John-So That You May Believe, Part 12, The Gospel of John, John 3:1-15, Jesus Teaches The Teacher

 December 1^st, 2024

From The Series: John- So That You May Believe

Part 12 Jesus Teaches The Teacher

The Gospel of John John 3:1-15

Mountain View Evangelical Missionary Church

Good morning. Today, as we continue in our study of the Gospel of John, we come to a very familiar account. This appears to have taken place during the same week that Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover Festival.

We saw that after Jesus cleared the Temple from the money changers and the sacrifice replacement sellers, He remained in Jerusalem as an observant Jew. He did not go to the Temple just to cause chaos and run away, leaving a mess in His wake.

We read how Jesus remained and even performed some miracles (what John refers to as signs). So many signs that people even began to believe in Jesus, whatever that would mean for them. That statement does raise more questions for me. What did it mean that they “believed in Jesus?” 

The same questions are raised in my mind today when someone says to me that they believe in Jesus. What exactly do you believe about Jesus? Do you believe that He was a good teacher? A moral man? A nice guy who helped people? Do you believe that Jesus was the Son of God who took on human form to pay the sin debt owed by you?

So, it seems that people always have questions about Jesus. This morning we will read about a very fortunate individual who had a chance to pose his questions directly to Jesus. We will be introduced to a man named Nicodemus. You may have heard that name before if you have read your Bible at all, or if you have been in church for some time. Nicodemus is only mentioned by name in John’s Gospel and he is mentioned on three different accounts. Working from last to first, we see Nicodemus claiming the body of Jesus after the crucifixion, Nicodemus was also present defending the right of Jesus to a proper trial when a group of Pharisees challenged the teaching that Jesus was doing in Jerusalem at about the mid-point of His earthly ministry, and then here at their first meeting which we will look at this morning.

Please join me in opening your Bibles or turning on your devices to the third chapter of the Gospel of John. We will begin with verse one.

If you did not bring your Bible this morning, you should find one underneath one of the chairs in the row in front of you. John chapter 3 will be found on page 862 of the pew bible. If you do not have a bible at home, please take that bible with you as a gift from Mountain View Church. We feel that it is vitally important that you have easy access to God’s Word. And God’s Word says…

READ JOHN 3:1-15

“¹Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

⁹ “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

Here, we are first introduced to Nicodemus. John informs us that this was not an ordinary man, Nicodemus was a member of the Jewish ruling council, a group known collectively as the Sanhedrin. The origin for the Sanhedrin comes directly from Number 11:16-30 when God instructed Moses to choose 70 elders to assist him with making decisions on how best to rule over the people of Isreal following God’s Law as a guide.

The Sanhedrin which was located in Jerusalem had authority over every Israelite no matter where they resided. Serious disputes which could not be resolved at the local synagogue level could be brought before the Sanhedrin for resolution.

According to one Jewish website, the following were the requirements of the men to be chosen for the Sanhedrin:

“Every judge was required to have the following seven attributes: wisdom, humility, awe of heaven, a loathing for money (even his own), a love for truth, the love of the people at large, and a good reputation.

In addition, to be appointed to the greater or lesser sanhedrin, one had to have achieved distinction in Torah knowledge and possess some knowledge of intellectual disciplines such as medicine, mathematics, calendar, astronomy, astrology and the teachings of idolatry, so that he would know how to judge cases concerning those fields. He could not be too old or childless when appointed, since someone with a family is more likely to be sympathetic and merciful.[1]”

We can deduce from the previous description that Nicodemus was a learned man and he was also sincere in his search for further knowledge and wisdom. Nicodemus was a truth-seeker and he must have heard something in the limited teachings that Jesus had been doing while He was performing the signs that the Gospel writer told us about in the preceding verses.

There is much speculation about why Nicodemus came to see Jesus at night, but Scripture is unclear about the reason, so there is little to be gained from discussing it. Nicodemus may have been fearful about reprisals from other members of the Sanhedrin for speaking with Jesus, or perhaps they were both busy men, and the evening was the only time they could spend uninterrupted and have a meaningful conversation. Evenings were used for personal and family time for there were no televisions and radios that seem to absorb so much of time today. People actually ate meals together and talked or studied Scripture together when it was too dark outside to work anymore.

So, Nicodemus comes at night and he addresses Jesus with a title of respect by calling Him “Rabbi” or “teacher”. Look at verse 2, “² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

Right out of the gate, Nicodemus sets the tone of the meeting by giving Jesus respect and using the title of “Rabbi”. But Nicodemus goes further and acknowledges that Jesus has come with authority and power by recognizing that Jesus would not have been able to perform the signs if God was not with Him. Nicodemus recognizes that Jesus is doing the work that He is doing with the blessings and empowerment of Yahweh. Nicodemus has seen something in Jesus that causes Nicodemus to desire a deeper understanding of what was happening and perhaps determine if Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah.

Nicodemus is demonstrating a willingness to learn from a new authority. But notice that he does not do so from a naïve perspective. He has come to Jesus to probe and understand what the message and purpose of Jesus’ trip to Jerusalem was. Nicodemus is using his discernment to determine if Jesus is the “real deal” or if He is just another imposter.

What is important to recognize is that Nicodemus was willing to learn. To not rest on his own knowledge, but he was willing to learn from another teacher, a teacher with recognizable authority. So Nicodemus seeks after Jesus, but simply seeking after Jesus does not guarantee salvation.

In Luke 18:18-27 we read the account of the rich young ruler who comes to Jesus in one sense seeking salvation, he asked the question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” But really the young ruler was looking for validation from Jesus that what the ruler was presently doing was adequate to enter heaven. Jesus being able to see into the hearts of people, jumps right to the thing that is most dear to the man and tells him to go home and sell all that he has and to give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. This leaves the man very sad and it appears from the parable that the man fails to do this at that time because then it begins a discussion about the rich entering into heaven.

 

Then Jesus reminds the disciples who is responsible for salvation with this statement, “²⁶ Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷ Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

With Nicodemus, Jesus lays out the requirement for salvation. Look at verse 3, ³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” For you see, seeking after God is not enough to ensure that you are saved. You must undergo spiritual renewal, a heart replacement, a rebirth, and a radical change in your life. This assertion from Jesus challenges Nicodemus’ understanding. We can see the struggle from the question he poses back to Jesus which is tied to a physical rebirth.

Look with me at verse 4, ⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” The question shows that Nicodemus’ traditions and worldview were preventing him from thinking about salvation from this new perspective. Remember that Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a teacher of The Law of God. One whose worldview would have been tied to works and the need to please Yahweh by observing all of the Laws and traditions of Jewish life.

