Welcome to NECF Sermons. Each message here is
designed to uplift and strengthen you in your
walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until
the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive
right in. Amen. I want to thank God for this
opportunity given to me to bring the Word to
us. So I want to thank God for the pastors, also
for this opportunity. Amen. So, on Sunday, we
were looking at the union of the spirits we have,
and we stopped somewhere, and we're going to
continue there. Matthew chapter 28, Matthew chapter
28, Matthew chapter 28, from verse 18 to 20.
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All
authority has been given me in heaven and on
earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them
to observe all things that I have commanded you,
and lo, I am with you always, even to the end
of the age. And we close on Sunday by, our focus
was on that word, teaching them, that Jesus had
a mode of teaching. It's the word, that he was
talking about a mode of teaching, and how he
went to even warn his disciples about the mode
of the teachings of the Pharisees. Praise the
Lord. the mode of the teachings of the Pharisees.
Amen. So, we're looking at the union of spirits
that we have. Now, we said that the first thing
is that the gospel is for everyone. Praise the
Lord. The gospel is for everyone. It's not for
a particular people. It does not discriminate.
Amen. And the spirit of God is for everyone.
Right? So if the gospel is for everyone, the
spirit of God is for everyone. Praise the Lord.
John chapter 14. John chapter 14, verses 16 to
17. We're going to continue. And he says, I will
pray the Father and he will give you another
helper that he may abide with you forever. The
spirit of truth whom the word cannot receive.
because you neither see him nor know him, but
you know him, for he dwells with you and will
be with you. Praise the Lord. So the essence
of redemption or salvation is giving of the Spirit.
Praise the Lord. Exodus chapter 29, from verse
44 to 46. So I will consecrate. So I will consecrate
the tabernacle of meeting and altar. I will also
consecrate both Aaron and his sons to minister
to me as priest. I will dwell among the children
of Israel and I will be their God. And they shall
know that I am the Lord, their God, who brought
them up out of the land of Egypt, that I may
dwell among them. I am the Lord, their God. Praise
the Lord. Still talking about God amongst his
people, the Spirit of God among his people. So,
we see Jesus also speaking of the same thing
across the Synoptic Gospels. Amen. So, we read
here, when we go back to the John, we read John
chapter 14. We will read to you from verse 16
to 20. It says, I will pray the Father and he
will give you another helper. that he may abide
with you forever. The Spirit of truth, whom the
world cannot receive, because it neither see
him nor know him, but you know him, for he dwells
with you and will be in you. I will not leave
you orphans, I will not leave you orphans, I
will come to you. A little while longer, and
the world will not, the world sees me no more,
but you will see me, because I live. you will
live also. Verse 20. At that day, you will know
that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and
I in you. Praise the Lord. Right? That is, man
is going to become the temple of God. We saw
that in Exodus, right? So this place is talking
about that man is going to be the temple of God.
That is, that God would dwell, or the Spirit
of God would dwell in man. Praise the Lord. So
let's see the promises. Let's see the promise
of God, of God's temple. Go back to that Exodus
29, verse 45. It says, I will dwell among the
children of Israel and will be their God. Praise
the Lord. He will dwell among the children of
Israel and will be their God. So this is God's
promise of the temple. Praise the Lord. Right?
So God's temple, we looked at also the last time,
that God's temple is not a place. Praise the
Lord. God's temple is amongst the people. And
Jesus came to fulfill that. Praise the Lord.
God's temple is in man. And Jesus came to fulfill
that promise. Amen. So let's go back to what
we have been discussing as well. Matthew chapter
21. Matthew chapter 21, from verse 1 to verse
12 to 14. Matthew. Then Jesus went into the temple
of God and drove out all those who bought and
sold in the temple and overthrew the tables of
the money exchangers and the seat of those who
sold those. And he said to them, it is written,
my house shall be called a house of prayer, but
you have made it. A den of thieves. Praise the
Lord. A den of thieves. So let's look at what
he writes about this same place in the Gospel
of Mark. Mark chapter 11. Mark chapter 11 from
verse 15 to 16. It's very fundamental what he
writes. He said, so Jesus came to Jerusalem.
So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into
the temple and began to drive out those. who
bought and sold in the temple, and overthrew
the tables of the money changers and the seat
of those who sold those. And he will not allow
anyone to carry waste through the temples. Praise
the Lord. Verse 17 now. He said, Then he taught
them, saying to them, It is written, My house
shall be called a house of prayer, for all nations,
but you have made it a den of thieves. Verse
17, he said, then he taught them. Praise the
Lord. So he was not just saying to them that,
you know what, people are making a mess of this
place. Praise the Lord. But then he taught them
what the purpose of that place was. He said,
he taught them saying, it is written, my house
shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.
We notice a slight difference here. In Matthew,
he doesn't say, For all nations, right? He says,
my house shall be a house of prayer, but you've
made it a den of thieves. But Mark says what?
For all nations. Praise the Lord. But you've
made it a den of thieves, right? He taught them.
