This morning we have commissioned two deacon couples and acknowledged the importance of our deacon ministry in the church. It seems appropriate to talk about what the Bible has to say about being deacons and so I would like to invite you to turn to II Timothy 2:20,21. Whether you are a deacon or minister or Sunday School teacher or usher or hold any other position in the church, I would invite you to think about what this passage means for you. The question we can ask as we read and study these verses is, “How can I be useful to the Master?” Let us read these two verses.
The Sad Reality Of God’s House
In our house we have a large drawer in our kitchen which holds all the plastic ware. Carla loves plastic ware and so we have all kinds of it. Whenever we have leftovers, we go into that drawer and pull out a clean container with the matching lid and put the food in there so that we can have it for lunch the next day. There is one bowl in that drawer that I always avoid. It is a Tupperware bowl that has Velcro on the bottom of it. The reason it has Velcro is that at one time, it was used to put water in for the cat. Since the cat was in the habit of dragging his water bowl across the floor and spilling water all over the place, we put Velcro on the floor and on the bowl so he couldn’t do that. It was funny watching him try to drag the bowl when it was stuck to the floor, but at least the floor stayed drier. Now we serve him his water elsewhere and we don’t use that bowl for that purpose any more and it has found its way into our plastic ware drawer. Because it was used for the cat, I have a feeling like it is not as clean and worthy as the other bowls and so I don’t like to use it.
This is the picture that comes to my mind when I read II Timothy 2:20, which says, “In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble.”
When I first read this passage, another passage came to mind from I Corinthians 12 in which all the different vessels in the house, the gold and the clay, are recognized as necessary and important in the household. There the picture means that some vessels are not as presentable as others but they are all important. In order to understand II Timothy 2:20, however, we need to get rid of that picture because the meaning is different. In Timothy, the meaning is that some things in the house are good and clean and used for good purposes and some things are dirty and not good for clean purposes.
What Paul is doing with this picture is making a comparison. Just as in every house there are vessels of gold, so in every church there are people who are pure gold. They serve with honor and with the intent of glorifying God. On the other hand, just as every house has vessels of wood and clay which are used for dishonorable purposes, so there are those in the church who serve themselves and do not bring glory to God.
The reason we know that this is the meaning here is the context in which this passage is found. Verse 20 begins with the word “but” which indicates that it is looking back. If we look back to 2:15 we notice that Paul encourages Timothy to be “one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed, who correctly handles the word of truth.” In 2:17, he introduces the false teachers, Hymenaeus and Philetus who, as he says, “have wandered away from the truth.” In 2:19, he reminds Timothy that “God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: ‘The Lord knows those who are his’” and encourages that “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
This discussion raises the sad, but true reality that there are people in the church, even those who are in leadership, who are not doing things the way God wants. Just as both gold and silver vessels used for honorable purposes and wood and clay vessels used for dishonorable purposes exist in any house, so also, both kinds of people exist in the church. There are those who love God, bring honor to Him and are faithful in extending His kingdom. There are also those who are self centered, build their own kingdom and harm the kingdom of God.
Alexander McLaren writes, “When we come down from the heights of ideal contemplation to face the reality of the Church as an organization in the world, we are confronted with this grave fact, that its members are some of them ‘gold and silver,’ some of them ‘wood’ and ‘earth.’” They who are in the highest degree pure are the ‘gold and silver.’ They who are less so, or not at all so, are the ‘wooden’ and the ‘earthen’ vessels.
All leaders have an influence. The question is, will our influence be gold & silver or wood & clay? Will it be true teaching out of true hearts or false teaching out of deceptive hearts? Will it bring glory to God or dishonor Him?
When verse 21 begins, “if a man…” we know that we have a choice about the kind of influence we will have as a leader. What are those choices and what will the result be?
