God's Instrument: How to Be Used By God (2 Timothy 2:20-22)

Well, this morning we come to a great passage of Scripture.

I'm so glad that you're here with us.

The title of my.

Sermon this morning is God's Instrument, How to be Used

by God. It's God's Instrument, How to be Used by God.

Just the other day I was working on some vehicles.

I do a lot of maintenance on the vehicles that

we have and I was working on a vehicle and

I was changing oil on the vehicle so it was

time to change the oil filter and it was a

kind of smaller filter and so I went to my

garage and In my garage, I've got a lot of

different tools. I have a lot of probably four different

oil filter wrenches. And so I got one and this

is the one I've got. It was, this is an

old filter wrench. You probably can't tell from where you are.

This is a filter wrench that my, Brandy's grandpa gave

me actually in about 2004. This is very old. I

don't know when he got it. I was, I think

I had a Toyota Camry back then in 2001 and

I was changing oil myself and and I needed a

very small one, and he had one to let me

borrow it, and.

He did say I could have it. I didn't borrow it,

never give it back.

But you think about this, this wrench was made just

for one purpose. It's made to change oil filters, to

remove them, or to tighten them and put them back.

I have a lot of tools in my garage.

I have drills, I have skill saws, I have all

kinds of things, but That day when I was changing

the oil, I didn't say, go get the skill saw.

I mean, that's not going to work, right? I didn't say, hey,

go get the crowbar. I'll see if I can pull

it off.

I didn't get a drill just to drill a hole

in it, right?

I got the right tool for that purpose.

And, you know, when I went and got the tool,

I didn't go to the vehicle and just throw the

tool at it and say, go to work, right?

The tool had to have, it had to use my hands.

It had to use my skill, my knowledge, where The

filter was, do you realize today God created you for

a purpose? God uniquely created you for a particular purpose.

And he created you for a purpose and you without

him are nothing. But you in the hand of God

is an instrument that God wants to use for his

glory and for your good. And as we come to

this passage this morning, that's what the passage is all about.

It's understanding that God created us for a purpose and

understanding what God created us for.

And this morning, maybe recognizing.

Very simply, God, you created me for a purpose and God,

you want to use me.

You want to use me as your instrument in your hand.

As we come to this passage, 2 Timothy, we've been

in this study and Timothy, Paul's letter to Timothy, he

was in prison. We know that he's This is the

last letter he wrote. This was the last letter he

wrote before he passed. Died in prison there in Rome.

And so these were his last words. And he is challenging.

He is writing a letter to Timothy because he wants

Timothy to continue his work to encourage Timothy to be

used by God. And as he's doing that today, as

we looked last week, he talks about things that Timothy

should seek after.

He should pursue him. He should endure, if you will,

and we looked at those.

He also, as we looked at last week, he talked

about things that Timothy should avoid in order to be

used by God.

And so we looked at those this last week.

This week, Paul examines to Timothy how to be used

by God, how God could use Timothy and how God

could use the church and just how God might use him.

So this morning, as we look at this passage together,

it's just a few verses.

May we think about we are God's instruments and how

can we be used by God? Let's look at the

passage as we begin. First, here he uses analogy. I

began this morning by using analogy of an oil filter wrench.

He uses analogy of vessels and let's look at that together.

He's now in a great house. There are not only

vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay.

Some for honorable use and some for dishonorable use. How

to be used by God? Number one, we must be

an honorable instrument. As you come to this passage of scripture,

it gives this analogy, if you will, or this metaphor

of this great house. A great house refers to the south.

So this is a very large house, if you will.

And in this house, this large house that this passage

is using as a metaphor analogy, in this large house,

there's different things. There's different instruments in this house or

different vessels as the passage uses there's two types of

vegetables um vegetables that's vessels you can tell I'm hungry

I guess two types of vessels in this or we

would refer to dishes right they're gold and silver um

here these are fine dishes right and then there's wood

or clay we would consider that like paper plates right

and it gives two more distinctions in here right the

gold and silver are considered in this passage honorable.

