Sunnyside First Baptist Church
02.19.2023 Gospel of John - That we may Believe

  • Jesus First Cleansing of the Temple

    The Temple

    — The temple was one of three components of the worship for the Jew.
    — IN order the importance... The Scripture-First, followed by Sabbath and The Temple.
    — The temple was not only the place to worship God, seek His forgiveness and be discipled.
    — It was a place to be brought up in the faith of your Jewish ancestors.
    — Learning from others, older and more experienced in Judaism.
    — Many of the social structures in the community involved or revolved around the Temple.
    — At the time of the First Century, the Temple provided the backdrop for many of the MOST significant political and societal changes that were happening.
    — The Jews were under increasing pressure to bow to Rome, and ignore God.
    — This pressure increased until the Jews capitulated, Rome conquered Jerusalem and the Temple was destroyed. This was 70AD.
    — So… what’s left
    — The Western Wall, or the Wailing Wall. Seems to be a portion of of the Temple that was NOT destroyed in 70AD or more recently is the place were Jews and others bring their prayer requests.

    The Temple in John’s Gospel

    — From the outset of the Fourth Gospel readers recognize Jesus dwelling among people.
    John 1:14 ESV
    14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
    This would be the incarnation of Christ…
    The Hebrew scripture especially 1Kings 6.13
    1 Kings 6:13 ESV
    13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.”
    — Gives God’s over arching plan for His people Israel.
    — What does that have to do with us..?
    — We are adopted, we are grafted-in to God’s Family, how you ask?
    — By the power of the Holy Spirit, when we accept Christ’s leadership in our lives… We are excepted into the family of “chosen” people.
    — Jesus cleansing of the Temple happens quite early in John’s Gospel.
    Jesus ‘goal’ in going to the Temple and shaking it by it core is foreshadowing [looking forward] to 70AD and the destruction of the Temple.
    — God’s people would no longer have the temple to worship in...
    — We would have to find a “new temple” to worship in.
    — American, all the other 1st world nations,
    — Their faith in Christ identifies with wealth, status and power.
    NONE OF THESE THINGS ARE COMPATIBLE WITH WHAT JESUS DESIRES FROM US!!!
    Jesus’ concern, is the restoration of pure worship… [PERIOD]
    Malachi 3:1–3 (ESV)
    1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
    2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.
    3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi [The Priestly Tribe] and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.
    — Oh what a glorious day that it will be!
    — My prayer is this… that on that glorious day when Christ returns, that he will find us LIVING, BREATHING in HIS TEMPLE .
    — These times are coming… ARE YOU READY?? ARE YOU REALLY READY??
    SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY John 2:13-22 [Pew bible page 887.]
    Please stand if you can for the reading of God’s Word.
    John 2:13–22 ESV
    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.” 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.
    — Let’s look at these verses… There is a richness here as you listened.
    — These are powerful verses...
    John 2:13 ESV
    13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
    — This one of three times that Jesus travelled back to Jerusalem for the Passover.
    — Jesus came to the Temple, as it was their pattern in the First Century.
    — The whole Temple and it’s grounds were HOLY.
    — The “crowd” if you, will had turned from worship to greedy money making.
    Vs. 14
    John 2:14 (ESV)
    14 In the temple he [Jesus] found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.
    — It’s not said, but you’all know that Jesus was beginning to boil.
    — This was His father’s house and it looked nothing like it should.
    — In RESTORING WORSHIP to Yahweh, ALL of the false gods and there were many… MUST BE CAST ASIDE FOR CHRIST ALONE!!
    — Something better was offered
    John 2:15 ESV
    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.
    — Jesus, took NO NAMES, as he cleared the Temple, EVERYTHING and EVERYONE had to GO!!!
    — He was serious… This “whip of cords” had bits of metal imbedded in the cords… And it would tear flesh.
    — This would be a very similar to the whip that Jesus was struck with so many times at His trial and crucifixion.
    — Jesus was reacting to the sinful, demonstration that was happening for his eye.
