And in just a few moments, we'll begin reading in verse 20 down through verse number 21. And we have been preaching in the Sunday night meetings from the book of 2 Timothy on the making of the Christian minister or serving God and ministering to others in perilous time. And that's the whole theme of 2 Timothy, the perilous times, days of apostasy, days of great iniquity. But in the midst of perilous times, you and I have one of the greatest opportunities that any other generation has ever had, and that is to serve God and reach others in these days and hours in which we live. And I wanna emphasize again tonight that even though we're in the last day, Jesus is still the Lord. And God is still on his throne. The Bible's still the Word of God. The church is alive and well. And the blood of Jesus has not lost its power. And God is still able to make the difference. in men and women and boys and girls' lives, even in perilous times. We've been in chapter number two the last several Sunday nights, and we've been dealing with the call of the Christian worker. In this chapter we are called to some things. If we're gonna be what God would have us to be, and if we're gonna be effective in winning others to Christ in perilous times, there is a call of God upon our life. There are some things that God wants us to be if we're gonna be faithful and found doing God's work. If you remember, we said that there was a call to be strong. If we're gonna be what God wants us to be in perilous times, we can't be anemic. We cannot be weak. There's a call to be strong. And here the old man Paul says to the young man Timothy, be strong in the grace of God. And I'm glad tonight it is our privilege and honor to be able to draw strength from God's amazing grace. I'm glad it's saving grace. I'm glad it's keeping grace. I'm glad it's new grace. I'm glad it's great grace. And I'm glad the grace of God can strengthen us in the midst of perilous times. Then we moved on into the chapter and we said that there's a call to be steadfast. Not only is there no room for anemic and weak believers, But there's no room in the armory of God for inconsistent and unfaithful believers. He says in this chapter to the young man, endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. And let me just say again tonight, we must be tender, we must be compassionate, we must have a heart full of love toward those that need it. But I'm telling you, if you're going to be a soldier in this army, you better have a tough hide. Because hardships are going to come, rough spots are going to come, and you can't quit and fall back and cut out on God when things don't go right. into a hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Whoever told you this was a recreation room, this is a battlefield. And we must strap on our boots and put on our helmets and cock our weapons, amen. And be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for our labor is not in vain in God. Be strong, be steadfast. And then last Sunday night, we looked at verse number 15 and said that there is a call to be a student. Right in the midst of all of these calls, he said, Timothy, you got to study. You got to sweat up the job to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. And how in these last days, we need to get a hold of this book. And we need to let this book get a hold of us. And we need to preach it right, and sing it right, and teach it right, and tell it right. That the word of God that's got a hold of us may reach out and get a hold of others. And you listen to your pastor tonight. If anything of eternal value is gonna happen in the lives of many women and boys and girls, it must be accomplished to the truth and the power of the word of God. I want to remind you tonight that man's programs and man's ideas and man's philosophy can only go so far. But I'm glad the Word of God will have an eternal impact, hallelujah, upon our lives. And so let's be steadfast, let's be strong, and let's be students. I want us to come tonight to verse number 20 and 21 and deal with the fourth call that's upon our life. And I believe here God would say to you and I, there is a call not only to be strong, steadfast, to be a student, but in the verses we'll read tonight, there is a call to be sanctified. Yes, you heard me say that right, even in the Baptist church. There is a call to be sanctified. Brother, if we're gonna talk it, we need to walk it. Our life needs to measure up to our lip. I've heard a lot of people lip it, but I wanna see you lip it. In fact, people are not gonna really have any confidence in what you lip if your life don't match your lip. And brother, I wanna tell you there's a call upon you and I to live a sanctified life for the glory of God. That word sanctified simply means set apart by God, for God, to God. Let me emphasize that again. Set apart by God, for God, to God. Let me give you this tonight about separation. If all you do is separate yourself from, from, from, you're gonna be a Pharisee. It's more than just separating from, from. It's a separation from to something. Most anybody can quit smoking. Most anybody can quit dipping snuff. But I know some people that quit smoking and quit dipping snuff, and they're still mean as a devil. They don't have any love in their life. They don't have any joy in their life. Maybe they aren't joyful because they ain't been dipping. I don't know what the problem is. But I'm saying all that to say this. You can separate yourself from every evil thing the world has, but if