2 Timothy

Verse 14. Keep reminding god's people of these things. War them before god against quarreling about words. It is of no value, and it only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to god as 1 approved.

A worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter. Because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are hymenaeus and philetus who have departed from the truth.

They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. Nevertheless, god's solid foundation stands firm sealed with this inscription. The Lord knows those who are his. And everyone who confesses the name of the lord must turn away from wickedness. In a large house, there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay.

Some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes made wholly, useful to the master and prepared to do any good work. Fleet the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the lord out of a pure heart. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments because you know they produce quarrels, and the lord's servant must not be quarrelsome. But must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

Opponents must be gently instructed in the hope that god will grant them repentance, leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses. And escape from the trap of the devil who has taken them captive to do his will. Let's pray and then we'll turn back to that passage. Fologuard, we thank you that your word is a living word. We thank you that it speaks to us As Tom said, you are going to speak to us now through your word.

Lord help us to be receptive, help us to have open hearts and minds that we, have an expectation of hearing from you this morning. And that, as you speak into our hearts, may we be changed by what you say to us? In Jesus' name, amen. So, useless or useful, useless or useful. That's what I want us to start by thinking about this morning.

Do you want to be useful in your service to god? Adopted by god into his family. Do you want to help and serve that family? Or is that really just not the way you think? You know, if you look back to when you were first converted, if you think about that, and when you first became a Christian, You know, were you 1 of those people who you'd do anything you could to help out?

Anything you could, you'd rush round, wash up, whatever it was that you could do, you were so cited, so so keen. But, well, you know, that's a while ago now. And perhaps churches become a little bit more about you can get out of it. It's about turning up on a on a Sunday at a time that suits you. It's about taking advantage of a hub lunch if it was on because you haven't got any food at home or you haven't managed to sort anything out with the rest of your family.

In a nutshell, it's about making sure that your faith doesn't interfere too much with the rest of life. You know, if I asked you, when did you last put yourself out for Jesus? Or when did you last give to the work here, to the extent that you actually noticed go out of your bank? Well, you might struggle to remember. See, if that's if that's you, then it, it's sounds like the brand of Christianity that you're settling for is where it's a bolt on to your life, you know, a bit like I don't know, gym membership.

Actually, this is, I used to do work, a property work for a big firm of, gyms. And they love this time of year. This is their favorite time of year because people after Christmas, if, you know, eating their own body weight in Turkey, they can't wait to get there and sign up and start getting fit again. But the guys who run these gyms, and I I know I knew these guys quite well, they also know that by February, March, you're sort of giving up. You stop going quite so much, but you can't be honest enough with yourself to cut the membership, so you keep paying without going.

Which is absolutely ideal if you're running the business. Now is that a bit like your relationship with God? Keen at first, you know, there all the time. But now, well well, it's faded a bit and you don't go very often you don't want to say, well, I'm not really a member anymore. By the way, whilst whilst we use that comparison of of gym membership is just with thinking about the fact that 1 of the things that really shows up our attitude to church and our attitude to god's family is when you think about leaving I know that I know that sounds a bit strange, but would leaving cornerstone be a wrench for you?

You know, would it would it be something that you do with sadness, perhaps tears on both sides? You know, before Christmas, we, are the cow servicing was, we said goodbye to Johnny and Rebecca, didn't we? For about the fourth time? They moved to Kent, but it was very sad. They will leave a big hole.

In this church family. Is that what would happen if you left? Is that how you think about it? Or would it be more like quitting the gym for you? You know, you just email an order and say you stop the direct debit and see you later.

Actually, we I got a I got a great email, before Christmas from Jean, who who you remember also left her. She couldn't drive anymore. She's moved somewhere just too far for her to get here. And, she sent me a long email with an explanation of of her decision and so on. And then she said, but I realized that, budgeting in church is very difficult.

So I just wanted to let you know that I will keep on giving to Cornerstone till at least summer. Now that was a terrific email to get, somebody who'd thought about the process of leaving. But maybe you don't want to settle for a bolt on form of Christianity. Maybe you genuinely want to be useful to god. It's just that in the last few minutes as you think about it, you've realized that over the last year or so, you haven't been.