Meaning that what he was doing was that he was
teaching them. So his actions were explaining
his teaching. Praise the Lord. His teaching.
So he was, he drove them out, praise the Lord,
right? But at the same time, he was teaching
them something. His action also was a teaching
that he was giving to them. So he was teaching
this, right, from the Old Testament, where he
says that my house shall be called a house of
prayers for all nations, but you have made it
a den of thieves. So his action was an illustration.
Praise the Lord. His action was illustration
to drive out the people and to overturn the tables,
right? It was an illustration of his teaching.
Praise the Lord. Verse 17, he says what? Is it
not written, my house shall be called a house
of prayers for all nations? So he didn't just
say, oh no, this is the wrong thing to do. But
he was also reminding them of the scriptures.
Is it not written, my house shall be called a
house of prayers for all nations? So we can say
that Jesus was not, I mean, maybe the movies
that we watched or some of the things that we
thought, Jesus was teaching in as much as he
was driving the people out. Praise the Lord.
So we can say that he wasn't necessarily like
coming to the people, very furious and doing
a lot of things. Praise the Lord. But that he
was teaching them by his action. He was teaching
them. So we also look at what John also says.
2 John 2, verses 13 -16. Now the Passover of
the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He founded the temple of those who sold oxen
and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing
business. And he said to those who sold doves,
Take these things away. Do not make my father's
house a house of merchandise. Praise the Lord.
Do not make my father's house a house of merchandise.
Verse 17. And the disciples remembered that it
was written, zeal for your house has eaten me
up. Praise the Lord. And verse 18 now. And the
Jews answered and said to him, what sign do you
show us since you do these things? Praise the
Lord. Right? We're going to stay in this John
for a while. What sign do you show us since you
do these things? Right? He said, my house, right?
Can we go back to verse 16? You see here now,
there's also a bit of slight difference here.
He says what? Take these things away. Do not
make my father's house a house of merchandise.
The other place we saw my house, my house, and
this place again was saying, my father's house,
a house of merchandise. And then the Jews asked
him, in verse 18, what sign do you show us? Right?
What sign do you show us since you do these things?
Praise the Lord. Which means that he was doing
something in line with the scriptures. Praise
the Lord. What he was doing was in line with
the scriptures. Right? Which means that Jesus
was not just saying, why are you selling these
things? Or why are you buying here? Praise the
Lord. And we said the last time that there was
nothing wrong with buying and selling in the
temple. There was nothing wrong because it was
permitted by Moses for them to be done. It was
permitted in scriptures for them to buy and sell.
So stopping them was a fulfillment of the scriptures.
I'm going to explain that in a short while. Stopping
them was a fulfillment. of the scriptures. Luke
chapter 24 verse 44. Luke chapter 24 verse 44.
Then he said to them, these are the words which
I spoke to you while I was still with you, that
all things must be fulfilled which were written
in the law of Moses the prophet and in the Psalms
consigning me. All things must be fulfilled.
Praise the Lord. Must be brought to pass or must
come to pass. Praise the Lord. It must be brought
to pass. So we can ask, what is being fulfilled?
Praise the Lord. What is then being fulfilled?
What is the thing that is fulfilling? Right?
Looking at the question in that John, in verse
18 of John chapter 2, he said, what sign do you
show us since you do these things? And then he
said to them, my father's house shall not be
a house of merchandise. Like I said, he was quoting
the Old Testament. And then he says, what sign?
Then he says to them in verse 19, verse 19. And
Jesus said to them, destroy this temple. And
in three days, I would raise it up. Praise the
Lord. Destroy this temple. And in three days,
I will raise it up. This same word that is used
for resurrection, right? So what is he talking
about? What does he mean? Destroy this temple.
It cost them 46, 47, 46 years to build the temple.
The Jews were wondering. It cost us 46 years
to build this temple, and you say destroy it,
and he will build it up in three days. What is
he talking about? Praise the Lord. Now, verse
21 and 22, he said, but he was speaking of the
temple of his body. Praise the Lord. Therefore,
when he had risen from the dead, his disciples
remembered that he had said to them, and they
believed the Scriptures and the word which Jesus
had said. Praise the Lord. So when he had risen
from the dead, his disciples remembered that
he had said this to them, and they believed the
Scriptures and the word which Jesus spoke to
them. They believed what? The Scriptures. So
which Scripture is Jesus fulfilling? Which Scriptures
is Jesus fulfilling? What Scriptures is Jesus
fulfilling? Praise the Lord. Or what scriptures
is he teaching them? Praise the Lord. No, like
I said, sometimes the event of how Jesus drove
out the money exchangers, the way it is portrayed
in movies, is that Jesus came in, he was very
angry, he chased people away, he made codes and
beat people out of the temple. Praise the Lord.
