KEEPING SACRED THINGS SACRED

 

John 2:13-17  The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  (14)  And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.

(15) And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables;  (16)  and to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a place of business."  (17)  His disciples remembered that it was written, "ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME."

 

Jesus may have said,  (like we would say today)  “Is nothing sacred?”

 

1.       God’s name is blasphemed – swearing – sac-religious jokes

 

2.       God’s holy word is distorted & abused; twisted – relegated to unimportant

 

3.       Holy union of marriage is disregarded – cast aside – divorce for any cause

 

4.       God-given Life is nothing – abortion – Dr. Kavorkian – suicide – children killing children

 

5.       The blood bought church of our Lord is maligned, distorted, relegated to non-importance

 

GOD'S NAME IS SACRED

 

Exo 20:7  "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

 

1.       The Jews were very careful

 

          A.      Scrolls put into a Ganeeza – (cave) God’s name recorded

 

          B.      Scribes stop & wipe down their quills & wash their hands

 

          C.      Used the word Adonai (Lord) instead of Yaweh (Jehovah God)

 

2.       What happened to us?  - Swearing – jokes – “Oh My God!”

 

THE WORD OF GOD IS SACRED

 

2 Tim. 3:16-17  All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;  (17)  so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

 

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

 

2 Pet 1:20-21  But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation,  (21)  for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

 

Gal 1:6-9  I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;  (7)  which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.  (8)  But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!  (9)  As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!

 

 

Deu 4:1-2  "Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.  (2)  "You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

 

Rev 22:18-19  I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;  (19)  and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.

 

John 12:48  "He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.

 

1.       Why do people handle it so carelessly?

 

          distort to fit their doctrine

 

          Don’t pay attention to what it says

 

          WORSE…. Believe IN the Bible as God’s Word – Don’t study it

 

MARRIAGE IS SACRED

 

Gen 2:18-24  Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."  (19)  Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.  (20)  The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.  (21)  So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.  (22)  The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.  (23)  The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."  (24)  For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

 

Read Matt. 19:1-12 

 

Mal 2:13-16  "This is another thing you do: you cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand.  (14)  "Yet you say, 'For what reason?' Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.  (15)  "But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth.  (16)  "For I hate divorce," says the LORD, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with wrong," says the LORD of hosts. "So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously."

 

1.       Why is marriage treated so shabbily today?

 

          M-D-R rampant

 

          Husbands & wives mistreating each other

 

LIFE IS SACRED

 

Gen 2:7  Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

 

Act 17:28-29  for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.'  (29)  "Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.

 

Eph 4:4-6  There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;  (5)  one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  (6)  one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

 

Gen 9:6  "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man.

 

Exo 20:13  "You shall not murder.

 

1.       Life is Sacred!!!

 

          Abortion is taking of life that God calls sacred

                   argue that it is unfair to the woman – What about God

 

          Euthenasia (Dr. Kavorkian) is taking life –

                   argue for quality of life – what about honoring God & allowing                      Him to make that decision?

         

          If life is sacred…. how we use our lives is sacred, too

 

THE CHURCH IS SACRED

 

Eph 1:22-23  And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,  (23)  which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

 

Eph 2:14-16  For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,  (15)  by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,  (16)  and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.

 

Eph 3:10-11  so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.  (11)  This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,

 

Eph 4:4  There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;

 

Eph 5:23-25  For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.  (24)  But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.  (25)  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,

 

Act 20:28  "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

 

1.       One church is as good as another?

 

2.       Join the church of your choice?

 

3.       Denom…. “Live & let live” 

 

4.       Lord’s church only one to say His church is sacred

 

5.       Matt. 16:18, “I will build My church”

 

are you???