you don't separate from, to God. You see, I believe that's the reason why we lose a lot of young people in our fundamental church. We want to get up and preach don't, don't, don't, don't, don't. And by the way, I'm a don't, don't donor. But if all we do is tell our young people, don't, can't, no, don't, can't, no, and don't give them anything in their life to replace what we're trying to get them to give up, they're not gonna enjoy serving God. And I've already been accused of being a liberal and not having any convictions. But I'm here to tell you tonight, if your separation only goes as far as from, from, from, you're gonna be a Pharisee. Those Pharisees didn't dip and smoke and go out and eat on Sunday and fasted and prayed. They lived better than most independent Baptists. They didn't have any joy and they didn't have any spirit. In fact, you know what Jesus said to them one day? He said, y'all remind me of that graveyard over there. And they said, how do we do that, master? He said, because on the outside they're painted white, but on the inside they're full of dead men's bones. And let me say this to you tonight as humbly as I can. If serving God and going to church and loving Jesus, if all there is to it to you is a set of rules and regulations and a bunch of do's and a bunch of don'ts, you are a miserable creature tonight. I'll remind you young people there's joy in serving God. There's liberty in Jesus Christ. and it's more than just separating from and the don'ts and the no's. It's a separation from to God. You remember what Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, told the church at Thessalonica, that model church? He said, I want to commend you that you turn from idols to serve the living and true God. They turn from that which is wrong, but they turn to that which was right. And I believe if you and I are gonna be effective in reaching others in perilous times, we got to be separated. We got to be sanctified. We got to be set apart by God, for God, but to God. The world's gotta see that there is more than regulation in our life. There's relationship in our life. Brother, the letter killeth, but the spirit maketh alive. Praise God. and there is a call to be sanctified. Let me just air this out, then we'll read the text. There's a two-fold sanctification in the Bible. Number one, there is a positional sanctification. I mean by that, there is when you get saved, God takes you out of the kingdom of darkness, separates you from the kingdom of darkness, and places you into the blood, into the body of Christ. It's called the baptism of the Holy Spirit, regeneration, born again, amen, and every believer positionally in Jesus Christ has been sanctified. I'm not what I used to be. I don't belong to who I used to belong. I don't devil in the things I used to devil in. God made a difference in my life. Thank God, he got me out of the kingdom of darkness. He got me out of sin. He got me out of condemnation. And he set me apart from a lost and a dying world. And he placed me into the family of God. And positionally, I'm sanctified in Jesus Christ. But the second part of that, there's not only a positional sanctification, but there is a practical sanctification. I am to demonstrate that and use that and live like that every day of my life. Positional sanctification is being saved. Practical sanctification is living like it, acting like it, walking like it, and talking like it, and Tim, spitting like it. Practical sanctification is putting shoe leather on what you know is right. Amen. Practical sanctification is applying the truths of God that He's revealed to you into your life, and you'll live in a life the best of your ability to please God and honor God. And I'm telling you, we need some old-fashioned sanctification in this modern age in which we live. sanctified positionally in Jesus, but practically practicing that, putting that to work, and living that every day of my life. There's a call to be sanctified. Let's read our text tonight. Boy, there's one thing else I wanna point out before I read this text. I got so much I wanna point out, I'm probably gonna have time to point it out. But what amazed me, brother, when I read this chapter, is the different illustrations that Paul uses to get a hold of Timothy's heart. For instance, up in the first part of this chapter, he talks to Timothy like a son. Therefore, my beloved son. He talks to him like a son. Then he goes on to talk to Timothy like a warrior. He uses a soldier metaphor. Then he talks to Timothy like he's an athlete that's running a race. Then he goes on to talk to Timothy like he's a farmer, plowing a field, getting a crop. Then he talked to Timothy like he's a student, studying for his final exam. But when we come to our text tonight, he uses a precious metaphor called a vessel. He said, Timothy, the believer is not only a son and a warrior and an athlete and a farmer and a student, but he's a vessel. He's a vessel. If you're saved, glory to God, can I holler amen right here? Somebody lives in you. Glory goes right there. Somebody big lives in you. Somebody holy lives in you. Somebody bigger than you lives in you. For the Bible said greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. And tonight, picture a vessel. And in that vessel is water. And that vessel is possessed with the water that is in it. Every born again child of God is a vessel. and God lives in your vessel. And I wanna tell you, God's looking for some clean and holy and sanctified vessels in this world