WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.080 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christ Church. 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:09.519 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, 00:00:09.880 --> 00:00:15.280 redistribution, or any other use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christ Church. 00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:22.620 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:29.679 Good morning, church family. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:31.059 My name is Stevie. 00:00:31.460 --> 00:00:33.820 I'm part of the North Berkeley Community Group. 00:00:34.359 --> 00:00:36.679 This morning I'll be reading the scripture lesson. 00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:42.920 It's from the Gospel of John, chapter 2, verses 15 to 23. 00:00:47.200 --> 00:00:53.159 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 00:00:53.159 --> 00:00:59.019 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, 00:00:59.020 --> 00:01:01.720 and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 00:01:02.540 --> 00:01:08.680 So he made a whip out of cords and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle. 00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:13.260 He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 00:01:13.260 --> 00:01:16.820 To those who sold doves he said, 00:01:16.820 --> 00:01:18.680 Get these out of here. 00:01:18.680 --> 00:01:21.880 Stop turning my father's house into a market. 00:01:22.820 --> 00:01:25.460 His disciples remembered that it is written, 00:01:26.080 --> 00:01:27.980 Zeal for your house will consume me. 00:01:27.980 --> 00:01:31.500 The Jews then responded to him, 00:01:31.500 --> 00:01:35.579 What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this? 00:01:36.540 --> 00:01:38.040 Jesus answered them, 00:01:38.520 --> 00:01:41.820 Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days. 00:01:41.819 --> 00:01:43.459 They replied, 00:01:43.459 --> 00:01:46.719 It has taken 46 years to build this temple, 00:01:46.919 --> 00:01:48.979 and you're going to raise it in three days? 00:01:49.539 --> 00:01:52.519 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 00:01:54.239 --> 00:01:56.099 After he was raised from the dead, 00:01:56.479 --> 00:01:58.799 his disciples recalled what he had said. 00:01:59.299 --> 00:02:02.419 Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. 00:02:03.639 --> 00:02:06.839 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover festival, 00:02:06.840 --> 00:02:11.400 many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. 00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:14.620 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, 00:02:14.960 --> 00:02:16.120 for he knew all people. 00:02:16.699 --> 00:02:19.819 He did not need any testimony about mankind, 00:02:20.439 --> 00:02:22.640 for he knew what was in each person. 00:02:23.460 --> 00:02:25.480 This is the gospel of the Lord. 00:02:26.280 --> 00:02:27.819 Praise to you, O Christ. 00:02:36.840 --> 00:02:44.259 Good morning, Christ Church. 00:02:44.460 --> 00:02:45.640 And again, Happy New Year. 00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:48.960 New Year, new you, right? 00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:52.420 How many of you made New Year's resolutions this year? 00:02:52.599 --> 00:02:55.800 How many of you, your resolutions included the word Omicron? 00:02:58.259 --> 00:03:01.520 So many disappointing disruptions right now, right? 00:03:01.599 --> 00:03:04.219 But thankfully, this appears to be mild. 00:03:04.219 --> 00:03:07.180 We think it's going to peak in the next week or so, 00:03:07.259 --> 00:03:09.939 and hopefully pass over pretty quickly. 00:03:10.139 --> 00:03:14.500 And I'm grateful to have such a highly vaccinated and boosted church. 00:03:14.539 --> 00:03:17.460 We were 98% vaccinated back in May. 00:03:17.639 --> 00:03:20.680 If you're new with us, that's just maybe helpful information to have. 00:03:21.079 --> 00:03:24.740 And our plan during this season is what it's been the whole time, 00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:27.340 which is just to keep calm and carry on. 00:03:28.360 --> 00:03:33.319 Remember when the NBA shut down and the pandemic became real. 00:03:33.319 --> 00:03:34.859 You guys remember the NBA shutting down? 00:03:35.299 --> 00:03:38.739 Well, I think the NBA is going to lead us out of the pandemic as well. 00:03:39.579 --> 00:03:43.120 The Omicron wave seems to have peaked in the league already. 00:03:43.699 --> 00:03:46.879 And if the NBA can find a way to keep playing, 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:51.199 then surely the people of God can find a way to keep doing what we do. 00:03:51.199 --> 00:03:55.599 Because I believe what we're doing is infinitely more important 00:03:55.599 --> 00:03:57.519 than what the NBA is doing. 00:03:57.520 --> 00:04:00.600 And with that, I want to say go Warriors. 00:04:01.340 --> 00:04:04.740 And actually, I think Steph Curry would agree with what I just said, 00:04:04.860 --> 00:04:05.900 which is really cool. 00:04:06.600 --> 00:04:09.860 Maybe your New Year's resolution did not include the word Omicron, 00:04:10.719 --> 00:04:14.960 but what kind of change are we typically hoping for with these resolutions? 00:04:15.820 --> 00:04:20.660 Many of us want to exercise more, lose weight, get organized, 00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:24.019 learn a new skill or hobby, kick a bad habit, 00:04:24.019 --> 00:04:29.339 spend less, save more, invest more time in our family and our friends, 00:04:30.120 --> 00:04:32.319 maybe travel more, read more books. 00:04:33.639 --> 00:04:37.519 What's interesting to me is that 50% of Americans set New Year's resolutions, 00:04:38.560 --> 00:04:40.139 but you know what happens a year later? 00:04:41.299 --> 00:04:43.439 88% of those resolutions fail. 00:04:44.159 --> 00:04:47.759 That's 156 million failed resolutions. 00:04:47.959 --> 00:04:50.779 Maybe you're here today and you resolve to lose five pounds. 00:04:50.779 --> 00:04:54.859 Nine days in, you've only got 10 pounds left to go, right? 00:04:56.319 --> 00:04:57.739 Change is hard. 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:00.000 And if it were easy, everybody would do it. 00:05:00.599 --> 00:05:04.839 We need support for whatever change we want to see in our lives. 00:05:04.879 --> 00:05:09.079 So if one of your desires is to grow closer to God in 2022, 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:13.079 I want to say that you won't do that on your own. 00:05:14.419 --> 00:05:18.979 That you need a church, this church or any other church, 00:05:18.980 --> 00:05:23.720 you need to form the habit of Sunday worship every week, 00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:26.660 get involved in a midweek community group, 00:05:26.840 --> 00:05:29.200 maybe come to our Christianity Explored, 00:05:29.240 --> 00:05:31.000 which starts this Wednesday night. 