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Every day.
The water turns out missing everything within the hospital. Slumber before the sun.
All I can see things from the fair and clean everything.
Everyday.
I promised my father.
So we'll go back to Second Timothy.
Chapter 2.
And uh.
Matthew, can you read this for us from verse 19 to the end please?
Nevertheless, the foundation of God's and His cherished having this seal. The Lord knows them that are his, and that everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
But in a great house there are not only vessels of golden and silver, but also Lumia verb, and some to iron, and some dishonored the man, therefore purging self convenience. He shall be a vessel unto honor sanctified and meet in Massachusetts, and prepared unto every good youth work. We also useful loves, but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace within the calm the Lord out of the pure heart. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid knowing that they do gender strives.
00:05:05
He served as the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men apartment to teach patient and meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves, if God for adventure will give them repentance to the acknowledge of the acknowledging of the truth.
That they may recover themselves after Snare the devil, who are taken captive by him at his load. Thank you.
Might be helpful just as we launch on these LA out on these last few verses of this chapter to realize the context of first Timothy and second Timothy in first Timothy, one of the keys. So the key scripture, let's turn back to it in the third chapter and and let me while you're turning there, let me just say this to that.
When you take up a book in Scripture, it's helpful to see a key verse. There's usually a key verse or a key phrase that unlocks the rest of the book. And I found that very helpful in my study of the Word of God to look for a key verse or a key phrase that opens things up. And here's, I think the key verse that helps us to understand the context of first Timothy.
Verse 15 of chapter 3.
But if I tarry long, 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. So first Timothy has to do with behavior as being part of the House of God. Now when it says how to behave ourselves in the House of God, it's not just talking about coming to meeting, how we behave when we come.
Collectively into the presence of the Lord. Now there are other scriptures that would exhort us as to our conduct when we come together in the presence of the Lord and so on, but that is not what this verse is talking about.
This verse is talking about our behavior wherever we are, whether it's that meeting, whether it's at home, whether it's at school, whether it's in the neighborhood, whether it's at work. Because we are the House of God. The Church of God is the House of God. Just notice a verse in Hebrews 3 that confirms that.
Hebrews, chapter 3.
And verse six, but Christ as son over his own house, what is his house that he's over? It's the Church of God. It's that building that is being built of living stones. And you're a living stone in the Church of God. I'm a living stone in the Church of God. So First Timothy has to do with our behavior.
As to us being the House of God, as I say, it's more than just when we're at meeting, It's our conduct wherever we are now. Having said that, we go back to our chapter here and in in second Timothy, the House of God has become a great house. In other words, in the in the first epistle, the House of God is made-up of believers only.
True believers who make up the Church of God. But what has happened in Second Timothy is there has become a mixture of those that are real and those who profess Christianity but are not real.
And that's why we find here it's referred to as a great house. So he expands it here because in Second Timothy it includes reality and profession. So I hope there's no one here who professes to or pretends to be a true Christian. And they're not. You're part of the great house if you've made that profession. But the Lord knows them that are his.
Now to bridge this we started at verse 19. You remember yesterday when we took this up, we noticed that there was in the these days an undermining of the truth of God.
And there were these two men, and they're just a sample of two men, but there were these two men and there were others who were teaching false things. And they were doing it to overthrow the faith of some. But now Paul says to Timothy, nevertheless, the foundation of God stands sure. You know, no matter how much false teaching is propagated in Christian circles, it doesn't change the truth of God.
00:10:10
Let's go to Ephesians chapter 2 to see what the foundation is, and I've quoted this a couple of times this weekend, but let's see it right on the page of God's Word. So we understand what this foundation is that cannot be shaken, that stands sure. Ephesians chapter 2 and in verse 19, he's talking about us who are believers. He says now therefore you are no more strangers and fo and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the Saints and notice this and the household of God.
Again, we are the House of God. How are we to behave ourselves in the House of God? That's what we had in First Timothy. And now I want to notice this. And are built upon the foundation. And now he's gonna go on and explain what the foundation is. The foundation of the apostles and prophets. Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone or the cornerstone. So what are the apostles and prophets? What is he referring to? I believe it.
And we could compare it with other Scriptures. It is the foundation cruise that the apostle Paul and all the New Testament writers lay down for us. And what he's saying is in our chapter in Timothy.