You've just drifted into being a bit too self absorbed or a bit too consumerist or a bit too controlling of your time and resources. Making sure that there's no discomfort in your life, being tired, being stretched, are things that you want to avoid at all costs. Beautiful or useless. Which best describes you now and which describes who you want to be in 2019. Because wouldn't it be great if this morning, we decided we were fed up of feeling useless.

See many of us feel like that, but what can we do about it? How can we leave here this morning as people god might want to use. In fact, thinking about it, what kind of life does he use? What does he look for in a person if he's going to use them mightily for his kingdom? Where Paul in his letter to timothy knows that you get both sorts of people in a church, useless people and useful people.

But he doesn't just state it as a fact and leave it there. He encourages us to make ourselves useful. He says in effect, you can do this. You can be useful to god. So look with me, verses 20 and 21 of chapter 2, right in the middle of the reading that we had.

In a large house, there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. Some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes made wholly useful to the master and prepared to do any good work. Now, do you see what Paul is saying there? He's saying not everyone has made the same.

But if you're willing to cleanse yourself, then you can be useful for the master and prepared to do any good work. That should be what we want in our lives, shouldn't it? As we head into a new year, that we want to be useful to god. And if you're sitting there thinking, yes, but how? How do I do this?

Well, the good news is that in this little passage, Paul gives 3 ways in which we can help become useful to god. And the first 1 is this, deal with destructive teaching. Deal with destructive teaching. Now as Tom said, we're in the middle of a series. If you remember, back in August, I think it was, we looked at, 3 weeks, I think, on fanning the flame.

Which was 2 Timothy chapter 1 and and going into chapter 2. And we ended on the first 13 verses of chapter 2. And It was, Paul was looking at, fanning the flame in our lives, and he was characterizing that and using really helpful pictures for us. Soldier, farmer, teacher, athlete. He was showing us what it looks like to be on fire for Jesus.

And it was a very positive message. It's a very positive flow of 13 verses as he fires us up. As he fans the flame in us, and he ended that section reminding us it's all about Jesus and it's all about the desire to see his kingdom expand it verse 8, if you turn back with me, what we didn't read this. Remember Jesus Christ, he says in verse 8, raised from the dead descended from David, this is my gospel, for which I'm suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But god's word is not chained.

Therefore, I enjoy everything for the sake of the elect that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. He's saying it's all about Jesus. It's all about what he's done. And then he carries on basically straight in verse 14 that we looked at our first first this morning. He carries straight on and says in that Keep reminding god's people of these things.

Now, what things? Well, what he's just been talking about? Paul saying to Timothy, the leader of the church, keep reminding people of what life is all about, of the gospel. It's a reinforcement this morning of that positive message that we looked at back in August. But it's worth us hearing that instruction in that first verse.

Keep reminding god's people, that's us, of these things. Because you see sometimes when we hear a sermon, a talk when we're in a small group bible study, whatever it is, we're disappointed when some new fact isn't unearthed. You know, we expect the preachers here to be able to come up with some new earth shattering information on that passage that we've never heard before. Has never been taught for the last 2000 years, or we can overrate the preacher that does seem to have found something new. Paul is saying he's reminding Timothy keep preaching the gospel that they already know.

That's what he's saying. Keep preaching the gospel that they already know. I've told this story before, but many years ago now, I was running a small group in our house and we were going through 1 of the gospels and we got to the power of the sower, which I said we were going to do that evening. And there was an older guy, in the home group, and he just said, you cannot be serious. So I've paused.

Well, I definitely am serious. So he said, you cannot we're not actually gonna look at this again, are we? He said I've been a Christian 20 odd years. I must have done this passage 4, 5 times, and we're going to study it again. And we did.

But the point is it's the outlook of that, isn't it, of that comment? It's what it's what that comment tells us is that underneath you god have nothing more to say to me on this. Paul is saying to Timothy here, keep reminding god's people of the gospel that they know. Because we need it. We need to be constantly reminded.

But then he shifts very quickly from keep reminding people of the gospel to make a second point. And it's the other side of the coin, if you like. He says at the same time, deal with destructive teaching. Deal with destructive teaching. Look at the second bit of 14.

War them before guard against quarreling about words, it is of no value and only ruins those who listen. Now, this is a real emphasis in this earlier bit of the passage. Look at 16. Avoid godless chatter because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungod And look at verse 17, their teaching will spread like gangrene, among them are hymenious and philetus who have departed from the truth. So what's going on?