As a matter of fact, the Pharisees were such experts in the Laws of God they added to the existing 613 laws that were to be found in the Torah. The Pharisees built up the Old Testament prescriptions from Leviticus 11 to 15 into a complicated system of rituals of absolution and atonement with God. This was one of the major areas of conflict between the Pharisees and Jesus throughout the ministry of Christ. The Gospels record numerous times when Jesus called out the Pharisees for the extra burdens which they placed on God’s people and the hypocrisy in their strict observance of the letter of the Law, all while missing the intent and the purpose of the law.

What poor Nicodemus doesn’t understand yet is that this spiritual moving can be mysterious. We are not to rely on our ability to understand all of the mysteries of God before we place our trust in Him. I remember when I was in Bible college, there was a student who was younger than I was, actually, all of the college students were younger, but this particular young man was getting frustrated because the professors were not explaining to Him all the mysteries of God. This young student felt that there should be a logical explanation for all of God’s actions and that we should be able to fully understand the reasons why God behaves the way He does sometimes.

I explained that I was comfortable allowing God to remain somewhat mysterious to me. I reasoned that if I was able to understand all of God’s actions and all of God’s reasons for His actions, then that would make me just as intelligent and powerful as God. I told the young student, that I desired to worship a God more powerful and more wonderful than me. I wanted a God who was still mysterious to me, yet at the same time, working diligently to understand everything that God does reveal about Himself to us.

It was at this point in the discussion that the professor quoted Deuteronomy 29:29, ”²⁹ The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” That was when I realized that if I had a question about life, I should turn first to the Bible to seek my answer.

We see Jesus trying to do just this very thing to Nicodemus. Jesus is trying to explain to him that no earthly status or knowledge is enough to gain entry into God’s Kingdom. No amount of works or following of the Law will save you. Only a rebirth brought by faith in Jesus Christ does. Jesus is setting the stage for understanding the transformation work that occurs only through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Nicodemus is failing to understand because he can only envision a physical rebirth. Look at verse 5, “⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” Now this passage does present some interpretive challenges. It is natural for us from our Christian perspective to think of baptism when Jesus gives this analogy of “water and Spirit”.

But was that what Jesus was referring to? If so, why didn’t Jesus just say “born of baptism and Spirit”? Well, Jesus often spoke in parables so that only those “with eyes to see and ears to hear” would understand. Only those with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit would be able to grasp the true meaning of Jesus’ words. Now, I’m not saying that it doesn’t refer to baptism, for it could, but what I am saying is that it doesn’t only refer to baptism.

Water has many different associations with it in the Bible. In Jeremiah 2:13 God refers to Himself as a Spring of Living Water, “¹³ “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of Living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” We will see in the new year when we examine the encounter that Jesus has with the woman at the well, that He refers to Himself as Living Water there as well.

One commentator presented a different point of view in regard to this encounter with Nicodemus. James Montgomery Boice in his book “Foundations of the Christian Faith” presents this viewpoint.

“Water is also used in the Bible to refer to the Word of God. Ephesians 5:26 says that Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,”.

Boice continues, “In 1 John 5:8, the same author who composed the fourth Gospel writes of “three witnesses, the Spirit, the water, and the blood.” Since he then goes on to speak of God’s written witness to the fact that salvation is in Christ, the Spirit must refer to God’s witness within the individual, the blood to the historical witness of Christ’s death and water to the Scriptures”. In other words, water is also used to refer to the scriptures themselves. John 15:3 also refers to washing through the Word of God, “³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” Spoken by Jesus but recorded for us in written form.

I agree with Boice that Jesus may very well have been referring to the Word of God when He used water as a metaphor here. Isn’t that what holds true for us today? We often are cleansed through the reading of God’s Word. Cleansed and convicted by the Spirit when we begin to fully understand what the Bible is speaking to us today.

Look at the next few verses in this passage. Jesus comes back to Nicodemus’ illustration of returning to the womb for this second birth, “⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’” Jesus returns to what Nicodemus said, but Jesus then goes on to illustrate the difference between what He is saying and what Nicodemus is saying. It is the Spiritual rebirth that Nicodemus and by extension us today, should be seeking. We should be desiring the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, not just to give us rebirth, but also to guide us into an obedient life that Jesus desires for all of His followers.

Just like your physical birth was the beginning of your growth and maturity, so it is also with your spiritual rebirth in Jesus Christ. New growth and lifelong maturing should be the hallmark of a dedicated follower of Jesus.

In verse 8 Jesus comes back to the mystery involved in Salvation, “⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” The same Greek word is used here for both wind and Spirit which reinforces the analogy that Jesus is using here. One important thing to keep in mind is that the entire process of Salvation is not a mystery. The mechanics and the selection process of who God and the Spirit choose to bestow His mercy upon is the mystery.

       Scripture is clear, Romans 10:9 states, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Notice it says, “Believe in your heart” not understand in your mind! Belief and faith are heart issues, not brain issues. The heart can believe while still maintaining space for the mystery of God to be at work in the exact mechanics of how and why God achieves His work in the manner in which He chooses to do it.

One of the mysteries is where exactly does faith come from. Is it of our own doing? Is it based on our knowledge and understanding of events? Exactly what level of Biblical competency must we reach before we can graduate into a state of salvation in Jesus?

Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us the answer: Faith is a gift from God. Are you beginning to see how perfect this plan of Salvation is from God? The work is all completed by God, all of God! The entire Trinity is involved in the process of your salvation. The Trinity conceived the plan before the foundations of the universe were laid. The Son would bear the penalty and pay the sacrifice, the Father would accept the payment and be willing to be reconciled back to the adopted children of His, and the Spirit would move upon those whom the Father has given His mercy through the Gift of Grace and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. No one can tell where it comes from or where it is going, only those born of the Spirit are aware of its presence in their lives and the lives of others.

Let me ask you this, Are you willing to allow the mystery of God’s Grace to work in your life and submit your will to Jesus Christ and allow Him to be more than a Saviour for you? Will you permit Jesus to be Lord over your life and submit to his teachings in every area of your life? Will you give Jesus your obedience through submission rather than just paying lip service by calling yourself a Christian? The work of the Holy Spirit should be deeply impactful on your life. It should result in a radical change in your heart.