Uses, right?

And then there's wood and clay, which are considered dishonorable uses.

This morning, not only I brought some tools, but I

brought some plates. This is a piece of fine china

we have in our house.

This came from my house.

And so this is actually Brandy's, that tool was her grandpa's,

Maurice Fowler. This is her grandma's dishes, Fleety Fowler. They were,

he served our country in as a medic overseas and

in Germany and this china came from Germany this is

fine this is the fine stuff this is we don't

get this out we don't use this all the time

right it's in the china cabinet we only use it

for special occasions right maybe Christmas or maybe have special

guests over this is fine that's the imagery of here

this would be used for honorable use right and then

that then there's another that I pulled from.

The house I got in the bag that shows you

it's kind of not good This is a paper plate.

It came from Walmart.

And it's pretty nasty.

I got it from the trash. So it's got a

little leftover tuna on it. It kind of smells. If

you get a little whiff.

It's got some rice and tuna on it. This would

be dishonorable use, right? It's not useful any longer, right?

You can imagine if Brandy and I were going to

have a nice dinner and we had some special guests

come over to the house and We were going to

bring out some good stuff, right? Good dishes because we

have an honored guest coming to our home. We would

never pull out the paper plates from the trash. They

had leftover food and put that on the table. I

see some of you ladies shaking your head. You're like, no,

no way you would ever do that. And that's the

imagery of this passage. Now notice what the analogy is

or the metaphor. The metaphor is what? This is a

great large house. What's that house he's talking about? This

is God's house. This is the church. This is, we

look into the reference just previous in this passage in

verse 19, God's firm foundation stands. What is the firm

foundation that Paul is referencing here?

It is the church.

You know, he said to Peter upon this rock, I

will build my church. The church is God's firm foundation.

The church is the analogy of this, of this house.

We see this in other places in scripture. Um, He

mentions in 1 Timothy 3, the first letter, if I delay, you.

May know how one ought to behave in the household

of God. So Paul is describing in this passage, he's.

Describing the people who are within the church. There's those

in the church and there are those in the church

who are honorable useful for God.

God uses in.

An honorable way, but there's also those in the church

who They're pretty filthy. They're dishonorable. God can't use them

because they're not clean.

They're a mess. And he's using that example. We know

through scripture, I was going to leave this out, but

I just can't do that. I'm going to have to

move this away. I'll be smelling it for the rest

of the service. Just put that back down there.

But that's the imagery of this passage. I want you

to think about this concept in the light of Scripture, right?

We know that Jesus taught in the Gospels and in

the church.

They're what?

They're believers and unbelievers. You know, sometimes we live in

this fallacy, this idea that everybody in the church is believers.

But Scripture, Jesus taught very clearly in Scripture that in.

Matthew 13 that there was a weed and tares, right?

He also talked about in Matthew 24, there was a

sheep and the goats. He gives the imagery that there

will be at the end those who will come before

the Lord and say, Lord, did we not prophesy in

your name? There will be those who disguise themselves as believers,

and they're not believers.

And that's right within the church itself. And not only churches,

it's made up of different groups.

There's believers and unbelievers, but also within the church, there

are faithful and unfaithful.

There's honorable and dishonorable, right? If you use an analogy,

if you go.

Back in chapter 2, Paul was commending Timothy to live

for the Lord. And he uses some different examples, right,

of different people who did things for.

Athletes. He used a farmer. He used a soldier. And

he used them as different examples of what they do.

Look at the passage with me.

2 Timothy chapter 2, starting with verse 3.

2 Timothy 2 · chapter mention

Listen to what it says. Sharing the sufferings as a

good soldier of Christ Jesus.

No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuit since his aim

is to please the one who's enlisted him. An athlete

is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

And if the hardworking farmer ought to have his first

share of the crops, think over what I say for

the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

He's pleading with Timothy and he says, Timothy, be faithful.