That can't be shaken, that will never change. That stand sure, you can build a lot of false things on the foundation, but the foundation stand sure. So young people, what we have in the Word of God, the foundation truth of Christianity, that never changes in spite of what men have tried to teach and propagate, That is false. And the reality of the House of God, the Church of God, which is only true believers.
That can't be shaken either, even though in Second Timothy it becomes this great House of reality and those who profess, or, as we would say, those who simply pretend to be believers.
So when he says the Lord knows them that are his, what we have to realize is that in a situation like Timothy was in and like we are in, we can't always judge who is a true believer and who isn't. Now we look for fruit. It says by their fruit she shall know them. But again, someone can pretend to be a Christian so cleverly.
That they fool everybody. You know, Judas was like that, wasn't he? You know, you would think that after 3 1/2 years of being with the other disciples and the Lord Jesus that he would have made some kind of slip that would make the other disciples suspect who the betrayer was. But when they came to the supper in the upper room and the Lord said there's a betrayer, they all looked at each other and they didn't seem to even suspect that it was Judas. And they said, is that I? Is it I? Judas was so careful in his cover up that he never gave himself away.
Until the Lord ex exposed him. So we can't always tell who's a true believer and who isn't. Conversely, someone might make, someone might begin, well, and we see what seems like for fruit or is fruit and then they backslide and maybe we say, well, I don't know if that person is a true believer or not. You know, Lot was like that in the Old Testament. Lot got into such a condition.
That from his life, you would never know from the Old Testament if he was real or not. If the New Testament didn't tell us that he was a righteous man, you wouldn't know whether he was a backslider or an apostate. Now you say, what's an apostate? So a backslider is one who's real and they, they slip away. They, they, they get into things that they ought not to and they spoil their testimony and so on.
00:15:06
Often they're restored, but not always lost with never restored to the Lord this side of heaven. An apostate, on the other hand, is like Judas. It's one who makes a profession, but there's no reality. And then they slip away. And once they do, Scripture tells us as far as an apostate, there's no restoration, there's no coming back. So to make a contrast again.
Peter was a backslider. Peter denied the Lord three times with oaths and curses, but he was a real disciple. He was a true believer and he was restored. Judas was an apostate. He cleverly put on a front and fooled all the disciples for all those years. But he didn't fool the Lord, and eventually his heart came out. He went out and hung himself, and it says he went to his own place as an apostate. He will be in a lost eternity.
So we have to say sometimes about a certain individual, I don't know if they're really saved or not. The Lord knows them that are his. And we cannot judge whether a person is an apostate or a backslider. Only the Lord knows the heart. We can only judge if one is restored to the Lord this side of heaven, whether they were an apostate or a backslider.
Example of pick up a little mask, use the example of an apostate is a Judas and that umm, he didn't, you know, when it came time that he said someone would betray him that he didn't have a clue to which we have the benefit of scripture and retrospect. And I just wanted to input the thought that we have in John where Mary poured the thought of found a spikner on his feet. He complained that it, you know, we could have sold that, but then it's the first says in chapter 12.
Uh.
This is 436.
One that not sold 300 prints and give it to the score. This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the bag.
This small thing that we have a clue, but if we had been the disciples who had no more ideas than they did.
Yes, we see it in retrospect and recorded in scripture, but umm, they?
So the whole point of the next few verses is that, well, we can't always tell the difference between a true believer and a professor. Our responsibility is not to try to sort that out, but our responsibility is to depart from iniquity. We are to depart from that which is evil. And he's going to go on to speak of ecclesiastical evil, that is.
Being connected with a system that teaches or practices that which is error and not according to the Word of God, moral, uh, uh, moral evil. He takes up the subject of doctrinal evil in this epistle.
And so you and I are responsible to separate from evil. I think that's important because in Scripture and, and I hope you understand what I'm going to say now, because I think it's important. We are never told in Scripture to separate from true believers. Now let that sink in a minute. We're never told in Scripture to separate from true believers. What we are told to separate from is evil, is iniquity. And if that means there are true believers that I cannot go along in fellowship with.
Then I have to say, so be it. But it wasn't the believers themselves that I was told to separate from. It was evil. And so if there are those who hold doctrines and principles and practices.
That are not according to the word of God. Then I cannot go along in fellowship with them. So let me say that again.
We are never in scripture told to separate from true believers. We are told to separate from evil and that may mean there are true believers I cannot go along in fellowship or company with.