Christ was crucified for this change. On the surface, it may appear that Jesus was crucified for defying the ruling religious elites of the day and disrupting the carefully laid plans of these men to maintain the sacrificial system which God had instituted with Moses and Aaron. A system which was “Improved upon” (in scare quotes) by the system enacted by the Pharisees and the priests. A system in which God intended to highlight the seriousness of sin against God committed by mankind. A system which was a pointing forward to the work of Jesus in the future.

Look at verses 10-12, “¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” See how Nicodemus is still struggling to understand what Jesus is trying to teach him. Jesus is challenging Nicodemus with the statement “You are Israel’s teacher,” This is a condemning statement by Jesus. This man was responsible for faithfully teaching scripture to God’s people but He was failing to grasp what the ultimate teacher was presenting to him.

Jesus is even trying to give Nicodemus a hint as to the authenticity of His words by using terms like “testify” and “testimony”. Hints that what Jesus is saying is true. Terms that a judge would be familiar with. A language that a judge should recognize as indicating the truth from the witness standing before him. Isn’t that just like Jesus to use different techniques and approaches that reach us exactly where we are? Nicodemus’ struggles are our struggles. Faith doesn’t always come easily or quickly.

Faith is a gift from God, and this is true, but faith also must be nourished and grown throughout our walk with Jesus. We are not to have the same measure of faith that we started with when we see Jesus face to face. We should be able to point back at our lives and show our Saviour how our faith was tested yet grew when we faced trials and tribulations in our lives.

As a Christian, hardship should be expected. Don’t listen to those prosperity teachers who assure you that all will be a bed of roses once you come to Jesus. The very words of Jesus tell us the opposite will be true. But these trials are a way for us to grow in our faith in the Lord.

Look with me at the final two verses of this morning’s passage. “¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” Jesus is using a familiar passage of the Old Testament with Nicodemus and pointing out that this account with Moses, was a foreshadowing of Jesus and His yet-to-be-completed work on the Cross.

These words must have rung true to Nicodemus after he saw Jesus hanging on that Roman Cross three short years later. This conversation here could very well have been the motivating factor which caused Nicodemus to go to Pilate to claim the body of Jesus of Nazareth.

But why would Jesus refer to an account from the Book of Numbers to this Pharisee? Well, Nicodemus would have known that this account with Moses and the Israelites was also a lesson in faith. If you remember, the Israelites were in the wilderness at this time because they had refused to trust the LORD when He had brought them to the edge of the Promised Land. They refused to trust God and instead trusted in the reports of giants in the land and they feared entry. God sent them back into the wilderness until that generation responsible for the unbelief died off.

Sometime later, the people had forgotten that they were being punished for their sins of unbelief and they tried to blame Moses for their troubles. God brought poisonous snakes into the encampment to punish them and people began to die. They came to Moses and confessed their sins and they asked Moses to pray to Yahweh for their rescue. God then instructed Moses to forge a bronze snake and raise it on a pole in the center of the encampment.

God was teaching the people something about faith. It is totally illogical to think that looking at a bronze image could heal anyone from snakebite, but that is exactly what God told them to do. It took an act of faith in God’s plan for anyone to be healed, and the serpent on the stick was a reminder of their sin which brought about their suffering.

Just as it takes an act of faith that Jesus hanging on a Roman Cross is all that is required for a rebellious people to be reconciled with the Father. But that is exactly what God’s plan demanded. It is believing in Christ’s sacrifice that is the basis for rebirth and entry into eternal life. This should encourage trust in Him alone for true renewal.

CONCLUSION

We saw in this passage how Jesus has a profound conversation with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and teacher of Israel. Jesus revealed the necessity of being born again to enter the kingdom of God, teaching profound truths about spiritual rebirth and the nature of faith.

I hope I was able to help you as Christians to understand the importance of spiritual rebirth, realizing that faith in Jesus is not merely intellectual but transformative. It encourages us as believers to reflect on our own spiritual journey and to share this transformative message with others who may be seeking truth.

The concept of being 'born again' is essential for anyone desiring to see the kingdom of God. This passage helps address any misconceptions about faith we may have and emphasizes the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration and personal faith in Jesus.

Christ is the source of new life. In the larger context of Scripture, being born again symbolizes the new covenant's fulfillment in Christ, emphasizing that He is the bridge between humanity and spiritual rebirth through His death and resurrection. True spiritual transformation begins with being born again through faith in Jesus Christ, enabling us to live in the fullness of God's kingdom.

Let me close with this final illustration: When a father picks up his little daughter and tosses her all around in the air, she laughs and enjoys it, for she trusts—has faith in—her father. Even though she finds herself in unusual situations, like being upside down four feet above the floor with nothing supporting her (normally an uncomfortable circumstance), she does not fear, for she trusts her father. That is the sort of faith we should have toward our heavenly Father, too.^[2]

Doxology:

Let me close with this doxology:

²⁴ “The Lord bless you and keep you;

²⁵ may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

²⁶ may the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."

Go in peace, you are dismissed.

 

---

[1] https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4100306/jewish/The-Sanhedrin

^[2] Michael P. Green, 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 133.

John- So That You May Believe, Gospel of John. Part 11, John 2:23-25, "Jesus Knows The Heart"

 November 23^rd, 2024

From The Series: John- So That You May Believe

Part 11 Jesus Knows The Heart

The Gospel of John 2:23-25

Mountain View Evangelical Missionary Church

This seems like a short passage for us to study this morning, but we will cover a depth of material from several books of the New Testament. This morning's message is titled “Jesus Knows The Heart.”

What comes to mind when you hear that statement? Does it cause you to pause? Does it cause you to tremble?

Proverbs 1:7 says, “⁷ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” When we see the word “fear” used concerning God, we should remember that it refers to us having a proper reverence and respect for God, or it may refer to having a proper respect for the power of God. When you hear a statement such as, “Jesus Knows The Heart” or “Jesus Knows Your Heart” does that cause a fear of the Lord in you?

The omniscient power of God, His ability to know all things at all times is a power that we wish to ignore or forget about sometimes. Especially, if we are falling once again into a besetting sin in our lives. We may wish to forget when we get angry at our spouse or children once again. When we fail to do the things we need to do or act the way we need to act as Christians. When we fall short, we may choose to forget the omniscient power of God. We hope that our failings and shortcomings slip by this all-knowing God who we worship.

But… they don’t. He sees all that we do, and He knows what we will do before we even do it. Yet, He still died for us. He still loves us enough to show mercy to us. Jesus does not require perfection from us, as followers, all that He asks is obedience from us.

First, let’s open our Bibles or turn on your devices and look with me at the second chapter of the Gospel of John this morning we will be reading verses 23 to 25.

