RESTORING TRUE CORPORATE(Collective) WORSHIP-I—Mark 11:15-19
Attention:
Need:
The need for current (temple) worship to be cleansed/readied/restored/renovated
Recovery/restoration of worship assumes that there was a time when worship was truly worship. A need for ‘Revival’ is a statement that true worship has been lost.
*Jn..4:23-24—““But the hour is coming, & now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit & truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, & those who worship Him must worship in spirit & truth.””
Jesus showed us the importance of recovering true corporate worship.
*Jesus took it upon Himself to remove the hindrances to true corporate worship.
True corporate worship can be restored/recovered.
How is true corporate worship to be restored/recovered?
6 landmarks toward recovering true corporate worship.
Jesus’ ‘Triumphal Entry’ into Jerusalem had taken place the day before(11:1-11) which was a Monday(MacArthur Matthew 16-23 pg. 265-266). He & the 12 had then retreated to Bethany for the night(:11). The temple cleansing takes place “the next day”(:12) on a Tuesday. The Passover/Lord’s Supper would be celebrated on Thursday evening(or early Friday by Jewish reckoning).
1—True corporate worship is Restored/Recovered thru...
PHYSICAL CONFRONTATION(:15a)
Explanation:(:15a)Angered to action
:15—“So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple & began to drive out those who bought & sold in the temple, & overturned the tables of the money changers & the seats of those who sold doves.”
The “Temple”(ieron) referred to here includes the entire complex of buildings, the outer courts of the temple. The Holy Place, inclusive of the Holy of Holies, is signified by naos. The Temple grounds consisted of 4 outer courts designated to separate according to association as God’s people & per gender—....
1)‘Court of Gentiles’(General Public)—Largest open area & surrounded the 3 other courts & Temple proper.
2)‘Court of Women’—Smaller(square) area situated before the eastern(main) entrance to the temple but separated from direct contact with the Temple proper as wel as from the Court of Gentiles by walls with at least 3 entrances—to the east, north & south.
3)‘Court of Israel’(men)—This still smaller court was rectangular & was sandwiched between the Court of Women (to the west) & the Court of Priests (to the east). It was connected to the Court of Women by the western exit(Nicanor Gate) from the Court of Women.
4)‘Court of Priests’—Surrounded the Temple proper(Holy Place) & secured from the Court of Gentiles by a wall with 6 gates(3 north & 3 south).
The Herodian Temple was enclosed by walls ~1000 ft. X 1600 ft. & contained roughly 35 acres—James Brooks(NAC—Mark).
When no other means(His preaching & miracles) had sufficiently accomplished restoration.
Some things just produce anger when they are neglected so that you have to effectively ‘take the bull by the horns,’ in order to restore it to its original glory!
Jn. 2:13-17—“Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, & Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen & sheep & doves, & the moneychangers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep & the oxen, & poured out the changers’ money & overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.””
The populace generally expected the Messiah to right all wrongs & injustices, which they perceived to be present due to the Roman occupiers. But they never considered the wrongs & injustices to be centered in themselves & exemplified in their worship!
No one could rightly raise a hand to stop Jesus’ intervention because all knew that the bazaar was ironically a blasphemous practice.
By His actions Jesus was ensuring a place for Gentiles in the Temple.—James Brooks(NAC—Mark).
Argumentation:
Ps. 4:4-5—“Be angry, & do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, & be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the LORD.”
Eph. 4:26-27—““Be angry, & do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.”
Eccl. 7:9—“Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools.”
Thus Anger is not bad in-&-of itself. Any passion is correct if rightly ordered. It is the cause of the anger which can taint the response. If it is driven by flesh, the anger is sinful. If it is driven by God it is commendable.
*1Tim. 3:14-15—“These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar & ground of the truth.”
Mat. 18:15-17—““Moreover if your brother sins against you, go & tell him his fault between you & him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen & a tax collector.”
1Cor. 5:1-8—“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, & such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles--that a man has his father’s wife! And you are puffed up, & have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice & wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity & truth.”
Why was this church “glorying” in their behaviors...because like some churches today, they prided themselves on their being accepting of all people. However they quickly forgot that they had been saved in the hope of giving their works to God!
Php. 2:12-13—“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear & trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will & to do for His good pleasure.”
Eph. 2:10—“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Illustration:
TV show ‘American Restoration’—They must actively attack the problem—don’t just discuss it!—They do discuss it first & prepare but they put their hands to it in order to bring it about.
What is the reason for our ‘mad’-ness?
What truly angers us/you to action?
Application:
?Your Corporate worship Restored thru PHYSICAL CONFRONTATION?
?Your Corporate Worship what it is meant to be?
2—True corporate worship is Restored/Recovered thru...
REMOVAL Of AVARICE(:15b)
Explanation: (:15b)Gouging/Graft/Greed/Covetousness
:15—“So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple & began to drive out those who bought & sold in the temple, & overturned the tables of the money changers & the seats of those who sold doves.”
Avarice—‘Excessive or insatiable desire for wealth or gain.’
As Jesus entered “the Temple”(Court of the Gentiles), He “began to drive out” certain people from the Temple area...
Jesus was compelled to “cast out” “those who bought & sold in the Temple.”
People were present in the Temple area proper, who were merchants of some sort. In order to support merchants there must be sales as well. The Temple was obviously not intended as a place for profit from merchandising of any sort.
Jesus specifically turned over the “tables of the moneychangers.” The Temple was not intended as a place for profiting from the exchange of money.
The actual exchange of money is not the problem because all money involving the Temple had to be converted to that used by the Jews. It was the profit made that was the problem.
Deut. 14:24-26—““But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, or if the place where the LORD your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the LORD your God has blessed you, “then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, & go to the place which the LORD your God chooses. And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the LORD your God, & you shall rejoice, you & your household.”
