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 Sermon > Official Service |
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Title |
Consider the Temple Holy |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
John 2:13-17 |
Date |
2009-07-12 |
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Passage
John 2:13-17
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a place of business." His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house will consume me."
Introduction
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The title of today's message is 'Consider the Temple Holy'.
The temple is where God makes His presence.
Psalm 11:4 says, "The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD's throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men."
As written, "the LORD's throne is in heaven," God does not actually live in the temple that is built by the hands of men.
But when we dedicate the temple to God, God acknowledges it as a place that belongs to Him.
He puts His glory and name in the temple, and when people come to the temple, God accepts it as though they were coming before Him.
Thus, if we respect the holy God, we have to respect the temple and consider it holy, as well.
If we love God, we would love the temple and take delight in being in it.
On the other hand, to defile or disregard the temple is to act with disrespect before God.
We have seen people who have fallen into hardships because they create walls of sin between God and them by acting rudely before God.
Of course, most of you love God and consider the sanctuary of God to be treasured.
You wouldn't just disregard trash on the floor of the sanctuary when you see it.
Also, some of you take delight in cleaning the sanctuary whenever you have free time.
On the other hand, there are also others who are creating walls of sin against God by acting with disrespect in and toward the sanctuary.
This is not just dropping trash in the sanctuary or damaging church property.
They defile the sanctuary in various ways. They say things that should not be spoken and they behave in ways they must not behave.
As I already said, the temple is where God puts His name and where His eyes are always focused.
Therefore, what we think, say and do in the sanctuary must always be in holiness.
Here, when we talk about the sanctuary, it is not only the place of worship, but it is the yard, parking lot, bathrooms, dining halls, practice rooms, offices, and storage rooms. It is everything on the church compound.
You believers spend a lot of time in the church.
You have not only worship and prayer, but also consultations, fellowship, voluntary works, eating, and other activities.
As you spend a lot of time in the church, your senses about the holiness of the church may become less sensitive.
You may begin to speak and act just as you are in other public places.
So, if you are not always cautious and consciously aware, you may express yourself with inappropriate words and actions.
In particular, pastors and Levites spend most of their time in the church, and they should be even more careful.
Initially you learn about the things that we must not do in the church and you are carefully observant. But as time goes, you may change your attitudes.
Also, today, business transactions are very different from before, and as time passes and the church has grown bigger, there are many things that previously didn't exist.
So, when you are confused as to whether or not you can do something or not, you may just take the way that is most convenient.
You just think, "All others are doing it, so I guess it's OK" or "It may not be completely right, but this much must be OK."
But we shouldn't just remain ignorant in these matters.
Even if we didn't know it was sin, out of ignorance we cannot say we are innocent. And, if we sin knowing it, our rebuke will be greater.
The magnitude of sin ought to be different according to each one's heart, but you might give Satan a chance to accuse you.
I urge you keep in mind once again the holiness and preciousness of the sanctuary through this message.
In doing so, we must not have any lack of respect before God in any way.
Also, as time continues to go by and as the church becomes even bigger, there will be more and more varied cases.
Thus, when you listen to this message, understand the standards correctly and remember them so that you can teach those who will come later.
I pray in the name of the Lord that you will be confident and have nothing before God by which you can be rebuked.
Main
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in today's passage we can see Jesus rebuked the money exchangers and those who were selling animals for sacrifices.
The Temple is a place to give God sacrifices, so why did they sell animals or exchange money?
On the outside, this was to provide the people with convenience when they gave sacrifices to God.
There were many people who came from far off and it wasn't easy for them to bring their own animals with them.
Even if they did, they couldn't give the animals to God if they had any defect.
So, it was easier for them to come to Jerusalem, buy a defect-free animal, and give it to God.
Also, they couldn't pay their Temple tax with ordinary money. They had to exchange it for the money used in the holy place.
That is why money exchange was necessary. However, it was not just the exchange, but they were also charged an exchange fee.
So, in the city of Jerusalem, there was a market for animals for sacrifice and the money exchanging.
But the problem is that such exchanges were taking place in the Temple at the time of Jesus.
Those who sold animals and exchanged money in the Temple made enormous profits.
It was not to provide the people with convenience, but for the gratification of greed.
Of course, the exchanges took place not in the holy place or the holy of holies but in the Temple yard. But it also belonged to the Temple.
The yard of the Temple, where people worshiped God, became a market place for greedy people.
Jesus was very angry with this scene. He made a whip of cord and drove out the herds and flocks from the Temple.
He overturned the tables of the money exchangers and told the sellers of doves to take them out of the Temple.
He commanded them not to make the house of the Father a market place.
Mark 11:17 "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a robbers' den."
Jesus is such a gentle person. He never quarreled with anybody or spoke out.
He had mercy on those who were like bruised reeds and smoldering wicks, and He endured with them until they changed.
Even when He was crucified, He prayed for those who were crucifying Him.
Nevertheless, when He saw the Temple of God being defiled, He didn't just keep quiet.
Those who love God cannot just stay calm when God is profaned.