00:05:31.759 --> 00:05:34.660 But if you want to see change in your life, 00:05:34.879 --> 00:05:39.120 research has shown us you can't do that strictly on your own. 00:05:39.240 --> 00:05:42.960 You need a strong community that's built for change. 00:05:43.100 --> 00:05:46.700 And here in the church, we have the means of God's grace. 00:05:46.699 --> 00:05:49.060 We have the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 00:05:49.159 --> 00:05:54.719 We have 2,000 years of enablement for deep and lasting change. 00:05:55.560 --> 00:05:58.599 You want to know what my New Year's resolution is for your life? 00:05:59.879 --> 00:06:04.120 It is to lead you into a deeper relationship with Christ and His church 00:06:04.120 --> 00:06:06.120 through community and for the city. 00:06:06.159 --> 00:06:07.500 As Andrew mentioned, that's our mission. 00:06:07.659 --> 00:06:10.539 That's our New Year's resolution for you in 2022. 00:06:10.540 --> 00:06:16.060 It's the reason we preach the Gospels every year from Christmas to Easter. 00:06:16.260 --> 00:06:19.960 It's the reason we create discussion questions for our community groups. 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:23.700 The reason we create a daily Bible reading plan through the Gospel of John. 00:06:23.879 --> 00:06:28.900 All of these are meant to help you have an encounter with Jesus Christ. 00:06:29.580 --> 00:06:34.120 Because there's no more powerful agent of change in the whole world 00:06:34.120 --> 00:06:40.319 than to have a relationship and a relationship that's getting deeper and deeper with Jesus. 00:06:41.079 --> 00:06:46.959 If He rose from the dead, whatever change you want to see happen in your life is no problem for Him. 00:06:46.980 --> 00:06:50.920 But He wants to do it in the context of His community. 00:06:51.040 --> 00:06:54.439 And right now, everything's telling us to lean away from community. 00:06:54.939 --> 00:06:57.660 And I'm inviting you to lean in to community. 00:06:58.120 --> 00:06:58.860 Unless you're sick. 00:06:58.959 --> 00:06:59.379 Stay home. 00:06:59.780 --> 00:07:00.300 Stay home. 00:07:00.300 --> 00:07:03.420 We're in the Gospel of John. 00:07:04.120 --> 00:07:08.699 We focused for a few weeks on John 1 leading up to Christmas. 00:07:08.699 --> 00:07:13.379 And we started the New Year in John 2 last Sunday where Jesus changes the water to wine, 00:07:13.819 --> 00:07:15.100 changes shame to joy. 00:07:15.819 --> 00:07:18.960 Today we're looking at Jesus who cleanses and redefines the temple. 00:07:19.639 --> 00:07:25.960 And I think God's word for us today is that zealous Jesus makes bold claims 00:07:25.959 --> 00:07:30.319 about God, His body, and our hearts. 00:07:31.339 --> 00:07:37.279 Zealous Jesus makes bold claims about God, His body, and our hearts. 00:07:37.359 --> 00:07:42.259 I want to start with this, that zealous Jesus makes bold claims about God. 00:07:42.959 --> 00:07:44.019 Listen to verse 13. 00:07:44.659 --> 00:07:48.439 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem, 00:07:48.579 --> 00:07:52.620 and in the temple courts He found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, 00:07:52.620 --> 00:07:55.379 and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 00:07:56.240 --> 00:08:00.019 Some historical context, if you don't know the Bible very well, 00:08:00.259 --> 00:08:03.280 you can't be a Jew without the Torah and the temple. 00:08:04.240 --> 00:08:06.240 And in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, 00:08:06.379 --> 00:08:10.540 we learn about Israel's exodus from Egypt, the night of the Passover, 00:08:11.139 --> 00:08:14.759 the sacrificial lambs, the blood on the doorposts, the mercy of God, 00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:18.540 the angel of death passing over to save God's people. 00:08:18.540 --> 00:08:22.660 And that yearly, there's a yearly celebration of that Torah event 00:08:22.660 --> 00:08:25.080 in the temple on Mount Zion. 00:08:25.200 --> 00:08:28.900 And Jesus, being a faithful Jew, He walks, you know, 00:08:28.980 --> 00:08:34.320 that five-day journey from Galilee to Jerusalem three to four times every year 00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:36.180 to celebrate the biblical feasts. 00:08:36.700 --> 00:08:41.000 And He gets to Passover, this one particular year at the beginning of His ministry, 00:08:41.120 --> 00:08:44.000 and tiny Jerusalem is full of people. 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:48.480 Probably about two million-plus people are packed. 00:08:48.580 --> 00:08:50.740 It's just crowded wall to wall. 00:08:51.200 --> 00:08:56.100 And what does Jesus do to start His ministry at Israel's ground zero 00:08:56.100 --> 00:08:59.100 amid massive crowds of pilgrims? 00:08:59.679 --> 00:09:02.419 We read in verse 15, this is what He decided to do. 00:09:02.519 --> 00:09:07.659 He made a whip out of cords and drove all from the temple courts, 00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:08.899 both sheep and cattle. 00:09:08.899 --> 00:09:13.419 He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:17.240 Probably not the best way to win friends and influence people. 00:09:18.740 --> 00:09:22.500 Is this the Jesus that we introduce to our young kids? 00:09:23.399 --> 00:09:27.820 Maybe you had a picture of Jesus in your room or in your Bible as a child, 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:32.200 and it was this idealized figure in a meadow with a lot of flowers, 00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:36.379 and He's holding a lamb, and little boys and girls are reaching out to Jesus. 00:09:37.159 --> 00:09:41.399 It's probably a sentimentalized, anemic, passive figure. 00:09:41.399 --> 00:09:45.860 We teach our kids about gentle Jesus, meek and mild, 00:09:46.740 --> 00:09:51.000 healing Jesus, forgiving Jesus, feeding Jesus, teaching Jesus. 00:09:51.220 --> 00:09:55.279 But what about whipping Jesus, who's driving the animals? 00:09:55.340 --> 00:09:59.179 What about table-turning Jesus, who's scattering the coins? 00:09:59.319 --> 00:10:04.699 We love the Jesus of John 2, who turns water into wine and brings the joy of the feast. 00:10:04.700 --> 00:10:07.800 But we're not so sure that we like this Jesus. 00:10:08.340 --> 00:10:11.720 The rest of John 2, that makes a whip of judgment. 00:10:12.640 --> 00:10:16.620 Now, the cords of this whip were the rushes that you would put under animals, 00:10:16.620 --> 00:10:18.600 and they were not strong at all. 00:10:18.660 --> 00:10:19.840 They wouldn't have hurt the animals. 00:10:20.060 --> 00:10:23.340 It's just a little whip woven together out of straw. 00:10:23.340 --> 00:10:26.940 Jesus is not physically overpowering these animals, 00:10:27.060 --> 00:10:32.580 but what He is doing is spiritually overpowering the people with His zeal for God 00:10:32.580 --> 00:10:34.879 and His moral outrage. 