2 Timothy 2:20-21

“God's Great House”

(2 Timothy 2:20-21, July 31, 2011)

20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable.

Our present bodies are temporary tents, but the Lord has a building for us in the heavens. See 2 Corinthians 5. “If the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” In 2 Peter 1:13 the apostle says, “I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder,...” The word that is translated “body” is actually “tent.” But the idea of our heavenly body can also be a group place, not just an individual heavenly dwelling place for your soul and spirit. There is a communal reality in heaven (and on earth) of the body of Christ.

The great house of God on earth is His church, and we want to be useful servants there. In any truly great house, there are a variety of rooms, an assortment of all kinds of furniture, and many different vessels. Not every vessel is made of gold or silver. Some are made of wood or clay as appropriate for their purposes. Some vessels have an honorable and public purpose. Others are more private, but still necessary.

21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

The church on earth is on earth. We can get pretty dirty here. But we don't want to serve the guests with the uncleanness of a dying world. One day the Lord will perfectly purify His house. Men like Hymenaeus and Philetus referred to in the previous verses who were teaching a doctrine that was spreading like gangrene, bringing death to the body and not life, had to be cut off from the body in order to protect the rest of the church. They had taken the anti-supernatural teaching of an unclean world and served it up as food for the Lord's children. A necessary health inspection had protected the Lord's house by relieving those men of their preaching duties, at least for a time. To stay away from them and their teaching was necessary in order to remain clean in the Lord's great house.

We are the Lord's vessels, filled with the Holy Spirit, filled with Jesus Christ, filled with the truth of the Word that heals the sick and strengthens those who would gladly receive it. The true members of the eternal body of Christ are set apart as holy to the Lord. The glorious heavenly building today is already holy, and the coming new heavens and earth will be full of the holiness of God in every way. Why should we wait for the day of Christ to be filled with the fruits of righteousness to the glory and praise of God?

We want to be most useful to Jesus, who died and rose again for us. He is the Master of the house. We want to be sensitive to His call to be clean, and ready for every good work. The Lord is faithful. He will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He will watch over His body, and build us up in truth and love.