Be faithful unto the Lord. Be honorable unto the Lord.

Serve the Lord like a good athlete that strives and

pursues and fights and continue to do excellent in athletics.

According to the words. Continue to live for God according

to the word of God. Be faithful. Obey the word

of God, even when it's difficult.

He tells Timothy to, just like a soldier endures suffering,

be a faithful, an honorable Christian who continues to be

a Christian soldier for Christ, that even when hard times.

Come, he's faithful.

Not only be a faithful soldier, not only be a

faithful athlete, not only be faithful, be a faithful farmer.

A farmer who works and does things for the Lord,

not for the pleasures of the earth, but the reward

of heaven.

Who has his heart set on what I live.

For is not the things of this earth, but the

things that are coming. And that's why I live for

the Lord. But in this passage, he's given examples. There

are those who are not faithful soldiers. Who will not

live for God because they're not willing to endure suffering.

There are those who are not only not faithful soldiers,

there are those who are not faithful athletes because they're

not willing to live according to the word of God.

There are not only not faithful soldiers and not faithful athletes,

but there's not, there's also in the church, there's not

faithful farmers because there's people who live for the pleasures

of the world instead of the pleasures of heaven, the

reward of heaven. And so in this passage of scripture,

he's really distinguishing in the church, there are those who,

are honorable. And there are those who are dishonorable. God

can't use them because they're not faithful. They're not what

God's called them to be.

But what should be our goal?

Look at verse 20 and 21. Listen to what it says.

Now in a great house there's not only vessels of gold.

You see the imagery there? There are those who are honorable.

But in the house there's also some wood and clay.

There are those who are for honorable use. And in

the church, there are those who are dishonorable, right? But

look at verse 34, 31, I'm sorry, 21. Eventually I'll

get it right. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself of what

is dishonorable, he will be, listen to this, a vessel

for honorable use. He'll be a vessel for honorable use.

That's the goal, isn't it? The goal is to say, God,

I want to be used by you. God, you created

me for a purpose. God, you made me for a purpose.

And God, I want to be used for what you

created me for. I don't want to be, God, dishonorable

and not be used by you, God.

I wonder today, as we think about this morning, what

kind of instrument are you? You know, every one of

you here today, you're an instrument. You're a vessel. Which

one are you today? Are you honorable? Are you dishonorable?

I think it's important for all of us to answer

the question today, do I desire to be used by God?

To be an honorable instrument for the Lord? And I

think we have to be honest with ourselves. If we

say this morning, I don't desire to be used by God,

to very simply say, Acknowledge we're living in rebellion against God.

Because if God's created you for a purpose, and he

wants to use you as his instrument, and you say,

thanks but no thanks, we're rebelling against what God created

us for. This morning, how to be used by God.

We must be an honorable instrument.

How do we do that? He answers that question in

verse 21.

He says, Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable,

we must be an honorable instrument.

We must be a clean instrument.

He discusses the next steps for becoming an honorable instrument.

It's anyone who cleanses himself from what is dishonorable.

You got a picture in this, right? This passage, right?

There's two types and I had the two different plates, right?

There's honorable and dishonorable, right? And in this passage, he's

talking about separating the two from one another. If anyone

cleanses himself from what is dishonorable. What's dishonorable in this

passage are the other vessels, right? Go to verse 1.

There's two types, right? There's honorable and dishonorable, right? In

verse 21, he says the honorable, if they're going to

be cleansed, they must what? Therefore, cleanses himself. What is dishonorable? Listen,

he describes it further. He'll be a vessel for honorable use.

Set apart, right? Set apart is the imagery of separating.

Set apart as what?

Holy.

Holy is clean, right? Clean before the Lord. The imagery

here in this passage of Scripture is.

Separating, right? Separating the honorable from the dishonorable.

If you think about this for a minute, he's talking

about in the church. There are those in the church

who are dishonorable.

Not clean. They're not right with the Lord.