00:10:35.700 --> 00:10:37.960 Now, imagine what would happen if you did this. 00:10:38.120 --> 00:10:41.700 You waited till the biggest day in your office or your department. 00:10:42.660 --> 00:10:43.879 It's an open house. 00:10:43.980 --> 00:10:46.720 There's a year-end party, and you bust open the doors, 00:10:46.720 --> 00:10:51.980 and you start turning desks upside down and throwing papers all over the place. 00:10:52.660 --> 00:10:55.200 And you say, with a really loud voice, you say, 00:10:55.480 --> 00:10:57.240 this whole place is a disgrace. 00:10:58.139 --> 00:11:00.540 It's corrupt from top to bottom. 00:11:01.060 --> 00:11:02.700 You ought to be ashamed of yourselves. 00:11:02.779 --> 00:11:05.139 This entire system is finished. 00:11:07.060 --> 00:11:08.800 What do we do with this Jesus? 00:11:10.080 --> 00:11:11.560 Well, you basically have two options. 00:11:11.560 --> 00:11:13.680 You can go the Thomas Jefferson route, 00:11:13.679 --> 00:11:17.579 and you can basically just cut this part and any other part 00:11:17.579 --> 00:11:19.759 out of your Bible that you don't like. 00:11:20.339 --> 00:11:24.799 Or you can get comfortable with a Jesus that makes you uncomfortable. 00:11:25.500 --> 00:11:28.099 And I think that's why stories like this are in the Gospels. 00:11:28.719 --> 00:11:29.699 Listen to verse 16. 00:11:29.779 --> 00:11:31.519 To those who sold doves, He said, 00:11:32.379 --> 00:11:33.219 Get these out of here. 00:11:33.959 --> 00:11:36.159 Stop turning my Father's house into a market. 00:11:37.079 --> 00:11:39.000 His disciples remember that it is written, 00:11:39.000 --> 00:11:42.519 Zeal for your house will consume me. 00:11:42.519 --> 00:11:43.039 Zeal. 00:11:43.419 --> 00:11:43.939 Zeal. 00:11:44.019 --> 00:11:44.559 What is zeal? 00:11:44.679 --> 00:11:45.939 Zeal is energy. 00:11:46.860 --> 00:11:47.539 It's enthusiasm. 00:11:47.980 --> 00:11:49.960 It's passion and fire. 00:11:50.220 --> 00:11:53.379 It's intensity, fervency, and vigor. 00:11:53.500 --> 00:11:57.360 The antonym of zeal is apathy and indifference. 00:11:58.740 --> 00:12:02.059 What this tells us is that the real Jesus of the Gospels 00:12:02.059 --> 00:12:05.699 is going to do things and say things over and over 00:12:05.699 --> 00:12:08.279 that rub you the wrong way and make you say, 00:12:08.279 --> 00:12:10.259 who do you think you are? 00:12:10.500 --> 00:12:12.779 Which is what they ask Him here. 00:12:13.720 --> 00:12:14.839 Jesus comes in and He says, 00:12:15.159 --> 00:12:16.860 This is not your market. 00:12:17.639 --> 00:12:19.939 This is my Father's house. 00:12:20.879 --> 00:12:25.319 Who has the audacity to call God my Father? 00:12:25.419 --> 00:12:27.939 Not our Father, but my Father. 00:12:28.059 --> 00:12:30.500 Jesus is making a claim to a special, 00:12:30.679 --> 00:12:34.899 unique relationship with God as the eternal Son of God. 00:12:34.899 --> 00:12:38.120 And what is He so zealous for? 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:41.799 What is consuming Him and burning in Him and eating Him up? 00:12:42.120 --> 00:12:44.779 It's not so much the evils of the world. 00:12:44.779 --> 00:12:50.980 It's the fact that the people of God have lost their purity. 00:12:52.279 --> 00:12:54.120 This is to be the house of my Father, 00:12:54.500 --> 00:12:55.779 but you turn it into a market. 00:12:55.899 --> 00:12:58.000 This is to be the place of worship, 00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:00.639 but what you filled it with is a bunch of noise 00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:04.379 and mess and distraction and business 00:13:04.379 --> 00:13:06.659 and banking and money and deals. 00:13:07.419 --> 00:13:08.220 Now, don't get me wrong. 00:13:09.100 --> 00:13:12.039 Banking and business need to be done. 00:13:12.179 --> 00:13:13.360 Money needs to be changed. 00:13:13.360 --> 00:13:15.700 The animals here need to be purchased 00:13:15.700 --> 00:13:16.779 so they can be sacrificed. 00:13:17.000 --> 00:13:19.659 All of this is legitimate and essential. 00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:23.519 But the issue here is location, location, location. 00:13:24.800 --> 00:13:27.080 Jesus says, I want you to prepare for worship 00:13:27.080 --> 00:13:28.700 and I want you to do it in a different way, 00:13:28.759 --> 00:13:30.340 at a different time, in a different place. 00:13:30.580 --> 00:13:30.940 Why? 00:13:31.080 --> 00:13:32.820 Because God deserves respect. 00:13:33.919 --> 00:13:37.300 And Jesus has come to restore honor to God. 00:13:38.279 --> 00:13:40.539 What's the first thing He teaches us to pray 00:13:40.539 --> 00:13:41.940 in the Lord's Prayer? 00:13:41.940 --> 00:13:43.420 First line. 00:13:44.220 --> 00:13:48.940 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name. 00:13:49.020 --> 00:13:51.640 And He puts that at the top line of the prayer 00:13:51.640 --> 00:13:54.680 because it's His highest concern. 00:13:55.780 --> 00:13:58.700 It was precisely Jesus' passion for God's worship 00:13:58.700 --> 00:14:02.360 that led to Jesus' passion and death at human hands. 00:14:02.620 --> 00:14:05.080 That's why they arrested Him and put Him on trial. 00:14:05.080 --> 00:14:10.020 Jesus was so on fire for the majesty, the power, 00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:15.300 the holiness of God that He would get badly burned. 00:14:16.060 --> 00:14:17.879 And that's what Jesus' cross tells us. 00:14:17.920 --> 00:14:22.440 It tells us that if you have zeal for God and for His house, 00:14:22.500 --> 00:14:24.020 it's gonna hurt you too. 00:14:25.360 --> 00:14:27.500 So what does this mean for us, Christchurch, 00:14:27.560 --> 00:14:28.840 as we start a new year? 00:14:29.300 --> 00:14:30.480 I just wanna ask some questions. 00:14:30.480 --> 00:14:35.920 How closely do we resemble Jesus' zeal 00:14:35.920 --> 00:14:39.159 about worshiping and honoring God? 00:14:40.460 --> 00:14:42.500 And would people recognize in us 00:14:42.500 --> 00:14:45.820 Jesus' consuming passion for the quality, 00:14:46.539 --> 00:14:49.700 authenticity, and purity of our relationships with God 00:14:49.700 --> 00:14:52.100 and our worship given to God? 00:14:52.100 --> 00:14:55.720 I want you to think about this text from the prophet Malachi. 00:14:55.899 --> 00:14:58.379 This is Malachi chapter three, verse one. 00:14:58.480 --> 00:15:00.220 You've probably heard this if you've ever heard 00:15:00.220 --> 00:15:01.139 Handel's Messiah. 00:15:01.379 --> 00:15:02.060 It says this, 00:15:02.920 --> 00:15:04.759 Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking 00:15:04.759 --> 00:15:05.899 will come to His temple, 00:15:06.440 --> 00:15:08.820 but who can endure the day of His coming? 00:15:08.980 --> 00:15:11.420 Who can stand when He appears? 00:15:11.540 --> 00:15:13.840 For He will be like a refiner's fire 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:15.700 and a launderer's soap. 00:15:16.060 --> 00:15:19.080 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. 