I don't know, sometime in the last year or couple of years, our family periodically goes over to the Santa Cruz area where my wife's family is from and we always enjoy being there. It's an interesting place because from a geographical perspective, it's perhaps one of the most beautiful areas in California as you have the beauty of the coast and then you have the Santa Cruz mountains and all the beautiful redwoods and just gorgeous beauty around Santa Cruz and on around to the Monterey Bay and Carmel area and all of that and yet in Santa Cruz, culturally and ideologically and philosophically, it's probably one of the most far-left kind of a places. It's just a unique area to be in. But when we go there, there's a Christian camp there called Mount Hermon that some of you may be familiar with. And that is located just a couple of miles from where my wife's family lives. And so we often go over there and they have hiking trails and different things that you can do and just kind of enjoy the beauty. And one time that we were there, we found this rope swing from between two huge redwood trees. And I think I may have told this story before. So if you've heard it before, just bear with me. But it serves to illustrate a point. But we found this thing, and we decided, oh, we're going to play on this thing. So it was these cables that came down from these huge redwood trees. And there was an apparatus that you could kind of sit on, just a rough piece of wood, and just swing way out on this thing, and then swing way back. And it was a huge kind of a thing. Well, I got on this thing, and my kids are watching, and we're having a great time. And I swing out. There's sort of an inclined area that you can jump off of and really get some significant airtime. And so I swing way out. and as I'm swinging way out, there's another redwood tree that's out in front of me. And I think to myself, this is great, I'm gonna push off that redwood tree and really get some significant, you know, movement in all of this thing. Well, that's exactly what I did. Unbeknownst to me, there was another large redwood tree that was behind where I was at. And in my excitement and in my zeal, I was unaware of that. So when I pushed off of this one redwood tree, I rather rapidly came into contact with this other very stationary redwood tree. It hurt a lot. And I kind of crumbled to the ground. And fortunately, I hit in such a way that it only dinged me around. I mean, it actually really scared me because of the way. I mean, I pushed off as hard as I could from this other tree and just smashed into this thing that's probably about eight feet wide at its base and just crumbled to the ground. And I was grateful that the injury wasn't more than what it could have been. But I immediately thought of what it must be like and what the reality of it is when people come against the holiness of God, and the judgment of God, and ultimately the authority of God. Because as we swing around on the ropes of our life, as it were, and sometimes engaged in things that are far from pleasing to God, there's a reality of his holiness, there's a reality of his authority that inevitably we're going to come into contact with. And regardless of what we may think about what's going on, that is an eternal reality that we have to confront and we have to face and we have to come to terms with. As we look into John chapter 2 this morning and as we consider the event that we are going to read about in the narrative of Jesus going into the temple and cleansing the temple, Expressing authority in so doing, we are going to see a vivid expression of his authority and of his ultimate sovereign rule over all of life and over every person and over every aspect of his creation. And this is an interesting story for us to be brought to this morning, an interesting narrative for us to be brought to in this time of the year. I think it's again, it's an interesting contrast as at Christmas time there is often so much that is associated with the wonder and with the beauty of the reality of God taking on human flesh and becoming a man in the form of a baby. And rightly so, do we remember that and do we recall the significance of that, but we dare not forget the significance of the ministry that the Lord Jesus had during the years that he was on earth. Throughout all of the Gospels, the comparative amount of attention that is given to the events of His birth in contrast to the rest of His life and ministry and teaching and work which ultimately culminated in His death on the cross and then His resurrection, that forms the greater amount of attention. So even as we remember the wonder of his becoming a man or becoming a baby, as we do at Christmastime, we need not and should not forget the significance of his ministry. And in John chapter 2, at the outset of his public ministry, we read of this event that occurs as he enters in to the temple of God itself in Jerusalem and serves notice that he is here and that the king is present and that the one in authority needs to be considered. What I want to do is read the narrative and then we are going to look through and consider three expressions of the supreme and sovereign authority of Christ that we see in this event as Jesus very abruptly and shockingly enters into the temple to cleanse it. Let me begin in verse 13. I'll read through the narrative and then we'll work through these things in a little bit more detail. We read in verse 13 that the Passover of the Jews was near and Jesus went up to Jerusalem and he