2016.05.29 John 2: 18-25
Destroy This Temple
Good morning… It is great to be with you this morning… I
have Good News for you!.. His Name is
Jesus…
We are studying the Life
and ministry of Jesus in the Gospel of John… John’s gospel focuses on one
central theme… and that is His deity…. He is determined to make sure that we
understand that Jesus is the Messiah…. That He is God come in the flesh… And
John also tells us his purpose… John 20 v31… “These have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God and that believing you may have life in His
name.”
He wants us to come to the Lord Jesus Christ and find
forgiveness and grace… He wants us to find genuine life in Him… So his
goal is our salvation…
Now the Word of God is clear on the Deity of Jesus Christ… The great truth that He is God… Is declared over and over in the New Testament…
John begins His gospel by declaring that Jesus is God… In the beginning was the Word, the Word
was with God, the Word was God… John 1:1…
He is the Word
made flesh… The Memra…. He was with God in the beginning before creation…
and He is God… Here is a statement
pointing to the Trinity… Remember that John
was the Theologian of the early Church… the New Testament affirms the deity of
Christ often…
In
John 1, John 20, and in Hebrews chapter 1… He is called God Himself... Paul and Peter both call
Jesus “Our God and Savior…
In Hebrews 1 v3…
Jesus is the Creator and Sustainer of the entire
universe… He is the One who forgives sin…
and only God can do that… He is the One who raises the dead… Because in Him is life… look with me at Col
2:8-10…
Colossians
2: 8-10 NKJV slt 2000
8
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to
the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not
according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead
bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and
power.
8 Habt acht, daß euch niemand beraubt durch die
Philosophie und leeren Betrug, gemäß der Überlieferung der Menschen, gemäß den
Grundsätzen der Welt und nicht Christus gemäß. 9 Denn in ihm wohnt die ganze
Fülle der Gottheit leibhaftig; 10 und ihr seid zur Fülle gebracht in ihm, der
das Haupt jeder Herrschaft und Gewalt ist.
v9… For
in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily… the apostle Paul adds
it all up perfectly…
This is a clear short statement on the Christian doctrine
of Christ…. It is from this book…. The Word of God… He is both God and
man… He is the living Word… the
eternal God made flesh… Immanuel…. God with us… He is 100 percent God and man...
Last week we saw Jesus go up to Jerusalem during the Passover… He confronted the people with
their Hypocrisy and greed…. He gave them a vivid illustration of the Seriousness of sin and pride and greed…
He drove them out of the Temple… He
rebuked the Corrupt Religious system… He did what every Prophet of God has always
done…. The message of every true Prophet
of God is the same… Judgment is
certain… Repent the Kingdom of heaven is at hand… Jesus called the nations
to repentance and genuine Worship
from the heart…
This morning as we pickup the text in verse 18… Jesus has
just finished cleaning everyone out of the Temple courtyards… And He now is
confronted by the Jewish leaders… They want to know why He had the right to
take control of this place… Let´s read the first verse… v18
John
2: 18 NKJV slt 2000
18
So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You
do these things?”
18 Da antworteten die Juden und sprachen zu ihm: Was für
ein Zeichen zeigst du uns, daß du dies tun darfst?
v18…
The NLT reads this way… What
are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign
to prove it.”
Hey
mannn… What are you doing?
This is a very important question…
Jesus threw everybody out… including all the animals… We
are talking about 10s of thousands of people….. He put the fear of God in
them…His Deity is on display… He does something that a mere man could not do…
When Jesus cleaned out the Temple…. He had displayed His Divine and Righteous Anger at their sin and greed… Now the leaders
were very angry… They’re outraged… What is this that you are doing… “Who do you think you are?”
That’s their immediate question… That is the question
that they will ask Jesus many times during His ministry…
They will ask it often…
Because He takes power and authority over things that they think belong
to them… They are the representatives of God… They are the interpreters of the
Law… Not some carpenter from Nazareth…
Jesus…
Who do you think you are!!
You’ve got to
prove to us that You have authority…
Show us a Miracle… some proof…
They know He’s claiming to be from God… Because in verse
16… He just said… You’ve turned My
Father’s house into a business…This is My Father’s house and you’ve defiled
it…
So they want a sign… If God is Your Father and You’re the Son of God… Then you prove it… give us a sign that You have the authority to
do this…
This Phrase… “the
Jews” is a term that John uses to speak of the enemies of Jesus.... The group of
enemies who are always attacking Jesus… The High Priest and religious leaders
who make up the Sanhedrin… The scribes and Pharisees… Jesus is not a priest… He’s not a Levite… He
has no authority inside the Temple… That power and authority belonged to the
priesthood… And to the spiritual rulers and Elders… They were called the Sanhedrin… Jesus is not an official anything… They
are offended and outraged...