00:15:19.080 --> 00:15:21.460 He will purify the Levites and refine them 00:15:21.460 --> 00:15:23.040 like gold and silver. 00:15:23.200 --> 00:15:24.860 And then the Lord will have people 00:15:24.860 --> 00:15:27.860 who will bring offerings in righteousness. 00:15:29.560 --> 00:15:32.740 If Jesus were to put us in our worship 00:15:32.740 --> 00:15:34.540 through His refiner's fire, 00:15:35.180 --> 00:15:39.960 what slag, what dross would be removed 00:15:39.960 --> 00:15:43.000 so that what remains is pure gold? 00:15:44.180 --> 00:15:48.020 If Jesus were to cleanse us in our worship 00:15:48.019 --> 00:15:49.759 with His launderer's soap, 00:15:49.919 --> 00:15:53.039 soaking and beading and scrubbing and rinsing, 00:15:53.340 --> 00:15:56.220 what dirt, what stains would be removed 00:15:56.220 --> 00:15:58.919 so that what remains is pure fabric? 00:16:00.220 --> 00:16:02.679 If Jesus were to put together a whip 00:16:02.679 --> 00:16:06.759 to drive out the animals of distraction in our lives 00:16:06.759 --> 00:16:10.439 and to overturn the tables of lesser priorities 00:16:10.439 --> 00:16:13.399 in our lives that keep us from morning prayer 00:16:13.399 --> 00:16:16.740 and daily scripture and showing up prepared 00:16:16.740 --> 00:16:19.860 and on time week after week to Sunday worship, 00:16:20.860 --> 00:16:24.539 what would those distractions and lesser priorities be? 00:16:25.699 --> 00:16:27.000 Malachi 3 says, 00:16:27.259 --> 00:16:28.519 then the Lord will have people 00:16:28.519 --> 00:16:31.639 who will bring offerings in righteousness. 00:16:33.100 --> 00:16:35.980 John 2 says that whatever is in our lives 00:16:35.980 --> 00:16:39.120 that needs to be burned up in the refiner's fire, 00:16:39.120 --> 00:16:42.779 whatever needs to be washed away by the launderer's soap, 00:16:42.860 --> 00:16:43.960 whatever is impure, 00:16:44.440 --> 00:16:46.200 whatever is unrighteous, 00:16:46.320 --> 00:16:49.000 whatever is insignificant and unimportant 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:50.700 and not worthy of God, 00:16:50.840 --> 00:16:53.659 Jesus says to that thing that He's pointing at 00:16:53.659 --> 00:16:55.419 in my life and in your life, 00:16:55.860 --> 00:16:57.100 get rid of it. 00:16:57.620 --> 00:16:58.399 Get it out of here. 00:16:59.419 --> 00:17:01.460 Get rid of everything that's keeping you 00:17:01.460 --> 00:17:03.320 away from my Father's house 00:17:03.320 --> 00:17:06.559 and get rid of everything that's not appropriate 00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:10.259 and fitting to bring into my Father's house. 00:17:11.339 --> 00:17:12.079 You guys with me? 00:17:14.359 --> 00:17:15.319 You guys with me? 00:17:15.700 --> 00:17:15.919 Okay. 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:17.759 The mask, I can't tell. 00:17:18.839 --> 00:17:22.159 The house of my Father is not a transactional market 00:17:22.159 --> 00:17:23.099 among equals. 00:17:24.460 --> 00:17:26.659 The house of my Father is the place 00:17:26.659 --> 00:17:30.159 where the almighty, majestic, holy God 00:17:30.159 --> 00:17:33.039 wants little people like us to come 00:17:33.039 --> 00:17:34.139 and be at home with Him 00:17:34.140 --> 00:17:36.400 in personal, intimate relationships. 00:17:37.680 --> 00:17:39.580 The Father's house is a place 00:17:39.580 --> 00:17:43.780 where we enter into a familial covenant bond 00:17:43.780 --> 00:17:46.120 with Him by His Son and by His Spirit. 00:17:46.200 --> 00:17:48.920 It's the place where by the Spirit 00:17:48.920 --> 00:17:52.320 we come to share in the relationship 00:17:52.320 --> 00:17:55.680 that the Son has with His Father. 00:17:56.400 --> 00:17:56.780 Wow. 00:17:57.040 --> 00:17:58.780 What a high privilege. 00:17:58.779 --> 00:18:02.619 And yet what a high responsibility 00:18:02.619 --> 00:18:04.279 for the people of God. 00:18:05.259 --> 00:18:06.359 You see, in John 2, 00:18:06.440 --> 00:18:08.359 we encounter the Lord of the wine 00:18:08.359 --> 00:18:09.440 and the Lord of the whip. 00:18:09.519 --> 00:18:09.859 Both. 00:18:09.940 --> 00:18:10.859 We can't separate them. 00:18:10.899 --> 00:18:12.059 We have to have both together. 00:18:12.200 --> 00:18:14.099 In the sermon on the wine, 00:18:15.119 --> 00:18:17.000 we expect in a healthy church 00:18:17.000 --> 00:18:19.759 to find Jesus meeting the personal needs 00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:20.779 of ordinary people 00:18:20.779 --> 00:18:24.139 and quietly entering into their private crises 00:18:24.140 --> 00:18:25.900 and gently but powerfully 00:18:25.900 --> 00:18:28.220 moving individuals and families 00:18:28.220 --> 00:18:29.500 from shame to joy. 00:18:29.580 --> 00:18:31.280 That's the turning of the water into wine. 00:18:32.380 --> 00:18:33.640 But the sermon on the whip 00:18:33.640 --> 00:18:35.380 tells us to expect a Jesus 00:18:35.380 --> 00:18:37.580 who will come and judge the public worship 00:18:37.580 --> 00:18:38.800 of the people of God 00:18:38.800 --> 00:18:40.940 and to raise up a people 00:18:40.940 --> 00:18:42.960 who are zealously passionate 00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:46.720 for the purity of the people of God. 00:18:47.960 --> 00:18:49.580 So that's zealous Jesus. 00:18:50.320 --> 00:18:52.440 Add that to all of your other Jesuses. 00:18:52.440 --> 00:18:56.120 Zealous Jesus wants to make bold claims here 00:18:56.120 --> 00:18:57.039 about God, 00:18:57.279 --> 00:18:59.820 but also about his body. 00:19:00.279 --> 00:19:02.180 He wants to make bold claims about his body. 00:19:03.180 --> 00:19:04.640 It's a minor miracle that Jesus 00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:06.980 is not arrested on the spot. 00:19:07.980 --> 00:19:09.580 It's shocking that people put up 00:19:09.580 --> 00:19:10.460 with this behavior, 00:19:10.600 --> 00:19:12.620 this protest from this lone agitator, 00:19:12.740 --> 00:19:14.860 this unknown prophet from Galilee, 00:19:14.980 --> 00:19:17.279 but they do have questions. 00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:19.460 And in verse 18, they say, 00:19:19.460 --> 00:19:22.019 what sign can you show us 00:19:22.019 --> 00:19:24.600 to prove your authority to do all this? 00:19:25.640 --> 00:19:26.740 Now, Thomas Jefferson, 00:19:27.160 --> 00:19:29.740 he did actually remove this part 00:19:29.740 --> 00:19:32.000 from verse 17 and following 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:33.120 from his Bible 00:19:33.120 --> 00:19:35.120 because he didn't much like 00:19:35.120 --> 00:19:36.960 a divine authoritative Christ. 00:19:38.500 --> 00:19:40.059 Because listen to Jesus' answer. 00:19:40.100 --> 00:19:41.120 How does he answer the question? 00:19:41.299 --> 00:19:42.559 He says in verse 19, 00:19:43.279 --> 00:19:44.400 destroy this temple 00:19:44.400 --> 00:19:46.300 and I will raise it again 00:19:46.300 --> 00:19:47.320 in three days. 00:19:48.360 --> 00:19:50.640 That's a cataclysmic claim. 