Some for Honor

Introduction: We have a somewhat lengthy and confusing text tonight. I’ll be honest, I don’t even know where to start by introducing it. All I can say is buckle up, it might be a bumpy ride.

, Approved and Disapproved Workers

Approved and Disapproved Workers

14 Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. 17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, 18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.

19 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 honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.

20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. 22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. 24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. 24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

As I said, the text is somewhat long and confusing. How does it all fit together? My method will be to set the context in the first 5 verses, spend a little bit of time in the middle three verses, and bring the practical application in the last 5. So let’s start with verse 14.

It begins with a reminder and a warning. A reminder pointing back to Jesus (14, these things, 8-13) and to those we minister to (them, 1-2). A warning about what we are willing to fight over (strive about words = disputes about words, quibbles over the meanings of words). We need to be careful about the small things we make a big deal about, the hills we are willing to die on. Words to no profit refer to the false doctrines, myths, godless genealogies, and fruitless discussions of (emergency in Ephesus). We must be careful because what we spend our time on has the power to make or break us, to ruin or approve us (15, 21; 3:16-16). vs. 16, we must avoid pointless chatter and worthless empty talk because it grows ungodliness and spreads like gangrene (cancer). There were two people like that- Hymanaeus and Philetus, who strayed from the central truth of the Christian faith, the hope of the resurrection, teaching others it had already passed, and ruining their faith (overthrow= overturn). If we don’t have the hope of resurrection, then we have nothing to live for, nothing to look forward to.

This is a long and somewhat confusing text. It begins with a reminder, pointing back to Jesus (these things, 8-13) and to those we minister to (them, 1-2), and a warning. We need to be careful what we make a big deal, the hills we are willing to die on. Words to no profit- false doctrines, myths, godless genealogies, and fruitless discussions of (emergency in Ephesus). We must be careful because what we spend our time on, these have the power to make or break us (15, 21; 3:16-16). By them we will either be ruined or approved. We must avoid it or it will produce ungodliness and spread like cancer (gangrene, 16-18). There were two people like that- Hymanaeus and Philetus, who strayed from the central truth of the Christian faith, the hope of the resurrection, teaching others it had already passed. If we don’t have the hope of resurrection, then we have nothing to live for, nothing to look forward to.

Thankfully, that is not the case (19-21). Though some stray from the faith the Lord knows the ones who are his, and those who are his will not continue to stray from the faith. This is the heart of the passage, the theological center for the warning above (14-18) and the practical advice below (22-26).

Let’s unpack these verses: 1) 19, God knows His people, and those who claim to know Christ will turn from wickedness. The reference appears to be from , and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will show who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him. The latter part seems to be a combination of several references. The point seems to be that no matter what opposition or false teaching there is in the church, God’s foundation stands firm. The “seal” on the foundation signifies God’s ownership of the church. The two inscriptions emphasize God’s sovereignty and the believers’ perseverance despite the threat of false teachers.

, and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will show who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him. That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him.

The New King James Version Chapter 16

and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will show who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him. That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him.

Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 2

having this seal Signifies God’s ownership. The seal and its two inscriptions emphasize God’s sovereignty and believers’ perseverance despite the threat of false teachers.

A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles Exegesis

The effect of the two quotations is to give reassurance to God’s people that he will preserve his church despite the threats caused by heretics; at the same time (on the traditional interpretation) those who call themselves believers are urged to depart from the evil practices (perhaps including the holding of false beliefs as well as impious conduct) which are associated with heresy; or (on Larson’s view) there is a way back even for the heretics and those influenced by them, but people risk being shut out from God’s saving power if they do not seek to live in a godly manner.

2) 20, In God’s House, there are people who are of honorable (special) service and those who are dishonorable (ordinary) service. Examples of this might be the receptacles we use for serving food vs. those for disposing of food. We don’t want to push the metaphor too far, but you could thoroughly clean a waste can and serve out of it. **Dishonorable is not an indictment on the KIND of service you do, but on the kind of SERVANT you are, i.e. prepared for every good work ().

