Matthew 21:1-22

Everybody doing good today. Woohoo, man, I love some of the new songs that were doing just so you guys will be patient with us on the on the music. I know some of its new some of you already know. Anyway, the first four weeks we are going to introduce a lot of new songs. We're going to go back and do them again. So I will kind of give us an interdiction side of this but overall it's been really good and we've really been trying to be careful theologically and so just who we are as far as music goes and how God shaping us. So we thank you guys for your patience with that stuff again to your lesson. If you go to Matthew 21, we're going to cover the first part of Matthew 21 today.

And the coming of a context of these verses I remember when I was working in downtown Nashville and it was during an election season and I don't know if you ever been downtown Nashville when a politician a major politician comes to town. It's really bad, right because they shut the roads down some people get off work early or you get stuck in it and whatever I did it was you're not a fan of them that day because you didn't get home till later. And so there was this idea that I mean, I want us to look at this as imagine us living in Jerusalem. When all of this begins to happen this last week these last eight chapters are really one week of Jesus's life. And so what we're going to do is we're going to be citizens of Jerusalem for a minute. It's so imagine this guy that you've heard of name Jesus people are saying that could he be the Messiah and he's he's coming into Jerusalem and in the city itself is swelling because it's Passover week. It would be like seeing a week in Nashville. So but much more important obviously so so there's this guy Jesus and in other people coming in but but there's just there's a commotion happening because people are shouting words of Praise. They are that this man you've heard of but you never seen you kind of wonder who he is and with that. I can't imagine if seem a week was religious. That's as close as I can get. Sorry, that's where we're at. So but that being said it's like this would be an anomaly with our normal day-to-day life. Someone that has come in and just to give you a picture of this Jerusalem was normally populated with a few hundred thousand people Scholars range from 100 to 300,000 people it would grow to over 1 million people in a week. For this week this Passover week. So imagine the traffic is just it was just not good, right and so people would would, they would celebrate God's Passover when when God protected the Israelites first born children as is he punished Egypt. So this would be a normal yearly thing now picture the seeing the bigger set of eyes. Passover was a celebration of freedom from oppression and slavery. So now imagine being a room being Roman for a second. So wrong, they're occupying this territory. And so imagine a Passover event. That was about a Liberation from an oppressor. So what happens here that they're nervous because this could start as a celebration and it could end of something else and so the Romans what they would do is when when everybody came in to celebrate they would increase the number of guards and soldiers and everybody to try to keep the peace in a now million person occupied City. So what we understand is this is that there's there's really two kingdoms evident at Passover and we're going to dive into this a little more detail, but the Romans would be there as a demonstration of for both allow that use their culture and ensure that their occupation continued not they're celebrating freedom. But hey, let's just be real you're you're still at you in our bondage such a reason why they would have the show of force. It would keep the celebration from becoming an uprising and then secondly on this one is the kingdom of God demonstrated through Jesus is now entering Jerusalem at the very same time. The guy who's claiming that they people say or Messiah and this guy was supposed to overtake them as well. So imagine the unrest the uneasiness during this week, but Jesus does something incredible to them. He shows a kingdom of humility the kingdom of Hope However, I want you to understand there's a third Kingdom at play in our reading of Matthew. It's a religious Kingdom. But it's a compromise Kingdom. It started as a kingdom of God. But it had been influencing off from the outside in a minute influence enough from Human agendas to kind of lose itself. It had an appearance of religion. But I have compromises for profit. It'll confuse his priorities while masquerading as a kingdom of God. The invitation today is to see the Three Kingdoms in this story as both external and internal and what I mean is is this is that the most important part of the story is what happens externally what Jesus does and why does he do it? But there is a personal nature of the gospel and no matter our beliefs. We are going to hold to a kingdom first within before we align ourselves with it without So it's going to start here, but it's going to play out here. And all I want you to understand before we get into this text the holy life that you are called to the holy life that you're called to in your contacts and how you're supposed to live. So let me give you a picture of this is 1st Corinthians, 6:19. It says do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit? Within you whom you have from God you are not your own. Man, that that's the pretty declarative of Paul here and 1 read one of the reasons why we're trying to one of many reasons. Why don't we try to keep ourselves from sin or worldly things? Is that the temple now resides here? This is the temple and in the holy of holies is the holy spirit of God. You are the temple. You've been designated as something bigger than just a human being or or someone who has lost or someone who lives for themselves. This is a temple. So the holy of holies where the spirit dwells is now your heart. And it's interesting when you go to the Old Testament and there's no way Solomon noses at this time, but Proverbs says above all else guard your heart. Rights that we get a picture of what God has done with the temple because they were talking about the temple and its we look at the passage the major message. I promise you I won't leave it. It is external but there's something internal that we have got to walk away with so that we understand. Okay. So today when we look at this you may be a Roman. You may be a Roman were personal interest in control or the most important thing in your life. Secondly, you may be christ-like. Where God's will is the most important thing in your life? But here's what we understand about this third Kingdom. That you may be religious. We're God's will is only important if it fits your agenda? In Morality is the means by which that happens. Nephrology is the most important thing. It could actually speak more of us than it does God because God is more than morality. And as we look at the triumphal entry today, the challenge is to both understand the external story. But also to look within and ask ourselves each as a temple. How would we receive Jesus how would we receive Jesus? So what that we're going to read verses 1 through 11 and Matthew 21, I would take a drink of water but my cup has disappeared. So is there one behind me? That's I don't know what that is. I'm not touching it.