Cleansing from Dishonorable Purposes
The decision we have to make is, “If a man cleanses himself from the latter.” This phrase has been interpreted differently by different people. Some have interpreted it to mean that if we cleanse ourselves from false teachers, then we can be useful to the master. It seems to me, however, that it is better to understand that if a person cleanses himself or herself from the ignoble, or impure purposes then he/she will be useful to the master. Cleansing suggests separation from a thing, not a person. If it was a reference to the false teachers, it would make more sense to me that a word such as “avoid” or “separate” would be used.
If we understand it to mean that we need to cleanse ourselves from ignoble purposes, it makes a good point. If we cleanse ourselves from these things, we will be prepared for a good and effective ministry. What are these “ignoble purposes?”
As we read II Timothy, they are not hard to find. I went through II Timothy and found more than a dozen things from which we need to cleanse ourselves if we want to be useful to the master. Here is the whole list of things we should cleanse ourselves from, but let us take a more careful look at just a few of them.
2 Timothy 1:7 – A Spirit of timidity
2 Timothy 1:8 – ashamed to testify about our Lord.
2 Timothy 1:16 – ashamed of my chains.
2 Timothy 2:4 – involved in civilian affairs
2 Timothy 2:15 – mishandling the Word of God
2 Timothy 2:16 – godless chatter, false teaching see also other verses 4:3-4
2 Timothy 2:23 – foolish and stupid arguments
2 Timothy 2;26 – the trap of the devil, doing his will.
2 Timothy 3:2 – lover of self
2 Timothy 3:2 – lover of money
2 Timothy 3:3 – without love
2 Timothy 3:4 – lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God., Demas loved this world. 4:10
2 Timothy 3:5 – a form of godliness without power.
2 Timothy 3:6 – loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires.
2 Timothy 3:7 – never able to acknowledge the truth.
Not Ashamed To Speak Of God 1:7,8
In II Timothy 1:7,8a we read, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord.”
It might seem unrealistic to say that those involved as leaders in God’s kingdom should cleanse themselves of fear, for all of us have fears. But the person who is courageous is not the person who doesn’t recognize or acknowledge fears, but the person who is willing to face them. As God followers, we have the blessing that our power and ability to face fears comes from God, for it is God who has given us a spirit of power and of love and of self discipline. These phrases give us the means to face fears so that we can be bold in speaking about Jesus and doing His work. The power to accomplish things for God comes from God. It does not come from our own strength of character. It arises out of love. We know that love can accomplish amazing things. It is love that births children and love that feeds people in a nursing home. If we are led by love we will be able to overcome fear. Sometimes it takes discipline to accomplish this. Rather than allow our fears to win, we need to remind ourselves of the motivation of love and the strength of God’s power behind us and we will be able to cleanse ourselves from timidity.
Not Ashamed Of God’s Truth 2:15,16
A second thing we need to cleanse ourselves of is mentioned in II Timothy 2:15,16, where it says, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.”
Our attitude to God’s Word is very important. The point is made both positively and negatively. Negatively, we need to avoid conversations which lead away from God and cause us to deny God’s truth. Positively, it is important for leaders to be people who handle the Word of God accurately. Are we truly listening to God speak in His Word? Are we being careful to interpret it accurately? The power of our ministry comes from God and from the truth of God. We need to get rid of every false path and stick closely to God’s truth.
Self centeredness is condemned in II Timothy 3:2,4 which speaks about how people in the last days “will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money…lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” Even leaders in the church can be there for motives that are self centered, rather than God centered.
One of the things I appreciate about Milt Stegall is that he is there for the team. Although he has achieved many personal honors including being the person who has scored the most touchdowns of anyone in the CFL, often when he talks, he says things that indicate that he is a team player. If he doesn’t get many balls thrown to him, he doesn’t complain like some others. If he is honored but the team loses, he doesn’t focus on his gain, but on the team loss. I believe that it isn’t only his ability, but also his attitude that makes him such a valuable player on the team.
If we are in leadership because we are seeking the honor we may receive or because we want to exercise power, we will not be useful to the master. A team attitude, a recognition that this is about God is essential in service. We need to cleanse ourselves of any self centered attitude.
