Cleaning Out the House (Revisited)

Introduction

Good morning and welcome back!

This morning we are going to be circling back around to a topic that we talked a little bit about last week, in Sunday School.

And that was Jesus’ cleaning of the temple from the money-changers.

The passage we will be looking at this morning is a very familiar passage of scripture.

If you want to start turning there, we will be looking at Matthew 21:12-17.

And, we all know that Jesus went in turned over the tables of the money-changers and ran them out of the temple.

We also know that there is an account recording in Mark 11:15-19 and Luke 19:45-48, which describe Jesus doing the same thing.

There is also an account recorded in John 2:12-17.

What we've not been taught though is that the account in Matthew, Mark and Luke describe an event that took place at the end of Jesus' ministry and the account in John describes an event that took place at the beginning of Jesus' ministry which states:

John 2:12–17 NIV - Anglicised

After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days. When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

So, we have two separate accounts recorded in our Bible, and tonight Lord willing we will look more closely at the account in John, but this morning we are going to focus more on the account in Matthew.

And as we are looking at this, I want us to ask ourselves this question: What do we need to do in order to clean out our house so that God may move in?

Because honestly, that is really what we are talking about here.

It’s not so much about buying and selling and money-traders, but what is inside our house.

So, in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 21, starting in verse 12, he writes . . .

Scripture Focus

Matthew 21:12–17 NIV - Anglicised

Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers’.” The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “ ‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise’?” And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

What Is the House?

No, not the typical Jesus response we are used to right?

And just to put this in context of what is going on here a bit.

In Jewish tradition there had to be a sacrifice without spot or blemish offered.

And what was happening here was that certain people were making a living by selling animals for sacrifice in the temple.

For instance, if you needed a dove for sacrifice, they would sell you a dove, if you needed a sheep, they would sell you a sheep.

And what they had done is set up shop in the courtyard and began selling these items to be taken in and sacrificed.

And since these were "blessed animals" they were selling them for inflated prices.

If a dove was worth $10.00 anywhere else, here at the temple it would cost you $20.00.

However, they were taking it one step further than this even.

Those selling insisted that the money of the world was not good enough because it had been corrupted by sin, so they were taking the money of the people and exchanging it for money that had been blessed by priest.

For this exchanging of money those wanting to bring sacrifice were also charged a fee.

Kind of like the Check Exchange. You write a check for $200.00 and they give you $150.00.

So, Jesus seeing this went into the temple and the Bible says He, "cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple" and He, overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves."

And then Jesus then makes a proclamation to them quoting Isaiah 56:7 that says . . .

Isaiah 56:7 NIV - Anglicised

these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

This is what God's House, the place where God resides is designed to be.

A house of prayer and a house of sacrifices for all people.

Because God is available to all who will come.

However, the moneychangers and animal sellers had made it a "den of thieves."

So, once Jesus runs them out and "cleans out the house" he then shows them what the House of God is to be used for and the purpose of the temple. . .

Matthew 21:14 NIV - Anglicised

The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.

However, there were always the nah-sayers out there . ..

Matthew 21:15–16 NIV - Anglicised

But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “ ‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise’?”

And he was really done with the chief priests and teachers of the law at that point . . .

Matthew 21:17 NIV - Anglicised

And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

And that is the story and how it went down, but What is the house?

What was it that Jesus was really getting at by doing this?

Was it just about driving people out of the temple who didn’t belong there?

No, not at all.

Now this was a physical act that Jesus did but it represented many things.

Remember, in the Old Testament God resided in the tabernacle and then later the temple.

However, the Temple was destroyed in 70AD and has never been rebuilt. And there is a reason for that.

God's dwelling place has changed.

God no longer dwells a building or a tent, but God dwells within us.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NIV - Anglicised

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body.

So, we are now the dwelling place of God.

God dwells within us and bought us with a price, a high price.

He bought us with the blood of Jesus.

Therefore we are to glorify God in all that we do and all that we are.

We belong completely to God.

So, Jesus is telling us in this passage that we are to clean out our house.

We are to get rid of everything that is not pleasing to God.

Anything that does not edify and lift up God we are to get rid of it.

So what are some of these things in your life?

Drugs

Alcohol

Money

Power

Fame

The Internet

Television

And I want to say this about television before we move on.

Television is a very subtle and seductive mistress.

If we are not careful we will get sucked right into the fake world that Hollywood has created.