    John 2:16 NLT
    16 Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”
    — Jesus told them… GET OUT OF HERE!
    — God’s House is NOT a marketplace. — It’s not a place to barter and trade. — In doing that — you are ignoring the WORSHIP of God. That’s what Jesus was attempting to correct.
    John 2:17 ESV
    17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
    — They remembered from their teaching and training about that verse.
    — It comes from Ps.69
    Psalm 69:9 ESV
    9 For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
    — Protective love for God’s dwelling place.
    — He is a JEALOUS GOD… He wants 110% of us. Focused on God and God alone.
    Just a bit of break and a couple of questions...
    What is going on at the Temple that had Jesus so invested?
    — Was it sinful?
    — Was it wicked?
    — What was Jesus so ANGRY about? and why was he so angry?
    ​
    Vs. 18-19
    John 2:18–19 ESV
    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.”
    — Jesus was simply stating facts… He had demonstrated that water could be rearranged, changed into wine…
    — So why not destroy and rebuild the TEMPLE IN THREE DAYS!!!
    WHAT MORE COULD JESUS DO?
    — In the background, Jesus continued being who he was… God Incarnate!
    — Jesus knew that He was talking about himself being resurrected and the coming glorification that would happen when Jesus went up to Heaven.
    — The crowds, probably 60-100 people only wanted to pay their tithes, sacrifice their animals for sin covering and return to their homes safe and sound until the next year.
    — Jesus was determined to “right” this “wrong” as well as make it VERY clear that HE, Jesus was the Temple that was raised in 3 days.
    — AND HE DID!
    Vs. 20-21
    John 2:20–21 ESV
    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.
    — The Jews were at EVERY turn trying to find ways to trip up Jesus.
    Jesus was God, incarnate. Noting nothing was going to rattle him into unbelief.
    — How should we, residents of earth respond to that which seems a bit out-of-bounds?
    — Jesus diminished the arguments then and now… HE IS GOD!!!
    — John, who wrote the scripture here was right on and could have been an eye witness to the whole Temple incident.
    AND YES, JESUS BODILY AROSE IN THREE DAYS… And soon after rejoined his Father in Heaven.
    — By Jesus’ death and resurrection, the temple-less worship of the garden of Eden will once again be realized.
    — let me leave one final verse with you.
    From the Book of Revelation
    Revelation 21:22 ESV
    22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
    — In the perfected worship of the new heaven and new earth. God himself and the Lamb WILL BE the temple forever.
    So where is this “TEMPLE” now?
    — The temple is the resurrected Jesus… for all of us gather at, and worship, and pray, and ask, and sometimes beg for answers to our deepest needs.
    Let’s answer our questions from just a little bit ago
    What is going on at the Temple that had Jesus so invested?
    — Was it sinful?
    — Was it wicked?
    — What was Jesus so ANGRY about? and why was he so angry?
    — Was it sinful… Yes, a group of Pharisee’s, Sadducee's where deceptively providing sacrifical animals and racking up PROFITS. They put themselves and their needs in front of the many hundreds who came to the Temple to worship and sacrifice.
    — Was it wicked… A select group of Pharisee’s ruled the Temple Courts. To them it was a business venture, providing sacrifical animals for those that would have travelled from around the Medetrainian.
    Jesus got very animated and angry at what he saw in the temple. .. Jesus wanted only to resurrect pure and true worship in God The Father.
    — I think we are still trying to master that one.

    NEXT WEEK

    — We will be looking at John 3, “You Must Be Born Again.
    — That’s a long chapter so we will be taking a couple of weeks to look at the scripture.
    ​

    LET’S PRAY

    John 2:22 ESV
    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.
    — Amen… I hope you believe and act on what John had to say.
    ​
  • God So Loved
  • Graves Into Gardens
  • God Of Revival

      • John 1:14NLT

      • 1 Kings 6:13NLT

      • John 2:13–22NLT

      • John 2:13NLT

      • John 2:15NLT

      • John 2:16NLT

      • John 2:17NLT

      • Psalm 69:9NLT

      • John 2:18–19NLT

      • John 2:20–21NLT

      • Revelation 21:22NLT

      • John 2:22NLT

  • Holy Spirit
Sunnyside First Baptist Church
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509-837-3084
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