©2001 Charles Darby

Every person who knows Christ is commanded to depart from iniquity.
Iniquity– wickedness, sin, a wicked or unjust act.
We who claim to be of Christ are to, with Christ's help, quit committing sin.  We should stop doing those things that the word of God says quit and start doing the things He desires.  His desire is that we follow peace with all men and holiness.  If we know to do good and don't do it, it is sin to us. We are not our own, we belong to The Lord.

 We are made, in Jesus, righteous, holy, and pure.  We are now commanded to walk in newness of life, bringing glory and honor to our Lord.  We all, who know Christ, are a vessel in God's house.  The question is; are we a vessel of honor or a vessel of dishonor?

In most homes there are many kinds of vessels. Some are nice to look at but are of very little use for any thing else. We have some of these. Some are very old and just sit on a shelf.  In a sense they are like merchandise to be bought and sold. Then there are vessels that are used every day in the home. These are used to hold something to drink or eat,  etc.  Some are nice to look at and are very useful. We have some Norman Rockwell cups like this. If we lost or broke one of these vessels we would have to replace it.

In God's house it is much the same. Many kinds of vessels, some are like pure gold or silver. These are very valuable and in much demand. No church can get along without many of these. They are not only talking the talk but are also walking the walk.  These are real and can be counted on to do what is needed. These are purging themselves of anything that is not according to sound Bible doctrine.  These desire to walk in Bible principles of moral and spiritual standards.  These desire, from a pure heart, to be a vessel of honor in God's house.

If we do not purge ourselves we are a vessel of dishonor. If you had a vessel in your house that every time you tried to use it, it failed in what it was supposed to do, what would you do with it? Purge –To cleanse of impurity – To cleanse of sin – to rid – to empty – to cleanse thoroughly. We are to do this in response to the finished work of Jesus. How do we do it? First we should study God's word to find out what we are in Jesus Christ. His word is like looking into a mirror!  Second, we can call on God The Father, through Christ, to clean us of all sin through the blood of Christ. If when we read the word and see we are not measuring up, confess it, don't try to hide it, God knows already. If we confess it He will forgive us. We have His word on it. We also can not live it on our own; we must have His strength, His Spirit.

Then as we go about the things we do every day, much of what we see and hear soils us.  Now we are to wash in the word again and again. Read it, study it, and pray over it asking God to plant it in our heart so we will be a vessel of honor unto Him.

This is learning to walk in the spirit so we will not give in to the lust of our flesh.  I find the devil is not my biggest problem, it is my own flesh. My flesh needs washing every day, physically and spiritually!

What is the goal of all this? So we can be a vessel prepared for every good work. A vessel of honor. The Lord's desire for us is too not only be living a holy life, nice to look at; He also wants us to be useful. Vessels He can fill up and pour out again and again to meet the needs of others. He wants to minister through us to manifest to the world around us what it is like to be in the kingdom of God. We have told what it is like long enough; it's time we let others see what it's like!

If we do not get sin out of our life, Christ is not honored. He loves us and wants us to be established in Himself, but He cannot use us as vessels of honor.  We will in the end bring dishonor to the church bought with the blood of the master and to
the name of Jesus Christ.

The choice is ours to make; will it be honor or dishonor?  Let's choose honor.

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