found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves and the money changers seated at their tables. And he made a scourge of cords and drove them all out of the temple with the sheep and the oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. And to those who were selling the doves, he said, take these things away. Stop making my father's house a place of business. And his disciples remembered that it was written, zeal for your house will consume me. The Jews then said to him, what sign do you show us as your authority for doing these things? Jesus answered them, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. The Jews then said, it took 46 years to build this temple, and you will raise it up in three days. But he was speaking of the temple of his body. And so when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this, and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken. Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in his name, observing his signs which he was doing. But Jesus on his part was not entrusting himself to them, for he knew all men. And because he did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for he himself knew what was in a man. As we consider this narrative, even just to read it through on the surface, we realize that this was a shocking exercise that Jesus performed. It must have just absolutely undone the status quo of the religious elite at the time. But as we consider it again, we're gonna see three expressions of His absolute, sovereign, supreme authority as expressed in cleansing the temple and the events we read at the end of the chapter there with respect to His ministry in Jerusalem. So that's what we want to look at as we see the transcendent sovereign authority of Jesus within this event that he is engaged in. The first expression of this authority is what I would refer to as his authority over the corrupt ambitions of people. the sovereign authority of Jesus over the corrupt ambitions of people. And this is what we really see in verses 13-17 as he goes in and as he cleanses the temple. Now we need to note that this record of the cleansing of the temple begins at the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. This is his first public appearance, as it were, in Jerusalem, even though it's likely that even as a child, Jesus went to Jerusalem annually, as every good Jew did, to celebrate the Passover. And as we read in the Gospel of Luke that he was there when he was 12 years old with his family, it's reasonable to consider that he probably did that on an annual basis, as most Jews would do, to make that annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem. But the other Gospel accounts, Matthew, Mark and Luke, record for us a similar event that occurs near the end of Jesus' ministry, just as He goes into Jerusalem to eventually be crucified. There is debate among biblical scholars about whether or not the events that are recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke related to the cleansing of the temple are the same event that is recorded here in John. Because in John it appears to occur at the beginning of Jesus' ministry, and in the other Gospels it appears at the end of His ministry. So did Jesus cleanse the temple once, or did He cleanse the temple twice? There's not an absolutely conclusive answer to that question. I tend to believe that this is referring to two separate cleansing of the temples because of the chronology that John includes as it relates to the time frame of Jesus' ministry. But I think even though there is some room for debate and reasonable debate upon that issue, I think what we need to see is not get hung up on did he do this once or did he do this twice, but understand that he did it. And even if he did it only once, that was enough to establish the point that he wanted people to understand, both in terms of those within the temple as well as his own disciples. But we read that Jesus is in Jerusalem. And we can consider what it must have been like even for him, granted that he had gone to Jerusalem on previous occasions before the formal beginning of his ministry, that now he comes in this time to again serve notice of his authority and to serve notice of his deity. So verse 13 tells us that he has gone up to Jerusalem. And then we read in verse 14 that he found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves and the money changers seated at their tables. Now this, to understand what was taking place, some of you may be familiar with the design of the temple. There was an inner court and there was an outer court of the temple. And this outer court was referred to as the court of the Gentiles. And it was an area that was to be open to Gentile people, to non-Jewish people, to come and to share in the worship of the living God. And God had chosen to make His presence known in the inner part of the temple, in the Holy of Holies, and that was where His presence dwelt as He established His presence among His people. But this outer court, the court of the Gentiles, was a large area in which all people were welcome to come and to share in worshiping God. but it was being corrupted and it was being misused for God's purposes. And those who were selling oxen, sheep and doves and the money changers were there in some ways for a somewhat seemingly reasonable purpose. You see, Jews from all over the area would come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, which was a week-long celebration, remembering God's work and delivering His people out of bondage in Egypt. But as people would