The Miracle In The Middle Series

INTRODUCTION:

A lot of things happen in the middle.

For Example :

Here is a simple fact: In order to come out of something, you first must go in.

In order to get out of bed, you first must get in bed;

To get out of the car, you have to get into the car;

To get out of the room, you first must go into the room.

One of greatest things about living for God is the joy of coming out of the middle

There is joy when we come out of the Middle!

Being delivered; being set free; being loosed of the enemy and the grip of sin is a miracle and it's happens in the middle

?Ezekiel - In the middle of the valley of dry bones / can the bones live ?

?The 3 Hebrew boys in the middle of the firey furnace

?Johna in the middle of the belly of the whale

We find Jesus and His disciples in the middle today. There was a lot going on the Monday after Triumphal entry. It all happened in the middle, today I want to speak on the Miracle In The Middle.

STAND / READ / PRAY

Look at you Neighbor and say It Happens In The Middle

Jesus is on his way out from Bethany and He is hungary. He sees a fig tree from afar and decides to go check it out b/c He is hungary.

He still had a 7 mile walk to Jerusalem to take care of some business. He gets to the fig tree and finds no fruit only leaves.

Now figs would produce crops 3-4 x per yr. Jesus being who His being all man b/c He is hungary but yet all God say's "Let no one eat from you ever again."

I am just wondering if there is anyone in the house this morning who has been found full leaf looking all pretty, looking the part of a chirst follower but not producing any fruit?

Jesus curses this tree.

Better yet . Have you ever been flowing along in life being all pretty and at full leaf and you drift right into something and you can't get out of it and before you know it you feel its curse??

Jesus curses the tree and makes His way to the city. As He and His disciples approach the city gates Jesus says "Let's go to the Temple."

What happens next is the miracle b/c it happend in the middle of the Narrative here.

Jesus goes in looses His mind and goes absolutely ham on these people!!!!

The Temple in thoes days was the economic hub of everything. If someone needed something they went to the temple first to enquire.

(house cleaner, home service/repairs,)

These people were making bargins for the remission of sins.

To top it off they could not even use Ceaser money. They had to uses Temple money.

They were bargining to buy sacrifices, (sheep, doves,goats, ect..) and the money changers were charging stupid amounts of intrest and fees to make all kinds of money.

Jesus could'nt take it! Mayhem comes loose and He takes ropes off the floor and braids them into a whip and starts knocking over, things on the table and eventually turning over the tables and driving these people out of His house.

ILLUSTRATE/ WITH WHIP AND TURNING OVER TABLE.

What if Jesus wants to turn some tables over in your Temple today?

Come on somebody?

There was a guy in the NT his mane was Saul and Jesus turned over his tables.

He thought what he was doining b/c it was for the Church/Temple and the Temple leaders was good. It wasn't good in God's eyes.

So Jesus being resurrected reveals Himself from Heaven to Saul filps his tables and changes his name to Paul and he went on to write 2/3 of the NT and pant Churches all over.

Here is waht Paul said - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV) 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

James 2:26 (NKJV) 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

I want you to see what Jesus turned over that day in the Temple. I beleive He turned over 4 table that day.

1.) THE TABLE OF IDOLS

an Idol is: Anything we give our lives to other than Jesus.

idols aren’t limited to graven objects crafted by human hands.

Idols are anything that you give your life to. That you pour every ounce of your energy into in hopes of it bringing you the things you desire in return.