If you did not bring your Bible this morning, you should find one underneath one of the chairs in the row in front of you. John Chapter 2, verse 23 will be found on page 861 of the pew bible. If you do not have a bible at home, please take that bible with you as a gift from Mountain View Church. We feel that it is vitally important that you have easy access to God’s Word. And God’s Word says…

 

READ JOHN 2:23-25

“²³ Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. ²⁴ But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. ²⁵ He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.”

Notice what is happening here. Last week we saw how Jesus cleared the Temple and upset the usual economic activities that the corrupted religious elites had allowed to take over the Temple area. Notice that Jesus didn’t just clear out and run away. Jesus didn’t just cause chaos and leave. Jesus stayed to fulfil His religious obligations by observing the rituals associated with the festival.

Scripture tells us that this was the Passover Festival. It was a week-long celebration. Strictly speaking, the Passover only applied to the paschal supper, and then the feast of unleavened bread followed, which was celebrated to the end of the seventh day. This feast was instituted by God… to commemorate the deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and the sparing of their firstborn when the destroying angel smote the firstborn of the Egyptians. The deliverance from Egypt was regarded as the starting point of the Hebrew nation. The Israelites were then raised from the condition of bondmen under a foreign tyrant to that of a free people owing allegiance to no one but Yahweh.

Isn’t this exactly what Jesus does for us? He frees us from the bondage and penalty of sin and makes us a new creation, a child of God adopted into His family. Jesus also calls us to become a family while still here on earth, gathering together to worship Him regularly. We are also called to enlarge the family by spreading the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We are called to play our part in this wonderful pursuit by a loving God of His rebellious peoples.

Did you catch the other important portion of verse 23? “…many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.” “Signs” is the word that John uses to describe what we call the miracles of Jesus. What does this mean?

It appears that while Jesus was in Jerusalem, He began His ministry of healing and helping people. The sick and lame would often be lying around the streets of Jerusalem during the festivals for it would be a prime opportunity to beg from the large crowds gathered there who would be in festive and generous moods. There were no social safety nets in those days. If people did not have family to care for them, they had to resort to begging to make ends meet.

You may be asking, “Why doesn’t Scripture record these miracles that Jesus performed?” This can be explained by John 20:30-31 which says, “³⁰ Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. ³¹ But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Keep in mind that John’s Gospel was written last and he would have known that many of the healing miracles were written in the synoptic Gospels. John may not have felt the need to repeat similar stories here. Many of the accounts that appear in John do not appear in the other Gospels. It appears that John was filling in some of the gaps in the narrative of Jesus, but John also had a separate agenda. John was concentrating on the Divinity of Jesus and he did not feel the need to go over familiar ground again. Without giving specifics, John adds greatly to the narrative by being the only one to mention the first cleansing of the Temple, and then mentioning that Jesus was performing signs right out of the gate.

It does not appear that the public teaching ministry has begun yet. Next week we will examine the private teaching that occurs between Jesus and a Pharisee named Nicodemus and then after Christmas, we will see that John is again the only one to record the first public teaching of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well. But this takes place after Herod has John the Baptist thrown in jail.

Back to today’s message. So, Jesus remains in Jerusalem for the full week of the Festival. While He remains, He does not cower from the religious elites, instead, He walks the streets of Jerusalem performing at least some signs and miracles. Enough signs that people began to “believe in Him”.

This should encourage us to examine whether our faith is based on truly understanding who Jesus is or merely on witnessing His works. Real belief stems from recognizing Jesus’ authority and fulfilling His promises. We should ground our faith not in miracles but in His eternal truth. We should guard ourselves against seeing Jesus as a method of getting the things that we desire and ask for. As faithful Christians, we should have enough faith in Jesus to still trust Him when we fail to get the things that we ask for. Or, when events of the world become more and more chaotic, will we still cling to our faith and recognize that Jesus is a good, good God?

The other night at the men’s group, it struck us during prayer time, how many men were asking for prayers for loved ones who were dealing with a cascading of events in their lives. It seems with the events in the world today and in the lives of our loved ones, that there is no shortage of items that need prayer.

This past week with the events in Ukraine and Russia, it appears we may be on the brink of World War 3. In His Olivet Discourse recorded in Matthew chapter 24, Jesus told us that these events will be like the birth pains of a woman in labour and these events will occur with increasing frequency the closer we get to the end of times. Jesus also said that this will be a time when many will turn away from the faith. So, let me encourage you to do a gut check on your faith in Jesus.

In the coming days, there will be persecution against the followers of Jesus Christ. Jesus warns us of these events so we know that they will happen. How is your faith? Will you still cling to Jesus when the world takes away all that you have? Will you still love Jesus when he cuts short the time you have on earth with your loved ones? When the curse of the world brings you pain and suffering, injury and disease, will you still cling to your faith in Jesus and in His promises? This is when the enemy will try the hardest to separate you from Jesus. When you feel physical pain, emotional pain, exhaustion and lowliness in spirit, the Enemy will attack the hardest. Will you stay strong?

So, we see in this passage this morning that people believed in Jesus because of what they were seeing. Look at what Jesus’ response was, “²⁴ But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people.” Jesus did not “believe” those who believed Him. Jesus did not believe the people because He knew the people. Jesus has known what the people will do from all eternity. This pattern of “knowing” the people extends all the way back to the beginning of the Old Testament.

Yahweh gave this song to Moses to share with God’s people just before they entered the Promised Land and just before Moses died outside the Promised Land to fulfill the curse which Yahweh had placed on Moses for his disobedience, “²¹ And when many disasters and calamities come on them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do, even before I bring them into the land I promised them on oath.” Deuteronomy 31:21.

Jesus knew what His chosen people would do, how some would reject Him and worship other Gods, yet still, He chose to love them, provide for them, and protect them from surrounding armies. Jesus still chooses us, despite all the times that we fail Him and fall short.

To believe is an important aspect of the Christian faith. It is a cornerstone of the faith. To believe is the foundation on which the rest of your house of faith is built. Your belief in Jesus Christ should be rock-solid.

The Greek word used for the verb “believe” here is pisteuo. It is used 241 times in the New Testament and it is a departure from the use in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament teaching, we see the word being used as a “believe that…” something had happened, but the New Testament, especially in John’s writings, points to “believe in”. We are to place our belief in someone, namely Jesus.

Pisteuo can also mean “to have faith in” or “trust in” God. It means we are convinced that something is true. Pisteuo is used to express the central convictions of the Christian faith, as in the assertion, “We believe (pisteuo) that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him”. 1 Thessalonians 4:14.

