The Gospel of Luke (#86) The Temple Cleansing January 12, 2025

First Baptist Church Leominster

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May the Lord bless his word to us as we listen to it attentively. Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.

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Keep watch on yourself lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.

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For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

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But let each one test his own work and then he will have a reason to boast, will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.

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For each will have to bear his own load. Let the one who is taught the words share all good things with the one who teaches.

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Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. For whatever one sows, that he will also reap.

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But the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption.

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But the one who sows to the spirit will from the spirit reap eternal life.

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And let us not grow weary of doing good. For in due season, we will reap if we do not give up.

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So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

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See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand? It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who want to force you to be circumcised.

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And only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.

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But far be it for me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.

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For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

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And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them and upon the

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Israel of God. From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

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The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers, amen. Let's pray.

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Lord God, Heavenly Father, may you give us a spirit of illumination.

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May you enable us as listeners to understand your word being preached from your pulpit.

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The gospel of God's grace only in your son, Jesus Christ. May you enable our faithful pastor to present him clearly.

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And may we all understand and take heed to your word, the Bible. And it's in the name of your son,

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Jesus Christ, do I pray. Amen. Having traveled with our

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Lord and his disciples from Galilee, which is well over half of Luke's gospel, from Luke 9 .51

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through chapter 19. We read last week of their arrival at Jerusalem.

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And of course, with our Lord's entrance into the city, conflict increased in intensity as the Lord moved toward his cross.

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Which would take place within the week. The events recorded in Luke 19 took place on Palm Sunday, which we addressed last

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Lord's Day. Which was the onset of our Lord's Passion Week, as it's commonly called.

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Jesus would be arrested, crucified, and buried toward the end of the week. And then on the following Sunday, the

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Lord's Day, Jesus would rise from the dead. Now, last

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Lord's Day, we considered verses 28 through 44 of chapter 19. It's a description of the party approaching

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Jerusalem from the east. At the little villages of Bethany and Bethphage, the

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Lord sent two disciples to find a cult that is a young donkey. He rode this young animal, this animal that had never had a rider before.

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He rode this animal toward the city while being lauded as a visiting king. Kings rode on donkeys.

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And he was received by a welcoming populace. Then in verses 38 through 40, we read that some of the

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Pharisees objected to the acclaim he was receiving. They were praising him for being the son of David, the promised

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Messiah. Jesus responded in a manner which affirms that the crowds were right in receiving him in the manner they had displayed.

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Then in verses 41 through 44, as the scene of the city loomed before them, we read of Jesus weeping.

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While the crowds were rejoicing, Jesus voiced a lament and gave a prophecy of the fate of the city, which came to pass in its destruction by the

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Romans in AD 70. Jesus, knowing their hardened hearts and the judgment of God that was soon to fall upon them, had great concern and compassion for them.

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Here's a good setting forth of the heart of our Lord on this occasion, put forth by a 19th century writer, who wrote 21 volumes of sermon outlines of my entire

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Bible that I obtained this week from eBay. Which I was happy to receive.

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And so this is one paragraph from one of those volumes. He might well have spoken to them in those terms of indignant triumph.

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Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how shall you escape the damnation of hell? But he had far other thoughts on this occasion.

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Knowing the full extent of the miseries that were coming on them, his bowels yearned over them.

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And nor did he only pity them as one possessed of human passions, but as their mediator, who had come from heaven to seek and save them.

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Perhaps to the thought that he should one day be their judge and be necessitated to pass the awful sentence of condemnation on their souls, oppressed and for a moment overwhelmed his spirit.

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Often had he already travailed, as it were, in birth with them. And now he was about to lay down his life for them.

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But except to a little remnant, his efforts would be in vain. With respect to far the greater part of them, the things belonging to their peace were about to be hid from their eyes.

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Yet if even at that hour they would have repented, he would gladly have gathered them even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings.

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But alas, they would not. And he foresaw, moreover, that they never would.

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And therefore, despairing of ever bringing them to happiness, he looked on them with a tenderness of emotions of pity.

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And with a flood of tears, poured forth this pathetic lamentation. And it was a lament.

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Well, today we pick up Luke's account of our Lord's entrance into the city. The Temple Mount was on the eastern edge of the city.

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The temple being an impressive sight from the procession's journey from the Mount of Olives to the

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Eastern Gate, about a quarter of a mile distance of the Sabbath day journey. Jesus entered the temple and there witnessed the exploitation of the people who had come to worship

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God. He purged the temple court of corrupt persons. He restored the temple to its intended purpose, a place where prayer to God was offered and the word of God was taught.

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And Jesus continued to teach the word of God in the temple daily to the delight of the people, but to the consternation of the

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Jewish leadership. They sought ways to kill him. But they were hindered from doing so due to his popularity among the populace, the people.

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So here is Luke 19, 45 through 48. Then he went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, say to them, it is written, my house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.

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And he was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy him and were unable to do anything.

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For all the people were very attentive to hear him. So one moment

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Jesus was weeping. A few moments later, he's waging a hot battle against corruption.

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In fact, one could say that from the time Jesus entered Jerusalem, conflict ensued and continued even to his cross.

