The Foundation, The House, And Its Vessels
THE FOUNDATION, THE HOUSE, AND ITS VESSELS
2 Timothy 2:19-21
Faith is that which prevents teachers of the Word of God from perverting the gospel. Faith is not innocence. It is not believing in something you know is not true. Neither is faith a substitute for knowledge.
Christian faith operates in the realm of meaning, not in the realm of fact. Faith recognizes fact but it is not out to obtain, contradict, or prove facts. Saint Augustine knew this when he said, "I believe in order that I may understand."
In 2 Kings 6:15-16, Samaria, where Elisha and his servant lived, was unexpectedly surrounded by the enemy. Ben-hadad besieged the city during the night. When Elisha’s servant saw the army surrounding the city the following morning, he called out to Elisha "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" Elisha answered: "Fear not, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." This was a statement of faith, founded on God’s history of being consistently faithful to ptotect His people.
Paul is warning Timothy against a cancerous error that had overthrown the faith of some. Hymenaeus, an Ephesian teaching elder had infected the faith of some by teaching a spiritualization of the resurrection and the judgment. Philetus, an Ephesian Christian, had fallen prey to these false teachings, and they were spreading this false gospel like gangrene. It is this that Paul warns Timothy against. Paul was deeply concerned about this erroneous doctrine; nevertheless, he knew that no amount of error can alter the "foundation of God."
No matter how serious the Ephesian church was being affected by this false doctrine, Paul was certain about three realities.
I. God’s Word Is The Foundation For His Church (V. 19).
A. It is a solid foundation: * This foundation for God's building, is as firmly established as His own Eternal Throne, for that foundation is that God has laid is Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt. 16:16), and He lives and abides for ever (1 Cor. 3:11).
B. It is Unmistakable foundation.* It has this inscription: "The Lord knows them that are His." Every individual soul that is trusting in Christ is known personally by Him. This is not true of any other religion under Heaven. Multitudes bow to dead prophets and false gods. However, the worshippers are not known by the objects of their adoration. But Jesus says, "I know My sheep" (John 10:14).
In the sixteenth chapter of Numbers, three Levites, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram and 250 more leaders rose up against Moses in an effort to take over the priesthood. Moses went before the Lord and prayed. When he had finished, he got up and delivered God’s reply to Korah and all of his followers. “In the morning, God will come down and show who belongs to Him and who is holy. He will cause that man to come near Him.”
When morning came, the glory of the Lord appeared and told Moses and the rest of the congregation to distance themselves from the rebels. Then Moses prophesied and the earth split open and swallowed up Korah and his followers. Moses explained to the rest of the congregation that this was a testimony that God knows those who are His.
II. The Church Is A Great House(V. 20).
A. It is the biggest and most self-evident concern in the world, because it is the strongest house. It is built on Jesus Christ, who is the embodiment of Eternal Truth.
B. It is great, because it is occupied by a great tenant, the Holy Spirit, who through Christ's Body, the Church, is seeking to fulfill the great purpose of God in the salvation of men.
C. It is a great house, because it has been a building for over 1900 years, and is still being "added to." During the Reformation period, false teachers invaded the church and the church became more of a government of religious tyranny. The pope spiritualized the plan of salvation and began teaching it’s people that salvation comes by suffering. Consequently the Christian religion was fast becoming a religion of needless suffering. Then God planted a lowly monk, named Martin Luther in the church. One day while Luther was reading his Bible, the Holy Spirit led him to Romans 1:17, where he found the words “The just shall live by faith. For Luther, this was the turning point for his life and the church of God. Luther challenged the church and government authorities concerning the authority of the pope over the Bible. This revolutionary movement gave birth to the protestant church movement.
III. Every Church Has People Of Different Value And Design (V. 21).
A. Paul is suggesting that the church contains both faithful and unfaithful believers; some serve for desirable ends, and others accomplished shameful ends. Paul urges his committed readers to avoid those who would hinder their good work, namely, the false teachers (1 Tim. 2:15).
B. God's servants all have their own place in the church. Some prophets, some apostles, some pastors, some teachers, some evangelists, and some who may be the "wood and earthenware," who may go unnoticed, but who are waiting and ready to be used for anything that the Master appoints. These vessels, though different in character, all belong to the same great house, and owned by the same Master, and are all needed for the one purpose, the fulfilling of their Lord's will. They all have different gifts and qualifications, but all are share in the same grace. There is no occasion for envy or jealousy. Each one might say: "By the grace of God I am what I am."
C. But the power of Divine grace makes it possible for a common vessel to be transformed into a vessel of honor. "If a man purge himself from all that is false and unclean, he shall be made a vessel unto honor, sanctified and made appropriate for the Master's use, fully equipped unto every good work" (v. 21). In Jeremiah 18:6, the Lord says to the prophet, "Behold, as the clay is in the hand of the potter, so are you in Mine." In Ephesians 2:10, the apostle Paul tells the Ephesian church, "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works."
CLOSE: If we revisit the creation of the human race, you will remember that God created man from the dirt of the earth. If you revisit the day that you received your salvation, you were not dirt, but you were covered with dirt. Perhaps you were so dirty that your true value was hidden by the dirt. However, as the Holy Spirit began bathing your mind in the Word of God, the dirt was. When the dirt had been removed, and you began to walk by faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit began to shape you as an honorable vessel. First, your value was wood; but as your faith grew, the wood was chiseled away, and silver shone through. Then God confronted you with living by His commandments until your value became silver. When the silver is tried by fire, and the dross is removed, then God will confront you with the ministry of suffering for Christ’s sake. If you persevere the suffering, then you will come out as pure gold. Gold represents the value of a life, which is a vessel in God’s house, the church, which is built on the Foundation of Christ.
You see, the Lord excels in taking less honorable vessels, and transforming them into vessels of honor.
1. When the Lord called Jeremiah, he was afraid of the people. However, the Lord removed the dishonor of fear and made him so honorable, that the Word was like a fire, shut up in his bones.
2. The Prophet, Isaiah, was hindered by his faith in King Uzziah. But the Lord clothed him in honor, when he confessed, that he was a man of unclean lips, and that he had worshipped an unclean man. When the dirt had been removed, he saw the Lord, high and lifted up.
3. Daniel was thrown into the lions din. When confronted with death, he turned his face toward Jerusalem, and prayed three times a day; and when Gabriel came and shut the lion’s mouths, he explained to Daniel that God had heard his prayers, but he had been detained because he had to fight his way through. Through waiting patiently for the Lord, Daniel was transformed into a vessel of honor.
4. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Through faith they believed that God would rescue them from the burning fiery furnace. And their testimony was, “Our God will rescue us. But even if he does not, we will maintain our faith in Him. And when Nebuchadnezzar saw the fourth man in the burning fiery furnace, He knew that he was dealing with vessels of honor.
If you don’t mind, church, I would like to testify. But even if you do mind, I must testify anyway. You see, I came to Jesus, just as I was; weary, wounded, and sad. But I found in Him a resting place; and now he has made me gla. This journey gets tough sometimes. But the house of the Lord is built on a solid foundation, and those vessels who reside in His house, shall not be removed…
Traveling through the storms of life, I have seen the lightening flash; and I’ve heard the thunder roar. But in the midst of the storm, I heard the voice of Jesus say, “stand firm on the foundation that is already laid; reside in the house that I have built; and I will make you worthy vessels…