Ep. 8 - S - John 2:13-22 Be Passionate About Worship!

"S" stands for Sermon. Why did Jesus flip a gasket when he entered the temple for worship? What enraged him so much about the money changers, the animals for sacrifice, and the "busyness" and the "business" in the temple courts? Because Jesus was passionate about worship. What was going on wasn't what God wanted. It wasn't what worship was about, the manipulation, extortion, and self-glorification that was center stage instead of God's grace and mercy. That, after all, was the whole purpose of the temple. What about you? Are you passionate about worship? Should you get angry when church becomes about something other than grace and truth? Should you flip pews, raise your voice, and drive out those who only want to use you or tell you what they think vs. what God thinks? Yes! God wants us to be passionate about worship. True worship. Let's talk about what that is... The Text - John 2:13-22 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” 20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. This sermon was delivered on March 03, 2024, at St. Peter's Lutheran Church (School Gym on this particular day) in Helenville, WI, and preached by Rev. Titus Buelow.