B-A-C
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- Dec 18, 2008
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You might read the title and think this is about the Temple in Jerusalem... and it is in a way.
So we can talk about that for a moment. This story is in all four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Matt 21:12; And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.
Matt 21:13; And He *said to them, "It is written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER'; but you are making it a ROBBERS' DEN."
We all know the story, Jesus driving out the money lenders.
Many people picture Jesus as this peaceful guy who goes around with His arms open wide and hugging everyone. But Jesus wasn't always that way.
Luke 19:45; Jesus entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling,
Luke 19:46; saying to them, "It is written, 'AND MY HOUSE SHALL BE A HOUSE OF PRAYER,' but you have made it a ROBBERS' DEN."
Luke 19:47; And He was teaching daily in the temple; but the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people were trying to destroy Him,
Luke 19:48; and they could not find anything that they might do, for all the people were hanging on to every word He said.
It says here the chief priests, scribes and "leading men" (whoever that might be) were trying to destroy Jesus.
For some funny reason when you mess up people's plans, especially when it has to do with money, people get all upset. People wanted to destroy Jesus.
Mark 11:15; Then they *came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves;
Mark 11:16; and He would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple.
Mark 11:17; And He began to teach and say to them, "Is it not written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL THE NATIONS'? But you have made it a ROBBERS' DEN."
Mark 11:18; The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.
But to me, John has the most telling account of this story.
John 2:14; And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.
John 2:15; And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables;
John 2:16; and to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a place of business."
John 2:17; His disciples remembered that it was written, "ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME."
This is only version that says Jesus made a scourge. Jesus made a whip. Imagine that, peaceful loving Jesus made a whip.
The Jesus that many churches are saying accepts everything, and loves everything, and tells everyone that everything is alright.... made a scourge.
You know the Bible says God is a warrior.
Exod 15:3; "The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name.
Jesus may love everyone, but He loves His Father more than He loves you. If you do things to upset the Father, you may make Jesus a little angry.
I can picture Jesus walking around the temple, turning over tables. In John it says Jesus poured out the money, or some Bibles say "scattered the money". I imagine the poor appreciated this. The money lenders, not so much.
Peaceful loving Jesus... you know the guy who loves everything and accepts everything... driving people out of the temple with a whip.
I wonder if Jesus was here on the Earth today, walking around some of the churches in the world today. What would He see? What would He think?
What goes on in your church? Is it a place of business? Can your soul be bought? There are a lot of churches that will tell you anything you want to hear... long as the money keeps on coming in.
How many churches have this program or that program you can buy. This book or that book, that you can pay money for. Just buy this T-shirt, this coffee mug with our logo on it.
Buy our songbook with the guitar chords, buy.. buy.. buy.
What goes on in your church? Have they lost their way? It's interesting that in 3 of the 4 gospels, Jesus says here.. My Father's house is a house of prayer.
It doesn't say a house of teaching, it doesn't say a house of preaching, it doesn't say a house of counseling, it doesn't say a lot of things... not that there is anything wrong with these things...
but it seems the main thing the Father wants in His house is prayer.
But the title of this thread is about 'Two' temples. So OK, Jesus cleaned out one of the temples. What about the other one.
The other one is you of course.
1Cor 3:16; Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
1Cor 3:17; If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.
1Cor 6:19; Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
God lives inside you. Maybe you didn't know that. Maybe you have forgotten it. But you are God's temple. You are God's house. What kind of house is He living in?
I'm willing to bet if there was a dinner party at your house tomorrow, and 30 people were coming over.... you'd be cleaning house.
The floors would be mopped, the rugs would be vacuumed. The dishes would be washed. The dirty clothes would be picked up. ... your house would be ready, and in order for the company.
Why is it.. some of us won't do this for God? We still have some places that need to be cleaned up. We still have "dirty laundry" in some of our houses.
If a famous actor, or singer, or government dignitary, was coming to our house... we would shine it up the best we could. Isn't God more important than any of those people?
You know... He sees all the "dirt" in your house. Just like Jesus did in the other temple... God wants to drive out all the things in your temple that don't belong there.
