Looking for True Worship

Call to Worship

To all who are weary and in need of rest

To all who are mourning and longing for comfort

To all who fail and desire strength

To all who sin and need a Savior

We, Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church, open wide our arms

With a welcome from Jesus Christ.

He is the ally to the guilty and failing

He is the comfort to those who are mourning

He is the joy of our hearts

And He is the friend of sinners

So Come, worship Him with us.

Scripture Reading & Reader

Scripture Reader, Patti Huxley

Mark 11:1–25 NIV

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’ ” They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it. On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

Post-Scripture Prayer

Pray.

Sermon Start

Good morning! Turn with me in your Bibles to Mark 11. From here until Easter we’re going to be finishing the gospel of Mark. Last year we spent 18 weeks going through the first 10 chapters of Mark’s gospel, and today we begin the trek to the cross and we’ll finish Marks’ gospel with the Resurrection on Easter morning.

Mark is one of my favorite books in the New Testament, and for sure, probably, my favorite gospel account.

It is a clear and compelling call to follow Jesus, and urgency that Mark’s gospel creates, is that right now, in this very moment, is the right moment to give your life over to Jesus: to be His disciple, His student.

And there are some unique characteristics around what it means to be a disciple. Very briefly. A disciple is someone who:

Worships Jesus

is Changed by Jesus

Obedient to Jesus

This morning, we’re going to centering our time on the first aspect of what it means to be a disciple: one who worships Jesus.

One of my favorite definitions of worship comes from Louie Giglio. He says Worship is, “our response to whatever we value most in our lives.”

In Mark 11, as Jesus arrives into the city of Jerusalem, headed for His death, He does a value check — worship of God isn’t happening, so it must be happening somewhere else.

Let’s look together at the first 11 verses.

Before Jesus receives a response in his arrival in the city of Jerusalem, they stop in a nearby village and two of the disciples are supposed to go into town and get a young male horse that no one has ever ridden — and Jesus makes the request very specific. Tell them, “The Lord needs it and I’ll give it back when I’m done.” And it happens exactly the way that Jesus said it would.

Pastor and scholar Robin Sydserff says that Mark means to say this because these are events that are divinely ordered.

Everything about Jesus and His plan to save the world is intentional, it is not haphazard, there are no randomly ordered events. Your forgiveness has received every bit the forethought that your unique circumstance deserves.

With Jesus, everything goes according to His plan.

Everything… ranging from death, burial, resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of God, our vindication, our hope in what He has promised. It all comes according to His plan. Not haphazard, not randomly ordered, but intentional — with you in mind.

When we read Mark 11:7-11, and Mark’s gospel in general, it can feel as if we’re missing important detail, but just to remind us, Mark isn’t spending a whole lot of time on detail, He’s more concerned about what Jesus has come to do, and so while we might be wanting more detail about this whole horse situation, Mark is intentional with His word choice…

Here’s what Mark wants to convey: Jesus is debuting as the King of the World on a homemade saddle made of cloaks, and travelers coming for the Passover lay their clothes on the road and they spread branches on the ground, and they begin to shout…

Here’s what they shout:

Save us! Which is what Hosanna means! And they’re shouting Psalm 118:

The New International Version (Psalm 118)

25 LORD, save us!

LORD, grant us success!

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.

From the house of the LORD we bless you. 

They’ve identified Him as God’s plan to save the world, the Messiah, from the family line of King David, Israel’s favorite King. There’s this expectation the King will come back and will assume the throne of David and the Temple will be the center of worship, — everyone is hoping for a little piece of life to be like what it used to be…

Little do they know it can’t ever be like it used to be. What a word for us… we can’t go back in time to seasons of immense power and presence. We can remember them, and thank God for those moments, but you can’t recreate them… we can’t go back in town for our church, for our student ministry, for your marriage, for your business, when the economy was better, when your favorite President was in office.

It’s interesting, the text says that travelers laid their cloaks on the road — they’re traveling to remember the Passover, which is their reminder from when God saved them from slavery in Egypt.

