Available vessels. THE VESSELS THAT GOD USES MUST BE AVAILABLE There are three words or phrases to notice here in verse 21:- (1) ‘made holy”’. What do they mean? –- “set apart for a holy purpose”” or, available for the Lord to use. Could that be said of you? Have you made your life available to the Lord for Him to use you? Are you at His disposal? (2 Samuel 15:15). The king’s servants said to him, “Listen, your servants are ready to do whatever my Lord the king decides.” 2 Samuel 15:15 AMP (2)”useful to the Master””, meaning –- ““ready for the Lord to use””. Could that be said of you? –- lookup and compare 2 Timothy 4:11 and Philemon 11. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very helpful to me for the ministry. 2 Timothy 4:11 AMP Once he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you as well as to me. Philemon 1:11 AMP (2) “prepared to do any good work”, meaning – – “ready for anything” –- look up and compare the case of Philip who was ready to preach to the crowd in Samaria (Acts 8:5), and just as ready to leave the crowd and go to preach to one man in the desert (Acts 8:26). Are you ready for anything? THE VESSELS THAT GOD USES MUST BE CLEAN Notice how verse 21 begins. After all, we would not use dirty utensils in the dining room or the kitchen. God can use anyone or anything, but Scripture states that those whom God uses must be clean. We must have clean hearts to worship Him (Psalm 51:10); clean hands to work for Him (Psalm 24:4); clean feet to walk for Him (Psalm 119:9); clean lips to speak for Him (Isaiah 6:5) –- lookup Isaiah 52:11. So before God can use us we must be cleansed from everything that is contrary to His will –- wrong associations (2 Corinthians 6:14-18); unclean habits (compare verse 22); and from doubtful things. Notice the words –- “If a man cleanses himself…”…” We are to do the cleansing; the action is ours, not God’’s – look up 2 Chronicles 29:15-16 and 2 Corinthians 7:1. In conclusion, notice that in verse 21 we read, “If a man cleanses himself……he will be an instrument for noble purposes.” What does this mean? The late Canon Guy King suggests that the vessel is not to be honored, but the vessel is to bring honor to the Lord. This is a very challenging thought with which to close this study.

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