00:20:16
Maybe just, uh, briefly as a, uh, description of what moral evil, uh, doctrinal evil and ecclesiastical evil are. These might be a little bit confusing to some that are a little bit younger. Uh, more illegal is probably the easiest one. Uh, stealing, uh, evil, umm, killing your neighbor evil, that's moral evil. Uh, doctrinal evil is bad teaching.
Doctrine means teaching, uh, any type of bad teaching. If someone says that Jesus was not the son of God, that's doctrinal evil. An ecclesiastical evil is different. Uh, things that are ecclesiastical have to do with how a system operates. Umm, and an example of ecclesiastical evil is we have a verse that says there's one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Uh, the Catholic Church promotes that you have to go to a priest to confess your sins.
As a mediator between, uh, God and man, that's ecclesiastical evil. That's a system where the system in and of itself, not that there's evil people there, but the system itself is evil. So those are those examples of those three types of evils. So that's helpful because I hear P, I've heard Christians say, well, I don't go along with everything that is taught or done in that system, but I believe I should be there and go on with it because I can be a helper, a counter to it. But what scripture teaches is if there is a system that teaches or practices things that are not according to the word of God, then I am to separate from that system.
And if I remain in that system, then I am really embracing all that is that is connected with that system of things now.
Oh, I, I, I wanna just, umm, focus on this illustration of the great House here.
Because again, and let's keep in contact that what we are to separate from here is evil and we can't according to the context of this.
Discern who is real and who isn't. That is not the point. It is not for me to discern who is real and who isn't. Yes, if again, by their fruit she shall know them and so on. But I am to separate from evil.
Now he's gonna use this illustration of this great house. Let's bring it down to camp here for a minute. So out in the kitchen, the the ladies have operated this weekend with many vessels and the, the vessels out in the kitchen here at camp have been made of many things. There were pots and pans that they used on the stove. There were plates and cups that we put out on the table. There was cutlery. There were glass bowls. There was plastic.
What made the vessels that the ladies used this weekend serviceable was not what they were made out of. It was whether they were clean or not. And that's why we appointed teams to wash the dishes so that those, those defiled dishes could be used again in the service of the next meal. And young people, I, I know there's been a lot of confusion about this passage, but I really believe in the context, it's not a question of what these vessels here are made out of.
Because there were some, some have tried to separate that the wood and the earth were unbelievers and the gold and the silver were believers. You're confusing it with the rewards that are given at the judgment seat of Christ. It has nothing to do with that.
This has to do with people vessels are used as a, as a symbol of the human body in Scripture which which vessel, which treasure we have in earthen vessels, Speaking of those of us who know Christ. And so a wooden vessel is serviceable. You put a solid in a wooden solid bowl if a wood if it's clean up a clay vessel. And they would have understood that in those days, because in those days there were a lot of wooden vessels and pottery and clay vessels and as well as vessels made of precious metal. What made the vessel serviceable?
Whether it was wood or earth or gold or silver, No, it was whether it was clean or not. Every vessel that the ladies used this weekend in camp was serviceable if it was clean and it every vessel had a different capacity, a different function. What do we learn from this that you and I who know Christ as our Savior, if we are walking in a way that is morally upright, if there's the cleansing and of the word of God in our lives, if we're separated from moral.
00:25:23
Doctrinal and ecclesiastical evil, then we are going to be vessel. Vessels used for the master. We all have different capacities, we all have different abilities. Just like those vessels that were used here this weekend or vessels in your home when you go home.
And so on. So again, I believe it's not to try to sort out which vessels are real and not we're not to do that. It says the Lord knows them that are his. I can't sort out. We're not to sort out what which, which vessels are real and which aren't what we are to sort out and what we are to separate from our vessels that are defiled. And you know, sometimes there are Christians, true believers who are not walking in a path of practical separation and holiness.
There's defilement and what am I to do? I am to separate from that which is evil, which as I said, may mean that I have to separate from, from true believers. So I, I really believe that's the thrust here.
We're not too. It's not a question of who's real or who isn't. It's a question of sin and defilement. And God has always taught that sin and defilement are a thing that are not fit for His presence, His service, or the presence of the people of God.
So that's why he says if you're gonna be useful for the master, if you're gonna be serviceable, he says if a man, verse 21, if a man therefore purge himself from these, that is, he separates from the defiled vessels. It's not, it's not vessels that are made of certain things that he has to separate from. It's vessels that are dirty that are defiled. If he separates from those, then he's a vessel unto honor, sanctified and meet for the masters use and prepared unto every good work.