What's he saying here? 1 minute he's been positive and the flame. Suddenly he's talking about arguing, falling out, false teaching, gangrene spreading, wandering from the truth in the same verse. So what is going on? Well, he's reminding Timothy that part of the leadership in church involves not just being positive, but also opposing and correcting false teaching that causes havoc in a church family.

So I know that some of you can do this positive stuff in your sleep. It is a real gift to be able to build people up to encourage people, but part of us being useful to god is not only to make sure that we're not taken in by false teaching, but also to be brave enough and courageous enough to oppose it when we see it. See, part of 14 is saying to us don't quarrel about words, but it's stronger than that. He's not saying don't just have a little argument. It's much stronger than that.

He uses the phrase, warn them before god. Now, if you go to some of the older translations, all of this, We I think we lose something sometimes, but, listen to this from 1 of the older translations solemnly charge them in the presence of god. Not to wrangle about words. It is a command. Paul is making this really strong by using that little phrase.

It's actually almost stern before god do not quarrel. And Paul wants to make sure that Timothy and Cornerstone Church in the end of 2018 understand that there is a profound danger in false teaching. We must realize firstly how serious it is. And secondly, we must stop it gaining a foothold in the church. Earlier this week, when I was looking through this, I got a text from Finn.

She was having to choose the songs for the morning. And she wanted to know if I had any themes. And I said, m, not that's gonna help you with the song, actually, is what I was thinking. For teaching is the theme. And she came back and she said, you're always preaching on false teaching.

And I thought, yeah, that's there is quite a lot of truth in that. So I then googled false teaching in the new testament and got over a hundred verses, which is probably why it seems to crop up a lot. It is a massive subject It is a massive subject in the New Testament. And Paul is saying here, look, I'm warning you before god Don't start quarreling. Don't quarrel about words.

Now, we mustn't downplay that by misunderstanding it. Is not talking about little arguments or little debates that we might have with each other on secondary issues. You know, whether Jesus was actually 5 foot 10 or not. Doesn't really matter. It's not what he's talking about.

The phrase quarreling about words carries the idea in the original language of a war of words. Paul is reminding god's people not to get caught up in debates about secondary issues, which false teachers can make primary. Be aware he says, this type of debate, this type of argument, this sort of quarreling often occurs inside the church, and it has no value. It only ruins those who listen, he says. Now I don't know about you, when I read that, I instinctively sort of want to say yes, but we have to defend the gospel.

Shouldn't we take on false words and false ideas and and deceiving arguments? And of course, the answer is yes. But false teachers often negate the gospel, not by attacking it straight on, but by bogging the church down in tertiary issues. In other words, they win by causing us to focus on the wrong thing. Paul is saying, leave those arguments alone.

In fact, he's telling us there are some arguments that you lose just by entering them. There are some arguments you lose just by entering them. 1 commentator wrote this, If people did not, but consider of what little use most of the controversies in religion are, they would not be so zealous in their arguments over words. So what Paul is getting at here is the danger that if we quarrel about words inside the church, will not only lead those listening astray and make them doubt their faith, but they'll see the church as naval gazing, they'll see the church as back telling each other, and they'll see the church stop looking out. Again, let's be clear is not saying there's anything wrong with Christians sitting down together debating, working through the Bible.

What it says, how we apply it, nothing wrong with a dinner table conversation or a late night chat on what heaven will be like or is hell real? You know, frankly, some of us would benefit from a few more conversations like that rather than talking about football or what's on TV. But there is something wrong with it. If we are so taken up with intellectual chitchat amongst ourselves, so into debating that we're no longer salt or light. See, in the end, whether your grasp of hell is completely accurate or not is not as important as the fact that your neighbor or your work colleague or your friend is going there at the moment.

Timothy is urged by Paul to oppose and deal with destructive teaching when it comes also in the form of direct attacks from false teachers such as the 2 mentioned. Verse 17, their teaching will spread like gangrene. Again, let's not miss the strength of that verse. See, we don't see actual gangrene very for now. Perhaps it doesn't carry the same weight for us, but in the days when this was written, apparently, gangrene was used to describe all sorts of ailments they had didn't have other names for, including cancer.

Now that makes it a much stronger verse for us, doesn't it? Avoid godless chatter because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like a cancer. So if you want to be useful to god, watch out for false teaching. Oppose it.