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Several days later, he was opposed by others and he opposed others.

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There was conflict. Now this account is told in all three synoptic gospels,

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Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Perhaps it would be helpful to read these other two accounts in our studies of Luke's account, here is the record of Jesus cleansing the temple in Matthew 21.

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And when he had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, who is this? So the multitude said, this is

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Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.

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And he said to them, it's written, my house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.

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Then the blind and the lame came to him in the temple and he healed them. When the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did and the children cried out in the temple and saying,

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Hosanna to the son of David. They were indignant and said to him, do you hear what these are saying?

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And Jesus said to them, yes, have you never read out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants?

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You have perfected praise. And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany and he lodged there.

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Mark's gospel records the same event, but in a few fewer words. Here's Mark 11, 15 and following.

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So they came to Jerusalem, then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple.

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And overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And he would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.

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Then he taught, saying to them, is it not written, my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it a den of thieves.

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The scribes and the chief priests heard it, sought how they might destroy him. For they feared him, because all the people were astonished at his teaching.

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When evening had come, he went out of the city. And so that is

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Matthew and Mark's account. John also recorded the cleansing of the temple in his gospel, the fourth gospel.

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John is not one of the synoptics. The synoptics are Matthew, Mark, and Luke. They're in parallel, in order, and many of the same incidents are recorded.

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John's gospel is quite different. But John recorded a cleansing of the temple.

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But the accounts differ. The account of John differs from the accounts of the synoptics.

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Because where the synoptics record Jesus cleansing the temple at the end of his ministry this last week,

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John's gospel records Jesus cleansing the temple at the beginning of his ministry. At the first Passover when

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Jesus was in Jerusalem. And so here's John's account. Now the

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Passover of the Jews was at hand and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And he found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves and the money changers doing business.

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When he had made a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple with the sheep and the oxen and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.

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And he said to those who sold doves, take these things away. Do not make my father's house a house of merchandise.

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And then his disciples remembered that it was written, zeal for your house has eaten me up.

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There are commentators who believe that John was recounting the same incident as the other three gospel writers, but chose, for his purposes, to record the event taking place at the beginning of our

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Lord's ministry, rather the end. But we take the view, rather, that there were two occasions in which the

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Lord Jesus cleansed the temple, one at the beginning of his ministry, and the other three and a half years later at the conclusion of the ministry.

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The footnote in the Reformation Study Bible for John 2, 13 through 23 reads this way.

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Matthew, Mark, and Luke report a cleansing of the temple in the week of Jesus' crucifixion. In spite of some similarities, these are best viewed as different incidents.

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We would say amen, R .C. Sproul and those editors of the Reformation Study Bible.

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And then there's a footnote in the Reformation Study Bible at Mark 11, 15, which gives a more full explanation, but specifically on the words began to drive out.

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John 2, 12 through 22 describes the temple cleansing at the beginning of Jesus' ministry, while all three synoptic gospels report one occurring at the end.

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It's likely that Jesus cleanses the temple twice. John's account is carefully dated, and the accounts are by no means identical.

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In John, Jesus comes with his disciples and his actions called to their mind Psalm 69, 9.

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In the synoptic accounts, Jesus comes in triumphal messianic glory and justifies his actions by quoting

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Isaiah 56, 7 and Jeremiah 7, 11. Jesus is no doubt aware that the prophet

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Jeremiah twice cursed the temple. Jeremiah. And so, although there are those and some good people that differ and say

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John also spoke of this same event, we understand it taking place twice.

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This morning, we wish to examine our passage in Luke 19, 45 through 48, by first considering our

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Lord's great concern for his glory in the temple of Jerusalem under the old covenant. And although I wanted to spend more time than I was able to devote to it.

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Secondly, we want to reflect on our Lord's concern for his glory in his temple under the new covenant.

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This is New Testament age, so let's consider these two points.

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First, our Lord's great concern for his glory in the temple of Jerusalem under the old covenant, the

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Mosaic covenant principally. The temple of Jerusalem was the place in which the people of God, the entire ethnic and national people of Israel could come into the presence of God to worship him, to obtain forgiveness for their sins and receive blessing upon their lives.

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Not only had God ordained and prescribed its design and construction, but he required the strictest observance of his people who approached him at this temple.

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The people themselves could enter the courts of the temple grounds, but only the priests were allowed to enter the temple proper.

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But then only at the times prescribed for the purposes that God had established for them.

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The temple area was divided into different courts. Not all people had access to all of these courts.

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When the temple mount was first approached, the worshiper would first enter the large temple area through a gate of the south side of the temple mount complex.

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If he brought an animal to sacrifice, he would check his animal and then visit what was called the mikveh, where he would ritually cleanse and purify himself.

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He would then take his sacrificial animal and pass through the next set of gates, through which he would find a staircase of three stories.

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And passing through a gate at the top of the stairs, the worshiper would enter what was called the court of the

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Gentiles. This was an area primarily a bazaar, quite large, with booths in which souvenirs, sacrificial animals, and food were sold.

