Sanctified and Useful

"Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity." ²⁰ But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honour and some for dishonour. ²¹ Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honour, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work."

2 Timothy 2:19-21

It's safe to say since immigrating to Australia I drink a lot more tea and coffee than I did previously.  It may be my imagination, but it seems the amount of mugs we store in the cupboard has proportionately grown as well!  Laura and I enjoy and have grown accustomed to welcome visitors into our home with the familiar question:  "Tea or coffee?"  Not everyone drinks tea or coffee of course, but it is a hospitable and often appreciated offer.

When I read this passage in preparation for an upcoming Bible study, an illustration popped into my head.  Paul had exhorted Timothy to avoid foolish debates, vain babblings, and later would tell him to flee fornication.  In context these are some of the sins which Timothy needed to ensure were not part of his life to be useful in God's hands.  For those who drink tea or coffee, we might have a cupboard full of mugs but we typically have our preferred ones.  My preferred mug at the moment is a magenta mug Laura gave me to commemorate our wedding anniversary with pink flamingos and hearts.  Having just finished a coffee, this is what it looks like right now.

I took a picture of the mug in its used and dirty state as an illustration.  If I received a visitor into my house, I would not offer them a hot beverage in a mug with coffee scum caked on it.  I would put this mug in the sink, switch on the kettle, and pull a clean mug out of the cupboard to prepare the tea or coffee.  Paul said in a great house there are many vessels composed of various materials for different uses.  The master of the house would know which vessels were his and their proper function.  If Timothy wanted to be a vessel of honour, "sanctified and useful for the Master," his life would need to be cleansed of sin.

You might say, "Wait a second.  God does the cleansing of our sin for us, right?"  This is true.  When we are born again and made a new creation, our sins are atoned for and we are forgiven.  But like my favourite mug is dirty after use, even Christians can sin after being born again and wilfully continue in it.  Should my mug be dirty when guests arrive, it cannot be a vessel of honour and profitable for use.  An vessel which honours the Master is a clean one.  To offer tea in a filthy mug would bring dishonour on me!  The exhortation is when we realise we are in sin we must repent, put away the sin, and thus sanctify ourselves.  A mug has no power of its own to be clean or dirty, and we must choose to put sin far from our lives so we might be set apart and ready for God's use.  A child of God in sin is still God's child, even like my mug in an unclean state is still mine and favoured.  When it comes to being used profitably however, only a clean mug will do.

You've probably found mugs which were left behind by the user which after awhile began to grow mould and smell horrible.  That is just a hint of the revolting nature of sin which can grow in our hearts when we practice sin without repentance.  Our usefulness by God will be negatively and dramatically affected until we are cleansed.  Once we humble ourselves and submit to God's cleansing in repentance, we are compared to a clean vessel "prepared for every good work."  I don't know any sane person who would prefer to be a vessel of dishonour, one over whom God wrinkles His nose and sets aside until the person choose to be cleansed inside and out.  Let us be those who are cleansed from sin and graciously sanctified for the use of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Only then will we realise our purpose as useful vessels in God's hands for His glory. 

Life is All About God

One of the biggest challenges we face in following Jesus is shifting our focus off self and to God.  We are naturally the central figure in every situation because we view life from our own eyes.  If we are having a "good" day we are happy; if our expectations have been dashed we feel down.  This propensity to colour reality according to our own feelings or circumstances is done without a thought.  As we follow Christ we don't often recognise it, but life is pretty much all about me.  Let me explain what I mean.

If I find myself in a trial, I might imagine God "must be trying to teach me something."  Therefore it falls to me to learn the lesson quickly so the painful ordeal can be brought to an end, and this assumes I am capable of teaching myself by concerted effort.  This personal struggle often results in frustration and disillusionment because we think ourselves capable of doing God's work ourselves and we find ourselves in the dark.  Our minds become so clogged with judgments and doubts we don't know what to do.  When we are sick we wonder if we have sinned in some way or are under spiritual attack.  Again, we remain the central figure in our drama.  We perceive we are being negatively affected, so it falls to us to figure it all out, do something, or stop doing something to end the madness.  Does this sound familiar?

Last night I was reading from the book of Job and I was struck at the depths of his suffering.  Who but Jesus Christ suffered as this man, and he did not even have the comfort of the scriptures or the promise of the Holy Spirit we have today!  He was an upright man who feared God, and in the midst of great loss, spiritual attack, physical pain, and emotional torment he did not waver in his belief.  But he asked probing questions about the nature of his suffering and demanded an explanation from anyone to justify it.  He defended himself from friends who accused him, falsely asserting his sin was the reason for his tragic circumstances.  In his suffering, Job was central:  he lamented the day of his birth, wished he had died in the womb, and that he had never lived to see such dark days.  He was the main subject in his suffering as he scraped his boils with a shard of pottery.

In the end, however, Job's suffering had very little to do about Job:  it was an opportunity for God to reveal Himself to Job, to His friends, and to us.  Instead of answering Job's questions with dot-point explanations, God asked Job many questions of His own.  This divine revelation made all of Job's pains, questions, and personal wranglings insignificant.  God ensured the end of Job was twice as blessed as the beginning - not because Job "learned the lesson" - but because God is compassionate and merciful.  See what insight is brought to the subject in James 5:10-11:  "My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. ¹¹ Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord--that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful."  Job persevered in faith, but it was never about Job at all.  The end of Job was intended to reveal the compassion and mercy of God given to all who keep trusting God despite pain.  Job is a major player in the book of Job, but it is a book which primarily illustrates the compassion and mercy of God.