And he's talking about those in the church who are honorable,

who are right with the Lord, to separate from those

who are dishonorable. It's kind of hard to get our

minds around that. But it is something that Paul talked

a lot about, not only in this passage, but also

in another passage. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians. 1

1 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

Corinthians chapter 5. Paul's talking about some relationships within the church.

And he's talking about some, one, let's use the imagery here,

one within the church who's dishonorable, who's not right with

the Lord. And he's instructing the church of what to

do with this one who is living a.

Life that's dishonorable to the Lord. Let's look at it together.

It's 1 Corinthians 5, starting in verse 9. He says,

I wrote you in my letter. Paul wrote four letters

to Corinth.

And the first letter he's referencing here is a letter

we don't have, by the way. This 1 Corinthians is

actually Paul's second letter. So he's referencing this first letter

he wrote. He says this, Paul was saying, listen, I

wrote in that letter I first wrote to you to

not associate, listen to this, with any sexual moral people.

And then he defines that.

He says the sexual moral people that I'm telling you

not to associate with are the people within the church.

And this is how we know that because in verse 10,

he says, not meaning the sexual moral of the world.

He's saying, listen, there's people who are sexual moral in

the church and you should have nothing to do with them.

But I'm not talking about those in the world because

they're sinners, right? They're going to act like sinners. They're

going to do sinful things. I'm talking about people within

the church. And listen to what he says. He says

that in verse 10. And then verse 11, he says,

but I'm not writing to you, but I am writing

to you Not to associate with anyone who bears the

name of a brother, who is guilty of sexual morality,

of greed, or is an idolater, or rival, or drunkard,

or swindler.

Not to even eat with such a one. For what

do you to do with judging outsiders? Is it not

those inside.

The church whom you are to judge? God judges those

on the outside. Purge the evil inside. person from among

you Paul was talking about those within the church and

he's saying there's some in the church who are living

in sin and listen you are not to.

Associate with them you're not even in this.

Passage not even to eat with such a one you

are to separate yourself from those who are not living

for the Lord Paul would even describe this in another

passage in 1 Corinthians 15 33 don't be deceived right

bad company Ruins good morals. You know, if you think

about it just practically on an analogy level, right? If

I take this clean dish and I put it with

that dirty dish, guess what's going to happen?

The dirty dish is going to get dirty. It's very simply, right?

When we come to that analogy, if we are trying

to pursue right, we can't hang out with those who

are not right with the Lord, who are living in sin.

And we must separate. If you look at that within

the context of this passage of Scripture, who are these?

Who are these ones that Paul is referencing here? It's

not maybe sexual morality in this passage of Scripture. It

actually is false teaching. Go with me to 1 Corinthians,

just a few verses ahead. 2 Corinthians 2, verse 16,

2 Corinthians 2:16

he says what? But avoid irrelevant babble, for it will

lead to more people and more ungodliness. And their talk

will spread like gangrene, and among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus.

Right?

Just last week, he talked about these two false teachers

who were what? Within the church, who were spreading false teaching.

And he says, listen, their false teaching is spreading like

a cold. Right? And you need to have nothing to

do with them because if you what? If you associate

with them, their false teaching will what? Spread on to you.

You need to avoid them. You need to separate them.

You need to cleanse yourself from them. I wonder today,

who are the relationships that you have in your life?

You know, many of you have great relationships. Some of

them are inside this church. Some of them are outside

this church and And many of the people that you're

close to maybe claim to be believers, but are they

leading you to the Lord?

Are they leading you into a closer walk with the Lord?

And if they're not, and if they have maybe they

say they're believers, but they are clear disobedience in their life,

if you're going to be what God wants you to

be and be used by God like God wants you

to be, it may mean that you.

Have to separate from them. You might have to distance

yourself from them.

I remember as a young teenage boy, I was 17

years old, and God began working in my heart, and

I was trying to live for the Lord, and I

realized very quickly that I had some friends, childhood friends

that I grew up with, and they said they were believers,

but they weren't.

