7/20/25 Weekly Bible Lesson: Bake Sales Gone Bad!

Introduction — According to Strong’s concordance of the Bible, the root word for zeal means “boiling.” Are we boiling hot for spiritual things? “Boiling zeal” is where God wants us. Our text shows us four steps to TURN UP THE HEAT on our zeal. We’ll hit 212°F when we do the following:

Verse 13. MOVE IT — All Jewish males were required to go up to the Jerusalem temple three times a year for the feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Jesus was in the right place at the right time. He was being obedient to God by assembling with His brothers and sisters in the faith. The temple was where the action was: teaching, music, sacrifices, prayer, the congregational dynamic. He was in the ENVIRONMENT of zeal. He was close to the “fire.”

If we want to turn up the heat, we must get close to the fire. A church member, who previously had been faithful in church attendance, stopped going. An elder visited him. It was a chilly evening. The elder found the man at home, sitting before a blazing fire. The man welcomed him in and led him to a chair near the fireplace. The elder made himself comfortable but said nothing. After some minutes, the elder took the tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember, and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched in quiet fascination. The lone ember's flame diminished, and then its fire was no more. Then the elder picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. As the elder reached the door to leave, his host said, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I’ll be back in church next Sunday."

Verse 16. OWN IT — Jesus called it “My Father’s house.” As the unique Son of God, He was the rightful Lord of the temple. Jesus was on fire for this temple because it belonged to His family. He had ownership. Jesus was saying, “This is My house. You can’t bring these animals in here.” His sense of ownership for the temple, dialed up the intensity of His zeal. It was personal.

The church is now God’s temple. “You are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you” (1 Corinthians 3:16). Jesus is the rightful Lord of the church. He is just as zealous about His church as He was zealous about the temple. However, there is a sense in which we, also, have ownership of the temple/church. The church is “ours” because we are the church. We are the temple. Owning that truth will result in fiery zeal. Have you ever noticed how a pot of water starts to boil? It starts with one bubble. Somebody must bubble first. You are that first bubble.

Verse 16 TEST IT — (John 2:16). Jesus knew the temple was not to be a place for business. It was a place for worship, prayer, and sacrifice. Perhaps the moneychangers rationalized their activities, thinking that theirs was a useful service for the worshipers, but they were prostituting God’s purpose for the temple. I once had a pot of water on the stove to boil, but several minutes had gone by, and it wasn’t boiling, so do you know what I did? I stuck my finger in the water. I know, not smart, but I wanted to test it. It wasn’t hot. I had the pot on the wrong burner. It’s always a good idea to test and evaluate what we’re doing in the church to see if we’re on the right burner. Jesus was hot because He knew God’s purpose for the temple, and He saw that it had strayed off target. The Lord’s purpose for His church is to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18). This purpose differentiates the church from all other organizations to which we might belong. It is our purpose that stokes the fires of our zeal.

Verse 15. WHIP IT — Jesus was a man’s man. He was the original “Indiana Jones.” He knew how to make a whip, and how to use it. What was this whip? It was a tool that amplified Jesus’s physical power. It extended His reach. It augmented His efforts. It got the attention of the bad guys and sent them scurrying for cover.

As we clean our house from sin, we’re going to need a “whip.” Our strength is not enough—we must amplify it. Our power is not enough—we must augment it. Our will is not enough—we must supplement it — with a “whip.” What is our whip? The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God living within us. His job is to give us power to resist temptation and overcome sin. He combines His power with our will to get the job done. “For God has not given us a Spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 2:17).