Theme: THE TEMPLE OF GOD MUST BE
Text: Matt. 21:12-16
Intro.
A. Greetings…
B. In his letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul said that our “body is the temple of God.” This is one of the most wonderful pictures given in the Scriptures depicting our relationship with God. We are His temples.
C. The first thing that would come to our mind when speaking of a temple is that, it is a place where God’s presence is. Isn’t it very wonderful to think that God’s presence is in each of us? It is the most marvelous reality of the Christian life.
D. Now I understand that God has a twofold objectives of salvation:
1. first, to bring us into His heavenly home. This is the future of every Christian;
2. second, to make us His temple where His presence dwells. This is the present reality of every believer’s life.
I.Q. Now in respect to this reality, what does God expect from us being His temple? What is His desire for us? On the other hand, having His presence in us, how would it affect our behavior, our lifestyle, our disposition, and in our response to circumstances?
T.S. Let us answer these questions by studying the passage where Jesus is found cleansing the temple of Jerusalem.
E. Background:
1. this incident happened after the triumphant entry of Jesus to Jerusalem. He went directly to the temple.
2. the feast of Passover was about to be celebrated, so there were probably not less than a million Jews coming in the city of Jerusalem.
3. Christ was indignant to see the condition of the temple –it was full of filth, material and moral garbage. God was so hurt! Israel failed God of His purpose to them; she always had. Likewise, we always failed God in His expectations of us.
WHAT DOES GOD WANT US TO BE BEING HIS TEMPLE?
I. HE WANTS US TO BE A TEMPLE (OR A HOUSE) OF PURITY.
1. in verse 12, Christ casts everything that brought moral filth to the temple (read and comment on the passage).
2. His action would have appeared radical, and yes, sometimes, God should be radical to take those toys of sin that we failed to lay aside because we like them, because we are fond of them. I don’t know what toy of sin are you playing now: is it a habit, a thing, or even a person?
3. In this action of Jesus, we can surmise that God demands purity, not just 98% but 100% purity. 100% seems unattainable, but let’s just bring our lives into submission to God and He will do that.
4. Purity comes as a result of the act of consecration. Consecrated things are deemed pure, and to be used for sacred purposes only. If those government vehicles ay may tag na “for official use only”, each of us should bear a tag on our body “for God’s use only”. Pls. reflect yourself with this simple question: How did I use my body?
II. HE WANTS US TO BE A TEMPLE (OR A HOUSE) OF PRAYER.
1. verse 13.( read it )
2. For many people, prayer is –flattering God with few words of praise; telling Him their circumstances (as if God doesn’t know); bombarding Him with requests, and acting desperate for Him to bless.
3. But prayer is not that. It is not informing God our problems, our needs. He knows everything! It is, however, recognizing the true worth of God in our lives. That’s why prayer is more than simply communicating God; it is worshiping God. Why you pray and how you pray reveal the measure of your understanding and faith in God. Oh how many of us limit God by the way our prayers were made.
4. The true essence of prayer is total surrender. The problem of a lot of us is that, we want only the blessing of God but failed to surrender our life totally to Him.
5. Illustration: a very beautiful cap.
6. We always ask God to bless us but don’t allow Him to interfere with our decisions and we ignore His restrictions over us. We didn’t adjust our lives to God.
7. We were so impressed when someone said: “Prayer changes things”. But there is better than that. It must be the goal of all personal and private prayers. The statement is “Prayer changes me.” We pray and anticipate changes to happen on others’ lives or on things we’ve prayed for. But did it do something on your life? How does your prayer affect you? We prayed that people would be saved and this church would be filled with people, but we didn’t evangelize! We prayed for more funds and we don’t give. Where’s the answer, the change, that we want to see happen?
III. HE WANTS US TO BE A TEMPLE (OR A HOUSE) OF POWER.
1. verse 14 (read)
2. After a while, the blind and the lame came to Him and they were all healed! What a demonstration of Christ’s great power. He did it in the Temple!
3. Even in the Old Testament times, God demonstrated His great and glorious power in the Tabernacle. By this we conclude that God is delighted to manifest His great power in and through His temple. Did you get the truth here? God wants to demonstrate His power through you! You are His temple, and the presence of the all-powerful God resides in you. He wants to demonstrate His omnipotence through you! That means, even how ordinary you are, God will do something extraordinary through you. But where lies the problem? Why were our prayers so powerless, our testimonies so impotent that people around us did not notice the presence of God in us? Because we fall into the same mistake the Jews had fallen into. Their national glory was the temple –its magnificence, its beauty –they’re proud of it, instead of the presence of God. Likewise, we’re proud of ourselves. Our glory is our self, the temple, instead of the indwelling presence of God. Christ will have to cleanse from our pharisaical spirits, our self-centeredness that His omnipotence would freely flow through us.
4. The healing happened in the temple. It means, the temple is a place of healing. The temple is a place where burdened people come and be lifted up; where people come and found encouragement, healing and joy. God wants to touch and heal people’s lives –through you, through us, His temple. What a joy and a lasting legacy when many people would experience God through our lives. How is your life? Are people around you experiencing the Presence of God through your life? Your behavior? Your lifestyle? Your actuations?
5. Do you know the implications of Romans 8:29? God’s ultimate goal for every believer is to be conformed to the image of His Son. God delights to see the image –the character –of Jesus Christ in us. Why? So that those around us would see and experience God. This is one of the objectives of Christ-like living.
IV. HE WANTS US TO BE A TEMPLE (OR A HOUSE) OF PRAISE.
1. verse 15 (read)
2. To declare the praises of God is another purpose of the temple. Therefore it must be filled with praise of God. But where praise comes? It comes from knowing who God is, and what He does.
3. The children were shouting’ “Hosanna to the Son of David”. This refers to the Messiah-ship of Jesus. They know that Jesus is their long-awaited Deliverer-King. Yes, praise flows naturally from the hearts and lips of those who know Jesus. He is the Messiah, the Lamb, the Glory of God. He deserves eternal praise.
4. But praise must not be kept within; it must also be declared without! This is like saying, “Don’t keep the faith; spread it out!” So, don’t keep His praise within, declared it out –to people outside the church. What do I mean? As God’s temple, we must declare Christ to people outside who do not have Christ in life. We must be enthusiastic and active in proclaiming the Messiah, corporately and individually. This is the epitome of declaring God’s praise. This is our task, our responsibility, and our commission.
CONCLUSION: God expects all His children to live a life of purity, full of power, of prayer and of constant praise.