Jesus had to turn over a few tables to get the temple cleaned up. What's stopping you from turning over a few tables in your temple?
So we can talk about that for a moment. This story is in all four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Matt 21:12; And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.
Matt 21:13; And He *said to them, "It is written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER'; but you are making it a ROBBERS' DEN."
We all know the story, Jesus driving out the money lenders.
Many people picture Jesus as this peaceful guy who goes around with His arms open wide and hugging everyone. But Jesus wasn't always that way.
Luke 19:45; Jesus entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling,
Luke 19:46; saying to them, "It is written, 'AND MY HOUSE SHALL BE A HOUSE OF PRAYER,' but you have made it a ROBBERS' DEN."
Luke 19:47; And He was teaching daily in the temple; but the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people were trying to destroy Him,
Luke 19:48; and they could not find anything that they might do, for all the people were hanging on to every word He said.
It says here the chief priests, scribes and "leading men" (whoever that might be) were trying to destroy Jesus.
For some funny reason when you mess up people's plans, especially when it has to do with money, people get all upset. People wanted to destroy Jesus.
Mark 11:15; Then they *came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves;
Mark 11:16; and He would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple.
Mark 11:17; And He began to teach and say to them, "Is it not written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL THE NATIONS'? But you have made it a ROBBERS' DEN."
Mark 11:18; The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.
But to me, John has the most telling account of this story.
John 2:14; And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.
John 2:15; And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables;
John 2:16; and to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a place of business."
John 2:17; His disciples remembered that it was written, "ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME."
This is only version that says Jesus made a scourge. Jesus made a whip. Imagine that, peaceful loving Jesus made a whip.
The Jesus that many churches are saying accepts everything, and loves everything, and tells everyone that everything is alright.... made a scourge.
You know the Bible says God is a warrior.
Exod 15:3; "The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name.
Jesus may love everyone, but He loves His Father more than He loves you. If you do things to upset the Father, you may make Jesus a little angry.
I can picture Jesus walking around the temple, turning over tables. In John it says Jesus poured out the money, or some Bibles say "scattered the money". I imagine the poor appreciated this. The money lenders, not so much.
Peaceful loving Jesus... you know the guy who loves everything and accepts everything... driving people out of the temple with a whip.
I wonder if Jesus was here on the Earth today, walking around some of the churches in the world today. What would He see? What would He think?
What goes on in your church? Is it a place of business? Can your soul be bought? There are a lot of churches that will tell you anything you want to hear... long as the money keeps on coming in.
How many churches have this program or that program you can buy. This book or that book, that you can pay money for. Just buy this T-shirt, this coffee mug with our logo on it.
Buy our songbook with the guitar chords, buy.. buy.. buy.
What goes on in your church? Have they lost their way? It's interesting that in 3 of the 4 gospels, Jesus says here.. My Father's house is a house of prayer.
It doesn't say a house of teaching, it doesn't say a house of preaching, it doesn't say a house of counseling, it doesn't say a lot of things... not that there is anything wrong with these things...
but it seems the main thing the Father wants in His house is prayer.
But the title of this thread is about 'Two' temples. So OK, Jesus cleaned out one of the temples. What about the other one.
The other one is you of course.
1Cor 3:16; Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
1Cor 3:17; If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.
1Cor 6:19; Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
God lives inside you. Maybe you didn't know that. Maybe you have forgotten it. But you are God's temple. You are God's house. What kind of house is He living in?
I'm willing to bet if there was a dinner party at your house tomorrow, and 30 people were coming over.... you'd be cleaning house.
The floors would be mopped, the rugs would be vacuumed. The dishes would be washed. The dirty clothes would be picked up. ... your house would be ready, and in order for the company.
Why is it.. some of us won't do this for God? We still have some places that need to be cleaned up. We still have "dirty laundry" in some of our houses.
If a famous actor, or singer, or government dignitary, was coming to our house... we would shine it up the best we could. Isn't God more important than any of those people?
You know... He sees all the "dirt" in your house. Just like Jesus did in the other temple... God wants to drive out all the things in your temple that don't belong there.
Jesus had to turn over a few tables to get the temple cleaned up. What's stopping you from turning over a few tables in your temple?
