Download vessel of honour part 2 december 11, 2016

DATE: DECEMBER 11, 2016
THEME: “A VESSEL OF HONOUR FOR GOD”
SUBTHEME: HONOUR YOUR TEMPLE WHICH IS YOUR BODY
SONG: REFINERS FIRE
SCRIPTURE
2 Timothy 20-22
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.
21
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.
22
Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith,
charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure
heart.
INTRODUCTION :::::Vessels Of Honor
Bible Text: 2 Timothy 2:20-21
Every believer should have that
compelling desire to be used of God in whatever way He
chooses. The flow of II Tim. 2 moves from the call
"to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."
(2:1) to being "a workman who does not need to be
ashamed" (15) in order to be "useful to the Master,
prepared for every good work."
To be used of God
To sing, to speak, to pray.
To be used of God
To show someone the way.
I long so much to feel
The touch of His consuming fire,
To be used of God is my desire.
In this passage the Apostle Paul uses the figure of a
vessel to describe Christians.
Honour is something everybody seeks. Honour by men is for a
fee; anybody can get it. You cannot talk about honour from men
because a lot of times it is born of ignorance. In John 5:41-44,
Jesus said to John the Baptist: “I receive not honour from
men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in
you. I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not:
if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another,
and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?”
Vessels of Honour refer to men and women God has chosen
to honour to bring glory to His Name. The people God
chooses are vessels that have been appointed to carry and
reveal the ways and wisdom of God; to manifest His power
and glory in their time.
We need to understand that vessels of honour are people
who are consecrated, sanctified and determined to please
God in their lives. We need men and women who are
determined to please God in their lives because God notices
people; He sees what we are doing (Ezekiel 14:14).
As a vessel unto honor, you are a child of destiny headed for a
definite destination, you are meant for the top. You have already
been packaged by THE ALMIGHTY HIMSELF to be
distinguished, great and celebrated. You are a treasure chest,
inside of you is something special that God intends for you to
fulfill HIS purpose for YOUR LIFE. On the other hand the devil
does not want you developing your potentials and assets because
he does not want you to give birth to what God has put within
you.
In our text, Paul tells Timothy that those that keep themselves
pure will be used of God to for every good work.
1. Do you want to be special or ordinary?
2. Would you rather be described as gold & silver or wood &
clay?3. Are you a vessel of honor or a vessel of dishonor?
Hopefully by the end of this message you will be able to
examine your life and discern where you stand with God
How many people get saved and yet never become useful
vessels in the House of God? I can tell you that there are a lot
of them. In fact, I wonder if the majority of the clay pots in the
House of God aren’t just there for the looks, because many
don’t seem to have a real job to do, or at least they aren’t
doing it.
God has to get all the hard lumps out of us and make us
completely pliable.
APOSTLE PAUL In his letter to the Galatians Paul writes
these words: Galatians 6:17, "From henceforth let no man
trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord
Jesus." Paul was an honored vessel in God’s House. His life
gave glory to the Potter. He was used like few vessels have
ever been used. And yet he was scarred, battered and beaten
because he fulfilled his purpose.
If you are going to be used by God, get ready for a few battle
scars. But if you really want to be an honored vessel, then let
God use you as he wills. Only those vessels that are willing
vessels will be honored in Heaven one day. Those who refuse to
be what God wants them to be will be cast into the pits forever.
REQUIREMENTS
HONOUR!
TO
BECOME
A
VESSEL
OF
There must be a separation. Isa. 52:11 “Depart ye, Depart
ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing, go ye
out of the midst of her, be ye clean that bear the vessels of
the Lord”. Eph 5:11 admonishes that you are to have no
fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but
rather you should expose them.
1. Spiritual cleansing- 2 Corin. 7:1 “Having therefore these
promises dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from
all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in
the fear of God. (see also 2 Tim 2:21, 1 Jn. 3:3)
2. Living ready (readiness) Matt 24:44 “Therefore be ye
also ready for such an hour as ye think not the son of
man cometh”. (see also Lk.12:35-36)
3. Spiritual preparation:a. Abandonment of idols- 1 Sam. 7:3
b. Cleansing of God’s Temple – 1 Corin. 6:15-20
c. Personal purification- 2 Tim. 2:21
d. Sanctification – Heb. 10:10.
e. Consecration – 1Chron. 29:5b (You must be willing to
consecrate yourself to the Lord)
f. Faith – Heb 11:6, 1 Jn.5:4
g. Good works – Matt. 5:16, Isa. 60:1
h. Purity – 1 Tim. 5:22b, 2 Pet. 3:14, Matt 5:8
i. Righteousness – Hosea 10:12, 1 Corin. 15:34, Phil. 1:11,
1 Tim. 6:11, Titus 2:12, 2 Pet. 1:3.
To be identified as a vessel unto honor you must not and
cannot afford to live like others, talk like them, dress like
them love what they love. You must be different. You are
unique and special; you are a vessel unto honor. You
cannot adopt the customs and practices of the world. You
are heaven bound, you cannot be identified with the
choices others make or the company they keep. You are a
vessel unto honor that can be used by the master not a
vessel unto dishonor that will be discarded by Him, bye
passed Him.