Isn’t this a beautiful promise? What a statement of faith that Paul is writing here to the church in Thessalonica. We believe that Jesus died and rose again. This is such a simple statement, yet it is foolishness to the world. Without understanding the significance that the resurrection plays in the redemption of man back to God, one will fail to grasp what Jesus accomplished.

For you see, the original man and woman rejected the instruction of God to not eat from the trees in the center of the Garden. They had all of the garden that they could turn to for food and nourishment, and the only obedience which God commanded and expected from them was to leave the two trees in the center untouched. But the woman chose to listen to the serpent rather than to listen to God. The man stood nearby neglecting his leadership role and watched as the woman disobeyed God.

Because of this disobedience… sin, death and suffering entered into the perfect world that God had created. Sin separated us from the Creator. Sacrifices were required so that man would understand the seriousness of sin. The sacrificial system was a foreshadowing of what was to come. A pointing forward to a once-for-all sacrifice that would be sufficient enough to reconcile the creature to the Creator.

A sacrifice born and paid by the only perfect and suitable sacrifice of the fully human, fully divine Jesus Christ. A sacrifice which resulted in the death of the human form. Yet, as a sign of the fulfillment of the payment and the acceptance by the Father of the price paid by the Son, Jesus rose again from a borrowed tomb in a new and glorious body. This glorified form is a foreshadowing of what awaits those faithful who put their trust in the completed work of Jesus Christ. The work of Jesus is complete because we can not add anything to it based on our merit or works. We can not add to it “so that none can boast” that their work was required to add to their salvation. Salvation is a work wholly of God.

Jesus knows us intimately and is aware of all of our imperfections, yet He still chose to die for us.

We call this completed gift of reconciliation to God the gift of Grace. All that is required to receive Grace is to believe, to be convinced that Jesus died and three days later rose again, thus proving two main things: 1) That He was who He said that He was, The Son of God; and 2) that the Father was satisfied with the price paid by the Son.

Once we place our faith in Jesus, all that is required from us is obedience to the teachings of Jesus in our lives. To live how Jesus calls us to live. To love those who Jesus calls us to love. To share the Good News with those He calls us to share it with. We don’t do these things from a sense of obligation, but rather from a sense of appreciation for what was done on our behalf.

Turn back with me to verse 25 of today’s passage, “²⁵ He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.” Jesus does not require any testimony from us to validate His actions. Jesus is who He says He is whether we believe Him or not. Just because millions of people around the world reject Jesus, does not make Him any less the Son of God. Rejection by man does not affect the divinity of the Creator. Jesus is holding the universe together whether we acknowledge it or not.

Jesus does not draw His power from the belief of mankind. That is a total turning of the power structure on its head. When Jesus sent out the 72 to spread the Gospel and to perform signs in His name, Jesus instructed the men that if they came across a household who refused to believe and accept what they were being shown and told, the disciples should shake the dust off their sandals and move on to the next town. Validation of the work of Jesus Christ does not come from man. Too many pastors and church leaders forget this today and instead, chase after unbiblical things and teachings in an attempt to please the sinful person rather than the Holy God.

We should not fear what man can say and do to us, instead, we should fear the Holy and Righteous God who knows us personally and intimately. We should also follow the example of discernment that Jesus is setting for us here. Discernment is a muscle that has become atrophied in the church today. Too often, false teachings are being accepted in the name of tolerance and love. False teachers hide behind words like “unity” to avoid scrutiny and disagreement by others about their teachings. Jesus was not concerned with unity when He refused to entrust Himself to those in Jerusalem at that time. Jesus did not require the testimony of fallen men to legitimize His work.

This passage can encourage believers to evaluate the authenticity of their faith. Knowing that Jesus understands our hearts encourages us to pursue genuine relationships with Him, shedding any pretense and allowing His insights to transform our lives. Are you willing to do that? Allow the insights of Jesus to transform your life?

Jesus deeply knows us – our intentions, our beliefs, and our true selves. This passage should emphasize the importance of genuine faith over mere outward displays of belief and remind us that Christ's insight calls us to authenticity.

Have you noticed the theme that has been emerging from this second chapter? This chapter has been emphasizing the need for purity and authenticity in our worship and our walk with Jesus. Jesus is concerned with our inner life and not just with the outward appearance that we share with others. Too many people are afraid of being authentic and transparent with their brothers and sisters in Christ. This is a problem that is found in both small and large churches.

I’m not suggesting that you are required to share every intimate detail with every Christian you come across. What I am suggesting is that real growth in your faith and your walk with Jesus comes when you are willing to be authentic with a small group of Christians that you can do life with. This willingness to share your struggles with others will allow Jesus to bless you through the actions of these others in your life.

This past chapter we studied in the men’s group taught us that God uses work to shower us with His blessings. We can find purpose in our work, we can find satisfaction in our accomplishments at our work, and Jesus can pour out His blessings through the pay that we receive from our work. We should look to Jesus for the ultimate fulfillment of all these things, but work can provide some of it as well. Too many Christians see work as a curse.

The same can be true in doing life with a small group of dedicated Christians. Discipleship happens in these small groups much more that can happen on Sunday mornings. Bible study can be richer when the viewpoints of others are shared. Life experience shared makes facing troubles easier and makes isolation less likely to occur. Burdens are lighter when you have someone alongside you on your walk. Consider the benefits of a small group and join one.

Back to our passage of this morning. Look at the final words of the final verse of the second chapter. “for he knew what was in each person.” The 11^th chapter of the Book of Isaiah gives a prophecy about one who will come from the branch of Jesse. Isaiah 11:2-4 says, “² The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— ³ and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; ⁴ but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.”

I started this morning’s message with a couple of questions surrounding the understanding that Jesus sees our hearts. I asked, “What comes to mind when you hear that statement? Does it cause you to pause? Does it cause you to tremble?” Isaiah reminds us that we should have fear of the Lord because of His awesome power to know us so completely.

We should be in awe of Jesus because the Gospels give us numerous examples of Jesus knowing the hearts of those who were around Him. Jesus demonstrated that He knew the hearts of the Pharisees when they came to challenge His teachings. Unlike the Pharisee Nicodemus, most were not interested in genuinely learning from Jesus, rather they were out to challenge what He was teaching because what He was teaching threatened the very structure that they had spent so much time and effort building. Jesus taught repentance and faith, and the Pharisees taught the Law and works. The two systems could not have been any more at odds with each other.

