2 Timothy 2:16-26

2 Timothy 2:16‑26
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Were pilgrims in the wilderness? Our dwelling is a cap with fellow pilgrims meeting as through the waist. We roamed 231.
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Put verse 16 be good.
Second Timothy 2, verse 16.
But shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase unto more ungodliness, and their word will eat, as doth a canker, of whom Heminius and Philetus, who concerning the truth of air, saying that the resurrection is past already, and overthrow the faith of some.
Nevertheless, 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. 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 honor, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor sanctified, and meet for the masters use and prepared unto every good work.
00:05:22
Flee also youthful lusts, but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
But foolish and unlearned questions avoid knowing that they do gender strife.
And the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apartment to teach, patient in meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves, if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.
And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Well, just a backward look for a few moments, uh.
It's a wonderful privilege to be identified with Christ in his rejection and, uh.
This is not the time of glory, it's the time of suffering, time of the Lord's patience. And we have that, uh, wonderful privilege of, uh.
Being identified with the Lord, we have gathered around a rejected Christ, not a glorified Christ.
Yet and.
You will rejoice to confess our names before his Father if we are we have suffered and confessed him boldly here below. So it does speak to our our conscience is that sometimes we have the opportunity to speak for the Lord and we hold back we may hear his name, uh blasphemed and we.
We don't, uh.
Speak up and, uh, reprove such, uh, conduct. So, uh, in that way, we are really denying him. If we're not willing to take that, uh, that place of, uh, rejection with the Lord, separation from the world, not isolation, but separation, then, uh, we're not going to receive his commendation in that coming day at the, uh, judgment seat of Christ.
The verse that we started with, verse 16, there are some things that we are told to separate from and to, uh, consider individually the necessity of distancing ourselves from. And one here, I'm going to point them out. There's, uh, five or six things in verse 16. Shun profane and vain babbling. So don't partake in that kind of activity. It speaks of separation.
And then a little further on in verse 19, uh, Mr. Darby's translation says let everyone that name it the name of the Lord withdraw.
From iniquity so were to withdraw or depart. From iniquity were to walk in a clean path, and then were also in verse 21, to purge ourselves, that if any man therefore purge or purify himself from these, he shall be a vessel.
Unto honor sanctified. So we're to purge ourselves from those vessels that would hinder us from, uh, walking in a path of obedience and faithfulness to Christ and to the truth that we know. And then in verse 22, it says flee.
Also youthful lusts. So we also have here in verse 23 foolish and unlearned questions. Avoid.
Knowing that they do gender strife and I'll just .1 out in chapter 3 verse 5.
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof from such turn away.
So we heard a little bit this morning of the necessity of saying no, and the perhaps we would get ourselves in less difficulty at times if we simply said no to those that would like to engage us in conversation that is not profitable or in some activity that is not going to be profitable in according to the mind of God. So it requires discernment and so the enemy is seeking to.
00:10:10
Really mar our personal testimonies and to really, umm, engage us or entangle us in things that we shouldn't get engaged in. And I believe that the apostle Paul here was pointing some of these things out to Timothy so that he would have a good ending with dear brother Gordon used to often remind us it's good to have a good beginning. And there are young people here and it's nice to see you here and have a, a good beginning.
But make sure you have a good ending. And that's how Paul was speaking to Timothy. He said, as it were, there are some tactics that the enemy has to get you off track and make sure that you have a good beginning but a very good ending.
That bad doctrine inevitably leads to bad practice.
But bad practice also leads to bad doctrine.
Paul could tell Timothy in the previous epistle. In the first epistle he could talk about.
The doctrine that is according to godliness.
But if we go in a pathway that is ungodly.
Then the human tendency is to shape the doctrine in order to fit the bad practice.
And so I believe that's a warning that we have here, because if we allow profane and vain babblings, which again, in the context in which Paul uses it, probably LED back to Judaism and many things that they were occupied with, that tended to bring Christianity down to the level of a worldly religion. But it could be many different things. And what's the result? We find that in verse 17.
The word says eats as doth a canker, and I believe the word in the Darby translation is more descriptive. It's gangrene. Gangrene results in the human body when there is not enough circulation, not enough oxygen getting to tissues to keep it alive, and so it begins to die. And sad to say, there's only one remedy for gangrene in the human body. It usually occurs in the extremities, particularly the feet.
