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Work On Your Walk with Christ
In this 3rd message of Pastors series Pastor Floyd uses 2 Timothy 2:14-21 showing the need to daily work on a relationship with Christ.
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You know I try to keep the walk in mind even while I exercise. I’ve been committed to fitness, and trying to help myself to be better physical condition for at least the last 2 decades. In fact, when all that started, I probably didn’t have a strong commitment to that since high school days, even though I would be in and out periodically. In fact, my normal routine over the last 5 or 6 years meant that I’d go jog 3 to 5 miles somewhere, and I realize that when some of you, when you think about jogging, and you have that urge to jog, you go to the medicine cabinet, take a couple of aspirin, lay down until the feeling goes away.
Well you know we have been pretty well singular, I have been pretty well singular in that over the last 5 or 6 years. At the end of the year last year, Jeana and I really became convinced that we needed to go to a whole different level of our fitness. And so we joined a fitness center not far from our home, and we started going a couple of days or so a week. So on Sunday morning early, I jog. I jogged 3 and a half miles this morning nearly, on my treadmill upstairs in our home. But then on Mondays, Jeana and I, we’ve began to attend what you call an RPM class, a spinning class. I’ll never forget how much I felt like a man the first day I walked in there and I was the only man. I mean in the whole class. I mean those women they whipped me all over the room. So a couple of days a week, sometimes Jeana goes a third day, Jeana and I we go to an RPM class, a spinning class. In fact Bruno and Amalia are in that same class with me. Man, he’s looking great, isn’t he?
In that whole process…and you too Amalia, please understand me. [LAUGHTER] In that whole time of being there, as we have even taken it up in resistance training, I haven’t done a lot of resistance training, weight lifting, really in about 10 years, but I’ve started doing that. And you know then one day a week beyond that, lifting on another day, I meet with a trainer. And that trainer, he is one high intense dude! In fact, next time somebody calls me intense, I want to introduce you to my trainer. He puts me through a rigorous time, and he pushes me to places that I could not go on my own. In fact, the last 4 or 5 weeks he’s had a mode of resistance training with speed. I want to tell you that hour and five minutes that that lasts, I rededicate my life to Jesus several times. [LAUGHTER] It’s a process.
But you know someone asked, “Why do, why do you do that? Why?” To me it’s a biblical and a spiritual issue in my life. I don’t know if it is in you, maybe it’s not, if that’s not for you, then that’s cool. That’s between you and God. But see Jesus lives in my life, and the Holy Spirit abides in me, and my body’s not my own, it’s the temple of the Holy Spirit, and therefore, the Bible calls me in 1 Corinthians 6 that I need to glorify my body, and my spirit, which both belong to the Lord. And just as much as I would work on that, beyond that, I need to work on my walk with Christ.
I mean you know to me, it doesn’t matter what you do in your life, whether it’s those guys singing and playing, whether it’s me doing something in my life, or you at your job, or whatever you do in your life that kind of energizes you, I mean the bottom line is you need to do it to the best of your ability because everything you do is suppose to glorify God. Being a Christian doesn’t mean you’re below excellence. It doesn’t mean that second best, it means that you give it all! And you give it all to the glory of God.
Well speaking about walking, that’s what I want to talk about today. I want to talk about you working on your walk with Christ. In fact we’ve been talking about 10 Ways to Make it Through Difficult Times, a study out of 2 Timothy. And in that process of that, I tell you today is so important to the life of every born-again Christian. Because I want to talk about working on your walk with Christ. I mean think about it today, just think what would happen in your life if you worked on your walk with Christ like you work at your job. Just think what would happen if you worked on your walk with Christ with the focus and intentionality every day that maybe you go out here and work out physically, or perhaps you go and you teach your child something, or you’re involved in some sporting activity, or perhaps your marriage, whatever, just think what would happen if you had that kind of focus, and that kind of intentionality in your walk with Jesus Christ. It would be pretty awesome, wouldn’t it?