Annas the high priest was instrumental in allowing the merchantile operations supporting the sacrificial system in the Court of Gentiles. It came to be known as “Bazaar of Annas.” “Merchants would buy rights to a concession for selling sacrificial animals, wine, oil, or salt, or for exchanging money into the proper currency & denominations used in Temple offerings. In addition to the franchise fees the operators would often be required to pay a certain percentage of their profits to Annas.” Price gouging & extortion were common. Exorbitant fees were charged—10X the usual fee for animals as well as 25% charge for monetary exchanges. MacArthur(Matthew 16-23 pg. 268).
Jesus also overturned the “seats of those who were selling doves”. The Temple was not intended as a place for profiting from the sale of doves for sacrifice. Doves were the sacrifice of the poorest of the poor. Their sale(for profit) would further exacerbate a person’s poverty.
Lk. 2:22-24—“Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord(as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD”),” & to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.””
Argumentation:
*Ex. 20:17—““You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.””
Deut. 5:21—“‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; & you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’”
*Prov. 1:19—“So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners.”
Prov. 11:6—“The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, But the unfaithful will be caught by their lust.”
*Ps. 10:2-4—“The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised. For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire; He blesses the greedy & renounces the LORD. The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.”
Prov. 21:25-26—“The desire of the lazy man kills him, For his hands refuse to labor. He covets greedily all day long, But the righteous gives & does not spare.”
Mk. 7:20-23—“And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, “thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within & defile a man.””
Lk. 11:39—“Then the Lord said to him[a Pharisee], “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup & dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed & wickedness.”
*Rom. 13:8-10—“Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” & if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”
Lk. 12:13-15—“Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” And He said to them, “Take heed & beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.””
*1Cor. 5:9-13—“I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner--not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.””
It is our Christian responsibility to be rid of manifestations of covetousness particularly in a corporate & worship setting.
*Col. 3:4-7—“When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, & covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.”
Illustration:
When we lived in Georgia—Price gouging immediately before, during & after a hurricane/Some business(Motels/Gas stations/Convenience stores) owners were charged with criminal overcharging/A bad name drove them out of business!/REMOVAL Of AVARICE
Application:
?Your Corporate worship Restored thru REMOVAL Of AVARICE?
?Your Corporate Worship what it is meant to be?
3—True corporate worship is Restored/Recovered thru...
ESTABLISHED TRAFFIC PATTERNS(:16)
Explanation:(:16)
:16—“And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.”
“Allow”—afihmi—1) To send away; 2) To permit, allow, not to hinder, to give up a thing to a person; 3) To leave, go way from one.
“Carry...through”—diaferw1) To bear or carry through any place; 2) To carry different ways. Strong—To bear through, i.e. (literally--Transport; usually to bear apart, i.e. objectively--To toss about; figuratively--Report; subjectively--To "differ", or by implication--Surpass. Used 13X.
“Wares”—skeuov—1) A vessel; 2) An implement—2a) in the plural—2a1) Household utensils, domestic gear, 2a2) The tackle & armament of vessels, used specifically of sails & ropes; 3) metaph.—3a) A man of quality, a chosen instrument—3b) In a bad sense, an assistant in accomplishing an evil deed. Strong—A vessel, implement, equipment or apparatus (literally or figuratively [specifically, a wife as contributing to the usefulness of the husband]).
Argumentation:
crooked ways
*Ps. 23:3—“He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.”
*Prov. 2:7-9—“He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints. Then you will understand righteousness & justice, Equity & every good path.”
*Ps. 25:9-10—“The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. All the paths of the LORD are mercy & truth, To such as keep His covenant & His testimonies.”
Deut. 32:3-5—“For I proclaim the name of the LORD: Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth & without injustice; Righteous & upright is He. They have corrupted themselves; They are not His children, Because of their blemish: A perverse & crooked generation.”
Prov. 28:18—“Whoever walks blamelessly will be saved, But he who is perverse in his ways will suddenly fall.”
Mat. 23:13—““But woe to you, scribes & Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”
*Mat. 7:13-14—““Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate & broad is the way that leads to destruction, & there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate & difficult is the way which leads to life, & there are few who find it.”
Jer. 31:9—“They shall come with weeping, And with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, In a straight way in which they shall not stumble; For I am a Father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn.”
Ps. 118:5—“I called on the LORD in distress; The LORD answered me & set me in a broad place.”
*Lk. 3:4-6—“as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled And every mountain & hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’””
Illustration:
‘Traffic patterns’ for Badcock Hime Furnishings in Cairo, GA/Linda Evans was the owner & a member of our church/She treated her church friends like family!/We were invited behind the counter on numerous occasions/But her customers were not allowed such access/Linda ESTABLISHED TRAFFIC PATTERNS
Drive-thru Worship/What a joke!/ESTABLISHED TRAFFIC PATTERNS
Robert Tilton’s ‘prayer cloths’
Peter Popoff’s ‘miracle holy water’
Placement of sales racks during musical events/Is this an issue?/Has this been established with the populace of the church?/ESTABLISHED TRAFFIC PATTERNS
Our Church’s Parking lot & outer appeal/Are others(lost & saved) ‘allowed’ entrance to our church facilities?/What do they encounter?/ESTABLISHED TRAFFIC PATTERNS
Application:
?Your Corporate worship Restored thru ESTABLISHED TRAFFIC PATTERNS?
?Your Corporate Worship what it is meant to be?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Action:
True corporate worship is Restored/Recovered thru...
1. PHYSICAL CONFRONTATION(:15a)
2. REMOVAL Of AVARICE(:15b)
3. ESTABLISHING TRAFFIC PATTERNS(:16)
Presented 04/01/2012am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