I've got some letters on it. It probably means I don't drink. All right vs. One will talk about the triumphal entry. It says now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethpage to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus sent two disciples saying to them go into the village in front of you and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a cold with her untie them and bring them to me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say the Lord needs them and he will send them at once this took place to fulfill. What was spoken by the prophet saying say to the daughter of Zion behold your kingdom is coming to you humble and mounted on a donkey on a cult. The foal of a beast of burden the disciples went and did his Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and and put on them their clothes and he sat on them most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting Hosanna to the son of David blessed. Is he who comes in the name of the Lord hosanna in the highest? And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up saying who is this and the crowd said this is the prophet Jesus. from Nazareth of Galilee So Matthew takes great care to document this final week of Jesus's life. It took 20 chapters to go through 30 years of Jesus's life, roughly. But now it's going to be the final eight chapters for this whole account. He's going into some significant detail here and it to give you a picture Jesus comes to Bethpage and this is kind of like a a layout of Bethpage to what would happen is that Jesus would have a bird's-eye view of everything that was about to take place in his life. He would understand that. So is it Jesus enters Jerusalem, he eats sense for a donkey because he knows this is what God has set for him. He even described how the disciples were to retrieve a donkey and it's cold. And with a cold what would happen is that the mom would go with the young donkey because I almost as a comfort if you read this wrong, it looks like Jesus is trying to straddle two animals. And if I had been that's just not possible Right. The guy of horses says you can't straddle two animals, but when you look at the other gospels what we understand is that Jesus fulfilling the prophecy he rode the colt and then the mother accompanied okay and in so he is a conqueror riding a humble donkey and it would symbolize peace. It would symbolize peace and also in doing this Jesus he fulfill the prophecy in this Prophecy from the Old Testament Zachariah. It's centered around the idea that God himself would come to Zion. And this is important for a number of reasons, but there are people who read the Bible and say Jesus never declared to be God that there's and if it's actually it's obviously there's places where he did but people try to dispute that but they give you a picture of this. Jesus never stopped people who worship him which he would if he wasn't God, but secondly, he is fulfilling a prophecy today. About Zion in about God coming to Zion and he affirms that in his life. So Zacharias prophecies that they had a lot to say about Jesus in the coming day of the Lord. I just want to give you a glimpse here. The last time we'll read in the second first and foremost that date would be one of Salvation which is pretty impressive. But then the inhabitants of Jerusalem, they would be cleansed of their send. This is an Old Testament prophet. And so when we keep going people would go to Jerusalem to worship the king and we see this playing out in the scene that we just read. I'm in finally what we're about to read which I think is awesome. It is that there would no longer be a traitor in the house trader in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day. And so Matthew points us to God's intentionality of the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. It's interesting to see that God is over every detail of this knowing that he knew of this. Hundreds of years ago to either understand if he's understood that he's revealed this to us hundreds of years ago, and we're make scripture. There's a comforting idea and I love the song that we sang today. Jesus has this wonderful confirmation. Not that he needed it. That he's not alone. He's not alone. He's going to face the most difficult part of his human existence. Knowing the gods and every detail and that he is not alone. And it's a wonderful understanding of the details of the coming crucifixion. It reveals Jesus's identity to the reader and we can rest assured that God's will is accomplished in the cross? His will is accomplished through this and besides salvation itself? What do you think of something like this means for us? We've got to be willing to look at this Jesus did his best to model human experience as fully God and fully man. So look at the entire scene from the context of your life because he promises things to us. And there may come a time in your life. Got to do the right thing no matter how difficult it is.