Well see it’s really important that we do that because of the times in which we live. When Paul was writing Timothy and the gang at that time, this letter in his generation, he said, “Now listen guys, difficult times exist today, and difficult times will continue to take place, and they will come even in a greater time in the last days in which we live.” And in out of all that he said there he talked about how people were going to be selfish, and how people were going to be preoccupied with their own lives, and they were going to be distracted from various things in life, and it would be very hard for them to work on their walk with Christ at times. And in that he was telling them you, you had better be very deliberate in all this, or else there will be false teachers, who will come, and they will teach you things that are not true, and you will buy it. Or there would be false teaching going on, and there would be a strain of truth in it, but the reality is, it’s not completely truth. And therefore, you had better open your eyes, and you better open up your heart, and you had better learn to work on your walk with Christ, because if you do not work on your walk with Christ, then sooner or later your life will not be built on truth. And the church will not be built on truth.
So the real question today is, how can we work on our walk with Christ? What is used here in the scripture in 2 Timothy, chapter 2, what is used here to challenge us to work on our walk with Christ? We’re going to be talking today out of verse 14 through verse 21. We will read, and we will go through those verses as we come to them along the path of the message. But 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 14 through 21.
Now the real question comes back then, what areas do we need to work on our walk with Christ? Well I want to challenge you today to:
1. Work on your attitude. The Bible talks quite a bit about attitude,
perhaps you haven’t thought about it lately, but do you realize that the way you think becomes the way you live? Do you realize that your attitude about something will determine the outcome? And do you realize that if you want to go up in your life, you had better have your attitude right? Well, guess what?
Attitudes not always been an issue. Or it’s always been an issue. And even in Paul’s day he was concerned with the attitude that Timothy and others were having about their walk with Christ. And it all came over some empty chatter that began to take place even over the things of God. I want you to read with me verse 14. It says, “Remind them of these things: charging them before God,” in other words, challenging them before God, and here was the challenge, “…not to fight about words, this is no way profitable, and it leads to the ruin of the heiress.” He challenges them, and he challenges us today to not fight, meaning not quarrel. Do not dispute one another and strive over words.
This morning as I was getting ready and I thought I would watch the news. Now I want to tell you I watch news, I turn it on channel 51, Fox News, and I mean they started talking about the first 100 days of the President, and there were 2 women that they were interviewing that I mean, they were so much in each other’s face I thought they were going to kill each other. And what they were doing, they were word splitting. Now that’s what Paul was talking about, he was talking about word splitting. What means this to me, what means that to you, then you die on that hill. Oh no, he said, “You don’t die on that hill. Listen to me people; the only hill you die on about your words is the gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s where it’s worth it, otherwise he warns them. He says, “That you made argument, or disputing of words, or word splitting your goal, then you’re going to ruin those who hear you.” You are going to do what? What does that mean? You’re going to overturn the purpose of your conversation. How many times do you want to find yourself always making sure you get the last word? It doesn’t matter if it’s a marriage, or a friendship, I mean it could be just you know a friendly little dispute, but you want to make sure ultimately that you have won that. And the way you win in your mind is that you get the last word.
But Paul said be careful of that attitude because all that does is indicate that you’re proud. All that does is indicate that you’re very committed to yourself, and what you want to do. The end result of that is you’re not going to bring anybody along with that attitude. The attitude that you need to step on, and you need to portray, not step on, but to portray, is the attitude that there’s one thing I will argue about with you, and that’s the purity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Other than that, I’m going to be an example to you, and I’m going to not split words with you because what’s key is my attitude.
You know Jesus talked about attitude. He talked about words. Words are powerful. And do you realize what Jesus said? He said your words are so powerful that you can justify, or you can imprison your life. You can set your life free, or you can put your life in a prison. In the American culture today, if you want to know one area whereby we can be distinct as Christ-followers, it’s with our attitude. I mean it doesn’t matter if it’s a school; it doesn’t matter if it’s a church, doesn’t matter if it’s with government affairs, doesn’t matter if it has to do with your business, or your job. I mean the bottom line is people have a pretty bad attitude today. But you know what? That’s not God’s will for you. God’s will for you is to do everything you can to not demonstrate an attitude that is not honorable unto the Lord.
