Answers to Sermon Notes

The Invitation: Part XIX

“Zeal For Your House”

John 2:13 – 3:21

10/8/17

  1. This morning I would like for us to focus our thoughts on the prophecy about Jesus that is quoted in 2:17, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
  2. How did this manifest itself in Christ?
  3. How does this manifest itself in me?
  4. For this would certainly be included in our imitation of Christ.
  5. The first aspect of this zeal for the house of God that we find here is that it is centrally focused on the kinds of activities that are going on in that house. (2:13-17)
  6. These were not simply streetvendors; they were selling items needed for sacrifice.
  7. Yet, Jesus is obviously enraged at their presence here.
  8. This begins to give us a bit of a picture of the consuming nature of his zeal.
  9. He is so zealous for the house of God that he is enraged when it is not being properly used.
  10. While sacrifices were a central activity for the temple, the foundational activity was supposed to be prayer.
  11. “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations.”. (Mk. 11:17b)
  12. As Solomon’s prayer of dedication makes plain (I Kings 8), these were to be centrally prayers of repentance.
  13. Jesus makes this plain in the account of the publican and the Pharisee.
  14. Only one man went home justified that day.
  15. Zeal for the house of God is adamant that this activity be at the center in order that no one might go home from this placeunjustified.
  16. It is in this way that the temple (church) is at the center of facilitating The Invitation.
  17. The second aspect of zeal for the house of God that we find here is the recognition that this is not simply Jesus’ opinion; he has authority here.(2:18-22)
  18. Though none understood this at the time, his death and resurrection would prove his authority.
  19. And, he retains that authority in this place, through his Word and Spirit.
  20. The third aspect of Jesus’ zeal for the house of God is his insistence regarding what it takes to belong.
  21. It does not depend on making a goodimpression (through words or actions), nor in having a good reputation with others; for he sees directly to the heart. (2:23-25)
  22. An understanding of this will then lead us quickly to those prayers of repentance.
  23. In order to belong, you must undergo an inner transformation: being born again, “of water and the Spirit.” (3:1-5)
  24. There have been many suggestions through the years as to what Jesus means by being born, “of water,” in the same way that there have been many suggestions as to what is fully revealed in Jesus’ turning water into wine. (last section) I believe that, “water,” in each statement refers to the same thing: the OldTestamentLaw.
  25. Jesus did not come to abolish, but to fulfill (bring to itsfullness).
  26. Jesus came to transform without replacing (water into wine).
  27. For this to be the case, we would expect the Old Testament to somewhere compare the Law of God to water. It not only does this, but does so in a very important place related to the activities of the temple,Psalm 1.
  28. While the law was good, in and of itself, it was not sufficient for our salvation. (Gal. 3)
  29. While we must start there, we require the work of the Spirit to lead us to the law’s intended destination: The Cross of Christ. (born of water and the Spirit)
  30. How the Spirit does this we do not know, we who have experienced it only know that he does. (John 3:6-8)
  31. This understanding of, “water,” also makes sense of what John writes in I John 5.
  32. This is the purpose of why Jesus came, not to simply condemn us by pointing us back to the law, but to save us by leading us from the law (water) to the cross(blood) by the Spirit, bringing us to repentance and salvation.
  33. While Nicodemus, “believed in Jesus,” from one perspective, and he had a strong knowledge of the law, it was clear that the Spirit had not led him to a deep sense of need that would bring him to accept Christ as savior.
  34. But, this then brings us back to the phrase we began with: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
  35. While one understanding of, “consume,” is a kind of deep passion, that is not what the word really means.
  36. “to be utterlydestroyed”
  37. “to be devoured – eaten up”
  38. While that prophecy does refer to the passion of Jesus’ zeal, it more literally refers to the fact that his zeal for all that we have seen regarding the activities of the temple was so great that it wouldutterlydestroy him (the cross), and that it would lead to his being devoured, like a meal presented to the famished (the table of communion).
  39. This is what it meant for Jesus to have such zeal for the house of God. Let us receive it with tears of both brokenness and joy, and let us go forward to share the same zeal as Christ for the house that bears his name.

For further discussion:

  1. Do you believe there are things that go on in the church today that enrage Christ in the same way that the presence of these activities did? What might they be?
  2. Do you believe that our church is truly a house of prayer for the nations as Jesus intended for it to be?
  3. Do you believe it is still the case that they center of those prayers are supposed to be prayers of repentance?
  4. Are these kinds of prayers only for newcomers to the faith, or for all of us?
  5. How would these prayers of repentance naturally lead to other kinds of prayers as well?