He drove things out of the temple and the people
that were there. But he was not... beating the
people praise the lord he he stopped what they
were doing but he was not beating the people
praise the lord he didn't go there and he's beating
people praise the lord he stopped the activity
that was going on in those places right he didn't
touch the people praise the lord what he was
teaching them and doing things he was teaching
them and doing things look look chapter Then
he went to the temple and began to drive out
those who bought and sold in it, saying to them,
It is written, My house is a house of prayer,
but you have made it a den of thieves. Verse
47 now. And then he was teaching daily in the
temple. But the chief priests and the scribes
and the leaders of the people sought to destroy
him. Right? So what he was doing was an illustration
of his teaching. Praise the Lord. It was an illustration
of his teaching to drive out the people. Let's
look at this word, merchandise. Right? Let's
look at the word. The people were selling and
buying, right? Like I said, why did they sell
and buy in the temple? So, like I said, it was
a permission that Moses gave them for those who
were coming from afar. Imagine coming from a
very far place, carrying oxen and sheep to come
and sacrifice. They didn't have the luxury that
we have now of driving cars or... you know, cargos,
things like this, right? So they needed to carry
those things either by their hands or in horses.
And so it was very difficult for them to get
to those places. So there's a permission for
Moses for them to come and buy the things there.
Praise the Lord. They should just come, give
money and take the things they needed for sacrifice
and sacrifice in the temple. So he told them
to bring money, right? When they get to the temple,
They should use those money to buy the item that
they are using for sacrifice. So the place that
was used for these things of buying and selling
was looked at or regarded as the Gentile court.
Praise the Lord. It is known as the Gentile court.
So they are supposed to bring their money and
exchange it for the sacrifice or the animals
they are going to buy and they are going to come.
And they're going to use them for those sacrifices.
So two things we see going on around them. One,
the use of sacrifice, right? Which is the reason
for the money that they are coming with, right?
And then secondly, it happened at the Gentile
court. So the Jews and the non -Jews were to
come there and worship in the temple. Praise
the Lord. So why did he say, You have turned
his father's house to a house of merchandise.
Praise the Lord. If there was permission for
them to bring their money, buy the animals that
they need for sacrifice and use them for sacrifice.
It's a place of worship. The animals were not,
they didn't come to buy animals and take it to
their houses. Praise the Lord. They brought the
animals to sacrifice. It's a place of worship
that they come. So why did he say merchandise?
Right? You've made a house of merchandise. Praise
the Lord. Zechariah chapter 14, verse 20. Zechariah
chapter 14, verse 20. In that day, right, talking
about the future, right, eschatology, something
to happen, something that is going to happen
in the future. Holiness to the Lord shall be
engraved on the bells of the house. And the pots
in the house of the Lord shall be like the bowls
before the altar. And then, right in verse 21
now. Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judea
shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts. Everyone
who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook
in them. In that day they shall no longer be
Canaanites in the house of the Lord. Sorry, in
the house of the Lord of hosts. Praise the Lord.
Let me read that again. Every pot in Jerusalem
and Judea shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts.
Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them
and cook in them. In that day, they shall no
longer be canonized in the house of the Lord
of hosts. Praise the Lord. So holiness, right,
will not just be in the temple. Hallelujah. Holiness.
will not just be in the temple, right? But will
be in every house. Praise the Lord. Will be in
every home. So holiness, as we know, is what
God does. Is what God does. And where God dwells.
So holiness will not just be in the temple, it
will be in every home. Meaning that God is making
available the temple everywhere. Praise the Lord.
Meaning that God is making the temple everywhere.
And then in, so he's saying that he shall no
longer just be in the temple, but in every home,
right? He said in that day, there shall no longer
be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord, right?
That word Canaanite is a word Canani in the Greek.
That word Cananite is a word Canani, K -E -N
-A -N -I. K -E -N -A -N -I. Right? So what does
the word mean? Right? It is used for trade or
traders. Praise the Lord. It is used for trade
or traders. Right? Traders, they sell instruments
of offering. Remember, the traders, they're the
people selling the instrument of worship or instrument
of offering in the temples. So we see two things
there. That one, there will no longer be need,
right, for animal sacrifice or animal sacrifice,
right? But then, not just that, but everybody
will be qualified. So let's look at more, some
of the scriptures in this same word for Canaanites.
Proverbs chapter 31, verse 24. To make linen
garments and sell them. and supplies such for
the merchants. Praise the Lord. For the merchants.
So is that word for merchants there? Praise the
Lord. Is that word for merchants? Kenani, right?
Isaiah chapter 23, verse 8. Who has taken counsel
against Ty, the crowning city, whose merchants
are princes, whose traders are the honorable
of the earth? Praise the Lord. It's that word
that is used for merchants there, those who come
to sell. So let's look at those things we've
been reading before. He says what? My father's
house, you have made it a house of kenani, right?
To buy and to sell. Praise the Lord. He says
what? You have made my father's house a house
of buying and selling. Praise the Lord. It's
a house of merchandise, right? You've made my
father's house a house of buying and selling.
Praise the Lord. You've made my father's house
a house of buying and selling. But that is not
the way it's supposed to be. But Moses what?