Living for God.

And I remember as a young 17-year-old boy realizing if

I was going to be who God wanted me to be,

that meant I had to separate myself from some people.

Because I had to be what God wanted me to be,

and I could not.

Could not associate with myself with people who were going

to lead me away from the Lord.

And this is what I want you to hear this morning.

Because practically for many of you who have children, and

as you're nurturing your children, you're teaching them how to

choose the right friends. And how, if they're not the

right friends, to separate themselves. And listen, we'll do that.

We'll instruct our children to do that. But as we

get to adults, we think we're strong enough. No, no,

I know my children need to do that, but I'm

strong enough to handle the temptation from my peers.

Listen, you're not strong enough as a child and you're

not strong enough as an adult.

And God commands us, listen, if we're going to be

used by God to separate ourselves from people who.

Are not living honorable lives for the Lord.

And we don't need to allow the emotional attachment of

friendships to blur the lines for us that it.

Will be okay. Paul is very clear in this passage

of Scripture. Cleanse ourselves.

And that means separating those who are dishonorable for God.

Listen to the next part.

If we are to be used by God, we must

be an honorable instrument.

We must be a clean instrument. Third, we must be

a ready instrument. A ready instrument. Look at the passage

of Scripture. If anyone cleanses himself of what is dishonorable,

he will be a vessel for honorable use. Set apart

of holy things. useful to the master of the house,

ready for every good work.

Ready.

Not only will we be honorable to God, the honorable

instrument that God can use will be a clean instrument

that God can use, but we need to be a

ready instrument that God can use.

It's interesting as we go on mission trips and we've

done missions, it's a big part of us who we

are at Bethesda and we do mission trips all over

and I've led numerous mission trips And as we lead

and as I get ready to take a team on

a mission trip, well, I always tell them, listen, we're

going to be there seven days. We're going to be

playing for three days roughly. We're going to be on

the ground for seven days. And in that seven-day period,

I encourage them, you need to be ready. You need

to be ready because we might have our plans, what

we think God wants to do, but God's going to

have some other plans. And we need to be ready

to be used by God however way he wants to

use us in those seven days. Listen, we only have

seven days. You may never come back to Africa, wherever

we're going, ever again in your life. You may never

see these people again in your life. So you need

to be ready to be used by God. I remember

one time we were taking a trip and we were

going to Tanzania and I was telling our team this.

And we were coming up and we were going into

the village.

To make a stop to visit some people and we

We walk up to a house, and we were going

door to door visiting with people. And we walk up,

and I went to the translator, and the translator said, well, there's.

Someone who just died here.

And I said, oh, you know, I had never been to,

you know, a house that they had just lost a

family member. He says, the whole community has come together,

and they're grieving. They've got grievers who are outside the

house grieving with the family. And so then he looks

at me and says, it would be good for you

to preach. And I said, it'd be good for me

to what? He said, I'm going to get them together.

You stand, you just do a sermon. And I was like,

do a sermon? I just thought we were going door

to door. And so the next thing I know, I'm

preaching a sermon to just people on the side of

a house and had no idea. But listen, God blessed

that in that moment. But I want you to see

in this passage, he's calling us to be ready. Just

like we were calling the mission team to be ready.

And the reason why we're ready and the reason why

we're more ready when we go on a mission trip,

because we believe that there's time is short.

We don't have a limited amount of time. We have

a limited amount of time that we're going to reach

the people that God puts in our path.

But listen, I think the danger for us in America

is we come on our every day of the week

and we think we've got enough time. I've got plenty

of time. I've got a lot more life to live.

I've got a lot more time with the people around me.

Do you realize today you don't know.

How much time you have? You not only don't know

how much time you have, but you don't know how

much time you.

Have with the people around you. And just as much

we should live ready as we go on mission, we

must live ready as believers in Jesus Christ. I love

this passage that Jesus tells us in Luke chapter 12.

Luke 12 · chapter mention

He says in Luke chapter 12, it's a parable, verse 35.