come from all over the place and from miles and miles and miles away, it wasn't always practical or convenient for them to bring their own animals to sacrifice. And so there were systems that had been established by which they could purchase animals there at the temple and use them then in sacrificing. And that's what was going on. This was the business that was being transacted. And the money changers who were there were there in order to make change for the currency that people would bring to change that into the temple currency that was used in the purchase of these things. So in one sense, it was a reasonable enough practice, but as we're going to see, it was a corruption of what God had intended the temple to be used for. But that's what's taking place. And the temple was the place where God in a unique way had made His presence to dwell. I'd like us to turn back briefly in the Old Testament to 1 Kings 9 to help us understand something of the significance of the temple in the life of Jews at this time and in the life of the nation of Israel. This was a period of time, this was a dispensation in which God uniquely dwelt among his people within the establishment of the temple as he had ordained. Originally, when he brought his people out of Egypt, they dwelt, or he dwelt in a tabernacle that he had instructed Moses to erect, and it was sort of a mobile place of worship as the people moved through the wilderness as God led them. But eventually this temple was built in Jerusalem, and it became the dwelling place of God's presence. And in 1 Samuel chapter 9, we read of God's instructions to Solomon, who was the instrument that God used to build this magnificent temple. And we read of both God's promise as well as His warning related to how He would respond with respect to the obedience or the disobedience of His people. I want to read 1 Kings 9 verses 1-9 as we see this unfold. We read now, And the Lord said to him, I have heard your prayer and your supplication which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house which you have built by putting my name there forever, and my eyes and my heart will be there perpetually. As for you, if you will walk before me as your father David walked in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep my statutes and my ordinances, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel. But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following me, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and the house which I have consecrated for my name, and I will cast out of my sight. So Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all the peoples. And this house will become a heap of ruins. Everyone who passes by will be astonished and hiss and say, why has the Lord done this to this land and to this house? And they will say, because they forsook the Lord their God and brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt and adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore, the Lord has brought all this adversity on them. And so we see at its inception, at the beginning of the temple as built through Solomon, God's very clear promises as well as His warnings related to how He would respond if His people disobeyed Him and became guilty of idolatry and false worship. And sadly throughout the history of the nation of Israel, as we see recorded in the Old Testament, that's exactly what occurred. as the kingdom was ultimately divided as a result of disobedience among the people and among the kings who led the people, and as the temple was ultimately destroyed and occasionally went through periods of rebuilding as there was repentance and as there was reformation among the people. But as that leads up now to the time of Christ and to the time that we read of here in John chapter two, we understand that the temple was the central place of the focus of Israel's life. and yet it was being corrupted. And so it's no small thing that Jesus enters into this very central prominent place of Israel's life to do what he does in throwing out those who are money changers and those who are selling oxen and sheep and doves. And so that's what we read of back in John chapter two in verse 15, that he made a scourge of cords, drove them all out of the temple with the sheep and oxen, and he poured out the coins of the money changers and he overturned their tables. I mean, this is no small thing that he has done. He has gone to the very epicenter, to the very heart of Israel's life. And only a crazy man or only a lunatic would do that unless he was indeed the Lord of all authority. But again, in so doing, he exposes and he rebukes the corrupt ambitions of those who had desecrated the temple by engaging in this business and in this profit-making enterprise that they were involved in. One person has said that it's clear that God was not pleased with what was taking place. Again, it's interesting to observe that in one aspect, the enterprise and the things that were taking place with respect to the money changing into the selling of all of these animals for the purposes of worship, in and of itself is not the issue that Jesus addressed. What he addressed was the wrong use of the temple. The fact that that which was to be used for the worship of God, for the holiness of God to be revealed and to be exalted among the people was completely being desecrated and was completely being corrupted. And so Jesus enters in to cleanse things. And the statement that he makes in verse 16 when he says, take these things away and stop making my father's house a