Cleansing The Temple Part 3: Cleansing The House Of God Series

Text: Matt 21 : 12 – 14 12 Then Jesus went into the temple 4of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of thieves.’ ” 14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.

Theme: Temple Cleansing – Cleansing the House of God

Introduction

- Today, we are going on to the final sermon of our 3 part sermon series on Cleansing the temple. [e]

- I trust that you have carried along your note books to take down some notes [e]

- As we read this morning’s text, we find that Jesus enters Jerusalem on the final week before His Crucifixion. [e]

- As He enters the temple, he shocked by what He finds going on in there [explain]

- If Jesus had to enter this temple this morning, in the midst of this service, will He be shocked by what is going on in here? [e]

- This was not the first time that Jesus had entered into the temple and done this exact thing [e]

- Three years earlier, He had entered into the temple and had found similar things going on [e]

- John 2 : 13 – 17 13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers 2doing business. 15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. 16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” 17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house 3has eaten Me up.”

- Those in the temple had not learned that what they were doing in the House of God was wrong and Jesus was angry [e]

- It teaches us 2 important lessons this morning:

- That as much as God is a loving God,

- That as much as He is a merciful God,

- That as much as He is a compassionate God,

• He is angered when we do not heed to correction and instruction [e]

• He views the house of God (the church) as a holy place [e]

- I always wondered why miracles cease [e]

- Why blessings stop flowing [e]

- Why the Power of God gets limited [e],

- And I received my answer as I began to look into the Word

- Vs 14…miracles only began to occur in the temple of God when the temple of God was cleansed [explain]

- God is telling us this morning that there are some tables in this house this morning…

- Tables that need to be overturned [e]

- Notice that these tables that are mentioned in the Word were IN the temple [e]

- The unacceptable had become acceptable [e]

- The abnormal had become normal [e]

- The priesthood that was supposed to guard against it had allowed [e]

- This is what the devil is doing to the Church world-wide today [e]

- Unacceptable things:

• Homosexuality [e]

• Co-habitation [e]

• A lifestyle of sin [e]

• Acceptance of teachings of other religions [e]

• False teachings…….to mention a few….have become acceptable in the church today [e]

• Things which are ABNORMAL have become NORMAL ! [e]

• And the priesthood, the guardians of the faith, the pastors, the teachers, the elders, the deacons, and indeed, the Christians have accepted it [e]

• What a terrible indictment against the Church this morning [e]

• There are some tables here in Umkomaas Full Gospel Church that needs to be overturned….

• Lets call them the 10 tables of the church…..and lets take down some notes:

1. The table of indifference

- What is the definition of “indifference”? According to the dictionary indifference is lack of interest, concern, or sympathy. [e]

- It goes on to say that in difference is lack of concern about, unconcern about, apathy about/towards, nonchalance about, lack of interest in, disregard for, obliviousness to, uninvolvement in/with [e]

- Matthew 13:15 says, for the heart of this people has become dull, with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and i would heal them.' [explain]