His Fathers House

Intro:

Paula Recognition!

St. Patricks Day. (Slave, freed, Missionary)

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

Welcome back to Lent, to our journey in "The View From the Cross." Last week, we stood with Jesus on Golgotha, looking out over Zion—His holy hill, the stage of God’s story. We felt the weight of His pain and the spark of His joy, mingled together.

Today, we narrow our focus. Picture it: Jesus hangs there, blood dripping, breath shallow. His eyes lift, and across the valley, He sees it—the Temple, His Father’s House. Glimmering in the midday sun, alive with priests and pilgrims. What does He feel in this moment? What memories flood His heart? Let’s step into His gaze again, imagining what it’s like for God incarnate to look at this sacred place from His torture post.

Teach:

The shadow of the cross reaches for the temple

Our Savior opens His eyes—let’s open ours too. From the cross, the Temple isn’t just a building; it’s the heartbeat of His people, the place where heaven kissed earth.

The impact of the cross on what the temple has stood for is going to change the world.

From Golgotha Jesus could have laid eyes on the temple. The moment on the cross is reaching out across all time to finally fulfil what was started with the sacrificial system.

Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, and looking towards that temple is symbolic of this moment.

The Temple: A House of Glory

This wasn’t just stone and gold. For a thousand years, it was God’s address—Solomon’s glistening columns, Herod’s marble courts. A place of incense, psalms, and sacrifices, where Israel met their Lord.

It’s small—part of Zion’s 20 acres—but mighty. Like a single note in a song, it carried the weight of a nation’s faith. It was a shelter for God’s promise.

it featured concentric courts, including the Court of the Gentiles, Court of Women, and the Holy of Holies, accessible only to the high priest annually, with white marble walls and gilded roofs

It held the holy of holies. The place God lived.  The Glory of God housed in one place.

Jesus’ Life in Its Shadow

He knew it from the start. At 12, He stayed behind, teaching, saying, "Didn’t you know I’d be in My Father’s House?" (Luke 2:49). His mother carried Him there as a baby, offering doves.

He walked its porches, taught under Solomon’s roof, sat with the rabbis. He drove out the sellers with a whip—not anger alone, but love, crying, "My house shall be a house of prayer!" (John 2:16).

He wept over it too, knowing its stones would fall (Luke 19:41-44). This was His place—His past, His mission.

The temple was central to the Jewish life and their identity.

The festivals, sacrifices, worship and teaching was all central to the temple.

Jesus knew HE would be the final sacrifice for the temples requirements.

Preach:

It’s Not Just a Building—It’s Christ’s Heart Laid Bare

From the cross, Jesus sees more than marble. He sees every step He took there, every word He spoke. The Temple’s smoke rises, the psalms echo, and He remembers. But He also sees its end—its betrayal, its "den of thieves" (Luke 19:46).

And here’s the wonder: He knows He’s the new Temple. "Destroy this temple," He said, "and in three days I’ll raise it up" (John 2:19). The veil will tear, the old will fade, and His body will become the bridge to God. Pain and joy crash together—He’s dying, but He’s building something eternal.

Christs heart is the temple’s purpose, to rejoin Gods people back to him through sacrifice.

Sweet and Sour

Like with Zion, Jesus doesn’t just feel despair. He sees the past—Abraham’s faith, David’s dream (Building the temple), His own teachings. He sees the future—His Spirit filling us, His return. Revelation 21:22 says, "I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God and the Lamb."

On that cross, He carries the world’s sin, cries, "My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46). But He also carries the joy of what’s coming—us, His people, His Father’s new house. If He can find joy in that agony, what can’t we endure with Him?

Apply:

Every Moment of Your Walk Reflects His Father’s House

Jesus saw the Temple from the cross—its beauty, its brokenness, its promise. He sees you the same way. You’re His temple now (1 Corinthians 6:19). So how do we live that out?

Keep It a House of Prayer

Jesus cleansed the Temple because He loved it. What clutter’s in your heart—worry, bitterness, distraction? Sweep it out. Make room for prayer, for His presence. (My heart christs home)

Step: This week, carve out five minutes daily to sit with God—no agenda, just you and Him.

Remember You’re Part of Something Bigger

The Temple was small but world-changing. So are you. Jesus saw its past and future; He sees yours too. Your pain, your joy—it’s woven into His story.

Step: Thank God for one hard moment and one good one this week. See how He’s building through both.

Look Up with Hope

Jesus mourned the Temple’s fall but knew His victory was coming. Whatever’s crumbling in your life, He’s raising something new. Trust Him—you’re His Father’s House now.

Step: When you’re low, remember, you are his temple now, ask him to fill you with his presence.

Challenge:

Recap: Jesus, on His observation post, saw His Father’s House—its glory, His memories, its end, and His triumph. He saw us in that gaze too—His new dwelling place.

Call: Let’s live like it. Cleanse your heart, trust His plan, lift your eyes. From the cross, He made us His home—let’s make Him ours.

Prayer: "Jesus, You looked at the Temple with love and sorrow, then became our sanctuary. Help us be houses of prayer, pieces of Your story, and beacons of hope. Amen."