place of business is the statement that just goes like an arrow to the heart of what the issue is. There were corrupt ambitions. God had become domesticated. God had become a convenient enterprise for the making of profit. And the entire purpose of his worship had been totally ignored and totally abandoned and totally corrupted. They had commercialized and domesticated the holiness of God and ignored and rejected his transcendent glory for the sake of that which simply became convenient and simply served their own greedy, selfish, money-making purposes. When Jesus did this, even in the midst of the judgment that this action expresses, it nonetheless is an expression of grace from Him as well. Because this is the Lord of all eternity. This is God himself in flesh. Remember all of the accounts of God's judgment in the Old Testament, how oftentimes in very instantaneous and in very devastating ways, he brought judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah and against other people and situations when there was rebellion and disobedience. And yet here, he doesn't completely destroy these people. But rather, He rebukes their hearts. And so even in His authority expressed in addressing the corrupt ambitions of their hearts, there is mercy and there's grace that is extended. And in many ways, this is just a small taste of the ultimate judgment that God is going to bring against those who rebel against Him. And there's mercy because it serves really as a warning. It serves as a warning, but we see his sovereign authority over their corrupt ambitions. And in that, we see him as the exalted Lord. And following what he does then in rebuking these people and casting them out and sending them away, we read of what the disciples remembered concerning Eziel in verse 17. And we're not told exactly when they remembered this, whether they remembered it at the instant that it occurred or whether they remembered this following his resurrection. We're not told in this instance, the text isn't specific. But the point is that it's a reminder to them at some point in their encounter and in their growing and learning of Jesus of this reality of God's zeal for His name and for the honor and glory of His name. And this is a reference in verse 17 to a statement that's made in Psalm 69 verse 9 concerning the zeal of God for His glory and for His house as the place where His glory resided. And one commentator has said that Jesus' cleansing of the temple testifies to his concern for pure worship, a right relationship with God at the place supremely designated to serve as the focal point of that relationship between God and man. That's what the temple represented, purity of worship, approaching God on His terms and through the means that He has ordained and that not being corrupted in any way. Christ expressed this unquenchable zeal, this intense passion and persistent passion for the honor and glory of God, and that that was more important than any self-serving, corrupt ambitions that the people had related to that. And his disciples took note of it, and his disciples remembered that, and his disciples grew in their faith and their trust and confidence. So we see his authority over the corrupt ambitions of people, serving warning to everyone who hears and understands. And second of all then, as the narrative continues to move on in verses 18 through 22, we see his sovereign authority over the ignorant demands of people. His sovereign authority over the ignorant demands of people. I think we need some cool air going in here. I know the fans are going, does it feel a little humid and sticky? Once again, I just think we need some cool air if we could, please. And hand in hand with that again, speaking of ignorant demands, we see, didn't mean to have that connect like that. We see His sovereign authority of Jesus over the ignorant demands of people with respect to Him. because notice how the Jews respond to him. And these are Jews who must have had some awareness of him because we've already read about the Jews who came to inquire and to interrogate John the Baptist concerning the testimony of who he was. And earlier in chapter one, we read about John the Baptist answering these Jews and clearly telling them that he wasn't the Messiah, but he pointed to Jesus and said, this is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And so these Jews who were the leading authorities within the temple, who represented the leadership of the temple, must have undoubtedly have had some awareness of this man, Jesus. And now that he has come into their turf and entered into their ground and done this unspeakable act of casting out these people, these sellers and these money changers, they come to Jesus and they ask him this amazingly arrogant question. And yet again, we can understand perhaps from a human perspective why they would inquire of him this way. Frankly, it's a little surprising that they didn't just arrest him and chain him and throw him in jail and be done with him, but they inquired of him because they recognized there was some aspect of authority by what he was doing what he was doing. And so they say in verse 18, what sign do you show us as your authority for doing these things? There's a question that is asked. What sign do you do? What sign indicates? Now their question in some ways reveals that there was an implicit understanding that demonstrations of signs authenticated the authority of the one performing them. That was very evident in the life of Moses when God called him to go to Pharaoh to challenge