Jesus knows our hearts and shortcomings, yet Jesus still chose to die for us. That fact alone should humble us and show us that we can not do anything to add to the completed work of Jesus Christ. I have heard too many preachers proclaim something like “Jesus accepts you just as you are” and this statement is true. The deception comes when they imply that it is OK to remain where you are when Jesus accepts you. We have seen with the calling of the first disciples, that Jesus did accept them just as they were, but He immediately began doing the work of discipling and teaching them. Jesus took the raw clay that was their existent lives and immediately began the work of transforming them into true followers of His.

The same is true for us today. Jesus will accept you in whatever sorrowful and sinful state He finds you in, but He doesn’t leave you there. We are blessed because as believers in Jesus Christ, we are gifted the Holy Spirit to dwell inside us to guide and change us from within. We have a paraclete a helper, a counselor, an advocate who is God living within us to assist us with our walk with God.

Despite knowing our shortcomings, Jesus still extends His mercy to us. In our other small group this week, while we were studying some of Mark chapter 15, we read and examined the levels of humiliation that Jesus endured at the hands of the Roman Soldiers before He was crucified. The mocking, and beatings that Jesus endured. Not to mention the terrible scourging that left His body a broken and bloody mess. This was being done by the same cohort of men who had arrived the night before in the Garden of Gethsemane to arrest Jesus. In the 18^th chapter of John’s Gospel, the author records how Jesus forced this cohort of armed men to step back and fall to the ground with three little words spoken.

       Yet, less than 24 hours later, Jesus was enduring severe physical punishment and mocking at the hands of the very same men. Scripture tells us that the entire cohort turned out to see Jesus punished. Jesus could have stopped the torture at any moment, but He endured it all in complete obedience to the Father. The benefit of this obedience comes to us through the mercy extended by Jesus to us.

This mercy results in those who choose to accept it in an eternity spent with Jesus in a New Eden established with God’s perfection absent our disobedience. An eternity free from pain and suffering. An eternity with a glorified, resurrected body as foreshadowed by the resurrected Jesus. An eternity ruled over by a perfect and loving Father. A King free from the corruption of power and greed. An eternity rescued from the sufferings of those separated from Jesus. Oh, what a blessed day that will be.

Don’t be terrified that Jesus knows your heart. He does and He still loves you. But don’t let this knowledge of His love allow you to stay in your sin. Be aware that if you have accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour, you are now an adopted child of a king. Rise to the occasion and the challenge and change your life for the better. Be worthy of God’s choice of you.

CONCLUSION

The Big Idea of this passage is that authentic faith is recognized and rewarded by Jesus, who sees beyond our public persona into the true state of our hearts. Jesus knows us and because of this, we should trust Jesus when He asks things of us like our obedience.

Here is an illustration I found written by Donner Atwood, in Reformed Review.

During the terrible days of the Blitz of World War 2, a father, holding his small son by the hand, ran from a building that had been struck by a bomb. In the front yard was a shell hole. Seeking shelter as soon as possible, the father jumped into the hole and held up his arms for his son to follow.

Terrified, yet hearing his father’s voice telling him to jump, the boy replied, “I can’t see you!”

The father, looking up against the sky tinted red by the burning buildings, called to the silhouette of his son, “But I can see you. Jump!”

Jesus sees us and Jesus knows us. We should “jump” when He calls us.

The boy jumped, because he trusted his father.

The Christian faith enables us to face life or meet death, not because we can see, but with the certainty that we are seen; not that we know all the answers, but that we are known.^[1]

Let me close with this doxology:

²⁴ “The Lord bless you and keep you;

²⁵ may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

²⁶ may the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."

Go in peace, you are dismissed.

 

---

^[1] Craig Brian Larson, 750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers & Writers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2002), 158–159.

John- So That You May Believe, The Gospel of John, Part 10 John 2:12-22, "Clean Worship"

 November 17^th, 2024

From The Series: John- So That You May Believe

Part 10 Clean Worship

The Gospel of John John 2:12-22

Mountain View Evangelical Missionary Church

Well, here we are continuing through the Gospel of John. This morning we will examine the passage where Jesus clears the temple in Jerusalem. Some people think that this event only occurred once. A careful reading of all four gospel accounts reveals that Jesus did this twice during His earthly ministry. John records this event happening at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, and the other three gospels record a clearing of the temple by Jesus near the end of His Earthly ministry. This clearing occurred at the beginning of Holy Week when Jesus first arrived in Jerusalem just days before His crucifixion.

Skeptics will claim, that Jesus only cleared the Temple once, and these two different versions are clear evidence of a contradiction in the Bible. This opinion shows their bias against the trustworthiness of the Bible. When these critics see two different accounts recorded in the Bible, their first instinct is to jump to “mistake” rather than being open to an alternative explanation.

In reality, what happened was that Jesus actually cleared the Temple twice. These clearings became like bookends on His earthly ministry and they were condemnations against the religious practices at the time. There is a lesson here for us today in this condemnation. We need to ensure that the church today is not guilty of the same errors of the religious leaders at the time of Jesus.

You’re probably thinking, “How can we be guilty of this Pastor, when Jesus did away with the need for us to make sacrifices to God? You tell us that each week when we have corporate prayer time.” We could be guilty of the same practices today in our habits of worship. Our worship of Jesus Christ involves so much more than just singing a few songs on Sunday morning during the service. But, more on that in a few minutes.

This passage that we will be studying this morning challenges Christians to reflect on their own lives and communities, identifying areas where worship may have become routine or commercialized. These areas may be with the individual and it may also occur collectively as a congregation. This passage calls for a renewal of reverence and a commitment to authentic worship in spirit and truth, highlighting the importance of keeping the place of worship, this church, focused on honouring God.

With that introduction to set the scene for this morning, I will ask you to open your Bibles or turn on your devices to the second chapter of the Gospel of John and we will begin at verse 12.

If you did not bring your Bible this morning, you should find one underneath one of the chairs in the row in front of you. John chapter 2 will be found on page 861 of the pew bible. If you do not have a bible at home, please take that bible with you as a gift from Mountain View Church. We feel that it is vitally important that you have easy access to God’s Word. And God’s Word says…

READ John 2:12-22

“¹² After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

¹³ When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵ So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the money changers' coins and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” ^o

¹⁸ The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”

¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

²⁰ They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” ²¹ But the temple he had spoken of was his body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.”

