Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Special Services

Palm Sunday 2009

Title: ‘Keeping God’s House in Order’   Text: Matthew 21:12-16

Introduction: There is a TV commercial with a man looking at a bowl of corn flakes & saying, "This looks pretty boring to me, pretty common, pretty ordinary." After pouring in some milk & sugar he tastes it & says, "Hmm, I like it. It’s really pretty good. What is it?" Then we hear the announcer saying, "Kelloggs Corn Flakes - Taste them again for the first time." (Melvin Newland)

I have come to think that is one of the problems Christians unknowingly struggle with…. Palm Sunday and the rest of the Christian holidays are all so familiar that we almost miss what they are about. So I want to challenge you to see Palm Sunday as if it were for the first time. Which is why I structured our service differently this morning.

Transition: Open your Bibles to Matthew 21:12 (pg. 754 in the Bibles under the chair in front of you.)

I. Matthew 21:12          A House of Purity

Read: Matthew 21:12

Jesus entered Jerusalem through the East Gate, the ‘King’s Gate’ because he was making the statement…He was King and He was reigning over His kingdom. Then He went directly to the temple: Which was built

·       according to God’s design,

·       by God’s command,

·       and for God’s purposes.

It was to be the House of God,

·       the place the King lived,

·       the place the King ruled

·       and the place the King would meet with His people.

When Jesus enters the Temple and finds it being operated as a business rather than for it’s intended purpose…He cleans house.

Don’t miss this. I don’t think it was the building itself that Jesus was so passionate about. Just like I don’t think He is impressed by large, state of the art, church complexes like many have come to idolize today.

It’s what goes on and what doesn’t go on, in God’s Church, that He is concerned about.

·       Would I like a larger building to worship in? Sure.

·       Would I like more instruments and singers in the worship team? Yes.

·       Would I like cappuccino machines in our newly built ‘Hospitality Center’? Yes.

But even more that that, I want to see this building used for God’s purposes, to bring Him glory.

In the same way, I pray regularly for all of you. That you will be physically healthy and financially secure. But more than that,

·       I pray that you would allow God’s Holy Spirit to so fill and direct you,

·       that you will walk in God’s Will and live according to His Word.

·       So that God’s purposes for you will be fully realized.

But in reality, we are all not there yet…even as the Church we have a ways to go.

Read: Jeremiah 7:9-10 ‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things?’

Jeremiah charged God’s people with sinning then running to the temple believing they were safe there.

Jesus cleansing the Temple says the same thing not only about Herod’s temple, but about this temple (CBC). This is not a magical place where so long as we go through the motions of worshipping God, we are safe no matter how we live.

·       So at times when Jesus moves in our church gathering, he comes to cleanse.

·       And at times when Jesus moves in our lives, he comes to cleanse.

Cleanse us of what?

·       Sin and all that takes us away from God.

·       He comes to overturn and drive out our money tables; the places we exchange the things of God, for the lesser things of the world.

·       He comes to cleans us of all that would rob us of our communion with God.

Remember the purpose of cleansing is to bring healing and restoration. When you cleanse your child’s wound it often hurts. But you kiss it to make it better and you do it, because you love them and want them to get better. It is no different with Jesus.

When He cleanses us, it often hurts, but it is also necessary to make us whole, restore our fellowship with God and nurture our relationships with others. And after, He give us the kiss of peace that only He can give.

God’s house is a house of purity.

II. Matthew 21:13          A House of Prayer

Read: Matthew 21:13

Someone once said ‘Wo betide the church which allows its business to usurp the place of prayer.’ (David Bishop) And I would heartily agree.

Jesus said ‘My house shall be a house of prayer.’ And that is where we must start, for that is where we hear the voice of Jesus our King.

But in practice God’s house (CBC and Us) is often a house of confusion and conformity.

·       Confusion because we allow the rush of the day to invade us to the point where God is edged out  and we have no time to talk to Him.

