Nov 5, 2020 … Cleansing the Temple

Berry Patch Devotions in 2020 - Day 310 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...    Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from Matt and Joanna Black singing  … The Body Is Your Temple … poignantly singing of how we, as born-again disciples of Christ, become His Temple.    

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Highlight Passage:  John 2:18-19 [ESV] ... 

18 So the Jews said to Him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 

…   After Jesus had cleansed His Father’s house, He confused the Jewish leaders with His reference to Himself being the temple which would be destroyed and rebuilt in three days.  

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Highlight Passage [Context]: …  John 2:13-25 [ESV] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… The Jewish leaders and the people didn’t understand why Jesus was cleansing the Temple and why He made reference to Himself being God’s temple. 

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Reference Passage: …  Isaiah 53:6 [ESV] … 

6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 

…  We’re all sinners; and God laid on Jesus ALL our Sins.

Reference Passage: …  Romans 12:1 [ESV] … 

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship  

…  We, as Christians, are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice [as God’s Temple] to/for our Lord.  

Reference Passage: …  1Corinthians 6:19-20 [ESV] … 

19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 

…  We, as Christians, are the Body of Christ, bought with the price of His blood.   

Reference Passage: …  1John 1:9 [ESV] … 

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

…  God can - and will - cleanse our “Temple” (i.e, our surrendered hearts) if we’re willing to confess and repent of our sins.    

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Mart DeHaan, AT THIS LINK writes a story about a house that was torn down mistakenly, and unjustly, … somewhat vaguely illustrating the confusion the Jewish people experienced when Jesus cleansed the Temple (see highlight passage).  

I would hope that all reading here know of the John 2 story of Jesus confusing the Jewish leaders, claiming that The Temple would be destroyed and rebuilt in the three days, which, of course, was a reference to Him dying and bring resurrected in three days.  And it calls attention to the point of the ODB devotional entry today.

And that point, my friends, is that you and I, being born-again disciples of Christ, are - in reality - God’s temples on earth (see 1Cor 6:19-20), bought and sealed by God’s Spirit (Is. 53:6); and we, as Christ’s disciples, must surrender our lives to become living sacrifices to our Lord (Rom 12:1), and do all we can to keep God’s temple (i.e., our lives) as clean as possible (see 1John 1:9).  

And though that process is way too involved for my blog discussion here, I’m stopping to pray that all reading here are doing all we can to keep our Temples as clean as possible … so that Christ can use us - as His living sacrifices - for His glory. 

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for allowing me to become a living sacrifice in Your temple today … and tomorrow. 

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray that all reading here will join me today to do all we must to confess and repent of our sinfulness so that You can cleanse our Temple to become a living sacrifice to/for You.   … Amen

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Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.