“Cleaning House In God’s House”
Matthew 21:1-17
1/18/98
Intro: Last week we looked at the Parable of the Workers. We saw the difference between equality and fairness. How has it been goig this week? I trust you have been able to rejoice as you have heard of God’s blessing on others’ lives. So often conflict comes about in our interpersonal relationships. Yet one of the biggest places we see conflict is in the church.
There are few things as nasty as a church fight. There are few things that can cause so great harm as fighting in the church. Today we see Jesus coming to the temple and needing to “clean house.” And as we look at this, let’s also look at our own lives to see if there are things we need to “clean house” about too.
READ TEXT:
I. The Acclaim: going along with the crowd - We see here Jesus coming into Jerusalem. His disciples have gone ahead of him and have brought a colt to ride upon. Verse 5 informs us that he was fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. As he comes to town, the people come out and offer him praises and greetings.
John 12 tells us that a large crowd who had seen him raise Lazarus from the dead had come into the city and spread the word about him.
**What do you do when the crowd all seems to want to do right? It’s the thing dreams are made of. Sort of like the comic we had in the bulletin a few months ago about the dream of Pastor Sludman: everyone is volunteering to be a Sunday School teacher.
Whenever the crowd does right, it is easy to be caught up in doing right too.
That’s why it is so important to surround ourselves with a support network of friends who will encourage us in our walk and life.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together . . . but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Heb 10:24-25
We need to create a climate for spiritual growth in each others’ lives. When you get together with friends, do you talk about the LORD? If not, why not?
Satan deceives us into believing that our friends wouldn’t be interested. “Oh, just talk about sports and the weather.” We rob ourselves of so many spiritual blessings because we are afraid to open our mouths.
When the whole crowd is doing it, often the voices of sin are silenced. Often our attitude of godliness and love will silence those who are critical and slanderous, who only want to gossip and spread dissension.
Jesus is heralded by the crowds. They are caught up with enthusiasm. Yet he never forgets who he is. Many times when we are given praise, we actually think we deserve it. We think we have earned praise. Jesus is the only man who ever deserved the praise he received.
II. Action: Stepping out from the crowd
When we are in with the crowd, we like to stay in line with them. Going against the stream is hard. That’s why many cults start out with Bible studies that appear innocent and scriptural. Once you have gotten involved with the group, then you find out what they really believe, & it’s hard to change.
Jesus comes to the temple, and he could have been one with the crowd. He could have entered in and worshiped and given sacrifices. Yet as he comes, he sees the abuses in the house of God. And he speaks out against them.
How often we overlook sin because it is done in the church.
Someone divorces their spouse: if it is a stranger, we condemn the act; yet if it is a friend from church, we say maybe they weren’t meant to be together. God wouldn’t want them to be unhappy.
If a neighbor cheats on their taxes, we want to call the IRS, but if it is a brother from church, we say they are simply exercising their Christian liberty.
The church needs to be the example in leading moral lives. And we need to make sure as we see sinfulness in the church that we expose it.
1 Peter 4:17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"
Romans 2:17 - Now you, if you call yourself a Jew (Christian); if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth--you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonour God by breaking the law? As it is written: "God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."
We need men and women who are not afraid to step out from the silent majority and take a stand for God.
Ezekiel 22:30 - I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so that I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.
This is what the PromiseKeepers movement is all about. Men who are not afraid to speak out.
Jesus is greatly roused as he sees the house of God hindering people from truly worshipping. Do we encourage worship or do we restrain it? Do we have an outward appearance of religion, or do we have an active faith?
Let’s look at the lesson of the fig tree: Read Matt 21: 18-22
The fig tree had many leaves, a sign that it should have had fruit, but there was no fruit. Jesus gives this lesson to show what Israel and the Pharisees were like: they had a form of religion, but internally they were dead and corrupt.
Many times the hardest thing w are faced with is confronting a friend who has gone into sin. Yet this is our command. Galatians 6:1 - Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.
III. Answering: Going against the crowd
In verse 15 we see Jesus being confronted by the church leaders. Just because someone is leading a church, they are not necessarily leading it in truth. Never take my words for gospel. As your pastor, I will be in error at times. Base everything upon the word of God. Study it for yourself!
We find it easy to go along with the church crowd. Everyone else takes a Bible Study course so we want to take it too. Everyone goes up to the altar, so we go too. We want to be included in the crowd.
Sometimes we even lead the group. We step out to take leadership and actively serve and minister for the Lord.
The hard part comes when we are faced with controversy. Many are willing to lead if there is not difficulty. The strength of one’s faith is seen as they deal with controversy. In this last week of Christ’s life on earth, he will face up to much adversity and controversy.
Whenever we deal with sin in someone’s life, we are going to lose friends. We will become unpopular. People will see us as being no fun, being pious and “better that others.”
Are you willing to look at your life today? Are we as a church willing to take a hard look at ourselves and the way we minister? Let’s make sure we are not just going along with the crowd. Let’s make sure we are stand out front and leading the way. Let’s not be afraid to confront sin. Let’s deal with anything we find in our life and church and confess it to the Lord.
In our men’s group Wednesday night we were talking about how the devil uses our shame and guilt to keep us from gaining the victory. We know we have sin that needs to be confessed, but we’re afraid to go to the altar and confess it. We are afraid to let someone know because they might use it against us or make fun of us. The very support network God has created for us to use, we so often cut ourselves off from.
The altar is open this morning. If there is sin in your lives, confess it today. If you need to go to a brother or sister you have wronged, do it today. Don’t let pride stand in your way. If we want to see God bless our church and help it to grow, we must start through confession and repentance. If you need to come and confess anything to God, today is the day, now is the time.
Pray:
