(13) And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, (14) And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: (15) And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; (16) And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. (17) And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.
I. Churches today are dealing with the same things that they did in Bible times; and that is; man likes to mess up what God sets up!
A. The text takes place at The Jewish Temple which was roughly fifteen stories above the Kidron Valley. This place was huge, nearly 500 yards long and 400 yards wide. The outer court of the Temple was nearly the size of 48 College basketball courts.
1. The temple had become a veritable shopping mall. Pens of sheep, goats, doves, and other animals for sacrifice were everywhere. Moneychangers operated several of the tables. And in one sense, these merchants provided a needed service. Worshippers had come from great distances and they were expected to offer animal sacrifices and financial gifts at the Temple. And these pilgrims found it… convenient; instead of bringing their sacrifice with them they could just get it from someone else for a price.
2. What had started out as a convenience turned into a very profitable money making scheme. The priests and local politicians maintained strict control over franchises in the temple area, and they often demanded a kickback. Once merchants had a corner on the market, they felt free to do as they pleased. Moneychangers would charge high fees to exchange shekels for pagan coins and those who sold sacrificial animals would mark up their prices too. And just in case, someone got the wise idea to set up a competing market elsewhere and undercut the temple sellers, the priests had that covered too. Before an animal could be sacrificed it had to pass a temple inspection. And the priests would simply reject any animal that didn’t come from their licensed merchants.
B. The modern church in all its extravagance and need for relevance has done the same thing, it looks for ways to assist God and push its own agenda and views of scriptures.
1. Man has made church more than it was supposed to be… for example the Bible says, put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, tradition says that what you wear was an indication of your holiness, but that is legalism.
2. So many people in church get thrown out because of tradition and legalism. Now listen closely I am not against traditions in the church, but I am against it when it hinders the work of God and I am 100% against legalism. I am against those that will defend tradition over the Word of God. There are churches today that would rather preserve an image and don’t want any dead stinky sinners to linger in their beautiful edifice. They don’t give Jesus a chance to touch them they just throw them out. They are more worried about their carpet getting messed up, more concerned with church etiquette and enforcing it than a sinner finding a Savior. Whatever happened to we catch them and Jesus cleans them. There are people that are fighting hell when they come through the doors of the church; they don’t need to get hell from those from within it.
3. Just give me the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. If the Bible says it I want to hear it, but if it’s your opinion on how God should have said it, just keep your mouth shut.
C. We got to many Ministers young and old picking and choosing what God intends for this church age. They have taken what God has established and flipped it for the purpose of popularity and notoriety. They want to be different and sell themselves as the “this ain’t your grandparents church”. In an attempt to be different they have sacrificed what matters most.
1. The Bible has everything we need to know, if God didn’t intend for us to follow this book to the letter, He would have left it out or placed an expiration date on it. God’s stance on sin has never changed; God’s ways are still the same, He said, “For I [am] the LORD, I change not”. Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me; that has not changed.
2. Churches today are giving their people half of God’s Promises, Pentecost was never supposed to cease; they tell their people that was for another time and people. You don’t go to a restaurant and get a full menu only to be told you can only order from the first page because the other pages are just reminders of what people used to get. Nor would you find a fully stocked Wal-Mart with a small designated area of items they feel you need while the rest of the store is meant to be a collection of things they once sold. Yet this is how the Word is given to people today. Like church is some kind of Burger King, people today are treating God’s Word like soured milk and throwing it, because to them it has expired and served its time.
a. God’s word [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, He asked Jeremiah in [Is] not my word like as a fire?... and like a hammer [that] breaketh the rock in pieces? Yet we think His word needs HELP?
3. Churches may change their names, the building may be more modern, they may change their style of worship, praise teams may replace the choir, phones and tablets may have the digital Word replacing the printed Word, the pulpit may change, the way we connect to people may change, but one thing that can never change is the anointing; it is the only thing that can break the yokes of bondage. We may have to change the packaging but you don’t sacrifice the formula; in the 80’s and 90’s Coke and Pepsi messed with the formula by introducing New Coke and Crystal Pepsi and both were rejected. You can’t replace and beat the original formula; Like Ray Charles said you got the right one baby, uh huh!
II. What Jesus saw at the Temple then is what He is seeing in the church today; we got the Dove; symbolic of the Holy Spirit, caged up and unable to be free and move freely.
A. When the church cages up the Holy Spirit, we lose control. Without the Holy Spirit, people can live any way they want to and never feel conviction about their sins.“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:”
1. Jesus told us that He would send the Holy Spirit to comfort the believer and convict the sinner. The Holy Spirit can’t do that if we cage Him up and not allow Him to do what He came to do.
