Trinity 10 August 25, 2019 The Sunday of Jesus Clearing the Temple

Trinity 10
Luke 19:41-48
August 25, 2019

“Does the Church Make Life Better or Worse?”

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

“The Church only cares about getting money.” I’m going to be giving you some popular objections to the Church and this is one of the most common. The Church just wants your money. I was at Seminary in Fort Wayne when they sent a group of us to the hospital in town to do visits. We met with the chaplain at the hospital and he gave us a list of about ten names. The very first gentleman I visited with told me he hadn’t been back to church in many years. What was the reason? They only cared about money. He said he had quit going when the only time the church reached out to him was when they showed up at his door asking why he wasn’t giving offerings. Does the Church only care about money?

Another objection – “The Church is a bunch of hypocrites.” Oh yeah, one of our favorites. Everybody at church says one thing and does another, right? And that pastor—he’s the biggest hypocrite of all. He preaches every Sunday from the pulpit and then he doesn’t live any different than anyone else. We know all the members of that Church and we know some of the things they’ve done—what a bunch of hypocrites!

Another objection – “The Church is behind the times.” The Church is just a bunch of old people who don’t ever want anything to change, right? They’re stuck in their old ways and scared of people that aren’t like them. I’m not going to go to church if they’re not going to get with the times.

And one final objection – “I don’t need the Church to be a Christian.” Right? Who needs that every Sunday morning thing? You can just have your own religion right at home and God will accept you because you’re a good person and try to do what’s right. God knows what’s in your heart. I don’t need the Church.

Now let me give you those real quick again:
The Church only cares about money.
The Church is full of hypocrites.
The Church is behind the times.
I don’t need the Church to be a Christian.

In all those objections, what even is “the Church”? Who is that? Who only cares about money? Who’s a bunch of hypocrites? It reminds me of a great video I’ve seen about “some people”. “You know, some people are saying…” We’ve all pulled that stunt before. Who are these “some people”? In this case, who is this so-called “Church” who only cares about money and is full of hypocrites?

We like to paint some random group of people as the Church, along with a pastor thrown in there, and then say these “some people” are money-lovers, hypocrites, behind the times, and I don’t need them. Well, that’s right, if the church is just some people. You don’t need those greedy old hypocrites.

But the Church isn’t just some people. What is the Church? Who is the Church? The Church is the body of Jesus. The Church is Jesus. Without Jesus, there’s no Church. The Church is literally the people around Jesus. The Church gathers around Jesus’ Word and Jesus’ forgiveness. Jesus is the Church. So let’s be brutally honest about all these objections and substitute Jesus in there for “the Church”.

Now try these objections:
“Jesus only cares about money.”
“Jesus is a big hypocrite.”
“Jesus is behind the times.”
“I don’t need Jesus to be a Christian.”

Now we have a problem, don’t we? The Church isn’t just some people that you don’t like. The Church is Jesus Christ and His people. And if you reject the Church, you reject Jesus. It’s His Church. Yes, the Church cares about money because Jesus cares about money. He talks about it a lot. He cares because how you handle your money is a sign of where your soul is. But He doesn’t only care about money. He cares about souls. And yes, the Church has hypocrites if you mean sinners. Sinners are the only people Jesus will accept. And yes, Jesus is behind the times, in one sense anyway. Because the times are evil. They always have been. And Jesus isn’t evil. And no, you can’t be a Christian without Jesus.

In truth, all those objections are just ways of getting around Jesus. He’s the One we don’t really want to reckon with. Because He has some objections to us. That’s the real sticky thing about it. Jesus wants us to repent. And many times we don’t want to. We rather throw out bogus objections to this so-called church.

For one thing, Jesus is angry that we keep turning His Church into what WE  want it to be. That’s what you see in the Gospel reading when Jesus goes into the Temple and makes a whip and starts flipping over tables and driving out animals and money-changers from God’s house.

