Sermon Notes:
Passover celebrates a time when Israel trusted God. What kinds of hearts don’t have room for what Jesus offers?
1. The _________________ heart: Letting cultural ____________________ crowd God out and turn religion into an ______________ _______________.
( John 2:12-17)
2. The ______________________ heart: Putting God to the _____________ to prove he knows better than you. ( John 2:18-22)
3. The _________________ heart: Following Jesus…as long as he makes your __________________ and ________________ come true. ( John 2:23-25)
Discussion Questions:
1. Read John 2:12-17. This episode occurs at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, in contrast to the time he clears the temple during passion week (at the end of his ministry). The fact that he did this, twice, tells us how important this is to him. Why did Jesus respond the way he did toward all the business being done in the temple courts? Read Matthew 6:33; 22:37-38; Micah 6:8. These are some of God’s priorities for our lives. How does turning the temple (a place for worshipping God and connecting with him) into a marketplace undermine these priorities?
2. People back then went about their business of buying and selling in the temple courts. They had to do this in order to fulfill the requirements of offering sacrifices in the temple, but it got corrupted. Where do you see good or necessary things in modern life slowly crowding out what really matters spiritually – whether in church, work, or personal life? How can we recognize when something helpful has quietly become a distraction from God?
3. Read John 2:18-22. Notice that the Jews (probably the Priests, the Sadducees and their allies) do not question what Jesus was doing, but rather his authority to do it. This suggests they knew they were not honoring God, but left it to Jesus to prove his authority. Why do you think authority was important to them? Read James 3:1; 4:6. Why is God accepting of people who know they are failures and sinners but opposed to those who are proud and self-righteous?
4. Read John 2:23-25. Jesus is aware that many people follow him for reasons that fall short of real trust. Read John 6:14-15, 26-27; Matthew 8:20; 19:16-22. From these verses, list some of the reasons that people start to follow Jesus but eventually turn away. In each case, there is something that they get wrong, but it can usually be reduced to one thing: Jesus isn’t meeting their desires. List some reasons why it is hard to stick close to Jesus in today’s world. Which is your biggest challenge?
5. If Jesus were to walk through the “temple” of your life today (your heart)- and sees your priorities, habits, ambitions, and thought patterns – what might he want to overturn or clear out? Share an experience how God cleansed your heart in order to purify your life even more.