So I watched you young people as you did the dishes and The Dirty dishes went in the window on one side. They were all defiled. And as they touched each other, they even got more defiled. One dirty dish defiled another dish. One dirty dish made another one more dirty. So then we had you had some of your team washing and rinsing and then you put them back with The Dirty dishes. Not a chance. I think Faye and Beck and Nancy would have been after you big time if you had had done that.
No, what did you do? You sanctified them. You set them apart on the other side. Now they were clean and they were serviceable, useful for the next meal, for the next function. But if you had put them back with The Dirty dishes on that side, if you hadn't sanctified them or set them apart, they wouldn't be useful as much as they had been scrubbed with soap and water. They would be defiled again. So what's going to make you and I useful for the Lord Jesus in His service?
It's to separate from evil. It's to be clean vessels.
And that is what makes us serviceable. So in the measure in which you leave camp this weekend and you walk in separation from evil, as we've had with the wall in the days of Nehemiah, in the measure in which you separate from evil.
Brother in the local assembly, because that's a little bit.
And it said, uh, the way to, I guess, uh, finance ourselves or wash ourselves from that environment is to read the word.
I can't think of the verse.
This is clearly washing water by water.
Yes, and Ephesians, the washing of water by the water, that's the one, yeah. So that just puts it to me very clear if we read the words God every day and that'll wash us from any depilment to me might uh, see or pass by during the day.
00:30:05
Yes, and that's why we said earlier in connection with one of the gates recorded the verses in the 119th song. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto, according to thy word. So it's the labor that they had in the Old Testament where they had to come and wash their hands and their feet that got defiled with their walk through the wilderness and their service. And so the priest had to come again and again.
About how to.
Umm, how to make sure that you stay clean without, umm, to be separate, separated from those that are depiled from the 22nd verse, which uh, talked about a bit last night, is, uh, how to keep yourself from getting defiled. Umm, when those temptations and things come along, you flee, uh, perhaps out a little bit to the comment that I made last night.
Umm, As far as these useful loss or these, uh, often recurring loss, umm, it was mentioned by, uh, by Phillip. He talked about it being, uh, filled with the Lord instead of being, uh, you're going to be occupied with one thing or the other, so be occupied with the Lord, umm.
That's an important principle to understand, but we have to understand that sin never becomes less attractive to the old nature. It never becomes less attractive. And I, I personally know someone who, umm, he was, he was always tempted to fornication and he asked the Lord time and time and time again to take that temptation away from him. And instead of laying hold of the power that God has given to us in the new life he wanted just just get rid of the problem.
I don't, I don't want the solution to be difficult. I don't want it to require anything on my part. I just want you to get rid of this problem and the left. The Lord never took away that desire for him, and he ended up blaming God for his own sin. And that's a sad situation to fall into. So don't don't ever expect that a temptation will ever become less for you. But that's not to say that God hasn't given us everything that we need to walk in a way that's pleasing to Him.
And so instead it says, but there's a, there's a colon and then it says, but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them that call on the Lord out of the pure heart. So it gives a little instruction and, uh, righteousness, a holy life, faith, trusting in the Lord with love and, uh, peace. And it's, instead of with these vessels of dishonor, it's with those that call on the Lord out of pure heart. How we're going to maintain this, uh, this sanctification, practical sanctification.
Some of them speaking about here and to place something is to get away from it as quickly and as far as possible. And young people don't think that you can go a certain distance and stop. We don't know our own hearts, and I think sometimes we feel well. I know how far to go in this and I won't go any fur any further. Be careful. He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool. So I'll repeat a little story. I think maybe I told it at the reading meeting in Mayfield the other night. There's.
Summer I was recently that back in the early days of Christianity and it are the revival of the truth in, in England, uh, there was a, a man, a Christian man. He was the Lord and he had a, uh, Manor house and it was up on the top of a hill and there was a very steep and winding driveway that went up to his Manor house. And this man was very wealthy and he had a number of horses and coaches. And so he went to hire a coachman.
And he interviewed several people and, uh, he would ask them this question now he'd say, I have this windy driveway that's very steep, comes up to the, the, uh, house here. And there's, uh, a lot of precipice on the side of it. How close do you think you could come to the edge and not go over with the, with my carriages? And, uh, these men, many of them were very experienced horsemen and they would tell how close they could come and how careful they would be and so on.