At the very least if you're doing what God wants you to do. You can rest and know that you're not alone that he's with you. He's he's with you trying to draw you back even when you mess up. What you're not alone. And I've talked to a lot of lonely people in my day and counseling but the first thing I tried to tell him. You're not alone. You're not alone. Then you can face opposition doing exactly the right thing people can gossip they can make assumptions. But if you are acting out the will of God for your life. He's with you. He's for what you're doing. We should never be afraid to do hard things. Especially if God calls us to those moments. We can rest knowing that we are not alone. Even if what we face is difficult. I'll be honest, man. When I went to this passage, it's been my recent comfort and in these last few weeks. In so many ways. I have been shown that I'm not alone. and I this passage probably hit me harder than some things in my life lately. So Jesus, he's soon going to face the cross.

But he's not going to face it alone. Even if nobody else around him understands. He's not going to face it alone. So the crowd that had followed Jesus some all the way from Jericho another was 15 miles and others have joined in along the way through this March that they're making a massage by a statement in their actions as Jesus enters Jerusalem, they're shouting the son of David. It's a messiah title. And this word Hosanna. I want to understand that this word Hosanna. It has a two-fold meaning it was first off it was appraised for salvation. But also it was a cry to God God save us. So when they were shouting Hosanna to the son of David they they were it was an offering of Praise, but it was an expectation that they would be saved. But they were under oppression and they're missing some of this a course. But even with this they were there they're laying cloaks and they are up and in these branches. It's it's a welcome. It's a king's welcome. Until the city takes notice and some may have heard of Jesus. They were curious to see if enough to go see him in person probably but despite the attention this crowd yelling Jose. the same crowd Because they didn't understand what Jesus was trying to do. They would be yelling crucify him at the end of the week.

So Jesus, he didn't fit the mold. He didn't fit the the mold of a human being.

You didn't fit the mold of a human king or concour riding on a donkey instead of a warhorse. So, I believe that the Betrayal of Jesus actually reveals more about the people. You see I believe the people wanted Jesus to liberate them. I think they wanted that but they didn't actually want Jesus himself. But they wanted the action. They didn't really care that much about the Messiah specifically. So we can Want Jesus for what he gives us we can miss out for wanting Jesus for who he is and it actually gets the difference between Thanksgiving and praise Thanksgiving is praising God for what he's done praise is praising God for who he is and sometimes If we're honest with ourselves, we do a lot more Thanksgiving than we do praise and we do worship. We have got to come to this core idea that this is who God is because of that I worship Him It's great to do both but Thanksgiving without praise as a lot of more to do with the stuff than it does with who Jesus is. UK And in the end what happened? Is it is they had missed the point of peace. Peace was the offer of the Kingdom. They wanted Conquest but it was peace peace was a greater offer than Conquest. So look at this was actually one of my commentaries. I thought it was beautiful. They called him the son of David in terms of a conqueror, but they miss the idea that he was a son of Abraham to sacrifice. They wanted the Conqueror. They didn't care about the sacrifice. and so the reality was for these people and for us but for them at the time specifically even though they were occupied by Rome. They didn't need a conqueror. They needed a sacrifice and Jesus came to save in a much bigger way. So Jesus, he demonstrates a kingdom with greater values and those around him they don't understand more than that. They needed a conqueror or a prophet at this moment. They had almost no understanding. That more than they needed a savior of their Nation. They needed a savior of their soul. And that is the point is we look at this. We have got to understand the bigger picture that Jesus is trying to do when he comes into Jerusalem. Okay next part. This is 12 through 17.

