WEBVTT

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 now we'll read together in our bibles from john chapter 2 we're thinking about

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 the seven signs in john's gospel revealing jesus glory last week his first sign where he turned

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 water into wine to allow joy and celebration to continue a wedding and now john moves from there

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 to where jesus clears the temple courts so this is john chapter 2 verse 13 when it was almost time

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 for the jewish passover jesus went up to jerusalem in the temple courts he found people selling cattle

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 sheep and doves and others sitting at tables exchanging money so he made a whip out of cords

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 and drove all from the temple courts both sheep and cattle he scattered the coins of the money changers

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 and overturned their tables to those who sold doves he said get these out of here stop turning my

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 father's house into a market his disciples remembered that it is written zeal for your house will consume

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 me the jews then responded to him what sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this

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 jesus answered them destroy this temple and i will raise it again in three days

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 but the temple he had spoken of was his body after he was raised from the dead his disciples recalled what

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 he had said then they believed the scripture and the words that jesus had spoken

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 so that was our second sign jesus cleansing or clearing the temple but before we get there let's begin

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 with the scenes the sad scenes from america this past week so much of the world has been

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 gripped by the tragic death of george floyd as the ugly head of injustice and racism has raised itself once more

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 leading to those protest movements that we have seen in various cities declaring the message that black lives

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 the message that black lives matter and they matter of course because every life matters

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 now as christians and as a church we believe and we insist on this reality that all people whoever

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 we are are made in the image of god with value and dignity before him and we also very much hold on to

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 the hope of the gospel that in jesus there is the hope of reconciliation

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 first of all as jesus dies and rises there is hope for us of being reconciled to god that despite our sin

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 that separates jesus has come to reconcile us to god as he takes our sin and he pays the punishment to bring

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 us peace with god but not only does jesus bring reconciliation with god which is glorious

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 he also brings peace with one another that all barriers are broken down when our faith is in jesus

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 peace with one another that all barriers are broken down when our faith is in jesus

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 but what we have seen in america and around the world is is lament

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 sadness and fear in black communities and we've seen anger anger leading to action and to protest

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 of course some of that has crossed lines but there is protest against injustice and we'll pray

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 about that after thinking about the bible together now two thousand years before these events

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 we meet jesus in righteous anger taking action to confront the injustice that he sees

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 and what is that injustice as jesus enters the the courts of the temple

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 what is that god his father is being dishonored in his own house

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 and that people are being denied the right to know and enjoy god that relationship we are made for

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 being denied the right to worship so let's see how jesus acts and why and see why this matters to you

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 and to me today so let's begin with the sign so we're given the setting in verse 13 and it's very different

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 from last time last time the first sign of jesus was semi-public it happened at a wedding ceremony

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 but only a few people jesus mother disciples servants saw the miracle revealing jesus glory

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 where he turns water into wine by contrast here in verse 13 we're told it's almost time for the

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 passover and it's happening in jerusalem so this is the biggest gathering in the biggest

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 city in israel so think if we're in edinburgh right now think edinburgh during the fringe think of

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 the busyness and how crushed it is and they're gathering for um the passover feast and festival

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 a time when they remember with thankfulness god setting israel free from slavery to become his people

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 so they might be in relationship with god they might worship and enjoy god and so jesus comes to

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 the very center uh where the the worship and where the festival uh all takes place he comes to the

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 temple but what is it he finds he finds people selling cattle sheep and doves and others sitting at

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 tables exchanging money those temple courts where non-jews were able to come and worship god they've been

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 filled with animals they've been filled with business so what's going on here what's going on is a

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 convenience that was established for worshipers so and recognizing that some people came from

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 different provinces and different countries rather than them bringing their own animals perhaps hundreds

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 of miles to jerusalem instead people in jerusalem would provide clean animals ready for sacrifice and

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 also people in different provinces would have different money so there was a currency exchange

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 for different provinces so they could bring the appropriate money to the temple the problem

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 is that this practice has moved from where it used to be on a mountainside now it's moved

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 into the temple itself so jesus walks in and he's confronted by all this noise and all this buying and selling

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 and it's a scandal to him

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 and so in verse 16 he says get these things out of here stop turning my father's house

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 into a market my father's house an implicit claim of identity that he is the son of god but what's

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 happening you see the temple is being made impure what you think about all of those animals that is

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 not going to be a clean space and there's going to be a whole lot of chaos going on

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 this is a situation that is now unfit for worship can you imagine all the distraction

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 coming from the noise of all those animals and the buying and the selling and the exchanging of money

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 and as well as that a barrier has now been set up so that if a non-jew had made the effort wanting to

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 worship god to come to the temple there was that no entry sign because their place of worship has

