TOPIC: HE CAN USE UNBELIEVERS TOO
MEMORIZE:
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 2 Timothy 2:20
READ: Ezra 1:1-11
1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
3 Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.
4 And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.
5 Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.
6 And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered.
7 Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods;
8 Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.
9 And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives,
10 Thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand.
11 All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem.
MESSAGE
Today's memory verse tells us that there are vessels unto honor and unto dishonor in a great man's house. God will always find something to use people for; He will use His children as vessels unto honour, while those who refuse to live a holy life will be used as vessels unto dishonour.
One day, while driving to church to minister to some sick people, I got stuck in a terrible traffic jam. After a while, I noticed a side of the road that was free of traffic, and I moved my car there. Unknown to me, there was a rule that vehicles could only drive on that side of the road after 10am, and that was why it was free. Some policemen stopped my car and said, "Don't you know that you can only pass here from 10am?" I told them I didn't know and that I was sorry. I explained that I am a pastor, and I was hurrying to go and pray for the sick. They said, "Well, you know what to do." I knew they were expecting a bribe, but as a child of God, I couldn't do it. Therefore, they said "You will wait here until 10am before we let you go." As I waited, some street boys who were some distance away recognized me, and one of them said, "That is Daddy Adeboye. It seems the policemen are harassing him; let's go and help him." When the policemen saw them approaching, they left me and hurried away. In that situation, God used the street boys to threaten the policemen into letting me go.
When God wanted to free His people from Babylon, He used Cyrus, an unbelieving ruler. Long before his birth, Isaiah had prophesied about him and the part he would play in the freedom of God's people (Isaiah 44:28, Isaiah 45:1-5). God can use unbelievers to do His will; however, such unbelievers will still end up in hell if they do not surrender to Christ, as all sinners will end up in hell.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:18
Beloved, surrender your life to Christ if you are not yet born again and begin to live a holy life so that God can use you as a vessel unto honor and not unto dishonor.
KEY POINT
God will always use people for His will. However, they can choose to either be vessels unto honor or vessels unto dishonor.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 28-31
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
HYMN 23: TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE
1 Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
2 Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
3 Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King;
Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.
4 Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose,
Every power as Thou shalt choose.
5 Take my will, and make it Thine;
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart; it is Thine own;
It shall be Thy royal throne
It shall be Thy royal throne.
6 Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.
Comments
Post a Comment