And this may be old fashioned, but I honestly scratch my head when I see people posting on Facebook their favorite TV shows on Netflix, and it is all shows full of filth and sex.

And I think to myself, would they want to sit down and watch that show with their kids or their grandparents, or their preacher?

And if it is something you would be ashamed to sit down and watch with your pastor, then you probably shouldn’t be watching it.

The same thing is true for the internet.

If you wouldn’t want your pastor seeing what you are looking at or what you are posting, you probably shouldn’t be doing it at all.

But it all really boils down to idolatry.

Substitute anything that takes the place of God, anything that keeps you away from God, anything that is a 'god' to you.

Jesus is saying CAST IT OUT!

The time has come to get the house in order.

Time is short.

And the cleaning doesn’t start in the community.

The cleaning starts right here...

1 Peter 4:17–18 NIV - Anglicised

For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

Judgment starts right here.

Change starts right here.

Listen, Peter tells us that "the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?"

If the gate is so narrow that the many who claim to be saved can't get in, what about those who do not even have an appearance of godliness?

Where does that leave the rest of the world?

So, we have got work to do!

Why Did Jesus Clean House Twice?

But, like a good infomercial, wait there’s more!

When we started this morning, we talked about the accounts in Matthew, Mark, and Luke being the second cleaning of the temple and the account in John being the first cleaning.

Why do you suppose Jesus had to clean the temple out twice? Once at the beginning of His ministry and once again at the end.

You see, when Jesus cleaned it out the first time it represented us when we are saved.

When we receive the eternal gift of salvation, God cleans out the house.

Think about it, remember how it felt when we were first saved.

It was like you could take on the devil himself. You were clean and free.

But what happens then?

The attacks begin. Soon after the devil and his army begin to attack.

They begin to throw those fiery darts at you and you begin to slip.

You begin to slide back a little.

Get into a comfort zone.

Do just enough to ease your conscious.

Which goes back to the reason that Jesus referred to them as a den of thieves.

Who is the thief? The devil.

What does he come to do?

1 Peter 5:8 NIV - Anglicised

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

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John 10:10 NIV - Anglicised

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

He comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus came so that we may have life and have it more abundantly.

Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil.

He came to defeat sin, to defeat death, to give us victory.

He came to lead us home.

So, why do we end up in this shape though?

Why can't we seem to defeat the enemy?

Because we only have a surface level religion.

We are only willing to do the least amount necessary to receive salvation.

We don't seek after the deep things of God.

We don't pray as we should.

We don't read our Bible as we should.

We don't seek God as we should.

We don't fast as we should.

We do just enough to get by.

The result of doing this is . . .

Luke 11:24–26 NIV - Anglicised

“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.”

So, when we are saved or "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man" it will go to "dry places" trying to find somewhere else to land and when it can't find anyone else to torment or anyone that suits its fancy, the spirit will "return unto my house whence I came out."

So, he's coming back.

And when spirit returns he finds the house in order, but the house is in order because the house is empty.

There's nothing in there.

It is like a brand new house, it's clean alright but it's clean because it is empty.

So, what does the spirit do?

"Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven over spirits more wicked than himself." And look at this, "and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first."

They are worse off then before they were ever saved.

So, then what has to happen?

Jesus has to come back in and clean the house out again.

Jesus has to overturn the tables of the moneychangers.

Jesus has to run out the spirits of alcohol, drugs, greed, lust.

Jesus has to cleanse us from all our sins.

We can't do it on our own.

Jesus has to do it.

Jesus has to come back again.

But that’s not the end of it.

The fight continues.

It is a constant battle.

It is a battle to the death.

It is after this second time the scribes and the Pharisees launched their plan to kill Jesus.

The same is true for us.

The devil is out for one thing. He is out to kill you.

He is out to make sure you die lost and your soul goes to hell forever.

Altar/Challenge

God wants our house to be clean.

God wants us to be holy.

The apostle John told us:

1 John 1:8–10 NIV - Anglicised

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

Maybe your here and you've never accepted Jesus as your savior. Maybe your house has never been clean.

You can take care of that today.

Maybe you've had your house cleaned and over the weeks, months, or even years, it has began to get cluttered up by sin.

Cluttered by the world.

Jesus wants to clean our house.

Jesus is here waiting.

The work is hard. It may even hurt a little bit to clean things up.

Are you willing?

Are you able?

Are you ready?

Let’s pray . . .