00:19:51.560 --> 00:19:53.759 We modern people miss it 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:54.700 because we don't really know 00:19:54.700 --> 00:19:55.380 what temples are, 00:19:55.620 --> 00:19:57.040 but ancient people knew 00:19:57.040 --> 00:19:58.880 that the temple was the place 00:19:58.880 --> 00:20:01.000 where heaven and earth, 00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:03.540 where the eternal 00:20:03.540 --> 00:20:05.480 and the temporal, 00:20:06.060 --> 00:20:06.800 where the supernatural 00:20:06.800 --> 00:20:07.960 and the natural 00:20:07.960 --> 00:20:10.100 intersect and meet together. 00:20:10.180 --> 00:20:11.400 It's a cosmic crossroads 00:20:11.400 --> 00:20:12.120 crossroads, 00:20:12.180 --> 00:20:14.060 where the divine resides 00:20:14.060 --> 00:20:16.480 and where the divine presence 00:20:16.480 --> 00:20:17.700 is mediated 00:20:17.700 --> 00:20:18.740 and where the gap 00:20:18.740 --> 00:20:19.880 between us 00:20:19.880 --> 00:20:20.660 and the divine 00:20:20.660 --> 00:20:22.320 is bridged. 00:20:23.280 --> 00:20:25.600 If you go to Mount Zion today 00:20:25.600 --> 00:20:26.680 in Jerusalem, 00:20:27.040 --> 00:20:28.019 you'll see that it's, 00:20:28.140 --> 00:20:29.320 you'll see why it's one of the 00:20:29.320 --> 00:20:30.820 wonders of the ancient world. 00:20:31.700 --> 00:20:32.580 It's a building project. 00:20:32.680 --> 00:20:33.900 Some of us went a few years back. 00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:35.200 It's a building project 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:36.780 that lasted 46 years 00:20:36.780 --> 00:20:38.680 and it's just a remarkable 00:20:38.680 --> 00:20:40.120 architectural achievement. 00:20:40.119 --> 00:20:42.039 Massive retaining walls, 00:20:42.199 --> 00:20:43.839 1,500 feet long, 00:20:43.939 --> 00:20:45.879 150 feet high 00:20:45.879 --> 00:20:47.539 and some of these, 00:20:47.859 --> 00:20:49.599 some of the blocks 00:20:49.599 --> 00:20:50.939 are 40 feet wide, 00:20:51.059 --> 00:20:52.539 500 tons apiece. 00:20:53.399 --> 00:20:54.639 And it's this platform 00:20:54.639 --> 00:20:56.659 that creates 37 acres, 00:20:56.779 --> 00:20:59.819 basically 25 American football fields 00:20:59.819 --> 00:21:01.119 on the top of this platform. 00:21:01.839 --> 00:21:02.659 And when you get up 00:21:02.659 --> 00:21:04.739 on the top of this gigantic plaza, 00:21:05.219 --> 00:21:06.779 there are these large staircases 00:21:06.779 --> 00:21:08.039 that go up even higher 00:21:08.039 --> 00:21:09.959 into the court of the Gentiles 00:21:09.960 --> 00:21:10.779 and then the court 00:21:10.779 --> 00:21:11.799 of the Israelites. 00:21:12.120 --> 00:21:13.180 And then you come 00:21:13.180 --> 00:21:14.480 to where the Passover lambs 00:21:14.480 --> 00:21:15.519 were placed 00:21:15.519 --> 00:21:16.900 on the altar of sacrifice 00:21:16.900 --> 00:21:18.500 and then you look beyond that 00:21:18.500 --> 00:21:20.220 to the temple itself 00:21:20.220 --> 00:21:21.279 covered in gold, 00:21:21.440 --> 00:21:24.059 towering another 150 feet high 00:21:24.059 --> 00:21:26.380 where only one priest 00:21:26.380 --> 00:21:28.420 can enter one time a day 00:21:28.420 --> 00:21:30.279 and where only the high priest 00:21:30.279 --> 00:21:32.579 can go into the very innermost part, 00:21:32.660 --> 00:21:33.519 the Holy of Holies, 00:21:33.640 --> 00:21:35.140 one time a year. 00:21:35.460 --> 00:21:36.779 What's up with all this? 00:21:37.259 --> 00:21:38.200 What does all this mean? 00:21:38.200 --> 00:21:39.860 Why go to all the trouble? 00:21:41.059 --> 00:21:42.440 Well, the temple tells us 00:21:42.440 --> 00:21:45.539 that the ultimate transcendent mystery, 00:21:46.680 --> 00:21:48.980 the mystery behind all mysteries 00:21:48.980 --> 00:21:49.620 in this world, 00:21:49.700 --> 00:21:52.180 that gap between that mysterious power 00:21:52.180 --> 00:21:54.420 and us has been bridged 00:21:54.420 --> 00:21:58.220 and that all that's wrong with us 00:21:58.220 --> 00:22:00.240 can be made right here 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:01.680 by the priests 00:22:01.680 --> 00:22:03.660 and the sacrificial lambs 00:22:03.660 --> 00:22:04.519 and all the prayers 00:22:04.519 --> 00:22:06.200 and the price that's being paid 00:22:06.200 --> 00:22:07.860 in this place. 00:22:08.860 --> 00:22:10.240 The temple is the place 00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:11.740 where you find the one thing 00:22:11.740 --> 00:22:12.519 in the whole world 00:22:12.519 --> 00:22:13.640 that you can't explain, 00:22:13.740 --> 00:22:15.040 the one thing that explains 00:22:15.040 --> 00:22:16.640 everything else. 00:22:17.900 --> 00:22:19.360 And what does Jesus claim 00:22:19.360 --> 00:22:20.240 about this place? 00:22:21.519 --> 00:22:22.779 He says, I'm it. 00:22:24.080 --> 00:22:25.400 I am the temple. 00:22:25.519 --> 00:22:26.880 I'm the ultimate reality 00:22:26.880 --> 00:22:28.480 that you seek. 00:22:29.460 --> 00:22:30.599 Now, if you go back 00:22:30.599 --> 00:22:31.160 just a minute 00:22:31.160 --> 00:22:32.819 to the Old Testament, 00:22:33.019 --> 00:22:34.319 to 2 Chronicles 7, 00:22:35.299 --> 00:22:36.079 King Solomon 00:22:36.079 --> 00:22:38.539 builds this amazing temple 00:22:38.539 --> 00:22:39.900 and he dedicates it. 00:22:39.980 --> 00:22:40.819 He prays this prayer 00:22:40.819 --> 00:22:41.700 and we're told 00:22:41.700 --> 00:22:42.559 when he prays, 00:22:42.819 --> 00:22:44.839 fire came down from heaven 00:22:44.839 --> 00:22:46.240 and the glory of the Lord 00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:47.620 filled the temple 00:22:47.620 --> 00:22:48.799 to a degree 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:49.640 that the priests 00:22:49.640 --> 00:22:50.799 couldn't serve anymore. 00:22:51.059 --> 00:22:52.360 The people, 00:22:52.500 --> 00:22:52.799 it says, 00:22:52.920 --> 00:22:54.180 they fell down 00:22:54.180 --> 00:22:54.880 with their faces 00:22:54.880 --> 00:22:55.539 on the ground 00:22:55.539 --> 00:22:56.339 and they worshiped 00:22:56.339 --> 00:22:57.139 and they cried out, 00:22:57.679 --> 00:22:58.659 the Lord is good. 00:22:59.500 --> 00:23:01.539 His love endures forever. 00:23:02.659 --> 00:23:03.919 That's what the scriptures 00:23:03.919 --> 00:23:06.179 call the Shekinah glory of God. 00:23:07.079 --> 00:23:08.699 And that same glory, 00:23:08.839 --> 00:23:10.379 that divine presence of God 00:23:10.379 --> 00:23:11.220 had come down 00:23:11.220 --> 00:23:12.220 at Mount Sinai 00:23:12.220 --> 00:23:14.179 a long time before. 00:23:14.919 --> 00:23:16.339 It's basically an earthquake, 00:23:16.879 --> 00:23:18.000 a hurricane, 00:23:18.279 --> 00:23:18.879 and a volcano 00:23:18.879 --> 00:23:19.980 all in one 00:23:19.980 --> 00:23:21.339 and Moses had the audacity 00:23:21.339 --> 00:23:21.699 to say, 00:23:21.779 --> 00:23:22.699 Lord, show me 00:23:22.699 --> 00:23:24.220 the fullness of your glory. 