And finally, he asked one man and he said, oh, Sir, I'd stay as far away from the edge as possible. Well, he said, you're the man for the job because the others might be very, very good drivers, but maybe something would startle the horses and they would give alerts or something like that, and over the edge they would go. But he wanted the man that would stay as far away from the danger as possible. And so the Scriptures tell us here to flee also youthful lusts.
00:35:24
Go get away from it quickly and get as far away from it, uh, as possible. And then it's been said, I wanna notice these things were to follow and the order, righteousness, faith, charity, or love and peace.
Now here's another little hint for you in studying the Word of God. Whenever God lists two or more things in Scripture, there's always an order, an importance to the order God doesn't like. I do list things haphazardly. You know, when I'm home, I like to do the shopping. Say it's not a grocery shopper and I like to do the shopping. It gets me out of the house and out of the office for a while. And sometimes I meet people I know and so on.
Plus I can throw a couple of things in the cart that aren't on the list. But uh, when we make out that list, that shopping list, if I said to Faye before I went out the door, why did you list those things in that order?
She would probably have to say, well, it's just the way they came to mind, or I was flipping through the sail, the sail bill. And that's the way, uh, they got listed. But there's no particular order. God doesn't list things in that way. And it's been helpful to me when I seen a list of two or more things in Scripture to note the order in which it is listed. And it's very important here because if I was listing, listing these four things.
And this is the way people kind of categorize or list them Today. I would have put love and peace at the top of the list and left righteousness and face further down. And there's a great movement in Christian circles today to say, oh, it doesn't matter.
Doctrines not that important. Our personal lives, how people live from Monday to Saturday isn't all that important. That's their business and that's between them and the Lord and so on. And so they put and we gotta love all Christians. Well, yes, we do love. We know we pass from death unto life because we love the brethren, but that we can't always show practical love and we can't always go on in practical peace together.
When faith and righteousness, or truth and righteousness are compromised.
And so we are to we are to maintain righteousness. We are to maintain the truth of God.
And if those things are maintained, then we can go on in practical love and peace and with those who have this a similar desire and exercise. And when it says those that call on the Lord out of a pure heart, I really believe that's what he's really saying. It's those that have a similar exercise, those who desire.
To maintain righteousness and truth and then to go on in P, in love and in peace. But don't reverse the order. Don't put love and peace 1St and say that righteousness and truth don't matter. They are important and they are vital to maintain.
So then he goes on to say foolish and unlearned questions avoid knowing that they do gender strikes. Now, young people questions are good, and we've had some very good questions at this camp. And I would say too, you can turn a bad question into a good answer. But we need to be careful that we don't just raise questions for contention or questions that really are senseless and are not going to lead to edification.
As I say, questions are good and when you go home and you go to local meetings for ministry, the reading meeting for instance, and uh, you're thinking about something that's relevant to the subject at hand or the portion that the brethren are taking up and you have a good question. I want to encourage you to ask that question. Questions. Brothers can sometimes bring out something that would otherwise be passed over. They can bring out something that's on everybody's mind.
00:40:24
But let's go to Proverbs 26 and see what it says there about questions.
I'm going to read you 2 verses that are going to at first seem like a contradiction, but of course we know in scripture there are absolutely no contradictions. So Proverbs chapter 26 and verse 4.
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
Answer a pool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. Isn't that interesting? At first it seems like a complete contradiction, but I believe that we need to discern when questions are asked.
Whether that question is just being asked to gender strife, whether it's just a foolish question that the person has asked to maybe stir up trouble or to bring some humor or or levity some sin into the discussion of the of the Lord's things. However, sometimes questions are asked in a genuine way. You know, sometimes the word fool isn't always the way we think of the word fool some or ignorant. Sometimes it's just the fact that the person really doesn't know.
And so sometimes a question may be asked sincerely. It may seem perhaps like a foolish question. Maybe it's a question that we say, well, really they should know the answer to that. But as I say, sometimes a bad question can be turned into a good answer. The Lord always perfectly of course, discerned when questions were asked how to answer them or not to answer them. Read the life of the Lord Jesus. Sometimes he answered people's questions.
Sometimes he did not answer people's questions because of course he knew the motive and the spirit and the heart.
Of the person that asked it. So sometimes questions need to be answered, and sometimes questions need to be just left because they're asked for the wrong reason with the wrong motive.