Don't be taken in by it. Don't let it take root like a disease spreading and damaging the church. See, those those 2 people that are named here in verse 17, verse 17, 18, they're departed from the truth. It says, they say that the resurrection has already taken place and they destroy the faith of some. Now did you pick up from that verse?

They're not saying Jesus hadn't risen. They're not saying Jesus hadn't died. They were basically promoting the idea that you were resurrected when you were born again in this life. Would you have spotted that? If we want to be useful to god, we must work at opposing the destructive power of false teaching and make sure that we aren't taken in.

How do we do that? Where Paul tells Timothy, make sure you work hard to handle the word of god truthfully and accurately. Verse 15, do your best to present yourself to god as 1 approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Obviously what you get all the way through this passage is Paul talking to a church leader. So you could just take this and say this is all advice to Timothy, what's he going to do with us?

But of course, firstly, church leaders are role models. But secondly, these are letters written to the whole church. They were read round. This wasn't a private letter to Timothy. So we have to think the same applications as Timothy thinks.

So correctly handling the word of truth is vital. Working hard to do it is crucial. That obviously applies to preachers. It applies to leaders here. But actually, you know, it applies to all of you who lead a small group bible study, who teach in Sunday school, in youth, who do who if you do a 1 to 1, think about what you're doing.

Think about how serious it is if you get it wrong, that you might end up leading somebody astray. Preachers put the time in to prepare. Home Group lead of Sunday school teachers exactly the same. Don't skip preparation. Don't wing it even if you're doing a 1 to 1.

If we teach falsehood or through not working hard, not preparing simply allow falsehood to creep in, then it says we bring shame on ourselves. And it doesn't mean, you know, we should be ashamed of ourselves with each other. It's saying in verse 15, the result is that we're ashamed in front of god. So that was really 2 points. I called it 1, which was, you know, deal with destructive teaching, but it it was it was the other side as well, teach the truth.

We need to do both, deal with destructive teaching and teach the truth. Some of us need to work on this idea of opposing false teaching, and accept that we can't be positive about everything that calls itself Christian. We can't always be positive with everything that somebody says in a small group. We can't always be positive with everything that somebody says sitting next to you in church after the service. And all of us, here at Cornerstone, need to be mature enough spiritually to understand that when someone corrects us, it's not personal.

It's spiritual. It's to build us up. Second way, which we can make ourselves useful to god is cleanse ourselves, cleanse ourselves. Look at verse 20 again. In a large house, there were articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay.

Some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes made wholly useful to the master and prepared to do any good work. Now the large house is referring back to the previous verse 19, which is the Shore Foundation, and basically it's the church. He's saying, look, the church has different people in it. Some who are useful and some who aren't.

To make yourself useful, cleanse yourself. That's what he's saying. It's an encouraging verse because it's a large house. But there are different interpretations of verses 20 and 21, which I'm going to get to in a minute. But in the end, the key is for us to be 1 of the gold or silver articles.

And in a funny way, I don't know about you, but that's the bit I had to mentally get my head round. When I was preparing this because you see, I think when you hear words like wood, clay, common use, that's where the Christian's comfortable going. You know, we value humility. We value every day. We value being useful in a common or or normal environments.

But that isn't, in this case, what we should want to be like Let me give you an illustration from today, even. I don't know if you noticed the difference when I when I was talking about, you know, returning returning visitor, not not visitors returning friends. So Emily crept in with Grace. They were it was difficult for them to go any faster than they were up the aisle and looking small and and, you know, trying to keep keep it that way. They were being humble and every day and, you know, tucking themselves away in the back.

Then we have the Americans And the Americans are on the front row with flashing teeth, and looking like gold and silver and, being very proud of being back. Now the funny thing is, normally we dislike the Americans and we like and we all tend to be like the, Emily at the back. This passage though is saying you've got to get over that. In this case, on this, example only be like them, fit in the front row. That's what it's saying.

So when we're in the House of God, when we're thinking about the church, when we're looking at verse 20, We want to be valued articles in god's house. That's what it's saying. We don't want to be the vessels that are hidden away and not valued. Now, once we've grasped that, that's the key thing of these verses, but there are really then 2 commonly held options. I'm gonna very briefly give you what these these verses mean.

