A Sanctified Vessel for the Master’s Use

A Sanctified Vessel for the Master’s Use
2 Timothy 2:19-21

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 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. 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.”

Introduction

Today, being led by the Spirit, I would like to bring to you a special, as we commemorate the 19th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service of Gethsemane B-P Church.

Several issues have evoked very deep emotions within me over the past two weeks and also caused me to draw close to God for his help and guidance.

• A place of worship and activities for our church
• Internet Pornography that affects men in the ministry
• 19th Anniversary of our Church
• God’s unfailing provisions for the church, for the ministers of the Word, full-time staff, theological students, and everyone in the church.
• All of those matters require appropriate response.

But nothing has been more distressing than the sin of pornography that is invading the computers of Christians, and causing many to be entrapped in it.

As I reflected upon God’s goodness in the past years and our duty to Him, the Spirit of God has impressed upon my heart that there is nothing more appropriate for Gethsemaneans, on this Anniversary day, than to be resolved to be sanctified vessels for the Master’s use.

The Need to be Sanctified

• Men will infiltrate the church with false doctrines (vv. 14-18, 23)
• Men will be affected by unwholesome, filthy, destructive communication (vv.16, 22).
• The pastor is charged to respond to such destructive attack of the devil on the church with appropriate teaching that men who are entrapped might be brought out (vv. 24-26).

Only faithful preaching of the Word that appropriately and adequately rebuke, correct, and nurture the church can protect it from the corruption of false doctrines and immorality.

The Encouragement to be Sanctified

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his” (v.19a).

the foundation of God standeth sure

• Regardless of all the attack of the devil, God’s foundation of the church is “sure.”
• What is “the foundation of God”?: The truth of God’s Word reveled by the apostles and prophets. Ephesians 2:20 - "And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone."
• The foundation that God has laid for the church is “sure”. The word, “sure” (stereos - Greek) conveys the idea of something that is solid, stable, steadfast, and strong.
• As long as the church remains firmly on this foundation, there is no reason to be troubled from the few-instances of attacks by apostasy and sin.
• Every local church that is solely Bible-based can be sure that the Lord is still building the church, against all the hellish attack on it. Our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
• All glory to Him for this comforting and encouraging truth that He is building the church. But this truth is exclusively belongs to those who are buidling upon the foundation of God, even the apostolic doctrines.
• So if we constantly respond to all the attacks of the devil by preaching, teaching, obeying the truth, we shall continue to enjoy the Lord’s power and goodness for the building of this church.
• At the same time let us remember Psalms 11:3 – “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” May Gethsemane B-P Church always remain solidly on the Word of God!

“Having this seal”

• Or rather a seal with this inscription.

What does the word “seal” indicate?

• A seal represents the authority with which a thing is secured. (Matthew 27:66 - So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.)
• A seal is a mark of genuineness. (Revelation 9:4 - And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.)
• A “seal” also indicated authenticity and integrity (cf. Rom. 4:11; 1 Cor. 9:2).( Romans 4:11 "And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:" 1 Corinthians 9:2 "If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord.")
• The allusion here is to the custom of inscribing the name of the builder and the design of the edifice on the corner-stone. It seems to refer to some inscription on the foundation-stone which denoted the character and design of the edifice.
• Likewise the church of Christ is like a building constructed by the hands of God, which has a foundation that has been firmly and securely laid, and on that foundation there is an inscription always remaining.

“The Lord knoweth them that are his.”

• This is one of the inscriptions on the foundation-stone of the church, which seems to mark the character of the building.
• It always stands there. It guarantees God’s authority and power in securing the church. No matter who would attempt to apostatize the church the Lord knows how to take care of His own faithful children.
• It is, at the same time, a fearful inscription - showing that no one can deceive God; that he is intimately acquainted with all who enter that building; and that in the multitudes which enter there, the friends and the foes of God are intimately known. He can separate his own friends from all others, and his constant care will be extended to all who are truly his own, to keep them from failing.
• Nahum 1:7, the following words are found: "And he knoweth them that trust in him;"
• It is clear that he meant to say that it was one of the fundamental things in religion, that God knew who were his own people, and that he would preserve them from the danger of making shipwreck of their faith.