And the only remedy for it is an amputation. Very, very difficult.
And when I worked with people in the medical profession, it was often very hard to persuade someone to have a toe or a foot or even a leg amputated in order to save their life. It was not an easy decision.
But that's the way bad practice works. It eats like a gangrene and eventually results in what we have here, those who actually say that the resurrection is passed already and overthrow the faith of some. And so it's very, very important in a world that is characterized by bad practice, as our brother Robert has been saying, to avoid that number of things we need to avoid. But that's what is.
One of the things that is brought before us here, isn't it?
Extremely important, isn't it? It's, uh, nice people don't think it is that important. It's our actions that are important, but all actions are ultimately based on doctrine. Doctrine is just a word that means teaching. And it speaks here of this false doctrine that these two were giving out, that the resurrection was already passed and the result was that they overthrew the faith of.
So, Doctor, it is extremely important, and that's why it's so important.
Somebody mentioned the verse this morning. They continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship and in the breaking of bread and prayers. That's Acts 242.
Very important verse.
The fellowship is based on the doctor.
You and I can't get together and say now this is the kind of teaching we're going to allow here. It's all set down already. And we and that's the value of these reading meetings is to set forth the teaching of the apostles and our fellowship is based on that. So tell a doctrine is extremely important. It's foundational.
00:15:19
Uh, it says here in verse 19, the foundation of God standeth sure.
To me, that's another bulwark in the Christian faith.
The foundation stands sure in the Old Testament when the temple was destroyed.
The foundation was broken up.
And when in the time of Ezra they came back, they had to relay the foundation.
But in the New Testament, even though ruin has come into the public testimony, the foundation of God stands sure. That is tremendously encouraging. Sometimes, you know, we have to dig down through the rubble of our own thinking to get to God's thoughts about things. But when you do, you're going to find it's all there and it's all sure.
And so the Lord help us to get back to the basics like you were mentioning this morning, Bill about.
Different doctrines sometimes that people quarrel about, but how important it is to understand.
The person and the work of Christ, those are issues that are fundamental, they are basic, and it's so important to be clear and correct in our thinking about.
Those two things, the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse of the chapter where we started or second verse, it says he was to commit these things to faithful men who would be able to teach others. And then here we find two men mentioned by name. It's a solemn thing when someone has to be mentioned by name in connection with their false teaching or false thoughts. But the point I want to make is what we teach effects and influences other people.
And so we have to be careful because we ourselves, if we get wrong thoughts and we pass them on, they may have an effect on someone else. And, uh, so we affect each other in this way. And that's another reason, going back to the second verse, why it was so important that the word be passed on to faithful men, because if we're unfaithful and we have the word, we may be a Hymenaeus and a Pulitzer that.
As it says here, overthrow the faith of some. So it's an important thing to know truth, it's a responsibility to hold the truth, and it's a serious thing to mislead someone else in that which is not the truth.
I was thinking that we don't have Apostolic gift or a position or power at the present time, but uh.
We do have the Apostles doctrine.
Clearly presented to us in the epistles. And this is where Christendom has largely failed. They don't acknowledge a return to those principles of the truth that were enunciated by the apostles. Uh.
All and others. So we have not started a new denomination, but we've returned to that which was from the beginning, but God gave us in the apostles doctrine very important and the teaching.
Of the separation from not only the present evil world, of course, but also separation from the systems of men, where man's organization has been prominent and a departure from the principles of.
On the subject of this chapter, but in connection with what's just been said, I'd like to refer back to John 16 for a thought, connection with the truth and passing it on and holding it.
00:20:00
Umm, it says verse chapter 16 of John and verse 12. I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot hear bare them now.
Albeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth. For He shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak, and He will show you things to come.
He shall glorify me, and he shall receive of mine, and show it unto you.
We have something better than the apostles. We have the Spirit of God.
And the time we have this now we have the Spirit of God to take the truth and authoritatively make it good in the soul. And we thank God for that. The Lord said that the Spirit when he came, would have that function. He's the spirit of truth. And just to say again, the Spirit of God will confirm to our spirit what is truth. The Spirit of God will not confirm to our spirits what is error.
And so when we have the Word of God, we don't have to reduce it to one opinion versus another as to what it means. But we have given of God not only the words themselves that we are to know and understand the doctrine, but we have one who gives that understanding and a power that's beyond ourselves and yet doesn't occupy us with ourselves, rather with the thought of God.