Allowed it so that you can buy and sell for worship.
Right? But then he says it shall be a house of
prayer. For what? for all nations. What it's
supposed to be is what? A house of prayer for
all nations. He said, but you have made it a
den of thieves. You have made it a den of thieves.
A house of prayers for all nations. Praise the
Lord. So, when we read this whole Synoptic Gospels
account, the book of Matthew 21, Luke 11, Mark
11, Luke 19, and John chapter 2. So the things
we see first, or the things that we see Jesus
doing, is that Jesus is acting according to prophecy.
Praise the Lord. So when he's coming into the
temple, the thing he's doing, it is doing according
to the things that are said, right? It's acting
according to prophecy, right? Because in Zechariah,
it says, in that day, praise the Lord, in that
day, He said, what Mark says, a house of prayer
for all nations, right? So we can see that Jesus
was teaching from the text, right? And demonstrating
it in his illustration of driving the people
out. Isaiah chapter 56, verse 7. Isaiah 56, verse
7. Even them I will bring to my holy mountain
and make them joyful. in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offering and their sacrifice will
be accepted at my altar. For my house shall be
called a house of prayers for all nations. So
Jesus was acting out a prophecy. Praise the Lord.
He was acting out a prophecy. Let's look at verse
4 of that verse. It says, For thus says the Lord
to the eunuch who keeps my sabbath, who chose
what pleases me, and hold fast my covenant. Verse
5. Even then I will give my house and within
my walls a place and a name better than that
of the sons and daughters. I will give them an
everlasting name that shall not be cut off. Praise
the Lord. Verse 6 to 8 now. It says, Also, the
sons of the foreigners who join themselves to
the Lord to serve him, to love the name of the
Lord, to be his servants, everyone who keeps
from defiling the Sabbath and who holds fast
my covenant, even them I will bring to my holy
mountain and make them joyful in my house of
prayer. Their bond offering and their sacrifice
will be accepted on my altar, for my house shall
be called the house of prayers for all nations.
Verse 8. The Lord God who gathers the outcasts
of Israel says, Yet I will gather him other beside
those who are gathered to him. Praise the Lord.
This means that he's not talking about just the
Jews. Praise the Lord. It is not just for the
Jews. He says those who are not the Jews are
also part of it. Praise the Lord. So in God's
plan, those who are not the Jews too are part
of it. Praise the Lord. So if you read Zechariah
chapter 14, he talks about the house of prayers
for all nations. So he's saying that all nations
shall come to a place. or that he will go to
all nations. So from everything I've been saying,
does it mean that God is going to, that all nations
is going to come to a place, right? Just as we
see in the temple, as what happens around the
temple, was that God is going to all nations.
Praise the Lord. So you can read Zechariah chapter
14, Isaiah chapter 56, right? So remember, we
said in that Zechariah, it says what? That the
house or his temple is going to be in every house.
Praise the Lord. It's going to be in every home,
right? He says it's for all nations. Everybody
is welcome. So Jesus is standing in the temple
and he's fulfilling the scriptures. Praise the
Lord. He's standing in the temple and he's fulfilling
the scriptures, right? He's fulfilling the scriptures.
That what? This house is a house of prayer for
all nations. But he says what? You have made
it a den of thieves. Some other scriptures, as
we see, we say a den of robbers. Praise the Lord.
Now, I also mentioned this the last time. Is
he calling them armed robbers? Praise the Lord.
Is he calling them armed robbers? When he says
a den of thieves, is he calling them armed robbers?
No. He's saying that what they are doing was
permitted by the law, but it's not the way it's
supposed to be. It should not be like that. He
says what? What they were doing was permitted
by the law, so what was Jesus saying? What does
he imply by saying the prophet, sorry, we saw
in Zechariah that talks about a time or a day
is coming. So he's saying that there will no
longer be need for offerings here. Praise the
Lord. There will no longer be need for offering
here. A time will come. God will be in every
home. Praise the Lord. So what he's saying is
that there will no longer be need for offering
here. A time is coming. God will be in every
home. God will come. A time will come where there
will no longer be a need for this house anymore.
So that means the use of sacrifice in the temple
and the physical house was temporary. Praise
the Lord. The use of animal sacrifice or sacrifice
in the temple and the physical house was temporary.
So he's saying a house of prayer for all nations,
but you've made it a den of merchandise. Praise
the Lord. Let's read Zechariah chapter 14, verse
20 to 21. In that day, holiness... to the Lord
shall be engraved on the bells of their houses.
The pots in the Lord's house shall be like the
bells before the altar. Yes, every pot in Jerusalem
and Judea shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts.
Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them
and cook in them. In that day they shall no longer
be the Canaanites in the house of the Lord of
hosts. Praise the Lord. Jeremiah chapter 7 verse
11. Has this house, which is called by my name,
become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold,
even I have seen it, says the Lord. The den of
thieves. Praise the Lord. Some other scriptures
would use the word robbers. It's the word, I
also said it the last time, parit. P -A -R -I
-T -S P -A -R -I -T -S It's used for violence,
right? Something that is illegal, right? For
illegality, right? It's used for violence, illegality.
