Like King David, we want to pray, "… blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin…Cleanse me…, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." (Psalm 51: 1b-2; 7.) The need for a clean life in the sight of God will be our focus in this lesson.

Rev. 21 describes God’s home, where He dwells. The emphasis is on the beauty and preciousness of it. Verse18 says the city is made of "…pure gold, as pure as glass", while v.21 tells us "…The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass". Furthermore, to emphasise the holiness of God’s dwelling place, v. 27 tells us, "Nothing impure will enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life."

Now 1 Cor. 6:19 tells us, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Who is in you, Whom you have received from God? You are not your own; …"

• Can God Whose dwelling place we have seen described in Rev 21 also feel at home in a body that is polluted and made filthy by sin?
• How would the Holy Spirit feel in such a body? 1 Thess. 5:19.

• God’s nature means He is choosy where He dwells. "God is light; and in Him there is no darkness at all." Yes, we invite Him as we are. And when he comes in, He forgives our sins and sweeps the place clean. He wants it to remain clean so He can feel at home in our hearts. 1 John 1:7-10.

• Separation from sin is a condition for our enjoying Father/child relationship with Him. See 2 Cor. 6:17-18.

• Physical vessels used in serving God in OT days were precious and not some ‘cheap articles’. Dan 5:2. Today we as the vessels that He uses in His service cannot be dirty and still be useful to Him. 2 Tim. 2:20-21.

• The quality of the cleansing the Lord is looking for in our lives is one that is thorough – no half measures are acceptable to Him. In bread baking, think of the great impact a little yeast makes on the whole dough – that is what a "little, cuddly sin" we would dearly love to hang on to will do to the whole of our lives. See 1 Cor. 5:6-8.

• We have the opportunity to receive the word of God and to respond to it as God The Holy Spirit teaches, rebukes and corrects us, thereby training us in righteousness. See 2 Tim. 3:16-17. That’s the "peaceful" way to be cleansed.
• But if we are indeed His own, and His Name is on us, then He will not sit still and watch us rot away in sin as we drag His Name to the mud. He will give us a real shake-up, and it will not be a pleasant or painless experience. See Isa. 1:25. In fact if He were to leave us untouched, it would prove we are not genuine children of His. See Heb. 12: 7-11.
• Whichever way the cleansing process is effected in our lives, the end result is that it produces a brand new man/woman for God’s glory. See Acts 9:15-16; 1 Pet. 1:2-7.

A vessel unto honour has to remain clean all the time so it will be available for constant use by its owner.

1. Study the word of God. 2. Memorise it. 3. Do it. See Ps 119:9, 11; Ezra 7:10. (And note God’s response, as recorded in vs 6b and 9c of Chapt. 7, to Ezra’s commitment to study and observe the word of God before he went on to teach others.)

1. Be separated from it and unto God. See Isa 52:11; 2 Cor. 6:17-18.
2. Do not turn to them. Rather it should be the other way round. See Jer. 15:19.

1. Be ware of them. It is the "little foxes" that ruin the vineyard. Song of Songs 2:15. Yes, they may appear harmless, or insignificant at first sight, but they can ruin our witness and lives eventually.

God is keen to dwell in and use clean vessels – and He wants us to be available in that state for His companionship and use.