When Jesus visits His temple…

Introduction: Disturbed for a reason

-Many times God will have you go through “agitations” that are not really about you-but for you to receive from Him a “Word” for others to be encouraged (which goes beyond being a preacher)

Proverbs 15:23-To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!

-If our “agitations” don’t go beyond ourselves-we forfeit our own zeal to be useful to God, to find comfort for ourselves…

Ex:  some things should bother us, not just to have a strong opinion about-but for us to act and affect change

-one of the greatest lessons I learned, is that if God is disturbing you about a thing-He maybe calling you to be an agent of change for it!

 

Our need for zeal

-Moses was prime example of someone who was disturbed about the oppression of Hebrews-but instead of seeking God’s will for that disturbance, he acted on his own will and strength.

-but at least Moses took action in his zeal to do something-the other wrong action is to be apathetic towards things that do disturb you, because that is sin! Apathy (def)-lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern.

James 4:17–So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

–In this apathetic stage, zeal is gone and a desire to make a difference never happens-yet people want something done about the thing they maybe called to change!

-The one thing that you must respect about people who “act”-is that at least they are zealous/courageous enough to act!

 

When our zeal exposes limitations

-In our apathy we become like Moses, with a zeal that still burns to redeem his people-but failure grip him to deny it!

-God had to show Moses that we lose our zeal and passion-because we have allowed fear to intimidate us out of our call

-God is calling us like Moses, to know His power, more than our limitations-what “bothers you and I” should produce a desire to be useful!

-Failures make us afraid to be zealous, because we think like Moses “that if I act again, I will fail again”-but real faith stirs up confidence in God, not our abilities.(Moses had to be reminded constantly by God of His power)

-when we know our failures and limitations, it is easy to get insecure and quit (apathy)-but maybe that failure was for us to care enough to need God. to care and bless others!

If we live in insecurity of our failures, our zeal can never reach others and impact them with our faith

the goal is to be zealous enough for God that we act by faith-and not bury our “talent” out of fear, intimidation=that makes us apathetic

 

When God visits His temple what does He see?

John 2:12-17-After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days. 13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

(vs12-14)-Jesus comes and sees the people and how they view worship in the temple-a heart that has nothing to do with God, they have made the house of God a place for personal profit!

-So it becomes ironic that Jesus will replace the temple, with suffering and blood on their behalf-Jesus embodies sacrifice, while the people in a place of worship, embody selfishness…(Christianity is reciprocity, receive and give, receive and give)

1 Corinthians 6:19-20-Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

-When you think of loving sacrifices, we are investing in something we may not have reciprocated right away-but out of faith and love you do it, because you believe that is what’s best for everyone…

–You may not even want to do it naturally (in your flesh)-but out love for God you do it anyway…Jesus had this as well

Luke 22:42-saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

-Worship always implies sacrifice, because you must sacrifice–what we naturally don’t want to do, for what God desires…(even in church we are always battling our own selfishness, because we are the temple!)

-In other words, when I sacrifice, I am sowing to the Kingdom-and because I have sowed and sacrificed I can expect a return on my investment…(the confidence I have in my return, is based on the confidence that I have sowed)

Galatians 6:7–Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

So when God comes to visits His temple (our lives) what is He is going to see?-Is He going to see a life that resembles more selfish investments than Godly investments?

 

God’s right to be angry over His investment

(vs 15-17)-Keep in mind, that Jesus knows what true worship represents-His death or investment is in a people who treat the temple of worship like a market…(“how do I come and make a profit for myself”)

Ex:  consumerism mentality has always been around-the people are using the temple for themselves-

-think about the mentality of family life, jobs, church goers,–how many people are taking rather than giving, selfishness for your sacrifice?

-What makes you angry is when people treat your sacrificial investment lightly-or for their own gain and benefit with little to no appreciation to what it cost you to do it!…”I use you for my own benefit, without giving back my gratitude”

Ex:  ungrateful children make you irate!

-Out of love and appreciation to God, I sacrifice my own selfish desires-as a sign that I honor investment over selfish indulgence…

 

Restoring Dignity through Christ

-The anger that Jesus displays is that if we don’t dignify God-than we won’t rightly dignify anybody and selfishness dominates–(when selfishness dominates love and respect is absent…last days)

–God has a right to demand dignity because He has bestowed it onto everybody, so He has sowed it-this is why He demands worship from His creation…

-Immediately if we have dignity of how we are supposed to be honored, we don’t accept dishonor-God doesn’t have low self esteem, where He thinks it’s acceptable to just allow people to treat Him however…(He gets irate with the people’s disrespect of Who He is and what worship is…)

Luke 15:12-13-And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.

–the Father amazingly gave this disrespectful boy his share, he didn’t demand what the boy didn’t have yet-God teaches us to have dignity for ourselves even when people don’t towards us…(it takes a heart change for people to rightly dignify people)

-When love and respect goes, people settle for what they can get out of you-but dignity of who you are must stay intact, when people don’t give us the proper respect we deserve…

Remember He is going to replace the temple, so true worship must come from Spirit and Truth-not flippant offerings and religious works to see what we can get back to make a profit for ourselves!-(As our Father and Creator that is dishonor to the relationship, we rob God of the dignity He deserves to be worshiped)

 

Keeping our zeal in God

John 2:18-25-18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

(Jesus was revealing that the temple is not the point of worship, communion with Him is!)

Acts 17:24-26–The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,  25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

-What keeps us motivated in our zeal, is not what we understand and see as a result, but what God has said-because the people were focused on the temple, while the disciples were focused on what Jesus said, the Word

-but when our hope is in God, we can live zealous for a plan we don’t have to make happen, we act on what He already has planned (faith)-apathy sets in when our expectation is in “dead things” that fail us (what we think will remain but doesn’t-institutions; relational, educational, or work-related, and how people see us)

-Maybe your zeal for God has waned, because you had expectations in God in maintaining things that weren’t life?…-it might’ve been a season you enjoyed that God has allowed to change…that your zeal for Him has left with it?

-Proving you were zealous for what God was doing in maintaining things, and great past experiences in your life-but not zealous for Him and what He has called you to do...(mature love eventually realizes that we are not here for ourselves and what we can get from God or people)

-The disciples were able to follow God and go onto be zealous because they believed His Word-they didn’t settle for what they saw in His signs, nor in a religious monument, like the temple/church!-(Our faith is to embody a zeal that is consumed in Who God is)

 

Conclusion-Why a relationship with God must supersede everything and everyone to keep zeal

John 2:23-25-Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

-It seems these days, what we end up confusing more than anything, is how we are to see relationships with people-Jesus never trusted people as His anchor…neither are we.

-Why? Because in our fallen nature people love with the idea to get, and not serve, “how do you best benefit me”?-not coming into the relationship with idea of how can I best be of service to them for Christ sake (complement)

Ex: marry rich and successful, not who is godly

-generally, once people find out that they can no longer “get what they expect” from you, they get disappointed-revealing they think you exist for their purpose, not God’s (disappointment tends to breed apathy)

-Jesus knew He wasn’t going to stay around performing miracles for people’s enjoyment-He was going to die a humiliating death that made everybody leave Him…

-(True maturity), love and zeal for God is maintained because we grow to the point-we know we are not here for ourselves, but are saved for Him and His purpose to bless others…So Jesus served but kept His zeal in God, not peole (crucifies selfishness, and it is selfishness that kills zeal to want to serve somebody else)