that we're living in. I don't know about you tonight, but I want God to be pleased with my vessel. Let's read our text tonight in verse number 20. But in a great house, There are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honor and some to dishonor. If a man therefore shall purge himself from these, boy, here's what I want in my life. He shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and made for the master's use, prepared unto every good work. And Paul says, just look at a great house. And that house is owned and operated by a master. And in that master's house, he has vessels. I looked up this little word vessel and it means furniture, utensils, anything that is used to carry out the will of the master. And he says in that house, that master has gold vessels. He has silver vessels. But in case you get humped up with pride, he's also got wooden vessels. and he's even got vessels that's made of dirt. But no matter the kind of vessel it is, it still has one common goal, to be used and touched by the hand of the master. And don't read into this text where it said, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Don't read into that text that that vessel is a dishonor because it's wood. And don't read that that vessel is a dishonor because it's clay. No, no matter if it's gold or silver or wood or clay, it all needs to be used of the Master. But some vessels in a man's house he can use, and they bring him honor. But some of the vessels are broken, and they're dirty, and they're unusable, and they bring dishonor to the master. May I say in this great house tonight, called the church of the living God, all of us are vessels. All of us may not be gold vessels and silver vessels and wooden vessels. Most of us is just a wad of dirt that God had mercy on. But no matter where we are in the kingdom and our position in the family and the amount that God uses us, I want his touch on my vessel. I want his spirit in my vessel. I want his smile on my vessel. And I want my vessel to bring a smile to his face and not a pain in his heart. One Bible commentator, and I'm not trying to be smart, but sometimes Bible commentators ain't got a lot of sense. The Bible commentator said he's referring to the saved and the lost, but he's not doing it. None of 2 Timothy is written to a lost sinner. All of that is addressing a young man who's going to make serving God the rest of his life. Brother, I want to tell you, there are some people that are saved and they're part of the family of God. I hate to say this, but their life is not an honor to the Master. Their life is a dishonor to the Master. Let me get the rubber where it meets the road real quick. Let me tell you tonight, either your life as a Christian brings honor to Jesus, or it brings reproach to the cause of Christ. There is no in-between ground. You say, well, you know, what I do affects me and my family, and what I do affects my life, and if I'm not what I ought to be for God, I'm not hurting anybody but myself. Oh, you're hurting everybody around you. More than anything, you're hurting your master. Have you ever heard anybody say this? I'll tell you right now, boy, old so and so over there, man, God, if he's a Christian, the woods is full of him. I don't want that said about me. I often hear a lot of people say, well, I'll tell you right now, I don't care what people think about me. Well, I do. And I really do care what the Lord thinks about me. And I don't wanna be just in the great house. I just wanna be a vessel. Honey, I wanna be a vessel of honor. I wanna be touched by the master. I wanna stay clean for the master. I want the master to know, baby, when company comes over, he can count on this vessel to make him look good. I love to go eat at people's houses. I love it. I love it. Because as a preacher, man, I get treated like a king. Look at that. That's 20 years worth, Doc, of being, Mark, what's your problem? You ain't even a preacher. But anyway, that's 20 years worth of being treated like a king. Did you know, brother, I've never gone to anybody's house and had to eat out of the dog food bowl? I've had to go over to Barbara's house and eat our paper plates a couple times, but other than that, everything was pretty good. I hadn't been to pastor Brother Smith long at all. Sister Barbara back there, wave at us, Barbara, so they know what I'm talking about. Had me over to her house for supper and we had hot dogs and she said, I'm putting the dog on for the preacher tonight. But most places I go, I don't have to eat out of the catfish dish. the catfish dish, the cat's dish. I don't have to eat out of the dog dish. I don't have to eat out of dirty pan. No, when they know the preacher's coming, son. Hey, yeah, boy, they get out there. In fact, I ain't gonna tell you who it was, but I had one member of our church tell me, say, we love it when you come over to eat. That's the only time the old lady cooks. He said, Brother Joe, I love it when you come, he said, cause she gets out them dishes and she gets out that china. And he said, usually it's TV dinners for me. Man, you're one of the carnalest churches there's ever been. You're sitting there right now going, tell us who it is, boy, tell us. Man, I gotta keep secrets, I'm a pastor. I'm just telling you, ladies, and you tell me if I'm right, when you know you got company coming, you're not gonna pull out the dog pan, the fish pan, the cat bowl, and you're not gonna pull out the, the junk and the slop. No, you're gonna bring out your best, cause you