CALL TO WORSHIP and OPENING PRAYER
WELCOME and THANKS FOR JOINING US
OPENING COMMENTS
- Today is the third Sunday of Lent (Easter Preparation).
- The theme for this week is the reverence for and worship of God. The selected passages are Psalm 19:1-14 • Exodus 20:1-17 • 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 • John 2:13-22
- In our call to worship Psalm, we read a song of praise and worship that declares the greatness of God as revealed in nature and in his law.
- In Exodus, we read about the ten commandments which includes instructions for worshipping God.
- In 1 Corinthians, we are to acknowledge God’s power and wisdom as displayed in his accomplishment at the cross.
- And in the Book of John, we see Jesus cleansing the temple from the irreverence that was allowed to exist there so that all people could participate in worship.
- a song of praise and worship that declares the greatness of God as revealed in nature and in his law.
2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard.
4 Their [c]line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a [d]tabernacle for the sun, 5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
6 Its rising is from one end of heaven, And its circuit to the other end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, [e]converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the [f]honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults.
13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of [g]great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my [h]strength and my Redeemer.
- the ten commandments which includes instructions for worshipping God.
And God spoke all these words, saying:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of [a]bondage.
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image — any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor [b]serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting[c] the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
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.”
- we are to acknowledge God’s power and wisdom as displayed in his accomplishment at the cross
18 For the [a]message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the [b]disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a [c]stumbling block and to the [d]Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
SERMONETTE
The Opposite Game
Michelle Fleming
I used to be a teacher, and one technique I learned that helped kids understand antonyms was the “Opposite Game.” The game involved using flashcards with words like “hot,” and the first student to answer with an appropriate opposite, like “cold,” would get a point. The idea was that by helping students understand what a word was not, they would better understand what the original word means.
In the Bible, the writers sometimes use opposite examples called contrasts, exaggerations called hyperbole, and other literary techniques to make their point. The apostle Paul used “The Opposite Game” in his first letter to the Corinthians to help them understand what God’s wisdom is not — so they could grow in their awareness of what God’s wisdom truly is.
Paul begins by pointing out how the idea of Christ on the Cross seems silly to those who aren’t interested in pursuing a relationship with God, but to those who are interested, the Cross portrays the love of God for all humanity. He writes,
For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe.
1 Corinthians 1:21 (NRSV)
One translator said God was turning conventional wisdom on its head in order to expose so-called experts as crackpots. In other words — opposites.
Paul continues using opposites to show how God’s way is completely different — “opposite” — to the way humanity thinks. He points out that the Jews were looking for miracles and the Greeks were searching for wisdom in the philosophy of the day. To both groups, the idea of self-sacrificing love on the Cross was not only the opposite of a miracle, it was absurd. Paul shows how God’s way of love, evidenced by Christ on the Cross, helps us think beyond our limited human scope:
but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
1 Corinthians 1:24-25 (ESV)
Human beings tend to put God in a box — one that looks like what our human wisdom dictates as reasonable and prudent. God’s love for humanity is the opposite of reasonable and prudent. It is lavish, excessive, and strong — even as it is self-sacrificing. Paul wanted the Corinthians to understand that the truth of God’s being was the opposite of humanity’s typical way of loving and living.
Learning about opposites helps kids understand the meanings of words more fully. Human love is often finite and self-seeking, but God’s love is infinite and self-sacrificing. Considering how God’s way of moving in the world contrasts with our own helps us understand how deeply we are loved. We are safe in the certainty that God’s “opposite” kind of love will never let us down or let us go.
God’s love, evidenced by Christ on the Cross, is stronger and deeper than anything you can ever imagine.
I’m Michelle Fleming, Speaking of Life.
SHARING TIME
- INTERCESSORY PRAYER
- OFFERING COLLECTION
FOURTH READING
- Jesus cleansing the temple from the irreverence that was allowed to exist there so that all people could participate in worship.
13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. 15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. 16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” 17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”
18 So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?”
19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”
21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.
SPECIAL MUSIC
SERMON
Once Upon A Time, Jesus Got Upset
John 2:13-22 (NIV)
INTRODUCTION
A. The song … to God: “This is your house, your home. We welcome You, Lord … We welcome You.”
B. Me … to our guests: “This is God’s house, God’s home. We welcome you. Yes, we welcome you.”
C. I say that because I want all who attend with us to know they are welcome.
D. I say that because our text for today is about a time when Jesus went to the House of God (the Temple) and the environment was not very welcoming … and He was NOT pleased … In fact, He got VERY angry.
SPS. Today, I want to look at why Jesus got angry and try to see what we can do to make sure we never give Him reason to be angry with us.
Title for the sermon … ONCE UPON A TIME, JESUS GOT UPSET
The keynote passage … John 2:13-22.
13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. 15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. 16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” 17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”
18 So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?”
19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”
21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.
13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. 15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. 16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” 17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”
18 So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?”
19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”
21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.
JESUS GOT ANGRY
WHY?
JEWS WERE MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR GENTILES TO WORSHIP
WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH US … AND WHY?
- WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE DON’T MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR OTHERS/STRANGERS TO WORSHIP (or to encounter God)
- NOTICE WHAT JESUS SAID ABOUT A TEMPLE
- HE WAS THE TEMPLE THAT PEOPLE NEEDED
- However … ONCE HE ASCENDED, WE BECAME THE TEMPLE THAT CARRY THE PRESENCE OF GOD
- 1 Corinthians 12:26-27
- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
- However … ONCE HE ASCENDED, WE BECAME THE TEMPLE THAT CARRY THE PRESENCE OF GOD
WHAT CAN WE TAKE AWAY?
- EACH OF US CAN HELP OR HINDER THE WORK OF THAT TEMPLE … NOTICE the following quote from BARCLAY’S COMMENTARY …
Is there anything in our church life — a snobbishness, an exclusiveness, a coldness, a lack of welcome, a tendency to make the congregation into a closed club, an arrogance, a fastidiousness — which keeps the seeking stranger out?
Let us remember the wrath of Jesus against those who made it difficult and even impossible for the seeking stranger to make contact with God.
CLOSING SONG
CLOSING PRAYER
BENEDICTION
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Members meeting … ASAP after today’s service
- Possible re-launch of Sunday church … March 31, 2024 (Easter Sunday)
Small Group Discussion Questions
- What are some ways that the church may be preventing others from clearly seeing Christ?
- How can we go about changing some of these things?
- GCI congregations channel their efforts toward worshiping, teaching members, and reaching out to their communities as faith, hope and love avenues. How can these avenues aid in making Christ visible to outsiders?