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 become a marketplace and jesus is angry righteously angry so what does he do in verse 15

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 he says he made a whip out of cords and drove all from the temple courts sheep and cattle

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 turning over the coins of the money changers scattering them over turning their tables so

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 here he is in righteous anger in judgment of the temple system he fashions a whip

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 and he sets him out violently clearing out animals and traders and money changers

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 gk chesterton the english novelist who wrote a book called orthodoxy and he said that before he

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 became a christian he said i was given the impression that that jesus was a gentle creature

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 you know that maybe the stereotype that people have gentle jesus meek and mild but he said then i looked at

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 the new testament and he realized how different jesus was to that stereotype and this sign

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 certainly doesn't fit does it here is jesus righteously angered the disciples as they think

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 about it they then later on reflect on a psalm psalm 69 in verse 17 we have it quoted his disciples

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 remembered that it's written zeal for your house will consume me jesus is like david the king who is

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 consumed with passion for god's glory and for god's house as he was seeing other people reject ignore

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 mock and be guilty of injustice the king is concerned for the glory of god and the house of god

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 now it's amazing when you think about it that the religious leaders in jesus day they don't see the

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 problem they don't see the problem of turning a part of the temple into a market area and so they

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 allow this to happen that they have created a system making the worship of god of knowing god

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 either hard for some or impossible for others

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 i don't know what you would think is the the noisiest environment that you've been in

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 um in my head i can think of traveling through manila in the philippines in a in a jeepney with an

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 open back and just hearing traffic noise and horns honking and eight lines of traffic and just being

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 bedlam you know impossible to have a conversation impossible to think so put yourself here in the

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 temple you know there's the there's the animals there's the cows mooing and the sheep bang and the

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 doves cooing and there's people they're offering currency exchange how is anyone supposed to pray in that

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 sort of context how is anyone supposed to come and offer a sacrifice in the right spirit

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 to really honor god in that setting how is someone able to enjoy the high point of their religious life

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 to meet with god to know and enjoy god and his forgiveness to be in knowing that access that

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 reconciliation that relationship in this kind of madness and so jesus takes action so that god and

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 god's house might have the honor they deserve so that pure worship might take place and so that anyone

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 and everyone might be able to come and meet with god so this clearing of the temple is a sign

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 and so let's think for the rest of our time what does the sign signify so let's move to the significance

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 so remember jesus has just begun his public ministry he is still very much an unknown at this stage so in

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 verse 18 after jesus performs this act the jews respond to him what sign can you show us to prove your

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 authority to do all this now that sign has already been done jesus is a prophet who's come with god's

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 authority and he's clearing the temple but they're saying what gives you the authority who are you

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 what sign what badge what credential can you show us to prove that you represent god there is cynicism and

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 there is doubt but jesus offers a sign a sign that comes in the future jesus answered them destroy this

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 temple and i will raise it again in three days here is how you will know i have authority over temple

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 worship when i die and when i rise three days later now the religious leaders they they totally miss it

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 they think jesus is talking about the physical temple hang on a minute it took 46 years to build this you

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 reckon you can destroy it and rebuild it in three days outrageous claim the disciples they only understand

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 after the resurrection that jesus is speaking about his body that he is the true temple and they believe

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 that jesus and his words after the event but let's think together about what it means when jesus says his body is

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 the temple what is this sign telling us about the person and work of jesus and for our relationship

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 with god three things to think about first of all and that jesus and not the temple uniquely displays

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 the glory of god when john was introducing jesus in his gospel introduction in chapter 1 verse 14

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 he said this the word that's jesus the revelation of god the word became flesh and made his dwelling

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 among us we have seen his glory the glory of the one and only son who came from the father

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 full of grace and truth the word became flesh and tabernacled among us before the temple permanent

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 structure there was a tent called the tabernacle and john picks up this language and says jesus

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 tabernacled among us jesus is the son of god who takes on flesh jesus represents the fulfillment of the temple

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 and all that jesus says and all that jesus does reveals the glory of god to us so that no longer

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 our worshipers are our worshipers to to sort of go to the temple and to admire it look at all this gold

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 look at the size and the beauty of this building now look at jesus look at his wonderful character

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 hear his words of truth his invitation of love look at his acts of mercy

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 of demonstrating what his kingdom will be like look at how much he loves the world

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 in that he gave his own life so that we might be forgiven and be reconciled to god jesus displays

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 the glory of god and here in jesus action and clearing the table how do we see at the temple

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 how do we see god's glory we see the glory of god's desire that sinners might know and worship him

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 we see the glory of god's grace extending a welcome and an invitation to unworthy sinful people like us

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 we see the glory of god in jesus in his actions to remove the barriers that separate people from god