want them people going away saying, that old girl's clean. I'm telling you brother, we are host for Lost in the Dying World. We're working in the master's house. We got the door open to Lost in the Dying World. Come on in. We'll pray for you. We'll help you. We'll get you to God. We'll teach you kids. And brethren, when the world walks in the great house, we need to make our master look good. Our vessel needs to be sanctified that it might bring a smile on the face of the master and not a disheartening. He's not talking to saved and lost. He is saying in God's kingdom, there are all kind of vessels that has different responsibilities in the body of Christ. But in reality, we're on one side or the other, a vessel of honor and a vessel of dishonor. But he says, if a man will sanctify and purge and live for God, he shall be a vessel in the honor made for the master's use. I wanna tell you, ever since God saved me, there's been this uncontrollable, Thirst in my heart for God to take me and bless me and use me and hear Him say, well done, thy good and faithful servant. I want to be a vessel that can be used by God to bring glory to God. Boy, can I just preach on that little word vessel there just a minute? That won't take long. Boy, I found this verse in 2 Corinthians chapter number four. It said we have this treasure in earthen vessels. Boy, if you're going to read that text, you know what that treasure is? The treasure of the gospel light. Chapter four talked about the God of this world had blinded the minds of them that believed not. Hallelujah, but one day the glorious light of the gospel shined into your heart. and you saw yourself a sinner and called on Jesus and hell moved out and heaven moved in. Anybody remember glory to God when that happened? And Paul said this light, this salvation, this indwelling presence of the Holy Ghost, we have this treasure in an earthly vessel. Paul said on the outside, I'm just an earthly piece of flesh but I got light and I got Jesus and I got God I've got the Holy Ghost power on the inside. Thank God, I'm glad somebody lives in me. Glory. Then I found this verse, I found this verse, 1 Thessalonians 4, and it says how every man ought to learn how to possess his vessel. keep his vessel pure and sanctified and usable in the hands of the master. And then when I came to this scripture, it tells us how we can do that. How can we be a vessel and a honor? We gotta purge ourself, cleanse ourself, separate ourselves, sanctify ourselves, wholly give God our life, and as we do that, God pours his spirit in us, God put his approval on us, and when it comes time to be used, we can be fit and meet for the master's use. God, anybody here tonight interested in being used by the good hand of God? Oh, I am. And I wanna be a vessel unto honor. Real quickly tonight, let me deal with this metaphor, this illustration of a vessel. Let me give you three or four points about that tonight. Number one, I want you to see making the vessel. Vessels are not grown on trees. They're made out of raw material. Whether it's a vessel of gold, whether it's a vessel of silver, whether it's a vessel of wood or a vessel of clay, one day God, Went, glory. Woo! By the way, time out. Ladies, young girls, teenagers, gold don't grow on trees. Who ever heard of anybody going and picking a pound of gold? Silver don't grow on watermelon vines. Brother Smith over here has a garden. Did you plant any gold or silver? You gonna go out there and say, all right, boys, let's go pick us some gold and silver. When you go to pick gold and silver, invite the preacher over. No, if you get any gold or silver, you gotta go digging. Down in the dirt, you know where gold is? In the dirt. You know what silver is? It's in the dirt. dark, dirty, and deserted is where it is. And it'll stay there till the goldsmith or the silversmith visits where it's at, goes to where it is. and digs and digs and digs until it gets down to where it is and brings it from where it is to where he wants it to be. Hey, got anybody in this room tonight saved and know it and glad about it? You know why you're saved and know it and glad about it? Because one day God came to where you were and God went to where you were and he dug in the muck and in the miry clay and in the cesspool of sin and found you and brought you up out of a horrible pit. Hallelujah, amen, and thank you, Jesus. Go right there. Woo! Did you know that gold and that silver has to be dug up out of the ground? And did you know in that matter finds that gold or that silver, it's not in the pure form. It's dirty. It's ugly. It's useless. Got dirt gommed all over it. But you see that goldsmith or that silversmith is a expert. Hallelujah. Oh, he is, mom, I got a big old God bump right now I'm trying to swallow. That goldsmith is an expert. He is, thank you, Jesus. Hallelujah, when I was in seminary, they taught me not to enjoy my own preaching, but I'm about to get a case of decay and epics. That goldsmith, that silversmith, he's an expert. He knows what he's looking for. And he's able to see that gold ore, that silver ore in its virgin form. And he's able to look beyond its environment. And he's able to look beyond its deformity. And he's able to look over where it's at and what it looks like. He's able to look beyond what he is and see what he's gonna make out of it. Hallelujah, aren't you glad one day when God came to you, he looked beyond your fault and your sin and your shame and he saw what he was gonna make out of your life. Same thing with