Down below where it says the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle.
We don't have to use human strength or striving to suppress our point. The Spirit of God is able to take it, and that's why the striving is unnecessary.
It's also in acknowledging the lordship of Christ, isn't it? In verse uh 19 Towards the end the Lord knoweth them that are his and let everyone that nameth the name of the Lord.
Depart from iniquity. And so it's really the lordship authority that should, uh, have, uh, power in our lives, our thoughts that in the assembly in the Church of God, it's the will of God.
It's the Word of God that ought to govern what goes on there. It's not my opinion or another brother's opinion or anybody else's opinion, but we should have real convictions as to what the truth is, as what the Spirit of God teaches in connection with.
The activity that goes on during the Christian time that we're here. And so it's personal responsibility to depart from iniquity. And then he says that in a great house, which is really what Christianity has become, he says there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honor and some to dishonor. And so not everything that is done in the name of the Lord, not everything that is done is.
Approved of God. Not everything, not everyone that says Lord Lord is a approved of God. Let's look at Matthew chapter 25 there because the Lord reveals that there even after the rapture, there's going to be those that call themselves Christian and they'll address him as Lord, but they don't have life. They're not indwelt with the Spirit of God in verse 11, Matthew 25, verse 11.
Afterward came also the other virgin, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. And so here there's that individual responsibility to recognize and to discern that which is characteristic and approved of God and that which is not approved of Him. Those who are real believers, the silver and the gold, Speaking of redemption and divine righteousness. And then those that are of wood and earth, those that are not characterized by.
The heavenly thing, heavenly line of things, and not perhaps even believers.
Beautiful balance, don't we, in that 19th verse.
On the one hand, in a day of ruin where there is a lot of bad practice and bad doctrine.
We sometimes don't know whether an individual is real or not.
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All we can judge by is what we see by their fruit. Shall you know them?
And sad to say, there may be a believer.
I have to see the tendency in my own soul. I could get so far away from the Lord that someone looking at me would say, well, he professed to be a Christian and he seemed to be walking well, but look at him now. I don't know.
We fall back on the Lord knoweth them that are His. But what is my personal responsibility? Let everyone that nameth the name of the Lord depart from iniquity. And as you say, that brings in the lordship of Christ over everyone who names the name of the Lord.
Has someone been baptized? They name the name of the Lord. Does someone say I'm a Christian? They do, in an outward way, name the name of the Lord. Do you and I, as perhaps real believers, name the name of the Lord? We have a responsibility.
And let me say something here, and I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but I've seen during my lifetime sometimes people, dear believers too, who don't want to take their place in remembering the Lord at His table, and sometimes, while it perhaps may not be said to explicitly.
I have found out that there is a thought in their hearts. Well.
If I come and take my place at the Lord's table.
Then my life will come under closer scrutiny by my brethren.
And perhaps I will have to.
Walk a different path and give up certain things that I allow in my life. Nobody bothers me right now and it's better that way.
No.
Many, many years ago. Over 100 years ago.
There was a young man who didn't come to the Lord's Table.
For that very reason.
And suddenly he read this verse and it hit him right in the eye.
Do I name the name of Christ? Do I name the name of the Lord? It doesn't say that everyone that breaks bread depart from iniquity. Oh no.
Doesn't say let everyone that is at the Lord's table depart from iniquity. It says everyone that nameth the name of the Lord. It exercised his heart. He gave up certain things that he knew in his life.
Were not something that he ought to be going on with.
And happily came to the Lord's Table. Wonderful.
For what it's worth, the brother was Harry Hale.
That came through the family. I he never told me that personally, but.
So we can all have that thought that we don't want to be under the scrutiny of our brethren.
But.
If we name in the name of the Lord, we have a responsibility, don't we?
And we're talking in verse 20 about.
A great house.
But before it speaks of that, it speaks in verse 19 of the foundation of God. Interesting.
And I find it extremely helpful to me to get that clear what that means. If you go back to Matthew chapter 16, the Lord Jesus speaking about his church.
Says upon this rock, referring to himself as the Son of the living God.
Upon this rock will I build my church. That's the foundation.
And that rock is solid.
