My house shall be called a house of prayer
Matthew 21:12-13
Mark 11:11-18, John 2:13-16
Introduction-
Prayer-
I want you to know if you are a guest with us this morning, it is not by accident.
I do not think it is a coincidence that I am speaking this morning on prayer.
For the last several weeks- God has been stirring in a new and fresh way.
Last week like never before. If you left here last week without touching God, it was not that God was not reaching out to you.
I pray this morning is no different. I do not understand all that the Lord is doing, but I know that I want to be a part of it. I’m glad I don’t understand all because we will not be able to take any of the glory of it away from the Lord.
I feel like a prophet yelling to the people that there is a God sighting. Giving warning to draw close to the Lord as He passes by this morning.
We are going to look at several Scriptures but if you would turn to our text in Matthew 21:12-13. It is Jesus at the Temple.
Matthew 21:12-13.
John 2:15- John adds the detail that Jesus made a whip of cords, drove all from the Temple, overturned tables and told them “Get out of here, how dare you turn my Fathers house into a market place of merchandise.”
Pastor Jim Cymbala says we can picture gentle Jesus with the wayward lamb across His shoulders, but that it is hard to picture Jesus cleansing the temple by over-turning tables and being angry. In fact if someone showed that kind of anger, we would say that they were in the flesh. They could not be in the Spirit.
•Jesus was very much sending a message that God’s house is not a marketplace, that it is a house of prayer.
•You have to understand something here- those selling the doves and those selling the animals to be sacrificed were suppose to be there. People needed those animals to sacrifice to God.
•What Jesus was overturning was that they were grouching the people of God in the price. The money-changers as people came from far away exchanging their money for Roman coin were charging gangster fees.
“My Temple has become a den of robbers”
•This same church that Jesus said later “The gates of Hell will not bring down, is the same church that God is purging of it’s wickedness.
Man’s spirit will not control God’s house. The Holy Spirit of God will control the secrete place of God and the dwelling place of God’s people.
Prayer is so familiar it at times can be overlooked. We take advantage and get lazy to the things of God.
You need good preaching, but it is not a house of preaching.
We need good music, but it is not a house of music.
God, the Father says that it is to be a house of prayer.
Jeremiah 7:9-11-
“Will you steal and murder. Commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house , which bears my name, and say, we are safe, safe to do all these detestable things. Has this house, which bears my name become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching declared the Lord.”
The church universal has gotten into the merchandise business and gotten away from God’s house being a house of prayer. 92 % of Americans profess to have a relationship with God. Under 40 % attend church on a regular basis. Those numbers do not compute to me. I am not sure out of that number how many come for the right reasons.
You don’t come to the house of God primarily to see people, you come to be with the Lord.
Not on our time. Not on our terms. Not three minute prayers, but desiring to see God move in a fresh and new way in our lives.
Holy Spirit fell on the people of God when they were praying. When they were waiting and anticipating God to move.
\We talked on Wednesday night from Hebrews ch 2 of people drifting away from God.
Loss of focus
Loss of priorities
Loss of passion.
Loss of commitment.
If we are not intentional, a loss of our relationship to God.
•Like a ship floating in a big ocean, hoping, not praying that it does not crash against the rocks of the shoreline.
In the news this week, pastors professing to be atheist. Pastors admitting they don’t believe the whole truth of God’s word. God help us- God help them- that the house of God would return to being a house of prayer. Where communication and relationship with God is priority.
I believe there are some key points that we need to see with Jesus clearing the temple and physically showing His anger in the house of God.
1. Purge the church- He will overturn some tables of things that are not appropriate in the house of God.
2. He will drive his people back to the altar of God.- we will not be able to do what He desires in our own strength but will move us back to the altar of God.
3. He will do tremendous things in the last days as His Spirit is poured out on His people.
That is the three points of the message
Purge the church
Drive us back to the altar of God
Use us mightily as they trust Him
I. Purging the Church
If the church is doing great things and God is not in it. It is limited to the talent and abilities of the people of God. If God is in it, He will not be put in a man made box and made to perform to our standards.
Jesus says to Israel-
This is not your Temple. This is my Father’s house.
It will not be a house of merchandise.
It is not a house of entertainment.
It is not lead by man’s spirit, it is lead by the Spirit of God.
This is not my church. This is the church God has graciously allowed me to pastor. A place where God gets all the glory.
Satan’s plans for mankind has not changed since the fall of man. The 3'd’s if you will.
Deceive. Destroy. Disconnect.
God’s plan has been not to deceive, but to revive.
Not to destroy, but to restore.
Not to keep us disconnected, but have an intimate relationship.
Yes, there will be purging of the church.
