Den of Thieves

Text: Matthew 21:12–17
Series: Sermons 2001 Rewritten
Date:
Speaker: Ed Rangel
Location: Waupaca Church of Christ
Bible Version: NASB 1995
Sermon Type: Expository

Learning Objectives

1. Explain why Jesus cleansed the temple and called it a “robbers’ den.”
2. Show how Jesus uses Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11 to expose corrupted worship.
3. Apply the text to worship that may be outwardly present but inwardly careless.
4. Examine singing, prayer, the Lord’s Supper, giving, and preaching as acts that must be offered with reverence, understanding, and authority.
5. Call sinners to obey the gospel and Christians to repent of careless worship.

Thesis

Jesus cleansed the temple because men had turned holy service into selfish misuse, and the same Lord still demands that worship be offered with reverence, understanding, truth, and obedient hearts.

Introduction.

1. A den is a hiding place. a. An animal may retreat there for safety. b. A man may use a private room for comfort and ease. c. A den can feel secure because it is familiar and protected.
2. Jesus used the word differently. a. He did not call the temple a place of safety. b. He called it a robbers’ den. c. He exposed people who felt secure while corrupting what belonged to God.
3. Matthew 21:12 says Jesus entered the temple and drove out those buying and selling. a. He overturned the tables of the money changers. b. He overturned the seats of those selling doves. c. He did not treat this as a small inconvenience.
4. Matthew 21:13 gives His charge. a. “My house shall be called a house of prayer.” b. “But you are making it a robbers’ den.” c. Jesus joins Isaiah’s vision of prayer with Jeremiah’s condemnation of hypocrisy.
5. This sermon is not about treating a church building as the Jewish temple. a. The temple had a unique place under the old covenant. b. The church building today is not the temple of God in that same sense. c. The church is the people, not the bricks.
6. But the principle still cuts. a. God’s worship must not be hijacked for selfish use. b. God’s service must not be treated carelessly. c. God’s people must not gather in body while robbing God of heart, reverence, truth, and obedience.

I. Jesus Exposed Worship That Had Been Turned into Selfish Business.

A. The temple court had been corrupted by buying, selling, and money changing.

1. Matthew 21:12 says Jesus drove out those buying and selling in the temple. a. Sacrificial animals were needed under the Law. b. Traveling Jews could face difficulty bringing animals from far away. c. Money had to be exchanged for temple purposes.
2. The problem was not mere logistics. a. The buying and selling had invaded holy space. b. Profit had been placed where prayer belonged. c. Men were using worshipers’ need as an opportunity for gain.
3. Those selling doves especially exposed the corruption. a. Doves were often the offering of the poor. b. Leviticus 5:7 allowed poorer Israelites to bring turtledoves or young pigeons. c. Exploiting the poor in the name of religion is a serious evil.

B. Jesus quoted Isaiah 56:7.

1. Isaiah 56:7 says God’s house would be called a house of prayer for all peoples. a. The temple was not intended as a marketplace. b. It was tied to prayer, reverence, and access to God. c. The nations were not to be blocked by corruption.
2. The location matters. a. The buying and selling likely crowded the court of the Gentiles. b. The place meant for reverent approach was filled with religious business. c. What God intended for prayer had become noise, traffic, and profit.
3. The lesson is direct. a. When human interest crowds out divine purpose, worship is corrupted. b. When money, convenience, and tradition rule the assembly, God is dishonored. c. A people can claim to serve God while obstructing the very purpose God gave.

C. Jesus also quoted Jeremiah 7:11.

1. Jeremiah 7 rebuked Judah’s false security. a. They came to the temple while practicing sin. b. They trusted the temple as a religious shelter. c. They thought sacred association could protect rebellious lives.
2. Jeremiah 7:11 asks, “Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight?” a. A den is where robbers hide after committing evil. b. They felt safe there. c. God said He had seen it.
3. Jesus applies the same rebuke. a. The temple leaders should have known better. b. The people should not have tolerated it. c. The Lord saw what men had learned to excuse.

