“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 dishonor. 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.” II Timothy 2:20-21
V is for vessel. A vessel is a container for holding something; a person into whom a quality has been infused or permeated with (such as grace).
God formed man from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7) just as the potter forms the clay. On Day 16, we saw that the potter had three main types of vessels. Do you remember what they were? There was the earthen vessel; one made from the earth. There was stoneware, which was very durable and heavy. Then there was the porcelain vessel; the one with exceptional beauty and costly.
Did you notice something in the last paragraph? Each and every vessel had a purpose! We are simply vessels in the Master Potter’s hands; therefore, we also have a very special purpose. No matter what type of unique vessel we are … for God has made each of us unique in our own way (Psalm 139:14) … we should strive to be a vessel of honour.
In our verses today, we learn that there are vessels that are honourable, and there are vessels that are not honourable. So, how do we know what type of vessel we are? Well, it depends on what is put inside of us. Have we gotten lackadaisical in our daily lives and allowed little impurities to slip into our vessel? Or have we been diligent to study and to learn how to keep our vessels free from sin?
What does an honourable vessel look like? II Timothy 2:21 tells us that it is one that is sanctified. To be sanctified means to be set apart for a sacred purpose; to be free from sin. We all sin. Everyday. We are all made in human flesh; consequently, not one of us is exempt from sinning (Isaiah 64:6).
Because of Christ’s shed blood on the cross, we are no longer bound by those chains of sin. Yes, we can sin. But, often that sin is of choice. Be honest … we choose to sin. God has made a way for us to escape though (I Corinthians 10:13); literally, leaving us with no excuse. Once we have sinned, we must then confess that sin and turn from it so that our vessel may be clean again.
Lesson Objective: To understand what a vessel is. To learn that not all vessels are honourable. To be honourable our vessel must be sanctified; when it is sanctified, then it is usable by our Master.
Did you pass or did you fail?
Over and over, He molds me and makes me, Into His likeness He fashions the clay. A vessel of honor I am today. All because Jesus didn’t throw the clay away. — Terri Gibbs