A Message by Pastor Michael Palmer
Given to
April 11, 2010
TRAFFICKING IN CASUAL WORSHIP –
IT’S ALL ABOUT US!?
John 2:11-25
In this section of John, we
are at the beginning stages of Jesus’ ministry.
John mentions three Passovers celebrated during Jesus’ earthly ministry,
of which this is the first.
Read what
Hershel Hobbs wrote in his Sunday School commentary (1990) on the situation
Jesus saw in the temple:
Arriving in the city, Jesus found
a temple scene (in the court of the Gentiles) that resembled an oriental
bazaar. What began as a service to the
worshipers had become a racket. People
traveling great distances found it difficult to bring their sacrificial
animals. Even then such had to be
approved by the priests as fit for sacrifice.
So as a convenience, animals and doves were sold in the temple. Furthermore, the annual temple tax of a
half-shekel had to be paid in Jewish coins.
Money changers were permitted to set up booths to change Gentile money
into Jewish coins. Profit from these
services were to go into the temple treasury.
However, the
services had become a scam. Exorbitant
prices were charged, and much of the profit went in the purses of those who ran
it. No wonder Jesus cleansed the temple.
During
the seven-day festival called Passover, many animals were offered in sacrifice
(Numbers 28:16-25) to Jehovah. But the
intent was for sincere heartfelt sacrifices to be made. The whole atmosphere had been made into a
stockyard. There was a stench and filth,
and the bleating and lowing of the animals destined for sacrifice. The sacrifices had to be “approved” by the
temple judges, so the people locked in to the current system. The dealers in cattle and sheep and doves
would charge exorbitant prices for such animals. Only Jewish coins could be used for such
transactions. Therefore the foreign
money had to be exchanged into Jewish money, and there was deception and abuse
of all kinds.
Over
time, this whole scene had continued every year so that the whole process of
worship had degenerated to a trafficking in a casual religious exercise in
which there was no real connection with the worshipper and a holy God! It was all about them and their “getting the
deal done.”
Jesus’
reaction to this was swift and decisive—Jesus was ANGRY. He was not some passive little wimpy nice
guy! He was the Son of God and was going
to make a “statement” about this kind of attitude towards worshipping the Lord
God.
Jesus
made a whip of cords and drove all of them (the traffickers and their
animals) out of the temple area. And
then filled with a holy zeal, He turned His attention to the money changers and
He threw their tables upside down so that He scattered their coins. And He said to those who sold the pigeons,
“take these things out.”
Then He
said, “STOP MAKING MY FATHER’S HOUSE A HOUSE OF MERCHANDISE.” NIV = “HOW DARE YOU TURN MY FATHER’S HOUSE
INTO A MARKET!”
The
disciples are fully aware of what the reaction of the authorities will be, and
they quote Psalm 69. They feared what
might happen; Jesus knew what would happen.
Note that
the religious authorities wanted a “sign.”
Isn’t it interesting that today (even after Jesus’ resurrection) that
people still want a sign. This is the
question today—the question of authority.
The actual temple cleansing was a sign in and of itself as to who Jesus
was/is.
But Jesus
pointed to the greatest sign of all—His resurrection.
The two words
used for temple:
1.
HIERON
– the entire temple complex
2.
NAOS
– the holy place where God resides
In His explanation of
tearing down the temple and raising it up, Jesus used NAOS. The physical temple and the worship there was
a foreshadowing of Jesus and His ministry.
Isn’t it interesting that upon Jesus’ death and resurrection:
1.
When
Christ is crucified, the physical temple and its entire culture of sacrificial
worship cease to have any meaning (when Jesus died, the veil was rent).
2.
After
His resurrection, the Lord sent forth the Holy Spirit who now indwells and
empowers the church (“the sanctuary made without hands,” Mark 14:58). We are now the new NAOS—the dwelling place of
God.
What did
Jesus do when He cleansed the temple?
1.
Jesus
exposed and attacked and judged the secularizing spirit of the Jews. Their spirit was one of making light of what
was meant to be a personal and corporate time of sacrificial worship—a time of
connection with God.
2.
