It must be nice in this life when someone can be more than a NORMAL PERSON and become an “EXCEPTIONAL” PERSON.
That is, when normal people die the preachers who do the eulogy can pretty much sum up their entire lives in 15 to 30 minutes. When the funeral is finished the family and friends can gather around the supper table and eat potato salad and the next day many go back to the routine of life. The closest loved ones will miss the deceased and hurt for a long time, but many folks will go on almost as if the person had never existed.
But there are some in this life have been able to become MORE THAN NORMAL. They have done outstanding things.
Illus: For example, Arnold Schwarzenegger has done a lot of bad things with his life, but also he has done some wonderful things with his life. He would have to be classified as an EXCEPTIONAL PERSON. For example:
He was born July 30, 1947. He is an:
? Austrian American bodybuilder,
? Actor,
? Model,
? Businessman,
? And a politician who served as the 38th Governor of California.
He has become very successful today and his personal wealth is listed as somewhere around $800 million. That’s a nice round figure, wouldn’t you say?
To achieve such a goal he certainly could not be classified as a NORMAL person.
It must be very gratifying to know when life comes to an end for him that he can look back and say, “I DID SOMETHING WITH MY LIFE THAT WAS EXCEPTIONAL!”
? Listen, we normal people will never be able to achieve the things in life he has been able to achieve in THE PHYSICAL/SECULAR WORLD.
? But every one of us has within our reach the possibility of becoming EXCEPTIONAL in the SPIRITUAL WORLD.
The most USELFUL way we can use our life is in the SPIRITUAL REALM.
In this passage of scripture Paul is writing to a young preacher by the name of Timothy. Paul is telling him what it will take for God to use him. Listen, if anybody was qualified to tell someone what it takes for God to use a person, PAUL WAS THE MAN! Notice, he said that-
I. GOD CAN ONLY USE CLEAN VESSELS.
Look at verses 20-21. We read, “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 honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”
Illus: We are told that Isabella of Spain bragged that she had had only two baths in her life:
? One when she was born,
? And the other when she married Ferdinand.
? They gave her a third bath when she died.
Probably when the funeral home did the third one they had to have her sand blasted she was so dirty.
This was a crazy woman but her husband Ferdinand had to be crazier than she was to marry such a woman.
Illus: We are told that the custom of women carrying flowers in their weddings came from the olden days when women got married in the winter and did not have water heaters to warm the water so they could take a bath so they would carry a bunch of flowers to override the smell. I do not know…I was told this!
But if this is true it took a lot of roses to make old Isabella smell good!
She probably smelled like “Midnight Breeze In the Junk Yard!”
I can just hear the preacher performing the wedding as he held his nose and addressed her he could have said, “Do you Stinky take Ferdinand to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
We all have had the unfortunate experience of being around someone that smelled like a hog trough!!!
When this is the situation we do as much as we can put as much distance as possible between them and ourselves!
Most people don’t want to be around someone who stinks to high heaven!
Illus: It was a really hot day at the office. There were about twenty people in close quarters and everyone was sweating, even with a fan on.
All of a sudden, people started to wrinkle their noses at an odor passing through the air. It was the most hideous smell anyone had ever smelled as they looked at a certain man that this odor was coming from.
? One man said, "Uh oh, someone's deodorant isn't working."
? The man said from the distant corner, "It can't be mine. I'm not wearing any."
And God will never use or bless someone for His glory that is living in the filth of sin.
Now some are not willing to clean up so they try and cover their odor up with perfume or aftershave lotion.
The same thing is true spiritually. Many are not willing to be cleansed spiritually so they try and cover their sins with religion. Such is the case:
(1) One quite well known man who was the pastor of a mega church. He put on the cloak of religion every week until it was revealed he was guilty of sexual sins.
(2) You may remember a couple of these who had to resign their television programs as the result of sex scandals. They would put on a cloak of religion every week until it was revealed they had committed sexual sins.
While they were appearing to be as clean to the public as white as snow they were filthy in the sight of God. They were hiding behind religion.
As far as we know confession has been made and forgiveness sought, but there are always serious consequences when we disobey God.
God is not going to bless or use vessels that are not clean. They can hide behind religion, but in the sight of God He sees the filth of sin that is clinging to them!
We often quote I John 1:9 to sinners for salvation, but this scripture is written to Christians. God says to the child of God, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
God has promised to cleanse you if you will come to Him with a repentant heart and a heart that desires to be cleansed.
Illus: Have you ever noticed that it is more fun to drive a clean car rather than a dirty car?
? It is the same old car,
? It has the same old rattles,
But the same old seats suddenly become exciting again simply because they are clean.
If you want to be used of God you need to become clean spiritually. If you are not willing to do this you will never amount to anything spiritually, for God, in this life.
Paul is telling Timothy…IF YOU WANT GOD TO USE YOU, YOU WILL HAVE TO BE A CLEAN VESSEL.