Pharaoh's authority with the authority of God himself. And God miraculously enabled Moses to perform a number of miracles and signs that authenticated his authority to be a spokesman for God. It was also evident in the life of Elijah the prophet. And so there's a backdrop of understanding that need for there being signs that would authenticate the authority of the one performing them. And so that's part of the basis of their question. And even so, however, they were misguided in their question. Because the truth is, is that God had already revealed to them enough signs through his word to understand that they should have understood who he was. and yet they didn't. And so even as they ask their question, Jesus doesn't answer according to what they desire. And in so doing, he reveals ultimately the ignorance, the unbelief of their question. It's interesting to observe that in the text, in Chapter 2, in the first part of Chapter 2, when Jesus is at a wedding and He does a miracle, He performs a sign for the benefit of His disciples, even though they had never asked for anything. They had already expressed faith in Him and following Him and desiring to learn from Him, and graciously and sovereignly and without any solicitation on their part, He performs a miraculous sign that serves to strengthen their faith. And yet for unbelieving people, as reflected in the Jews in this instance, who desire a sign, Jesus responds by saying, I'm not gonna show you any sign other than the one that he speaks of that we'll look at momentarily. And again, their question reveals a great reality of spiritual ignorance and unbelief concerning who he was. And so Jesus answers them in verse 19, by saying, destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. Now in the context of their unbelief, in the context of their ignorance, we can imagine how this must have just staggered their understanding. How it may have just sent them spinning in terms of the inconceivable statement that Jesus would make. Because they think that he's speaking of this physical temple, this massive edifice that has been rebuilt for the worship of God. And in reality, Jesus, of course, is making a prophetic statement concerning his own ultimate destruction and inevitable resurrection. But as they're puzzled and confused and staggered by what he says, they say in verse 20, it took 46 years to build this temple and you will raise it up in three days. And this is a reference to the fact that the rebuilding of this second temple in this instance had actually begun probably around 19 BC under Herod the Great. And this is now some 46 years later, but the temple was actually not fully completed until around 63 AD. So even in their statement of ascribing 46 years to building this temple, they're in essence saying it's taken 46 years for the temple to rebuild up to this point. And it's still not even done. And again, how inconceivable could it be that Jesus, in what would appear to be just amazing stupidity and ridiculousness, says that he's going to rebuild it in three years. And again, that statement ultimately reflects their ignorance. Their ignorance. And so we're told in verse 21 that Jesus was speaking of the temple of his body. The temple of his body. But it's insightful for us to understand that Jesus was not privy to respond to their ignorant and unbelieving demands upon him. And this begins for us more direct interaction that Jesus has with the Jews and with the unbelieving religious leaders that we're gonna see over and over and over again as we go through the Gospel of John and certainly as we see in the other Gospels as well. But Jesus serves notice, and he makes it clear in no uncertain terms that he will not bow to the demands of unbelieving, ignorant people who ask for a sign, who ask for a sign. And it's really no different today, isn't it? The Lord calls us to trust him. He calls us to believe in him, and he has given to us everything we need through his word to believe in him. and to know who he is. And he has revealed all that is necessary in that. But isn't it true, isn't it sad how often people have that posture and attitude of saying, Lord, if you'll just show me something, then I'll believe in you. Amazingly, God graciously sometimes may do things that help people in that regard. And yet he's not privy to. And all too often, the demands in which we sometimes approach God, more than anything, reflect ignorance. And they reflect unbelief. So Jesus speaks to them about what the real issues are that they need to be concerned about. And that follows on through verse 22 as we read then of how the disciples, following His resurrection, believed even more, not only in Him, but in Scripture and in His Word. And again, this seems to be part of the intention of what John is wanting us to see, what the Holy Spirit is wanting us to see, is how Jesus sovereignly is using this instance to strengthen and deepen the faith of His disciples. And even though they didn't fully understand it at the moment that it occurred, following His resurrection, following His exaltation and coming back to life, they believe even more strongly in the reality of who He is and in Scripture and in His Word. And so their faith grows. And it reminds us that it's the Holy Spirit who gives this understanding. Because Jesus had instructed them that after his resurrection, the Holy Spirit would be given to them. And it is that Holy Spirit, as Jesus speaks of later on in the Gospel of John, by which all of the things that he taught are brought to the remembrance of his