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 here it was at the marketplace but then on the cross the barrier jesus would deal with

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 would be our sin and god in his grace and his love has come to remove that barrier

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 so that we can have access to that perfect love that perfect love that drives out fear that perfect

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 love that gives us hope for now and eternity so jesus uniquely displays the glory of god

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 secondly jesus and not the temple is now our center of worship

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 the temple is one of those sort of dominant themes that that recurs all through the bible

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 and we understand that from the very beginning god in his grace god in his loving kindness

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 established a place where god and people could meet could enjoy fellowship

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 that we can experience friendship that we can experience friendship with god because of god's kindness to us

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 the garden of eden functions for adam and eve as a temple because there they are walking and talking with god

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 they are in his presence they are enjoying his blessing in all that they see in all that they enjoy

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 of course they sinned and that sense of fellowship was broken but then there was the sacrifice there was the promise

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 that one would come who would crush the head of the serpent and that one would come from eve who would defeat the devil

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 and the power of sin but there was also sacrifice within the garden to to cover them when they felt the shame of sin

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 when they felt exposed in their nakedness god in his kindness by sacrifice covered them which becomes a really important

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 theme in temple worship and then there's the tabernacle so after

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 moses leads the people out of slavery in egypt brings them to mount sinai

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 where they become the covenant people of god god commits to being their god and he calls them to be his people

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 they're brought into this wonderful relationship and part of that they they get the law

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 but they also get moses gets instructions for how to build a tabernacle a tent where god

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 again in his mercy will dwell

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 in the midst of his people

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 so when israel was on the move in the wilderness and they were setting up camp

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 god was quite literally his tent was right in the middle and the 12 tribes camped all around

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 and there was very clear instructions for how it was to be built because god is holy

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 but also that god wants to meet with his people the way was open but part of the way that was open

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 for how that opening came was through sacrifice so there were detailed instructions and part of israel's

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 life was worship and access by means of sacrifice

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 and so both at the tabernacle and the temple

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 they have this visual representation here is god with his people here is god

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 seated on a throne and he is holy

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 people are sinful but still there is a way to enter into god's presence if they bring

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 a sacrifice

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 and so the temple was hugely important to to national life and to religious life

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 what is jesus's sign saying

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 well just as the angels promised he has come to be

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 emmanuel he has come to be god with us he has come to be the way that we meet with god think back to our

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 memory verse at the beginning our call to worship

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 i am the way and the truth and the life no one comes to the father except through me

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 worship is not rooted to a place or a building

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 christianity does not center on a holy place

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 no our faith centers on a holy person

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 the son of god who became one of us to to be our savior to be our rescuer

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 and so our worship is not tied to buildings and places and that's really good news for us

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 and in lockdown that that god continues to meet with us

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 that we can still know god through jesus

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 that jesus sends the spirit so that he dwells in us

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 so that we know that he's always with us wherever we are

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 and now that that worship is centered on a person and not in a place

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 it allows the message of christianity and it allows the church of jesus to go global

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 so today there are hundreds of millions of people worshiping some at home

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 some in house churches some in the open air

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 some back in their church buildings

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 but all of them

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 enjoying the privilege of knowing god

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 through faith in jesus

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 and it's been wonderful to to recognize and to hear

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 that the good news of jesus is not under lockdown or quarantine

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 that there are people who are becoming christians through this crisis

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 that people are being added to churches

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 through this trauma that god continues to call people to himself

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 the third thing to see is that jesus fulfills

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 what the temple represents

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 so jesus is how you and i see the glory of god

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 we want to know what god is like

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 we look and we see the glory of god in the face of jesus

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 jesus is the only way you and i can know god

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 and jesus is the only way sinners like us can experience

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 the love and the joy and the fellowship of god

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 through that sacrifice that he made in himself

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 the barrier that you and i face as we said is our sin

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 what does sin look like sin looks like ignoring

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 our creator god in the world that he has made

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 acting as if god is not there or god does not care

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 sin is rejecting his offer of friendship

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 saying no to the love that he offers through faith in jesus

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 sin looks like treating our creator king shamefully

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 by rejecting or rebelling against his law

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 his commands and all of those sins and so many more

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 they deserve eternal judgment

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 we don't deserve to be near to god

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 we deserve to be sent away from god and all his goodness forever

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 and that's a serious problem

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 it's a barrier that you and i cannot clear by ourselves

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 we cannot pay off that moral debt

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 we cannot gain access by ourselves

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 we simply do not have the capacity

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 to be sinless and perfect as god demands

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 so what we need

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 is we need another clearing

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 another cleansing from jesus

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 and that will take place on the cross

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 what is happening

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 in the death of jesus

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 and the resurrection of jesus