II. Jesus Shows That Reverent Worship Requires More Than Being Present.

A. Singing must be offered with understanding.

1. First Corinthians 14:15 says, “I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.” a. Singing is not noise to fill time. b. Singing is not performance. c. Singing is worship and teaching.
2. Colossians 3:16 says Christians teach and admonish one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. a. The word of Christ must richly dwell in us. b. Singing carries doctrine. c. The congregation teaches while it sings.
3. Careless singing robs God and weakens the church. a. Mouths may move while minds wander. b. Words may be sung without understanding. c. Brethren may be watching people instead of praising God.
4. The answer is not entertainment. a. Open the song. b. Learn the words. c. Think about what is being said. d. Sing as one offering praise to God and admonition to the saints.

B. Prayer must be offered with understanding.

1. First Corinthians 14:15 also says, “I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also.” a. Prayer is commanded. b. Prayer is a privilege. c. Prayer must not become empty sound.
2. Scripture repeatedly calls God’s people to pray. a. Luke 18:1 teaches that men ought always to pray and not lose heart. b. Ephesians 6:18 commands prayer at all times. c. First Thessalonians 5:17 says, “pray without ceasing.”
3. Congregational prayer requires attention. a. The man leading must be heard. b. The congregation must listen and agree. c. Wandering eyes and wandering minds weaken the act.
4. God is not honored by distracted prayer. a. If we speak to the God of heaven, we should know what is being said. b. If we say “Amen,” we should mean it. c. If we bow before God, our hearts should not be roaming the room.

C. The Lord’s Supper must be observed with discernment.

1. First Corinthians 11:20–34 corrects abuse of the Supper. a. Corinth had turned the Supper into selfish eating. b. Some were hungry. c. Others were drunk. d. Paul said he would not praise them.
2. Jesus instituted the Supper with His suffering in view. a. Luke 22:19 says, “This is My body which is given for you.” b. Luke 22:20 says the cup is the new covenant in His blood. c. The Supper points to the cross.
3. First Corinthians 11:28 commands self-examination. a. A man must examine himself. b. He must eat and drink with discernment. c. Careless partaking brings judgment.
4. The Supper is not routine. a. It remembers the body and blood of Christ. b. It proclaims the Lord’s death until He comes. c. Treating it lightly is not a small thing.

III. Jesus Shows That God Is Robbed When the Heart Is Wrong in Giving and Teaching.

A. Giving must be offered with purpose and cheerfulness.

1. First Corinthians 16:1–2 gives the pattern for collection. a. Christians gave on the first day of every week. b. Each one gave as he prospered. c. The giving was planned and ordered.
2. Second Corinthians 9:7 speaks to the heart. a. Not grudgingly. b. Not under compulsion. c. God loves a cheerful giver.
3. Giving can be corrupted by neglect. a. Some do not plan. b. Some spend first and leave God the leftovers. c. Some let debt, pleasure, and projects consume what should have been offered responsibly.
4. Giving is an act of worship and stewardship. a. It is not tipping God. b. It is not paying dues. c. It is the willing offering of hearts that know everything belongs to Him.

B. Preaching and teaching must be handled with seriousness.

1. First Timothy 4:13 commands attention to public reading, exhortation, and teaching. a. The word must be read. b. The word must be explained. c. The word must be pressed on hearers.
2. First Timothy 4:16 says to pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching. a. The preacher’s life matters. b. The preacher’s doctrine matters. c. Perseverance affects both the preacher and those who hear.
3. Ephesians 4:11–12 shows the purpose of teaching. a. Equipping the saints. b. Work of service. c. Building up the body of Christ.
4. Preachers can rob God by laziness. a. Poor preparation is not humility. b. Excessive jokes and filler do not feed the flock. c. A man who stands before souls must bring the word with care.

C. Hearers also bear responsibility.

1. The problem is not always the preacher. a. Some hearers do not listen. b. Some talk through the lesson. c. Some sleep through correction and then complain they are not fed.
2. Acts 17:11 commends the Bereans. a. They received the word with eagerness. b. They examined the Scriptures daily. c. They tested the message by the word.
3. Hearers can rob themselves. a. A sermon ignored cannot strengthen. b. A text neglected cannot correct. c. Truth resisted will become judgment.