There is no sign of shame or repentance… They
don’t have any desire to make things right with the Lord… Because they don’t love God… the truth is… If they did love the Lord… They
would repent and believe the Good News… But the Gospel is only
good news for sinners who need a
Savior… And most of them do not believe the truth about themselves or the
Scriptures… They are ruled by their pride and greed… Their hearts are black and
full of sin…. They cannot stand to have Jesus shine the light truth on their
wickedness and greed… They hate the one true God… and They reject the true way of
salvation… by grace through faith… Justification by Faith… Because of the Grace
of God… It is given to us by believing and trusting Him… That is clear
throughout all of Old Testament history…
But
sadly… They loved themselves… They loved money more than God… They
loved their rules… They hate common people... Their only desire is to rule
over them… Jesus said... They make people into twice the sons of hell as
themselves… Matt 23:15…
They demand that Jesus give them some sign to prove that He has the right
right to do this… He says, “Okay, I’ll give you a sign.” Verse 19…
John
2:19 NKJV slt 2000
19
Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will
raise it up.”
19 Jesus antwortete und sprach zu ihnen: Brecht diesen
Tempel ab, und in drei Tagen will ich ihn aufrichten!
v19…
Destroy this Temple and in three days I’ll raise it up…
This is a Prophesy of His own coming death and resurrection… They will kill Him
in about 3 years…. He knows it and Prophesies to them…
This is the first
time that Jesus shows the He knows the future… Jesus knew all things… That is
Omniscience… They don’t even know
they’re going to kill Him yet… Because this is just the beginning of His
ministry… So far they think He is only a small problem... Their hatred and
desire to kill Him... will come in the course of time… but He already knows… They will decide to kill Him… But as we can
see from this same text… He also knows that He will rise from the dead on the
third day…
His resurrection will be the sign from heaven that
ultimately validates His claim to be the Son of God… look at v19…. Do you see
the word I…. In the Greek it means I… I
Myself… Jesus says… You want a sign? I’ll give you a sign…. You will kill
me… And I will raise myself from the dead….
Destroy
this Temple and I will raise it up… In Romans ch1… it says that God through the Holy Spirit
raised Jesus from the dead… In 1 Corinthians 15 it says, “God raises the dead…
So in Romans ch1 the Holy Spirit raises
Christ from the dead… and In 1 Corinthians
15, God raises Christ from the dead… And
here, Christ raises Himself from the dead…
Here again this morning we see the Trinity at work… Perfect agreement and a perfect plan of redemption….
Perfect unity… They do all things together…. When God works the Holy Spirit and
the Lord Jesus are also at work… It is
all the same…
We saw the same thing in Creation… The Trinity was active
in creation… That is what we talked
about last week in the Vertikal and Foundations class…
God
creates… the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit were active in the
creation as well… This is the Trinity’s
work… They are one in nature... They are one in operation… Let´s continue… verse
20…
John
2: 20-22 NKJV slt 2000
20
Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and
will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking of the temple of
His body. 22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples
remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and
the word which Jesus had said.
20 Da sprachen die Juden: In 46 Jahren ist dieser Tempel
erbaut worden, und du willst ihn in drei Tagen aufrichten? 21 Er aber redete
von dem Tempel seines Leibes. 22 Als er nun aus den Toten auferstanden war,
dachten seine Jünger daran, daß er ihnen dies gesagt hatte, und sie glaubten
der Schrift und dem Wort, das Jesus gesprochen hatte.