Look at the picture on the front of the bulletin or the picture on the sermon insert. That’s what it looks like when Jesus objects to you and me. When He objects to us making His Church a place for transactions instead of a place for mercy and prayer. When He objects to us trying to make the Church what we want it to be instead of what He wants it to be.

You know what those money-changers were doing there in the Temple, right? They were selling salvation. Of course they wouldn’t have said that. But that’s what it amounted to. Buy this sacrifice. Pay this temple tax. Exchange your money here for the right currency to pay God.

The Church isn’t for transactions. You don’t come in here and barter with God for salvation. Here, God, if I give exactly ten percent of my taxable income then we’re on good terms, right? Here, God, yes I did some terrible things this last week but I showed up to Church today and that counts for something, right? Here, God, I promise I’ll do much better this week and make up for it all. Here, God, I haven’t been to Church in ten years but you know I’m a really good person, right? So we’re all good.

That’s when Jesus gets angry. That’s when Jesus starts flipping over pews and tables. That’s when Jesus starts saying, “My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers.” This isn’t your house where you set the terms—this is God’s house.

Why is Jesus angry? Why does Jesus cry bitterly in the first part of the Gospel reading? Because He looks out over this holy city and the holy Temple and He sees what an incredible blessing this city and Temple is supposed to be for people. He wants His people to find refuge and peace and comfort and forgiveness in His city and in His Church. He’s angry because He wants His house to be place of blessing and not a place of burden. THE CHURCH is for prayer and blessing. Not for transactions. The Church is a place to make you better, not worse.

So I’m going to ask again this question, “What is the Church?” What is this place you come to on Sunday mornings? Is this the house of some random people? Certainly isn’t Pastor Boehne’s house, right? (Although I have been asked by some kids, “You own this building, right? No, I don’t.) This isn’t the house of some people who only care about money, are hypocrites, and are behind the times.

This is the house of Jesus!! When you come here you come into the presence of Jesus. To do what? To make some transactions with Him? No! To be blessed by Him. To be given peace by Him. To lay down your sins at His feet and to be lifted up to the very joy of heaven. This is Jesus’ house of prayer. A place for you to come into the presence of God and sing, “Lord, have mercy.” To confess, “I have sinned against You.” To pray, “Our Father, who art in heaven.” To receive the body and blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This isn’t just the place of some people—it’s the place of Jesus.

And that’s bring us to the final point—a very important point for you to go home with and for you to share with everyone you know who has objections to the church. The Church makes life better. Not just a little better. A LOT better. Stop seeing the Church as a place that just wants your money, a place just full of “goody-two-shoes” hypocrites, a place behind the times, a place you can live without. It’s none of that. The Church is the place of Jesus.

And your life, all of life, is better with Jesus. It’s better with His Church. Life is better with the Church. You’re hearing me, right? Being with Jesus in Church gives us a clean conscience. It says, “You are accepted and forgiven and there’s nothing standing between you and God.” A clean conscience. Would you say life is better with a clean conscience? Or is life better carrying around a ton of guilt and shame all the time? Which is better? I’d say life is better with a clean conscience. With Jesus and the Church.

Life is also better when your priorities are rightly ordered. Most people today are living with pleasure as their top priority. That makes for a miserable life. A good and better life is where your priorities are rightly ordered toward others and not towards your own self. Everybody knows this. Everybody knows it’s a better life when we learn to give. That’s why you’re always being told to volunteer and to do things for others. The Church has known that all along. That’s life in Jesus. A better life.

And life is better with love. True love. The love of Jesus. Because that love forgives. You love and forgive your wife. You love and forgive your husband. You love and forgive your children and parents. You love and forgive your friends. You love and forgive your fellow church members when they’re greedy or hypocritical. Life is better with love and forgiveness.

So put away the objections. Who would object to a life made better? That’s what the Church is all about. Because the Church is Jesus. Jesus and His house of prayer. A house of mercy, love, and forgiveness. Right here for you.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.