Sermonstudio

The 10 commandments are unconditional demands of God. They are
absolute laws that express the will of God for his people. Israel
is his people, for a covenant was established at Mount Sinai. The
commandments follow the covenant relationship as the people's
response to God's grace in making the covenant. They are not
conditions to be met before God is their God, but rather because
he is their God. They will live as his children according to
these absolute laws. The laws were written on two tablets of
stone by the finger of God indicating that the laws come from God
and not from social development. The two tablets refer to the
division of the laws as they relate to God and to people.

Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 (C); 1 Corinthians 1:22-25 (L,
RC)
The message of Christ crucified had difficulty in gaining a
sympathetic hearing in the world. Both Jews and Greeks were
opposed to it. The Jews demanded a sign and found the cross to be
a stumbling block. The Jews asked how God's Son, the Messiah,
could die on a cross reserved for the worst criminals. Moreover,
the Jews looked for signs in terms of the spectacular and
startling. How could Jesus be the Messiah when he came as one
meek and lowly and refusing to use violence? The Greeks, too,
were hostile to the cross, for they wanted wisdom. But to them
the message of the cross was foolishness. In spite of this
hostile environment, Paul is determined to preach Christ
crucified, the power and wisdom of God.

Gospel: John 2:13-22 (C, E, L); John 2:13-25 (RC)
In the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee,
but in the fourth gospel he begins it in Jerusalem. In the first
three gospels, the cleansing of the temple comes at the end of
Jesus' ministry, but John's gospel puts it at the beginning. In
the Synoptics, the cleansing of the temple becomes the immediate
cause of Jesus' arrest. In John the cleansing is related to the
Jews' demand for a sign authorizing him to take such drastic
action. Jesus' sign was the destruction of the temple and
rebuilding it in three days -- a forecast of his death and
resurrection.

Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 19 (C); Psalm 19:7-14 (E, L) -- "The law of the Lord is
perfect, reviving the soul." (v. 7)

Hymn Of The Day
"O God Of Earth And Altar"

Theme Of The Day: Meeting The Demands Of The Law
Gospel -- Man's failure to keep God's law.
Lesson 1 -- The demands of God's law.
Lesson 2 -- The fulfillment of God's law in the cross.
The Theme of the Day is expressed in a stanza from Toplady's
"Rock Of Ages:"
Not the labors of my hands
Can fulfill thy law's demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,

Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and thou alone.

Lent 3 points to the cross as the only means of fulfilling
God's demands. These demands are spelled out in Lesson 1 -- the
Decalogue. The Gospel shows us that these demands are not being
met so that Jesus, in righteous indignation, cleanses the temple
of the commercial traffic conducted in the name of religion. The
solution to the problem is in the cross where the price of
disobedience was paid and where perfect obedience to God was
demonstrated. Since Christ has fulfilled the demands of the law,
believers in Christ are free from the curse of the law as a means
of finding favor with God. The Psalm of the Day emphasizes the
excellence of God's law. The Hymn of the Day is a prayer that
deals with a nation's disobedience to God's law and points the
nation to God for righteoueness.

THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS
Gospel: John 2:13-22
1. Passover (v. 13). Every Jew living within 20 miles of
Jerusalem was required to go to Jerusalem for the Passover
festival. Jesus was one who obeyed this law. Though he was the
Son of God and did not need what the observance of the Passover
might provide, he gladly and willingly obeyed the custom. In like
manner he obeyed the Mosaic law and he regularly attended the
services in the synagogue. Jesus was not a renegade, a
revolutionary law breaker. He kept the law and gave us an example
to follow even in seemingly small things such as going to church
to celebrate a festival.
2. Whip (v. 15). The whip Jesus made to drive out the traders
and money-changers is a symbol of his anger. It is normal for a
human to get angry. The question is whether we have the right to
be angry. In this case Jesus was not angry over any injustice
done to him. He was angry for God's sake because his temple was
profaned. He was angry because the people were being robbed by
the unfair practices of the traders and money-changers. This
anger was expressed in violence. There comes a time when violence
is needed to eradicate evil. Passive, patient resistance does not
always work.
3. Father's house (v. 16). What is a church building? Just
another building? If so, anything can be done in it without
anyone's disapproval. Jesus calls the temple his "Father's
house." It is the place where God and persons meet, confer, and
where God is truly present. God's presence makes the building
holy. When it is understood what a church is, then it is a
sacrilege to misuse it for our materialistic interests -- a
marketplace of business.
4. Sign (v. 18). Who are you to say or do what you said or
did? This question is the same as the Jews' asking Jesus for a
sign. The temple with its activities, service and programs is in
charge of the priests who were authorized to take care of the
temple. Who is this itinerant peasant-preacher to say what is
right to do in the temple? This question is certainly in order.
Jesus gives them the sign of the cross. He is the one whose
temple will be destroyed and rebuilt on the third day. This
proves who he is -- the Messiah -- and he has the right and
authority to cleanse the temple.

