Bible Text: John 2:13–21 | Preacher: Pastor Andrew Okai

Sermon theme: Distraction—An Enemy to Progress
Sermon prepared by the Holy Spirit and Pastor Andrew T. Okai
Third Sunday in Lent
March 4, 2018

Sermon text: John 2:13–21

 
Introduction
Grace, mercy, and peace…

I’ll like to talk about distractions and how they can become a serious enemy of progress. Distractions prevent achievements. I also see distraction as one of the most successful tools of the enemy. We see this play out in many stories in the Bible, from the Garden of Eden to the Garden of Gethsemane.
The Distraction
When it was almost time for Passover, Jesus went to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves and others sitting at tables exchanging money. Now, to know the distraction, we must first know the attraction. The court of the gentiles was God’s way of inviting in the outcasts.

Today God still makes that court available for lost sinners to come into his kingdom. The question is whether we become centers of distraction for them. This is an important question ,because today the temple is no longer a building; we are the temple of God.
His Position
The church must take her position for Christ and stand. Even though the world is changing, we do not. We may look weird, but we won’t get distracted by their laughter, by their rejection of us.

We don’t need anybody else, we don’t need anything else; all we need is Jesus, for he is the one who loves us, who died for us, who was risen for us, and who is coming back for us.
The Distinction
The Jewish leaders were bewildered by Jesus whipping these people and turning tables upside down, and not a single person raised a hand against him. The distinction is this: if we are the temple of God, then only Jesus has the authority to clean up the junk in our lives.

So the Jews asked Jesus for a sign to prove his authority. Jesus said that the only sign left to be seen is the temple being destroyed and Jesus raising it again in three days.

The Jews were so distracted by their traditions that they did not recognize the Messiah. Today, they are still awaiting his first coming.

My prayer for us today is that we keep our focus, seeking to know the Lord every breath we take, with no distractions, that we stand in position and live in the world with distinction.