Firstly, the gold and silver dishes are the Christians in the church. The wood and clay dishes are the non Christians, including the false teachers in the church, because we're talking about the house. These are the people who are in the church in the house but in the end, at the moment, are not precious in god's sight. Okay? Second option.

Is that the wood and clay vessels are Christians who are not very useful to god. They aren't brought out on special occasions when the gold and so dishes are used. They are Christians who perhaps their earthly lifestyle might be an embarrassment to the church. Whilst the gold and silver, dishes are more useful Christians to God. Now, those are the 2 options that all the commentators fight it out on this Now in some ways, I think it may just be an over analysis of the whole verse, frankly, The key point is we need to desire to be useful.

We need to desire to cleanse ourselves so that we're instruments for special purposes. That's it. Cleanse yourself in order to be useful, but I don't wanna be accused of ducking it. I am, if I'm pushed inclined to go with the first option that the vessels of wood and clay are the non Christians, including false teachers, all of whom we find in the visible church. Firstly, because I think it's more in context with what we're looking at.

And it's certainly more in context with verse 22 onwards, which you're gonna get to in a minute. But also because we know the visible church is a mixture. C spurgeon said this, until we shall come to the heaven of the most high, we must expect to find chaff mixed with wheat, dross with gold, goats with sheep, and dead flies in the ointment. See, is is that what Paul's describing here? My issue with the wooden vessels being less useful Christians is I just don't think the Bible and God will be telling us to cleanse ourselves from them Doesn't make sense to me.

Every child of god, every person saved by the blood of Jesus by Jesus coming and dying for us and being resurrected is important to god. Would any of us However, rubbish, frankly, and useless we are, would any of us be left behind the scenes if we were truly a child of god? No. We'd be on display because our very presence glorifies Jesus. So I can't see that the wooden vessels that are kept behind the scenes can really be Christian Nevertheless, the idea of a church having Christians in it who are less useful and others that perhaps are more useful does hold even in that first option because of the use of gold and silver.

Gold and silver are not of the same value. I was gonna get a little chart up to show you the the market price of gold and silver and their performance over the last 20 years, but I thought I might be the only person interested The point is gold and silver are not identical, but Paul is saying, and this is the message So don't get bogged down in it. Paul is just saying, look, whatever you're made of, let's polish. Let's make yourself purify yourself to be useful to god. So whether you agree with any of those 2 options or simply take the view, which I think is really where I am, which is that the whole thing is an over analysis.

The point is the illustration is if you want to be useful to god recognized that you're a huge value to him that Jesus died for you and that god wants to put you on display in the church and cleanse yourself from falsehood. Are you prepared to do that? Is that what you want? See, it's not a stupid question to ask. In fact, it reminds me of John 5 where Jesus goes, and he heals the man by the pool.

And the first thing he says to him, remember this in verse 6, he he says to the paralyzed man, do you want to get well? Because some people don't. Some people in this room I guess are comfortable or happy in their place of dishonor. They don't actually want to be very useful to god. I really want you to think about this now.

Do you want to be useful to god or is the reality that you don't fancy what that means in terms of hard work and perhaps, difficulties that come with it. Have you thought about why you don't, if that's how you feel? There's a story I read, about a mister Philpot, I don't know what his first name is. He was a martyr. But early before that, he was talking to a young man about to die for his faith in Jesus.

And he said to this young man, brother, you're a vessel in the great house of your master. And this day, he will scour you. Scour you hard But remember, you shall soon stand on the shelf shining bright and glorious. Now when I read that sort of stuff, I don't know about you, I I it scares me, actually. And I think do I really do I really want to be scoured hard?

And I don't know whether you feel the same. Do you really want to be that useful to god? But listen to spurgeon on this subject, o to be used by god, This is the answer to the end of our being. If you can feel god has used you, then you may rejoice indeed. Fantastic, isn't it?

But it carries on, you see, with a warning. He says there are some Christians though whom the lord cannot much use, not least because they aren't cleansed from selfishness. Is that where we are? Is it a selfish heart stopping you from cleansing yourself? Is it a selfish heart stopping you from being useful?

See, I don't think we need to get caught up in over analyzing whether we were wood or silver or gold or whatever it is. The question is, will we cleanse ourselves in preparation for being used by god? The third final briefly, the third reign, which this passage says we can, we can help work towards being useful to god is this, flee and pursue. Verse 22, flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the lord out of a pure heart. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments because you know they produce quarrels.

