My House Will Be Called A House Of Prayer

MK 11:15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out

those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money

changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to

carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, "Is it

not written:

" `My house will be called

a house of prayer for all nations’ ?

But you have made it `a den of robbers.’ "

MK 11:18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking

for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his

teaching.

Did you just hear what Jesus did in the Temple? Have we ever seen Jesus respond like

this before in Scripture? Actually, this had happened before, a couple of years earlier, we

find the story in John 2, Jesus even made a whip out of cords, and physically thrashed the

people out of the Temple, again driving out those who were buying and selling in the

temple.

I ask you, what in the world has caused God’s Son to get so agitated?

This is what we are going to find out today. When we really discover the answer, we will

have our hands on the answer for our greatest needs..... so don’t miss the answer today.

Can you see the feathers flying, and the coins rolling every direction down the hallways?

Can you hear the businesmen shouting to the top of their lungs for the police, “We have a

madman in here, somebody come and arrest this crazy man.”

Jesus says above the noise of the situation, “This place looks and feels more like a

mall than a temple. Whatever happened to Isaiah’s word about the real point of this

building --- to be a house of prayer for all nations, all nationalities and races?”

The odd thing about this story is that if the Hometown Eyewitness News Crew had

interviewed any of those merchants that day, each one would have very stongly defended

thier right to be there, saying.... “We provide an essential service to the worshipers,”

“How else are the people going to get the required animal to sacrifice? If you live any

distance away, you can’t be herding your sheep and cattle through the streets of

Jerusalem, We’ve got to help the program along...” Of coarse, what they wouldn’t tell

Hometown News is that they were adding huge surcharges to their price... they were

making a huge profit.

Friends, I don’t think God is too pleased when we turn our places of worship into a

commercial enterprize...... On TV today you can buy a prayer cloth, you can buy holy

water, you can purchase all kinds of things that suppossedly will enhance your religious

experience.

Can I tell you a secret. God is not impressed. For those who are leading God’s Church,

God is not only concerned whether we’re doing God’s work, but also How and Why

we’re doing it.

When I stand before the Judgement seat of Christ, his main questions for me will

not have to do with the growth or the budget of New Hope Church of the Nazarene, but

with Why I pastored this church, and in what Spirit.

If your teaching a Sunday School class, God will not be asking you If you taught a classs,

but instead the question will be Did you teach that class with a heart that radiated God’s

love for the students? Are you teaching for the right reasons?

If your serving in the church, whether on the board, on the cleaning team, on the calling

team, on the Worship team, no matter the position..... The question is not so much that

you are serving, but instead, How are you serving? With a good spirit, for the right

reasons? Or maybe your serving for some other reason.

Friends, I’m sure the money changers would tell you that they were providing a

ministry.... but as we can see, God wasn’t pleased with their motive, He wasn’t impressed

with their service.

Back in the Campmeeting days their used to be a saying that if people left a meeting

talking about what a wonderful sermon the preacher gave or how beautifully the singers

sang, the meeting had failed. But if the people went home saying things like, “Isn’t God

good?” He met me tonight in such a wonderful way,” then it was a good meeting. There

was to be no sharing the stage with the Lord.

This morning friends, it’s not about the music, it’s not about how well the sermon is

delivered, but instead it’s “Did you have an encounter with the Living God?” Did God

come and speak to your heart?” Did you come into His House today with the mindset of