that wooden vessel. One day he went out there to the forest. There's a little old tree growing out there in the wild. And the master cut her down, son, and took that little piece of wood back to the house and started carving on it and chiseling on it and working on it. Boy, I want to tell you, I'm glad he's still carving on me. I met a few Baptists, thought they had arrived, but I'm glad he's still carving on me. And I believe he's still carving on you too, ain't he? And even that vessel of clay, even that vessel of clay, that potter, man, I got a whole sermon on that and I gotta hurry, I'll get bogged down here. But even that potter, you know where a potter finds clay? In a clay pit. You know where a clay pit is? It's deep, it's dark, damp, dirty. I mean, it's messed up. And that clay is just there, hung till it's natural environment. That potter's got a piece of wood about that long and about that wide. He shoves it in the ground and he gives it a good kick. Woo! And that potter, oh glory. I'm a trying to, James. And that potter, he gets up under that clay. I said he gets up under that clay. He gets between the clay and the clay pit. And he breaks it loose. He frees it from its surrounding. He lifts it up. I said he lifts it up. I said he lifts it up out of the clay pit. I wonder if we've got anybody here tonight, have you been lifted up out of the clay pit by the hand of the good potter? See, that clay cannot free itself. It's gotta have a higher power to break the hold. And I tell you tonight, your religion and your church membership and your water baptism ain't enough to break the hold that hell and sin has in your life. You need a piece of wood about six and a half foot long. Glory to God. With two arms on each side, call the old rugged cross to reach farther down and you can reach up. I wanna tell you, I'm glad I know what it is to be dug up and cleaned up and saved by the grace of God. And whether it's gold, whether it's silver, whether it's wood or whether it's clay, all of that is found in its virgin form. and claimed as the property of the master. And he goes to working on that raw material. That silver and that gold has to be heated in the fire and beat into subjection. You just need to get hit a time or two with the potter's hammer. You just need for God's gold and silversmith to knock a knot out of you. I don't understand it, Brother Joe. I got saved and started going to church, then I went through the fire. You're just getting good and started. What that fire's gonna do, it's gonna knock all that pride out of you. Now let me say, before you get mad at me, knock all that pride out of us. Because I got it too. I got an ego streak in me about that. I'm a man, every man's got an ego problem. And that's why he gets married to the woman to keep it pumped up. I love you, I love you, you're wonderful, you're great, amen. Hey ladies, look at me, that's your sole purpose of life. To keep us encouraged. Now right now, I want every one of you women to look over there right now and say, I love you, darling. Go right now, go ahead. Some of you don't mean it, but you did it anyhow. Brother Mark, I don't know if you got any of you or not, but I got some flesh in me. I got a stubborn streak in me, James, about that long, and if I'm not careful, I'll just get plum hateful. And I'm not the only one that gets hateful. There's women in here, and there's times when y'all stay hateful. I've just learned the best way to get along with mine sometimes is just salute as they walk by. Come on now, let's get to the real world. I don't know about you, but I got some ego, I got pride, I got flesh, I got that whole rebellion in me. But boy, my savior, take me over there to that crucible of his love. and common experiences of life, and put me in that pot, and turn the heat up. Boy, it gets me soft, burns out all that dross. When he gets me, where he can mold me, hit me with that hammer of time or tune, knock me back in line. I'll give you something if you promise you won't shout too bad and scare nobody else off. That silversmith, or that goldsmith, he looks down in that crucible and in that pot, that pots are boiling and that ore is boiling and there's a green looking substance called scum, dross. and it comes to the top, the heat brings out the dross. And that silversmith or that goldsmith takes a piece of wood about that long and he scrapes the scum off and he keeps it scraped off. And you know when he knows he's done? When he leans over that crucible and it's so pure that he sees his reflection in that ore. You say, how long's God gonna work on me? He's gonna work on you till the image of Jesus Christ is formed in your life. He's gonna work on you till he and the world can see Christ in your life. Hallelujah. That old potter, man, he has to take that clay and put it on the wheel and keep water pouring. keep water poured on it. You know what the natural reaction to that clay is? Blow up. And resist the movements of the potter. Don't bother the potter none, he just takes his hand and smashes it real good. And picks up the broken pieces. And goes to working again. Hallelujah. Man, that guy that takes that piece of wood, he's got a chisel, he's got a car. I was reading the other day how, I always mispronounce this word, help me. He's a man that makes statues out of objects. A sculptor. A statue maker. I was reading about a statue maker, how he can take a rock or a log and make something out of it. Man, I look at a log, I see a log. I look at a rock, I see a rock. That