And sometimes these questions are asked just to bring up an argument. You know, there's a lot of people like a good debate. They like a good argument. And I believe that's one reason why Paul goes on to instruct Timothy in verse 24. But the servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle unto all men apartment to teach patients and and so on and make this instructing those who oppose themselves. So when people ask questions.
That are just questions to generate debate. Be careful. Don't get into a tangle with someone who really isn't interested in the scriptural answer or reason, but they simply want to debate. You know, we don't debate the scriptures. We present the scriptures and we let the scriptures being the living word of God and the sword of the Spirit, then have their effect. Now there we want to be.
Uh, we, we, we, we want to present the Scriptures in a way that shows that we really believe this. We don't want to, to present it in a wishy washy way. And we're to earnestly contend for the faith, but that doesn't mean we're contentious. To contend for the faith and being contentious is two different things. To be contentious is just to raise things, to stir up strife. To contend for the faith is to hold fast just to the truth of God.
And not budget or give ground when the truth of God is being undermined or given up.
00:45:38
So what we're reading here?
From a meeting we recently listened to.
Uh, has been speaking about exercise being exercise about certain things and kind of, uh, I think goes with this being separated, uh, master's use. There's things that may not be wrong themselves that we do. There are things that might take time to spend in the Lord's things instead. And so to be able to discern and like the first, uh, reading right now.
Verse 24.
The servant of the Lord must not strive.
How, uh, how can we know not to strive if we're not in, in the word of the Lord with his mind And then to be gentle unto all men. That's not something that's, uh, very easy, at least for me. And umm, it says have to teach and patient also the weakness instructing those that have chose themselves. So I think all these things, uh, we can.
Maybe easily detect or able to discern or to do is I think we're exercising about certain things in our lives that, uh, like I said again, not, not bad in themselves, but uh, maybe things that we can set apart that we can use that time instead of the things of the Lord.
And let's realize too, when we present the truth to others, someone comes to us, they have a question and we present what we see is the truth of God. Let's remember that they may not see it right away, so we want to press it. We want to make them see what perhaps we see clearly from the Scripture. But the one who teaches here, the one who presents the truth, they have to be be gentle. They have to be patient in meekness, instructing and and so on.
Because if you see something clearly, some truth clearly from the Word of God, that's no credit to yourself. That was the work of the Spirit of God. None of us would understand the simplest principles of Scripture apart from a work of the Spirit of God. And so when you present the truth to others, they may not always see it right away. It may take time. You may have to go over it several times, not in a contentious way.
But you may have to bring in other scriptures and, and maybe a little different explanation. And if they don't see it right away, don't be contentious about it. Don't try to press the points. Just leave it. You've sold the seed. Just leave it for a work of the Spirit of God. And I know sometimes people have brought things before me. I didn't see it at the time, but the seed was sown. And maybe a lot later I was sitting in a meeting or I heard something or something came to my mind by the Spirit of God. I said, oh, I see what that brother was talking about. I see what that person was trying to say.
So Timothy was to present the truth. Paul was preparing Timothy here to pass on the truth, as we've been saying to others. But he said Timothy realized everybody's not going to see it right away.
And you can't press these points. Present it clearly, simply.
Speak it with with fervor and reality, but then leave it for a work of the Spirit of God.
Uh, I was talking to a brother this afternoon. He said he's got a lot of guys that he's, that he works with who are Christians from different denominations and they like to get together and argue and say, well, my church has a better creed than your church. And one of them came to this brother that I was talking to and said, you know, I really don't like when to argue with you when you get in these debates. And he said, well, what do you mean by that? It's like, I don't, I don't try to argue. And I said, well, you just, you just give scripture and, and nothing else.
Well, it's kind of hard to argue if you're trying to prove that your church is the best from Scripture and someone presents a scripture. If you argue with it, you're saying, umm, if you argue with it, you're saying that you don't uphold Scripture. And if you don't argue with it, you're acknowledging you're conceding the fact that he's right. So, umm, just to leave scripture and leave it at that. Umm, and Jim, you mentioned earlier, umm, the verse in chapter 4, verse five, do the work of an evangelist.
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And Paul is giving instruction to Timothy in this book and how he ought to conduct himself.
And we talk a lot about gift and gift is very important. And uh, Paul told Timothy Neglect not the gift that is in me. That was all the instruction that he was given on the gift that he had. But here it says apartment to teach and there may be a time when a teacher is not there and you have to fill in the shoes. There may be a time when the evangelist is not there and you have to fill in those shoes.