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Here also would be the tables of currency exchangers, exchanging Roman money for money coined in Tyre.

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The Jews did this because the Romans did not allow them to coin their own money. But the

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Jews viewed Roman money as an abomination to the Lord. It could not be offered in the temple.

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And so they would exchange the money from Roman currency into the money, the currency of Tyre, that was viewed as acceptable, acceptable substitute.

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Well, from this courtyard, Jewish men and women only were allowed entrance into the court of the women,

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Jews only, no Gentiles. And even ritually unclean Jews could come this far to the temple.

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And so perhaps one would see an unclean priest there, ceremonially unclean. There was even a place for Jewish lepers who were considered ritually unclean, they could go this far.

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And here there was a ritual barber shop for those taking the Nazirite vows. This was the largest of the courtyards.

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This was a festive place where there would be constant dancing, singing, and music among the worshipers.

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The women could go no farther toward the temple proper than this court of the women, Jewish women only.

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But the Jewish men could then enter the court of the Israelites. And from here, all

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Jewish men could see into the temple courtyard itself, the temple proper, and observe the priest sacrificing the animals before the brazen altar and burning the sacrifices on the altar.

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And lastly was an inner court of the priests, which was the courtyard in which the temple building stood.

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And only Jewish priests were allowed entrance into this area in which the temple structure was located.

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The cleansing of the temple performed by our Lord took place in the first and largest courtyard, the court of the

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Gentiles. When our Lord entered this temple area, he saw the place being desecrated.

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Business was booming, lucrative too, wrote one. Some were selling sacrificial animals, oxen, sheep, and pigeons, doves.

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And so that shows that they were taking advantage of the poor. The poor bought doves as a sacrifice.

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High prices were demanded of these animals. It's true that people could bring an animal of their own, but those traveling many days over many miles of difficult roads and terrain would prefer to purchase their sacrificial animals at the temple site.

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So the temple merchants had purchased their concession from the temple priests, who received a cut of the proceeds,

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I suspect. There was graft involved. The merchants and the priests had a captive clientele.

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They had to come through them. Worshippers were at their mercy. And the priest would also collect a temple tax from every worshiper, which was required to be paid only in accepted coinage.

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And so the priests sold sacrificial animals at their determined prices. The money changers apparently made an inordinate profit in their exchange rates.

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The glory and honor of God was sacrificed for the profit of these corrupt profiteers and the abuse of the people.

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So the Lord, in a very aggressive and violent manner, overthrew the tables, scattered the corrupt merchants.

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Jesus revealed himself as the Lord of the temple and the defender and promoter of the glory of his

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Father's house. And so we read what he said as he cleansed the place.

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He said to them, it's written, my house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers.

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And our Lord quoted a portion of Isaiah's prophecy in his action. Isaiah 56, we'll read five through seven.

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I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than the sons of daughters.

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Talking about the future temple from Isaiah's perspective. I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.

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And the foreigners, Gentiles who join themselves to the Lord to minister to him, to love the name of the

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Lord and to be his servants. Everyone who keeps the Sabbath does not profane it, holds fast my covenant.

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These I will bring to my holy mountain, make them a joyful in my house of prayer.

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Their burnt offerings, their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar. For my house should be called a house of prayer for all peoples.

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In other words, not Jewish people only, but all people Gentiles too. Matthew and Luke's accounts do not include the final words for all peoples.

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In other words, Gentiles. But Mark records our Lord also quoting these words from Isaiah. The Lord then added his own words to those of scripture that he quoted.

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He said to them, it's written my house should be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers.

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And so our Lord restored his father's temple to its proper role and function. Our Lord's cleansing of the temple was a fulfillment of the prophecy of the prophet

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Malachi. There we read these words in Malachi 3 verse 1 and following.

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Behold, I send my messenger. Notice if you have the New King James Version, you have a lowercase m, messenger.

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He will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple.

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Even the messenger, notice the capital M, a different messenger. Even the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the

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Lord. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears for he is like a refiner's fire and like a launderer's soap.

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He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver. He will purify the sons of Levi, the priests, and purge them as gold and silver that they may offer to the

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Lord an offering in righteousness. That's a prophecy. And it was fulfilled in John the

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Baptist and our Lord cleansing the temple as recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

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And so God spoke through Malachi the coming of two messengers. The first messenger would be the preparer for the arrival of the second messenger.

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The first messenger was John the Baptist. The second messenger was the Lord Jesus.

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Notice he came suddenly to his temple. Jesus Christ was the messenger of the covenant.

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That is, he was the mediator of the new covenant that God had promised he'd make with his elect, even the new covenant in Jesus Christ.

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God declared that when the Messiah came to his temple, he'd bring judgment, which is what Malachi 3 verse 2 declares.

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Now it's interesting to me that in Jesus cleansing the temple at the onset of his ministry as recorded in John's gospel,

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Jesus declared openly, do not make my father's house a house of merchandise. But Malachi prophesied that when the

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Messiah came, he would come to his temple. That is the temple that belongs to the

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Messiah. In the account of our Lord cleansing the temple in the Synoptic Gospels occurring at the end of our

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Lord's ministry, Jesus declared, it's written, my house is a house of prayer.