v20…
46 years… This text says… Also
according to Josephus… it had been
exactly 46 years at this time that the
Temple had been under construction… So they’re looking at Jesus and think this
is a bad joke… This thing is 46 years in the building… And now you’re going to
destroy it and put it back up in three days… You are nuts… Verse 21…
v21…“But
He was speaking of the Temple of His body… When they expressed
that they didn´t understand… He didn’t explain to them what He meant… Why? Because When it was the right
time… He wanted the disciples to understand it… We know that later they did
remember and understand… We will see this in the next verse… This is another proof of His deity as He prophesies
the future… v22…
v22a…
When He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said
this and they believed the Scripture… What Scripture? All of it… Scripture
about the Messiah and the future… The entire the Old Testament is about the Messiah… including Many many Prophesies of His death
and resurrection…
v22b…
They believed the Scripture and the Word which Jesus had spoken…
Notice
here that even though they saw and heard incredible things… Even the Disciples had trouble believing…
That’s why Jesus said to them “O you of little faith!” They often wobbled in their faith… But as they spent time with Jesus… their faith
and trust grew… And finally after the resurrection when Jesus appeared to them…
they understood all that the prophets had said was true… And then… Just like the 2 Disciples on the road to Emmaus… When He spoke to them all the
things concerning Himself from the Law and the Prophets and the holy writings… Finally
their eyes were also opened…
Back to the Temple courtyard… These wicked men demanded a
sign from Jesus to prove who He was…
And He prophesies about HIs death and
resurrection… Tear this Temple down… In Matthew
16… Again the Pharisees demanded a sign from heaven…. They wanted
irrefutable proof that Jesus was who He said he was… And once again He pointed to His own death and
resurrection… But the truth is if they refuse to believe the Scripture … They
will not believe even if someone rises from the dead… Luke 16…
Later
Jesus did rise from the dead… but they still wouldn’t believe…
So our Lord’s divine nature is revealed… He knows the future…
Later on… He lays out the details of His death in Matthew
16, Matthew 17, and Matthew 19… This is
the section where The Lord is teaching His disciples to prepare them… He gives
them details from the OT…. Much of it is from Isaiah 52-53… He is warning them
and equipping them for the hard times that will soon come… I will be arrested
by the chief priests and the leaders of Israel… I will be scourged, I will be
spit on… I will be beaten... I will be crucified… I will be buried… I will rise
again… He gives every single detail… He knows the future… That’s omniscience…
Look with me at the last few verse from Ch2… v23-25….
John
2: 23-25
NKJV slt 2000
23
Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed
in His name when they saw the signs which He did. 24 But Jesus did not commit
Himself to them, because He knew all men, 25 and had no need that anyone should
testify of man, for He knew what was in man.
23 Als er aber am Passahfest in Jerusalem war, glaubten
viele an seinen Namen, weil sie seine Zeichen sahen, die er tat.
24 Jesus selbst aber vertraute sich ihnen nicht an, weil
er alle kannte,
25 und weil er es nicht nötig hatte, daß jemand von dem
Menschen Zeugnis gab; denn er wußte selbst, was im Menschen war.
v23a,c… when
He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast… they saw the signs which
He did.
This feast lasts for 8 days... the Feast of Unleavened
Bread follows the Passover… and Jesus
stays for the whole feast… And so for
more than a week… He is performing miracle after miracle… They believed when
they saw the signs… They believed in some sense… It seems they were not really
converted because of the signs…. They were becoming fans of the miracle
worker…. But much more was necessary for salvation... They needed to be
transformed by the Holy Spirit and given a heart of flesh…. Ezekiel 36…
The
Lord Jesus in His Omniscience… Knew that their faith was not
genuine… He knows the secrets of men’s hearts... He knows the invisible world
of human thoughts and motives…
v23b…
Many believed in His name… That sounds really good… This is why he
came… (10)
There is a play on words here… “Many believed… that’s the Greek verb pistuo… It means “to believe.” “Many believed
in His name… in His name as Messiah… They believed that He was who He
claimed to be… Look at v24…
v24…
But Jesus did not commit Himself to them… [in the Greek… it’s the same word pistuo, “believing… They were believing in Jesus… but Jesus was not
believing in them… He had no faith in their faith… He had no trust in their
trust… He didn’t believe in their believing.
Right here at the very outset of the Gospel of John… we’re introduced to a very important issue… All through
redemptive history… We see the presence of Hypocrisy… A Faith that is false and
superficial… You could say an artificial
faith… It is a kind of faith that doesn’t save… Jesus taught about this regularly…
He was always calling for genuine faith that is demonstrated in joyful…
Thankful obedience…
We see this in the Sermon on the Mount… Matthew ch 5
through 7…
This is a great description of the true believer
Beginning in Matt ch 5… He teaches about
the condition of someone who has been truly blessed by God… He continues with
our mission to be salt and light… He tells us that he Himself is the perfect
fulfillment of the law… He reminds us of
absolute necessity of a pure heart and genuine faith… It will produce
good fruit… v 16-20… Then in ch 7… v21 Jesus connects genuine faith with
obedience from the heart… Jesus says…. Not everyone who says Lord… Lord… Look
at it with me… v21…
Matthew
7: 21-23 NKJV slt 2000
21
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven,
but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that
day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your
name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them,
‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
21 Nicht jeder, der zu mir sagt: Herr, Herr! wird in das
Reich der Himmel eingehen, sondern wer den Willen meines Vaters im Himmel tut. 22
Viele werden an jenem Tag zu mir sagen: Herr, Herr, haben wir nicht in deinem
Namen geweissagt und in deinem Namen Dämonen ausgetrieben und in deinem Namen
viele Wundertaten vollbracht? 23 Und dann werde ich ihnen bezeugen: Ich habe
euch nie gekannt; weicht von mir, ihr Gesetzlosen!