3) 21, What makes the difference between the kind of servant you are is your discipleship- purifying yourself from anything dishonorable elevates you to being a special instrument in God’s service- sanctified, useful, prepared. Cleansing here refers to keeping ourselves free from the pollution of false teaching and ungodly living.

3) What makes the difference between the kind of servant you are is your discipleship- (see vs. 21) purifying yourself from anything dishonorable elevates you to being a special instrument in God’s service- sanctified, useful, prepared.

So, how do you go from being dishonorable to honorable? From ordinary to special in your usefulness as an instrument in the House of God? Practically, there are 4 things:

1. Change your DIRECTION- run from, run toward, run with… Vs. 22.

Flee- escape, quickly running away from something; In this case youthful lusts. Youthful- traits & behaviors of a younger person (driven by hormones); lusts- intense desires/cravings (gone haywire)

You don’t have to be young to desire the same things as a young person- sex, wealth, fame, and power.

If we’re ever going to elevate our discipleship into honorable service, we have to run from that stuff and run towards righteousness, faith, love, and peace. These virtues define true godliness.

You must pursue those things in community with people, with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. There is no silver bullet to discipleship, but I believe the relationships you have with people will help you to go farther and grow deeper in your friendship with Jesus (Life Group, D-group).

Honorable Disciples are going in the direction of Jesus with a group of people.

2. Pick your BATTLES- reject useless debates and quarrels, Vs. 23.

Avoid- reject, refuse. We can’t be drawn offsides by every foolish thing or ignorant debate someone wants to have with us. Ignorant- uninstructed or uninformed. Don’t engage in that because it produces quarrels.

Generate (beget)- (root) to become a parent, conceiving, giving birth to a fight/ dispute. Honorable Disciples can’t be little-battle-baby-makers, they must pick their battles.

3. Get your SPIRIT Right- be gentle, teach-able, and patient, vs. 24.

Gentle- tender, having a kind nature.

Able to teach- didactic sense, which we usually think of as formal teaching/ education. But it simply means imparting skills or knowledge. It has the same meaning as teaching in the Great Commission. How do you make disciples? Initiate them in the person of Christ (evangelize), identify them with the work of Christ (baptize), instruct them in the life of Christ (catechize). This is not about teaching them ALL the things of Christ but teaching them to OBEY all the things of Christ. We need to help people become fully formed disciples by modeling obedience in accountability, and anyone can do that.

Patient- long suffering, forbearance, patiently bearing wrongs or trouble

Honorable Disciples have the spirit of Jesus- gentle, teachable, patient.

Honorable Disciples have the spirit of Jesus- gentle, teachable, patient.

4. Trust God with the PROCESS, Vss. 25-26.

Humility- sometimes translated gentleness, but with a different emphasis as that of a kind spirit. This is about acting in a manner that is mild and even-tempered; i.e. when you have to correct someone, or deal with someone who opposes you, you don’t fly off the handle. You can correct them without putting them on blast. Correct- sense of rearing children, to instruct or shape a child through teaching, corrective, and restorative discipline to help them become well-rounded and productive people.

That’s what we should want for all our disciples, to become well-rounded and productive, i.e. fully formed disciples of Christ that are faithful and fruitful. How’s that going to happen? Humble leadership. The Bible says it is the goodness of God that leads to repentance. We respond to people with humble correction in the hopes that God will grant them repentance and knowledge of the truth.

We cannot respond with pride or hopelessness. We have to trust that God is involved in the process of their salvation and sanctification, that through His Spirit they will come to their senses and escape from the wiles of the devil. If someone is in a wrong, in their teaching or way of life, they are captive to devil and his plans, and only God can release them from that. Honorable Disciples will trust God to do what only He can do, while we also do what we can do- humbly correct the hostiles.

How do we bring this to a close? What kind of disciple do you want to be? One that is for honor, or one for dishonor? One that is ordinary, or one that is of special use to God? I would hope that every disciple of Jesus wants to be sanctified, useful, and prepared. If you do, then it means purifying yourself- your desires, discussions, disposition, and discipline of others.