If you go to 1St Corinthians chapter 3, you find the foundation mentioned again in verse 10. The apostle Paul is speaking and says, according to the grace of God, which is given unto me as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation in another bill, that they're on that leather. Let every man take heed how he buildeth thereon.
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ. There it is the affirmation of the foundation of God that stands sure.
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Now go over to Ephesians chapter 2.
And we find a little bit different thought, although it is really the same. But in verse 20, speaking about the house aspect of the church, it says we are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.
So here it says it's the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Very interesting and important to understand this.
Because it is the apostles and prophets of the New Testament upon which the Church is built as well, and Jesus Christ himself is the chief cornerstone.
The point of reference in everything, how important it is to get a clear understanding of New Testament doctrine and I encourage you young brothers to get a hold of it, you young sisters as well. It's important. It will establish you in your souls. It's interesting. It's important in view of the fact that here in Second Timothy chapter 2, when the.
House is spoken of. It's not like in First Timothy.
First Timothy, it says very clearly in chapter 3. We mentioned it yesterday, the House of God, the pillar and ground of the truth, the Church of the living God.
But here it doesn't say the House of God. Why not? It just says a great house. And it's been like some our brothers have been talking that there's been a lot of profession that has entered into the Christian profession. I understand that the Christian religion is the largest religion on the face of the earth.
And this is what it is. It's the place where the name of the Lord is named.
Doesn't mean that everyone is real in that house, and it has become such a great thing that you can't hardly tell now that it has the characteristic of the House of God, because God's order has been left out in so many sectors.
Of the area that is that names the name of the Lord. So we have to say, like you're saying, Brother Bill, the Lord knows. We can't tell. It's not ours to judge, but there is a responsibility and it's important to understand that if you name the name of the Lord, you have a responsibility. Don't connect that name with iniquity in any way, shape or form.
There's iniquity, morally speaking, There's iniquity, doctrinally speaking, that we have here in verse 18.
And there is ecclesiastical iniquity too, that is mentioned in parts of Scripture, so that it's important that in whatever way iniquity comes up, we are responsible. And this is individual responsibility. I think it's important to understand it says here, if a man is therefore verse 21, it's individual, you are responsible.
I am responsible to act upon the truth of these scriptures.
Before we get too far from verse 18, I don't want to slow down the forward progress because there's so many important points in the, but could someone just give us a brief, umm, explanation of?
The seriousness of this evil that was being taught concerning the resurrection and I guess the other part of the question is what resurrection were these two referring to Himeneas and Phelitis? So I guess that's part of the question and what what is the seriousness of the consequences of of this error and doctrine, this evil doctrine?
00:35:07
Uh, verse 18, OK.
Well, I would make a suggestion, Brother John.
We don't need to turn to it, but in First Corinthians 15, once again there were those that were denying the resurrection.
And what was the result?
Paul says that is going to lead to the very thing that you and I see around us today. He says evil communications, corrupt good manners and the eventual outcome is let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.
And if they said here that the resurrection was passed already, what does that do? It effectively removes responsibility from man. Because, as we had earlier in the chapter, where is the reward for faithfulness? Where was the Lord Jesus reward for faithfulness? Where was Paul's reward for faithfulness? Where is our reward as Christians for faithfulness?
It's in resurrection, isn't it? It's on the other side of this world. And in that sense, if man can persuade himself and.
Even, sad to say, those that might be true believers, if they can persuade themselves that the future is not that serious and that the resurrection is passed already, then the result is it brings believers down to the level of this world and gives them, you might say, the license to live according to the course of this world.
Live for the moment. That's the watchword of today. Live for the moment.
All the young people here know what the coined word Yolo means.
YOLOU only live once and that's what the world is saying today. And even though perhaps some of those that would say the resurrection is passed already might not go that far yet that is the eventual result, isn't it of of saying that how they.
Presumed all that and what they thought happened the scripture doesn't go into, but it was a very serious thing, the same as it was in Corinth and resulted in a lowering of the behavior believers down to the level of this world.
Uh, perhaps they thought the Lord's resurrection was passed already and that there would not be any further. But go back to John chapter 5 and it's very clear there what the Lord Jesus himself says in verse 28. Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in which all that are in the grave shall hear his voice.
And shall come forth.
Uh, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation.
So absolutely every tomb, every graveyard of this world will be empty. Very clear, isn't it?