What is true gentleness? What is truly 'goodness'?
If somebody hits you and curses you, it is goodness to bear with him with gentleness.
But if somebody hits your parents and curses them, would you just keep quiet?
Being quiet would be neither goodness nor bearing with gentleness.
And if there is anything that is irreverent before our Father God the Creator, we cannot just keep quiet.
As you read about Jesus being angry I hope you will realize what kind of attitude you must have about the temple of God.
Of course, today, we don't sell animals or exchange money in the church.
But there are surprisingly many things that are done to defile the sanctuary.
Let me give you specific examples.
Above all, as in today's passage, too, we must not sell or buy in the church.
Although they were selling the animals for sacrifices, Jesus did not accept the people selling for personal profit.
Therefore, there must be no personal business transactions in the church.
Even when you buy something for the use of your mission groups or parish, you must not buy them in the church.
You cannot purchase something on the Internet and receive the commodity in the church.
Whatever is needed in the church is purchased by the General Affairs Dept.
Except when officially approved, you must not buy anything personally.
If you buy necessary things personally or in your department, you can pay for them outside the church and receive the good outside.
Or, sometimes those who are working inside the church order some food from outside.
In this case, you must not pay the money and receive the food inside the church. You have to do that outside.
But as an exception, I explained to you about the church bookstore and the church canteen.
They don't sell the worldly things in the church bookstore.
They sell the sermon cassette tapes, Christian books, and the Bible, which give spiritual life.
The reason why we have a canteen in the church is to help those who have weak faith so that they will not buy or sell outside church on Sunday.
Also, the profit of the bookstore and canteen is exclusively given to God as an offering.
We have strict restrictions on business transactions even for purchasing what is needed for the church, and I should not have to mention buying things for personal use.
It's not only about goods but also for services. For example, we can talk about cutting and styling.
Some people who are working for church events, who sing special praises, who are functioning as ushers and offertory attendants, or those who serve overseas guests, may get the cutting and styling of their hair in the church.
This is for the service itself and for the glory of God, so it is OK for the voluntary hairdresser to do the job in the church.
In this case, if you feel it necessary to pay the hairdresser, you can pay as a token of thanks.
But you must not give or receive the money in the church for that. You can give it the next day outside the church.
But if it is for personal benefit, and not for the kingdom of God, you must not do it in the church.
For example, suppose an overseas missionary has to do something during the worship service, and she didn't have time to do her hair.
In this case, it is OK if a voluntary hairdresser does the hair in the church.
But when it's not for the worship service but for personal reason, for example, if that missionary has to depart tomorrow and it's inconvenient to go outside to do her hair, she cannot do it in the church.
Recently, many people repented that they got a haircut in the church.
They said it cost much less than outside and they didn't know it was wrong.
But you have to know clearly.
The church is a holy place that is set apart for worshiping God.
It's a place where we shouldn't act with any kind of evil but we have to always be holy and godly. We can never use the space of the church for personal reasons.
In Nehemiah chapter 13, a priest gave a chamber of the Temple to a gentile called Tobiah, who was a close friend to this priest.
This chamber was a kind of storehouse, and Tobiah put his personal belongings and used the place for personal benefit.
Nehemiah, when he came to know about it later, threw out all belongings of Tobiah and purified the chamber.
Nehemiah knew very well that such a thing could not be accepted.
Not only the sanctuary for worship, but all places in the church are used for their own purposes before God.
If we use the space for personal convenience at our discretion, it means we don't consider the temple holy, and we make what belongs to God ours.
After all, it is to despise God, and therefore, we must not do anything irreverent like this.
Even if we give haircuts for purpose of evangelism, it is not right to do it in the church.
And if you had a separate place within the church for haircuts and exchanged money for that, how embarrassing this is!
But if you just remember the most important standard, you can apply it to many kinds of situations, as to whether or not it is OK to do it in the church.
Namely, it is the question of whether the particular work is for God's glory and His kingdom or for personal reasons or benefit.
Today, many churches do many kinds of things in the church saying they are for purposes of evangelism and the benefit of the church members.
They show movies to unbelievers and offer the church space for their personal socializing.
But even if the purpose is local outreach, a church is a place of worship, and it can never be a place for social gathering.
Some churches even have bazaars, but we have never allowed such a thing in this church.
A church is not a place for the church members to buy good things at a cheap price.
It is a place to share the bread of life.
Also, our purpose is not to gather for the convenience of people, but to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
In fact, it is better that there are no business transactions among the church members at all.
We cannot prohibit each member of the church when they buy or sell some things among themselves outside the church, but there is no reason for the church to be a mediator.
Also, when you buy or sell something personally, you must not exchange anything in the church.
For example, suppose your parents in countryside sent you some rice, and it has good quality as well as great quantity.
So, you wanted to sell some of it at a very cheap price to your small group members.
The intention is not to make a profit through commercial merchandising.
It is good for the others and good for you, too, and something like this can happen any time.
In this kind of a case, though it is dealing among the church members, if you do it outside the church, God will not hold you accountable.