And you know to every one of you students here today, whether you’re high school, middle school, or college students, all of our children are always in their own worship venue in all of our worship services, but can I say a word to all of you teenagers and college students today? And listen very carefully. Your attitude will pretty well determine the rest of your life. And if your attitude is lousy, then I’m going to tell you, you’re going to live a lousy life. And some of you, you’ve learned it by your mom and dad you’ve got. They’ve got a bad attitude. And it just transfers downward. But that’s no excuse for you. You’re old enough now to think for yourself, and God’s called you to live an obedient life, and an obedient life to Jesus does not involve a bad attitude. So change it! Stop it now! Or you will distort it, and you will literally challenge the rest of your future.
And adults, I want to say to every one of you, it’s time to suck it up and get your attitude right! If we want to be what God wants us to be in this region of the country, we need to change your attitude. Let everybody else be doom and gloom; we need to be telling people that God is in control. That the Lord is with us, and we’re going to make it through the battle. And whether I go down, or I go up, I’m going down, and I’m going up with Him. Bottom line, that’s where I’m going, And I’m going to try to have a good attitude in the middle of it. So work on your attitude.
But the challenge is also there in the scripture to:
2. Work on your understanding of God’s Word. Let me ask you today, do you work with intentionality on your understanding of God’s Word? I mean the question is how important is it that we would understand God’s Word properly? How important is it that we understand God’s Word accurately, and precisely? How important is that? I want to tell you it’s pretty important. In fact, I want to tell you it’s very, very, very important.
So how do you do that? Well, you know what? Beginning with verse 15, all the way through verse number 20 it tells us how to do that. First of all you do that with:
(1) Diligence. If you want to understand God’s Word, and you want to grow in that understanding, you do so with diligence. Look what the scripture says in verse 15. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the Word of truth.” Now that word diligent means the following, listen carefully. To be persistently zealous. So what he is saying is to be persistently zealous to offer yourself to God. Now let me ask you today, are you persistently zealous to offer yourself to God? Are you persistently zealous in your understanding of God’s Word? I mean do you want to understand it? Do you desire to understand it? Do you, and are you persistently zealous to open up this book everyday and say, “Lord, speak to my life.” Are you persistently zealous to study this book, and to say, “Lord, show me that I will be able to stand under God.” I mean are you persistently zealous about that? I mean we’re persistently zealous about all kind of things, so it’s not a matter of priority. Or excuse me, it’s not a matter of time, it’s a matter of priority.
So we need to be persistently zealous of our understanding of God’s Word. And notice what he says here, “…that you will be approved of God.” That means even after examination and testing, you are still persistently zealous. Even after examination and testing, God says, “Man you’re doing good.” When I think about that examination, and I think about that whole element of testing, he says that you will not be unashamed of any work you do. You could put it up there as an honor to God because even through the testing and the examination of it, your attitude’s been proven, your heart is to learn the Word, and you are persistently diligent about the Word, and you’re learning it, and you’re growing in it, and all of that, he says, will lead you into having a walk with Christ that is honorable.
I mean take a doctor today, take a lawyer; those are two find upstanding professions. And you know what? I want a doctor, and I want a lawyer ever representing me if I ever have a need, that they have been persistently zealous in their training. I don’t want somebody that cheated in school. I don’t want anybody that got by you know barely by the skin of his teeth. I want, I want that person to be persistently zealous and they have been through the examination, and they have been through the testing, and they’ve been through the fire, and even after that, I mean they are ready to be approved as a lawyer, or as a doctor.
Well I want to tell you what Paul is saying more important than being a lawyer or a doctor is being a Christian. And being a Christian is we need to be persistently zealous, and diligent to show ourself to proved unto God.