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In John's gospel, my father's house. Well, both things are true, of course. But it seemed to me in the synoptic account, it's more specifically and directly the fulfillment of Malachi 3, 1 and 2.

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He came to his temple and he cleaned house. Now, the

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Jewish temple was both the father's and the Messiah's house. This may lead us to pose and answer two questions.

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First, in what way was the temple the father's house? Well, the

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Ark of the Covenant within the Holy of Holies was regarded as a footstool on earth for God the

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Father's throne in heaven. He sat on a throne in heaven, but his feet rested on the Ark of the

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Covenant in the temple. It was an affirmation that God was a sovereign ruler or king over the earth throughout history.

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The temple and the tabernacle that preceded the temple was the means by which the people of God come into the presence of God the

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Father to worship him, pray to him, and receive instruction from him. It was the house of his father.

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Matthew Henry wrote, here is a reason why he was concerned to purge it, because it was his father's house.

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These are his comments on John chapter 2, the first purging. And therefore he had authority to purge it, for he was faithful as a son over his own house,

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Hebrews 3, 5 and 6. In calling God his father, he intimates that he was the

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Messiah of whom it was said, he shall build a house for my name, and I will be his father. A prophecy to David in 2

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Samuel 7, referring to David's greater son. And therefore he had a zeal for the purging of it.

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It is my father's house, and therefore I cannot bear to see it profaned and him dishonored.

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Note, if God be our father in heaven, and it be therefore our desire that his name be sanctified, it cannot but be our grief to see it polluted.

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And you certainly feel that and sense that every time the

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Lord's name is used in vain in the world that we encounter, live in every day.

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I mean, that never come forth from our lips. Well, secondly, in what way could the

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Lord Jesus call the temple my house? Well, the temple was a type or a physical representation of the

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Lord Jesus Christ himself in his incarnation as God and man.

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The one and only mediator between the people of God and God the Father. Everything about and in the temple, and in all the worship that took place in the temple, displayed a type.

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In other words, an Old Testament portrayal of the coming anti -type. That is its realization.

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The temple displayed the physical representation of the spiritual reality in Jesus Christ. Everything preached

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Christ. It was his house. The writer to the

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Hebrew Christians would have expanded on the nature of these matters, but he did not have the time or space, and frankly, neither do we.

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But he wrote, then indeed even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service in earthly sanctuary, for a tabernacle was prepared, the first part in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, that's the holy place, which is called the sanctuary, the holy place.

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And behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which called the holiest of all, which had the golden censer and the

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Ark of the Covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, and which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that had budded and tablets of the covenant, the

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Ten Commandments. And above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. And then the writer of the

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Hebrews wrote these words. Of these things we cannot speak in detail. But the anti -type of the tabernacle, the writer did express these words, and the anti -type is

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Jesus Christ himself. Everything in the temple pointed to Jesus Christ, everything. And all the worship, the priesthood, the sacrifice, everything pointed to Christ.

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Christ was the intermediary between the people and the throne of God, the

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Ark of the Covenant. You had to come through Christ and through Christ alone. Everything in the temple pictured this.

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And so the writer of the Hebrews wrote, but Christ came as high priest and the good things that come with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is of this creation.

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A spiritual temple of which the physical temple only portrayed and pictured, illustrated, but it wasn't the real thing.

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Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, he entered the most holy place, once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

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And the Protestants and the Puritans used to argue based on that. Okay, once for all, having obtained the eternal redemption.

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That's why the Catholic mass is idolatry, which re -crucifies Christ every Lord's Day, every time they have the mass.

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This verse negates that. It happened once for all, for all time on the cross, never to be repeated.

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How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living

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God, something the old covenant, the old temple could not do. And for this reason, he is the mediator of the new covenant by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant.

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Everybody under the first covenant, Mosaic covenant was redeemed through Jesus Christ, who was yet to come. That those who are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

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And so Jesus Christ is the true temple, of which the old physical temple portrayed and foreshadowed.

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But in that, and by the way, we could interject this too, this negates the whole idea there will yet be a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, of any significance.

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It was a shadow, a type, and the realization came with Christ. There is no need for a future

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Jewish temple in Jerusalem. And not only no need, if there is one built, it will serve no purpose before God.

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It will not allow any worshiper to be closer to God then as it, we can be today in Christ.

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But in that physical temple represented the true temple being Jesus Christ himself. And this explains the tremendous anger and displeasure of our

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Lord that moved him to purge the temple of the money changers. And to return the temple to its original design and purpose, which was to be a house of prayer for all nations.

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Their corruption of the temple was an assault on him and his person, and his work, and his people.

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And so here we see in the cleansing of this temple, Jesus manifesting the holy wrath of God in cleansing his temple.

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God's wrath, the wrath of the lamb, which seems to be a paradox, doesn't it?

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How can a lamb be threatening full of wrath? Well, he's also the lion of the tribe of Judah.

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But the wrath of the lamb, and here we see it displayed. The Lord manifested his holy and righteous wrath upon those who desecrated his house, which portrayed himself in type and promise.