But of course it must not be done in the church.
Or, suppose you got a tailor made Hanbok from a church member's shop, and want to get it in the church because you find it too inconvenient to go all the way to the shop.
In this case, you must not make an exchange for it in the church.
You have to go outside the church to pay the money and get the dress.
When you have such a commercial exchange, you must remember two things.
First is, not only the actual exchange but also even the conversation about exchanging something must not be done in the church.
For example, such conversations as, "I have this good product. I can give you at this price, and let's meet at another time outside church," must not be done in the church.
Secondly, even if you exchange something outside church, you can never exchange any goods or money on Sundays.
It is a rule that you do not have any business transaction on Sundays, whether in the church or out of the church.
Also, if we allow any business talks or commercial conversations on Sundays, there will be people who come to church to do business.
That is why I always ask you not to have any kind of commercial exchange or money transactions among the church members, not only on Sundays but also on other days as well.
In the book of Nehemiah, we can read that Nehemiah prohibited the gentile merchants from sleeping outside the city gate on the Sabbath.
Those merchants would sleep there and when the Sabbath was over, they would come into the city to do their business. But Nehemiah didn't allow that.
He didn't want to have any possibility for them to violate the Sabbath.
Brothers and sisters, most of you know that you cannot conduct personal business transactions in the church.
But think about the following case.
Suppose you are doing a lot of work in the church, and sometimes the church work and your personal works are inter-related.
So, you may neglect your personal commercial exchanges made in the church.
For example, when the church buys a certain good at a large volume, the price can be lowered.
Here, you ask the person in charge to just add one more unit for you so you can get it at a cheaper price.
What you asked is personal purchase, so you must not receive the good or pay the money in the church.
Let me give you another example. Suppose you made Kimchi for a relief work and there were a lot of the materials that were left over.
So, to save the money of the church, the members bought the remaining things and the money was returned to the church.
Or, one person may buy everything and they distribute them again.
In this case, when they first made the purchase, it was for the church, but later, it became personal purchase.
Thus, you must not exchange the materials or the money in the church.
Other than the examples I gave you, there are things that must not be done in the church.
Before, somebody suggested that we put a ping pong table or some simple exercise equipment for the workers and the church members.
Now, if you remember the purpose of a church building, I think you have the answer.
It's not a bad thing to exercise during your free time, but it must not be done in the church.
And also, it is not right to play video games or other games like Baduk or chess.
These days you can play such games easily on cell phones or computers.
And obviously these things are not right in the church.
Among other places in the church, you have to be very careful in sanctuaries about your behavior.
It is not right to bring in any food or beverage into the sanctuary.
Let me just go over some of other points, too.
When you come to the church, you make your appearances as neat as possible because you are coming before God.
You also have conversations only in the truth in the sanctuary.
In the church, you must not talk about your business, money matters, celebrities of the world, or other worldly pleasure.
The same goes for the dining hall and offices for they are also in the church.
And what if you get into a fight or get angry, or speak evil words in the church?
In case of grownups, if you have just a little bit of faith you would never do such a thing.
But I want you parents to be very careful with your children.
In the church, and especially in the sanctuaries, you must not let them run around and play. They must never fight with one another or damage church properties.
[Conclusion] Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, 1 Samuel 2:30 latter part says, "those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed."
Does this verse sound fearful or do you feel thankful for it?
If you honor and revere God, this verse is such a wonderful verse.
You just honored your loving God, and He will honor you! What a great blessing!
It's the same with the church.
Do you feel this message is heavy because so many things are prohibited in the church?
Rather than feeling burdened, be thankful!
You are blessed because you can understand God's will and be perfect before Him!
God is not giving you such rules to tie you down or lay a burden on you.
It is not to rebuke you by revealing what is done in the past.
Now you hear the voice of the Holy Spirit to some extent, and you can discern the truth with the word.
God is giving you a chance for you to honor God voluntarily and to have a true heart.
For example, if you have a house that is totally destroyed and stained by oil, you wouldn't consider repairing it or cleaning it.
But if the house is preserved to some extent, you can easily clean it and decorate it just by doing minor repair and cleaning.
If you do not long for sanctification and if you do not run towards New Jerusalem, I don't even have to give this kind of a sermon.
I wouldn't have to tell you to become sanctified and perfect in such specific aspects, if you are stained with sins completely.
But you are different.
God wants you who are longing for New Jerusalem, to be blameless and spotless.
He earnestly wants you to be eligible to receive blessings, having no grounds for any accusation.
I want you to realize the depth of His love.
I urge you to engrave the holiness of God in your heart, honor Him, and become spotless children.
I pray in the name of the Lord that God may be pleased with you so much that He will lift you to the highest positions!
Those who have done something wrong according to this message, you can just turn back now. Because I gave peace offering to God on behalf of the whole congregation, you can just repent before God, too.
But if you exchanged goods or money in the church between church members for a personal profit, then you have to receive my prayer.
From now on, I urge you to consider not only the sanctuary but also everything that belongs to God precious, so that you won't create any wall of sin against God.
[Amen] |
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