Scripture Reading: 2 Tim. 2:19-21
The verses above show us that the Lord never changes and the things He accomplishes also never change. Everything around us is changing, but there are two things which do not change. First, the Lord knows those who are His. Second, those who name the name of the Lord should depart from unrighteousness. These two things are the firm foundations of God, and these foundations have been firmly established.
Second Timothy 2:19 says, "However the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal...." A seal signifies that a decision has been reached, that a matter is settled a certain way, and that there will be no further change. Hymenaeus and Philetus could misaim concerning the truth, and Alexander the coppersmith could persecute Paul, and even all who were in Asia could leave the apostle, but the Lord knows those who are His. Some in the church may have departed from the way of truth, and you may be discouraged, thinking that man is always untrustworthy and that you no longer know who to trust. Brothers and sisters, I can be wrong, the church can be wrong, and everything that everyone else does can be wrong, but please remember that the Lord can never be wrong. When we preach the gospel we bring people to the Lord; they are regenerated and are baptized. But these saved ones can depart from the truth. When this happens we may become very discouraged and may want to quit. But at such times we should realize that the Lord cannot be wrong. Even if ten, a hundred, a thousand, or more people leave, God's Word still holds true — His firm foundation stands. God knows those who are His. We should not blame others for failing or for being wrong. We should only put the blame on ourselves. We should not criticize others for their unfaithfulness or error. We have to believe that the Lord alone knows those who are His.
Those who are the Lord's are surely apart from unrighteousness. But how do we depart from unrighteousness? Second Timothy 2:20-21 is an explanation of the second half of verse 19. Verses 20-21 say, "But in a great house there are not only gold and silver vessels but also wooden and earthen; and some are unto honor, and some unto dishonor. If therefore anyone cleanses himself from these, he will be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, useful to the master, prepared unto every good work." These verses speak of a great house, not a small house. God cares for the matter of honor and dishonor, not the matter of usefulness. God wants to know which vessels are honorable, not which vessels are more useful. God is for value; He is not for utility. He cares for quality, not for quantity. Man has the misconception that God likes useful vessels. But God cares more for quality than for utility.
In an ordinary household, vessels of wood and earth are more important than vessels of gold and silver. A family can be without vessels of gold and silver, but it cannot be without vessels of wood and earth. However, we are not talking about the usefulness of the vessels, nor the size of the vessels, but the value of them. Most people think that as long as a vessel is useful, God is pleased with it. But this is a wrong concept. What is important is the value of a vessel and its worth in the hand of the Lord. Five ounces of gold may be worth as much as five hundred tables, but these things are vastly different. God is not concerned for the quantity; He cares for the value of a thing in His hand. How different is God's view from ours!
First Corinthians mentions wood, grass, stubble. These are cheap and worthless materials. The works of some people are cheap — their service is cheap, their meeting is cheap, the testimony they bear and the truth they speak are all cheap. With these people everything is worthless and dishonorable. With others everything is honorable. They are willing to pay the price. They have been dealt with by the Lord for three, five, or ten years, and their testimony is something that is from the heart and the result of God's work in them. What they speak and testify are honorable. Those who are naturally wise may speak eloquently and give wonderful stories and excellent speeches, but what they say comes from their mind and not from their heart; therefore, it is cheap.
The question today is not whether you can preach, but whether your preaching comes from having paid a price. The question today is whether the things you say are honorable. If they are not things of honor, what you speak and what you have will not be honorable in the sight of God or man. If what you have has not yet passed through the blood, the tears, the divine discipline, and the dealings of God, it is impossible for it to be honorable. Words that are copied and imitated from others can never be honorable. Both Balaam and Isaiah spoke about the kingdom and both prophesied. But the worth of the two men's words cannot be compared. Many people are satisfied as long as they can speak the same thing as others do. In reality speaking the same thing does not mean much. The words may be the same, but it makes a great deal of difference whose mouth the words come from. The only words that are noble and honorable are the words that have been paid for with a price.
