INTRODUCTION

1. Let us consider 2Timothy 2:20-26 as the main text for our lesson:

   ²⁰Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor.  ²¹Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. ²²Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.  ²³But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.  ²⁴The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, ²⁵with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, ²⁶and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

2. From this text and others, let us consider our roles as bond-servants of Jesus Christ.

    

A USEFUL SERVANT

1. To become useful to Jesus Christ, one must be sanctified (2Tim. 2:20-23).

   1. The figure of vessels is used in verses 20-21 to represent different persons and their functions.

      1. Vessels are bowls, pots, pitchers, or other containers made of various materials for various uses.

      2. Vessels made of finer materials are reserved for more honorable purposes.  For example, consider the gold vessels of the temple (2Ki. 24:13; Dan. 5:2-3) and the alabaster vial of perfume used to anoint Jesus (Matt. 26:7).

      3. The figure has nothing to do with a person's physical traits, but rather it is a spiritual analogy.  An honorable vessel is a person who suitably serves an honorable purpose, the greatest of which is spiritual service to the Lord (Rom. 12:1-2).

   2. To be a "vessel for honor," a person must be sanctified.

      1. To be sanctified is to be made holy or set aside for a holy purpose.  Compare the related words sanctify (Gr. hagiazō), holy, (Gr. hagios), and saint (Gr. hagios).

      2. Christians are sanctified in Christ (Acts 26:18; 1Cor. 1:2; 6:11; Eph. 5:26; Heb. 10:10), but they must also keep themselves sanctified by holy conduct.

      3. To be a "vessel for honor," a person must cleanse himself from "these things" (v. 21).  "These things" must refer to the unholy things mentioned in this context, namely the "youthful lusts" (v. 22) and "ignorant and foolish speculations" (v. 23).

      4. Sanctification includes not only being cleansed from sin but also remaining clean by pursuing holy causes, such as "righteousness, faith, love and peace" in verse 22.

   3. Only a sanctified vessel can be useful to the Master.

      1. A person who has cleansed himself from sin and has committed himself to the Lord's purposes is useful to Christ.  In other words, Jesus can use such a person to accomplish His work.

      2. A person who continues in the habitual practice of sin and is the slave of Satan is not useful to Christ.  Such a person is filthy in his unholiness.  Jesus could no more use him than a host could use a trash can or a rusty bucket to serve dinner to his guests.

2. A bond-servant of Christ must do the Lord's work in the Lord's way (2Tim. 2:24-26).

   1. The figure of a bond-servant indicates that a Christian is owned by the Lord Jesus and fully in subjection to Him.

      1. Jesus has ownership of us by virtue of the price He paid to redeem us.  Notice 1Corinthians 6:19-20:

         ¹⁹Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?  ²⁰For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

      2. As bond-servants, we must be obedient to Christ as our Lord and Master.  We cannot be His servants and He cannot be our Master unless we do what He says (Luke 6:46).

   2. The Lord's bond-servant is to serve in a humble manner.

      1. All of the traits for the Lord's bond-servant in verses 24-25 describe selflessness and concern for others.  Notice that he serves Christ by thus serving others.

         1. He must not be quarrelsome, which means that he rejects the speculations that produce quarrels (v. 23) and does not seek to start arguments.

         2. He must be kind to all.  His kind disposition shows no favoritism.

         3. He is able to teach, which is essential to his mission as a bond-servant of Christ.  This involves not only having knowledge but also being able to successfully impart that knowledge to others.

         4. He is patient when wronged.  He will suffer insults and persecution while he serves Christ, but these must not discourage him from fulfilling his mission.

         5. He gently corrects those who are in opposition.  His purpose is to build up others rather than destroying them (2Cor. 10:8).

   3. The Lord's bond-servant works to rescue others from bondage to Satan.

      1. He hopes that by his efforts in the service of Christ his hearers will be "granted repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth" (v. 25).

      2. The result of his work may be that sinners "come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will" (v. 26).

      3. Thus, the work of the Lord's bond-servant is to do the work of his Master, for Christ came "to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).

          

A SLAVE IS NOT GREATER THAN HIS MASTER

1. A slave's greatest ambition is to become like his master.

   1. In Matthew 10:24-25a, Jesus said,

      ²⁴"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.  ²⁵It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master.

   2. When the Lord said, "It is enough," He indicated that the disciple can hope for nothing more than to be like his teacher and the slave can hope for nothing more than to be like his master.

2. Because the Lord was rejected and persecuted, His bond-servants will be also.

   1. In Matthew 10:25b, Jesus went on to say, "If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!"

   2. Similarly, Jesus told His disciples in John 15:18-20:

      ¹⁸"If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.  ¹⁹If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.  ²⁰Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.'  If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also."

   3. Indeed, we cannot expect for the world to be more receptive of Christ's bond-servants than it was of Him.

      1. In the same chapter that we have studied in this lesson, Paul wrote in 2Timothy 2:8-9:

         ⁸Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel,⁹for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.

      2. As this passage instructs, we remember Jesus Christ and that our Master Jesus was rejected, unjustly condemned, and crucified by the world.  We also notice that Paul was suffering a similar fate as he wrote this letter to Timothy.

      3. As fellow bond-servants of Christ, we cannot expect to serve the Lord faithfully and be unscathed by the world.  "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2Tim. 3:12).

      4. If we ever suffer in the service of Christ, then let us consider it a blessing and rejoice that we are considered worthy to suffer shame for His name (Matt. 5:10-12; Acts 5:41).

          

CONCLUSION

1. The greatest position you can take in this world is that of bond-servant to Jesus Christ.

2. Have you made yourself useful to the Master?  Are you sanctified as a vessel of honor?  Do you act as the Lord's bond-servant, doing the Lord's work in the Lord's way?

3. If so, then you may suffer for the cause of Christ in this life, but your work will be richly rewarded in the life to come.