dude looks at a log and sees eagles. He looks at a rock and sees a mockingbird. Oh, I'm glad when I look at lives, all I see is lives. God sees preachers and singers and Sunday school teachers and soul winners. Can I walk around on that point? I got to thinking about the first time Brother Keith Keller walked in our church. His hair was down to here. He just got off of a pot binge. His eyes were still even bloodshot. I spoke to him, how you doing, sir? Oh, man, how you doing, dude? And now he's raising money. for his little old family to move to the Amazon River and tell a bunch of copper-skinned Brazilians that Jesus saves. Whoo! I looked at him, you looked at him. All we seen was a pothead. But God looked beyond all of that and saw a missionary. Son, if you'd have, hallelujah, if you'd have laid eyes on me before God got a hold of me, you'd have said that old boy won't make it, but I'm telling you, grace came by, and mercy came by, and love came by, and God came by, and it took the broken pieces of my shattered life, and he's making something beautiful out of it. For the glory of God. He's gotta make. the vessel. Number two, I want you to see the ministry of the vessel. He don't make them vessels of gold and silver and wood and clay just to have something to do. He's got a ministry for that vessel. Now, some vessels are gold and silver. They get set out front. Some vessels are wood and clay. They do the back work. But I'm just glad to be a vessel. About 10 years ago at the camp meeting, somebody came up to me and said, Brother Arthur, what is it like to play second fiddle to the big guys? I said, I'm just glad I'm in the band. Let me clear something tonight. There are no big preachers and little preachers. and big churches, and little churches, and big singers, and little singers, and great, we're just saved. We're just saved. We're just vessels. I got to preaching one night like I am tonight. I got a case of the Cain Hippots, and this little lady was there, and it must have offended her or something, and after church, this lady said, well, what did you think about Reverend Arthur's message? She said, I thought I was at a sport event looking at a cheerleader. Well, she knew who I was cheering for. I said, she knew who I was cheering for. I'm not in a contest. I'm not in a race to try to find out who's the biggest, who's the best. I'm just here to tell you, I just stopped on my way home. I'm glad I'm not a sinner. I'm glad I'm not in the hog pen. Every goodness of God towards me, I'm thankful for it. I'm just glad to be in the family of God. the whole beautiful flowers. Some vessels get set out on the banquet table that they might touch the lips of a distinguished guest. And some vessels are made and all the ladies that go by go, and have you noticed ladies get thrilled over the stupidest things? You know, guys, we like guns and rods and reels and trucks and golf clubs, you know, the finer things of life. And women, they go and look at doorknob covers. I'm gonna tell you something, you know you're bored if all you've got to do is walk through Home Depot and look at doorknob covers. Yep. I mean, my wife would say, oh, look at that toilet paper dispenser. Okay, I'm looking at it. Honey, it holds the paper, I mean. Amen? Oh, oh, look at that toilet seat, oh. You know you bored if all you got to do is go to Lowe's and look at toilet seat covers, man. And curtains. Let me tell you young married couple something. If you don't wanna get a divorce, don't you ever put up no blinds or curtains. I'm telling you right now, Brother Smith, if a marriage can survive putting up blinds and curtains, that's a good one. But boy, women, they'll go to somebody's house and they go, oh, look at that. Oh, look at that shine. And the guy's going, just let me eat on it, baby. Some vessels get to go to the front room. Some vessels get to go to the banqueting house. Some vessels get to touch the lips of an important guest. But wait a minute, wait a minute, that meal can't be prepared. That fancy meal can't be prepared. All that stuff going on in the front room can't happen if them wooden vessels and them clay vessels don't get banged around and clotted up and dirty in the back. Screw! See, it's that wooden vessel that they beat the flour in. You women don't even know what I'm talking about. You've not always been able to go to the grocery store and hit a thing and go, bang, biscuits. I know some of you are not old enough to remember the actual labor that went involved into that. For Brother Jerry, it's in that wooden bowl where they grind the flour. Hey, it's in that old piece of clay where they go down to the brook, get some water to put the goods. It's in that little old clay that has the oil. It's in that little old clay that has the hay out in the front being bragged on. Somebody's gotta do the furnace duty. Somebody's gotta serve God in the shadows. Oh, God. Boy, I have people tell me across the country, Brother Joe, how in the world do you do what you do? How does that, I mean, how do you do what you do? And I say, I'm gonna tell you why. You visit our church two times, and you'll learn why I'm able to do what I do. Because while I'm out here across this country doing what I do, I got a band of people down in Jonesboro doing the furnace duty. Working in a secret place. Working behind the scenes. They ain't getting bragged on. They ain't getting pumped and primed. Their name ain't in the sword of the Lord. I believe when we get to heaven, God's gonna say, all right, all