Talk It Over - February 6, 2023

Jesus Restores Worship | Keith Shields

Scripture Passages

John 2:13–22

13 It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. 14 In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. 15 Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. 16 Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” 17 Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s house will consume me.” 18 But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.” 19 “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” 21 But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.

John 17:4

4 I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.

John 15:8

8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

1 Samuel 16:7

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Jeremiah 17:9–10 (MSG)

9–10 “The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.”

Ephesians 5:10–13

10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them,

Acts 17:22

22 So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way,

Colossians 3:12–14

12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

Colossians 3:23

23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.


Reflect on the Passages

Take a moment to read through the passages slowly. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you through them.


Is there a word or phrase that God is drawing to your attention? What is He saying to you through these passages?

Engage with the Message

1) What stood out to you from the Scripture passages and/or this week's message?


2) In what ways is God challenging you and/or encouraging you through the message?


3) What does it mean to worship God? How do we go about living lives of worship?


4) What significance does worship through singing songs and engaging in other spiritual practices have to our faith?


5) Samuel 6:7 tells us that "People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." How should this impact the way we understand and live out our faith as followers of Jesus?


6) In his sermon, Pastor Keith quoted John Stackhouse, who wrote, "How we defend and commend God’s truth matters as much as our commitment to correct doctrine and sound ethics." What does he mean by this? What does it look like to defend and comment God's truth in a way that is consistent with the call of God on our lives?