Flipping Tables

Introduction

Matthew 21:12–13 NKJV

12 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”

Pray

Point 1: Anguish versus Concern

Concern is fleeting. By definition it references a state of worry or anxiety , but concern often fades. In fact, much of the talk of revival you hear going around churches is just rhetoric. They wouldn’t know what to do with it if they got it because

Anguish however is a deep seated thing, it is an aching within. It means severe mental pain or suffering and to be extremely distressed.

Look at Nehemiah, the king asked something of him and he had to have an answer quick!!

Nehemiah 2:1–8 NKJV

1 And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. 2 Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” So I became dreadfully afraid, 3 and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?” 4 Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” 6 Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. 7 Furthermore I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.

Nehemiah was in deep anguish. It says he mourned for many days, but notice above when the king needed an answer, Nehemiah had to come up with one quick, but because he had fasted and prayed and was in anguish, God was able to give him an instant word. I can show you:

Nehemiah 1:3–4 NKJV

3 And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.” 4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Where are the people who are in anguish over the lost? Remember when I preached Burning House about the house being on fire?

According to BARNA, 95% of Christians have never led another person to Jesus.

So many evangelism textbooks are guilty of asking, “Do you not care that people are going to hell?” The truth is, most people don’t.. but the books leave them feeling guilty as if this is not the default position.

They are concerned, but they aren’t anguished. How then do we get past it?

The answer is simple, “Pray for God to give you His eyes and heart for people,” then He will give you a baptism of anguish.

Interestingly enough, nothing in this first point is my original sermon.. it is a sermon of a man who I want to talk about today David Wilkerson. He called the sermon, “A Call to Anguish,” and I think it had a lot to say. In fact, Wilkerson himself is to be studied.

Point 2: A Crazy Pastor

In 1958 , Rev David Wilkerson responding to his belief that God had called him to help a gang of youths on trial for murder, went to New York and interrupted a big city murder trial. As he walked around Brooklyn, New York and found an appalling high rate of drug and alcohol abuse amongst the young people he met and decided he wanted to make a difference.

The picture in the sermon graphic is him, and there is an interesting story about this picture. (Tell the story)

Tell about he met Nikki Cruz a gangster, and the only thing that made Him recognize and listen to Wilkerson was that picture.

The Bible is very clear on what happened:

Genesis 50:20 NKJV

20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

You may not realize who David Wilkerson is right off, but I will tell you who he is.. He is the founder of Teen Challenge, the program is now worldwide and that has changed millions of lives. Why? Because he did not give up and he did not waiver his influence.

Point 3: Flipping Tables

We started this sermon with Jesus in anguish flipping money tables. He was anguished about what had happened in the house of God. He was not concerned; it was not fleeting, He was in deep pain and anguish, and He did something about it. He did not waiver.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “One day the tables will be turned?”

The expression turn the tables comes from backgammon and related games that were once called tables games. If one turned the tables, he reversed the fortunes of the players; the person who was winning became the one who was losing, and vice versa.

It is through the Holy Spirit’s empowerment that the tables become turned. We are given the upper hand.

Matthew 28:19–20 NKJV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Jesus said clearly He is with us, and that means He empowers us through the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8

Acts 1:8 NKJV

8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

1 Corinthians 2:4–5 NKJV

4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Conclusion

I’m here to tell you that the tables have turned and that people realize it is serious

Tell them about people reading the tracks fully. People know what is coming

Greg Laurie just conducted the most baptisms in modern history at once, over 4,000 people. In churches, we are seeing explosions in baptisms like we never had before. It is simply up to you.

New Challenge

Altar.