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The wrath of God and the wrath of his son Jesus Christ is not a matter often considered by people, even the

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Lord's people. It is certainly a side of Jesus not often presented in books or from pulpits.

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Why is this? Well, there's perhaps a number of reasons. First, there is a sense of severity in people's minds regarding God's wrath.

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A notion that it somehow is morbid or depressing to even think about the matter. We'd sooner reflect on sweetness and light rather than bitterness and darkness.

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And secondly, some see God's wrath as inconsistent with his goodness. And so if the two seem to be in tension, one has to go, and it's easy to see which one is turned away.

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And some may even regard wrath, the wrath of God, as an embarrassment, a blot on the divine character.

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It's a matter which they would never introduce in a conversation, especially with a non -Christian.

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And if it were introduced by another, they would feel the need to apologize. People apologize for the wrath of God.

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Well, he has to judge sin as though the Lord were under obligation to do so.

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No, he does so because it's his will, and it's his righteous wrath. It's an aspect of God that many wish were not so.

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We read in Romans 1 of the wrath of God being revealed from heaven. In history, the wrath of God is always being revealed.

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And one way, Paul argues, it's being revealed is God turns people over in their sin.

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Sin is the wrath of God upon sinners. He turns them over to greater degrees of sin that will result in their eternal aggravated damnation on the day of judgment.

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But we would conceal that wrath or we think that people will not respond to our God if we present that aspect of his nature, which suggests a third reason.

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We're concerned that people will be driven away by this kind of thought about God. J .I.

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Packer, 40 years ago, 50 years ago, wrote in his classic book,

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Knowing God, on the wrath of God, the modern habit throughout the Christian church is to play this subject down.

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Those who still believe in the wrath of God, not all do, say little about it. Perhaps they do not think much about it.

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To an age which has unashamedly sold itself to the gods of greed, pride, sex, and self -will, the church mumbles on about God's kindness, but says virtually nothing about his judgment.

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How often during the past year did you hear, or if you're a minister, did you preach a sermon on the wrath of God?

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How long is it, I wonder, since a Christian spoke straight on this subject on radio or television, or in one of those half -column sermonettes that appear in some national dailies and magazines?

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And if a man did so, how long would it be before he would be asked to speak or write again? The fact is that the subject of divine wrath has become taboo in modern society, and Christians by and large have accepted the taboo and conditioned themselves never to raise the matter.

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May that not be true of us. For when we look at the word of God, we see that there is no effort to hide or soften this matter.

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There is no apology made. God is not ashamed to make known the fact that he's a

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God of wrath as much as he is a God of love. Both are equally pure aspects of the divine nature.

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All of God's attributes and actions are holy and perfect. There's no blemish in him, and his wrath is holy, just, and good.

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What is the nature of God's wrath? Arthur Pink wrote, the wrath of God is his eternal detestation of all unrighteousness, certainly displayed in words and attitude, action of our

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Lord Jesus. It's the displeasure and indignation of divine equity against evil.

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It's the holiness of God stirred into activity against sin. It's the moving cause of that just sentence which he passes upon evil doers.

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God is angry against sin because it's a rebellion against his authority, a wrong done to his inviolable sovereignty.

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Insurrectionists against God's government shall be made to know that God is the Lord. They shall be made to feel how great that majesty is which they despise, and how dreadful is that threatened wrath which they so little regarded.

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Not that God's anger is malignant, malicious retaliation, inflicting injury for the sake of it, or in return for injury received.

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No, while God will vindicate his dominion as the governor of the universe, he will not be vindictive.

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So the wrath of God, of course, is a common theme in scripture. His quality is depicted clearly.

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We can understand from the scriptures that God's wrath is righteous. It's a righteous wrath.

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It's a holy thing with him. Our anger is rarely righteous. His anger is always righteous.

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The wrath of God is eternal detestation of all unrighteousness. It's the displeasure and indignation of divine equity against evil.

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It's the holiness of God stirred in activity against sin. It's the moving cause of that just sentence which passes on all evil doers.

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If God loves righteousness, and he does, he must also detest unrighteousness.

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They go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other. If God commends goodness, he equally condemns evil.

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If God rewards the good, he'll also equally reward the evil. In fact, scripture speaks of these two matters side by side.

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One is as true as the other. They balance one another perfectly. When the children of Israel first entered the promised land,

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God renewed his covenant with them. They were commanded to stand between two mountains, Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim.

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The Ark of the Covenant was in the middle. Half the people were on the side of Ebal. The other half of the people were next to Gerizim.

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And the blessings of God were cited for obedience, and the curses of God for disobedience were also recited.

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Each had its place. God's blessing, God's wrath were equally emphasized, for both were equally true expressions of God's perfect dealings with them.

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If we only speak of the love of God and the mercy of God, but we fail to speak also of his holiness, his justice, his wrath, we've misrepresented him.

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We cannot truly understand the quality of his love and mercy unless we understand and measure the severity of his wrath from which he has delivered us in Christ.