00:23:24.220 --> 00:23:26.700 And what did God say to Moses? 00:23:26.779 --> 00:23:26.980 He said, 00:23:27.059 --> 00:23:27.839 Moses, no way. 00:23:27.940 --> 00:23:28.960 You would die. 00:23:29.579 --> 00:23:31.700 You can't handle my glory. 00:23:32.559 --> 00:23:33.259 And here, 00:23:33.380 --> 00:23:34.200 the glory of God 00:23:34.200 --> 00:23:35.240 comes down to the temple 00:23:35.240 --> 00:23:36.779 and it sweeps people 00:23:36.779 --> 00:23:37.779 off of their feet 00:23:37.779 --> 00:23:39.240 and it casts them down 00:23:39.240 --> 00:23:40.200 on the ground 00:23:40.200 --> 00:23:40.900 and here, 00:23:41.140 --> 00:23:42.799 Jesus at the Passover says, 00:23:43.360 --> 00:23:44.079 that's me. 00:23:45.559 --> 00:23:46.539 My body, 00:23:47.339 --> 00:23:49.059 my physical person 00:23:49.059 --> 00:23:51.759 houses the Shekinah glory 00:23:51.759 --> 00:23:52.859 of God. 00:23:53.839 --> 00:23:55.140 And the question for us 00:23:55.140 --> 00:23:56.259 is have we adequately 00:23:56.259 --> 00:23:58.359 understood Jesus' claim? 00:23:59.940 --> 00:24:01.920 Colossians 2 verse 9 00:24:01.920 --> 00:24:02.240 says, 00:24:02.379 --> 00:24:03.019 for in Christ 00:24:03.019 --> 00:24:03.839 all the fullness 00:24:03.839 --> 00:24:04.480 of the deity 00:24:04.480 --> 00:24:06.420 lives in bodily form. 00:24:07.299 --> 00:24:08.200 And we've been looking 00:24:08.200 --> 00:24:08.839 over and over 00:24:08.839 --> 00:24:09.920 at John 1 14 00:24:09.920 --> 00:24:10.460 where it says, 00:24:10.599 --> 00:24:11.680 the word became flesh 00:24:11.680 --> 00:24:13.079 and tabernacled 00:24:13.079 --> 00:24:14.900 or templed among us 00:24:14.900 --> 00:24:15.920 and we have seen 00:24:15.920 --> 00:24:17.579 his glory, 00:24:17.859 --> 00:24:18.500 it says. 00:24:18.859 --> 00:24:20.420 Now that's a huge claim 00:24:20.420 --> 00:24:20.940 in and of itself, 00:24:21.019 --> 00:24:21.680 but Jesus goes 00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:22.960 one step further here 00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:23.440 and he says, 00:24:24.200 --> 00:24:24.960 take this temple 00:24:24.960 --> 00:24:27.240 and destroy it 00:24:27.240 --> 00:24:29.140 and I will raise it up 00:24:29.140 --> 00:24:30.940 again in three days. 00:24:32.600 --> 00:24:33.759 This destroyed 00:24:33.759 --> 00:24:34.900 yet rebuilt temple 00:24:34.900 --> 00:24:36.000 is simple code 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:36.560 from Jesus 00:24:36.560 --> 00:24:37.700 about his crucified 00:24:37.700 --> 00:24:39.759 yet resurrected body. 00:24:40.779 --> 00:24:41.660 And what he's saying 00:24:41.660 --> 00:24:42.920 is that every other temple 00:24:42.920 --> 00:24:44.680 you go to the priest, 00:24:45.019 --> 00:24:46.480 you bring the sacrifice, 00:24:46.800 --> 00:24:47.820 you pay the price, 00:24:47.900 --> 00:24:49.460 but in this new temple, 00:24:49.460 --> 00:24:50.799 I am the priest, 00:24:51.799 --> 00:24:53.900 I am the sacrificial lamb 00:24:53.900 --> 00:24:56.380 and I pay the full price. 00:24:56.559 --> 00:24:57.579 Here is where 00:24:57.579 --> 00:24:59.940 the atoning work of God, 00:25:00.059 --> 00:25:01.220 the mercy of God, 00:25:01.319 --> 00:25:02.440 the forgiveness of God 00:25:02.440 --> 00:25:03.940 happens right here 00:25:03.940 --> 00:25:05.480 in me. 00:25:07.360 --> 00:25:08.440 Jesus is saying, 00:25:08.640 --> 00:25:09.319 I'm the God 00:25:09.319 --> 00:25:11.019 on the other side 00:25:11.019 --> 00:25:11.579 of the gap 00:25:11.579 --> 00:25:13.579 and I've come over 00:25:13.579 --> 00:25:15.079 on your side 00:25:15.079 --> 00:25:15.860 and when I die 00:25:15.860 --> 00:25:16.460 on the cross, 00:25:16.519 --> 00:25:17.779 I'm gonna put a bridge 00:25:17.779 --> 00:25:20.220 that's gonna bridge 00:25:20.220 --> 00:25:21.319 the infinite gap 00:25:21.319 --> 00:25:23.119 between you and God. 00:25:23.119 --> 00:25:24.339 For I am the temple 00:25:24.339 --> 00:25:26.339 that all humanity 00:25:26.339 --> 00:25:27.460 has been looking for. 00:25:27.559 --> 00:25:28.339 I've come to fulfill 00:25:28.339 --> 00:25:29.420 the highest ideals 00:25:29.420 --> 00:25:30.700 of all the temples 00:25:30.700 --> 00:25:31.299 of this world 00:25:31.299 --> 00:25:32.279 and render them 00:25:32.279 --> 00:25:33.240 obsolete. 00:25:34.740 --> 00:25:36.200 Has anybody else 00:25:36.200 --> 00:25:37.000 made such a claim? 00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:37.879 Any other religion 00:25:37.879 --> 00:25:38.759 made such a claim? 00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:40.799 Jesus, 00:25:41.579 --> 00:25:42.500 on this Passover, 00:25:42.680 --> 00:25:43.379 claims to be 00:25:43.379 --> 00:25:43.960 the temple, 00:25:45.259 --> 00:25:46.180 the house of the Father, 00:25:46.180 --> 00:25:47.279 but three Passovers 00:25:47.279 --> 00:25:47.820 from now, 00:25:48.700 --> 00:25:49.900 in the spring of 30 AD, 00:25:50.060 --> 00:25:50.480 on the night 00:25:50.480 --> 00:25:51.740 before his crucifixion, 00:25:52.420 --> 00:25:53.720 Jesus gives his disciples 00:25:53.720 --> 00:25:55.279 a new Passover. 00:25:56.460 --> 00:25:57.259 At that time 00:25:57.259 --> 00:25:58.440 when liberation 00:25:58.440 --> 00:25:59.279 and freedom 00:25:59.279 --> 00:26:00.640 and rescue from slavery 00:26:00.640 --> 00:26:01.460 are being celebrated, 00:26:01.640 --> 00:26:03.019 Jesus breaks bread 00:26:03.019 --> 00:26:04.360 and he pours out wine 00:26:04.360 --> 00:26:04.860 and he says, 00:26:05.120 --> 00:26:05.700 my body 00:26:05.700 --> 00:26:06.560 and my blood 00:26:06.560 --> 00:26:08.039 are the new Passover 00:26:08.039 --> 00:26:09.380 sacrifice for you. 00:26:10.740 --> 00:26:11.539 And friends, 00:26:11.680 --> 00:26:13.000 the crucified yet risen 00:26:13.000 --> 00:26:14.440 Jesus comes among us 00:26:14.440 --> 00:26:15.640 every time we gather 00:26:15.640 --> 00:26:17.000 in this place 00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:18.799 and he does the same thing. 00:26:18.880 --> 00:26:19.259 He says, 00:26:19.380 --> 00:26:20.680 the temple of my body 00:26:20.680 --> 00:26:23.100 was destroyed on the cross 00:26:23.100 --> 00:26:24.380 to free you from your sins. 00:26:24.460 --> 00:26:25.539 The temple of my body 00:26:25.539 --> 00:26:26.700 was raised up 00:26:26.700 --> 00:26:27.340 on the third day 00:26:27.340 --> 00:26:28.500 to liberate you 00:26:28.500 --> 00:26:29.320 from death. 00:26:29.420 --> 00:26:30.700 You cannot bridge 00:26:30.700 --> 00:26:31.539 the gap 00:26:31.539 --> 00:26:32.380 without me. 00:26:32.480 --> 00:26:33.080 You cannot 00:26:33.080 --> 00:26:34.240 be the priest. 00:26:34.320 --> 00:26:35.180 You cannot pay 00:26:35.180 --> 00:26:35.820 the sacrifice. 00:26:36.039 --> 00:26:36.519 You cannot 00:26:36.519 --> 00:26:38.000 give 00:26:38.000 --> 00:26:39.240 what it takes. 