Before we move into the points of the sermon, I want to take a few moments to set the historical/cultural context of what we just read. After the wedding, Jesus and His small group along with His mother and brothers travelled to Capernaum, about a day’s journey away and settled there for a few days. According to Matthew 9:1, Capernaum was “his own town” meaning that Jesus used Capernaum as a home base for His ministry when He was in the region of Galilee. It was at this time, that He probably collected James, the brother of John, and Simon-Peter the brother of Andrew to His growing crowd of followers. Capernaum was also where Matthew lived and worked as a tax collector, before being called by Jesus. John records that after a few days, they “went up to Jerusalem”.

The group actually headed south towards Jerusalem, but they climbed over three thousand feet in elevation. I want you to picture this, in Isreal, the town of Capernaum on the shore of the Sea of Galilee is located in a large depression which sits 600 feet below sea level. The city of Jerusalem sits atop three mountain peaks that have an elevation of nearly 2,600 feet above Sea level. That is why they “went up to Jerusalem”.   

Remember last week I indicated that weddings were important to Jesus because He was willing to travel three days to attend one, well the distance between Capernaum and Jerusalem was at least 30 hours of walking.

It is important to realize that even though Jesus was recently baptized, He was still behaving as an observant Jew. Every year since He was twelve years old, Jesus had gone to Jerusalem to observe the Passover Festival and rituals travelling this distance of 30 hours each way. Jesus was still setting an example of strict observance of divine institutions, and diligent attendance on religious assemblies. John records Jesus observing four Passover Feasts in his Gospel, the four that would have happened during the timeline of His ministry.

Jesus was setting the example of following the Laws instituted by His Father. That is a distinguishing point here: the Laws instituted by His Father. If you remember from your readings of the Bible, Jesus was often in conflict with the Pharisees when they accused Jesus of breaking Sabbath Laws. The Laws that Jesus supposedly “broke” were all traditions that the Pharisees had added to the Laws given to the Jews by God and His prophets. The Pharisees were notorious for examining the Law of God and teaching it in such a way that they invariably added to the interpretation. Often adding much more than was originally intended.

This is the very process that Jesus was referring to when He condemned the Pharisees with these words recorded in Matthew 23:15, “¹⁵ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.” Jesus was warning the Pharisees, and by extension, He warns us against adding to what the Father’s instructions are for our lives.

I just wanted to add that bit of context and colour to help bring this account to life in your mind.

If I have done my preparation correctly, by the end of this message we should be thinking of the following points:

Pastor Paul’s Points:

1) Purity Over Profit. Is MVEMC being pure?

2) Prioritize Over Profit. What are you allowing to be first in your life before Jesus?

3) Promise of Restoration. Spiritual restoration vs. physical restoration.

The “Big Idea” contained in this passage is that true worship must be prioritized over worldly distractions. Distractions such as putting profit over purity in the church. We can see this in the many examples of Mega-church Pastors being allowed to stay in their positions of authority even when there are obvious signs of the man’s unfitness for the pulpit. I won’t name names, but numerous examples can be found easily if you Google “Disgraced Pastors”. Don’t get me wrong here; there are no perfect pastors, but there are times when bigger church boards will turn a blind eye to the actions of some pastors because they are concerned about attendance dropping, giving dropping, or church splits happening.

If there is no pastoral scandal, another area of compromise can be with the music and singing worship. One of the first signs of a weakened church is including secular music in the worship service. Another area is the addition of smoke machines or fancy lighting set-ups. Choreographed dance routines are another early warning sign that a church may have lost its way. All of these things are unnecessary and are designed to attract nominal Christians or those worldly people who are seeking Jesus, or their idea of Jesus. These additions are all driven by the entertainment factor, not a true worship experience.

All these additions become a trap, a type of quicksand that ensnares the church leadership. In his book, “Not a Fan”, Kyle Idleman wrote, “What you win them with, is what you win them to”. What Kyle was trying to warn the church about was this very thing. If the singing worship of your service looks like a modified Broadway musical production, then that is what the new converts will worship instead of Jesus. In his book, Idleman is calling people to become followers of Jesus, not merely fans of Jesus.

Let me ask you this, is that what Jesus wants? All these fancy additions to the worship service? Aren’t those things in the same category as what Jesus cleared out from the Temple? Jesus drove out a group of individuals who had turned the Temple into a market. Are you aware of what was behind the actions of Jesus that day? An entire “industry” had developed around the sacrifices being offered at the Temple.

According to the Law in Deuteronomy, any animal that was offered as a sacrifice to Yahweh had to be free from blemish or defect. The priests would examine the animals that you would have brought and due to corruption in the process, invariably a defect would be found and the sacrifice that you would have raised and brought with you on your pilgrimage to the Temple would be deemed unfit, but don’t worry, the priests just happened to have a supply of pre-approved sacrificial animals available for purchase.

There was corruption with the money-changes as well. Your temple tax could only be paid with Temple silver. The priests refused to accept Roman coins in the offering, despite these coins being legal tender in the entire Empire. You would have to exchange your “filthy” Roman coins for “clean” Temple coins to be offered to God. Of course, there would be an exchange fee and once again, the Pharisees were adding to the burdens of God’s people.

I want you to notice one thing: here in John the word to describe the emotion of the event is “Zeal” not anger. As a matter of fact, if you read the synoptic accounts of when Jesus cleared the Temple for the second time, the word “anger” or “angry” never appears in the accounts. In the passage we are studying this morning, John quotes Psalm 69:9 and in the original Hebrew, the word translated here as “zeal” also means jealous. Jesus was clearing the Temple Courts of these men and their business tables because He had zeal and He was jealous of the way things should have been conducted. Scripture never describes Jesus as being angry while He was cleaning the Temple. Read the Synoptic accounts for yourself and see if “anger” or “angry” is used. For Jesus came to restore our relationship with God and our approach to worship.

Another area where the church can get lost and lose itself is when we have people in leadership positions who are not living a Christ-honoring life. I’m not saying they have to be perfect, but are they living a life that is obviously Christian to the rest of the world? Too many times, churches are understaffed and they promote, or allow people to step into positions of leadership or public ministry who are not living a life that is God-honoring.

A worship team member who is living a life of sin, a deacon who abuses his wife, or a board member who does not meet the qualifications from 1 Timothy 3:1-13, or Titus 1:5-9 are not beneficial to the church and they can hurt the witness of the church to the community. It is better and healthier for the church to leave those offices or ministries vacant for a season than to have a disqualified person fill the role. Jesus is concerned with the purity of the leadership of His church.