Luke 12 · chapter mention

Stay dressed for action.

Keep your lamps burning and be like men who are

waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast.

So they may open the door to him at once

when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants who

the master finds awake when he comes. It's the imagery, listen,

of servants who are waiting for their master to return.

They don't know when he's going to come.

But they're ready at any moment that when the master

turns the knob on the door, they're ready grabbing the

door handle, opening the door ready.

For their master to return.

And the imagery is that Jesus is coming back.

And he's coming back at any moment.

And we as servants of God must live our lives

ready for his return.

That when Jesus comes back, we would.

Say, God, I was ready as your servant to serve

you as long as I had time left for you.

Are you ready?

Are you an honorable instrument for God? Are you a

clean instrument for God? Are you a ready instrument for God? Say, God,

I don't know how much time I have left. But

every day I have left, I want to be ready

to be used by you.

And who you bring in my life.

Lastly, I want you to see in this passage of Scripture,

we must be a faithful instrument. Look at the passage

of Scripture. He really, in this passage, kind of gives

us how can we be ready. At the end of 21,

he says, a useful to the master, ready for every

good work.

And then he gives instruction, verse 22.

So flee useful passions. Pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace. along

with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

He gives us instructions of how to be a faithful instrument,

how to be a ready instrument. Number one, he gives

us three things, by the way, flee, pursue, and follow.

He says, first, we should flee useful passions. We understand

he's talking to Timothy here. Timothy's a young man, probably

in his 30s, maybe late 30s, early 40s.

Timothy would have struggled with different things.

And like all of us tempted, it doesn't mean that

he was In sin, it just means that he faced

temptation like we all do.

And listen to what he says in this. So flee

useful passions. It's to flee these things. You're not going

to be tempted, Timothy, but flee these things.

This very same imagery that we see in 1 Timothy 4.12, right?

Let no one look down on you or despise you

for your youth, but set a believer as an example

in speech and conduct and love and faith and purity, right?

It's this idea that he's to flee certain things. How

do we do that?

How do we flee from temptation? I think the Bible

gives us a roadmap. How do we flee temptation? We

see that here, but we also see it in Psalm 19, right?

119 verse 9. How can a young man keep his

way pure? By guarding it according to your word.

You know, when we.

Think about God, I want to be ready for you.

I'm ready by being faithful. And I'm faithful by what?

Fleeing.

And I flee by what? By knowing your word. By

guarding my heart and my mind.

By your word.

I wonder today if you think about what you digest

every day. You know we talk about. This, our phones

track all kinds of stuff. It'll track how much time

you're on your phone, what apps you're using the most, right?

You can go in your settings and it'll tell you whatever,

what you're looking at the most. I wonder where the

Bible lands in your day. You look at a lot

of things throughout a 24-hour period. How much of that

is pursuing God's Word? And how much of it is

we're not fleeing from other temptations, but we're pursuing the

temptations that seem to be pursuing us. Paul's instruction to

Timothy is not to pursue them, but instead flee them.

Notice what else he says. Not only are we to

flee useful passions, but we are to pursue something else.

He gives us kind of four different words here.

Righteousness, pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace.

Let me walk through these real quick.

Righteousness is just very simply doing what is right. It's

a theological word we use, but the word he's using

here is just very simple. It really means just very

simply do what is right. Doing what's right by man's standard? No,

by God's standard, right? We pursue God's word. As this

passage we just read, how can a young man keep

his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.

We pursue God's word, and his word teaches us What

to do with what is right and what is wrong.

And that is what we pursue.

That's what we live for is to do what is

right in the eyes of God's word. Secondly, he says

not only pursue righteousness but pursue faith.

The word faith here is translated as faithfulness.

It comes from the idea of being loyal, trustworthy. You know,

God wants us to pursue righteousness, doing what is right.

But God wants us to be loyal. Loyal to him.

Loyal to his church.

Just think of that idea. I'm going to flee, right?

