JUBILEE SERVICE 23/2/11
JESUS CLEANSES THE TEMPLE I
TEXT: Matt 21:13-15; Luke 19:45-46
NOTES
1. The Temple is that place designated for meeting with God, a place where the people sacrifice to God, fellowship with Him and one another. It is a place where God has ordained for His name, so it is specially reserved and dedicated for Him
2. The Temple of God must be like God-fitting for His person – Holy. Must therefore never be desecrated at any time. The moment it is used for something else other than the very purpose for which it is dedicated and consecrated, then it is desecrated. In our passage of scripture, Jesus found businessmen buying and selling in the Temple. They had turned it into a place of religious merchandize, and so were desecrating it. The merchants transacted business there that was contrary to the original purpose of God for the temple I Kings 9:3.
3. Jesus knew that such Merchandize if allowed would corrupt the temple and drive away the presence of God in that House. That presence made people to encounter God’s glory when they came in.
So in order not to lose this very significant clement, Jesus disallowed such merchants from turning the temple to a market. He violently chased them away and threw away their wares.
APPLICATION
1. Your body / life is the temple of God. I Cor 3:16-17; “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple are ye”. I Cor 6:19-20 “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s”.
His presence in your life is supposed to keep you in perfect condition Jude vs 3. “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints”.
2. Your body was created and made holy for God’s glory. Eph 5:25-27.”Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. That he might present himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish”.
3. It was consecrated as God’s holy habitation I Cor 6:19.“What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
4. No unholy transaction is to be allowed in your body. Evil Merchants must not be given permission to operate in your life / body, as they leave it desecrated / destroyed.
5. As Jesus cleansed the temple and chased out all who transacted in it, so you must cleanse your temple (body/ life) of all evil merchandize and violently chase out the evil merchants from it
You must take your stand concerning what is going on in your body, life, family etc and be sure to disallow evil transactions and evil forces. If you don’t, by the time they are through your body is certainly going to be left sick and in malfunction.
See the attitude of Jesus in Jn 2:14-16 “And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting; And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and over-threw the tables; And said unto them that sold doves. Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandize”as He cleansed the Temple. He was vexed in His spirit against what was going on. He threw out both the sellers and their wares. This whip he used points to some kind of use of weapons – it is warfare. He knew the havoc being done by those wicked foes and so he was violent against them. He had a sense of ownership of the Temple – He called it His father’s house. This should be your attitude as you fight against what the devil may have been doing in your life, home, body, business etc. you must not allow those who want to destroy your life to succeed. Don’t allow any form of pollution. See
Lev 10:1-3 “And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said unto Aaron, this is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace”. Jer 7:30 “For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the Lord; they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it”; Zeph 3:4 “Her prophets are light and treacherous persons; her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law”.
God always fights against pollution of His house, and you must also in the same spirit of Jesus Christ rise up violently against all foul spirits wanting to pollute your life. Would you rise up and do it NOW?