Lesson 1: Exodus 20:1-17
1. God spoke (v. 1). The origin of the Decalogue is God. This
was symbolized in the account that the commandments were written
in stone by the finger of God. The laws are not of human origin
nor the result of social and cultural development or needs. Since
God gave the laws, they are universal, eternal and absolute.
2. I am (v. 2). The basis for the commandments is "I am." From
this the commandments flow as water from a fountain. The laws
reflect the person who gave them. Morality is the result of
religion. "Be holy as I am holy." How we live indicates the kind
of God we have. It also means that when we break a law, we do it
not only against society but against God. Stealing adversely
affects human victims, but at the same time stealing is a sin
against God.

3. Shall (v. 3). Each law in the Decalogue uses the word
"shall," not "will," which refers to the future. "Shall"
indicates an imperative. This is a "must," an absolute. It is not
up to us to agree to do it. This is God's will and we as his
covenant people are expected and required to obey.

Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
1. Preach (v. 22). The Jews demand signs. The Greeks seek
wisdom. What do Christians do? They "preach." What do they
preach? They preach Christ crucified. What is in this account of
an innocent man meeting his death on a cross? Christians know
that this death expressed the infinite love of God for sinners
who by faith are reconciled to God.
2. Power (v. 24). For believers Christ is the power of God.
Not a material force like that of nuclear fission. Not a
political power of a dictator. It is the power of God -- the
power to redeem, to forgive, to love, to save, to transform. No
other power can do this.
3. Wisdom (v. 24). Man has knowledge resulting from books and
years of education in schools. God has wisdom which is more than
knowledge. Christ is the personification of God's wisdom. God's
wisdom is shown in the fact that Christ had to become man to
reveal the Father. His wisdom is revealed in directing Jesus to
suffer and die on the cross, for without suffering there can be
no redemption.

PREACHING POSSIBILITIES
1. Laws For A Lawless World
Need: In a society where there is lawlessness due not to a
lack of laws but to a lack of respect for and obedience to the
laws, this Sunday's Lessons have a message. As a part of the
covenant, God gives us laws by which we are to live. In the
Gospel we find even religious people in the temple not obeying
God's laws. This is the human situation. As long as we break the
commandments, we are apart from God in a state of hostility. The
solution is having someone to obey all the laws for our sake. The
Second Lesson comes to our rescue. On the cross Christ paid for
our disobedience and fulfilled all of the law for us.
Outline: Consider the laws of God.
a. The law -- Lesson 1 (the Decalogue).
b. The broken law -- Gospel (cleansing of the temple).
c. The fulfilled law -- Lesson 2 (cross).
2. This Is A Sign For You!
Need: Most people today know about the signs of the zodiac:
bull, lion, fish, etc. According to astrology, a person is born
under a sign which supposedly indicates what life is going to be.
Christians also have signs which are meaningful in their
relationship to God. A sign signifies a certain truth. We live by
those signs. What are they?
Outline: Here is a sign for you.
a. The law -- sign of the old covenant -- Lesson 1.
b. The Christ -- sign of the new covenant -- Gospel.
c. The cross -- sign of our salvation -- Lesson 2.