It's the word for, it's also used for the word
usurper, right? Like a supplanter. Remember Jacob,
right? It's also the word for supplanter, usurper,
right? So it's someone who takes power or a position,
a title illegally or by force. Praise the Lord.
Someone that, somebody that ought not to be there.
Praise the Lord. So he says what? That you have
turned his house or his house has become a den
of thieves. Right? To bring illegality or violence
or somebody that, something that ought not to
be there. So the Hebrew word used for Robbers
is also the word like insurrection, right? The
shopper, like I said. Zechariah chapter 7, verse
22. Sorry, Ezekiel. Ezekiel 7, verse 22. He said,
I will turn my face from them, and they will
defy my secret place, for robbers shall enter
it and defile it. So it's the same word there.
robbers right chapter 18 verse 10 chapter 18
verse 10 if he begot a son who is a robber or
a shader of blood what does any of this why does
who does any of these things right it's also
that same word there for robber so jesus was
referring to a den of robbers for example right
john chapter john chapter 10 from verse 7 to
8 And Jesus said to them, again, most assuredly
I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All
who come before me are thieves and robbers, but
the sheep did not hear them. Praise the Lord.
So he's using that word robbers there, right?
Like I said, was he referring to them carrying
guns? No, it means that they were not supposed
to be there. Praise the Lord. So he's saying
that these people that come to the ship are not
supposed to be there. He's not talking about
that the people came bearing guns and things
like that. So my house shall be called a house
of prayer, right? For all nations, he said, for
everyone. So you are making it, he's saying that,
let me say this, just listen carefully now. As
we've been talking about what these robbers mean
or why he refers to them as robbers. So he's
saying, my father's house shall be called a house
of prayers for who? For everyone, for all nations.
He said, but you are making it a place of come
and buy and sacrifice. Praise the Lord. You are
making it a place of come and buy and sacrifice.
You're saying the Gentile world should bring
their money. You will give them the element of
sacrifice. Right? And he said, they will offer
it. It has become... a den of what not, sorry,
it has become a den of what ought not to be there.
So what is the thief there? What is he saying
thief there? Right? So the thief there, remember
we said what Jesus came to fulfill and how is
the nation going to be a house of prayer for
all nations, right? So, and we read this place,
let's go back. to verse 7. And Jesus said to
them, Most certainly I say to you, I am the door
of the sheep. All who come before me are thieves
and robbers, but his sheep did not hear them.
So the thieves there that he's using is what
they use of what? Physical sacrifice. It ought
not to be there. That is not what makes this
place or that is not what will make this place
become a house of prayer for all nations. Praise
the Lord. That is not what will make it a house
of prayers for all nations. Let me read that
again. So my father's house is a house of prayers
for all nations. But you are making it what?
A place, a house of merchandise. Remember what
we said what merchandise is, right? Remember
the word we use for merchandise, right? He's
saying what? You've made it what? A place of
come and by. or come and a place of come and
bring sacrifice or buy or the gentile will come
to bring their money and they will give them
element that is of sacrifice right and they will
offer it it has become a den of what not ought
to be there praise the lord so what is the thief
there the thief there is the use of physical
sacrifice the use of physical sacrifice which
Remember, we said in that Zechariah, they said
what? In that day, right? On that day. So, the
use of physical sacrifice will be anointed in
that day. Praise the Lord. The sacrifice of Jesus
who do what will anoint the use of physical sacrifice.
Praise the Lord. Remember, we said he's coming
to do what? To fulfill the scriptures. And he
was teaching as well. So, it is not referring
to the people as thieves. It is referring to
what they were doing. Praise the Lord. It was
referring to what? To what they were using. The
use of physical elements in worship. Jesus is
saying it is insurrection. It is a robbery. He
said, all that come before me, he said, I'm the
life of the sheep. I am the sacrifice. Praise
the Lord. So Jesus is the sacrifice. It is not
the animal sacrifice. Praise the Lord. Jesus
is the sacrifice. So Jesus is the sacrifice.
So he refers to the sacrifice before him as a
den of thieves. So the sacrifice that they bring
or they bring to offer has become what? A den
of thieves. It is not a thing that saves men.
Praise the Lord. So the thing that Jesus was
doing, Jesus is saying that what? God's holiness
is for everyone, right? So there will not be
a need for you to bring what? Physical sacrifice.
There will no longer be need for anyone to bring
what? Physical sacrifice. There will no need
for anybody to pay money and buy physical sacrifice
in this altar. Right? And like I said from the
beginning, that what? That holiness is a gift
of God. Holiness is a gift of God. So Jesus is
not upset or he's not angry at the people. He's
saying that, The day has come. Praise the Lord.
So what he was doing in that place, he's saying
that that day has arrived. Praise the Lord. That
day has arrived. The day has come for fulfillment
of the word of the prophecy of the prophets.