So the third thing Paul says to us, if we want to be useful is actually 2 things, flee pursue. We're to flee evil desires, we're to pursue righteousness faith, love and peace. Now, when he says flee evil desires of lusts or youth, some people have taken it as being sexual sin. I don't think that's the case here. I don't think that's what he's talking about.

He's not not in context. In this instance, I think what Paul is talking about is when he says flee the desires of youth, he's about he's talking about fleeing, a headstrong enthusiasm that comes with youth. You know, the things that make us impatient immature, prone to argue. He's saying, don't be so passionate and arrogant as young people can be that we believe we must be right and everyone else wrong. Make sure we respect those who are older and wiser than ourselves.

And he's telling us that there is a tendency in us to be so excited by some new truth that we think we've grasped, that it makes us argumentative. Verse 23, you don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments because you know they produce quarrels. We're actually to be the opposite of that. Verse 24, the lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. See that?

See again, I understand he's talking to Timothy. I understand Timothy's a church leader. You might not all need to teach. But we're all to be gentle. We're all to build up in our conversation.

We must do both the things Paul says here, flee and pursue, flee and pursue. It's not enough to flee the evil lusts of youth And you do that by, well, you would have hidden away in a monastery, I guess. Now we're more likely just to withdraw. You just withdraw from the church family. You just withdraw from anything that isn't a formal church service.

Come in late, go straight away. You know, you read the Bible on your own, you have no friends outside the little group of Christians who think like you do. See, those things are good, going to church, reading the bible, but we're to be in relationship with the whole church family, we're to be salt and light to the world around us. Yes, we're to flee, but we're also to pursue. Think about how active that little phrase is pursue You know, if you take 1 example, pursue love, can you do that selfishly?

Can you do that when you only think about you? Similarly, righteousness is a fantastic thing. But not to be hidden away displayed in the great house as we are changed by the work of the spirit in us as our hearts are changed from stone to flesh, we should increase in faith, we should increase in righteousness, we should increase in love and in peace. No quarrels, no bickering with a heart for others. Versus 25 and 26, opponents must be gently instructed in the hope that god will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil who has taken them captive to do his will.

See, again, he's saying, look, be wise. Lead people gently. They might turn back to god. Don't be harsh. When I talk about opposing false teaching, I'm not talking about being harsh on people like young people off an hour, don't be the bull in the China shop.

Apose correct, but do it gently. If we want to be useful, we have to stick to the truth. We have to oppose false teaching We have to cleanse ourselves of false opinions, and we have to flee and pursue. Those are the things that will help us be useful to god. And then you'll be the sort of person god can use.

The rest of it will leave to him. Trust him. So I don't know if you notice, but I sort of skipped verse 19 because it's the conclusion in a way. So just after Paul has warned us, that false teaching can spread like gangrene can shake the faith of people. He comforts us.

He reassures us with verse 19. Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm sealed with this inscription, the lord knows those who are his. And everyone who confesses the name of the lord must turn away from wickedness. Make yourself useful in god's house. Which is the church, which is the Shore Foundation, and he'll see that.

He'll know your real motives He'll know your love, he'll see your heart. And if you're his, he knows the lord knows who are his, and he'll never let you go. How amazing, isn't it? When you think about that as we head into a new year that we could be useful to the god who saved us, that by sending his son to die on a cross that we might then get a chance to be privileged enough to be on show as a vessel in his house, to know his love that he is so proud of us that he puts us on display. Surely, We all want that for our lives as we head into 20 19 next week, don't we?

Let's pray. Father we thank you for this image. Of gold and silver vessels, dishes being put on display in your house to church. Lord, we pray that Well, we thank you first that because of your son Jesus, because of his death and resurrection, We can be restored into a relationship with you that you can then be so proud of us that you want us, you want to put us on display. Lord I pray that we will leave here this morning determined, changed, wanting to be useful.

To your kingdom. Help us to think about, these lessons from this passage that we can't always be positive about everything that calls itself Christian, that we must spend the time battling, grappling, to make sure that we're teaching the truth. Help us lord to cleanse ourselves and help us to flee and pursue. But I pray this morning that we will all enter 20 19. Determined to be useful to you.

In Jesus' name, amen,