Christian Living

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January 21, 2012 – Clean Houses, New Furniture, and Uninvited Guests

24 When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it roams through waterless places in search [of a place] of rest (release, refreshment, ease); and finding none it says, I will go back to my house from which I came. 25 And when it arrives, it finds [the place] swept and put in order and furnished and decorated. 26 And it goes and brings other spirits, seven [of them], more evil than itself, and they enter in, settle down, and dwell there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. – Luke 11:24-26 AMP

There is nothing like a clean house. There is a fresh smell in the air. When Marlo cleans our home she is a lady on a mission. She is very meticulous. She deploys our daughter who loves to dust furniture. The boys and I move furniture around the house so that she can vacuum with the utmost efficiency. And all our children know to pick up anything they have left lying around. When she finishes she is both exhausted from her work but at peace because our home is clean. But currently, our home has ongoing construction outside. Because of these activities, within an hour of cleaning, one of our sons trudges through our home with the muddiest shoes we have ever seen. Are they planting a garden in their bedroom? We excuse their behavior with a promise from them that it will not happen again. But our clean house is not so clean anymore. In today’s passage, Jesus compares a clean house to the life of a believer.

Most of us out there will have to admit that our house was in shambles before we received Jesus. There were holes in the walls. There were broken windows and the roof was leaking. The plumbing was backed up and lights flickered off and on. Our lives were a wreck, just like the house of our heart. But when Jesus came into our heart, things changed. We patched holes. We repaired windows. We swept the house clean, painted it, and made everything neat and tidy. We even evicted sins living in our house. All was well in the world, or so we thought.

Something was missing. We invited Jesus into our house, but we didn’t let Him stay. We treated Him as a guest stopping by for a visit, then bid Him goodbye.

Why? Very often Christians want to merely go through the motions of Christianity rather than actually be one. They want the outward appearances: being at church on Sunday morning, shopping at Christian bookstores, and buying all the things they can to prove their faith to others with. Surely all those actions will win them approval in God’s eyes, right? Yes, God does approve of the outward expressions of our faith, but He wants to live inside your house.

If you don’t allow Jesus to live inside your house, those evil spirits that led you into your sinful life can return. The evil desires that dictated your past life before you allowed Christ in will be stronger than ever. Your state will be worse than before. And before you know it, the house you cleaned may need to be torn down completely.

I have seen Christians like this for years. They receive their salvation and go after Him with more enthusiasm than that man on the infomercial trying to sell you the Ronco meat dehydrator. They clean their house, and put it on display for all to see. But within a few months, their enthusiasm and their faith end up in a house more broken and battered than ever. Sure, they cleaned their house well, but never let Jesus stay.

To keep the house of your heart clean forever, you have to choose to not only make Jesus a permanent resident, but you must choose to make Him the Head of it. Jesus cannot be someone you invite to your house only on Sunday. If you make Him the Head of your house, then you will seek to please Him. In pleasing Him, those evil desires that once dictated your previous life will never return. Then watch what happens. As He is the Head of the house of your heart, He will become the Head of your family and the Head of your home. He will be the unseen guest in every room of your house on earth.

Have you cleaned your house? Did you let Jesus stay or did you run Him off like a trespasser? Invite Him back and let Him stay permanently. Let Him be your Head. If you don’t, your life could be headed to a place worse than before you first knew Him. Pretty soon those uninvited guests will be back, propping their dirty shoes up on your polished coffee table. And you’ll be forced to clean all over again.

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