The day has come for the fulfillment of the word
of the prophets. What he was saying, he was teaching.
That's what he was saying. He was teaching the
scriptures. He was teaching. through the scriptures.
And then his disciples will say, because the
zeal of thy house has eaten him up. So Jesus,
the word zeal there is a word quenal, right?
So Jesus is teaching and illustrating his teaching
by the things that he's doing. So we said that
what? The use of those practices were temporary.
We know this, right? From all our teaching. The
new covenant was before the old one. So the new
covenant is God's promise, is God's word, is
what God wants, is God's perfect will. The old
one is what was allowed because of the hardness
of their hearts. But in the beginning, it was
not so. Praise the Lord. Let me read again. So
Jesus was illustrating, was teaching and illustrating
his teaching by the things he was doing. Right?
And as we have been taught, that the Old Testament
practice was temporary. Praise the Lord. So the
new covenant was before the old, the practice
of it, of the Old Testament or the old covenant.
The new covenant is God's promise, is God's word,
is what God wants, is His perfect will. The old
is what is allowed because of the hardness of
their hearts. But in the beginning, it was not
so. So what is the new covenant? So we said that
the use of which we have been taught, we have
been taught this everything. The use of the temple,
right? The use of the animal sacrifice was not
started by God. It was something that was in
their culture already. Praise the Lord. It was
something that was in their culture already.
So God uses as an illustration to remind them,
right? Again, that the new covenant is onward
and is promised. of his own word and his promise.
So God is the new covenant. Praise the Lord.
God is the new covenant. So in that Zechariah,
it says what? It shall be on that day, he said,
holiness upon the Lord in every house, in every
home, right? And we said that holiness is what
God will do or what God has done or is doing,
right? So holiness is not your conduct. Right?
Your conduct is inspired by God's holiness. Praise
the Lord. Holiness is what God does. Genesis
chapter 2, verses 1 to 3. So holiness that was
used there is the word kwadash. Genesis chapter
2, verses 1 to 3. That was the heaven and the
earth and all the host of them were finished.
And at the seventh day, God ended his... his
work which he has done, and he rested on the
seventh day from all his work which he had done.
Verse 3. And God blessed the seventh day and
sanctified it, because it is the day he rested
from all his work which he had created and made.
That word sanctified is word holy there. Right?
So, I'm going to be a little, let me just skip
some parts. So, in the new covenant, God's promise,
God's holiness is what he does. Right? God's
holiness is by His own Spirit. The Old Testament
practices will come and pass. It will no longer
be a house of thieves or a house of insurrection,
but it should be a house of prayers for all nations.
There will not be need to come and buy and sell
in this place. There will not be need for buying
sacrifice. It is done by the Spirit of God. Praise
the Lord. It is done by the Spirit of God. So
what we see in Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Zechariah
are prophecies of the Scripture. So God's holiness
is what He does. If God saves you, that action
is holy, right? That action is holy, and you
are holy because God saves you. If God calls
you, that action is holy. Therefore, you are
holy. Holiness is not what you do, though. You'll
be affected or you will reflect the holiness
of God. Holiness is what God does, right? Because
of what he has done in you, you become holy.
So Jesus is saying that the temple that is God's
holiness, we can say God's salvation, right?
God's deliverance is for everybody. In that day,
there will no longer be need for sacrifice. You
no longer need to come here. That is to the temple
anymore. Right? Because God will come to wherever
you are, to every home. Praise the Lord. God
will go in towards every home, just like the
same way he went to Egypt to bring the people
out. He's going to every home in that day. He's
going to every home in that day. He will come
where you are and he will save you and you are
holy. So when he says that, or when he sends
us out to go and preach the gospel, Who is going
to reach men? When we go out to preach the gospel,
who is going to reach men? It is God that is
going to reach men. Praise the Lord. Because
what? You are holy and you are his. So it is
an outreach of holiness. So God wants to call
people to himself to make them sons and daughters.
That means that when we preach the gospel, we
are offering the people to be God's residents.
Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. We're offering
them that they should be what? God's residents.
God's residents. I don't know if I have time.
There's something I wanted to show us about the
fig tree. I don't think I will have the time
to do that. But I think let's do that and maybe
we can stop there. Luke chapter 24 verse 44.
So when he was on his way to the temple, right?
Two things happened on the way, right? Mark recorded
it, Matthew, but we didn't have that in John,
right? So Luke chapter 24, and he said to them,
these are the words which I speak to you while
I was still with you, that all things must be
fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses
and in the prophet and in the Psalms concerning
me. Mark chapter 11, from verse 12 to 14. So
Jesus saw a fig tree. Right? We know the story
of the fig tree. Right? So when they came, they
said, verse 12. Mark chapter 11, verse 12 to
14. This is still the same story of the temple,
of him going to the temple. So, now the next
day when they had come from Bethlehem, he was
hungry and seeing from afar a fig tree having
leaves, he went to see if perhaps He will find
something on it. When he came to it, he found
nothing but leaves, for it was not the season
for figs. Verse 14. In response, Jesus said to
it, Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.