00:26:40.200 --> 00:26:41.440 You can't do it 00:26:41.440 --> 00:26:41.920 without me, 00:26:41.920 --> 00:26:42.600 so come 00:26:42.600 --> 00:26:44.060 put your trust 00:26:44.060 --> 00:26:44.440 in me. 00:26:45.620 --> 00:26:46.640 Seek the continuing 00:26:46.640 --> 00:26:47.720 presence of God 00:26:47.720 --> 00:26:48.180 in me. 00:26:48.340 --> 00:26:49.600 Make your home 00:26:49.600 --> 00:26:50.779 here with me 00:26:50.779 --> 00:26:52.400 in my Father's house 00:26:52.400 --> 00:26:52.820 and that's what 00:26:52.820 --> 00:26:53.380 we're going to do 00:26:53.380 --> 00:26:54.720 in just a moment 00:26:54.720 --> 00:26:55.420 as we come 00:26:55.420 --> 00:26:56.300 to Jesus 00:26:56.300 --> 00:26:57.080 at his table. 00:26:59.080 --> 00:27:00.000 But I want to say 00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:00.940 one final thing 00:27:00.940 --> 00:27:01.600 because Jesus, 00:27:02.340 --> 00:27:03.180 zealous Jesus, 00:27:03.840 --> 00:27:05.160 makes a bold claim 00:27:05.160 --> 00:27:06.039 here about God. 00:27:07.039 --> 00:27:07.960 He makes a really 00:27:07.960 --> 00:27:08.680 bold claim here 00:27:08.680 --> 00:27:09.560 about his body. 00:27:09.559 --> 00:27:11.419 But he goes 00:27:11.419 --> 00:27:12.179 one step further 00:27:12.179 --> 00:27:12.779 and he says, 00:27:12.879 --> 00:27:13.440 he makes a bold 00:27:13.440 --> 00:27:14.460 claim about us, 00:27:14.519 --> 00:27:15.379 about our hearts. 00:27:17.379 --> 00:27:18.059 Jesus came 00:27:18.059 --> 00:27:18.740 at a time, 00:27:19.220 --> 00:27:19.659 Passover, 00:27:19.919 --> 00:27:20.659 and to a place, 00:27:20.740 --> 00:27:21.179 the temple, 00:27:22.059 --> 00:27:23.480 that was so central 00:27:23.480 --> 00:27:24.359 in the life 00:27:24.359 --> 00:27:24.839 of Israel 00:27:24.839 --> 00:27:25.419 that what 00:27:25.419 --> 00:27:26.819 he did there 00:27:26.819 --> 00:27:28.940 had to reverberate 00:27:28.940 --> 00:27:29.779 through all 00:27:29.779 --> 00:27:30.740 of Israel, 00:27:30.859 --> 00:27:31.319 through the whole 00:27:31.319 --> 00:27:31.919 nation because 00:27:31.919 --> 00:27:32.359 the temple 00:27:32.359 --> 00:27:33.000 is the beating 00:27:33.000 --> 00:27:34.440 heart of Judaism. 00:27:35.319 --> 00:27:36.179 It's not just 00:27:36.179 --> 00:27:37.019 another church 00:27:37.019 --> 00:27:37.460 on the street 00:27:37.460 --> 00:27:37.779 corner. 00:27:38.539 --> 00:27:39.039 The temple 00:27:39.039 --> 00:27:39.720 is the center 00:27:39.720 --> 00:27:40.460 of worship 00:27:40.460 --> 00:27:41.200 and music, 00:27:41.319 --> 00:27:41.940 of politics 00:27:41.940 --> 00:27:43.019 and society, 00:27:43.159 --> 00:27:43.519 the center 00:27:43.519 --> 00:27:44.460 of national 00:27:44.460 --> 00:27:45.180 celebration 00:27:45.180 --> 00:27:46.339 and mourning. 00:27:46.460 --> 00:27:46.960 And here this 00:27:46.960 --> 00:27:47.859 unknown prophet 00:27:47.859 --> 00:27:48.519 from Galilee 00:27:48.519 --> 00:27:49.859 comes and he 00:27:49.859 --> 00:27:50.779 shockingly turns 00:27:50.779 --> 00:27:52.240 everything upside 00:27:52.240 --> 00:27:53.099 down and he 00:27:53.099 --> 00:27:53.920 makes quite a 00:27:53.920 --> 00:27:54.180 stir. 00:27:55.139 --> 00:27:55.599 In fact, 00:27:55.639 --> 00:27:56.519 he impresses 00:27:56.519 --> 00:27:58.000 quite a number 00:27:58.000 --> 00:27:58.519 of people. 00:27:59.519 --> 00:28:00.659 In today's terms, 00:28:00.960 --> 00:28:01.480 we would say 00:28:01.480 --> 00:28:02.240 that Jesus had 00:28:02.240 --> 00:28:03.039 many followers 00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:03.680 on Twitter 00:28:03.680 --> 00:28:04.980 and Instagram 00:28:04.980 --> 00:28:05.599 and TikTok. 00:28:06.799 --> 00:28:07.339 Somebody would 00:28:07.339 --> 00:28:08.039 have made a 00:28:08.039 --> 00:28:08.980 popular YouTube 00:28:08.980 --> 00:28:09.779 channel and 00:28:09.779 --> 00:28:10.779 started a podcast 00:28:10.779 --> 00:28:11.480 and he'd 00:28:11.480 --> 00:28:12.000 have had lots 00:28:12.000 --> 00:28:12.559 of likes 00:28:12.559 --> 00:28:13.619 and shares 00:28:13.619 --> 00:28:15.319 and views 00:28:15.319 --> 00:28:16.259 and Jesus 00:28:16.259 --> 00:28:17.359 goes viral 00:28:17.359 --> 00:28:18.099 in this moment 00:28:18.099 --> 00:28:19.839 and he becomes 00:28:19.839 --> 00:28:20.659 an influencer. 00:28:21.759 --> 00:28:22.799 An influencer 00:28:22.799 --> 00:28:24.139 is, quote, 00:28:24.480 --> 00:28:25.299 someone who has 00:28:25.299 --> 00:28:27.019 large followings 00:28:27.019 --> 00:28:27.740 of enthusiastic, 00:28:28.299 --> 00:28:29.119 engaged people 00:28:29.119 --> 00:28:29.980 who pay close 00:28:29.980 --> 00:28:31.059 attention to 00:28:31.059 --> 00:28:31.740 their views. 00:28:33.639 --> 00:28:34.019 Now, 00:28:34.059 --> 00:28:34.519 what does Jesus 00:28:34.519 --> 00:28:35.199 think about all 00:28:35.199 --> 00:28:35.699 these new 00:28:35.700 --> 00:28:36.960 enthusiastic followers? 00:28:38.279 --> 00:28:38.860 How does he 00:28:38.860 --> 00:28:39.539 relate to them? 00:28:39.600 --> 00:28:40.160 How does Jesus 00:28:40.160 --> 00:28:41.000 leverage his 00:28:41.000 --> 00:28:42.440 mega-influencer 00:28:42.440 --> 00:28:43.240 status? 00:28:44.539 --> 00:28:45.279 Verse 23, 00:28:45.420 --> 00:28:45.980 now while he 00:28:45.980 --> 00:28:46.840 was in Jerusalem 00:28:46.840 --> 00:28:48.319 at the Passover 00:28:48.319 --> 00:28:48.819 festival, 00:28:48.980 --> 00:28:49.759 many people saw 00:28:49.759 --> 00:28:50.539 the signs he was 00:28:50.539 --> 00:28:51.200 performing and 00:28:51.200 --> 00:28:51.940 believed in his 00:28:51.940 --> 00:28:53.220 name, but Jesus 00:28:53.220 --> 00:28:54.259 would not entrust 00:28:54.259 --> 00:28:55.000 himself to them 00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:55.600 for he knew 00:28:55.600 --> 00:28:56.180 all people. 00:28:56.539 --> 00:28:57.500 He did not need 00:28:57.500 --> 00:28:58.299 human testimony 00:28:58.299 --> 00:28:59.120 about them for 00:28:59.120 --> 00:29:00.319 he knew what 00:29:00.319 --> 00:29:01.259 was in them. 00:29:02.580 --> 00:29:03.480 Jesus knows 00:29:03.480 --> 00:29:03.920 the difference 00:29:03.920 --> 00:29:05.160 between believers 00:29:05.160 --> 00:29:08.120 and believers. 00:29:09.660 --> 00:29:11.180 Jesus makes 00:29:11.180 --> 00:29:12.120 a key distinction 00:29:12.120 --> 00:29:12.860 between two 00:29:12.860 --> 00:29:13.680 different types 00:29:13.680 --> 00:29:14.340 of belief, 00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:16.160 which seems 00:29:16.160 --> 00:29:16.580 to be the 00:29:16.580 --> 00:29:17.220 difference between 00:29:17.220 --> 00:29:17.960 belief that is 00:29:17.960 --> 00:29:18.800 shallow and 00:29:18.800 --> 00:29:19.380 belief that is 00:29:19.380 --> 00:29:19.779 deep. 00:29:20.900 --> 00:29:22.240 Belief that is 00:29:22.240 --> 00:29:23.220 temporary and 00:29:23.220 --> 00:29:23.820 belief that is 00:29:23.820 --> 00:29:24.279 ongoing. 