And then how else do we do it? We do it through:
(2) Study. Through study. The Bible says in verse number 15 that we will be about correctly teaching the Word of truth. Correctly teaching, what does that mean? That means to cut it straight. It means cutting it straight, even as you would cut a straight road, you would cut that road with precision and accuracy. I mean we’re so blessed to have Interstate 540, even though it needs to be 6 lanes versus 4, now! We’re blessed to have it. You know what? When they cut that road, they did it with precision, and they did it with accuracy. I mean they, they, they didn’t just throw it up and say, “Okay dude, follow your heart out there and go to the journey.”
One of the most beautiful drives in all of the country is between Fayetteville and Fort Smith, Arkansas. And you know what that road has been intentionally designed the way it is with precision and accuracy to accomplish the goal of getting you from here to there quicker, but also that it might be a time of beauty for you, a time of embracing God’s creation for you. I mean what a beautiful, beautiful experience that is. But it’s done with precision, and it’s done with accuracy. That’s what Paul was telling Timothy. He said just as you would cut a straight road, and just as the farmer would cut a straight row for the seed to be planted, because that’s the metaphor used here, you’ve got to be able to have such an understanding of God’s Word that you can cut it straight. That you have been examined, and you are tested, and you are persistently zealous in studying it, and, and, and learning it, and, and you could cut a straight road, in fact somebody could follow you, and somebody can be taught by you, and you’re going to keep it pure, and you’re going to keep it straight along life.
Now why is that important? I’ll tell you why it’s important, because you need to grow. You don’t grow without the Word. Are you understanding me today? You will not grow without the Word. But also you need that so you can put your life in other people, and you can lead them rightly. Listen carefully, people are big into, “Wow you know I got this council from this person, or I get advice from this person.” Let me warn you today, don’t get advice from anybody, I don’t care even what their professional training is, that does not have a basic understanding of the Word of truth. Because the Word of truth is not what man says; the Word of truth is what God says. And what God says will literally alter everything that goes on.
Adrienne Rogers who pastored the great Bellevue Church in Memphis for years and is now with Jesus, he used to talk about how we need to have biblical guidance counseling. He said when we talk about it with people, and we talk about their life with people, we need a Bible in one hand, and we need to guide them with that Bible towards truth. And folks, that’s exactly what it is. It’s not about what everybody else is doing, it’s not about the way I feel about it, it is not my opinion, it is not my interpretation, but I am cutting it straight, and my goal is I’ve got to cut it straight because of what the Word says. You know what I found is that when I go with the Word, I’m telling you God is honored, and truth always prevails!
Let me ask you this morning, are you correctly cutting a straight line with the Word in your life? Do you persistently, aggressively pursue that Word of truth? If you will, guess what happens? You won’t caught into this stray false, and false philosophies of this world because you’re going to test them, and examine them by the Word of truth.
You also do that through:
(3) Self-control. Boy I tell you it’s important to have self-control. He
says in verse 16, “But avoid irreverent, empty speech, for this will produce all and even greater measure of godlessness.” Well, what does all that mean? He says, and uses that word avoid irreverent, empty speech. The word avoid there means to shift around. It means to turn from godless chatter, or empty speech. You shift around your life so you won’t hear it, and you won’t participate it, with it, and in it.
In fact the word picture here is of a child babbling. Some of you have
preschoolers, and your child is beginning to learn what it’s like to hear their voice. That’s an exciting time. Every now and then as a parent, or grandparent, what you like you do is just kind of touch a button and have silence. But you know what? At the same time it’s a beautiful noise, is it not? A joyful sound. Because they’re learning that. But you know what? That babble doesn’t say anything, it might say something to them, but it’s babble, babble, babble, babble, babble, babble.