2. That is why Jesus was so upset, because the church was binding up the gift He left us. Churches are treating the Holy Spirit like a bad gift and setting it aside; only to be forgotten. He didn’t send the Holy Spirit to the earth for us to put Him in a cage, or to try to control what He does. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us to empower us on earth to do His work. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you…And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
a. Yet we the modern church with all our advancements lock up the Holy Spirit with our unbelief; we read about the Holy Spirit in the Bible, and then we tell ourselves, it’s not for us today. Yes, the Holy Spirit is for you today, He has not changed, and God has no respect of persons. What He did for those in the Bible He will do for us today. He will do great things in our lives. If we can believe, we can receive everything God has for us.
b. We put the Holy Spirit in a cage every time we come to a worship service and want someone else to worship God for us. If you put the Holy Spirit in a cage, nothing life changing will happen in church.
c. The biggest cage we place on the Holy Spirit is with our sin; you can’t roll up here on Sunday after sowing your wild oats and expect to pray for crop failure. Let me put it this way, you place the Holy Spirit in a cage and drop a clothe over Him with “don’t look at me attitude” every time He starts working on you trying to keep you from clicking on that image, from entering that bedroom, from turning up that bottle, from raising up that fist, and from every sin that your flesh tries to get your to indulge in.
d. In the Old Testament; Noah after it stopped raining and the flood waters were at their highest point sent out a dove and a raven. The dove came back but the raven didn’t, the reason why the raven didn’t come back was because it didn’t need a clean place to make itself at home, it had all it needed with those dead stinking bodies floating around, but the dove on the other hand is not attracted to death, but life. It waited until it found life before it stopped coming back to the ark. So the question we got to ask ourselves; are we attracting ravens or doves?
e. The Holy Spirit’s first name is “HOLY”, that should tell you something about His nature and His expectation of us… the Bible says, Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I [am] the LORD your God.
B. In the modern day church it seems we have a lot of tools and resources, but still suffer from power outages. Many are clouds without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: We constantly hear about how the church needs to take advantage of all the technology of the 21st century and I agree. We need to be on TV and the internet and use everything we can to get the Gospel’s message to this world. But the anointing of the Holy Spirit is what makes us most effective for the kingdom.
1. I like dramas, dance teams, and Praise Teams. I like good singing and preaching, but without the anointing of the Holy Spirit, all of that will not change one life. The church can’t set the world free until we are set free. We can’t give the world something we don’t possess ourselves. There are people who have been crippled by sin, and they need a church that believes in operating in the liberty of the Holy Spirit.
2. The world isn’t looking for a church or its people that are lifeless; it is looking for those that has been set afire by the Holy Spirit. It is looking for a church where there is liberty to worship. A church where the wind of God is blowing and the fire of God is burning. When the Holy Spirit has liberty we will see the gifts of the Spirit in operation on a regular basis.
a. 60 years ago if someone had a need, they always went to the Pentecostal church because they knew that was where the power of the Holy Spirit was. In those days our churches were on the other side of the tracks. They didn’t have the things we have today. But they had the liberty of the Holy Spirit operating in their churches.
3. Peter told us that in the last days we would experience an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that would touch every age group and gender. The Holy Spirit isn’t limited to just one denomination. God wants every church that names Christ as their Savior to be filled with the Holy Spirit. God wants everyone to experience His outpouring in the last days. The promise is to every generation.
a. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Peter said this promise is to you and your children. Peter also said this promise is to those who are afar off. Peter talks about future saints. Every person whom God will call is eligible for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
b. The Holy Spirit will only do what we allow Him to do in our services. If we sit on our hands and shut him out, He will stay out. But if we open our hearts and invite Him to church, He will show up and show out. The Holy Spirit is looking for a place where He is welcome and can be free.
C. There is an old saying “revival is about to break out here or revival just broke out” in its truest form revival breaks out when we step out of the way and let the Holy Ghost have His way; in our lives, services, praise and worship, etc… People will say, “Where is the revival at?”, because we have now made revival an event rather than a practice. Paul said “I must die daily” if I got to let something die that means something needs to be revived! I’ll crucify this flesh so the Spirit can revive me and get me going today, tomorrow, and every day 24/7/365.
1. Pastor’s are pimping out the presence of the Holy Spirit to further their name and not His name. He has been reserved and sold for special occasions. After a span of 2,000 years, maybe we've developed the tendency to believe that God thinks like us, acts like us, votes like us, talks like us and enjoys hanging with us.
2. People always want someone else to do their duty work for them; I got to get to Pastor Primetime so he can pray for me…
3. The New Testament church was different. They had an advantage. The fact that they had no buildings or traditions to protect provided them with a wide-open field of thinking. They had no box. For them, envisioning a move of God or describing what revival looks like wasn't hindered by preconceived ideas. They were able to see the world in a whole new light, one that exposed the closed-mindedness of the Jewish ideas regarding the work of God among the gentile people. This is why it is my belief that we cannot define the next move of God by the last move of God. It is not wise for us, as Christians, to try to recreate past revivals and moves of God. We must have an open mind and look outside our religious box to see where God is going and go there with Him.
