This series is about the new deal in which God comes to us with open arms and allows himself to be crucified so that we might have what we don't have, something truly real and truly free.
Conning yourself, not telling yourself the truth, ignore the risk, the ugly truth.
Nobody likes to get conned. Ask yourself, am I conning myself? am I lying to myself? am I dressing things up to get the things I want?
This passage is about how Jesus turned the tables on the con-man.
Where Jesus enters the temple and turns over the tables, as we look at this passage we are going to find a very significant truth. Before we do we are going to look at what happens when people start conning themselves and believe they are conning God also.
John 2:13
13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
The Passover was a time to celebrate the Israelites being saved from the Egyptians. The Isrealites were commanded to celebrate this time.
The Passover why?
God told them to go out and for each household to sacrifice a lamb and eat the meat and to take the lambs blood over the door, so the death angel would passover their homes and the angel would only kill the first born of the people of Egypt. This was to show the hard heart of Pharaoh that God was meaning business.
14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father's house into a market!"
Jesus got angry, in fact he got so angry he turned the area upside down. Why?
We know that people were required each year to pay a temple tax and it was at the passover. If you were a Jew not matter where you were, you would make your way to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Passover and also to pay your temple tax. When people attended the celebration they were required to bring a lamb or if you were poor a dove for sacrifice, without blemish. They would take the offering and sacrifice it 'cook it' then return the cooked portion to you as a meal. When the people brought the sacrifice there were people who would find fault with them and sell them their own stock for incredible prices. The money exchangers were changing the Roman Coins into Temple Coins. Robbing the people further. When Jesus saw this He let loose because people were being robbed, and it was being done in his fathers house.
They had taken something that was real and good, these con man had conned the people.
17 His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."
The psalmist was saying there should be a zeal in us if we love God. That when we come to his house the zeal of his house consumes us.
18 The Jews then responded to him, "What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?"
There asking Jesus by what authority does he get to interfere? They missed the part when he said "my Father's house"
19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."
20 They replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?"
Jesus was talking about his body, the temple wasn't about the building it was about God. Jesus walking into the temple became the temple walking into the temple.
21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, this disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
23 Now while he was in Jeruslaem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the sighs he was performing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.
Many people saw the signs and believed in his name. but they still weren't trustworthy, they liked the flash but they were still con man inside. They were trying to tip their hat without bowing their knees to him.
The Lies We Tell Ourselves About God Become The Lies We Tell Ourselves About Everything
1/2 truth + 1/2 Truth = Lie
Jesus saw the people were attending because they felt they just wanted to meet their obligations, not that they trusted God.
Jesus didn't turn over the tables because he was angry at people he was angry at the people who would distort God's word - distortions (Lie). He was angry about how they were distorting God's image.
When we separate ourselves from God and the distortions we tell ourselves we separate our self from God.
Think about the lies we tell ourselves we can sing and praise God but we don't have to really trust him. We can live however we want to live the six days out of the week. Think about all the things we tell ourselves in relationship with God. The lies we tell ourselves. To ignore the risk of what we are doing and cover up the ugly truth of it, to sell ourselves things that we need or don't need. And yet we come to church on Sunday and sing to Jesus tell him how great he is to us, but inside we con ourselves, the things we did this past week that was hurtful to others. That the hedging and the shortcuts don't have anything really to do with God.
Jesus came to save us from ourselves because he knew what was inside of us.
Truth = Life
I. Celebrate: We celebrate who God is and What He has done.
II. Confess: What we have not, acknowledge what a mess we are
III. Conform: To what must be done. What would God have me do this day? It's hard not to lie to yourselves, it doesn't have impact false everything has impact. We need to get rid of old deal of mind set and get a new mind set trust God follow his ways.
Notes taken by: lorelllawrence@comcast.net
Any errors or miscommunication please refer to me not the pastor, the intent is for you to have the notes for review in the series, also to reflect on during the week.
God Bless,