“In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes, and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” 2 Tim. 2:20-21

We remember that when Christ ascended to heaven he ‘gave gifts to men.’ (Ephesians 4:8) We are all gifted, all players in life, all in the race – no one rides the bench.

A pivotal moment in all of our lives is when we decide that we are going to prepare to be used by God – when we decide that we are going to take initiative to prepare for service. We are all called to be holy, to be set apart for God and his will for our lives.

The Apostle Paul says that if we want to be used for ‘noble purposes’ we are to ‘cleanse ourselves.’ We know that in salvation God cleanses us, that we passively receive God’s cleansing by grace. (I John 1:9) Yet we are also called to appropriate that cleansing, to make choices, to be holy. (1 Peter 1:15-16)

First, we cleanse ourselves from sin. As Hebrews 12: 1-3 tells us, we are to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles…” This is a battle as we fight against the world, the flesh and the Devil. (Galatians 5:16-17) But we’re not in heaven yet, and this is the reality of the Christian life; a race, a fight.

Secondly, we cleanse ourselves from false teaching/nonsense. This is closer to the immediate context of 2 Timothy. (2 Tim. 2:16-18) We must stay on center and avoid error and irrelevant nonsense. (Col. 2:16-19)

Third, we may need to de-clutter our lives - cleanse ourselves from lesser things. We can waste a lot of time on ‘good’ things that don’t matter. (ie. How much TV do we watch?)

Diogenes Allen in his book, Traces of God, talks about how in order to grow in our relationship with and service for God the first step is one of ‘cleansing’ or clearing out. “Love for God begins not with the desire for God, and not with seeking God, but by withholding ourselves from all other things. It begins with our refusal to give our love to anything of this world, our decision to hold back, to renounce, because we realize that there is nothing in this world that can fully satisfy us.”

And so, having prepared ourselves and developed the gifts that God has given us, we are ‘useful to the Master, and prepared to do any good work.’ Rather than sloppy thinking, we engage in the study of the Bible, and learn to ‘rightly divide the word of Truth.’ (2 Timothy 2:15)

And let us not forget that we will someday be judged for our response to God’s call and gifting. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15, 2 Corinthians 5:10)

Pastor Tim, May 20, 2007