After I was saved, I became interested in the subject of the Lord's coming. In the beginning I studied Daniel. Later, I studied Revelation. I studied them day and night, even at bedtime and mealtime. Later, I met Miss Barber, and in the course of our conversation, I found out that her attitude towards the Lord's coming was different from mine. One day while we were fellowshipping, she showed me some verses about the Lord's coming and the end time. After she finished reading those verses to me, she asked whether I understood them. At that time I did not appreciate what she was doing. I felt that I knew more than she did. Within me there were two thoughts. I felt that I was more familiar with the Scriptures concerning the Lord's coming than she was. She took a long time to find the verses, but I could memorize the verses. However, I also felt that the Lord's coming did not produce the same effect on me that it did on Miss Barber. Her whole living was filled with the thought of the Lord's second coming. The difference between these two realizations of the truth concerning the Lord's second coming was that one was honorable and the other was dishonorable.
When I was in England, I met many people who opposed Mr. Sparks. One day I invited a brother to hear Mr. Sparks' preaching. Later, I asked the man what he felt about it, and he said, "Nothing special. I can speak what he spoke." He thought that he could speak what Brother Sparks had spoken. He thought that it was merely a matter of the words spoken. But in the spiritual realm, it is not merely a matter of words but a matter of the person who speaks the words. It is not a matter of whether you can say the same words but a matter of whether you are the right person. Subjects such as head covering and baptism often lead to arguments. Actually, they do not deserve any argument at all. The real issue is whether or not we are in the reality of the truth that we are speaking about, whether we are the right person or whether we only retain these truths in knowledge.
A vessel of gold is golden in nature. This signifies that its nature is heavenly. A vessel of silver is silver in nature. It refers to Christ's redemption on the cross. Wooden and earthen vessels signify those with the human and earthly nature. How can we be a vessel unto honor? What is a vessel unto dishonor? Trusting in human eloquence, wisdom, ability, and knowledge and touching spiritual things with human strength are things of dishonor. Once I read The Spirit of Christ by Andrew Murray, in which he said that some read the Bible and try to understand it with their own wisdom, while others read the Bible by waiting on the teaching of the Holy Spirit; some read the Bible to find out what they want to know, while others read to find out what the Spirit wants to teach them. When I read those words, I felt like a knife was cutting through my heart. I was enlightened and realized that my reading of the Word was according to human energy and human wisdom. I had spent considerable time and energy to read the Bible front to back and back to front many times, hoping that I would understand it through my repeated reading. But this was absolutely an exercise of human energy, wisdom, understanding, and perception. I realized that I was wrong, and I knelt down to pray to the Lord, saying, "Lord, from now on, I will not know anything that You do not want me to know. I will not try to know anything purposely. I am willing to drop my thirst for knowledge, and I will not try to understand the Bible in haste any longer." Before that time, I had a different attitude toward the Word. When I came across something I did not understand, I would feel unhappy and uncomfortable. I could not let go of it, and I insisted on understanding everything thoroughly and completely. I was afraid that if I did not understand something I would be put to shame if others asked me about it. I have since discovered that every spiritual matter is cheap if it originates from ourselves. Only that which originates from God is honorable.
Because of man's fall, anything that man has in himself that has not passed through the cross is dishonorable. A thing of honor is weighty, and a thing of dishonor is light; this is all a matter of paying a price. This is like price tags for merchandise — the things which are valuable have high price tags, while the things which are worth little have low price tags. Some people have a good mental capacity; they can remember others' sermons, repeat them, or even say more. But unless their message is acquired through paying a price, it is of little weight in the eyes of God.
In verse 21 the Lord says, "If therefore anyone cleanses himself from these, he will be a vessel unto honor." The Lord wants us to reject everything cheap. He wants everything that is in us to go through the cross. What we preach must first touch us before it will touch others. We have to strive to cleanse ourselves from things of dishonor. Wood can never replace gold, and earth can never replace silver. At the same time we have to be those who are willing to pay the price to take God's dealings. If we do, we will be clean and honorable vessels and fit for the Master's use.
