vessels God needs must be available for use –   Isa. 6:8. Are you available for God’s use? Or your job,      education, marital life or some other worldly activities make you unavailable for the Master’s use.
2.  The vessels God needs must be holy – Num. 7:1. God is holy, His vessels must be holy – Lev. 11:44; 1 Pet 1:15-        16.
3. The vessels God needs must be dedicated only to fulfilling the purpose of God – 1 Kings 15:15. God’s vessels must be separated from ordinary vessels. They must be separated from the world unto the Lord – 2 Cor 6:17. They must be sanctified for the Lord’s use only. They must never allow themselves to be used by the devil or by the world for ungodly purposes.
4. The vessels God needs must be anointed – Exo 40:9; Lev. 8:11. The vessels of the Lord must be anointed by the Spirit of God. An un-anointed vessel is a useless vessel. He is just an empty vessel that brings shame. The Lord’s vessels must be anointed by the Spirit of God – Luke 4:18; 2 Cor. 1:21. The Lord’s vessels must always be filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit – Mat 25:4, 10; Eph 5:18.

How to qualify for God’s Vessel

For us to become vessels of honour, we must live holy lives before our God. God hates sin. Whether it be a small sin or a big sin; He still hates sin. Jesus said that we must be perfect as His heavenly Father is perfect. For us to live holy lives and attain a level of perfection in God we must spend quality time in prayer and on the Word of God. Without prayer and the Word of God as our guide, we will not live a fruitful life and so we will become good for nothing branches that are only fit to be thrown into the fire and used as firewood. Holiness must be a way of life for everyone who desires to become vessels of honour. Without holiness, no man shall see God. Purge yourself from ungodliness.
 2Timothy 2:22-23 says- Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23: But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.

The Reward of being Sanctified 
  2Timothy 2: 21b tells us that the sanctified will be “meet for the Master’s use.”
  • In other words, the sanctified will be fit to be employed by the Lord Jesus in promoting His work on earth.
  • A man must purge himself from these before he can be a vessel of honour, or meet for his Master’s use.
  • Every vessel must be fit for its Master’s use. Everyone in the church who desires to be in his Master’s service must strive to be fit for His use.
Conclusion
When our Bridegroom Jesus returns for His true church, only those who are vessels of honour will be going to be with him in heaven. Let us therefore cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of sin and live holy lives that are pure unto our God. Apostle Paul’s advice to us is “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel of honor, sanctified and meet for the Master’s use” (2 Tim. 2:21 KJV).   

Brethren, how useful are you to the Master?  Are you studying His Word because you “hunger and thirst after Him”?  Are you “fleeing youthful lusts” and “pursuing the God-life” in your daily walk?  Are you “walking in the Spirit” and “bearing His fruit” (Rom. 8:1; Gal. 5:22-23)?  If not, why not?  Ask the Lord to help you today to become a “fit, useful vessel” to Him—one that honours Him; then watch Him work in you and through you in unbelievable ways as the day approaches for Jesus 2nd coming. Amen!

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