II. Rebuilding the altar of God
Nov 21st- the largest statue of Jesus will be finished in Poland. 170 feet tall. 700 ton crane will be needed to stand the statue up. It will be bigger than Rio De Janeiro’s Christ The Redeemer that sits in their harbor. This statue cost more than 1.5 million dollars. The world does not have a problem with statues of Jesus. They have a problem with having a relationship with Jesus. Go ahead and believe in God. Just don’t get crazy enough to believe that you can have a relationship with God. 1 Kings 18- Elijah told Israel that they needed to rebuild the altar of God.
•The alar is the meeting place with God.
•He rebuilt the altar.
He knew that if he could bring Israel back to the altar, altar back to Israel, then he could bring them back to God.
Elijah dug a trench around the altar.
•If you are going to see the power of God manifested, there has to be work around the altar.
No time to pray. They will be powerless to see the supernatural power of God working.
•If God is in it, the fire will fall- even if the wood is wet
It is a God thing
When we come back to the altar of God as a lifestyle instead of only when we have problems, we will see the power of God work in our lives and those we come in contact with.
1 Kings 18:3- “Then Elijah said to all the people “Come here to me” they came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which was in ruins’
Back to the Altar- God sighting
Jesus taught his disciples to pray. We need to be able to hear God’s voice and communicate with God.. God’s people need to be praying and touching God- returning to the altar of God.
III. God is wanting to do tremendous things
As a church, we are in exciting times. God has been doing some tremendous things. I have not been able to explain it all, and that is completely okay with me.
There are two kinds of revival.
1. Personal- when we cry out to God to revive us.
2. Corporately- supernatural work of God in our church.
•We have seen both and I am beyond words for it. The greatest need today is for God’s people to come into a fresh and powerful relationship with the Lord. Be sensitive to what God is wanting to do in the life of the church.
The Psalmist says “Will you not revive us again?, that your people may rejoice in you” Psalm 85:6
Closing (maybe)
When God’s people are not experiencing abundant life and the joy of God, we need to return to God.
Revive means to make alive again.
God wants to revive His people.
God wants to revive His church.
He wants to revive this community He has called us too.
“If my people, who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways. Then, I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Are you hungering after God this morning?
Do you want more out of the relationship?
What could God do with a church that has His purpose and beaten is not in their vocabulary?
Altar Call
My house shall be called a house of prayer
Matthew 21:12-13
Mark 11:11-18, John 2:13-16
Introduction-
Prayer-
I want you to know if you are a guest with us this morning, it is not by accident.
I do not think it is a coincidence that I am speaking this morning on prayer.
For the last several weeks- God has been stirring in a new and fresh way.
Last week like never before. If you left here last week without touching God, it was not that God was not reaching out to you.
I pray this morning is no different. I do not understand all that the Lord is doing, but I know that I want to be a part of it. I’m glad I don’t understand all because we will not be able to take any of the glory of it away from the Lord.
I feel like a prophet yelling to the people that there is a God sighting. Giving warning to draw close to the Lord as He passes by this morning.
We are going to look at several Scriptures but if you would turn to our text in Matthew 21:12-13. It is Jesus at the Temple.
Matthew 21:12-13.
John 2:15- John adds the detail that Jesus made a whip of cords, drove all from the Temple, overturned tables and told them “Get out of here, how dare you turn my Fathers house into a market place of merchandise.”
Pastor Jim Cymbala says we can picture gentle Jesus with the wayward lamb across His shoulders, but that it is hard to picture Jesus cleansing the temple by over-turning tables and being angry. In fact if someone showed that kind of anger, we would say that they were in the flesh. They could not be in the Spirit.
•Jesus was very much sending a message that God’s house is not a marketplace, that it is a house of prayer.
•You have to understand something here- those selling the doves and those selling the animals to be sacrificed were suppose to be there. People needed those animals to sacrifice to God.
•What Jesus was overturning was that they were grouching the people of God in the price. The money-changers as people came from far away exchanging their money for Roman coin were charging gangster fees.
“My Temple has become a den of robbers”
•This same church that Jesus said later “The gates of Hell will not bring down, is the same church that God is purging of it’s wickedness.
Man’s spirit will not control God’s house. The Holy Spirit of God will control the secrete place of God and the dwelling place of God’s people.
Prayer is so familiar it at times can be overlooked. We take advantage and get lazy to the things of God.
You need good preaching, but it is not a house of preaching.
We need good music, but it is not a house of music.
God, the Father says that it is to be a house of prayer.
Jeremiah 7:9-11-
“Will you steal and murder. Commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house , which bears my name, and say, we are safe, safe to do all these detestable things. Has this house, which bears my name become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching declared the Lord.”