Illus: Listen, we are not going to use a dirty dish to eat our food nor will God use a dirty vessel.
GOD USES CLEAN VESSELS!!! But also-
II. GOD USES RIGHTEOUNESS.
Look at verse 22. We read, “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
You can tell in this verse of scripture that Paul is addressing a young man that he wants God to use.
God’s Word says to him - when it comes to sin - FLEE!!!
What’s the fastest you’ve ever run?
Illus: Michael Johnson, the Olympic gold medal runner, was on his way to a club with some friends.
? At the door, the bouncer turned to him and said: "Sorry, mate, you can't come in here — no denim."
? Michael was quite annoyed at this and retorted: "Don't you know who I am? I'm Michael Johnson."
? The bouncer said, "Then it won't take you long to run home and change, will it?"
Illus: A man who thought he was fast runner asked his wife:
? "What do you love most about me? My tremendous athletic ability or my superior intellect?"
? His wife said, "What I love most about you is your enormous sense of humor."
The Bible says when Satan puts temptations to sin before us we must FLEE as fast as we can.
WHY DO PEOPLE FALL INTO SIN?
Because they fail to FLEE from it!
You cannot overcome sin by hanging around it.
Illus: Have you ever gone on a diet? The worst thing you can do when you go on a diet is hang out at McDonald’s! The best thing you can do is FLEE from there!!!
Illus: A little boy came running into the house after playing outside.
? His mother stopped him and asked what was on his right hand.
? He replied, “Oh, just a little mud.”
? His mother then asked if he was planning on getting it off his hand.
? He thought for a moment and said, “Sure, Mom. I’ll just wipe it off with my other hand.”
There was only one problem with his plan, one dirty hand plus one clean hand equals two dirty hands. That little boy needed to run from mud holes.
Listen, playing with sin is like playing with fire, eventually you are going to get burned.
Look at Proverbs 6: 27-29. We read, “Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.”
Illus: A pious hypocrite in a church loved to pray long public prayers, each of which he closed with this prayer,
? "And, Lord, take the cobwebs out of my life!"
? One of the godly elders of the church became tired of hearing this empty ritual week after week. One evening, after the man had concluded his long routine prayer and had mentioned the cobwebs, the elder stood up and prayed, "And, Lord, while You’re at it, kill the spider!"
Illus: Billy Sunday, the baseball evangelist and reformer, said, “I’m against sin,” he said. “I’ll kick it as long as I’ve got a foot, and I’ll fight it as long as I’ve got a fist. I’ll butt it as long as I’ve got a head. I’ll bite it as long as I’ve got a tooth. When I’m old and fistless and footless and toothless, I’ll gum it till I go home to Glory and it goes home to perdition.”
What he did is what we must do.
? Run from sin.
? Flee from it.
? Fight it.
WE MUST FLEE SIN BUT AT THE SAME WE MUST RUN TOWARD RIGHTEOUSNESS.
We must pursue righteousness at all cost. We must run from the bad stuff in life and run to the good stuff.
Paul was instructing young Timothy. This mandate is to us also - if we want God to use us-
We must pursue righteousness.
? God uses clean vessels
? God uses righteousness
But also-
III. GOD USES SMART PEOPLE.
Look at verse 23, “But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.”
Paul is saying that the best way for God to use you is to hang out with smart people. Well, at least you have a better chance of learning something that way.
People who are “foolish” will not help you grow spiritually. Often “foolish” people will argue about anything and everything.
Illus: A man was driving down a local street one day and approached a stop sign. He barely slowed down and ran right through the stop sign after glancing for traffic. What the driver didn’t know was that a policeman was watching the intersection. The policeman pulled out after him and stopped the car two blocks away.
? Policeman: "License, registration and proof of insurance please."
? Driver: "Before I give it to you, tell me what in the dickens did you stop me for, man."
? Policeman: "Watch your tone sir; you ran the stop sign back there!"
? Driver: "Man, I slowed down!”
? Policeman: “The sign did not say, ‘SLOW DOWN,’ IT SAID, ‘STOP!’”
? Driver said, “I slowed down and that is the same as stopping.”
? Policeman said, “It’s not the same.” The police officer pulled out his nightstick and began smashing it over the man’s head. Then the policeman said, "Now, do you want me to just slow down or stop?”
God’s people need to avoid arguing with “foolish” people.
The servant of the Lord that God can use wants to teach and help all mankind.
Look at verse 24-26, “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt 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.”
But there are some you cannot teach. You can waste years trying to teach some. The best thing to do is find those that you can help.
So Paul was saying, “Timothy if you want to be used of God you need to do these things.”
It should be obvious that quarreling or arguing will do no good. It won’t help us personally nor will it help the cause of Christ.
Conclusion:
I want God to use me. What about you?
When I breathe my last breath on this earth I want to be able to say that I used the years God gave me to make a difference. I do not want to live a wasted life!
I would like to leave this life having done so much for Jesus that it would take ten good men to fill my shoes…how about you?
