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]
2. The table of complaining and grumbling
- The church today is full of complainers:
- We complain when :
• The church is too hot….when the church is too cold….some feel hot, while some feel cold…in the SAME service [e]
• The sermon is too hard on us….when the sermon is not hard enough [e]
• About the pastor/the elder/the deacon…about his family….about his lifestyle [e]
• About not having things we like done in church….and then complain there is too much on the program when we do those things…
• That the church is not winning souls….but refuse to come out for our open-air evangelism and witness to lost souls [e]
• About the other church’s bus and why we don’t buy a bus [e]
• James 5:9 says, Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.
3. The table of selfishness
- Many people have become selfish [e]
- We only think about ourselves [e]
- This is one of the signs of the attitude of people in these last days…
- 2 Timothy 3 : 1 – 5 says, But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
4. The table of instability
- As an unstable chair or table will fall over, those who are unstable in their faith will soon fall [e]
- An unstable person is one who is swayed to and fro by every doctrine out there [e]
- He/She is a person that will run from church to church and believe everything that is said [e]
- This is a person that will be running everywhere for a prophesy and for a word from the Lord [e]
- Why did God create ordered leadership in His Church?
- Ephesians 4:14 says, As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming
5. The table of criticising
- There are some who live by criticising others [e]
- Why is it that that critical spirit has entered the church [e]
- We have become critical of everything….and as a result our spiritual lives are in critical condition [e]
- The church is full of people that are critical of everything….from the transport to the treasurer…from the pastor to the people….from the ceiling to the floor….from the windows to the widows….[e]
- Ephesians 4:29 says, Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. [explain]
6. The table of gossip and slander
- I have heard it being said: “I can recover from all injuries, sickness and physical pains, but the words of people can cause pain for a lifetime!” [e]
- I, in my time here on this earth, in the church, have come to know and hear of many, many people whose lives were destroyed by the words, by the gossip and by the slander of another person.
- One of the biggest problems that the Church of God faces today is not from the outside, but rather from the inside [e]
- We tear ourselves apart from the inside with gossip…with slander…with saying hurtful things against one another [e]
- Medical science teaches us that wound on the outside are mainly superficial and can quickly be healed….by wounds on the inside cause internal bleeding that often leads to death [e]
- Proverbs 6 : 16 – 19 says, There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
7. The table of false teachings
- The Bible teaches us in the 1 Timothy 4, that in these last days many will be led astray by false teachings. [e]
- Therefore, I have never lost the opportunity to tell you congregation : “Don’t go to all these new churches that are springing up” [e]
- I have told you “Don’t go to all these Bible colleges that have suddenly sprung up” [e]
- I am always telling you to be careful [e]
- Why?....Because the back pages of the Bible are being fulfilled in the lives of so many who are leaving the house of God and are being SEDUCED away by DOCTRINES OF DEVILS!!! [e]
- Not every church is the house of God [e]
- But don’t just take my word for it…let see what the Word of God has to say…
- 1 Timothy 4: 1 says, Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,.
8. The table of division
- One of the greatest military tactics used to win a battle is called “Divide and conquer” [explain]
- Once the devil can divide God’s people, he can conquer them…why because instead of fighting him, they kill each other [e]
- As with gossip and slander, there exists a spirit of division that wants to tear the church apart [e]
- Division in the church leads to dislike, hatred, anger and the collapse of the church [e]
- Roman 16: 17 – 18 says, I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
9. The table of unforgiveness
- I said it before and I will say it again: “Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die….it only kill you!!” [e]
- Unforgiveness is not a people problem…its an individual problem, because it kills the individual that harbours it [e]
- God is so against unforgiveness that in Matt 5: 23 – 24, He says that if we bring our gift to the altar, leave the gift there, go and reconcile and then come and offer that gift [e]
- Unforgiveness leads to bitterness, which is a spiritual sickness that only grows worse if it is not addressed [e]
- Is there anyone out there that you need to reconcile to….even if they have wrong you and not you them….?
- Ephesians 4:32 says, Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
10. The table of laziness
- Why is it that we are all awake and happy at the door of the church before service in the morning [e]
- Then the moment we walk in here, we get lazy and lethargic [e]
- We cannot stand up…we cannot worship….we cannot lift up hands to God….some of us just sit and stare blankly….some of us slowly chew gum, which ends up stuck under the chair…..
- And in church our eyelids become heavy….our breathing becomes deep….our knees and shoulders get heavy…..and…and…and we are sitting under a tree….warm sun on our backs….a bee buzzing slowly around our heads…..and a yawn…..and eyes close……
- But the moment the pastor says “Amen!” at the end of the service, we are galvanised into action as we head purposefully towards the exit with all traces of sleep and laziness gone as we look forward to Sunday lunch [e]
- Colossians 3:23 says, Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
Conclusion
- This temple of God is in need of cleansing this morning [e]
- We needs Jesus to come in and overturn 10 tables [e]
- Lets all join together as we pray for Umkomaas Full Gospel Church [e]