Genuine Faith produces joyful obedience from the heart…
From a heart of gratitude and thankfulness to the Lord Jesus… How could we not
be thankful… He has poured grace out
on our lives… Godly obedience will
be the fruit of our lives… We will Follow
Jesus… Not perfectly… But the trend
line should be clear in our lives…. Less
pride… Less rebellion…. Less lust…. More of Jesus and less of me… We begin to reflect
the Grace and mercy that we have received from the Lord Jesus…
Sadly in the church in the 21st Century… False faith is an important reality… Yes
many will say… Lord… Lord… But unfortunately few will go through the narrow
door… Most people who claim to believe in Jesus have a non-saving faith… They
are only fans of Jesus… They follow Him for what they think that they can get
from Him…
All belief in Him is not true belief... It is often superficial…
It often lacks genuine repentance… Genuine faith is demonstrated in a transformed life…
True
salvation shows up in a transformed heart… And in a life that is filled with
prayer for others and in putting others first… Demonstrating the Grace of God… to
our own families and to each other here in the church… Serving the Lord from the heart… We talk to each other not about each
other… We put others first we pray for
each other…. We serve each other from a
grateful… thankful heart… Then people know that we have been with Jesus…. They will see that our faith is real…
Look with me at…. 1 Peter 4…. v7-10…
1
Peter 4: 7-10 NKJV slt 2000
7
The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in
your prayers. 8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each
other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Cheerfully share your home with
those who need a meal or a place to stay. 10 God has given each of you a gift
from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
7 Das Ende der Welt kommt bald. Seid deshalb besonnen und
klar in euren Gebeten! 8 Das Wichtigste aber ist, dass ihr einander beständig
liebt, denn die Liebe deckt viele Sünden zu! 9 Teilt euer Zuhause
gastfreundlich mit anderen, die Essen oder einen Platz zum Schlafen brauchen. 10
Gott hat jedem von euch Gaben geschenkt, mit denen ihr einander dienen sollt.
Setzt sie gut ein, damit sichtbar wird, wie vielfältig Gottes Gnade ist.
From these words of exhortation we see some very practical
ways to demonstrate the Grace of God in
our lives…
Grace in Action
1 Serious and Watchful prayer…
2 Fervent love for each other… It covers sin…
3 Be gracious and hospitable…
4 No grumbling and complaining…
5 Minister to one another…
As Genuine believers… These are the things that will
become more and more a part of our lives…
Back to John 2…v23-25…
John
2: 23-25 NKJV slt 2000
23
Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed
in His name when they saw the signs which He did. 24 But Jesus did not commit
Himself to them, because He knew all men, 25 and had no need that anyone should
testify of man, for He knew what was in man.
23 Als er aber am Passahfest in Jerusalem war, glaubten
viele an seinen Namen, weil sie seine Zeichen sahen, die er tat. 24 Jesus
selbst aber vertraute sich ihnen nicht an, weil er alle kannte, 25 und weil er
es nicht nötig hatte, daß jemand von dem Menschen Zeugnis gab; denn er wußte
selbst, was im Menschen war.
v24…
But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men…
As I said …. We could translate this… He did not believe in their
believing… Or... He did not trust their profession of faith…
v25…
and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man…
He knew what was in man…. He knew that many of them had a
false faith… How did He know this?
Nobody needed to tell Him anything about anybody…
John is connecting us to the Deity of Christ through His Supernatural
knowledge…
In
later years he will say… “God is greater
than our heart and knows all things… 1 John 3:20…
We see lots of false faith as we end ch 2… John is
setting the stage for a dialog about the new birth… Next week we will see the contrast between
fake and genuine faith… We will meet Nicodemus next week as we begin ch3… Jesus´
conversation with Nicodemus will point us to true saving faith… It begins in our hearts… We must be born from
above… Let´s pray…
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