The Process by which We Ought to be Sanctified (v.19b-20)

Individual sanctification:

“And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

• This truth must be emphasized in the church.
• The commentator Barnes says, “This is the other seal or inscription which is made on the foundation which God has laid. The foundation has two inscriptions-the first implying that God knows all who are his own people; the other, that all who are his professed people should depart from evil.”
• The meaning is, that it is an elementary principle in the true church, that all who become members of it should lead holy lives.
• It is significant that every Christian would lead holy lives amidst all the defections by the disobedient and unbelieving. All their attempts to draw away others from the true faith, will be in vain if the people of God are determined to avoid evil.
• The church’s purity is dependant on individual members. We must not allow ourselves to sink in the miry clay of sin. We must fight to pull ourselves of every besetting sin.
• Especially in these days of moral decadence, we must not go down without a fight. Fight against every temptation and sin to the point of death. Hebrews 12:4 says, “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”
• Psalm 34:14 "Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it."
• Psalm 37:27 "Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore."
• Proverbs 3:7 "Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil."
• Romans 12:9 "Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good."
• 2 Corinthians 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."
• Ephesians 4:17-22; Ephesians 5:1-11; Colossians 3:5-8; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 1:13-19; 2 Peter 1:4-10; 2 Peter 3:14; 1 John 3:7-10.

V.20-21 elaborates the significance of the process of sanctification further.
“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.”

• In a large household are all sorts of containers. Some are made of gold and silver and others of wood and clay.
• More importantly, some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble.
• Since the reference so far is to the faithful and the unfaithful within the church, this metaphor should be understood to show how a sanctified Christian can be an instrument for noble purposes, and an unclean life of a church participant make him an ignoble vessel.
• In the church there are some vessels of honour and some of dishonour. Some dishonour the Lord and His church by their corrupt opinions and wicked lives; and others honour and credit it by their exemplary conversation.

Verse 21, clearly declares that “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel of honour.”
o Every one in the church is not only called to depart from evil, but also purify himself of sins that have become part of his life.

• purge himself - ἐκκαθαίρω (ekkathairō): clean out, cleanse, get rid of (1Co 5:7; 2Ti 2:21).
• We shall study next Lord’s day how the Scripture teaches us to purge oneself of sins. Nonetheless, let us take not it is the will of God that every one who claims to be a Christian ought to rid of every sin that is in him.

The Reward of being a Sanctified (v.19b-20)

V. 21b tells us that the sanctified will be “meet for the Master's use.” In other words, the sanctified will be fit to be employed by the Lord Jesus in promoting His work on earth.

• A man must purge himself from these before he can be a vessel of honour, or meet for his Master's use.
• Every vessel must be fit for its Master's use. Every one in the church who desire to be in his Master's service must strive to be fit for His use.

Tongues for All Believers in All Ages?

Tongues for All Believers in All Ages?

Selected Scriptures

Introduction

• Since the inception of the Pentecostal movement in the late 1800s, the Christian church is plagued with the notion that a truly spirit-filled Christian will have the gift of tongues.
• Such a notion is absolutely unbiblical and yet so widely believed and sought after.
• Today, as the Lord helps, we shall consider some of the fallacious teachings on “tongues” and the biblical texts that are abused to support them.
• Mark 16:17 is commonly cited to prove the claim that every true believer can/must speak in tongues.
  “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues.”
• Let us examine this passage in its context - Mark 16:11-20

Crucial facts about Mark 16:11-20

• There are two groups of unbelievers in this passage:

The Apostles

The first group was the Apostles who did not believe on the resurrection of Christ. They are consistently referred to in this passage by the third person plural pronoun (“they” / “them” – vv.11-14,17-20).

• They did not believe on the resurrection of Christ, though it was reported to them by Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James (vv.1-11). V.11 - “And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.”
• They neither believed the report of the two disciples to whom Christ appeared (vv.12-13). “And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them” (v.13).
• The Apostles were rebuked by the risen Lord, who appeared to them (v.14). v.14 - "Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen."

Those who are yet to hear the Gospel

The second group of unbelievers in this passage are all those who are yet to hear the Gospel and be saved.