And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple and he overturn the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them it is written my house shall be called a House of Prayer but you make it a den of robbers and the Blind and the lame came to him in the temple and he healed them when the chief priests in the Scribe saw the wonderful things that he did in the children crying out in the temple Hosanna to the son of David they were indignant and they said to him. Do you hear what these are saying? And Jesus said to them. Yes. Have you never read? Out of the mouths of infants in nursing babes. You have prepared praise. I'm leaving then he went out of the city to Bethany Lodge there. So Jesus went to Jerusalem to conquer Rome. It actually would make sense that Jesus starts his week challenging the temple. It's almost like he went to the wrong place if he was going to conquer Rome this week and what you can see here is you can see the court of the Gentiles here. We're most scholars believe that this is where he threw out the money changers, but I find this interesting right because you can look watch me do this. This is so cool, right? This is the court of the Gentiles. My interactive map is working so good. But look here's my point is is he comes into the court of the Gentiles? It's on either side here. And what would happen is it is the Gentiles and even I think the women were actually allowed here non-jews were actually allowed out here. So this is where all the money exchange would happen in the top Center you would get to the holy of holies. So they're out making exchanges for sacrifices. And Jesus says you're going to have to get all this out of here. He gets angry. He throws them out. So with this this outer Court of the Gentiles, it's where Jesus probably drove out the merchants. Outer area inside of the temple was now appropriated for Commerce. It was actually meant for something else and it's pilgrims. They made this long Trek to Jerusalem and for Passover what became that the the thing was rather than having to drag a sacrifice from where they lived they would get money and they would get it exchanged and they would purchase a sacrifice and for the Jews it was offensive to use coins with paganism inscriptions for sacrifice. So they would have money changers exchange currency, but they would do it at exorbitant prices prices and they would charge more for the sacrifice. Honestly sacrifices were big business during Holy Week. In Jesus, he's not having any of it. The problem was also where they decided to trade. They took an area the temple that was meant for prayer and they made it for financial gain, but they're like, you know what it's it's not that the holy of holies. We can just go on the outer parts of it. We're just going to change it a little bit. Right. That's why I got to draw all that stuff on the screen. but my point is Jesus takes on the role in the sense of a profit here Jeremiah did something similar in the Old Testament. I smashed a pot in the temple this cleansing of the temple. It was a sign of judgment if things didn't change the prophetic message. They had come to this place of Commerce rather than a place of Prayer. And so notice to is that he said they made the Temple of dinner robbers was a den of robbers. It's not just the fact that they were stealing from people in the outer courts of the temple a den for a robbers where you go to hide these people were using their religion to hide their theft. They're using religion to hide their fact and it's honestly issue within us to consider because think of it like this. I want you to think about the outer courts of your temple. Hey, I'm not going to take it to church. It's like a big part of my prayer time. What if my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit? What if I allowed in the outer courts? The bigger question is is what is it that we made, and that should be holy in our lives. We got to understand as we look at this Jesus comes in and he is so violently angry that the outer courts have been have been basically corrupted that he cast all of it out. This is no this is not going to be how my father's house is. So when we look at our lives. What would Jesus throw out? I don't I don't really mean Pastor once who said if Jesus came home and you guys sit down and watch their movie collection. Would you be embarrassed the guy was so mean, I went home and threw out three fourths of my DVDs at the time. But he was right. There are things I'd allowed into my life that I just know. You know what I shouldn't have. If my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit my actions matter and how I I care for that Temple. Is important why am I so nonchalant about it and what I allow into my life? What do we put in place of things like Prayer church or or anything that would draw us closer to God? Noticed up once Jesus removes the theft that's happening in any other courts you what it says next it says he healed the Blind and the lame. He didn't move anywhere. The outer courts were now re-appropriated for something bigger. Healing time restoration came and I need you to understand this because sickness and their day was tied to send that if you were sick it was there was a good possibility you were sitting so you aren't allowed into the courts. So not only did Jesus heal their physical ailment. He made a spiritual Gateway for them to come in. If you were blind, you probably blind because of sin. back in this day

He made a way for them to participate in the temple. fascinating they now have access from an Old Testament mindset to God. See, I believe that there are places in our hearts were we have substituted preference for Holiness? I think that's what we've done if we could be honest. We are looking at it this way because Jesus finds so offencive Define something the find out that something that was holy at Beacon common that he throws it out of the Temple. But my fear is that we don't actually treat it that way. We just actually allowed to have a small room we give residents. Because look if your body's a temple. Nothing should be allowed in the space where Faith should dwell. Nothing else should be allowed in the space were faced should well, it's why pornography is so dangerous or greed sin. These things enter the outer courts of Our Lives. And we we have got to understand that once we choose to follow Christ. We are now caretakers of the temple each and every one of us. We are caretakers of the temple. If our body is a temple. We are caretakers of that Temple. We allow what comes in and what goes out one of my favorite verses in the Psalms from King David. He says this Accessory Touch Me Oh God and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any Grievous way in me and Lead Me in the way Everlasting. Another words. Where is you talking about stalking about the temple? the temple David is inviting God into the temple to purge. To take all of the stuff out. That should not be be there that helps us understand. So going back to Jesus here. He clears the Jewish temple, but most scholars believe you know, what happened the next day. all the money changers came back everything return to normal because they have rejected the message. They rejected the message. So the religious leaders here. But they understood what the children were sitting with one thought the children were saying when they call Jesus Son of David that they were indignant because here are children making a messiah statement and in their upset. So that their horrify because the children who saw Jesus. For who he truly was but they could not actually see the same thing. So the leaders they see the triumphal entry that they see the temple being cleared. They see the prophetic pronouncement of judgment. They even see the Miracles.

