When our religious behaviour makes God mad (Audio)

An audio message from Pastor Richard Haar.

What got Jesus so hot under the collar when he saw what was going on in the temple?  Firstly, he was upset that people were open for business but closed to God.  Secondly, Jesus was particularly upset that all this was happening in the Court of the Gentiles - the only place in the temple where non-Jews were allowed to go.  This broke God’s heart as he was passionate about all peoples coming to know and worship him.

God was so upset that he opted for an unthinkable, crazy, totally radical solution – the cross Jesus’ enigmatic statement about rebuilding the temple in three days was a veiled reference to his coming death and resurrection.

What about us today?  Are we so caught up in the busyness of doing the Lord’s business that we get distracted from the need to prioritize and cultivate our relationship with God?  What barriers might we be putting up that effectively exclude those from fully experiencing God and his grace?