D. We need preachers who are not ashamed of the Holy Spirit. We need preachers who will stand flatfooted in the pulpits of America and preach as the Holy Spirit enables them. If we cage up the Holy Spirit there is no hope for our churches or for the world in which we live. The Holy Spirit doesn’t want to be caged; He wants to touch people’s lives and lead them to Christ.
1. The church in America needs revival like never before. The only way we will ever see it is to take the restraints off the Holy Spirit. I believe God can revive any person, any church, or any nation that will open its door and allow the Holy Spirit to simply be the Holy Spirit. We hold the keys in our hand; it’s up to us to open the door.
2. Is there anyone here that is willing to let the Holy Spirit free? Who want leave him caged up but let loose. I just want to know is there anyone that will turn over the tables and say we are going to have church. That will walk in here and let the Holy Spirit loose before the preacher takes the pulpit, before the first song is sung you already got your praise on inviting the presence of God into the house. Stop talking about a move of God in the past tense or something that is to be in the future and start walking and living in the now.
III. There is nothing like being free!
A. Through the power of the Holy Ghost 120 men and woman changed the course of nations, Ac 17:6, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; and the Church grew by leaps and bounds from 120, 3,120, 8,120.
1. It started with the promises Christ left His disciples Ac 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. Ac 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.If ye love me, keep my commandments.
2. We talk about the great moves of old from heroes and heroines of the faith like the Wesley brothers, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Finney, Joseph Smale, William Parham, A.A. Allen, Katherine Kulman, Jack Coe, Lester Sumrall, Smith Wigglesworth, and William Seymour.
3. These were normal saints of God just like the Apostles; they weren’t scholars or religious elitist. They had no former back ground, no special pedigree; they just believed the Word of God and knew to let the Holy Ghost loose. I am about to blow your minds here by saying these great moves we talk about in the past tense didn’t always happen in Church. They happened when people just got radical and let God be God with no restraints.
4. Jesus said I come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. We are to be living the Christian life at the highest degree attainable which means experiencing, manifesting, affecting and influencing others with the power and anointing of the Holy Ghost. The Bible says that God has given us the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.
5. There is more to you if you will let the bird out of the cage. I told you earlier that the Dove kept coming back to Noah, at one point it brought an olive branch it wasn’t until the last time he sent it out that it didn’t come back because it found a place to perch and reside. We have long been satisfied with fly by blessings, letting the Spirit bring a blessing instead of allowing him to settle down on us. When Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit came and settled on Him, it never left Him, if we are going to talk about Jesus we got to talk about the Spirit too. It was so important to David that he said, Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
B. God sent me here to push you and provoke you because there’s more in you. Locked up within you are resources that have never been touched. You can’t sit down now and give up. Locked up in you are miracles; there are ministries, songs, books, gifts, and talents.
1. There’s a BIRD in there trying to get out, there’s an anointing stretching on the inside of you that’s why you’ve been uncomfortable that’s why things that used to satisfy you don’t satisfy you anymore, that’s why you’ve been irritated and agitated.
2. Did not Jesus say: out of your belly, out of your innermost being, out of your spiritual womb would flow rivers of living water. It’s time for this nation to be consumed by a flood; not of water but of the Power of the Holy Ghost!!! It’s time to stop looking at the former as if our best days are behind you, stop asking why the lame don’t walk, the blind don’t see, the deaf don’t hear, and the bound being freed and know that your latter is greater, Jesus said, Greater works shall you do, within you is the power for the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and the bound to be freed.
C. The Temple Cleansing as it is now referred too, took place after the Wedding of Cana, where another typology of the Spirit was used in the “wine”, we are living in the best times now; where the best wine (the power of the Holy Ghost) is being served now. You’re not late to the party you are just in time! Ec 7:8 Better [is] the end of a thing than the beginning thereof:
1. Once Jesus cleansed the temple and let the Dove go the Bible said the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. What I am saying is once we clean up and let the Holy Spirit loose we can see miracles take place.
2. Now is the time to let the Spirit loose on every battle, every trial, every temptation, every heart break, and every set back. The Spirit can’t get involved until you release Him upon the situation; you need to let Him go. Stop holding on and holding Him back let him loose in your life, your ministry, your family, your situation.
3. There’s more in you; I wish somebody would push your neighbor and tell them: there’s more in you, you were created for more, and you were created to make a maximum impact, so let it loose. The Spirit of God wants to be loosed, It’s time for the church to let loose (ex…) let the anointing loose, let a passion for souls loose, let a burden for the lost loose; when you open the cage you are giving heaven a place manifest.