·       Conformity because we allow the world to squeeze us into it’s mold (as Romans 12:2 warns us) by believing the world when it says we can do it on our own, we don’t need God, and it is a waste of our precious time to pray.

God wants His people to pray: not superficial prayers, but prayers that penetrate our heart and the heart of God.

While teaching a worship class at Bethel Seminary of the East, my topic was African American Worship and I found this wonderful example of the life of prayer.

ILL: The early African converts to Christianity were faithful to pray. Each one reportedly had separate spots in the thicket where they poured out their hearts to God. The several paths to these spots became distinctly marked; and when any one began to decline in prayer time, it was soon apparent to others. They would then kindly remind him, saying, “Brother, the grass grows on your path.” (Steve Shepherd)

What about you? Does the grass grow on your path?

Jesus placed a high priority on prayer in his life and ministry. Over and over again we see Him teaching about prayer and giving vivid personal examples of prayer.

If Jesus placed this much emphasis on prayer with His disciples….shouldn’t we, who are also His disciples, place a high priority on prayer?

If so, what practices, what habits, what attitudes do we need to ‘drive out’ so we can place prayer back in it’s rightful place.

When God’s temple (CBC and US) is not a house of prayer….it will be  a den of robbers….robbing God of His due and us of the blessing of His fellowship.

You have all heard the saying ‘Prayer changes things’ and I believe it’s true. But…it is far more important that ‘Prayer changes us.’

God’s house is a house of Prayer.

III. Matthew 21:14          A House of Power

Read: Matthew 21:14

Notice what happens when God cleanses His temple….power.

Where Jesus is king, there is power…healing power. God’s house must never be a mall, but a hospital.

If you take the time to look around this house (CBC) you will find many sick people. (Physically, emotionally, mentally, financially, relationally and spiritually)

·       We need to be the place sick people come for healing.

·       We need to be the place burdened people come to be freed.

·       We need to be the place all can come and find encouragement, healing and joy.

God wants to touch and heal people’s lives…through this house (CBC) and through this house (Me and you)

When they come, they all should find love, warmth, acceptance, healing, and ultimately salvation. That…is true power…

·       God’s power

·       displayed in God’s House

·       by God’s people.

And that will happen when Jesus is King.

God’s house is a house of Power

IV. Matthew 21:15-16    A House of Praise

Read: Matthew 21:15-16

Shouts of praise! Cries of thanksgiving! Voices of celebration! Worship!!

Read: 1 Kings 8:54-61

That is one worship service I wish I could have participated in. It was an awesome testimony of God’s love, splendor and commitment to His people.

God established that it would be at God’s house where mere humans could come into the very presence of Almighty God and be made right with their Creator. That is worth an eternity of giving praise! Amen?

But praise can not stay inside us…it must be let out as Jesus said in Luke 19:40 ‘I tell you,  he replied, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.’

I call what we do on Sunday mornings a ‘Worship Celebration’ rather than a ‘Worship Service’ because I think celebration/praise shoud be the central ethos, the main idea for what we do on Sunday mornings.

But… as God’s house (us) we need to praise the Lord…all the time, even when we are not in this house (CBC).

Read: Hebrews 13:15 ‘Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.’

God’s house is a house of praise.

Conclusion

·       Our church does not need another program to fill time through the week.

·       Our church does not need to come up with fancy plans for growth.

What our church needs more than anything else, is a breakthrough from God almighty. We need the Holy Spirit to invade our church. We need Jesus to do what only He can do in our midst... We need an encounter with the One True and Ever-living God.

But that comes at a cost. If Jesus were to arrive in His temple this Pal Sunday morning, what tables would He overturn so that this house (CBC) and this house (us) will live out it’s intended purposes? What are they?

·       To be a house of Purity.

·       To be a house of Prayer.

·       To be a house of Power.

·       To be a house of Praise.

I have included an insert in the Bulletin that gives a few ideas on how to live this out within this house (CBC).