They can’t go back and recreate that…

Jesus is doing something new. Jesus is coming to free us from slavery to sin…

And when He shows up, as we’ll see in verse 11, He knows that God deserves a greater worship.

Look with me at verse 11. Mark 11:11

Mark 11:11 NIV

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Jesus has entered the city and He visits the place you expect Him to visit: the Temple! But Jesus has not come to restore the Temple, He has come to announce judgment on it. What He finds is a lifeless, fruitless, worship-less place — that is not worthy to receive the One, True King.

There are some things said earlier in Mark’s gospel that are now starting to make sense for us.

In the first chapter of Mark, Mark calls this message “the beginning of the gospel,” and he quotes Malachi 3:1-2

Malachi 3:1–2 (NIV)

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.

The pathway was laid for Jesus to show up, but when He shows He doesn’t come to restore the Temple, He isn’t doing the same old stuff — according to Malachi — He comes to refine and to cleanse.

Look with me at verses 12-14 and Mark will begin to illustrate His judgment and how will refine and cleanse the lifeless and fruitless Temple.

Mark 11:12–14 NIV

The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

This story is an illustration of His judgment on the Temple. When Jesus showed up in the Temple courts, He did not find fruit — He did not find a faithful people. In fact, Jesus sees nothing but deception. This is the point being made when Mark says that Jesus “found nothing but leaves.” Fig leaves and fig fruit grow at the same time.

It has the appearance of fruit, but no fruit.

The Temple has appearance that it’s dedicated to God, but there’s no worship there.

Jesus is searching for any evidence that might exist that the Temple is a place of worship, — later in verse 22-25 there’s a mention of prayer and living a Godly life, namely, forgiving others, — and I think the mention of those means that they’re probably not happening in the Temple. No prayer, no godly power that restores lives — it’s antithetical to everything true worship is about.

This is where the quote from Malachi comes in… this place has to be refined, purged if you will; and it must be cleansed.

In verses 15 thru 17, Jesus cleanses the temple courts of its fruitless behavior. He drives out merchants, turns over tables, and in every action, He quotes two Old Testament prophets as to why He has to do this. He quotes Isaiah 56 and Jeremiah 7. Isaiah 56:7

Isaiah 56:7 (NIV)

for my house will be called

a house of prayer for all nations.”

Jeremiah 7:11 (NIV)

Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord.

People have forgotten that the Temple belongs to more than just the Jewish people, this is for the nations, for all people… they’ve only thought about themselves and instead they’ve turned the Temple Courts, where you’d purchase sacrifices, into commerce where worshippers were being taken advantage of.

Verse 18 says that it’s the religious leaders, the people who oversee the worship in the Temple, they wanted to kill Jesus for this.

This is a system that has to be cleansed… but the indictment is still greater than any act of cleansing… Jesus cleanses the Temple, but at the same time, condemns it.

Verse 20 tells us that Jesus retreats and in 24 hours the tree that Jesus has cursed has already withered away. Those words are for the Temple — there’s no fruit, not again there.

He says in verse 22, “Have faith in God.”

This is what I love about Mark’s gospel. It feels a little random and out of place… I want you to read this is the Message, and I think it i’ll be helpful:

The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language (Chapter 11)

Jesus was matter-of-fact: “Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, ‘Go jump in the lake’—no shuffling or shilly-shallying—and it’s as good as done. That’s why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you’ll get God’s everything. And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it’s not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive—only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins.”

This is Jesus’ appeal for us to value what matters most in our lives.

Here’s what Jesus is saying… if you don’t value the most important thing in your life, which is a life with God, then pray this prayer: “Hey mountain! Get in the water!” Jesus has just done this, He’s taken away the biggest distraction from worship to God when He said to the Temple Mount, “You’re cursed!”

We’re just imitating Jesus, doing what He did.

We get rid of the things that act as a barrier to our single-minded, and wholly devoted worship to God.

The 10 Commandments have already reminded us that we should only worship one God — there’s only One worthy of our attention. We can’t have a bunch of distractions, or idols, vying for our attention.

Tim Keller said something becomes an idol “when a good thing becomes the ultimate thing.”