Jesus
exposed their motives of greed and graft—it was all about them, their comfort,
their gain, their needs.
3.
Jesus
fulfilled Messianic prophecy when He did this (Psalm 69, Malachi 3).
4.
Jesus
assailed the anti-missionary spirit that was present. All of this was being done in the court of
the Gentiles. This was the only place a
God-fearing Gentile could worship. But
Annas (the high priest) and his sons were using it for their own selfish
purposes; that area was no longer a blessing to the nations.
I (your
pastor) believe this passage hits right at the heart of what is wrong in our
personal lives and in our churches today.
And I am talking about US and
THERE IS A SPIRIT OF OUR
TRAFFICKING IN CASUAL WORSHIP - WHAT DO I MEAN?
·
Coming
unprepared to worship God. This can be
on the part of the worship leaders as well as the congregation.
·
Coming
for what I can get out of it—“it’s all about me, my problems, my needs, my
feelings, my likes and dislikes.”
·
Being
more concerned about connecting with people for purely social or even business
gain.
WHAT ARE SOME SIGNS THAT
WE AT GREEN RIDGE NEED TO ADJUST OUR ATTITUDE?
·
People
more excited about talking to other people at church than talking to God in
worship. In other words, we must be
careful to balance the horizontal connection with the vertical. Sometimes we act like it is all about us
getting together with us rather than getting together with God!
·
People
who come to church to do their religious duty, but do not allow the singing,
the preaching, or the Lord to touch them.
This is more of a sense of man-centered effort rather than
grace-centered fellowship and worship of God.
·
Coming
to worship services without being changed by Almighty God. This is very dangerous—it is close to the
same spirit manifested here in John 2.
We must want God to do a work in our lives!
·
People
coming in late—staying in the foyer talking while the worship service is going
on. They talk about everything—some
gospel related stuff, but more often not.
·
Doing
worship without a passion for God, a gratefulness to God for the Cross of
Christ, and a desire for our church to be a gospel-centered, evangelistic,
Great Commission driven church—CRAZY FOR JESUS!
God wants those who worship
Him to be connected to His mission personally.
In other words, if we are going to worship Him in Spirit and Truth, we
must answer the question: How has the gospel of Jesus Christ changed how I live
(my priorities) and do I want to continue to learn from Him and be a part of
His gospel team?
I cannot,
we must not, be traffickers in casual worship.
·
Read
the Word and pray during the week.
·
Confess
your sins before or as you enter the worship area.
·
Be
intentional about your personal worship.
·
Think
about how others may perceive you if you are always late and/or talking with
others.
·
If
you are one of the congregational worship leadership helpers (praise teams,
choir, band, sound, computer media, video, ushers, greeters, etc.)
Ø
What
has been your attitude towards preparation for your assigned responsibilities?
Ø
Have
you been at your practices regularly; have you prepared at home?
Ø
Have
you taken time to learn your act of service better?
Ø
Are
you on time each week?
Ø
When
you are absent, do you notify the person in charge to have someone else ready?
Ø
Is
your service more of a “chore” to you rather than an act of helping the
congregation get in touch with the living God?
WE NEED
THE TOUCH OF ALMIGHTY GOD. He will not
work where there is complacency toward Him and worship of Him. I want Jesus to manifest Himself in such a
way that victories will be won in many lives and people might be saved—all for
His glory.
We can
recover the joy and expectancy of worship.
God does want to meet with His people in a fresh way. What would Jesus do if He came to Green Ridge
. . . would He make a whip of cords and drive us out? I don’t think so. But I do believe all of us have had
similar attitudes. When the people of
God get serious about meeting with Him, worshipping Him, and obeying Him, then
God moves in His people. Will you join
me in Seeking Him this Spring? We serve
an AWESOME GOD. We have forgiveness of
sins and peace within. Let’s not ever
take that for granted.
Today’s
message has been more for the church today.
But if you need Jesus to forgive your sins and come into your life
today, He will. All you have to do is
turn away from self and sin, and give your life to Him.
If you
would like to become a part of Green Ridge, we would love to partner with you
in the gospel work of our Lord Jesus. We
invite you to come now and indicate your desire as you follow the Lord.