Mark 11:12-24 Cleaning House

Intro

Announcements:

Babysitters for Church dinner next week

Volunteers at Trunk or Treat

Ignition Nov 8-9

Has your mom or dad ever come into your room and start yelling at you to clean it

Have they ever started throwing things on to the floor, pulling stuff out from under the bed, and shoving used junk food wrappers in your face?

Maybe you got in trouble or bad grades and come home and found they took everything out except your bed?

Anyone want to share a crazy story?

If you have experienced anything like this you have gone through what they call “A house cleaning”

It was done to get rid of some junk in your life

Something needed to be done and your parents got drastic

We see something similar to that tonight when we see Jesus do some house cleaning

He deals with a fig tree that isn’t producing fruit, a temple where people are putting riches over righteousness

Read Mark 11:12-14

Mark 11:12–14 ESV

On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

Transition

vs. 12-14 A Big Fake

Sometimes your house needs to be cleansed because it’s all show

You’re a big fake

You look the part but there is nothing underneath

That’s what’s going on with this fig tree

Fig tree only produce leaves when they are producing figs

This tree was a big fake

If it produced leaves it wasn’t going to produce figs

There is a danger in being all show and no substance

You don’t want to be a fake Christian

A fake Christian is one who says he is but doesn’t act like it

A fake Christian can be a nice person but never worship Jesus

A fake Christian is someone who doesn’t produce the fruit of being a Christian

Are you a loving person?

Are you gentle, kind, and patient?

When we stand before Jesus we will be judged on the fruit of our lives

vs. 15-19 Temple Cleansing

Sometimes your house needs to be cleaned because your motivations are wrong

Jesus comes into the outer court of the temple where money changers and vendors sold sacrificial animals

It was like having a farmers market outside the church, except the priests where in cahoots with the vendors to charge really high prices

Every Jewish ma had to pay a temple tax which was the equivalent of two days wages

They could only use official temple money so they had to exchange Roman money at an exhorbitant exchange rate

Jesus had enough with people using his Father’s house in the wrong way

It was a place for prayer

Isaiah 56:7 (ESV)

these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”

Jesus turns over the tables and chases the vendors out

Be careful what you use the church for

It’s a place for learning, growing, and community

Don’t use it to hook up with someone

Don’t use

vs. 20-24 Faith to Ask

Jesus instructs them on how its to be done

Luke 11:9 ESV

And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.