• They were to be reached by the apostles (v.15-16.) "15 And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."
• “They” (third person pronoun, plural) refers to the disciples who were chided by the Lord for their unbelief concerning His resurrection. They were told to believe on Him and preach to every creature.
• “He” (Third person pronoun, singular) refers to everyone who would hear the Gospel through the apostles and believe.

Analysis of Mark 16:17-18

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

• “Them that believe” (v.17) is a reference to the apostles who have not yet believed in his resurrection.
• The continued use of third person, plural (seven times) once again confirms that the apostles are meant.
• V. 20 gives us further proof that Jesus was giving those miraculous gifts only to the apostles. “And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.”

Does Spirit-Baptism Warranty Tongues?

Acts 1:4-5, Acts 2

• . . . wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
• The phrase “not many days” (Acts 1:5) limits this prophecy only to the day of Pentecost (Acts 2).
• So, Acts 1:4-5 is not a reference to the baptism of the Spirit that is offered to all the believers of all ages.
• It is neither a proof text that then onwards baptism of the Spirit would surely lead to tongue speaking.
• In fact, the word “baptism” with reference to the Spirit’s ministry does not appear in Acts 2, but words such as “filled” (v.4), “pour out” (v.17), etc.
• Acts 1:4-5 is a reference to the beginning of the new dispensation of the Spirit’s work in the New testament, with reference to universal Gospel preaching and the receiving.
• It does not say that baptism of the Holy Spirit will lead all believers at all times to speak in tongues.

The Scripture, in fact, clearly teaches us that even when biblical tongues existed not all believers, who received the baptism of the Spirit, spoke in tongues.

• 1 Corinthians 12:13 - For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
• 1 Corinthians 12:27-30 teaches us that even though all the Corinthians were baptised by the Holy Spirit, not all were given the gift of tongues.
• So we conclude that baptism of the Spirit do not warranty all believers the gift of tongues.

Conclusion
We are never commanded to be baptised by the Holy Spirit, for it is part of salvation work that God does in our lives.

It is not a second blessing after one’s salvation.

But we are commanded to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18-20) – that is to come under His control and guidance.

Understanding Spiritual Gifts

Understanding Spiritual Gifts

Selected Scriptures

Introduction

“Spiritual Gifts” are one of the most misunderstood, abused, misused and underused blessing that Christ has bestowed on the church and its members.

This is particularly so since Pentecostal and Charismatic movements started to make appearances in Christian circles.

Pentecostalism & Charismatism

Pentecostalism is similar to the Charismatic movement, but developed earlier and separated from the mainstream church denominations.

Charismatic Christians, at least in the early days of the movement, tended to remain in their respective denominations.

• Pentecostalism first began to appear in the late 1800, as some members of “holiness movement” in the USA, started to advocate “baptism” of the Holy Spirit, tongue speaking and miracles.
• Although there were claims of Pentecostal expereinces of tongues prior to 1906, The Azusa Street Revival led by William J. Seymour is the watershed of the Pentecostal movement in the U.S and worldwide.
• Beginning April 9, 1906 in Los Angeles, California at the home of Edward Lee who claimed the infilling of the Holy Spirit as of such date.
• William J. Seymour claimed that he was overcome with the Holy Spirit on April 12, 1906.
• On April 18, 1906, the Los Angeles Times ran a front page story on the revival, "Weird Babel of Tongues, New Sect of fanatics is breaking loose, Wild scene last night on Azusa Street, gurgle of wordless talk by a sister".
• By the third week in April, 1906, the small but growing congregation rented an abandoned African Methodist Episcopal Church at 312 Azusa Street and subsequently became organized as the Apostolic Faith Mission.
• Almost all mainline Pentecostal denominations today trace their historical roots to the Azusa Street Revival.
• Since then the modern Christian world has seen constant growth of their teachings and practices.
• Today it has gone into almost all the mainline denominations and is generally known as Charismatism.
• From the beginning they have emphasized that ecstatic and miraculous gifts as proofs of the baptism of the Spirit.
• This fast wide spreading movement has been spinning farther and farther from the proper Scriptural teachings since its inception.

