June 12, 2021

Cleansing the Temple

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God is rebuilding the church and causing the people to come to a place of repentance and standing in the gap for our cities and nation.

In a previous sermon, based on the book of Ezekiel, the river of God was spoken of as the Holy Spirit flowing out of the temple (which is us) into every part of life and the situations around us. That we are are the temple and we need Jesus to cleanse our temples.

We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. It means that we are the house of God, where God resides. That doesn’t mean that we own the temple. Our role and responsibility is to take care of this temple.

God is wanting us to repent and cleanse our hearts. When you read about any revivals, it all started with people crying out to God in repentance. If we want to see revival and the move of God, we need to come in repentance before God.

In the Old Testament God didn’t live inside people. In the New Testament, God wants to be with us and dwell in our temple. (2 Corinthians 6:16)
However, we have allowed so many unwanted things of the world into the temple.

We need a house inspection of our temples.

Matthew 21: 12-13 speaks of Jesus overturning the tables of the money lenders and cleansing the temple.

Why did Jesus want to cleanse the temple? He wanted to restore worship and prayer in the the temple.

So why does Jesus want to cleanse our temple? The move of God is hindered through us when we are clogged with the unclean, filthy things of the world in our lives.

So why does Jesus want to cleanse our temple?

1. God wants to move through us. We need the Holy Spirit to reveal those things that hinder the move of God through us. (1 Peter 1:16)

2. God wants His temple to be Holy. His desire is to make us Holy. (Ezekiel 36: 25, 27) Fear, anxiety, loneliness depression, ungodly belief systems, etc should not be in our temple.

What can we do?
1. Invite the Holy Spirit to identify those areas of uncleanliness.
2. Repent of those things that need to be cleansed out of our temple. (1 John 1: 8-9)
3. Get the help needed from pastors, leaders or anyone who can help you clean spiritual house.
4. Have a consistency in cleaning the house.

God is causing all His people to be a house of prayer, just as Jesus wanted.