And his disciples heard it. Praise the Lord.
Now, let's look at the sequence. Like I said,
this is the same thing that was leading to the
temple. So, he moves to the fig trees. He goes
to the temple. He speaks in the temple. And then
he says that the temple, the things happening
there are odd not to be happening there. The
temple is for all nations, right? It's for all
nations, right? So God's word is not in a physical
place, it's in the people, right? Verse 19 to
21. Verse 19 to 21 of Mark 11. When the evening
had come, they went out of the city. And in the
morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig
tree dried up from its roots. And Peter remembered
and said to him, Rabbi, look, the fig tree which
you caused has withered away. And then verse
22 now. And Jesus answered and said, have faith
in God. Right? Have faith in God. For surely
I say to you, whoever say to this mountain, be
removed and be cast into the sea. and there's
no doubt in his heart, but believes that, believe
these things which he says, it will be done,
and he will have whatever he says. Praise the
Lord. Now, let's pay attention to this thing.
He says what? He says, most assuredly I say to
you, whoever says to this mountain, what did
Peter say to him? Peter was talking about the
fig tree, right? He was talking about the fig
tree. Why don't you just say to him, whoever
says to this fig tree, Right? And they dried
up from the root. And it will be dried up. He
says what? Whoever says to this mountain, first
he said to him, have faith in God. Praise the
Lord. Have faith in God. He reminded them of
the scriptures, right? That is called the faithfulness
of God. Have faith in God. Have faith in God.
Sorry. Have faith in God, have faith in the scriptures,
which means that yet again, Jesus opened them
again to the scriptures, right? Have faith in
God, he's saying to them to have faith in the
things that God has said. Verse 23. So we said
that he was talking about, he said, who's ever
said to this mountain, right? But it was Feek
3 that they were talking about. Praise the Lord.
It was Feek 3 that they were talking about. So
how comes the mountain comes here? Praise the
Lord. So they're just listening carefully and
see. So remember what this was about. Zechariah
chapter 6 verse... Zechariah chapter 4 verse
6. They were building the temple, right? Or they
were going to build the temple. And it says,
Zechariah was going to build the temple and he
said, and he answered and said to me, this is
the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, not by might,
not by power, but by my spirit. says the Lord
of hosts. Do you remember what they were going
to build? They were going to build what? The
house of the Lord. Right? And he says what? Not
by might, not by power, but by my spirit, says
the Lord. Now, verse 7. He said, Who are you,
O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel, you shall
become a plain, and he shall bring forth the
capstone with the shout of grace. Grace to it.
Verse 9. The hand of Zerubbabel hath laid the
foundation of this temple. His hand also shall
finish it. Then you shall know that the Lord
of hosts has sent me. Praise the Lord. So Jesus
is referring to Zechariah, that God will build
a temple. Praise the Lord. So when Jesus said
to them, when he was quoting this place, he's
saying to them that what? God is going to build
a temple. They were talking about the fig tree.
He was talking about what? That God is going
to build a temple. Who says to this mountain,
that whoever says to this mountain, move them
and be cast into the sea, right? It will be moved.
Praise the Lord. So, the mountain there, let
me start by saying, That there are a lot of times
in the scriptures where the Israelites or the
children of Israel were looked at or were regarded
as fig trees. Praise the Lord. They were regarded
as fig trees. Let's see some places. But let
me just read this before we look at that. So
the Old Testament and its practice, right, is
what he calls the mountain. Praise the Lord.
So be moved and be cast into the sea, right?
Sea refers to what happens in Exodus. and does
not doubt in his heart, but believe in the things
which he says, it will be done. He would have
whatever he says, right? And then, see why he
said that in the next verse, in chapter 20, in
verse 25, where in Mark 11, go back to Mark 11,
25. He says what? 25. And he says, whenever you
stand praying, and you have anything, and you
have anything against anyone, forgive him that
my Father in heaven may also forgive your trespass.
Right? He says what? That forgiveness, that forgiveness
for the people who God has forgiven. Praise the
Lord. So we see what is going on. So let's look
at the fifth three now. And then let's look at
verse 22. And he says what? You should have faith
in God. Right? That is have faith. in the scriptures.
Hosea chapter 9 verse 10. Let's look at why the
Israelites were regarded as fig trees. Hosea
9 verse 10. He said, I found Israel like grapes
in the wilderness. I saw your fathers as a fresh
fruit on the fig tree that is in its first season.
Praise the Lord. He says, Lord, I found Israel
like grapes in the wilderness and I saw your
fathers as fresh fruits on the fig in its first
season. So the nation of Israel were called fig
trees, right? Jeremiah chapter 24, if you study
it, you also find out, right, more about it.