Their preoccupation with the ecstatic experiences has produced some very strange, totally unbiblical phenomena in their midst, such as

• Mass hysteria of gibberish (Tongues)
• Claims of healing, signs and wonders (Faith Healing)
• Prosperity and health to all who believe and receive blessings from their anointed leaders (Health-Wealth Gospel)
• Falling backward and rolling on the ground (Slain in the Spirit)
• Uncontrolled laughter, accompanied by animal like sounds and behaviour (Holy Laughter)

Are these true manifestations of the Spiritual Gifts that the Lord Jesus Christ offered to the members of His Church?

If those modern manifestations are not consistent with the Scripture, then they are not from God, but self-generated or satanic.

The Scriptures warn us that in the last days there will be an upsurge of spiritual deception through miracle workers. The Scriptures clearly teach us that in the last days many will be deceived to follow false teachers by their wonders and signs. The false prophets would mislead people through their miraculous, ecstatic deeds. In fact, a sure sign of the end times is the form of godliness that is devoid of truth and holiness, and yet with manifestation of miraculous.

• Mathew 24:4-5, 11-13, 24
• Matthew 7:21-23;

Foundational Gifts

• These were generally miraculous gifts.
• They were given as part of the revelation of God’s Word in the early church
• They were either “revelatory gifts” or “sign gifts”
• These are non-permanent gifts. They ceased as soon as their purpose was accomplished.

Revelatory Gifts – Not to be continued

In 1 Corinthians 13:8, Paul emphasizes the permanence of love by contrasting it with spiritual gifts that are meant to be temporary.

Verse 8 says,

• “Charity never faileth” (Hē agapē oudepote piptei): Love never faileth. It is expressive of the perpetuity of love. Love survives everything.
• “but”
• “whether there be prophecies, they shall fail” ("shall fail": katargēthēsontai): First future passive of katargeō (from argos): to make idle, to be inoperative. Prophetic gift will be made inoperative (when the Bible, complete revelation of God’s truth, comes to existence cf. vv.9-10).
• “whether there be tongues, they shall cease” ("shall cease": pausontai): Future middle indicative of pauō, which means “to make cease.” The middle voice suggest that the gift of tongues shall make itself cease or automatically cease of itself.
• “whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away” ("shall vanish away": This word is also from the same Greek word as “fail” (katargeō). The gift of knowledge shall no more take place.

Paul clearly said that all of these special spiritual gifts, that were given for the purpose of revelation would pass away.

The Reason for their cessation:

1 Corinthians 13:9-10
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

• Through those revelatory gifts, the early Christians were given portions of God’s truth each time when one was led to exercise them.
• The word “in part” (appears twice in v.9) is translated from the Greek word, meros, which means, “one of the constituent parts of a whole, or in a measure, or severally, or individually.”
• In the early church, the truth of God was given to edify the congregation through these revelatory gifts, but the truth was revealed in portions.
• The New Testament was not yet written. So those gifts continued until the revelation (N.T) was complete.
• After the revelation (the Scripture / the New Testament) was complete (apostolic period) and then put together (canonization 350 A.D – 451 A.D), these revelatory gifts were vanished.
• We have plenty of credible testimony from the church fathers that those revelatory gifts and the accompanied confirmatory gifts or sign gifts ceased after the completion and acceptance of the New Testament.

John Chrysostom (347-407) concerning the spiritual gifts of 1 Corinthians:

“This whole place is very obscure: but the obscurity is produced by our ignorance of the facts referred to, and by their cessation, being such as then used to occur but now no longer take place” (“Homilies on 1 Corinthians,” Vol. XII, The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Hom 29:2).

John Calvin (1509-1564):

“...the gift of healing, like the rest of the miracles, which the Lord willed to be brought forth for a time, has vanished away in order to make the preaching of the Gospel marvellous for ever” (Institutes of the Christian Religion, Bk IV:19, 18).

John Owen (1616-1683):

“Gifts which in their own nature exceed the whole power of all our faculties, that dispensation of the Spirit is long since ceased and where it is now pretended unto by any, it may justly be suspected as an enthusiastic delusion” (Works IV, 518).