What a wondrous revelation, that it does not fall to us to earn God's approval or blessing.  We learn slow but God is patient and compassionate.  God is to remain our central focus as we patiently trust in Him.  Some might ask, "Why would a compassionate or merciful God allow anyone to suffer so?"  God allows suffering to work for our good and the salvation of others.  Consider the suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross and the salvation which has come to countless sinners.  The life of Job provides tangible proof of God's sovereign power, gracious blessing, compassion, and glorious rewards for all who endure not only in this life, but in the one to come.  I have been profoundly blessed by Job and how God dealt with him, and may it be God would be so glorified through His dealings with me.  In Christ our lives are God's own, having purchased us with the blood of Jesus.  Life isn't about you or me but all about Him!  

Reading and Heeding

A conversation today reminded me of an eye-opening experience I had as a youth.  In our Jr. High Sunday School class, we were encouraged to read our Bibles every day and bring them to church on Sundays.  Those who did so would be rewarded by a night out to Souplantation - a real treat.  I already aimed to read the Bible every day and so going out for a special meal was a free bonus I wouldn't pass up.  All you can eat for a 13-year-old?  It was a dream come true!

I remember there was one regular student who brought her Bible to class as often as me and (due to the general state of carelessness concerning spiritual things among my peers) I was impressed with this display of faithfulness.  Then one day her parents gave me a ride.  Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw in the back of the car:  there was her Bible lying on the seat, ready and waiting for church on Sunday!  I honestly think my eyes widened and my mouth fell open a little.  Judgmental me felt like the veil had been pulled back to expose a cheat and a fraud, and I was quite shocked and disappointed at the same time.

Now it is possible the other student had two Bibles:  one for the car/church, and the other to read at home.  It is also possible the Bible was left behind only once, though upon inspection that Bible was obvious faded from the sun.  Regardless, it is instructive for personal application:  is your Bible being used for its intended purpose, being read with an aim to hear the word of the LORD?  Would it have more practical use as a paperweight or doorstop than a means of seeking God's wisdom?  And if we are reading the Bible, are we seeking to heed it and put it into practice?  Or is my reading a means of ticking off boxes and gathering up points I hope God redeems when I find myself in strife?

What a treasure we have in the Bible, and God's Word shouldn't gather dust.  No matter how much we think we know, all who know God would readily agree He knows infinitely more than us.  In reading His Word let us seek more than counsel alone but aim to discover God Himself in those divinely-inspired pages.  What truth will God speak to you today?  How about opening the Word and finding out?

Working with Jesus

"You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. ⁴ No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. ⁵ And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. ⁶ The hard-working farmer must be first to partake of the crops." 

2 Timothy 2:3-6

Last night at Calvary Chapel Sydney our group (Tribe) talked about Paul's exhortation to Timothy.  He used three different examples to instruct and encourage Timothy at the same time.

Soldiers on the front lines suffer many privations and cannot enjoy the presence of family or the comforts of home.  A soldier engages in warfare will not be looking for investment properties, buying stocks, or seeking to marry a wife.  He must remain vigilant, for his life and those he fights alongside are always at risk.  A soldier is trained to follow orders, and it is in his best interest to find favour in the eyes of his commanding officer.  In days past a man fought for a king who could bestow riches and honour:  what more could a man want?

Competitors in the Olympics games were people dedicated to mastery of their discipline.  Today people train from their childhood to hone their skills for the chance of obtaining a gold medal and global recognition as the best in the world.  The main point Paul makes is a participant must compete according to the rules to win the prize.  Each game or competition has specific rules which must be followed.  A false-start leads to disqualification, and the runners must follow the set course.  Only those who compete according to the rules can be crowned.

The third example is that of a "hard-working farmer."  Farming requires long days ploughing, planting, irrigating, harvesting, and preparing crops for market.  It means rising long before the sunrise, battling cold, heat, and insects, and the maintenance of fences and equipment.  Severe frost could mean the loss of crops, and drought can ruin the chance of a profitable growing season.   The farmer must trust the good seed will eventually sprout and bear fruit, even when nothing on the surface seems to be happening.  After hard labour and perseverance, the farmer is the one who receives the firstfruits.

In applying this to the Christian walk, we are like the soldiers who have voluntarily enlisted to serve Christ as King.  We must be willing and prepared to endure hardships, and in doing so we will please God.  Instead of being entangled with the affairs of life, we must make our commitment to God our chief priority.  In one sense we are also like the Olympic athlete, recognising God has laid a course before each of us to run.  If we desire to receive a full reward, we must run in obedience to God's Word.  Those who continue steadfast to the end will receive rewards and a crown of glory.  Finally, we are compared to hard-working farmers who are the first to partake of the crops.  We are to sow the good seed of God's Word with the promise of abundant life to be enjoyed now and for all eternity.

All we are and all we do can be redeemed for God's glory and eternal rewards.  Jesus is a triumphant warrior, a champion of salvation and righteousness, and a hard-working sower of God's Word and Saviour of souls.  We can follow His example and receive a full reward:  we can please our God who has enlisted us; we can compete and win the prize; and our hard work will bring increase for the kingdom of God we will partake of.  Exciting times, walking and working with Jesus!