So there is no such thing as the resurrection has passed.
Every single human being that has ever lived on planet Earth and died will rise again.
In Jewish, uh, in the Jewish, uh, era, they didn't have real light and complete knowledge of resurrection, did they? And so even the Sadducees, they denied the resurrection and umm, so in first Corinthians chapter 15 has been alluded to in verse 23. It says every man in his own order, Christ, the first fruit after were they that are Christ that is coming. And so the Rhode Island, the umm, resurrection really, you might say the.
Takes place in three installments. The first fruits and umm, so they the Lord Jesus is risen, a glorified man. He's seated at the right hand of God. The next installment of that resurrection is going to be at the rapture.
And you and I are going to leave this world the same way that the Lord Jesus left it. We're going to leave planet earth with bodies glorified and will be brought into the presence of the Lord. And so the glorified head will be.
00:40:05
United with a glorified body. And then we find in Revelation chapter 20, he speaks of the first resurrection being complete then and so very shortly before the appearing of the Lord and to assert His rights in this scene and to deliver His people, Israel, that first resurrection is going to be complete because the martyred Saints during the tribulation period will be raised.
And they all have glorified bodies. And then at the appearing, why the Lord Jesus is going to come with all of his Saints. So it's evident that as we're reading here in Second Timothy, these Judaizing teachers that troubled the Saints at the beginning of the church period, they didn't know all of the truth and they rejected Paul's doctrine and, uh, different parts of it. And so they weren't clear as to the truth of resurrection. And so this is perhaps given to us as an example.
Of doctrine that is, uh, misguided, untruthful, and how it will affect the outcome of our own lives and our own testimony. How thankful we can be.
To be able to, uh, simply read and, uh, have, umm, oral ministry that, uh, gives us the truth of God in connection with resurrection. And to realize that the next great event in this world, uh, the world is not aware of, but the very next great event is going to be the rapture. And it'll be the resurrection of those Old Testament Saints and New Testament Saints. And we know that we're going to be caught up together to be with the Lord. And so shall we ever be with the Lord.
It's the truth of God.
That at the end of Millennium there will be the resurrection of the dead. That's why you understand.
Next, I'd like to turn to Second Timothy, Second Thessalonians, Chapter one.
Saints in Selena were new believers.
The first epistle may have been written within three weeks of their salvation. And, uh, in that first epistle, they have spoken to them about the Lord's coming in chapter 4 and the looking forward to the Lord to come. And it raised certain questions in them that troubled them, uh, when they, when they were told about the rapture, as we call it. And, uh, so he writes in the second letter to them.
And chapter one and verse seven, you who are troubled, rest with us. The Lord shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels. I'm not going to get into the teaching, but He is correcting some thoughts that they had which were not correct.
The point I want to make is very often error is mixed with enough truth to confuse.
And that's part of its danger.
Umm, the very subtle work of Satan in the Garden of Gethsemane in the Garden of Eden, was to mix in some measure truth with error and caused the fall of man. And so Mary, for example, when the Lord talked to her at the time of the death of her brother Lazarus, and the question of resurrection came up, she recognized, as a godly Jew did, that there would be a resurrection.
And she said to him, I know that he shall be raised in the resurrection, or there should be a resurrection, she said in the last day. And so the Jew had certain senses of resurrection. Christianity introduced more.
Enlightenment as to the subject, and here are some who have not explained to us in detail, have started to mix what was Jewish hope with Christian hope and when it was going to happen and how it was going to happen and.
So on and so forth, but just the point. Again, the danger for us is very often the subtlety that there's some truth in the error. The timing may be wrong, the motivation may be wrong, but we need to stick to the words of God. Otherwise we can easily be LED astray by error because of the measure of truth in it. These people weren't denying there was a resurrection here.
00:45:02
But they were saying, well, you know, about the resurrection and et cetera. And it's already happened. And now they're trying to give something that goes beyond the the resurrection and it's, it's serious error.
Himself more light in connection with resurrection, didn't he as you mentioned in chapter five he says and to corroborate brother Bob just corrected me on or just added to in verse 29 John 529 shall come forth and they that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. So those that are.
Umm die in their sins will be raised, but not at the same time as those that have life. Those that are raised, that uh, have faith in Christ, that died in faith, will be raised and will be given glorified. Our bodies will be glorified.
Receiving a new body.