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 well it's that jesus

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 takes our sin

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 your sin and mine

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 on himself

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 he comes as the lamb of god

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 who takes away the sin

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 of the world

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 and in his death

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 and by faith in jesus

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 trusting that what jesus did on the cross

00:25:21.560 --> 00:25:22.700
 he did for me

00:25:22.700 --> 00:25:24.940
 the barrier of sin is removed

00:25:24.940 --> 00:25:27.320
 our our sin is washed away

00:25:27.320 --> 00:25:28.620
 we are forgiven

00:25:28.620 --> 00:25:31.220
 and now we can enjoy life with god

00:25:31.220 --> 00:25:36.160
 we get a wonderful picture of what that looks like

00:25:36.160 --> 00:25:38.200
 at the cross

00:25:38.200 --> 00:25:39.920
 as jesus dies

00:25:39.920 --> 00:25:41.080
 on mount calvary

00:25:41.080 --> 00:25:43.840
 back in the temple

00:25:43.840 --> 00:25:45.259
 in jerusalem

00:25:45.259 --> 00:25:47.500
 as jesus dies

00:25:47.500 --> 00:25:49.920
 as his body is being torn apart

00:25:49.920 --> 00:25:50.680
 the curtain

00:25:50.680 --> 00:25:52.000
 of the temple

00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:53.860
 is torn in two

00:25:53.860 --> 00:25:55.380
 from top to bottom

00:25:55.380 --> 00:25:57.960
 that great no entry sign

00:25:57.960 --> 00:26:01.340
 to god's most holy place in the temple

00:26:01.339 --> 00:26:02.539
 but is torn down

00:26:02.539 --> 00:26:05.099
 in the death of jesus

00:26:05.099 --> 00:26:06.759
 the way of access

00:26:06.759 --> 00:26:07.799
 is opened up

00:26:07.799 --> 00:26:08.579
 for all

00:26:08.579 --> 00:26:09.959
 who will believe

00:26:09.959 --> 00:26:10.699
 in him

00:26:10.699 --> 00:26:13.619
 so jesus second sign

00:26:13.619 --> 00:26:14.539
 the clearing of the temple

00:26:14.539 --> 00:26:15.480
 is a pointer

00:26:15.480 --> 00:26:17.419
 to his great mission

00:26:17.419 --> 00:26:19.500
 he has come to be

00:26:19.500 --> 00:26:20.779
 the one

00:26:20.779 --> 00:26:21.339
 who

00:26:21.339 --> 00:26:22.139
 we worship

00:26:22.139 --> 00:26:23.240
 he's come to reveal

00:26:23.240 --> 00:26:24.720
 god to us

00:26:24.720 --> 00:26:26.619
 god in the flesh

00:26:26.619 --> 00:26:28.319
 so that we might worship

00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:29.179
 through him

00:26:29.179 --> 00:26:31.740
 and jesus is how

00:26:31.740 --> 00:26:33.619
 we can know god

00:26:33.619 --> 00:26:35.539
 because he takes our sin

00:26:35.539 --> 00:26:37.099
 and he creates a way

00:26:37.099 --> 00:26:38.159
 for us

00:26:38.159 --> 00:26:40.740
 you and i

00:26:40.740 --> 00:26:42.460
 we've been made in the image of god

00:26:42.460 --> 00:26:43.259
 for relationship

00:26:43.259 --> 00:26:47.000
 and so i'm sure we've been feeling the pain

00:26:47.000 --> 00:26:49.079
 of lockdown in so many ways

00:26:49.079 --> 00:26:51.200
 and maybe you've been feeling a sense of relief

00:26:51.200 --> 00:26:52.559
 and hope with that easing

00:26:52.559 --> 00:26:59.039
 we need to remember the greatest relationship of all that we are all made for

00:26:59.039 --> 00:27:01.279
 is to know god

00:27:01.279 --> 00:27:03.859
 to know god through jesus

00:27:03.859 --> 00:27:08.179
 and so the invitation is to come to him

00:27:08.179 --> 00:27:10.879
 have faith in him

00:27:10.879 --> 00:27:12.279
 confess your sin to him

00:27:12.279 --> 00:27:14.159
 trust in him as your lord and saviour

00:27:14.159 --> 00:27:14.819
 believe in him

00:27:14.819 --> 00:27:15.779
 and enjoy

00:27:15.779 --> 00:27:18.119
 relationship with god

00:27:18.119 --> 00:27:18.740
 today

00:27:18.740 --> 00:27:21.539
 for the rest of your life

00:27:21.539 --> 00:27:22.019
 and

00:27:22.019 --> 00:27:23.259
 for all

00:27:23.259 --> 00:27:24.380
 eternity

00:27:24.380 --> 00:27:26.380
 you