you bathroom vessels that got binged around and banged around for your preacher. Come on out, baby. It's display time. Whoo! Hallelujah. Why, everybody's heard about Paul, the great writer, the great missionary, the great ship sailor. Why, great Paul! But behind great Paul was an unknown Barnabas. Hallelujah. Hey, everybody wants to talk about Moses, standing on that mountain with his hands raised while the children won the victory in the valley of Rephidim. But I'm telling you, on each side of Moses was two old boys holding up the hands of the man of God, staying in the hands of the man of God. We don't hear much about them, but God knows about them. There's people in this church That old age and senior citizenship has taken its toll. You can't carry the load you used to carry. You're physically not able to do what you used to do. I went over to see Brother Calvin today. 80-year-old man, probably don't weigh but 100 pounds. laying on that bed of affliction, just waiting on Jesus to come get him. He used to work at this church faithfully. cleaned these bathrooms, mopped these floors, mopped out them toilets, vacuum cleaned, polished everything by hand, and as he rubbed the pew, he'd say, God bless whoever sits in this pew today. God, whoever comes to this pew on Sunday and sits in it, he'd come up here when we had a wooden pool pit, before Larry Brown said, before we got a hypocrite pool pit, And we had a wooden pulpit. He'd come pray and he'd take out Old English. He'd polish that pulpit. He'd say, God, his brother Joe comes this Sunday. When he walks behind this pulpit, feel that boy with the Holy Ghost. Touch that young man with the power of God. I wanna tell you, he's not able to do all that anymore. And I went by to see him today. Hot, tall tears run down his face. He said, I prayed for you this morning. I pray to God, but if you're still my number one preacher man, I'm still a prayin'. I'm not there in person, but I'm still a prayin'. I wanna tell ya, I'd rather have that old man in the back side of the room prayin' for the man of God. Hallelujah, we can't do it without them backroom vessels. How about, you don't gotta pause this time. I want everybody to hear this. I done made up my mind, buddy. The next time somebody comes to me and says, I wanna do something for God. I wanna do something for God. Give me something to do for God. I'm gonna say, all right, hallelujah, here's a handful of tracts, go win a sinner to Jesus. I promise you, you'll not do nothing no better than that. Oh, well, I didn't mean that. Well, what do you mean? I want to tell you, everybody can't be a front room vessel. Everybody can't be a gold vessel and a silver vessel. Man, we need them back room vessels that don't mind doing the dirty work and getting banged around. Boy, they brag on that gold. They brag on that silver. But I'm here to tell you, it ain't in them gold dishes. It ain't in them silver dishes. They make them gourmet meals. It's in them clay pots and in them wooden vessels where the fire gets beat and the butter gets beat. I want to tell you, boys, Just be a vessel, whether it's front room, back room, just give God your life. And bloom where you're planted. God's got a ministry for you. Brother Smith, I got this awful, it's not an awful feeling, but I've got this strong feeling that things are gonna be different come reckoning day. And here's what I mean by that. I believe there are some people that's had it so good and been so blessed and been so honored. We think, boy, when we get to heaven, boy, they're gonna be number one up there, man. They're gonna be right up there in front of the line. I got a feeling they're gonna be so far back, the FBI can't find them. Some little humped over old man. Nobody ever knew his name. He didn't make the paper. He never got invited to the camp meeting. Oh, he didn't have a national known ministry. He just done furnace duty. I believe he's gonna be called front and center. Cause God said, if you'll do right in them secret places, and be holy in them secret places, and be faithful. Is anybody getting blessed besides me? Hey, God said, if you'll honor me in them secret places, one day, it'll be display time! Hallelujah. See, I know some things some of y'all don't know. I know some things on some of these people in this church. All of y'all don't know. I've been told by the people who live with them. By the way, nobody knows you better than the person you live with every day. That's why you better make sure God's in your marriage because if you don't wanna face it every day, don't. I will move on. That point did not go over. But I've heard people say, such and such, every morning, on her knees, at the bed, praying specifically for people that God would move in their life, then get down to the preacher, Lord, wherever Brother Joe is, Don't worry about it, honey. Sometime my wife don't even know where I'm at. Lord, wherever Brother Joe, I just want God to know where I'm at. Lord, wherever Brother Joe is tonight, preaching God in him with the Holy Ghost. I'd rather have that than have a raise. Of course, I'd like to have that and a raise. Some of these women done told me they done heard their husbands pray. Brother Joe, I walked in the other day and he's on his belly, stretched out on the floor, praying for Bubba Joanna. God, that touches me. Prayin' for the preacher's wife, prayin' for the man of God. God will protect him as he drives your flies and give him power and when he preaches and keep hell and the devil off of our church. I