Here’s what Paul was teaching us, Paul was saying, “Listen man, if you don’t have self-control in your life, and you don’t keep yourself around people that are not filled with empty chatter, then sooner or later you will babble like them, and it will not lead you to godliness, it will lead you to godlessness, and you have go to practice self-control, because that self-control, if it’s not abided by, will give you an increase measure of godlessness in your life.” Self-control is important.
Let me ask you today, do you have control with your words? DO you? Some people say, “Oh I just say what’s on my mind.” Lord why does it take you so long, your mind’s not that big. [LAUGHTER] Don’t, don’t, don’t do that. Don’t go there and have that mindset. I’ve just got to tell it like it is. Well, you know, you’ve got to have the right attitude, and you’ve got to make sure what you’re saying is from truth. Biblical truth.
You know I have a Proverb I want to give you today. I’ve talked about this Proverb before. I’ve always run past it, run through it so fast that you know, perhaps you didn’t get it. But I’ve got a Proverb of my own, and it’s something that I’ve observed in leading, and ministering, and talking with people all these years. And here’s my proverb. And by the way, if you don’t get anything else today, would you get this? You ready? People who talk too much, talk too much. People who talk too much, talk too much. You be careful talking to people and giving your inner secrets to somebody who doesn’t know how to shut their mouth, because people who talk too much end up sooner or later talking too much!
Paul was warning us, “Be careful we don’t talk too much. We don’t make issues out of issues that are not issues.” Be careful that you are drawn into empty chatter, and debate over something that’s not even that important. And it takes self-control to do that.
Also he tells us that we’ve got to do that with:
(4) Wisdom. Wisdom. Wisdom is so important. Look at verse 17 and 18. “And their word,” that empty godless chattering that goes on, that babbling… “And their word was spread like gangrene among who are Himeneus and Philetus,” those are two men used as examples. And notice what he says about them in verse 18. He says, “They have deviated from the truth, saying that the Resurrection has already taken place, and are overturning the faith of some.” He said, “It’s important that you use wisdom in your words.” Use wisdom in your understanding of God’s Word. Because if you’re not careful, it will spread like gangrene. In other words, what’s your philosophies that are not right, your thought processes that are not biblically right, and words that you hear others say, and words that you even say if they’re not godly words, and holy words tested and examined by the Word of truth, those words then; they will begin to be like gangrene. Meaning they will become like a disease. They will spread like a disease. They will spread like cancer if you may. They will spread like fire, or wildfire that cannot be controlled.
And then he says, “You know what? They’re two examples.” And he began to name two men, Philetus, and Himeneus. He said let me tell you about these two guys. Look at them. They deviated from the truth, the Bible says. I mean they have gone from the truth, and what they’re doing because they’ve gone away from the truth; they’re telling everybody that the resurrection of believers will not take place. And now people are believing that, and they’re being led astray from the faith! And he says, “No guys, you can’t, you can’t be around that kind of philosophy.” It would be deadly for a believer, no pun intended, to not believe in the resurrection of the body. Let me tell you, one day when Jesus comes, the body will be raised from the dead, joined together with your spirit, which is already with the Lord, and the two will be with God forever, and ever. That is important, important theological understanding of the scripture.
And here were two guys who were running around telling everybody, “Well you know, the resurrection’s really not going to take place. There’s nothing to it basically, once you die you die.” NO! He said, “You’re wrong! You’re not based on truth! That’s why you’ve got to cut it straight, and you’ve got to be able to know what is truth, what is not truth; you’ve got to be able to be so alive in the Word that you don’t permit that kind of empty chatter that means nothing, and is wrong.
I tell you what today, boy, all you’ve got to do today is turn on TV, religious TV, and you’ll find all kind of things you’re taught, and you listen to. But if you’re not careful, and you don’t test it by this, you’re going to be following the wrong kind of thought processes. You listen to me today; heresy always has a strain of truth. It’s not a strain of truth that keeps you pure; it’s the truth of the truth that keeps you pure.