That's not really scriptural. It's the same body in which, uh.
A person goes into the uh.
20.
Uh, we are always, we are part of the great house. We cannot leave the great house. Uh, it's professing Christendom. There's the House of God in reality and there's the House of God in profession. Umm, we're always in the House of God. Uh.
That's taken up in detail in in the first epistle.
But it it mentions the apostle says, let everyone that name it the name of Christ depart from iniquity. Gold and silver vessels would be true believers. The wood and earth would be unbelievers. But there in the House of God, part of baptized Christendom, some to honor an unbeliever cannot be to honor and some to dishonor. That could be a that would be an unbeliever, but it could also be a believer.
Who is associated with that Which is, uh, contrary?
To the word of God.
So we are to separate.
From uh, iniquity, from, uh, the evil doctrine which may necessitate separating from persons. But I was wondering, is there another class here, uh?
As we have in verse 21 a vessel unto honor sanctified, and meet for the masters youth, and prepared unto every good work, I have a little difficulty here.
To say that everyone who is not gathered through the Lord's name, I don't think we could say that they are a vessel to dishonor.
Umm, perhaps someone can give us a word on that?
Can a person who is not on his in a scriptural position?
According to the word of God, can they be a vessel unto honor?
Important for us to understand that this is individual responsibility.
They're not looking at a collective position here. It may result in a collective position because it says in verse 22, follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them. And so there might be as a result.
A collective position, but it's not looking at that primarily, It's individual responsibility. Everyone that names the name of the Lord has this responsibility.
And notice, brethren, when it speaks of vessels of gold and silver, of wooden, of earth, we tend to relegate those to honor and to dishonor. The Scripture doesn't really explain it that way. It just says some to honor and some to dishonor. And then in verse 21, it defines the vessels to honor. What are they? It doesn't define those to dishonor.
But here it says, if a man therefore shall purge himself from these, And it is.
00:50:06
Like you say, Brother John, it's the iniquity, and perhaps that may mean separating from.
Uh, vessels, maybe of gold and of silver, that are Alvini iniquity connected with them. Purge himself from these, Then he shall be a vessel into honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared into every good work.
I don't have any gold vessels in my house, but supposing you came to my house, Brother John, and saw that I was using a vessel of gold for the garbage pail.
Would you say that's a vessel of honor?
You'd probably say that's strange. Why should he have that vessel in that position?
That's not a vessel to honor, not in that position. But that vessel was not made for that. It was made for a place of honor. So what has to be done to that vessel? It has to be taken out of that place. It has to be cleansed and then set separately in another place. And we, we shrink from the thought of separation, brother.
And it's hard because we know those that are real believers and perhaps are going on with things that are clearly not scriptural.
Lord, help us to have the right spirit in connection with it all, but to separate, you know, in our own houses what would happen if you would see me washing the dishes after a meal and here on one side all The Dirty plates.
And they have the what the dish. I don't have a dishwasher suppose and I don't but and I'm washing them and I wash and I put them.
Over here separately and then all of a sudden I pick up a dirty one and I set them over there with a clean one. So my wife gonna say anything to me? Yes, she will. Why? Because those are clean. You don't put The Dirty ones with the clean ones. Anybody that washes dishes in their house knows that. So here you have a bunch of nice clean vessels clean.
Uh, blades and you put a dirty one with it. You don't do that. We use more care in our homes than we do in connection with our Christian association.
Evil contaminates and we need to be careful with it. And so to me, it helps me to understand that, Brother John, to realize that here we're dealing with the position individually. You are responsible. I am responsible. It's not looking primarily at a collective position. It may result in something collective, but it's individual faithfulness in a time.
Of ruin, you say? That's right, Bill, definitely. And I like your point that we need.
Real humility in all of this because all too easily the reference point can slide away from the Lord to be a focus on ourselves and that's wrong. There were those in the. I think it's the 9th chapter of Luke who took issue with one who was casting out demons in the Lord's name and.
It's ironic that not too far previously to that the disciples had been unable to cast out a demon, but they said to the Lord we forbade him because he followeth not with us. And the Lord rebuked that spirit because the emphasis was on the US. Here we notice very clearly that the reference point is always the Lord iniquity, that is, iniquity before the Lord.
Vessels to dishonor. Dishonor to what? Dishonor to the Lord.
