Introduction: When God first organized Israel into a “church in the wilderness,” He gave them a “Tabernacle” at which to worship and bring sacrifices. Later this was replaced with Solomon’s Temple around 950 BC. That was destroyed 360 years later by the Babylonians in 586 BC. Then a second temple was constructed during the reign of Cyrus the Persian Emperor, in about 538 BC, with the help of Zerubbabel the governor, and Joshua the high priest, described in Ezra 3:10-13. This temple was replaced by King Herod the Great, who was born in 37 BC. By Jesus’ time 46 years had gone into the building of Herod’s temple, and the builders continued to work on it until it was completely finished in 64 AD. It was constructed of white marble and gold, and it glittered in the sun. Unfortunately the Jews rebelled against Rome, and the armies of Rome came to Jerusalem in 70 AD, and killed a million jews, and totally destroyed Herod’s temple. The famous “wailing wall” in Jerusalem today is part of a retaining wall that Herod built on the west side of the temple. Herod’s temple was surrounded by four spacious courtyards, the court of the Gentiles, the court of the Jews, the court of the Jewish men, and the court of the priests. It would have been the outermost court of the Gentiles that was cleansed by Jesus, where the buying and selling of sacrificial animals, and money-changing was going on. What lessons should we learn from this incident in Jesus’ life?

I. We ought to treat our church buildings with respect.

A. It is true that the building of stone and brick and wood is not really the Church.
B. It is true that the Church doesn’t really need a building, as they did in the Old Testament.
C. But it is also true that we have dedicated this building to God’s worship.

II. We ought to treat the Church, the people of Christ with respect.

A. The Church needs to be cleansed spiritually, as Jesus cleansed the physical temple.
B. The Church needs to be cleansed of false Christians.
C. The Church needs to be cleansed of false doctrine.
D. The Church needs to be cleansed of sin and backsliding.

III. We ought to treat our own bodies with respect.

A. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
B. Your body belongs to God, and you are merely God’s steward.
C. Therefore we should keep ourselves healthy and strong in order that we might serve God better and longer.
D. What does that say to us about eating and drinking in moderation, and about exercise?

Conclusion: “You are not your own, you are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your bodies.” Are we caring for God’s building here, and treating it with respect, because we respect God? Pray for the peace and purity of the Church. Take care of your body in order to better glorify and serve God. Amen.