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We have in essence fashioned another God, an idol, and have infused it with qualities which do not depict the

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God of the Bible. You cannot know the love of God and the mercy of God unless you understand the nature of the wrath of God.

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They go hand in hand. If you love righteousness, you must also hate evil.

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For you cannot love righteousness unless you also hate that which is its opposite. God himself thinks in these terms and rewards his own when they view life in these terms.

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The Lord Jesus himself was exalted to reign on his father's throne because he had these qualities of Jesus.

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The writer of the Hebrew said, you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.

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Both together. Therefore, as a result of this, your

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God, that is God the Father, has anointed you with oil of gladness above your commandment. He's made you

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Lord, King, because you loved righteousness, but you hated evil. They go hand in hand.

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And the scriptures command us to hate evil. Psalm 97, you love the Lord, hate evil.

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That's a command. He preserves the souls of his saints. He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.

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Proverbs 8, the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. If you don't hate evil, you don't fear the

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Lord in a biblical way. Pride and arrogance in the evil way. And the perverse mouth

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I hate. Amos 5, hate evil, love good. Establish justice in the gate.

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It may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. The one who does not hate evil does not truly love the

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Lord, fear the Lord, or love what is good, according to these three verses. Secondly, God's wrath is responsive.

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Not only is it righteous, it's responsive. And what we mean by this is God's wrath is always the reasoned response to deliberate sin.

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He is not like a God of other religions, which is regarded as capricious, angry, and then appeased without any rational explanation.

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That's Allah of Islam. He can be favorable today, but tomorrow, he could be against you.

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That's not the God of the Bible. God's wrath is appropriate, measured response to sin.

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God's wrath is against sinners who have had their guilt disclosed to them. In the world in which

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God created, he's given ample evidence of his nature, that God exists as evidence. A rational person should be able to look at the world, which is, and conclude that God is.

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You have to be so -called educated to become an atheist, because people born in this world will be theists until they somehow be convinced by falsehood.

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The notion that nothing can result in everything that is is logically ludicrous.

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It's impossible. So everything that is came from nothing? How does that take place?

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No, everything that is came from God, who created it. And any other claim is ludicrous.

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It's illogical. It doesn't follow. Materialism is one of the most bankrupt philosophies in the world, and yet it's very common.

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That God is powerful is evident from what exists. Who else but an all -powerful God could have wrought such a thing?

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That God is all -wise and has a purpose for his creatures is evidence. The existence and order of things dictates that God is rational, created his creatures for a purpose.

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That God has a purpose for his creatures implies a moral responsibility and accountability to seek him, serve him, and order life according to his will.

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This is essentially what we read in Romans 1, all of these things we just asserted. And of course, in the written word of God as revealed as laws most clearly, he put on stone his words written with his own finger, two tablets, 10 commandments, and he had those two stone tablets placed in the ark of testimony, which bore witness of his righteous demands upon his people.

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We have all the words recorded that we need to know on how he would have us live before him, and he will judge all those who have heard his word by that word.

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And Romans 2 attests to this. In the heart of man,

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God has placed an intuitive knowledge of his laws. You're born in this world.

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That's why everybody everywhere is a religionist. Doesn't mean they're right in what they pursue, but it gives them the motivation and desire to do so because they're created in the image of God.

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They have a knowledge that there is a God. They may be wrong on who he is and what he's like, but they know he's there.

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In the heart of man, God has placed this intuitive knowledge of his laws. It's part of man's nature to know what is right and wrong.

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Abimelech, a pagan king in Canaan, knew that he shouldn't mess with Isaac's wife,

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Rebekah, or the wrath of God would come upon him. He and his people knew about the sin of adultery and the consequences of that by a righteous

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God who controlled the world. Societies all over the world have common conceptions of righteousness, justice, punishment, and retribution.

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They vary in degree and detail, but the fact of justice and the fact of conscience is common to humanity.

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It's a part of our nature. God has placed this in the very being of people. They can sear their conscience and it can become corrupt, but it must become so for it begins tender and functions as God intended it, accusing and excusing behavior.

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Our God's wrath comes upon people who order their lives in violation to their conscience that he has placed within them.

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And Romans 2 speaks of God's judgment based on this principle. Through the living word of God, his son,

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Jesus Christ himself, he's fully revealed himself, and one day he will judge all men by that man.

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Romans 2 .16 declares that so. So God's wrath is responsive.

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And God's wrath is reasonable. It's not unreasonable. It's not illogical.

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God's wrath is always just and appropriate. He doesn't judge unjustly.

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He never punishes more than what is deserved. His wrath is administered according to terms of justice.

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It's always appropriate to the case. Greater privilege brings greater accountability, brings greater wrath.

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If we neglect to refuse the abundant and gracious means by which he's given us to know him and know how he would have us live, it's a rational thing, a righteous thing, to judge us in the light of that knowledge to the degree we have refused and abused our privilege.

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Of course, there are causes for which God's wrath is manifested. I just listed 11.

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I'm sure there must be twice that many more. God's wrath is upon unbelievers. God's wrath is upon all ungodliness and wickedness.

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God's wrath is upon disobedience to God. God's wrath is upon those who think they can merit salvation by their works.