And if that becomes the reference point, then as Bob says, in separating from what dishonors the Lord, I may have necessity end up separating from a vessel of gold and silver.
But then again, it's not because I think I'm better than he or she. It's rather am I going to dishonor the Lord by being in fellowship with that which dishonours him? Or am I going to separate from what dishonors him, even if it sometimes means separating from another true believer can be very, very difficult. But I believe there's one more point here.
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Which is important to include. And that takes us into the 22nd verse.
It talks about those who are calling on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Everyone who calls on the Lord out of a pure heart does not know the whole truth of God necessarily.
But I would suggest it means that calling on the Lord out of a pure heart are those who have not set their will against what the Spirit of God is seeking to bring before them. That is important.
And so we should recognize those who perhaps.
Do not necessarily know it all. Perhaps they have been given very limited opportunities and perhaps because of an upbringing or associations.
Their understanding of the whole truth of God is very limited, but if there is a willingness to accept what the Spirit of God is seeking to bring before them, then they're calling on the Lord out of a pure heart, aren't they?
John.
But they'll just got through saying there. I think that's a good answer. Verse 20/20/21 are separating from and and verse uh 22 is separating 2 something. It's having the the Lord before you and it's best to leave the other souls in the House of God alone to to be looking at their position is really to fail to see that we.
This whole mess of the ruin of the House of God we are a part of and a part of the cause of it and everything and that it's an individual thing of action within the House of God that God has opened up.
And given faith to have a bulwark to lean on the foundation of God, remain, assure. And so we can, that's something for us to cling to.
God holds that and we need to leave those souls that aren't necessarily following with us where God looks at them and not be those that pronounce upon their position. Uh, I believe it's utterly, uh, uncharacteristic of, of how we got to where we are and being, uh, seeing truths that gather to the Lord's name in a way of separation from.
Evil.
And so our let's concentrate on not only separating from those evil things, but following faith, following righteousness, faith, charity and peace with them that call upon the name of the Lord out of a pure heart.
A verse in the Old Testament might connect with this thought of a pure heart job.
Chapter 34.
And verse 32 Job 3432.
It says that which I see not teach thou me if I have done iniquity.
I will do no more.
We have here one that I believe has.
The right attitude, A teachable spirit.
And desires to know the truth of God, acknowledges that he or she doesn't know at all. And perhaps there is something that isn't consistent.
That they don't know about something not consistent with the word of God and they want to know about this. They say if I have done iniquity.
I will do no more.
Now would this be a pure heart?
I mean, a pure heart is not a perfect heart.
I don't think anybody really.
Has a perfect tire, do they?
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In the sense that there's not a.
Believer on the face of this earth that doesn't need correction of some sort.
Our desire is to judge that.
And to go on and to live for the Lord.
It seems to me to be.
In connection with having a pure heart.
Art this list is, that is given in the order of the list because it's righteousness first. And, uh, we would naturally like to put love first, which is really the third item there, but it's really God's part, God's portion first. And God delights in righteousness and in holiness. And so there's righteousness. There is such a thing as a righteous path. And, uh, as our brother Bill has mentioned, uh, when one.
Is teachable and sets aside his own will, then there is a possibility of being able to be brought into the knowledge of the righteous path, acceptable path with the Lord. And so we can walk with the Lord out of a pure heart. It's just, umm, you know what struck me that umm, and I've often enjoyed it this way that, uh, a pure heart is one that knows the truth of God, knows the word of God, knows the instruction and the clear teaching of the word of God.
And walks in it.
One that does know that, one that knows the truth of God, knows the clear teaching and the word of God, and will not walk in it, is not walking in a pure heart.
He's not walking according to the truth of God and so that's why this list is given righteousness first, faith men, charity or peace and love men, peace with them that call on the name of the Lord on the Lord out of a pure heart. So it really gives us the encouragement, doesn't it, that there are going to be others. It's not that we're going to be an island to ourselves, but God in his grace reserved in Elijah's days 7000 that had not bowed the need to veil.
And it doesn't matter how bad things get in the Christian testimony, it seems to me that this is a little encouragement to Timothy and ought to be an encouragement to us that God is going to see to it that there are others that walk and desire to walk in a path of righteousness and faith, love for one another, love for the Lord, and it will result in a peaceful path and the path of fellowship with him.