disciples. And so we see them being strengthened in their faith and understanding more of Him. So we see His sovereign authority over the corrupt ambitions of people. We see His sovereign authority over the ignorant demands of people as reflected in the Jews. And then third, in verses 23 through 25, we see His sovereign authority over the superficial affections of people. His sovereign authority over the superficial affections of people. Following the cleansing of the temple, we read in verse 23, that He continued in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, and many believed in His name, observing His signs, which He was doing. Now we're not told what He was doing, but obviously we can understand from the other Gospels and from the reality of His life and ministry that He was performing miracles. that were pointing to his authority and pointing to his deity and many people were believing in him. And yet we're told in verse 24 and 25 that Jesus on his part was not entrusting himself to them for he knew all men. And the literal reading of this would be that though the people were trusting him, he was not entrusting himself to them. And he was affirming the fact that he was the one who had sovereign authority. And he understood that even though there were expressions of some level of faith in people, there was not an expression of saving faith for the most part. And so we are told that he didn't fully entrust himself to them in that way. And it reveals the fact that he understood and had insight and awareness of their superficial affections. And we'll see this unfold again in other instances throughout the gospel as Jesus periodically turns and challenges the people who are following Him as to why they are following Him. And ultimately indicating that in many instances, their desire to follow Him is not to submit to Him and know Him as Lord and Master and Savior, but rather simply to receive what it is that He has to give. And so it's a word to us and a reminder to us of Jesus' knowledge of our hearts. And His knowledge of whether or not we truly know Him and truly love Him and truly desire to obey Him and submit to Him. Because He knows the reality of our hearts. And He can read through whether or not our affections towards Him and our interest in Him is genuine. and born out of genuine faith, or whether or not we are like many in the crowd who simply are intrigued, perhaps, curious, perhaps, desirous, perhaps, of benefiting from some type of expression of God's provision. But if the truth were told, there's not a heart of genuine saving faith. Jesus calls us to trust him for what he is, not because he passes the test that we may set. And that is a very sobering reality for all of us. We're so easily disposed to think that we are the ones who need to tell God what to do. It's ingrained in our hearts. It's fed, and it's encouraged in the type of culture that we live in, and even being a part of a republic and with the democratic processes that go on. We've heard so much in recent months through the election about the will of the people. The people have spoken, as if to say that the people are sovereign. Jesus displays for us authority and He displays for us glory that says, no, I and I alone am sovereign. He's sovereign over corrupt ambitions of people as reflected in the corruption that was going on among the people in the temple. He's sovereign and authoritative over the ignorant demands of people. He's sovereign and authoritative over superficial affections. He knows us all and He is the one with whom we have to do. And if we really embrace that, if we really grab hold of a picture of the greatness of God and His power and His glory and His authority, it would cause us to tremble. It would cause us to shrink back. It would cause us to shut our mouths. So often, maybe we don't do it verbally always because we know that wouldn't be really acceptable among people, but oftentimes there are accusations and demands in our hearts toward God that reflect unbelief and ignorance and corruption. You remember perhaps how Job responded at the end of God's dealings with him in the trials that he experienced and in the pain and the suffering that he went through. He questioned God. He wrestled with God in that sense. He didn't understand how it was that a righteous man could experience such things. But eventually God sets him in his place, and in the final chapters of the book of Job, beginning in chapter 38, God responds to him with just an ever-deepening expression of his greatness and his power and his authority. And he challenges Job over and over and over again with questions about who God is and who Job is, and Job eventually gets the lesson. And in chapter 42, at the end of all of this, we read of Job's response. We read that Job answered the Lord and said, I know that you can do all things. No purpose of yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore, I have declared that which I did not understand. Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Hear now and I will speak. I will ask you, God, and you instruct me. I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see you. Therefore, I retract and I repent in dust and ashes." You hear that statement where he says, I declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Those who encountered Jesus, those who came face to face with his authority, responded in one of two ways. Either in humble belief, as the disciples did, or in arrogant demands, as those Jews who came to him and questioned him did. And I guess we could even say there's perhaps a third way that sometimes people respond where there's a superficial expression of affection towards him and interest in him and some level of sort of a surface level type of a belief. But it's very superficial because they're only interested in that which he can do for them, not mindful of his authority and his lordship and their need for cleansing from their own sin. There's an amazing statement. You don't need to turn there. I'll just mention it in Romans chapter 3. speaking of the work that God does in salvation and the work that he does in bringing people to him. And when he changes a heart, we read in Romans chapter three, verse 19, Paul says, now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God. There is a mouth closing response to being humbled by God's holiness and being humbled by His authority and where we recognize that He and He alone is God. We are the ones who are His creatures. We are the ones who are accountable to Him. And so we see the sovereign authority, the supreme authority of Jesus exemplified in this event with the temple and what followed it in his interaction in Jerusalem. We see his authority over corrupt ambitions, we see his authority over ignorant demands, and we see his authority over superficial affections. And we see, as we read in verse 25, that He didn't need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in a man. He wasn't affected by public opinion. He wasn't affected by the approval or the disapproval of people. And it reminds us that He needs no human testimony. We don't add anything to that. I was a little bit amazed with the recent film that Mel Gibson produced that was released this last spring, the Passion film, about all of the evangelical hype that surrounded that movement. And I read in one thing that was mailed to me regarding the evangelistic opportunity, the advertisement or the appeal was that this film was the greatest evangelistic opportunity in 2,000 years. As if to say Jesus hasn't been able to bear testimony for himself in 2,000 years. It's ridiculous. But that is popular, and that's common, and do you see how that reflects such a superficial understanding of the reality of His holiness and His authority? And the superficiality with which we can so easily, easily be pulled into. Well, as we consider these things, I want to close with just a few insights that we see in all of this from this passage, just to sort of wrap it all together as it concerns the person and work of Jesus. Most of these, there's five insights I want to share with you just by way of conclusion, come from a scholar by the name of Hendrickson and his commentary, and then there's a bit that I've added as well. But just to consider what we see of Jesus here. First we see Jesus attacking the secularizing spirit of the Jews, who sought to secularize and domesticate the holiness and the transcendence of God through what was occurring in the corruption in the temple. We see him attacking that in no uncertain terms. And it's a reminder to us that we ought not be rushed to tamper with that which is holy. We live in a period of time where God has no longer revealed himself and dwelt within a temple, but rather within the Lord Jesus Christ, who became the incarnate presence of God in this world. That's the significance of what John says in chapter 1, verse 14, when he says that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, it tabernacled among us. And in a very real sense, God now dwells not in a building made by hands, but rather in the hearts of those whom he's called himself. We are his temple, individually and collectively as his church. This building is not a temple. This is not the house of God. This is a meeting room where we come and gather to encourage one another and to worship God and to share in that which he calls us to, but he doesn't dwell in this building. And it's wrong to think of it that way. Nonetheless, it means that we should have a high regard for his holiness dwelling in the lives of other people, and an eagerness to see his holiness uplifted there, in our own lives as well as in the lives of others, and among us as his body. But we see him, we see Jesus attacking this secularizing spirit, with evidence with the Jews in this instance, but is no less likely to be evidence even in our own lives. as we so often try to domesticate the fullness of God. Second of all, we see Jesus clearly exposing greed and false and impure worship. Again, at this particular point in time, the temple represented the hub of the corporate expression of worship to God. Jesus makes it clear in other instances that follow in what we'll read of in chapter four in his interaction with the Samaritan woman by the well, worship is not dictated by a geographical place or location, but rather it's worship that is in spirit and truth. And God takes very seriously whether or not our worship is pure. and unadulterated by any aspect of greed or error. And Jesus exposes this, again, in no uncertain terms. A third observation or insight that we see is Jesus assailing the anti-missionary spirit that can so often be evident. The temple was to be the place of God's dwelling presence, to be a light, to be a beacon to all of the nations. And the court of the Gentiles within the temple, again, was that area that was to be available for people from all nations to come and to worship the living God. God had chosen Israel to be a unique and a particular people so that He might fully display His glory through them to other nations, that others would come and