He said because these people were like that they created doubt, and they began to fall away from the faith. Therefore, we need the wisdom to control our words, and we need the wisdom to do what? To let the Word of God keep us true to the Word of God.
But he also talks about the:
(5) Church. I love it when he talks about the church. He said, “One of the ways that we can have a greater understanding of God’s Word is through the church.” He says is in verse 19. Look at it with me. He says, “Nevertheless,” in other words, even though these people are teaching this wrong stuff, and even though are being led away by godless chatter, “Nevertheless, God’s foundation stands!” Do you know what God’s solid foundation is? Listen to me. It’s the church of Jesus Christ. Why is that? Because they stand on this inscription. They stand on the Word of God.
And here’s the inscription: “The Lord knows those who are His, and everyone who names the name of the Lord must turn away from unrighteousness.” The foundation here he’s talking about is the church. And the church stands strong on Holy Scripture. If you wonder what kind of church we are, we are a church that believes in Holy Scripture. We believe we hold in our hand today the true reality of the biblical text. we believe we hold in reality the exact words of God. It is a perfect book because how in the world could a perfect God breathe anything less than perfect? We believe that is the theonoustas, it is the God-breathed Word of God. Infallible. Inerrant if you may. Without any mixture of truth whatsoever at all. We believe it to be that.
But listen carefully to what he says. He says, “The church that follows scripture becomes the pillar of truth in our culture.” Do you realize today that we need to be the pillar of truth in our culture? We’ve got to be the embodiment of the truth. That’s not always denouncing the culture. It’s not into denouncing the culture; it’s just being who God has created you to be! You’re personifying the truth!
And then he talks about an inscription, he talks about a seal. That word we’re not really familiar with very much, but let me use it as a word sometime when you get into a, you go to an attorney, or you go to a notary public, and you have a document that is, that is professionalized, it is sealed. Well they stamp it with a seal, do they not? Absolutely. Well that’s what he’s saying to you. He’s saying that church has been stamped with inscription, and with a seal, and that use of seal or inscription, depending on your translation, indicates ownership, and security, and authenticity. But he said there are two seals that you’re stamped with in the church. One is security. In fact if you have verse 19, if you would just look at your Bible, you ought to write it on the side of there because it says the Lord knows those who are His. That’s security. That’s what it is.
Let me tell you something, you don’t have to debate whether or not God knows you belong to Him or not, He knows whether or not you belong to Him! Because He’s the One who saved you, you didn’t get to it on your own! He’s secured you before the foundation of the world brought you to a point in time in your life when you needed to say yes to Christ, and you said yes to Jesus Christ. All that was done to a sovereign God who loved you and has sovereignly chosen you. Well that’s security. Some people say, “Well you now I can lose my salvation.” Listen to me very carefully; you can’t lose what you didn’t do. No, excuse me, you can lose what you did do, but you can’t lose what you did not do, because what you did not do is save yourself. That’s security.
And also you can write down that word, which is a great word, and it’s that word “purity.” You see he talks about you must turn away from unrighteousness. The church is about purity. I mean it’s important that we understand that the church is to be a pure people. Now I want to give a statement, it’s not going to be on your, on your, on your screen today, but I really want you to hear this statement. Because it’s important that you get this today. So important. Let me tell you the reason why you need to understand God’s Word. The reason you need to understand God’s Word is because the church, and you’re the church; we’re the church, because the church owns the responsibility of securing theology, and purifying our membership.
You see the reason you need to know the Word, and you need to grow in the Word, when all of us do that, we can keep our, our, what we believe pure. We can, we can know whom we have believed, and we will be unashamed in what we believe. Because you see we have the responsibility of making sure the theology of this church, what we believe about God in this church remains true to Holy Scripture. But we also have the responsibility to have a membership that is pure. That’s you. If you’re a part of our church, that’s you.
