Stop Hiding In Church | Benjer McVeigh | February 22, 2026

In today’s sermon at Flourishing Grace Church in Bountiful, Utah, Pastor Benjer teaches from Luke 19:45–20:8, a pivotal moment in Holy Week when Jesus enters Jerusalem, cleanses the temple, and then faces a public challenge from the chief priests, scribes, and elders: “By what authority do you do these things?” In the Court of the Gentiles, the one place intentionally set apart for non Jews and seekers to draw near to the God of Israel, worship had been crowded out. During Passover, Jerusalem swelled with travelers, animals, trading, and noise, and the leaders treated sacred space like it belonged to them. Jesus quotes the prophets to expose the deeper problem. Isaiah 56 shows God’s heart for outsiders, foreigners, and outcasts, that God’s house would be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Jeremiah 7 confronts the lie that religious activity can function like spiritual insurance, “the temple of the Lord” repeated like a mantra while injustice, oppression, and idolatry continue unchecked. When Jesus calls the temple a “den of robbers,” he is not only condemning corruption, he is revealing how the human heart turns religion into a safe house, a place to hide after we do what we want, instead of a place to meet the holy God who transforms us. This sermon is an invitation to let the Word of God do surgery beneath the surface. We can attend church, sing, confess, serve, join a table group, and even pray, yet still use those good gifts as cover for what is happening Monday through Saturday, how we treat our spouse, our coworkers, our neighbors, what we scroll, what we say, what we keep secret, and what we refuse to bring into the light. Pastor Benjer names three ways this shows up: first, “stuff it under the bed” Christianity, where everything looks tidy on the outside but the bins are packed with unresolved sin, hurt, and grief. Second, treating Sunday like a giant eraser, where we want the feeling of a reset without the healing of confession, repentance, and community. Third, loving church but never surrendering to Jesus, getting stuck at signposts like music, community, or routines, and missing the Person they are meant to point toward. In Luke 20, Jesus responds to the leaders by asking about John’s baptism. It is not a dodge, it is a mirror. If John’s ministry was from heaven, then Jesus’ authority is from God. If it was merely from man, then the leaders can keep control. Their refusal to answer exposes a heart that fears people and protects power, and it warns us about the same impulse in our own lives. The good news is that Jesus does not discard God’s promises because people misuse them. He fulfills them. He is greater than the temple, and all Scripture points to him. If you have been hurt by hypocrisy, disappointed by Christians, or tempted to conclude the gospel is not true, Jesus invites you to look at him, not at the failures of religious performance. As we worship, we want to make space for prayer, just like we did as a church this week during Ash Wednesday as we set aside time to sit with Jesus, open the Bible, and listen to the Holy Spirit. If you are not yet a follower of Jesus, today can be your day to say yes to Christ. If you are a believer but you know there are things underneath the surface that need honesty and healing, you are not alone.