There may be a time when the pastor is not there and you have to fill in those shoes. So it's important that we're well grounded in scripture and, uh, not only knowing it, but as it brings out here this gentleness and this patience, but living it practically so that we can be a help on the time arises. Umm, the application is often made if you work at a, if you work at a motorcycle shop and, uh, you're a mechanic in the back and the salesman goes on a trip to a trade show somewhere.
And someone comes in to buy a car, uh, to buy a motorcycle. Are you going to say, well, I can't sell you a motorcycle because I'm the mechanic or do you sell them a motorcycle? And uh, on the other hand, if you're, uh, if you're the sales person and the mechanic is out and you say, well, I can't do that. Or do you try to give the best advice that you can? And, and umm, I guess the application falls somewhat short, but it works both ways.
So so there are two things.
Our time is gone, but there I want to conclude at least with this, there are two things that make up vessel and the vessels are you and me that make us fit for the Master's use and prepared not just unto some good work, but to every good work. So the first thing is what we had in verse 21. It's separation from evil. OK, You're not gonna be prepared on every good work unless you walk in separation from evil.
The second thing is, in the end of chapter three, he says that, well, let me read verse 16. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction and righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect. Now here we are again, thoroughly furnished unto every good work, unto all good work work. Now on the one hand, there must be separation from evil, that which defiles.
On the other hand, as Tim has just pointed out, there must be a grounding in the Word of God. Those two things are what make us useful in the Master's service. And I say that because we might separate from evil, we might have a real love for the Lord. But if we don't know the if we don't have the Word of God, how do we know how to act? How do we know how to serve, where to be where?
Uh, as it says in Romans 12, we're to do the will of will of God, present our bodies a living sacrifice and according to the will of God, how are we going to know the will of God if we don't have the have the word of God? How can you speak to souls in the gospel or encourage souls as to the truth if you don't, if you aren't grounded in the word of God? So you have to be separate from evil. You have to be a clean vessel and you have to be grounded. You have to know the word of God. Now it says here prepared to every good work.
It's very interesting. I'll give you a little example that I think helps to illustrate this.
When I'm in other countries, sometimes I'm asked to speak in various places and to participate in various things. And before I do, I always raise this question if I speak to a certain group of believers or if I participate in something. And do I understand that I am free to speak on any subject?
That the Spirit of God lays on my heart. If I am not, then I am not prepared unto every good work. So I'll give you another little example. None of you here remember. I mean none of you young people here remember John Burton. But those of us who are older remember. He labored amongst us and taught us as young people, gave us a good foundation in scriptural teaching. But he told the story that one time he was asked to speak at a Christian businessman's luncheon.
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And he said to the man who asked him, the president of the of the organization, he said, if I take this responsibility, do I understand that I am free to speak on any subject that the Spirit of God lays on my heart from the word of God? The man said, Oh no, we give you a list of things you do not speak on. John Berton said, I cannot take this this responsibility.
And his his point was he would not be prepared unto every good work. So to be prepared unto every good work is to be a clean vessel free from defilement and sin, to be grounded in the in the word of God, and to be free to be used in whatever way the Spirit of God would have for you. And that applies to everyone of us who are believers in this room. If you're a true believer, you can be a vessel prepared not just to some good work.
But to every good work, ready to do whatever the Spirit of God and the Master have for you.
Well, I trust that this has been a help and an encouragement. I felt, as I said at the beginning, that this perhaps went along with what we had in connection with practical sanctification and holiness and separation and connection with the building of the wall, the rebuilding of the wall in the days of Nehemiah. I just say this, young people, that we live in a difficult day. I realize that there's a lot of compromise as to the truth. There's a desensitizing as to what sin really is.
What holiness really is, we tend to get desensitized if we're not walking in the fear of the Lord and in into the work and and there's just a lot of it's a it's a downward course. It's the last days and perilous times. But I do believe this young people that you and I have all the resources we need to go out from this camp and the little time that's left to us before the Lord comes, we have all the resources we need.
To live for God's glory, to walk a pure sanctified life and to be a testimony and meet for the masters, use in any way that he desires to use us. We have all the resources, the Word of God, the Spirit of God, divine life. We could go on and on, Christ living for us. So don't be discouraged, at least the last days. Is life tough? Is the enemy busy? Yes, but don't be discouraged. Be encouraged that you have everything you need in Christ.
And pretty soon we're gonna be beyond it all, in safe home in the Father's house.