Jesus is concerned with the purity of our worship, not how profitable it is. It is true that the Bible talks a lot about money and giving and tithing. Our giving is also a form of worship towards God. It is to be a sign of our faithfulness towards God as well. That is why He asks for giving from our first fruits and not our leftovers. It is a matter of priorities in our lives. This leads us to our second point this morning.

Prioritize Over Profit. What are you allowing to be first in your life before Jesus?

Look with me at verse 16 from this morning’s passage. “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” This was a powerful declaration to the merchants from Jesus. This should call us to identify anything in our lives that distracts from true worship. What are we putting first before Jesus?

I had an interesting discussion with the young car salesman when we purchased the “new-to-us” vehicle we have. Once he found out that I was a pastor he asked me, “Can I be a “Good Christian” without attending church every Sunday?

I pointed out that in the Book of Hebrews 10:24-25 warns us, “²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” I talked about how Sundays were important to gather and worship together, to learn together, and to fellowship together. Is Sunday attendance mandatory? I asked him how much time he was spending reading the Bible on his own. How much time do you spend worshipping God during the week? What are you putting first in your life before Jesus?

These are questions for you as well. What is the higher priority in your life over Jesus? I am always amazed at how many parents claim to be Christian, yet they enroll their kids in hockey and take them to tournaments on weekends instead of to church. Then they wonder why their kids leave the church the first chance they get. We have taught them that there are other things more important than their relationship with Jesus. Hockey was more important than Jesus. Hockey, any sport, rodeo, racing, or any activity that the world schedules on Sundays can be something that we prioritize over Jesus.

We all have to work and earn a living, we all need recreation in our lives, but are you still making Christ a priority? When you are on holiday, are you still attending a local church where you are? If not, why not? It can be a tremendous blessing to attend a church that is not your regular body. We belong to the world’s largest family. As Christians, we have brothers and sisters in practically every village, town, or city around the world. Go hang out with them sometime. Technology makes it really convenient to rearrange Christ in our lives. We can catch a sermon any time we feel like it and convince ourselves that we are “doing church”. But are we? Where is the fellowship with the people on YouTube?

The lack of fellowship applies when we dash out right after the service rather than spending time with fellow Christians. Technology and social media make it so easy to isolate ourselves and still feel like we are part of a community. I told the young salesman that an important reason to attend church, small groups and doing fellowship with other Christians are the growth and accountability aspects we need in our Christian walks.

This is what is meant in Proverbs 27:17, “¹⁷ As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” One of our biggest flaws as human beings is our ability to rationalize our behaviours. When we are in isolation, we can convince ourselves that what we are doing really isn’t that bad, it’s not a sin, it’s just a flaw that we have and Jesus still loves us.

Being in a loving Christ-centered community with each other is a safeguard against the rationalizations and excuses we make for ourselves. When Jesus cleans the Temple He asserts His messianic authority, predicting His death and resurrection as the foundation for restored worship. This section challenges us to prioritize our relationship with God over worldly pursuits, aligning our lives with His purpose.

The final point I want to touch on this morning is the Promise of Restoration that we see here in this verse. In verse 22 John gives us this little insight, “²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.” When Jesus is speaking in this passage, He is speaking in the future tense. The Temple that Jesus was referring to was His body.

Jesus’s body is not only the new resurrected Temple, but Jesus is also our Passover. His once-for-all sacrifice was all that was needed to satisfy the wrath of the Father, and it allowed His children to be reconciled back to the Father. No further sacrifices are required to appease the Father. Our rebellious sin debt has been paid by the Son on our behalf.

That is why we can approach the throne of God with our prayers and in full confidence we can know that our prayers are heard by God. Notice I said heard and not answered. Only the Father knows what is best for us, so we trust His perfect judgment to determine what we need over what we want. Jesus and the Father meet our every need through their provisions.

Sometimes we need correction in our lives, but we surely don’t want that. Correction is love, and there is no greater evidence of the love that the Father has for us than the sacrifice of the Son. The Father sent the Son to bear our punishment so that we could be reconciled from our rebellious state, back to the adoptive family of God. We were bought at a price.

Knowing the cost that Jesus paid on your behalf, why would you want to allow anything to have priority over Jesus in your life? If you truly grasped what Jesus did for you and what it cost for Jesus to pay it, how can you not remain humble and desire others to know this gift? We do these things for God, not from a sense of obligation but from a sense of privilege that He has allowed us to join Him in this most precious of duties: to rescue others from the lake of fire.

We must Christ as the cornerstone of our faith and worship. With the realization of His resurrection, believers are encouraged to reflect on the transformative power of Christ in their daily lives. When we acknowledge the renewing that Christ is doing in us, it should renew our commitment to worship in spirit and truth.

Scripture tells us that the Church is the Bride of Christ. Why wouldn’t we want to present the most pure form of His Bride that we can on His return? Shouldn’t we be a building full of pure worshippers, pure of heart and love for Jesus, led by pure leaders, who lovingly and obediently guide us in our daily walks to be more like our Saviour each day? Not perfect people, or self-righteous leaders, but humble and aware of their own shortcomings so that we can love each other in a non-judgmental way. Guiding people to follow the Perfect Shepherd back into a restored relationship with the Father.

We should be a building full of His humble people avoiding all the traps and temptations of the world. Remaining modest and not causing others to trip fall back into the ways of the world. The church should be leading the world, not the world leading the church. Jesus is our head and we should never forget that.

One way we can keep these facts top of mind is through the regular observances that Jesus handed down to us. One such observance is the Lord’s Supper.

CONCLUSION

Jesus' actions challenge us to evaluate our own lives and places of worship. Jesus’ action of cleansing the temple points to His authority as the Messiah and highlights His mission to restore true worship. This lesson teaches about the significance of reverence in worship and the dangers of allowing worldly practices to overshadow divine purpose. Here in this passage, Jesus disrupts the complacency and corruption in the temple, highlighting the need for purity and sincerity in our worship. This should remind us of Jesus’ zeal for His Father’s house and prompt us to reflect on what should be driven out of our own lives to honour God truly. True worship is not about external appearances or rituals but about a heart aligned with God.

Jesus’ authority in cleansing the temple underscores His role as the purifying force in our spiritual walk. This act is a foreshadowing of the ultimate atonement He would accomplish through His death and resurrection, making a way for believers to approach God freely. When we approach God in worship, in prayer, in the study of His Word, we should be doing it with sincere and pure motives and with a heart that is aligned with God’s goals and desires for our lives.

Doxology:

Let me close with this doxology:

²⁴ “The Lord bless you and keep you;

²⁵ may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

²⁶ May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."

Go in peace, you are dismissed.