Something that I find sometimes causes confusion and thinking about these, uh, portions of Scripture, the great house, or it says really a great house here. And we have said this is the House of Christian profession. And brother John was mentioning we cannot leave the House of Christian profession.
Unless we should become apostates to Christianity, give up the Christian profession completely.
But sometimes we use the, uh, expression the camp, which is used in Hebrews chapter 13, as if it were the same thing as the great house. And I think that is important to distinguish because we are told distinctly to come out of the camp. And the camp is the Judaistic religion that is in many parts of the Christian profession has been incorporated.
But we are to come out of that, but are never told to come out of the great House, and I think that is important to distinguish those two.
I'd like to go back to uh, for a moment. It's we've covered it before, but I want to summarize a couple of things back to First Timothy chapter 3.
Been referred to multiple times and I don't think it's been read in this reading meeting but perhaps it was yesterday or this morning. First Corinthians chapter 3.
And verse 15.
Umm, if I carry long, that's Paul speaking to Timothy. If I don't see you soon, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the House of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
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Immediate thing you see here in connection with the House of God is behavior. Behavior has to do with responsibility.
The Church of God is seen in different ways, but it's seen here as God has a house, and in His house, just as there was the temple in the Old Testament, and it had its vessels and so on, of gold and silver and other things, God today had formed a house on the day of Pentecost.
And so he says to Timothy, I want to give you instructions concerning your behavior in this house.
For it is to be where God's truth is supported and maintained in the world.
And so in God's house, that's the purpose of it, to maintain the truth of God in the world in which we live.
So then in the second Timothy.
God, as it were, the Spirit of God can no longer call that house his house because it no longer has the characteristics that identify themselves with God.
So instead of calling it God's house, a different name is used. It's called the Great house, but the truth of it is there's just one foundation, and the foundation has already been spoken about. So God's house was built on a foundation. Now the same foundation is there, but the house that's on that foundation no longer shows the characteristics of God and is no longer by the Spirit of God, calls this his house.
His name can't, as God, be identified with the behavior that's taking place in it as a whole.
So it's called instead a great house. Baptism is the manner in which we enter the house. And so everybody who's in this house on this foundation got into it in the place of responsibility by baptism. Now it comes to behavior today and the behavior today in this, the verses we've been considering have direct reference to one person.
Lord and Lord is always seen in Scripture as an individual thing.
It's not a collective thing. Your relationship to the person that you call Lord is your Lord.
He's mine too, but my relationship with him is myself and himself and.
And consequently, when you have this confused condition of things and I'm told, how am I supposed to act?
To me, the simplicity that comes out of it is I have to go in reference to my Lord and obey Him.
And he tells me how to act as.
The personal relationship between myself and himself in something that is very confused and out of order. And so when I why do I separate from something? Because my Lord says do it, it's directly and to me. The key in a personal sense to following out these things is I don't separate from you or somebody else in something I rather.
Seek to obey my Lord, and that may require me to be in separation from someone. And it does. Tomorrow morning there's going to be a loaf and a cup on a table in the middle of this room. Why are you going to sit down and partake of it?
I purpose Lord willing to sit down and partake of it because it on that table is what my Lords table.
And remember it in the individual responsibility connected to it rather than the collective side of it. I want to sit down because to me and my own soul, it is a direct response between my heart and my Lord who wants me to do it.
And he says to thee, this is my table.
And I want you to sit down at my table with me and Remember Me in my death.
And when that cup and that loaf is passed to you, I want you to think of it as me, your Lord, giving it into your hand to Remember Me in my death. And then it takes on its proper collective character when others do it. But the sense to me and my own soul of what we're doing is following the fact that Jesus is.
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My personal Lord. And it answers some of these questions about looking at it collectively and individually, and it gives me a motivation because I'm motivated in my own relationship to that person who I say my Lord. And so when I act, I act in his name because I'm doing it in reference to himself.
The result is a testimony. Uh, but if we invert that order and seek about making a testimony, uh, we're, we're, we're, we got the cart before the horse.
Pretty well known by name, but maybe it it will say do less about it. I guess I'll use his name. A brother in the last in the 1800s who said if we seek to be a testimony.
We will be a testimony to our own failure. In other words, if our object is to be a testimony rather than to be obedient to the will of our Master and act for him, we will be a testimony to our own failure. That person's name was John Darby.
#52.