Thomas Watson (1620-1686):
“Sure, there is as much need of ordination now as in Christ's time and in the time of the apostles, there being then extraordinary gifts in the church which are now ceased” (The Beatitudes, 140).

Matthew Henry (1662-1714):
Speaking of the ‘gift of tongues,’ he said, “These and other gifts of prophecy, being a sign, have long since ceased and been laid aside, and we have no encouragement to expect the revival of them; but, on the contrary, are directed to call the Scriptures the more sure word of prophecy, more sure than voices from Heaven; and to them we are directed to take heed, to search them, and to hold them fast ...” (Preface to Vol IV of his Exposition of the OT & NT, vii).

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758):
“Of the extraordinary gifts, they were given 'in order to the founding and establishing of the church in the world. But since the canon of Scriptures has been completed, and the Christian church fully founded and established, these extraordinary gifts have ceased” (Charity and its Fruits, 29).

George Whitefield (1714-1770):
“... the karismata, the miraculous gifts conferred on the primitive church ... have long ceased ...” (Second Letter to the Bishop of London, Works, Vol. IV, 167).

James Buchanan (1804-1870)
“The miraculous gifts of the Spirit have long since been withdrawn. They were used for a temporary purpose” (The Office and Work of the Holy Spirit, 34).

Robert L. Dabney (1820-1898)
“After the early church had been established, the same necessity for supernatural signs now no longer existed, and God, Who is never wasteful in His expedients, withdrew them ... miracles, if they became ordinary, would cease to be miracles, and would be referred by men to customary law” (‘Prelacy a Blunder,’ Discussions: Evangelical and Theological, Vol. 2, 236-237).

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)
Speaking of the office of the apostles, “an office which necessarily dies out, and properly so, because the miraculous power also is withdrawn” (Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit 1871, Vol. 17, 178).

Benjamin B. Warfield (1851-1921)
“These gifts were ... distinctively the authentication of the apostles. They were part of the credentials of the apostles as the authoritative agents of God in founding the church. Their function thus confirmed them to distinctively the apostolic church and they necessarily passed away with it” (Counterfeit Miracles, 6). After the revelation (the Scripture / the New Testament) was complete (apostolic period) and then put together (canonisation 350 A.D – 451 A.D), these revelatory gifts were vanished.

Sign-Gifts

Together with the revelatory gifts, the Lord also bestowed upon those who were called to be the Apostles, miraculous gifts for the confirmation of their message. These miraculous were not found with every believer. They were seen being performed only by those who were in the Apostolic band.

The following verses and all the evidences in the Acts and elsewhere in the epistles point to this truth.

• 2 Corinthians 12:12 - "Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.”
• Acts 2:43 - "And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.”
• Acts 5:12- "And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch."
• Romans 15:19 - "Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ." These signs were done by the Apostle Paul.

Conclusion

All the foundational gifts have been ceased with completion of the New Testament.

Now we must build upon that is revealed and confirmed, the Bible.

Ephesians 2:20 – “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone”

• The apostles and prophets were the two major offices of the early which the Lord has given to the church, that they may reveal the Word of God, which will be the foundation of the church. Their gifts were foundational and temporary. Those gifts have vanished with them. Today, as Paul said in Ephesians 2:20, we ought to build upon using the gifts that are for our times, such as preaching, teaching, ministering, etc.
• Anyone who claims to have those foundational gifts and their confirmatory (sign) gifts is a pretender and deceiver. Christ has already laid the foundation through the revelation of His Word through the apostles and prophets, He Himself being the chief cornerstone. The Lord is no more in the work of laying the foundation. The foundation is already laid.
• Today the members of the church, must proclaim, teach and live according to the foundational truth of His Word, which is given to us by the Apostles and prophets. If anyone today appears with the claim that he is an apostle or a prophet, we must reject such. Their miracles are not of God (Matt 7:21-23; 24:24), they are counterfeits, like those of the ancient Egyptian magicians who performed the miracles that Moses did.
• Let us therefore do not seek after the charismatic ecstasy and miracle signs because they are counterfeits. But let us seek to build upon the Word of God, which is handed down to us by the Apostles and prophets of the church.