But Messiah was in front of them. But they would not accept that God had a different plan than they did. It's a Jesus respond to me actually quote Psalm 8:2 here and they still don't understand. Scripture of these leaders that scripture is being played out right before their eyes. And they can accept it. I can't when Jesus says words like have you never read It's actually an accusation that these people don't know their scripture. It wasn't a nice thing for him to say. Have you never read? Like are you not reading your Bible? I think that's how we stay in the South because of see where I'm going here, right? The date they basically accused him of not knowing their own scriptures of what Jesus did here. So after this altercation Jesus quote on quote Lisa Temple for Bethany. I say that in quotes for a reason because there's actually is very strong word here in the Greek for the word leading in the ESV. It's not just a casual exit Jesus leaves with a righteous anger. He's indicted and he doesn't casually leave the temple and go. Well, he's angry he's got he's got a passionate anger for the word of God and in here's the thing is I like to me. Jesus understands It's not about him leaving the temple. It's the idea that the temple has left him.

And as a church and as a body of believers. We should hold tightly to such a thing. You've got to understand this. Jesus is angry and what he finds on the temple. He still on a mission though. He still on a mission to save his people. All right last part 18 through 22.

So in the morning as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside he went to it and found nothing on it, but only leaves and he said to it may no fruit ever come from you again and the Fig Tree withered at 1 when the disciples saw that they marveled sing. How did the fig tree with her at once and Jesus answered them truly. I say to you if you have faith and do not doubt you will not only do what has been done to the Fig Tree. But even if you say to this mountain be taken up and thrown into the sea, it will happen. Whatever you ask in prayer you will receive if you have faith. So Jesus, he lodged in Bethany for the night. He's left the temple. He's angry. He goes to Bethany and many with Jerusalem now overcrowded where hundreds of thousands are now over a million. He Retreats the Bethany where Lazarus Mary and Martha lived more than likely he probably stayed with them many scholars believe this it's possible. Jesus stays in their home for the evening. So is Jesus as in his disciples that they make their way back into the city the next morning they come across a fig tree with no fruit in Jesus uses this as an opportunity to pronounce judgment. So the Fig Tree in and of itself was a representation of Jerusalem in its leaders most Scholars. See this symbolism is important here because Jesus is not judging vegetation. He's got something much more in mind when he does. It wouldn't make sense obviously to get mad at a fig tree right? He's doing this for a reason. This Temple. We've been talkin about a why we've been talking about it the temple would soon move from dirt to Hart. There's going to be a transition at the end of this week when the veil is torn in two from top to bottom. It's always torn from the top when you read it because God torrent the human being can't reach it Temple moves from dirt to heart and that's why I'm covering this contact this this chapter in this context. The temple itself would be destroyed in 70 AD, but Faith continues because the temple has a new location. We have to understand that sitting so Jesus. He he pronounces judgment because the tree has an appearance of life and appearance of life that promises fruit, but it doesn't produce anything. So it's an image of the temple it had every appearance of righteousness, but it's apocracy was blind to its own sin. It was so bad at the temple. They couldn't recognize God even if he walked into their Temple courts, right didn't and that what we just read. Imagine calling yourself a church and us not being able to know that Jesus walked into the room. It would be a problem and this is what he's pointing out here. So this withering of the tree it's it's a visual representation of judgment that God has a new plan and he's creating a new Temple and we see this even more during the crossing. Like I said when the veil was torn. What was once confined to a people in a location for a holy of holies in a nation is not in a landmark anymore? It's here. So did the salt disciples it's interesting that they kind of miss it. They Marvel the sign that Jesus has given and they're more focused on the power rather than the message be like Jesus. How did you do that and told the disciples? They were there more interested in the house instead of the Y in Jesus brings a matter back to Faith in their inquiry something he had preached to them his entire time with him was face. In Phase if we can be honest face leads to the Y answer not the how answer faith will always lead us and into a face and God. And so faith in and of itself, we overuse the word and in some sense we talked about people of different faiths. We say things like that faith is only as powerful as and when you put your faith in those who have faith in God that they serve him and that's important because it's when Jesus says that if you ask for it will be given to you. This is for a person whose life is yielded to the will of God. So when God answers your prayers, he knows your needs he knows what you're doing for him. He's he's not saying pray for a Lamborghini here is going to show up in your driveway. That's not the context of the prayer. Stream you got to find a prayer life. But but with this being said we have to understand that a person's life yielded to the will of God will pray the will of God. And that's how this works out in prayer. And so this phrase I want to make sure here I'm not asking you to go and throw her Hill in to see somewhere when we leave this idea of throwing a mountain into the sea. It was actually a figure of speech back then doing impossible things. The impossibility of people through through prayer would be possible for God we pray to God for impossible things because we can't do it knowing that he can it's a recognition of our powerlessness and it's a declaration of our dependence on God. That's what prayer is mountains move because God moves impossible things happen because we could never make them happen, but God can so when we bring this together the ideas this entering the temple if we're going to talk about the triumphal entry today in the entry into the temple. The people see the enemy has Rome but in the end in the end they cannot see the enemy is himself. And that's the issue. It's the greatest issue before Jesus ever came to topple Empires. He came to rescue hearts and lies captive to sin and death. People believe their problems would end if wrong was gone, but they still would have the largest problem left in their lives because they would still have their sin if he was just a conqueror in that moment. He had to be a sacrifice. Jesus had a bigger mission. So that the triumphal entry? It gives us a picture on how the temple change there's an ending being declared today of the temple. The fig tree has withered and the temple at over the course of the week. It's going to change locations. And as the as the Earthly Temple is judged and found fruitless. We know a time will soon come afterwards with a temple moves to hearts with the temple moves to lives and of those who follow Christ. We have got to look at the temple differently in the Here and Now When the veil is torn the temple moves from location to people. And for those who received the spirit, they will live by his leading. That's the spirit makes residence within Believers. She's just Begins the last week of his life confronting and conforming the temple.

