Sermon Tone Analysis

Vessels of Honor and Vessels of Dishonor

There are vessels that are honorable and vessels that are dishonorable.

So what makes the difference?

it is those vessels that are useful to the Lord that are honorable.

Paul illustrates this by using the illustrations of utensils.

He said some are made for honor and others for dishonor.

Utensils that were made with gold and silver were usually used to feed people of great importance.

Utensils made of earthenware were used for gathering up trash or emptying the toilets.

Paul says that there are people in the church that fall into one of these two categories.

So tonight I want to focus on what it means to be a vessel of honor.

In verses 21–26, Paul sets forth nine characteristics that mark the faithful, godly believer who is the vessel of honor.

He will have a cleansed life (v.

21a), a sanctified soul (v.

21b), be useful to God (v.

21c), be prepared for service (v.

21d), have a pure heart (v.

22), and have a discerning mind (v.

23), a gentle manner (v.

24), a humble spirit (v.

25a), and a compassionate attitude (vv.

25b–26).

Live a cleansed life

This means that we are to purge ourselves from activities and people that may tempt us to sin.

The activities that you choose to participate in may not be conducive to righteous living.

The type of social functions you participate in may lead you to become drunk, engage in gossip, use fowl language, or a whole list of bad things.

Equally, if not more importantly, are the people you choose to hang out with.

One may say that I am okay because I hang out with people that I go to church with.

This is not necessarily a good qualifier because church folks can be living in sin.

9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world.

11 But [a]actually, I wrote to you not to associate [b]with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one.

12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders?

Do you not judge those who are within the church?

13 But those who are outside, God [c]judges.

Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.

Paul is saying that we should not isolate ourselves from unbelievers living in sin, but we are to isolate ourselves those that are in church and living in sin.

What you do and who you choose to hang out with will determine if you are living a cleansed life.

Live a sanctified life.

Sanctification is the process of becoming more Christ-like.

It is the surrender of yourself to the Holy Spirit.

It is the constant pursuit of righteousness in your life.

19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.

For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, [a]resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, [b]resulting in sanctification.

19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.

For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, [a]resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, [b]resulting in sanctification.

Make yourself useful to God

The biggest challenge to this is your priority.

Is doing the work of the Lord a priority in your life.

I am not saying that all people are called to vocational ministry.

I am saying that everyone is a minister.

Wherever the Lord has you is your mission field.

Are you using it for the purpose of God.

Prepare yourself for the work of the Lord

Just as with anything that is going to be successful you must prepare.

A sports team does not just go into a game unprepared.

They practice.

When you are going to do a presentation at work, you are going to be prepared.

When we seek to do the work of the Lord, we must be prepared.

This involves spending time in prayer, reading His word, giving and serving.

Just as with anything that is going to be successful you must prepare.

A sports team does not just go into a game unprepared.

They practice.

When you are going to do a presentation at work, you are going to be prepared.

When we seek to do the work of the Lord, we must be prepared.

This involves spending time in prayer, reading His word, giving and serving.

Have a pure heart

there are 5 things you must do to have a pure heart

Flee youthful lusts - Flee those things that you desired as a young person.

Sensuality, fortune, fame, jealousy, being right.

Pursue righteousness -It is not enough just to flee from sin.

You must pursue righteousness.

You cannot overcome sin unless you pursue righteousness.

24 “When the unclean spirit goes out of [a]a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order.

26 Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”

Pursue Faith - Loyal to God and the disciplines of the faith

Pursue Love - Unmerited affection toward another

Pursue Peace - Harmonious relationship with God and man.

Have a discerning mind

A discerning mind is one that can identify truth and expose deceit.

One that can determine what is best is one that has great discernment.

A person of discernment refuses foolish and ignorant speculations.

People that argue for the sake of arguing is foolish conversation.

It leads to quarrels and fighting.

Theology that causes confusion is not worth discussing.

This is typically going to be a false doctrine.

I remember having a conversation with a KJV only person that wanted to discredit all faith that did not use the KJV Bible.

I sought out to convince him of the error of his way, only to discover that he didn’t want to know the truth but to prove his point.

I quickly cancelled all my future meetings with this individual.

Don’t be quarrelsome

A person with a pure heart can control their emotions.

They don’t get angry when they have dialog with a person that has a different view point than them.

They are able to listen to see where the person is coming from and then know how to ask questions to expose the error of their viewpoint.

This person is very respectful of all people.

They do not seek revenge when wronged.

They are able to teach and correct wrong thinking or behavior.

Be compassionate

understand that not all people think Biblical.

They have their own opinions and ways that may not line up with scripture.

Be understanding and know that it is an opportunity for you to love them and witness to them, so they can come to a point of repentance and be saved