Journeying with John, It’s a Trip (JWJ-12)
A Passion for The House
John 2:12-25
Before becoming president Teddy Roosevelt was a Sunday School teacher. One day a boy came in with a shiner, and Teddy asked him what had happened. He said another boy was tormenting his sister, so he took a swing at him. Teddy gave him a silver dollar as a reward. Teddy was asked not to teach anymore. You see the church valued turning the other cheek, but not defending the weak. Teddy valued the other biblical value.
So let me ask you this - is the Jesus you believe in more like Mother Teresa or William Wallace?
Rick Warren says “80% of American Churches are [soft] churches. The greatest commandment is to be nice. The pastor’s job is to keep the peace . . . It’s velvet coffin Christianity.”
This morning’s passage is one that you may find difficult to fit into the Mother Teresa mold of Jesus - you know the account well (John 2) where Jesus enters the temple, gathers some cords together to make a whip, and cleanses the temple.
We are about three months from the start of Jesus public ministry, and about 15 miles away from last Sunday where we looked together at the wedding a Cana.
The time of the year was Passover - that time when all Jews throughout the world were meant to return to Jerusalem and celebrate the deliverance of the Jewish slaves from Egypt back in the days of Moses and Pharaoh. It seems that about 2 million would come in from out of town and the feat lasted 7 days - so it was a huge event. In anticipation of increased traffic they would repair the roads and they would even whitewash the tombs so that nobody would accidentally touch them and thereby defile themselves.
During this 7 day feast people were required to go to the temple and do two things.
Firstly, they had to pay their annual temple tax - which was a silver half shekel.
Secondly - they had to offer a sacrifice - either an ox, or a sheep, or a dove - depending on what they could afford. The temple tax they had to pay had to be a silver temple half shekel - they could not pay in any other currency and animal they offered would have to be without defect, they could not sacrifice an animal with any spot, blemish or deformity.
At first, when people came from cities other than Jerusalem or even from Jerusalem, they could either bring their own animals for sacrifice, or they could purchase them when they arrived in Jerusalem. For many it made sense to buy them when they got to Jerusalem. That way they did not have to drive them from wherever it was they came from. Well it was not long before merchants selling these animals realized that the closer they could sell these animals to the temple entrance, the more convenient it would be for the purchaser - especially those who came from out of town, and, of course, the more business for the vendor. So they moved their vending stores closer and closer to the temple. Soon these vendors where encroaching on the outskirts of the temple property in their jostling for prime positions. The Pharisees realized they could rent out space to the vendors and make some money on the side - and as you could imagine, it was not long before the entire system became corrupt. Vendors paid dearly for prime Passover vending positions - and they were in cahoots with the Pharisees who benefitted richly from the arrangement. If you brought your own ox or lamb or dove it would declare it unclean and unfit for sacrifice - and so you would then need to pay dearly for a clean animal from an approved vendor. Likewise, when you brought your temple tax - you had to pay with a temple half shekel, and the money changers charged exorbitant rates for the temple half shekel.
Well, by the time Jesus has started his ministry in their clamor for prime space had got so out of hand, they vendors were now actually in the Court of the Gentiles - and they were fleecing the people. There were five main parts of the temple, each with decreasing sanctity and access to God - and you had to pass through the lower courts to access the court you were allowed into. In the very heart was the Holy of Holies that was in the Holy Place. Nobody was allowed in there except the High Priest - and he only went in once a year. Next was the Court of the Priest, where the holy priests could go. Then came the Court of Israel - it was a men’s court - and then the Court of the Women where Jewish women could go. Then around that came the Court of the Gentiles - where Gentiles could go. The Court of the Gentiles was an area of about 14 acres - and was designed to be a place, the only place, where people of all nationalities, races, ages and classes could come and meet with God. And the priests had turned into a bazaar. What was meant to be a time of worship and remembrance had become a cesspool of malpractice for gain - Religion for Profit had become the order of the day.
Let’s pick up the account as we read it John and the second chapter - we will read together from verse 12-25.
John 2:12-25 - Read - Pray
Psalm 69:9 which says, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
The disciples looked at Jesus as He cleansed the temple and were taken by His zeal for His Father’s House. Let me tell you what the word ‘Zeal’ means. It means to be so committed to and caught up with a thing that you are saturated with it and even boil in it. It is used of being so in love or so in anger that your behavior is determined by, and your choices flow out of, that emotion that fills you.
My title this morning is “A Passion for the House” - I believe God is looking for those who have a passion for His House, for those who have a zeal for His House, for those who are in love with His House - those who share His heart for His house.
God’s heart is and always has been to dwell in deep fellowship with His children. That is why He created Adam and Eve. Then sin came in - and God, who is too holy to behold sin, could no longer enjoy the fellowship with man that He had created man for. Isaiah says, “You sin has caused a separation between you and your God.” So God established the temple - a place of where He could meet with man, a place of holiness and purity, a place undefiled. And that is why it was such a travesty when the Relationship of Intimacy became a Religion for Profit, when House of the Father became a Market of Merchants.
Folks, the truth is that for many the church has become institutionalized and bogged down by religious tradition - programs have been substituted for the presence of God. We have fallen into the deathly trap of predictable ritual. C S Lewis once remarked that a definition of hell was to sit in an endless church service without the presence of God! Many churches have substituted their agenda for the anointing, their programs for His presence and their personalities for His power. The state of much of the church is disconcerting - but God has not given up on His Church. How many of you know that Jesus is still “consumed with zeal for house”- and if you and I are following Him, guess what? We will be consumed by that same zeal and passion - for the Universal Body (the church worldwide, across the spectrum of history and around the circumference of the globe) as well as the Local Church (for us that means His People Community Church) and for your Personal Temple.