Now listen today. I want to make this statement as well. To me, I mean there are not people that would believe what I’m about to say, but that’s cool. But listen. To me it doesn’t matter whether I have Baptist on my sign or not. Okay? But what is important is I understand the distinctives of who we are as Baptist. We’re Christians first, and we’ve chosen to cooperate and understand what it means to be a part of a Baptist Convention of churches. But I want you to hear what I’m going to tell you today, because I’m going to give you a glaring distinctive of what it means to be a Baptist. This is very, very important. You’ll not find this in other denominations. You’ll not find it in many churches that have no denominational ties whatsoever at all. Do you know what glaring distinctive is of a Baptist church? Here it is. Regenerate church membership. That’s what Paul was talking about. He was talking about keeping the membership pure.
What does it mean to have regenerate church membership? I’m glad you asked. Here it is. The word regenerate, or regeneration means that there has been a dramatic life change, a spiritual life change that’s gone on in you, and listen, sooner or later it’s personified through believers’ baptism, which is another distinctive of being a Baptist. We don’t believe in sprinkling, because sprinkling’s not in the Word of God. The Word of God talks about immersion baptism. It doesn’t talk about sprinkling people. And that baptism is an expression of the inward act that’s already happened, and it’s the act of regeneration. I was dead but I’m now alive in Christ! I was dead in my sin, but Jesus Christ came in my life, and He woke me up, and He changed my life. Therefore, I came into the church because I was experiencing, and I experienced regeneration!
Now listen my friend, the distinctive is, is that we believe in having a regenerate membership. You can’t come into this church because you are a nice guy. You can’t come into this church because you look the part. You can’t come into this church because you love God. You’ve got to come into this church because you can articulate for us that there was a time, and there was a day, and there was a moment when Jesus Christ radically changed your life! And then you’ve got to be willing to submit yourself to the authority of scripture, and follow Christ in believers’ baptism. Those are distinctives ladies and gentlemen that we will not ever compromise whatsoever at all. [APPLAUSE] Very, very, very important. And you cannot minimize it, or else what you will have is a church full of people who believe like they want to believe, think like they want to think, go with the winds of the culture, and it doesn’t honor God, and sooner or later you’re going to believe a bunch of hogwash that doesn’t mean one thing in the world. And this Word here will be diluted.
Well I want to tell you what; we are not going to permit the diluting of God’s Word in this church. We must be the pillar of truth in this culture. Let me wrap up.
We’ve got to:
2. Work on becoming a special instrument God will use. Very important.
Verse 20 and 21, “Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver bowls, but also those of wood and earthen ware,” that large house he’s talking about is the church. “…some for special use, some for ordinary,” you get the key there? “…some for special use, some for ordinary.” “So if anyone purifies himself from these things,” in other words purifies yourself from empty chatter, the wrong kind of things, the bad attitude, purify yourself from false philosophies and doctrines, he said, “then you will become a special instrument. You’ll be set apart. You’ll be useful to the Master and prepare for every good work.” What a powerful, powerful two verses.
You know what he’s telling us? He’s telling us there are faithful members, and there are unfaithful members. That’s what he’s telling us in the church. There are some in the church that are useful, and some in the church that are not quite as useful. And then the questions got to come to me that I must answer it. And that question is, “How can we become special instruments God will use?” How does that take place? How can we do that?
Well I’ll tell you how. We’ve got to be:
Cleansed. That’s the salvation experience. That’s the purity that
becomes the moment I truth Christ as Lord and Savior. I’ve got to be purified. I’ve got to be cleansed of my sin. I have to be:
Set apart. Meaning I’m set apart for holy use. I’m set apart for God’s
purpose. I want to tell you what, it’s wonderful that you have a great job at Wal-Mart, JB Hunt, Tyson Foods, or you’re a private businessman that God is blessing, or private businesswomen that goes door to door, or whatever you may do out here in corporate America as a woman, or whether you do it in your own personal business. Listen, all those things are great, all those things are wonderful. But let me just tell you, your special purpose in life is not that. Did you hear me? If you think that’s your special purpose, then you have lived a life without purpose. You’re special purpose is for God to use you to get you to be so pure, and so right that whatever you do out there in this culture, you’re a special instrument that God will use.