Mark wants us to know how important this is… this is why He shares Jesus’ words, “whoever does not doubt in their heart but believes what they say will happen, it will be done for them…”

You can’t hesitate when it comes to worship… this life is too big, too important, Jesus has called us to follow Him, we have to ruthlessly eliminate everything that resists God in our lives.

You gotta get rid of anything that gets in the way of worship.

Isn’t it interesting? Jesus gets rid of the thing that’s meant to be all about worship? He curses the Temple and says there won’t be worship there again.

In Chapter 13, Jesus tells them that the Temple is going to be destroyed. We don’t need the Temple for worship — God is not confined to buildings and places — the New Testament teaches that we are Temples, between us and God, because of what Jesus has done, is where worship happens. It’s where we connect to the Father. Jesus is telling us to get rid of things that keep us disconnected from the Father, and Jesus came so that we would be restored back to the Father.

Sin had severed the tie between us and God, and Jesus has come to make peace between God and man. Paul writes about this in Romans 5:1

Romans 5:1 NIV

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

This is all tied into the fruit of worship that Jesus is looking for! Look at verse 25, because if we’ve got peace with God, which is forgiveness with God, we can’t have unforgiveness with someone else.

Mark 11:25 NIV

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

It’s almost as if there’s a connection here… like, you don’t really get forgiveness if you haven’t given forgiveness to someone else.

Not only that, but this is is another thing that is hindering worship — placing God as our highest value — most of us don’t think that unresolved relational conflict stands as a massive barrier to intimacy and connection with God.

For some of us, this is like a giant mountain in our lives — almost an impossibility — and we treat it like that, we don’t mention their names at family gatherings, they’ve blocked us on Facebook and we can’t see pictures of the kids, we just use words like “difficult, strained, or complicated” to define the relationship with others… but it’s keeping you from worship… it’s become an ultimate thing, and now our values are all out of focus.

I doubt that most of us have an inventory of “barriers to worship” on a note in our iPhones, and I’m not sure we notice them until they are like “giant obstructions” right in front of us.

Here’s another one for you: I think we’ve all got some kind of sin that just won’t go away. These have become items of repeated prayer over the year, and recently we’ve had this thought, “Come on Lord, I’ve been dealing with this same thing for the last 15 years, shouldn’t I be over this by now?” Maybe it’s how you respond to your spouse, to your kids, to disappointment, maybe it’s something you do while no one is watching, maybe it feels silly to talk about with someone else, maybe you wouldn’t dare share it with someone else — all the while, this “thing” whatever it is, just gets bigger and bigger —

but what does Jesus say in verse 22? Have faith in God, lean on Him and tell this mountain to get lost.

This is the comparison for us this morning: there is nothing too big, too magnificent, too important in society, so precious in our lives, necessary for our survival, that can stand between us and God. Jesus is on His way to the cross for this very purpose: He won’t let anything get in the way between us and God.

Because I do think worship is so important, let me give you 3 ways to help us grow in worship this morning.

Pray for increased faith. There was a season in my life where I regularly prayed, “Lord, make me an evangelist.” Completely outside of my comfort zone at the time, and I kept finding myself in situations where I kept getting nudged to share the gospel with someone else.

Cultivate a distraction-free time in your daily life to worship, connect with God, and pursue His Will. You can read the Bible, I’m listening to the Bible this year, but can pray, sing hymns, memorize the historic catechisms of the church. Let me give you one solution. You can call it a Notecard prayer. Tape it to your mirror at home in your bathroom. The name of one person and a scripture passage of your choosing, that you want to see come to faith, or God to powerfully intervene in their life. — Here’s what I’ve noticed in my own life, if I don’t put it in my calendar, I don’t value it. Everything else is in my calendar, so why not, prayer, Bible reading, Sunday worship. These are values I’ve placed in my life.

Give forgiveness. When we forgive someone else, it means that we release them from consequence. Jesus cleansed the Temple because it belonged to the Lord, and so we are cleansing the parts of us that need to be given over to the Lord.

Let’s always be a people who respond to the most important things in our lives: Jesus!