00:29:25.519 --> 00:29:26.080 Belief that is 00:29:26.080 --> 00:29:27.259 circumstantial and 00:29:27.259 --> 00:29:28.140 belief that is 00:29:28.140 --> 00:29:28.759 authentic. 00:29:29.380 --> 00:29:29.980 And the question 00:29:29.980 --> 00:29:30.660 here is, will 00:29:30.660 --> 00:29:31.800 the belief of 00:29:31.800 --> 00:29:32.740 these so-called 00:29:32.740 --> 00:29:34.240 believers stick? 00:29:34.240 --> 00:29:35.400 Will it abide? 00:29:36.660 --> 00:29:37.819 Jesus is constantly 00:29:37.819 --> 00:29:38.420 begging this 00:29:38.420 --> 00:29:38.859 question. 00:29:39.900 --> 00:29:40.859 His first and 00:29:40.859 --> 00:29:42.539 greatest parable is 00:29:42.539 --> 00:29:43.200 the parable of the 00:29:43.200 --> 00:29:44.660 sower, the seed, and 00:29:44.660 --> 00:29:45.440 the soils, where 00:29:45.440 --> 00:29:48.019 three soils received 00:29:48.019 --> 00:29:49.579 the seed of God, but 00:29:49.579 --> 00:29:50.359 they failed to bear 00:29:50.359 --> 00:29:50.660 fruit. 00:29:50.700 --> 00:29:51.460 And only one of 00:29:51.460 --> 00:29:52.480 those four soils, 00:29:52.740 --> 00:29:54.279 who got the divine 00:29:54.279 --> 00:29:56.339 seed, took root and 00:29:56.339 --> 00:29:57.620 bore fruit. 00:29:58.079 --> 00:29:59.039 And in that parable 00:29:59.039 --> 00:30:00.160 that interprets all 00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:00.700 the rest of the 00:30:00.700 --> 00:30:01.700 parables, Jesus is 00:30:01.700 --> 00:30:03.039 saying, look, there's 00:30:03.039 --> 00:30:03.920 a belief that's 00:30:03.920 --> 00:30:05.180 shallow and 00:30:05.180 --> 00:30:06.400 temporary and 00:30:06.400 --> 00:30:08.259 circumstantial, and 00:30:08.259 --> 00:30:10.660 there's a belief that 00:30:10.660 --> 00:30:11.920 is deep and 00:30:11.920 --> 00:30:13.220 ongoing and 00:30:13.220 --> 00:30:13.660 authentic. 00:30:14.640 --> 00:30:16.279 And Jesus is 00:30:16.279 --> 00:30:17.160 deeply concerned 00:30:17.160 --> 00:30:17.819 here about 00:30:17.819 --> 00:30:19.960 untrustworthy types 00:30:19.960 --> 00:30:21.019 of believing. 00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:23.480 This belief is 00:30:23.480 --> 00:30:24.580 based upon things 00:30:24.580 --> 00:30:27.340 that are seen, not 00:30:27.340 --> 00:30:28.720 upon the Holy 00:30:28.720 --> 00:30:29.539 Spirit who is 00:30:29.539 --> 00:30:30.039 unseen. 00:30:31.360 --> 00:30:34.200 Jesus is 00:30:34.200 --> 00:30:36.100 looking for a 00:30:36.100 --> 00:30:36.900 faith that he can 00:30:36.900 --> 00:30:37.519 believe in. 00:30:38.100 --> 00:30:38.519 Right? 00:30:38.559 --> 00:30:39.839 He doesn't believe in 00:30:39.839 --> 00:30:41.259 their belief in him. 00:30:41.660 --> 00:30:42.019 Why? 00:30:42.120 --> 00:30:43.480 Because like it 00:30:43.480 --> 00:30:44.779 says in 1 Samuel 16 00:30:44.779 --> 00:30:45.960 7, the Lord does 00:30:45.960 --> 00:30:46.620 not look at the 00:30:46.620 --> 00:30:47.680 things human beings 00:30:47.680 --> 00:30:48.240 look at. 00:30:49.059 --> 00:30:49.980 People look at the 00:30:49.980 --> 00:30:50.720 outward appearance, 00:30:50.860 --> 00:30:52.180 but the Lord looks at 00:30:52.180 --> 00:30:53.120 the heart. 00:30:54.200 --> 00:30:55.380 So how can you know 00:30:55.380 --> 00:30:56.259 that you're a 00:30:56.259 --> 00:30:57.059 believer with the 00:30:57.059 --> 00:30:58.039 kind of belief that 00:30:58.039 --> 00:30:59.099 Jesus believes in? 00:31:01.119 --> 00:31:02.559 Well, say you 00:31:02.559 --> 00:31:03.500 invite a friend over 00:31:03.500 --> 00:31:04.379 to your apartment or 00:31:04.379 --> 00:31:06.399 to your house, and 00:31:06.399 --> 00:31:07.019 they walk in and 00:31:07.019 --> 00:31:07.680 they say, hey, you 00:31:07.680 --> 00:31:08.279 know what, let's move 00:31:08.279 --> 00:31:09.299 this couch from here 00:31:09.299 --> 00:31:11.200 to there, and let's 00:31:11.200 --> 00:31:12.599 put that table here, 00:31:12.680 --> 00:31:13.500 let's put that right 00:31:13.500 --> 00:31:14.059 over there. 00:31:14.759 --> 00:31:15.500 And you say to 00:31:15.500 --> 00:31:16.659 yourself, hey, what 00:31:16.659 --> 00:31:17.980 sort of authority do 00:31:17.980 --> 00:31:18.879 you think you have? 00:31:19.240 --> 00:31:20.559 I'm the owner and 00:31:20.559 --> 00:31:21.240 you're the guest. 00:31:22.960 --> 00:31:23.759 But you see, that's 00:31:23.759 --> 00:31:24.920 the point of John 2. 00:31:25.319 --> 00:31:26.240 Jesus comes in and 00:31:26.240 --> 00:31:27.079 he starts moving all 00:31:27.079 --> 00:31:27.980 the furniture around. 00:31:29.000 --> 00:31:30.119 And he's telling 00:31:30.119 --> 00:31:31.519 people what to do as 00:31:31.519 --> 00:31:32.559 if he owns the place 00:31:32.559 --> 00:31:34.139 because he does. 00:31:35.039 --> 00:31:36.859 And Jesus, we're told, 00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:38.019 he knows the difference 00:31:38.019 --> 00:31:39.159 between someone who 00:31:39.159 --> 00:31:40.879 sees him merely as a 00:31:40.879 --> 00:31:43.680 guest of their life or 00:31:43.680 --> 00:31:45.519 as the actual owner of 00:31:45.519 --> 00:31:46.059 their life. 00:31:46.740 --> 00:31:48.039 Between somebody who 00:31:48.039 --> 00:31:49.720 renders to him marginal 00:31:49.720 --> 00:31:51.000 authority and somebody 00:31:51.000 --> 00:31:52.279 who surrenders to him 00:31:52.279 --> 00:31:53.779 absolute authority. 00:31:53.899 --> 00:31:54.579 Somebody who says, 00:31:54.680 --> 00:31:55.619 Jesus, come on in and 00:31:55.619 --> 00:31:56.799 sit here as my guest. 00:31:57.579 --> 00:31:58.739 Or Jesus, why don't you 00:31:58.739 --> 00:32:00.019 come on in and move my 00:32:00.019 --> 00:32:01.699 couch and rearrange my 00:32:01.699 --> 00:32:03.599 life in whatever way you 00:32:03.599 --> 00:32:04.479 see fit. 00:32:05.559 --> 00:32:07.239 That's the Jesus we have 00:32:07.239 --> 00:32:09.279 in John chapter 2. 00:32:09.359 --> 00:32:10.839 And that's why over and 00:32:10.839 --> 00:32:12.559 over the scriptures tell 00:32:12.559 --> 00:32:14.039 us to examine ourselves. 00:32:15.319 --> 00:32:16.759 Paul says in 2 Corinthians 00:32:16.759 --> 00:32:20.199 13, 5, examine yourselves 00:32:20.200 --> 00:32:22.460 to see whether you are 00:32:22.460 --> 00:32:24.740 actually living in the 00:32:24.740 --> 00:32:25.100 faith. 00:32:26.360 --> 00:32:28.500 Examine yourselves to see 00:32:28.500 --> 00:32:30.600 whether you are actually 00:32:30.600 --> 00:32:32.740 living in the faith. 00:32:32.799 --> 00:32:33.660 And that's probably not a 00:32:33.660 --> 00:32:35.640 bad way for us to start a 00:32:35.640 --> 00:32:36.799 new year, 2022. 00:32:36.799 --> 00:32:41.500 Do we have the kind of 00:32:41.500 --> 00:32:44.980 belief that Jesus believes 00:32:44.980 --> 00:32:45.259 in? 00:32:46.379 --> 00:32:47.599 That's the question for us 00:32:47.599 --> 00:32:47.919 today. 00:32:48.480 --> 00:32:49.599 In the name of the Father, 00:32:49.700 --> 00:32:50.399 the Son, and the Holy 00:32:50.399 --> 00:32:50.779 Spirit. 00:32:51.700 --> 00:32:51.940 Amen.