Here is what the Father wants. Here is what Jesus wants. Zeal - Somebody say, ‘Zeal’ - to be committed to and caught up with a thing that you are saturated with it and even boil in it . . . to be so in love with it that your behavior is determined by, and your choices flow out of, that zeal that fills you.
So I must ask you this morning precious friend - are you zealous for the House of God? As Jesus comes to this local body this morning, what does He find? What does He find in us? What does He find in you?
Listen to me if you will precious friend - the House of God is not the place where we . . .
1. Peddle our Goods
There are some people who have turned church into a business. It grieves my spirit when I see men of God selling prophetic words, or bartering miracles for money, or when I see people in the church using the network of fellowship as their potential downline in a multilevel marketing business. Those things may all be good and well - but the church is not anybodies downline and the prophetic word is not a for-sale commodity.
2. Promote our Pet Theology
For too many people the church is the place they try and angle in their pet theology, or platform their personal perspective. While I will defend your right to have a passion about a certain aspect of truth, and to be excited about a specific revelation that God has given you - I will defend the church from feeling the need to make your thing become our thing - or your priority to become our priority.
3. Pamper our Flesh
I see, in many places, people using their church to profile their egos and pamper their flesh. Precious believer - it is not your house or my house, it is the Father’s house. It is not what about makes you glad or me glad - it is about what pleases the Father.
4. Pacify our Pain
I sometimes run into people who see the church as the place to unload their stuff - if you know what I mean. They will not take counsel, but then complain about the way life goes for them. They will not take responsibility for their lives, but want the church to bail them out. They choose to remain in a place of compromising sin, but then expect the church to pay the bill. Now let me try and be clear here - I do not care what sin or compromise A person has fallen into, or what their pain is, if they have the right spirit, if they are repentant and humble I will reach out as far as I know how to help them - but if they choose to continue in their sin, the church is not the place to keep bailing them out and pacifying your pain.
5. Placate our Conscience
Do you know there are people who come to church for the simple reason that they need to placate their consciences? They live in sin, and feel it is OK because they go to church - and that means that are not as bad as others. They live in sin, or conduct shady business deals, have questionable morals, are living as lie, but you know what - they go to church - and think therefore that they cannot be that bad.
My friend - that is not Zeal for thy Father’s House - that is zeal for thyself.
But let me tell you what Zeal for the Father’s House looks like, let me tell you what zeal for the Universal Body, the Local Church and the Personal Temple looks like. You can tell somebody who has zeal for the Father’s house by . . .
1. Priority of Love
I do not know of a single more true barometer of zeal for God than the priority of love. I do not know of any more biblically used measure or maturity or manifestation of godliness that love. If you have zeal for the Father’s house, you will be marked by . . .
Love for God
Do you love God enough to put Him first? It is as simple a question as that. If you do not love God to put Him first, your problem is self love, love of ease and comfort, love of self promotion and self satisfaction.
Love for People
If you have zeal for God’s House, when you walk through those doors - here is what we will see - love for one another. Here is what every one of us should experience when we walk through those doors - overwhelming love. When a visitor walks through that door - they should immediately be overwhelmed by love. On Thursday night at study we heard the sad story of a young mother who went to the same church for three weeks and hardly a person gave her the time of day, spoke to her, made her feel welcome. We also heard a couple tell that when they came here they got welcomes and greeted and loved on - as a matter of fact - they got greeted three times before they even got in the building. Now that is what I am talking about.
Every one of us should have our eye on that door whenever we have a meeting - and the minute a visitor walks through the door - they should be overwhelmed by love. And the minuted a non-visitor walks through that door - they should be overwhelmed by love. Precious believer - if we want to see God’s glory in this house, let’s start to love on people like we have never loved before.
The Father’s House is a House of Love!
Let me show you what else is evidence of a zeal for the Father’s House.
2. Passion for Worship
How many of you know that God is looking for worshipers? - and not just any worshipers. Jesus said that the Father is looking for those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Let me see your worship and I will tell you if you have zeal for the Father’s House.
You find people in the worship always distracted, always chatting, always just watching instead of engaging - guess what - they have no passion for worship and no zeal for the Father’s house. But watch somebody who loves to worship - watch somebody who is always lost in worship - that is zeal, that is passion.
The Father’s House is a House of Worship!
3. Privilege of Service
If you have a zeal for your Father, you will consider it a privilege to serve in the house.
Psalm 84:10 “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”
May I suggest two ways you serve in the House?
Fulfill your Ministry
One of the greatest ways of manifesting zeal for the Father’s House is ministry in the Father’s House. Week in and week out.
Be Faithful with Responsibilities
Help Grow the Congregation
Help Maintain the Premises
Help Support the Ministries
The Father’s House is a House of Service!
4. Persistence in Prayer
I love this - one of the greatest things I ever hear somebody say is, “We prayed for you this week.” WOW - to know that others interceded on my behalf, shook heaven on my behalf, laid hold of the altar on my behalf. We have very little privilege that reaches higher than prayer. One of the marks of a zeal for the Father’s House - is a persistence in prayer.
The Father’s House is a House of Prayer!
5. Practice of Righteousness
Precious believer - my Bible says that you and I are Oaks of Righteousness (Isaiah 61:3) That means that your strength is your righteousness. And you and I have the righteousness of Christ within, and weapons of righteousness in the right hand and the left. That is why Romans warns us not to submit the members of our bodies to unrighteousness - because when we do we become vulnerable to the attack of satan and the weakness of the flesh.
But watch this - when you have a zeal for the House of God you “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.” I love that - God is building a righteous church, a holy church, a separated church, a called out church - and you and I are part of the throng of God’s marching army.
The Father’s House is a House of Righteousness!
Amen!