worship Him. And again, that's part of the horror and part of the heinousness of what was taking place in the temple because its very purpose of being a missionary place where people would more fully see and know the glory of God was being corrupted. And so that's part of what Jesus seeks to address in casting those out. And again, it is a reminder to all of us who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ that He intends to display His glory through our lives. and to be the instrument that He would use to proclaim His excellencies to those who don't know Him, and to not desecrate that, to not be impure about that. It's a reminder to all of us that when there are issues of sin that we may go into and may engage in and fall in, there's sort of a double guilt, in a sense, because of our sin. Not only have we rebelled against God, not only have we dishonored His holiness, but we have failed then to be used for the very purpose He desires to bear His glory among others. And we end up becoming guilty of becoming an occasion for His name to be blasphemed. because of our own disobedience. So it's a reminder that Jesus seeks to cleanse that and seeks to remove that. The fourth insight that we see here is Jesus clearly fulfilling messianic prophecy. Clearly fulfilling messianic prophecy. His disciples remembered what was written in Psalm 69 of his zeal. There's also a prophecy that's made in Malachi chapter three that the Jews more than likely would have understood regarding the rapid and the sudden appearance of the authority of God in the temple. That's in Malachi chapter three. And Jesus clearly fulfilled that, once again reminding us that He was and that He is the promised Messiah, nothing less than the Son of God Himself. And then a fifth observation or insight that we can see is that this entire incidence represents a gracious warning to His people. I made allusion to this earlier. He could have exercised complete judgment and killed these people and been fully right in doing so. In this instance, there's opportunity for repentance. And so even though it seems abrupt, even though it shocks us, even though there's a violent aspect to what Jesus does here, it is ultimately an expression of amazing grace and mercy as his intention is to reveal himself as the one who is the Savior of the world and to offer people an opportunity to repent. To repent. And that's the same offer, that's the same opportunity that he gives to every single one of us today. You know the Lord Jesus Christ if you have come to faith in Him, a faith in which you have seen something of His holy character, you have been made aware of something of the reality of guilt in your own life as a result of sin, and you have recognized that Christ and Christ alone is the means of your forgiveness by what He accomplished in the shedding of His blood. Praise God and rejoice and give him thanks evermore and grow in that grace and knowledge. But perhaps if you've never come to him, perhaps if you have seen the reality of corruption, if you have seen the reality of ignorance, if you have seen the reality of a superficial recognition of Jesus, even perhaps in the guise of religious activity, know that God knows your heart. He knows what reality is, and His desire is for you to know Him in truth, and to humble yourself before His mighty hand, and to receive the salvation that He offers you through the Lord Jesus Christ, to know the forgiveness of your sins, to know true reconciliation to God, and to know His peace, and to know His power and glory through Him. It's the offer for all, and if ever there was a time this time of the year to be reminded of that, to not discount in your own life and not neglect or fail to receive the very purpose for which Jesus came, to cleanse you, to cleanse me of our sin, that we might worship God in spirit and in truth and in purity and in honesty according to what He has prescribed and according to what He's made available. Let's pray together. Lord, as we read of this incident of the Lord Jesus entering into the temple, it seems like such a bold and audacious act that a man would presume to disrupt the religious status quo. How could such one do such a thing if he were none other than God himself? The expression of your authority, the expression of sovereignty, the expression of your complete independence from any opinion that any person has toward you or any demand that any of us may ever so ignorantly levy against you displays for us the fact that you are supreme. God, you know each one of us. As you have told us, you know the hearts of us all. May those who know you in truth be encouraged and strengthened, even as the disciples were encouraged and strengthened in their own faith, as they were reminded of your zeal and reminded of what you brought about through your death and through your resurrection, even as you spoke of it prophetically in this instance in the temple. God, may our own faith be strengthened and purified in greater and greater ways that you would be glorified through our lives. Lord, that you'd continually cleanse our own hearts from any defilement that we may be so prone to participate in. And Father, again, if there are any who in truth don't know you, you know who they are, they know who they are. God, we ask that you would work in their hearts. We are so thankful for your grace as we know that all of it from beginning to end is your grace. We pray that you would be exalted as you do your work among us. Thank you, God, for your goodness and for your care. In Jesus' name, amen.