So they were looked at as bad figs, right? They
were regarded as bad figs. If you read the whole
of Jeremiah, Jeremiah 8, if you read Jeremiah
24, you see that. Jeremiah 8, 13. Jeremiah 8,
13. And I shall... And I will surely consume
them, says the Lord of hosts. No grape shall
be on the vine, no fig on the fig tree. Their
leaves shall fade, and the things I have given
them shall pass away from them. Micah 4 .4 Micah
4 .4 But everyone shall sit under his vine and
under his fig tree, and no one shall make them
afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has
spoken it. Verse 5 and 6. For the people walk
each in the name of his God, but will walk in
the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.
Verse 6. In that day, says the Lord, I will assemble
the lame, and I will gather the outcasts and
those whom I have afflicted. Which means that
when Israel bears no fruit, The day will come,
right, when he will bring all the nations together.
So the fruitfulness of the fig tree is a sign
that every nation, right, is going to come together.
Praise the Lord. The fruitfulness of the fig
tree is a sign that every nation is coming together.
Jeremiah chapter 30 from verse 31 to 32. Jeremiah
chapter 30 verse 31 verse 31. Jeremiah chapter
31 verse 31 verse 31. Behold, the day is coming,
says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel and with the house of
Judah. Verse 32. Not according to the covenant
that I made with their fathers. in the day that
I took them by hand to lead them out of the land
of Egypt, by covenant which they broke. Although
I was a husband to them, says the Lord, praise
the Lord, the new covenant. So he would dwell
with them and walk among them. Praise the Lord.
So let's follow the sequence of what we said
again. So Jesus was what? He was going to the
temple. He sees the fig tree, right? That means
that Israel has failed in his walk. Which walk?
to bring all nations to God. Israel is to bring
all nations to God, but he failed in that work.
So he's saying that what? The fifth three, no
man shall eat of it forever. No man will eat
of this disobedient anymore. No man will take
of it anymore. He goes to the temple and he does
the same thing. It is not going to be, this is
not going to happen anymore in this place. It
will not be a house of merchandise anymore. It
will be a house of prayer for all nations. Then
he comes back and then he sees the fig tree has
died in its root. And he says, more assuredly,
I say to you, I say to you, whosoever says to
this mountain, be removed and be cast into the
sea and does not doubt in his heart, but believe
that these things he says will be done. He will
have whatever he says. Verse 24. Then I say to
you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that
you receive it. and you would have it. Praise
the Lord. So, do not forget what we're saying,
that the house of prayers is a house of prayers
for all nations. So when, he again talks about
prayers afterwards. So he says, when you are
standing to pray in this house, forgive, which
means that it is a conversation about the temple.
God's house will be for all nations. Praise the
Lord. So, I'm going to finish up here now. So,
So whether it's the fig tree or the merchants
or the merchandise, the things that he did in
the temple, they were all talking about, or they
were all, he was all talking about what? God's
new covenant. The Jews and the Gentiles, right?
Who have received God's holiness. So what Jesus
was doing, right? Is what? Making God's holiness
available to all, whosoever, right? Therefore
means that whether you're a Jew or Gentile, right?
And also, by sending them out, by sending them
out in what we read in Matthew 28, by sending
them out to all nations, like God sent Israel,
He was telling them that His house will no longer
be a place. By sending us out today to all nations
is that we are having an outreach of holiness.
God wants to leave. Here. God wants to live there.
Praise the Lord. That's what it means. Right?
God wants to live here. God wants to live there.
Praise the Lord. Jesus has become a qualifier
and qualification for all men. It means that
the gospel, right, prequalifies every hearer.
Praise the Lord. The gospel prequalifies every
hearer. A man only disqualifies himself by unbelief.
Praise the Lord. Of the gospel. Right? So the
gospel, even though it's a post -resurrection
event, it's not a post -resurrection message.
Pastor Carson taught us this the last time we
met. So who does, who is qualifying, right? Or
who is qualified for God's house? Everyone. Who
is qualified for God's house? Everybody. Or where
is qualified for God's house? Everywhere. Who
is qualified for God's spirit? Right? Everyone
is qualified. for God's Spirit. Praise the Lord.
So when you see somebody who is a drunkard, when
you see somebody who does not know the Lord,
that is a potential house of the Lord. Praise
the Lord. When you see somebody who is doing
a lot of things, who is in unbelief, praise the
Lord. That is a potential of God's house. That
is a potential God's house. Praise the Lord.
So you don't say, ah, this person is bad, this
person is doing this. That is a potential. Or
that is a potential God's house that you have
there. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. So, you are
in God's house already. You are God's dwelling
place already. You are already the house of His
work. The Spirit of God is already in you and
for you. Right? He wants you, or He wants to
be amongst all men. Hallelujah. He wants to be
amongst all men. It is no longer a place. It
is a people. It's no longer a kind of people,
but all people, every nation, including tribes,
tongues, cultures, behavior, sociology, everyone,
right, has room for God. God has room for everyone.
Praise the Lord. Let's just rise up on our feet
and just pray. We appreciate you being here today.
We hope you carry this word with you throughout
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