March 12, 2023
CONFLICT REVOLUTION: CLEANING THE HOUSE
March 12, 2023
Pastor Jonathan Falwell
If you are someone who perhaps is OCD, if anything in your house is out of place, it drives you nuts until it’s corrected. Others adhere to the old saying “My house is clean enough to be healthy, but dirty enough to be happy!” Another group doesn’t notice unkempt conditions until the moment they can’t move safely from room to room. But what about your personal house? Not the physical building you inhabit, but your body? Are you constantly aware that, as a believer, you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and your body is the temple of God? Do you perform sacrifices with it, such as praise, thankfulness, obedience, and even presenting your body as a living sacrifice daily? Do you clean it every day, making sure no sin or uncleanness gets a toe-hold? Join Pastor Jonathan as he begins a new series on Conflict Revolution.
Focal Passage: John 2:13-25.
Jesus cares about His house
· Read John 2:13-16. From the time of the temple King Solomon built, how have places of worship for God been revered? Depending on your generation, what are some of the standards you may recall for the church because it was considered to be a place of “holiness,” much more so than a school or store?
· What are some of the “do’s and don’ts” that you were raised with concerning the church? What were some things that were unique to a church building, in order to set it apart? Ultimately, does it matter where people meet in order to worship Jesus Christ?
· Read 1 Cor. 6:19-20. How can we apply these same principles for our body that we do to our church or home? What are some steps we can take to clean our temple? Read 1 John 2:16. How do we keep these evils away from our temple? Read Psa. 24:3-5. Why is this a good way to do a self-exam? Can you list other passages that help us check our hearts and actions often?
The purpose of His house is to point to His work
· Read John 2:17-22. What was the purpose of the inner Jewish court of the original temple? How did the reason for meeting with God point people to Christ?
· When God’s presence resided in the Holy of Holies, would the High Priests have permitted unclean worship or activities to take place there? As churches began to spring up around the world, what was the original focus at that time? Why has their honor and sanctity faded over the years? Do people see God at work today as much as in the past?
· Read Psa. 73: 25-26 and 1 Cor. 10:31. What was the original reason God created man? What did God say when Adam and Eve were created (Gen. 1:31)? Read Psa. 29:2. The “chief end” of man is to give God glory. What are some ways in which you do that daily?
· Scroll through John 6 and list some of the miracles performed by Jesus. Read John 6:30. Why would the people ask for a sign, considering what they had already witnessed? Why were they not convinced of His deity, as witnessed by the fulfilment of prophecies?
Believing in His work is different than believing in Him
· Read James 2:19 and Matt. 7: 21-23. What point was being made about belief in Jesus as a person? Why do people still see Him only as a “good” man who lived and taught? Read 1 John 5:20 and John 1:14. Is there any doubt that Jesus is the Son of God?
· Read Matt. 11:2-6 and Isaiah 35:5-6a. Why were the religious leaders intent on not looking at the works Jesus was doing, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies?
Application: 1) Recognize the importance of the House of God 2) Dig deeper into the present work of Jesus in your life and in the world 3) Fixing your eyes on Jesus as Savior of the world will keep you from being fixated on “working your way to Heaven”
Close:
Often we hear friends or acquaintances say “I have no idea how people make it without God!” There probably is no statement that illuminates our love-relationship with God more than this, knowing that whatever comes our way, God already has our back. As mentioned last week, no amount of knowledge of the Bible can possibly make up for the personal relationship that your prayer time creates between God and you—His beloved child.
However, He was not what the people expected. Their minds were so made up with their own ideas of what He would be like that they failed to recognize Him when He came—these men who had “degrees” after their names, filled with knowledge of the Scriptures yet unable to discern that the works He was doing validated that He was the Son of God. Whether He was teaching in the synagogue or driving moneychangers out of the temple, He was acting with unparalleled authority.
Is He what you expected? When He answers a prayer differently than you wish, do you rail at Him? Want to give up? Scream that you hate Him? And yet, how much time do you take to look at the lives of others, realizing you could have it so very much worse. You’ll offer God the ultimate gift of being a living sacrifice if you trust Him each and every day, especially those days when things are so bad, when hurts are so painful, and when tragedy is waiting at the corner. Be that revolutionary who doesn’t have to have things go your way every time you pray, but continually give Him the sacrifice of Praise, the sacrifice of Thanksgiving, the sacrifice of Obedience, and the sacrifice of a Broken Heart because of your sin. Give Him the love and trust He deserves from you.
By Sandy Day March 12, 2023