Because the question really is in this. If our bodies are a temple for the spirit of God within us. How should we live? How should we treat our Christian faith? Jesus entered the outer courts of our hearts. What would he what would he drive out? What would be missing? He did it in an Earthly Temple. Why do you think he doesn't have an opinion on what's on the outer courts of our hearts? He had an opinion then I bet you he has an opinion now. What are you holding onto? What's in the outer court, is it hatred? Is it bitterness is it lost is it pleasure? What do you put in place? It just lets you see example specifically today. What do you put in place a prayer in your life? I won't even stretch it be on that. Jesus takes place of that pattern to Commerce and he made it a place of Prayer. What are we substituting for a place of Prayer in our lives? the idea of being a temple for the holy spirit is that your entire life actually meant for the glory of God and you can't compartmentalize it anyway, even though we often to We designate X for face. And times for not Faith whatever it is. Whatever we watch on TV how where we live. We have got to understand how this plays out. But you know when it comes down to it is very simple. It's what you do with your hands. It's what you do with your Feats Feats your feet. It's what you do with your eyes. It's what you allow in. Right. I can practically look. at most of my appendages and know that if I'm going to be a caretaker of the Temple. What I do with what God has given me matters. Is so important.

What would Jesus cast down? We mention that God judges institutions more harshly than people but let's be honest institutions are people. Institutions are people and God looks at the heart of every person. Have we been good caretakers? Ask yourself. If you're over the temple courts. Would you know it was Jesus when he walked in the door? Would you welcome him in would you change what he wanted to change? We have to understand what is taking place from the chapter today and where the temple has moved in our lives today?

In the end Jesus I'm going to say something when I say this you're going to want to Stone me to death, but I need you to hear me all the way through before you do. Okay? Listen to this Jesus didn't die so that you would live.

Jesus died so that you would die. He lives so that you would live. We like the living part. We don't necessarily like the dying part. right So Jesus died so that we would die. So that we would set aside our will for the will of God Paul wraps it all together. He says offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. Jesus died so that we would die. And he lives so that we would live. When we understand that we will be different caretakers. We will look at our lives differently. And it's the point. What Sprite?

God I thank you for for such a passage God. I thank you for such a reminder. I think we can go get so lost and in the muck and the Meijer of life that that we forget that we are caretakers of the temple that you've given us. Got it, and how we live and what we doing and how that plays out in our lives is so important. God I pray the prayer David. Search a so God and know our hearts. Try us and know our ways. See if there be any Grievous way in us and lead us in the way Everlasting. Teach us to be good caretakers God. And God as we continue through your word. Let us live our lives in light of the Cross and that you would die and that you would rise that you would die and that you would live so that we could die in so that we could live.