What does that mean? That you will be useful because what is it we must be
useful? Not only set apart, but we must be:
Useful. That means that we are good and godly people, and we can be of, of use to the Master Lord Jesus Christ, who not only has complete ownership over us, but He also has uncontrolled power of us. This isn’t about me! It’s about Him! Right? Right pastor. But in order to take that place, you’ve got to be:
Prepared. Let me ask you, are you prepared today? I mean listen, are you ready to undertake any game God wants you to do? You know how you’re ready? Are you listening? Better get your attitude right. You know how you’re ready? Are you listening? You better learn to cut it straight with His Word. You’ve got to be available. There are a lot of folks, as soon as God starts talking to them, they start negotiating. Hey let me tell you what, you leave the negotiation with your attorney in some deal you’ve got going on. But when you come to God it’s not about negotiation, it’s about Lord here I am, here I am Lord, use me. Here I am Lord, send me. Here I am Lord; you do in me whatever needs to be done. This isn’t about holding on to my life; this is about surrendering my life to the Lord Jesus Christ.
I close with this today. You know uh, I want to give you the Floydonian translation of that right there I just talked with you for the last 30 minutes about. You know what Paul was telling Timothy? Paul was telling Timothy, “Timothy, I led your mom to Jesus. I led you to Jesus. You’re mom gave you a great name when you were born, and it’s time for you to live up to your name, Timothy. Because there’s something about you that kind of has me a little bit uncertain about you Timothy because difficult times are here. And here I am. I’m about to go, and I’m about to be beheaded for my faith, and you’ve got to know you’re back here in the next generation of believers, and you’re going to hold on to the truth, and you’re going to be what God wants you to be, Timothy. But Timothy, your challenge is, your momma set that path for you! All you’ve got to do is live up to your name! Because if you’ll live up to your name Timothy, you’re going to be everything God wants you to be.”
Timothy, do you know what that name means? It means “God honoring.” Timothy, whether the times are good, or the times are bad, honor God. Timothy, whether we’re in difficult times, or we’re in great times, it’s about honoring God. Timothy, whether you feel like it or not, it’s about honoring God, and you’re future with God does not depend on persecution, and listen to me today; it does not depend on your economic status! It depends on the condition of your heart that I am going to honor God with my life!
But my friend, I want to tell you today, God’s calling us to live up to our name! And I want to make it clear; I’m not talking about living to the Floyd name. I’m not talking about living up to the Paslay name. I’m not talking about living up to the Daniels name, of the Oglen name, those are good names, kind of like Timothy’s, but quite honestly, our calling is much higher than that! Because you see God gave us a name over in the book of Acts that we’ve got to live up to. You know what that is? They said that at Antioch, they called them for the first time ever, Christians. And you know what it means to be a Christian? It means to be like Christ.
There’s been that moment when you have been regenerated, you’ve had that spiritual moment when Christ has awakened you, you’re life has been transformed, and now that your life has been transformed, you’ve got live up to your name, and what it means to be a Christian! And how are you going to live up to your name about being a Christian? You’ve got to get your attitude right! And you’ve got to have a commitment to the Word of God in your life that you’re not going to compromise, and you’ve got to be able to say, “Lord I want to be a special instrument that God will use.” And that’s how you do it. You’ve got to live up to the name. What a privilege. What an honor. We’re not talking about drudgery, we’re talking about a God called path that He’s given for every born again believer in this room today. Cut it straight baby. Get it right. Adjust what needs to be adjusted, so that you can be entrusted that when they say he or she, they are Christians. There’s no hypocrisy in us being called that. Live up to your name folks. Live up to your name.
Would you bow with me all across this room today?
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- MP3:
- http://www.ronniefloyd.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/2Y217L-Work-On-Your-32K001.mp3
- Vimeo:
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