I'm going to flee useful passions, but I want to

pursue what is right, God.

I want to be faithful to you, God. I want

to be faithful to your people. Then third, listen to

the imagery here. Not only we pursue righteousness, faith, but

we pursue love.

Love here is this word.

It comes from The form from agape, it comes to

the idea of love here is not an emotion, it's

a choice. I love this idea because, you know, sometimes

we can be driven to love based upon.

What we feel.

The word here that Paul is describing is a love

that says, God, I love you whether I feel it

or not. God, whether I feel your love or I

feel your presence or I feel your goodness or I feel.

Some type of emotion, God, I choose to love you.

Why?

Because God chose to love you when you were not lovable.

When you were a sinner.

How great is his love for us that even while

we're sinners, Christ died for us. And we should pursue

righteousness and we pursue peace but we'll pursue a love

that loves God no matter when we feel it or not.

Fourth, we pursue peace.

Irena is the word here. It's where we get the

name Irene. It means peace. It means harmony. It says, Timothy,

I want you to pursue righteousness, pursue love, faith, be faithful,

be loyal. But also pursue peace. Peace with others. Peace

within God's church. And then lastly here.

He instructs.

How are we to be faithful and be ready. We

are to flee. We are to pursue. And lastly we

are to follow. Notice the passage here.

He says. Flee useful passions. Pursue righteousness. Faith.

Love.

Peace. Along with those who call. on the Lord from

a pure heart. Let's follow godly people.

I wonder in your life, who was that godly instrument

that God used in your life? I think of pastors

and friends and church members and Sunday school teachers that

God brought in my life just when I needed them.

God used them as an instrument to clean me up

to make me in the man of God that I

am here today. Think about my, just this week, I

was at a board meeting for North Carolina Baptist Board

and I was coming to eat. I was a little

late to lunch and I sat down and there was

this little old couple that were sitting there by themselves

and I said, I'm going to sit down with them

and I sat down with them and I just started

talking and exchanging who we were and what we did

and they, the short of it was, He was the

pastor of the church that my grandfather pastored. He actually,

after my grandpa left that church, he was the next pastor.

He knew my grandpa and he knew my grandma. He

talked about how well my grandpa pastored that church. It's

been 20 years since I'd met someone who knew my grandpa.

Thinking about that, I think about how he was a

role model for me. And how God used him as

an instrument to make me into the man of God

that I am today. And listen, today I want to

be an instrument used by God. I want to be

a clean instrument.

I want to be ready. But I want to be faithful.

I want to be faithful to flee from things. And

I want to be one who's faithful who pursues the

right things. But I want to be faithful because I

want to follow example of my grandpa. And those ones

who've gone before me who lived what it was like

to be a godly.

Instrument in the hand of the Lord. I wonder about

you today. God wants to use you.

Are you an instrument in the hands of the Lord?

How are you pursuing being used by God? As we

finish this morning, I'm going to ask the band to

make their way forward. I was thinking about this passage

of scripture and I think just to be honest with you,

I feel like this is a sermon where you have

two different reactions. Or maybe three different reactions. You would

have some who say, you know what, pastor, I want

to be used for God and I want to pursue

what God's word is telling me today. I believe there's

in this congregation the second response will be those who

say you know what pastor not me yeah I want

to go to church and I want to attend church

I want to do the church thing and and be

faithful but right now I'm just not there.

I've got my career I've got my.

Hobbies I got some other stuff in my life going

on and and right now I'm just not ready for

that and then there's a third group who says you

know what pastor I really want to be used by God,

but if I'm really honest, God, I'm like that paper plate.

I'm a mess.

There's some sin in my life. There's some relationships that

are not right. And honestly, I'm not pursuing the right

things right lately. I'm pursuing the wrong thing. And you

in your mind will say, God, I just don't know

one that you can ever clean me and that, God,

you could ever use me. You know, in the Bible,

it tells us this word in the Greek. He says

this passage in this passage.

Listen to this.