II Timothy 3:3 raises the issue of lack of love. It says that, in the last days, people will be “without love, unforgiving, slanderous…” As leaders in God’s church, we need to make sure that we cleanse ourselves of attitudes of lack of love.
It is easy to love those who are like us and who are our friends in the church. Yet the call to cleanse ourselves of lack of love is a call to choose to love those who are on the edges, those who are not easy to love, those whom people tend to avoid. As people who want to lead others, we need to be in the forefront of reaching out to all people. As deacons, this is the challenge which is being extended to you.
Cleansing ourselves from lack of love is further defined in the word “unforgiving.” As leaders, we need to be like Jesus, who was quick to forgive those who did wrong and those who wronged Him.
As leaders, it is also critical that we not be people who slander others, whether through gossip or critical talk.
Positively stated, we need to put on love.
II Timothy 3:5 makes mention of those who, in the last days, are “having a form of godliness but denying its power.” I believe this is an important characteristic for leaders. To have a form of godliness is to appear to be holy, to appear to have it all together, but to be so because of self discipline and ability. As Christians, we do not live our lives in our power or by our discipline. We live it by the power of God. I think this is particularly important for leaders because if they serve and minister out of their own power, they will reproduce people who are like them. If they serve and minister in the power of God, they will reproduce people who are like Jesus. This is our goal in life, to invite people to become like Jesus and as leaders we need to cleanse ourselves of anything that looks religious, but lacks the power of God.
The promise is that if a person cleanses himself from these things, “he will be…” That is, there is a result. If we desire to be “gold,” cleansing promises to result in that kind of an ending. There are four promises which indicate the result.
An Instrument For Noble Purposes
Continuing in the context of honorable and dishonorable purposes which he has spoken of in 2:20, the first promise is that a person who cleanses himself from these things will be “an instrument for noble purposes.” The word is actually the word honorable. A person who is clean will find himself doing those things which bring honor to God.
The next promise is that cleansing will result in sanctification. The process of being set apart for God has two parts. One is that we need to cleanse ourselves. The other is that God promises to cleanse us. We need to get rid of those things which defile our lives and as we do, in fact as soon as we take a step in that direction, God steps forward and sanctifies us. He makes us holy. It is only people made holy by the power of God’s Spirit who will effectively serve a holy God.
We often think that what makes a person useful to the master is their skills. The person who is able to speak, the person with ability to care for people, the person with the ability to sing well, they are the ones best suited to accomplish great things for God. I have sometimes thought and I have heard people say that if a certain famous person ever became a believer, they would be able to do great things for God. Yet in this passage, we find that God does not do things that way. It is the heart which is cleansed, which is turned towards God, which is useful to the Master. God is the master of all those who belong to him. If our hearts are rebellious, unclean or focused on this world, we will not be able to be used by God. On the other hand, the thing of first importance isn’t what we look like or what kind of skills we have or how attractive or popular we are. What matters is, our heart. Is it turned towards God? If it is, then we will be useful to the master.
At this point, particularly you who are beginning as deacons, may have fears about whether you will be able to meet the expectations and do the work adequately. I would suggest to you that according to this passage, you should not focus so much on your job description or what you may accomplish. Focus on your relationship to the Lord. Cleanse yourself from anything that hinders God’s leading in your life. If the relationship with God is first in your life, then, the promise of this passage, is that you will be prepared to do good work.
Each leader needs to ask these questions, “What are the purposes for which I am involved in the leadership?” “How will I accomplish that leadership?”
I want to encourage you, Dave & Anna and Peter and Anne, to focus on your relationship with God and you will do great work for God. I want to encourage all the leaders in our church – Sunday School teachers, AWANA leaders, those who will be elected to positions in a few weeks – to focus first on our heart and our obedience. If we do, the promise of God is that much good work will surely follow. May God bless as you serve Him faithfully.
No comments:
Post a Comment