IV. The Lord Still Rejects Worship That Gives Him Less Than He Deserves.

A. Malachi exposed corrupt worship before Jesus cleansed the temple.

1. Malachi 1:6 asks, “If I am a father, where is My honor?” a. God’s people claimed relationship. b. Their worship denied reverence. c. Their offerings exposed their hearts.
2. Malachi 1:7 says they presented defiled food upon God’s altar. a. They asked how they had defiled Him. b. God pointed to the table. c. They treated holy service as common.
3. Malachi 1:8 condemns offering the blind, lame, and sick. a. They would not give such things to a governor. b. Yet they offered them to God. c. God saw the insult.

B. Malachi’s rebuke applies in principle to careless worship today.

1. God does not need our leftovers. a. Leftover attention. b. Leftover preparation. c. Leftover giving. d. Leftover reverence.
2. God is not honored by half-hearted service. a. Singing without thought. b. Prayer without attention. c. The Supper without discernment. d. Giving without purpose. e. Preaching without study.
3. The Lord still sees. a. He saw the temple market. b. He saw Malachi’s corrupt priests. c. He sees modern worshipers too.

C. Worship must be offered by authority and from the heart.

1. John 4:24 says God must be worshiped in spirit and truth. a. Spirit without truth becomes emotional invention. b. Truth without heart becomes cold form. c. God requires both.
2. Colossians 3:17 says whatever we do must be done in the name of the Lord Jesus. a. Authority matters. b. Sincerity alone does not authorize. c. Worship belongs under Christ’s rule.
3. Hebrews 12:28 says Christians must offer acceptable service with reverence and awe. a. Not casualness. b. Not entertainment. c. Not man-centered religion. d. Reverence and awe before the consuming God.

Application.

1. For the worshiper. a. Do not ask only whether your body was present. b. Ask whether your mind, heart, reverence, and obedience were present. c. God is not honored by distracted bodies in a pew.
2. For song leaders, prayer leaders, teachers, and preachers. a. Prepare. b. Speak clearly. c. Lead God’s people with seriousness. d. Do not treat holy responsibilities as last-minute filler.
3. For the congregation. a. Do not turn worship into a place for gossip, gawking, distraction, or habit. b. Help one another worship God with understanding. c. Teach children what each act of worship means.
4. For parents. a. Train children to sing with understanding. b. Train them to listen in prayer. c. Train them to respect the Lord’s Supper. d. Train them to give and hear the word with reverence.
5. For the careless Christian. a. Repent before routine hardens into contempt. b. Return to worship with the fear of God. c. Do not make the Lord’s service into a den where selfishness feels safe.

Conclusion.

1. Jesus entered the temple and drove out corruption. a. He overturned tables. b. He rebuked the money changers. c. He called the place a robbers’ den.
2. He did not do that because worship is small. a. He did it because God’s house had been misused. b. He did it because prayer had been crowded out. c. He did it because men had grown comfortable with corruption.
3. The temple is gone, but the warning remains. a. Do not corrupt worship. b. Do not offer God leftovers. c. Do not sit comfortably in careless religion.
4. God deserves worship that is reverent, authorized, thoughtful, and sincere. a. Sing with understanding. b. Pray with understanding. c. Partake with discernment. d. Give with purpose. e. Preach and hear the word with seriousness.
5. Jesus still has the right to overturn what men have wrongly set up. a. Let Him overturn our carelessness. b. Let Him overturn our distractions. c. Let Him overturn our shallow worship. d. Let Him restore reverence among His people.

Invitation.

1. Hear the word. a. Romans 10:17 says faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
2. Believe Christ. a. John 8:24 warns that unless you believe that Jesus is He, you will die in your sins.
3. Repent. a. Acts 17:30 says God commands all people everywhere to repent.
4. Confess Christ. a. Romans 10:9–10 teaches confession with the mouth and belief in the heart.
5. Be baptized for the remission of sins. a. Acts 2:38 commands repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
6. Live faithfully. a. Revelation 2:10 calls the Christian to be faithful until death.
7. If your worship has become careless. a. Repent. b. Return your heart to God. c. Do not wait for the Lord’s rebuke to expose what you already know is wrong.

Word Study.

Scripture Interlock Table.