Clean Soldiers

Soldiers of grace remain clean and useful to the Lord.

Every house has vessels of honor and dishonor.

Recently I was looking at Facebook Market place and a guy was giving a hard time to someone who was trying to sell a used toilet. He said “No one wants a used toilet,” among several other words. “Cheap ones are not that expensive.” Very true. It was a humorous exchange.

A clean plate is an honorable plate; a dirty one is not honorable until it is clean. If someone handed you a dirty glass, it is dishonorably. If it is clean - it is honorable. The trash can is full of dishonorable stuff.

I & II Thessalonians, I & II Timothy, Titus, Philemon D. The Faithful Servant (2:14–26)

2:20–21. Paul drew another word picture to illustrate the distinctions between the true believer and the false follower. He took his imagery from his readers’ understanding of an ordinary house. Such a house would have a variety of utensils and wares, some of gold and silver, and others of wood and clay. Correspondingly, the gold and silver are for noble purposes, while the wood and clay are reserved for ignoble use. Basically, a person does not use china cups to feed the dog.

Jesus foretold the same truth. The church is a mixed group, some true to their Lord, others impostors (Matt. 13:24–30). Though God knows who belongs to him and though true disciples demonstrate a life reflective of his holiness, scattered among them are unbelievers who deny the truth by their doctrine and their lives. These are the wood and clay within God’s earthly house. Their presence should not disturb or discourage those who are faithful.

You can choose to be a clean vessel:

“If a man purge himself of these...”

There is personal responsibility.

There is a personal choice be be clean from false teaching and wickedness and wordly living.

There is accountinilty for self - not for other people.

There is the opportunity to be “Meet for the masters use.” God can use you for His honor!

My Favorite Illustrations Do You Qualify?

Many people define religion in terms of the negative rather than positive expressions. To them a good Christian is someone who does not do certain evil or questionable things. By this definition a clothing store mannequin could qualify, for it does not do any of those questionable things! Christianity should be seen as positive in nature. A true Christian will do certain good things because he or she is a Christian. A clean heart results in clean conduct.

HOW CAN WE BE CLEAN / USEFUL VESSELS???

Run Away From Evil.

Youthful Lusts.

New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries: Updated Edition (1939 ἐπιθυμία (epithumia))

LUSTS = ἐπιθυμία epithumia; desire, passionate longing, lust:—coveting(2), desire(4), desires(8), earnestly(1), impulses(1), long(1), lust(5), lustful(1), lusts(15).

Lust for immoral and also foolish things.

1 Peter 2:11–12 KJV 1900

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Oxycontin is a hormone your brain unleashes when there is sexual release. It is the bonding of “love” hormone. It bonds your emotions and affections to that moment with the person; a real person or an image. This is a practical reason to avoid sex before marriage and to avoid pornography. Oxycontin causes you to not think the same about that person.

“Oxytocin is a hormone and a neurotransmitter that is involved in childbirth and breast-feeding. It is also associated with empathy, trust, sexual activity, and relationship-building.” RUN AWAY FROM IMMORALITY.

You are going to run a different direction than most people in the world around you when it comes to lust.

RUN AWAY FROM EVIL.

Run To Good Things.

Righteousness

10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Right Standing)

Right standing, specifically before God. Among the Greeks, righteousness was an ethical virtue. Among the Hebrews it was a legal concept; the righteous man was the one who got the verdict of acceptability when tried at the bar of God’s justice. Christ’s death took away our sins and made it possible for sinners to have “the righteousness of God,” i.e., right standing before God (Rom. 1:16–17; 3:22; 5:17). That gift of righteousness is to be followed by upright living (Rom. 6:13–14).

Faith

2 Peter 1:4–8 KJV 1900

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Charity

Peace

Romans 14:19 KJV 1900

Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

Run With Good People.

a. People who pray. 22

b. People who have a pure heart. 22

c. People who have purposeful talk. 23

Foolish talk.

FOOLISH = μωρός mōros; a prim. word; dull, stupid, foolish: “MORON”

Thomas, R. L. (1998). New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek dictionaries : updated edition. Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc.

Unlearned questions.

New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries:

UNLEARNED = ἀπαίδευτος apaideutos; uninstructed:—ignorant.

QUESTIONS = ζήτησις zētēsis; a search, questioning:—controversial questions.

Thomas, R. L. (1998). New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek dictionaries : updated edition. Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc.

Controversial topics.

Unlearned questions “Gender” or birth strifes.

Don’t go looking for fights over things you don’t really know about.

Don’t fight with foolish or unlearned people.

Proverbs 13:20 KJV 1900

He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: But a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

Run With Good People.

a. People who pray. 22

b. People who have a pure heart. 22

c. People who have purposeful talk. 23

CONCLUSION:

Today's Best Illustrations, Volumes 1-4 Clean Hands

Sleep with clean hands, either kept clean all day by integrity or washed clean at night by repentance.

Soldiers of grace remain clean and useful to the Lord.

Run Away from Evil.

Run to Good Things.

Run with Good people.

D and A

1. Discuss the difference between dirty and clean vessels and their usefulness.

2. Why is our being spiritually clean important to the Lord?

3. Share some tips on running away from evil.

4. What are some good things we should run to?

5. Solve the dilemma of being cornered by a moron. What do you do?

6. Talk about how to be a good friend who encourages godliness.