March 14, 2021

Online Worship for Lent Four, Sunday March 14, 2021

Preacher:
Series:
Passage: Matthew 21:12-17
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Sermon for Lent Four - 2004 – Only Jesus can cleanse the Temple
Calvary/Marquette ● Soli Deo Gloria

Grace to you and peace from God who is our father by faith in His Son Jesus Christ, a gift worked by the Holy Spirit, that God alone might be glorified for the Salvation of Mankind. Amen.

Matthew 21:12-17
12 Then Jesus went into the temple of 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. 15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?”
And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise’?”
17 Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.

In the Name of Jesus Christ,
Who died to forgive our sins of inattentiveness,
Who purifies our worship in spirit and truth,
Dear Fellow Redeemed and cleansed by His Blood –

It’s difficult to really imagine what it was like for the common worshipper when he/she entered the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem in the days when Jesus walked those streets. If we were to compare it to an event today, it was more like a ball game than a worship service.

Imagine what it would be like, if every time you came here for worship when you entered the door, you were met – not by a greeter who would hand you a bulletin – but by a loud-mouthed usher offering to sell you a program for the service. “Programs here, Programs for today’s service, only $1.50.”

If you made the mistake of offering him a dollar and change for the program, he would tell you, “Sorry, sir – we don’t take that here. I’m afraid you’ll have to get that money converted at the money changers table over there – I hope you get a good rate. We only take temple money here.”

It wouldn’t stop there, after exchanging your money and purchasing a ‘program’ you would likely be met by another salesman, offering you a crisp new red hymnal for purchase or for rental. Then just as you were about to rent your hymnal, another voice would cry out from behind – “Hey, I’ll rent you the same hymnal for half the money!”

Then having waded past them with program and hymnal in tow, you would encounter little stands with possible offerings for sale. They would encourage you to buy special gifts to be given as offerings, “Don’t just be like the common folk, who put temple money into the treasury. Purchase one of these solid gold crosses encrusted with jewels – and put it into the offering plate. Don’t be ordinary, be extraordinary and give a special gift to the LORD.”

But even when you sat down to pray and prepare for the service, you would be able to hear the voices of those buying and selling their items, trying to make a profit for themselves.

What kind of a worship experience would that be?

So was the Temple of the LORD when Jesus entered it on the morning after Palm Sunday.

The moneychangers converted currency, salesmen competed to sell doves and other animals, the house of prayer had become a den of thieves. Jesus, motivated by love and with zeal for the true worship of the LORD --- cleansed the temple for a second time in His ministry. Only Jesus could cleanse the temple and lead them to worship in spirit and truth.

Only Jesus can cleanse our temples, our bodies, our hearts and minds of sin, so that we may worship properly. Only Jesus can cleanse this temple, by starting with its inhabitants.

May God the Holy Spirit cleanse our hearts and minds that we may worship from the heart. Amen.

+++++++

It’s been nearly a year since they demolished and removed what remained of the Old Sunshine Mall. Six months ago, it looked odd to have an open field next to the Dollar Tree and an empty Pizza Hut. Now I’m guessing we don’t even look that direction anymore.

It’s funny how given time we can forget the way things used to look, to overlook what has changed. Likewise, things can become so familiar we don’t pay attention to them any longer.

It seems that some of those who gathered at the Temple in Jerusalem the morning after Palm Sunday also forgot the obvious. They forgot that they were in the Temple of the LORD and in the presence of God Himself.

How could they forget? The Temple was the Lord’s House. It was a physical reminder of God’s promise to dwell among His people. It was a place of prayer and worship. When they entered the house of the LORD, they were to never forget this, for the LORD warned them, saying in the 5th chapter of Ecclesiastes (1):

“Be careful when you go to worship at the Temple. It is better to listen than to offer foolish sacrifices without even knowing you are doing wrong.” (New Century Version)

However, there were some that came to the Temple for purposes other than the worship of the LORD. They came for profit, to make money off the worship of the LORD.

For the second time during His earthly ministry, Jesus cleansed the temple, He drove out those who had come for the wrong purposes:

12 Then Jesus went into the temple of 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.’”

Truly, only Jesus, as the Son of God had the right to cleanse the Temple, to purify and refocus their worship. Only Jesus can cleanse and purify our worship today.

While our purposes for coming here are not to barter, to buy and sell goods to other members, we too can lose our focus and come here for the wrong reasons.

 Have you ever come because you wanted other people to see you?
 Have you ever come because you believed it a good work in God’s sight?
 Have you ever come merely because of habit or because this is the building built by your fathers?

This building was built for the worship of GOD, not to give us opportunity to be seen!

This was built by your fathers to glorify God! It was not built as a family home or to give you a reason to be proud of them or yourselves.

This is the house of the LORD, it is a place to be truthful with ourselves and with one another, to confess our sins, to hear the words of God and to worship our Savior God. We are in the presence of the LORD Jesus, for He said (Matthew 18:20):

20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name,
I am there in the midst of them.”

When in the presence of God, we should ask that the LORD help us to control our sinful thoughts and minds. If we go through the motions and out of bored repetition simply parrot the words we have spoken a thousand times before – we sin. If our minds wander and we do not give careful thought and consideration to God’s Word, we sin.

We tarnish this place and our worship as much as those who bartered and sold in the presence of God.

Our temple needs to be cleansed too, and no vaccuum can accomplish the necessary cleansing. Only Jesus can cleanse the temple, only He can help us to refocus. He will lead us by His Word to gather, first because we are all individually sinners. He will lead us to honestly confess our sins, and He will assure us that our sins are forgiven – all through His Word. He will lead us to gather to worship because we are forgiven.

Only Jesus can lead us by His Spirit to offer up prayer and praise from the heart – and not merely go through the motions.

Only Jesus can cleanse us and put away our sins of neglecting His Word and our opportunities to hear it.

Only Jesus can clean out the clutter of our hearts that we offer up praise and glory to God out of the heart, from real love and thanksgiving.

Only Jesus can move us to worship out of love and not compulsion. He wants us to willingly come to Him to worship Him truthfully from thankful hearts.

14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise’?”

While Jesus chased those who sought their own profit from the Temple, He gladly received to Himself those who were unable to see and walk who came to Him.

The LORD is always willing to receive and help those who come to Him in faith, humbly bringing their needs.

Jesus still comes to help people who need healing and who know it. He will receive us and forgive our sins when we come to Him humbly as those who cannot see and cannot serve without Him.

He is willing to forgive, to strengthen, to heal.

When the children cried out to Him, confessing Him to be the Son of David, the Promised Savior – He received their praise.

Jesus still wants us and our children to come to Him and confess that He is our One Savior. He is still happy to receive our prayers and praises. He cleanses our temples, our bodies of sin so that we may together come before Him to pray, praise and sing.

The hymn writer has it correct when he says:

Jesus gives us pure affections, wills to do what He requires,
Makes us follow His directions, and what He commands, inspires.

Amen.

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