The church universal has gotten into the merchandise business and gotten away from God’s house being a house of prayer. 92 % of Americans profess to have a relationship with God. Under 40 % attend church on a regular basis. Those numbers do not compute to me. I am not sure out of that number how many come for the right reasons.
You don’t come to the house of God primarily to see people, you come to be with the Lord.
Not on our time. Not on our terms. Not three minute prayers, but desiring to see God move in a fresh and new way in our lives.
Holy Spirit fell on the people of God when they were praying. When they were waiting and anticipating God to move.
\We talked on Wednesday night from Hebrews ch 2 of people drifting away from God.
Loss of focus
Loss of priorities
Loss of passion.
Loss of commitment.
If we are not intentional, a loss of our relationship to God.
•Like a ship floating in a big ocean, hoping, not praying that it does not crash against the rocks of the shoreline.
In the news this week, pastors professing to be atheist. Pastors admitting they don’t believe the whole truth of God’s word. God help us- God help them- that the house of God would return to being a house of prayer. Where communication and relationship with God is priority.
I believe there are some key points that we need to see with Jesus clearing the temple and physically showing His anger in the house of God.
1. Purge the church- He will overturn some tables of things that are not appropriate in the house of God.
2. He will drive his people back to the altar of God.- we will not be able to do what He desires in our own strength but will move us back to the altar of God.
3. He will do tremendous things in the last days as His Spirit is poured out on His people.
That is the three points of the message
Purge the church
Drive us back to the altar of God
Use us mightily as they trust Him
I. Purging the Church
If the church is doing great things and God is not in it. It is limited to the talent and abilities of the people of God. If God is in it, He will not be put in a man made box and made to perform to our standards.
Jesus says to Israel-
This is not your Temple. This is my Father’s house.
It will not be a house of merchandise.
It is not a house of entertainment.
It is not lead by man’s spirit, it is lead by the Spirit of God.
This is not my church. This is the church God has graciously allowed me to pastor. A place where God gets all the glory.
Satan’s plans for mankind has not changed since the fall of man. The 3'd’s if you will.
Deceive. Destroy. Disconnect.
God’s plan has been not to deceive, but to revive.
Not to destroy, but to restore.
Not to keep us disconnected, but have an intimate relationship.
Yes, there will be purging of the church.
II. Rebuilding the altar of God
Nov 21st- the largest statue of Jesus will be finished in Poland. 170 feet tall. 700 ton crane will be needed to stand the statue up. It will be bigger than Rio De Janeiro’s Christ The Redeemer that sits in their harbor. This statue cost more than 1.5 million dollars. The world does not have a problem with statues of Jesus. They have a problem with having a relationship with Jesus. Go ahead and believe in God. Just don’t get crazy enough to believe that you can have a relationship with God. 1 Kings 18- Elijah told Israel that they needed to rebuild the altar of God.
•The alar is the meeting place with God.
•He rebuilt the altar.
He knew that if he could bring Israel back to the altar, altar back to Israel, then he could bring them back to God.
Elijah dug a trench around the altar.
•If you are going to see the power of God manifested, there has to be work around the altar.
No time to pray. They will be powerless to see the supernatural power of God working.
•If God is in it, the fire will fall- even if the wood is wet
It is a God thing
When we come back to the altar of God as a lifestyle instead of only when we have problems, we will see the power of God work in our lives and those we come in contact with.
1 Kings 18:3- “Then Elijah said to all the people “Come here to me” they came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which was in ruins’
Back to the Altar- God sighting
Jesus taught his disciples to pray. We need to be able to hear God’s voice and communicate with God.. God’s people need to be praying and touching God- returning to the altar of God.
III. God is wanting to do tremendous things
As a church, we are in exciting times. God has been doing some tremendous things. I have not been able to explain it all, and that is completely okay with me.
There are two kinds of revival.
1. Personal- when we cry out to God to revive us.
2. Corporately- supernatural work of God in our church.
•We have seen both and I am beyond words for it. The greatest need today is for God’s people to come into a fresh and powerful relationship with the Lord. Be sensitive to what God is wanting to do in the life of the church.
The Psalmist says “Will you not revive us again?, that your people may rejoice in you” Psalm 85:6
Closing (maybe)
When God’s people are not experiencing abundant life and the joy of God, we need to return to God.
Revive means to make alive again.
God wants to revive His people.
God wants to revive His church.
He wants to revive this community He has called us too.
“If my people, who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways. Then, I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Are you hungering after God this morning?
Do you want more out of the relationship?
What could God do with a church that has His purpose and beaten is not in their vocabulary?
Altar Call