Biblical Examples Of Men Who Became Vessels Of Honour
1. Moses: Moses is an example of someone who had grown in
confidence with God and he and God had a working
relationship (Exodus 8:8-13). When a man speaks for God
and He endorses him, that is honour. When God responds to
the voice of a man, that is great honour.
2. Abraham: Abraham showed what it is to be a vessel of
honour before the God of Heaven and earth. In Genesis
18:25, he told God: “Will not the Judge of all the earth do
right?” The testimony of his intercession resulted in God
delivering Lot from the destruction Sodom and Gomorrah
(Genesis 19:27-29). The call for vessels of honour is actually
a call for personal ambition to a life in the Spirit, because
most people don't have ambition in the spirit, they have
ambition in the things of the world.
3. Joshua: Joshua was also a man that did wonders; he
commanded the sun to stand still till Israel avenged itself on her
enemies (Joshua 10:13). The Bible says: “there was no day like
that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the
voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel” (Joshua
10:14).
4. Jesus Christ:The greatest example of a vessel of honour is
our LORD and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Being a vessel of
honour is not about man's opinion of you, it is about God's
opinion of you. In Matthew 3:15, Jesus Christtold John the
Baptist; “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to
fulfill all righteousness.” When a man is determined to fulfill
all righteousness, he positions himself to become a vessel of
honour. But what is most revealing is the Father's endorsement.
The Heavens opened over Jesus, the Holy Spirit empowered
Him, and God, the Father said in Matthew 3:17, “This is my
beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus demonstrated
what it is to be a vessel of honour at the graveyard of Lazarus.
He was confronted with the fact that His friend had been dead
for four days. He made the statement that challenges us
everyday, when He looked up and said “Father, I thank You, I
know that You always hear me." This prayer may be
superfluous Jesus said, “...but I am making it because of the
people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that
thou hast sent me.”
We have a challenge that day by day, we cannot afford to stay
in the same place but we have to go through the path to
becoming a vessel of honour.
Path To Becoming A Vessel Of Honour
There is a revelation that must come upon anyone seeking to
be a vessel of honour as seen in Zechariah 3:3-4. The issue of
sin. Most people don't know the hindrance of sin in a man's
relationship with God. God told Joshua, the high priest that
He had cleaned him up and Joshua received salvation
(Zechariah 3:5). Many people are talking about salvation,
which has positioned us to be children of God but the fact
that you have received salvation does not make you a vessel
of honour.
As seen in Zechariah 3:6-7, to be a vessel of honour, you
must follow God's ways and serve Him. God was saying to
Joshua, the high priest that there is a place of honour where
only a few people in their generation can attain. The
question you need to ask yourself is: why can't I be part of
these few people that will walk in the place of honour before
God?
There is a place of honour but the most important thing
about the place of honour is that there are no privileges,
reservations or special people. In other words, you cannot
say the place is filled up; hence there is no space available
for you. It is important to know that anybody who desires
can become a vessel of honour in his or her time. The
process is very clear, there must be atonement. I John 2:102
says: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye
sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for
our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole
world.” A man is not perfect, but a man must be blameless, and the
only way to be blameless is that if by chance you lose your way you
quickly repent and be restored. While we rely solely on what God
has done to bring us into fellowship with God, we must know that
this does not distinguish between Christians because it is the same
gift of salvation we all received. But what distinguishes us is
following His ways – doing God’s will His ways not our ways.
We need to understand that vessels of honour are people who
are consecrated, sanctified and determined to please God in their
lives. We need men and women who are determined to please
God in their lives because God notices people; He sees what we
are doing (Ezekiel 14:14).
In this country, we need men and women who can stand
before God, and no one needs to know whom they are. If you
honour God, walk in holiness before Him, submit to His will
and His ways, Heaven will tell you what to pray about and
endorse you. You can decide today that if God will endorse
anyone in your time, it should be you. This should be your
personal ambition. Being a vessel of honour makes
individuals to consecrate their lives unto God.
CONCLUSION!
God is truly on a recruitment drive. You can be a vessel of
honour if you decide from today to surrender your life to
Jesus, walk in His way and obey Him. Have you started the
journey to being a vessel of honour? Start today. Repent of
your sins, ask God to forgive you of all your sins, and tell
Him you desire to be a vessel of honour so that His Name
will be glorified. The power of the Holy Spirit will come
upon your life and begin a new walk in you.
SHALOM.