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That's folly. God's wrath is upon those characterized by sexual immorality, lust, evil desires, and greed.

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God's wrath is upon those who treat others unjustly. God's wrath is upon those who oppose his son, his gospel, and those who afflict his people.

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God's wrath is upon all those who denigrate his name, who fail to honor him. God's wrath is upon all who forsake their faith in the

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Lord Jesus. God's wrath is upon those who worship the world system, which is opposed to God.

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And God's wrath is upon those who refuse to render honor and glory to God. We're under the wrath of God.

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And Paul says that wrath is building up like water behind a dam that's gonna be released on the day of judgment.

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So last week, we read of the Lord Jesus weeping over Jerusalem due to the wrath of God, which was upon it.

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And we sought to emphasize God's preference for mercy over judgment. His genuine concern for his enemy, sympathy for those who encounter judgment.

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But what will cause Jesus to bypass mercy and exhibit his wrath? When he walked into that temple, he viewed a crowd of people dishonoring his father's name, desecrating his father's house, abusing his father's people with their thievery and corruption.

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The Lord Jesus in wrath cleansed the temple of these wicked men and their evil practices. And one day he's gonna cleanse the world similarly.

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And finally, the result of his wrath, or to what end is it rendered?

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First, God manifests his wrath so his holy justice may be rendered. No sin in history is gonna go without a just recompense.

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No sin. What about the Christian sin? We're not gonna receive the wrath of God because of it, that's true, but it fell upon Jesus in our place.

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Justice was rendered for our sin, thankfully, upon Christ when he died upon the cross.

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But there is no injustice in God's world. He's a just and holy God. Every sin will be punished in a righteous manner on the day of judgment.

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And so, what is justice? God's justice is to give everyone his due in accordance with his law.

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God is an impartial judge. He judges everyone alike. He judges deeds and motives.

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And on the day of judgment, when you and I as Christians find out we deserve hell, thankfully,

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Christ, our advocate, will stand on our behalf, and he's the judge also, and he'll own us as his own.

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And saved through his life, his death on our behalf will be declared righteous in the righteousness of Christ on the day of judgment, so there's no reason to fear for the

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Christian who trusts in Christ only. And secondly, God manifests his wrath so that both the innocent and the guilty may be recompensed in justice.

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Whenever an act of injustice occurs, a debt is incurred which must be paid. It's a debt owed to the person wronged, but more importantly, it's a debt which is incurred with respect to God.

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So there's an economical aspect to the matter, and this is why so many illustrations in scripture respecting

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God's justice and wrath are linked with the idea of indebtedness, bankruptcy, repayment in full, ideas such as these.

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God views himself as responsible for paying back what is owed. He owes a debt which must be paid in the currency of his wrath to settle accounts, and ultimately,

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God alone is the one who may pay on these accounts. Vengeance is mine, and what does he say?

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I will repay, says the Lord. And thirdly,

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God manifests his wrath so the righteous may again rule the day. We see on this occasion the

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Lord Jesus restored the temple to its rightful intended function, a place where sinners could come and pray, a place where the word of God could be taught.

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In Luke 19 .47, we read that Jesus was teaching in the temple daily, but first, the corruption had to be purged, and then he taught the word of God openly.

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And fourthly, God manifests his wrath so that God would be glorified. A recurring theme in the early part of Exodus, God's wrath being poured out on Pharaoh in Egypt, was that through his dealings,

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God would be glorified in their midst. In fact, throughout the entire earth, God was glorified because of what he did to Pharaoh and to Egypt.

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What about escaping God's wrath? Thankfully, there is an escape from God's wrath.

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This is why it's the gospel. This is why it's good news. Where can we flee from God's wrath?

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There's no escape. Where is the way of escape? Well, in the

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Old Testament, there is a provision made for a guilty person who had committed manslaughter to escape the vengeance of the dead man's relatives.

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And so there were six cities of refuge, three in the Transjordan, three in Israel proper.

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And they, cities of refuge, were designated as places of haven. The one who was fleeing the wrath of the relative could find safety afforded to him if he got into that city.

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He was protected by the populace and the walls. And God has given a place of refuge from his wrath, and that is at the side of the

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Lord Jesus. The city of refuge was a type of Jesus Christ, that's the anti -type.

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They fled to a city. We flee to Christ, and we escape the wrath of God.

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We flee from sin to him and beg him to stand on our behalf between us and the wrath of God. And it's due to his blood that he shed on Calvary that he can afford us his protection.

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He endured the wrath of God on our behalf. He was slain in our place. He bore our sins in his own body.

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And by faith, we abide with him, confident that in him we are not appointed to wrath, but to receive salvation through him.

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And so as the Israelites could sit in peace within their homes because the blood of the Passover lamb was applied to their doorpost, thereby causing

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God's wrath to pass them by at first Passover, we do rest in faith in the

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Lord Jesus with the same confidence. The wrath of God will pass us by because it fell upon Christ on that cross.

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Amen. What about the contemplation of God's wrath? Why should we think about these things?

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Is there value in doing so? In many ways, it will lead us to see the world as God sees it.

