A Final Cleansing

Aim: To be humble and faithful believers—striving for the church's betterment.

Doctrine: To the very end, faithful churchmen diligently ''clean'' God's house. This labor of love is never totally completed as long as we live in a fallen and heretical world.

Exegesis: Three dynamics of effective church cleaning: first, hypocrites must be expelled (v. 28); also, the clergy must be established (vv. 29-30a); finally, the ministry must be well-ordered and excellent (vv. 30b-31).

Further application: How the faithful church encourages its own cleanliness: by caring mostly about what Jesus is passionate about and by stubbornly resisting all incursions on His glory.

Key phrase: v. 30a ''Thus I cleansed them of everything pagan...''