Gospel: John 2:13-22
1. The danger of being religious. 2:13-17
Need: In recent years we have been plagued with religious
cults. The world was shocked in 1978 when Jim Jones led 914
members of the People's Temple in Guyana to a mass suicide.
Reports indicate that from 200 to 1,500 cults with 300,000 to
three million members exist in the U.S.A. The better known cults
are Moon's Unification Church, Transcendental Meditation, Hare
Krishna, the Divine Light Movement, the Children of God and the
Church of Scientology. Karl Barth once said, "Religion is the
enemy of faith." Jesus had the problem in his day, for he found
it necessary to cleanse the temple.

Outline: When religion can be dangerous --
a. When religion becomes commercialized -- v. 16.
b. When religion becomes religiosity.
c. When religion has false leaders.
2. Is the church rightly used? 2:16
Need: What shall a church be used for? This often causes
controversy in a congregation. Shall the church be used by AA,
Boy Scouts, day care, labor unions, civil rights groups? In his
day, Jesus felt his church was being misused and thus the church
was being treated sacrilegiously.
Outline: When a church is properly used --
a. Worship and prayer.
b. Teaching the Word.
c. Fellowship of God's people.
d. Workshop of service.
3. The sign of the cross. 2:18-19
Need: The cross is the chief and central symbol of
Christianity. Jesus gave the cross as the only sign given to men
as to who he is and what his work is. We often say that
Christians live, worship and work under the sign of the cross.
What do we mean by it?
Outline: The sign of the cross is --
a. The sign of authority -- to drive out the traders.
b. The sign of cleaning -- clean up the commercial
interests.
c. The sign of healing -- by the cross the broken
relationship with God is healed.

Lesson 1: Exodus 20:1-17
1. This is God speaking! 20:1
Need: This lection covers the 10 commandments. This would be
far too much ground to cover in one sermon. Often the passage is
the basis of a series of 10 sermons, one for each law. If one law
is chosen for a sermon, the message would not harmonize with the
Theme of the Day. It would be better to consider the passage as a
whole. In this sermon we see that the source of the law is God.
He gave the commandments, written by his finger on two tablets of
stone. To break these laws is not merely a crime against society
but is a grievous sin offending and disobeying God. It is this
dimension of the law that many in our time have forgotten.
Outline: Because God spoke the laws --
a. They are absolute -- nothing relative about them.
b. They are universal -- laws apply to all people of all
classes.
c. They are eternal -- the laws are good for every
generation.
2. A law is a law! 20:3
Need: The sermon centers in the word, "shall," which is
repeated with each commandment. It is not "you may ...," for this
gives the loophole of permissiveness. It is not "you will ...,"
for this refers to the future. "Shall" indicates that this is a
"must." There is not choices in the matter. It is an absolute. To
disobey it brings judgment. To obey it pleases God.
Need: You shall obey God's commands.
a. Not to obey is the sin of omission.
b. To do other than what is commanded is the sin of commission.
c. To obey is to keep in covenant with God.

Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
1. What Christians do. 1:23
Need: How is this text related to today's theme of God's law
and its disobedience as found in the gospel? The result of
disobedience is judgment. Disobedience is sin, and sin means
death and lostness. The good news of this Sunday is in this
Second Lesson which centers

116

in the cross. God gave Christ as a sacrifice for sin that all who
disobey his laws may find forgiveness and restoration. Thus, the
main thing Christians do is to proclaim the good news of the
cross.
Outline: What Christians do --
a. What we do: "preach."
b. What we preach: "Christ."
c. What we preach about Christ: "crucified."
d. Who does it: "we."
2. What the cross is made of. 1:24
Need: Not only do we have more than 300 kinds of crosses, but
the cross itself may be made of different materials: wood,
silver, gold, brass, mother-of-pearl, etc. In a spiritual sense,
what is the cross? What is the cross made of? We find the answers
in the text where the subject is Christ crucified.
Outline: What the cross contains --
a. The wisdom of God -- to reveal.
b. The power of God -- to save.