Giving To God What Is God's

Luke 19. 28-48, 20.20-26

There is a thread of events that all take place in the temple precincts beginning with what we celebrate today- Palm Sunday: Jesus'm Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem beginning what we call Holy Week.

As we walk with Jesus this week private daily quiet times will be blessed in special ways. It is a week for drawing near to Him. Holy Week is the most covered week in the Bible. There is more detail about the days in between Palm Sunday through the Day Jesus rose from the grave than the account of creation in Genesis. In fact each individual Gospel contains more detail than it! Put all four gospels together as we have been doing the past 6 weeks and there is an enormous amount of scripture describing the events and words of Jesus this particular week. The eevent of His death and resurrection are at the end of it but are beginnings themselves. Let's meet together at the times we have scheduled throughout the week as a church family.

This chapter 19 in Luke's Gospel has a lot to do with money. 1 out of 7 verses in the Gospels deal with our relationship to it. Matthew records Jesus saying that either you will serve God or money. You cannot serve both. We have no money and still serve it!

Luke 19. 1-10 Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector

vs. 11-27 Mina=3 months wages

vs.45-47 Selling & the money changers driven out

The day after Jesus cleansed the temple of the misuse of money He was confronted with yet another money issue - that of paying taxes (to Caesar) 20.20-26

Let's look at the Palm Sunday Triumphal Entrance and the Cleansing of the Temple.

JESUS CAME INTO JERUSALEM AND ENTERED THE TEMPLE AREA vs.28-48

Ancient Prophecies were being fulfilled.

He is the Master of Love.

He knew this was God's Will.

He knew Jerusalem would not be His final work.

Only two times is it recorded that Jesus wept. Once in John 11 at the tomb of Lazarus and here over Jerusalem (vs. 41-44). We see Jesus's heart for the city.

God's heart for cities are shown in in Jonah 4.11 Ninevah had more than 120,000 people who cannot tell their right and from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city? God loves the cities.

Jerusalem, O Jerusalem

The temple was there. His Father's House was to be a house of prayer for all nations. When Jesus saw the merchandising, the making of money off the poor pilgrims, how they took over the Court of the Gentiles with this nonsense, He got red hot angry and drove them out.

God help us today. The church will be robbers if it falls into this trap of trying to fill its coffers with money. How many churches are trying to survive today by all kinds of fund raising and pushing prayer, prayer for all nations out. We are to be a House of Prayer. Pity those churches which have resorted to all kinds of ways of raising money and do not have time or place for prayer.

About Prayer... For some reason the LORD has entrusted us to pray here. We have been given an extraordinary number of requests from all over. We have not sought this in the least. Our prayer list is overwhelming. It has become too big for many of us to pray over it in its entirety. Let the LORD draw your heart to certain ones and pray for them. He will direct you and I believe everyone will be prayed for.

Back to this cleansing- making money, profitting off helpless people- sin pushed prayer out and made it a den of robbers. Don't let anything push prayer out of your heart or out of the church.

Give to God what is God's! Prayer. The tithe is the LORD's! We are to Love/serve Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Our times are in His Hands. We need to Him to teach us to number our days so we will gain a heart of wisdom. Be a temple of prayer!

Be a good citizen of this country/ legal resident- pay your taxes.

Be a good citizen of heaven:

Lay up treasure there.

Pray to God in heaven.

Remember that is where we are headed!

Hosanna!

He Has Come.

He Has Died and Rose Again.

He ascended into heaven.

He is coming again!