wanna tell you boys, everybody's not out in the front room golden and silverin', but thank God for them vessels of wood and stone that stay in the back door and stay in the back room, I wanna tell ya, wherever you're in the front, the back, gold and silver or wood or clay, just honor God with your life. Just thank God you're a vessel. Well, we see the making of the vessel, we see the ministry of the vessel, but I've got to give you this, there is the maintaining of the vessel. No matter if it's a vessel of gold or silver or wood or clay, the vessel's got to be maintained. Because I'm going to tell you this, if it gets used, it's going to get dirty. Now, if it just sets off to itself, it'll just get dusty. Well, I've met a few dusty Baptists lately. But if that vessel gets used, it's going to get banged up. It's going to get scarred a little. There ain't no way you can take an old clay, especially an old wooden vessel, and beat up flour in it and there not be some residue on it. Some spots. My wife said to me one time, she said, I really don't mind cooking. I said, is that right? I didn't know she didn't mind. At any point, it didn't go off either. And I said, really? She said, I really don't mind cooking that bad. She said, if I could just get me somebody to clean up my mess. Now you ladies, I'm taking up for you now, you ought to love Brother Joe for this. These men, they just sit around in the kitchen and dip and chew or whatever. Finally you get that meal prepared and they go in and eat like big old hogs. They then walk back in there in the sitting room again and exercise that thumb. About the most weightlifting guys in this church do is lifting this and that right there, boy. My daddy's got a chair watered out that fits his backside. I mean, it just curves right in. But fella, let me tell you what your wife has to do. While you and I are sitting, burping, You know what she's gotta do? She's gotta get right back in that old kitchen and she's gotta take every pot, she's gotta take every pan, she's gotta take every glass, she's gotta take every fork. What are y'all conspiring up over here? And she's gotta take everything, she just, and she's gotta clean it up and put it back like it was so she can use it again. Did you know that it is unhealthy? to beat up eggs in a bowl and throw them eggs and cook them and take that bowl and stick it back in the cupboard. About a week, bring it out, beat some more eggs in it. You'll get that disease called, yeah, I'm not a doctor, I'm a preacher. Did you know even restaurants, if an inspector comes in a restaurant and he sees that counter that's had poultry products on it and laying right on top of it is a beef product on it, buddy, he'll give you a point. Am I telling it right, Jerry? You gotta keep them vessels clean. Now how many of you ladies are gonna prepare a meal for your family? Put it on the dishes. Put it on the table. Bring your family and I and eat it. I mean, son, they eat everything that's left. And then take them cups and take them forks and take them dishes and take them plates. Put them back in the cupboard. Bring them back out next Sunday. Oh, molded. I'm not trying to be gross, I'm trying to drive a point home. No, you use them vessels, you keep them vessels spotless, you keep them vessels clean, cause you gotta maintain them. I wanna tell you, if you serve God in this wicked world, and live in this ungodly world, you're gonna get banged up, and you're gonna get used, and you're gonna get sorted, and you're gonna get soiled, and you're gonna get dirty. Thank God I'm glad there's a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins and we get under the spout where the glory runs out and cleanse our vessel. Keep it clean so God can use it again. Thank God for the making of the vessel. Thank God for the minister of the vessel. But praise God for maintaining the vessel. And here the Bible says, here's how we maintain our vessel. I'm done. If a man therefore will purge, that word purge means to cut off, to prune a vine, smooth out a rough surface, Listen, to wash out. If a man will cut himself off, prune, wash himself clean, if he shall purge himself from thee. What is these in this text referring to? He talked about vessels of honor, vessels of dishonor. If a man will purge himself from that which would make him a dishonorable vessel. Anything that would cause the master to frown and not smile. Let me say it like this, oh God. Anything that would hinder the master from using that vessel If he'll cleanse and wash and purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel under honor, sanctified, and I love this terminology, meet, complete, satisfactory for the master's use. You want God to use your vessel tonight? By the best of your ability, according to the grace and the power of God, you keep yourself usable. Maintain your vessel and keep it clean. And you can be meet for the Master's use. The scripture says, prepared unto every good work I can fulfill the task. I can follow the order. I can do the will of God that He has planned in my life. If I'll stay manageable, and usable, and touchable, meet for the Master's use. I thought about that old song today. Jesus used me. Oh Lord, don't refuse me, for surely there's a work that I can do. And even though it's humble, help my will to crumble. Though the cost be great, I'll work for You. Do you want to be manageable and usable tonight? Do you want your vessel to bring glory and honor to the Master, our Heavenly Father? We love you tonight.