He says, He will be a vessel, honorable use, set

apart as holy, useful to the master.

The word useful is serviceable. It's to be used by God.

Paul uses only a few times in Scripture. He uses

it to talk about Philemon. So Philemon was a, a

slave who fled from his master. And when he writes

to Philemon to let him free, he says he once

was what? Useless to you, but now he's now useful,

usable to you and to us. He also uses it

of someone else. You know, in the Bible, there was

a story of a man named John Mark. John Mark

was following Paul and Barnabas on a missionary journey, and

the missionary work got hard.

It got difficult. It got difficult.

And in Acts 13, it said that John Mark abandoned

the mission. There's different speculation of what happened, that John

Mark maybe just was too fearful of the bandits and

the trials and the storms that were coming of being

a missionary. And he just wasn't ready, and he left,

and he abandoned the mission. In chapter 15, they're getting

ready for another mission. journey and Paul, Barnabas wants to

bring John Mark and Paul says to Barnabas I don't

think he's ready. And Paul separated himself from John Mark

because John Mark was dishonorable and he didn't follow on

the missions. But in chapter 4 of 2 Timothy, the

letter we're reading today, this is what he says about

John Mark. He says this, Luke is along with me.

Get Mark, listen to this, and bring him with you,

for he's very useful for me.

Listen to this, he's very useful for me for the ministry.

You see, here's the good news about the story of

John Mark.

John Mark was once just like you. He maybe said, God,

I want to be used by you, but he.

Abandoned the mission. He abandoned being used by God for

something else. Maybe it just got too hard. Maybe it

just got too difficult. Maybe he just didn't think he

was worthy. But whatever it may be, he turned away.

And even maybe some people separated themselves from him. But

John Mark, listen, listen to the voice of God. And

he found through repentance and obedience of God's word, he

was restored by God and he was used by God.

And can I tell you, there was a time that

he once was, what was once was dishonorable in the,

maybe the eyes of God and the eyes of others

became honorable for God. And listen, John Mark was the

very one who wrote the gospel of Mark. You see,

one who once turned away, once was used by God greatly.

Can I tell you, if God did that with John Mark,

God could do that with you. Will you say today, Lord, Lord,

I want to be your instrument. God, I want to

be used by you. I'm not perfect, God.

But I want to be used by you today. Would

you pray with me every head by the ear out close?

Will you just say, God, help me, Lord. I want

to be honorable. I want to be used by you, God. God,

I know you created me for a purpose. And Lord,

I don't want to be living rebellion against you. Lord,

I want to live faithful, Lord, to your word. Lord,

help me cleanse myself.

Lord, there's relationships in my life right now that are

leading me away from you.

God, help me separate myself from them.

Lord, help me. Lord, be ready for you. Lord, I

don't have a limited time here. Lord, I want to

be ready for you. When you come, God, I want

to be ready. And I want to be used by

you until you come, Lord. Would you say today, Lord, Lord,

I want to be faithful.

Help me be faithful. Help me flee.

Help me pursue.

Help me follow this morning, Lord.

Whatever the Lord's responding and calling to you today, right now,

right as he calls you, would you answer?

Lord, we thank you, Lord, for your word. We thank

you for that, God, you have a way.

Lord, even when we feel broken and we feel dirty,

we feel like we never could be used by you, God. God,

your grace is sufficient today, Lord. Lord, your power of

your Holy Spirit can cleanse us, can restore us, can

use us. So Lord, today, wherever we are, Lord, may

we surrender, Lord, to your spirit.

You're working. May we cry out to you, Father, Lord,

I want to be used by you, God. Use me, Lord. Lord,

I pray that would be our heart's cry today. Lord,

I want to be your instrument. I want to be

used by you.

Wherever you lead me, Wherever you send me, Lord, use me.

In my workplace, in my school, in my home, in

my neighborhood.

Use me, Father. Lord, we love you. We thank you, Lord,

for today. Lead us in this time of invitation, we pray.