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It will give us a true concern for souls. Paul could write, knowing therefore the terror of the

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Lord, we persuade men. There will be little urgency, little courage, unless we see the horrific condition the disobedient and unbelieving will encounter on the day of judgment.

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It will give us a true and fuller sense of God's love. Jesus Christ bore the wrath of God, which is upon us.

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You will appreciate his death and thereby love him more if you understand better what he saved you from and what he bore on your behalf.

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And for that matter, he'll give you a greater appreciation of all of God's attributes and dealings with you.

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His kindness, his goodness, his patience, his mercy will be magnified when you reflect upon his wrath, his wisdom and power will be enhanced when you consider the matter of his satisfying his justice and yet saving sinners at the same time.

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It will help us detest sin and its effects. Breaking our affection of it, it will move us to seek to be godly and holy.

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The wrath of God is an important essential doctrine. You cannot be well -rounded or mature unless you understand it.

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Well, I wanted to give about a third of today's message with what we just completed. I wanted to give two thirds to what we have now that we can only touch upon then close.

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Our Lord's great concern for his glory in his temple under the new covenant. If the

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Lord was that zealous for his physical temple, which was but a type, how much more must he be concerned about the reality under the new covenant?

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Paul could write, if anyone does not love the Lord Jesus, let him be accursed, oh Lord come.

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If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus, let the wrath of God abide on him. But again, as the

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Lord was concerned about his earthly physical company, temple, his great concern is for the well -being and honor of his temple under the new covenant.

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The Lord Jesus himself is the true temple. I'll destroy this temple and in three days

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I'll raise it up. He is the true temple. The Old Testament temple pointed to him. And then of course, he's building a temple with his people, you and I are spiritual stones.

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He's constructing a spiritual temple in which he will dwell and manifest his presence both now and in eternity.

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Coming to him as a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by all in precious. You also as living stones are being built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, a temple to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

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And so Peter employed the metaphor of a temple to describe and depict the collective people of God. Christians, the church of Jesus Christ is a temple.

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And therefore he takes it to heart if anyone desecrates, damages, or defames his church.

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And we're not talking about just a universal church here, although we include that. We're talking about local churches.

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We don't have time, but the Apostle Paul called the church of Corinth with all its problems.

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Do you not know you are, plural you, you, the church of Corinth, are the temple of God? You've got schism, you're destroying the church among some of you.

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Do you not know that the one who destroys the church, God himself would destroy? Those who attack or defame the local church.

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I'm not talking about all churches. I'm talking about true local church according to the Bible. And they are very few, frankly, in comparison to with everything that calls itself a church.

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But the one who seeks to detract or destroy the local church, God himself will destroy, according to the

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Apostle Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 1. The local church is a temple.

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Do you not know, plural, talking to the church of Corinth, you are the temple of God and the spirit of God dwells within you?

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If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him for the temple of God is holy which temple you are.

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The local church, as the Bible defines it and describes it, is holy in the sight of God and its members are holy.

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Even if they are as wretched and faulty and failing as the

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Christians there in the church at Corinth, positionally they're in Christ and they're holy before God.

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But not only that, of course, you and I as individual Christians are each temples of God.

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Your physical body is a temple, as a Christian, in which the Holy Spirit dwells.

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You were bought with a price by the Lord Jesus Christ, his life and death on the cross.

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Therefore, glorify God in your bodies which belong to God. They don't belong to you. You and I are servants, willingly so, slaves of Jesus Christ.

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Therefore, we have a responsibility, obligation and privilege to order our bodies, govern our bodies in a way that's pleasing to God because God dwells within us.

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You wouldn't escort the Lord Jesus arm in arm into some places that we may frequently go or to sit behind a computer screen and watch things that the

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Lord Jesus, you're putting in front of the Lord Jesus too. We ought to be cognizant of the fact that the

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Lord is with us and in us and therefore, we ought to seek to be holy. And to the degree that we do, in a measure you do only by the power of the

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Holy Spirit as led by the word of God and helped by the means of grace that he has appointed, we can experience a more full manifestation of his life and presence with us.

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And may the Lord help us in this. And so, as we proceed here in Luke's Gospel, we see the

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Lord Jesus faithfully declaring his word to the people but we'll also continue to read of the stubborn refusal of the leaders and the result, of course, is the cross and the grave from which the

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Lord Jesus rose. The completion of this triumphal entry was when the Lord walked into heaven after the resurrection where he was crowned with glory, sat down in his father's throne but the path to that crown and throne lay in the way of the crown of thorns and his cross and it does for you and me too in this world.

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May the Lord help us. Thank you, our Father, for the display of your wrath as manifested by the

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Lord Jesus and we just pray, our God, that we would understand more clearly and fully the nature of your wrath.

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We so thank you, our God, that we are delivered from the wrath, your wrath, through Jesus Christ who bore your wrath on our behalf.

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Lord, the infinite nature of your wrath,

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Lord, fully satisfied in the death of your perfect, immortal, sinless

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Son of God who died upon the cross on our behalf. Thank you for him and the refuge we have in him for we pray in Jesus' name, amen.