The Right Kind of Full House
Matthew 12:43-45
July 23, 2006
Introduction
How many of you know what a “full house” is? And no, I don’t mean the TV show from the 80’s and 90’s.
It’s okay to admit that you know that it’s a poker hand! And I won’t even ask how you know! Honest!
In poker, a full house is when you have 3 of one kind of card, say three 5’s or three Jacks, and also a pair of another kind of card. So if you have, say three Jacks and two 5’s, that’s a full house – three of one kind and two of another.
You know where I first learned about a full house? Yahtzee. You know, the dice game. Some of you aren’t sure if you should think its worse to talk about cards or about dice in church…
Have you ever tried to play that game quietly? It’s just about impossible. The dice are noisy in the cup, then noisy on the table. About the only way to make it quiet is if you decide what you want to roll, then just place the dice on the table. On a towel.
Today’s Scripture passage talks about another kind of full house.
Matthew 12:43-45 (p. 690) –
"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ’I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation."
The obvious thrust of this passage deals with people who are possessed by demons.
We don’t talk a lot about demons in the Wesleyan church. But they are real, and they do live in some people. If you’ve ever met someone who has been set free from something like this, you’ll never forget it, believe me.
I’ve never encountered a situation where I’ve had to try to drive out a demon, although I’ve been in situations where I had to deal with a young person who had been dabbling in stuff and was having bad experiences with demons.
It’s real stuff. And the person described by Jesus here is miserable indeed.
But I think we can also look at this passage from a broader perspective by looking at just what we should fill our lives with.
It’s important that we understand that nobody has a spiritual vacuum in their lives, at least not for long.
“A life reformed but lacking God’s presence is open to reoccupancy by evil.” (NIV Study Bible)
You might be able clear out some of the bad stuff, but unless you intentionally fill that space in your life with something from God, then other things will find their way in there, and it can be even worse than what you were dealing with before.
So today I want to show you 4 steps you can take to make sure you’ve got the right kind of full house.
This won’t help your poker or Yahtzee games, but it will help you as you go through life.
4 steps to having the right kind of full house:
1. Bring in a new tenant: the Holy Spirit.
Are any of you landlords? Have you ever had a tenant that you simply had to get rid of?
And when you get someone there who really takes care of the place and pays their rent on time, it’s a huge relief, isn’t it?
Jesus says here in this passage that the first step in having the right kind of full house is to have the right tenant.
And in this case, that right tenant is the Holy Spirit.
The antidote to this whole issue here in this passage is the Holy Spirit.
We need to allow the Holy Spirit to come in and live in our lives. This brings the presence of God into our lives.
We allow the Holy Spirit to live in our lives when we call on Jesus for salvation. At that time, not only are our sins forgiven, and we’re given a home in heaven, but the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our lives.
So if you’ve taken Jesus into your life, then you’ve taken the first step.
Let’s take a look at the second step, and that is to…
2. Turn over the deed.
Here’s where it gets tough. When you rent out the place, it’s still possible to have some control. But when you sign over the deed, you’re saying that you’re no longer the owner.
The Spirit’s initial presence in us is a “resident,” if you will. But by taking this second step, you’re saying to Him that it’s all His.
This is where you say, “Okay Holy Spirit, I don’t want you just to live in me, I want you to own me.”
And folks, if you’re looking for long-term victory over spiritual problems, as well as the spiritual fortitude to handle the good, the bad, and the ugly of life, this is where you need to be.
There are some ways that the Holy Spirit shows Himself in the person who gives up ownership to Him:
> He bears fruit in our lives.
Galatians 5:22-23 –
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
> He brings us to obedience to Christ.
Philippians 2:13 (Living Bible) –
For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey him, and then helping you do what he wants.
> He brings God’s purposes to bear in our life.
- Awe of God (in worship).
- Belonging with the people of God (in fellowship).
- Conformity to Christ (in discipleship).
- Help for others (in ministry).
- Christ for others (in evangelism).
> He brings an increased hunger and thirst for the things of Christ.
John 16:14 –
“He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.”
One of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to take the things of Jesus and make them real in our lives.
That’s why it’s so important that we continue to read and meditate on the words and actions of Jesus.
The Spirit takes these things and allows them to take root in our lives, and in doing so, creates an even greater hunger and thirst for them. We want more and more, and that’s a good thing for people who call themselves Christians!
So how do we turn over the deed of our lives? Complete surrender to Christ.
Notice I didn’t say, “Let Jesus beat you into submission.” I said, “Surrender.”
This is something you’ve got to want.
Ever tried to feed a baby something they didn’t want? You can only fool them for little while, before they just understand that if they keep their little mouths shut, wave their arms and shake their heads, they’ll avoid the food you’re trying to give them.
Keep trying, and all you get is a mad baby and a messy kitchen, right?
Well, the Holy Spirit’s not about to force Himself on you. You’ve got to want Him. Really want Him.
One of the key points about this passage in Matthew is that there is at last one attitude toward Jesus that is very dangerous: neutrality.
In the case of this passage, neutrality toward Jesus can lead to an even worse condition than before He came on the scene in your life.
But when you are completely sold out to Him, then neutrality is not an issue. You’re red-hot for Christ. And it shows in how you live, because the Holy Spirit is doing His awesome work in you.
Here’s the third step to having the right kind of full house:
3. Keep the “air conditioning” on.
I’m one of the last guys in the world to turn on the air conditioning at home or here at my office.
Part of that is because I’m cheap and don’t want to waste money on cooling the place if I don’t have to.
But part of it is that I simply don’t feel the need as much as others do. Sometimes it’s only when someone else brings it up that I even realize that it might be good to crank up some air.
One of the benefits of air conditioning isn’t that it keeps the air cool, it’s that the stale, hot air inside is exchanged for new air that’s brought in and is fresh.
Sometimes all that’s needed is to just open a window or two to get some fresh air.
What I mean here is that we need to keep refreshing and renewing our relationship with God.
Just like air can get stale in the house or car, our spiritual life can get stagnant if we aren’t careful.
Living for Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit doesn’t end with step two.
Step two is probably the biggest step, because of what it opens up for you in life. But step three is what keeps your relationship with Christ and the Spirit fresh.
Some ideas might include changing up your Bible reading program, or the way you approach God for prayer.
Maybe incorporate new spiritual disciplines like fasting, meditation, or solitude.
Other ideas are to read some of the writings of the early Christians who had great relationships with God.
I mentioned a bit ago that I don’t always recognize a need for air conditioning, even if the need exists.
It can be the same with our spiritual lives. We may not recognize the need to freshen things up in our walk with God, but that doesn’t mean the need isn’t there.
I would suggest that if you haven’t changed things up over the last 5 years, that it might be a good time for a change, even if it’s only for one year.
Try something different, and watch how God meets with you in that.
The bottom line here is that it’s good to not let your relationship become stale. Freshen it up a bit.
And here’s the last step to making sure you’ve got the right kind of full house:
4. Help others do the same thing.
What’s this got to do with anything?
Well, we looked the fruits of the Spirit back in step two.
Did you happen to see “selfishness” listed there? I didn’t think so, because it’s not there.
If you are experiencing the joys of the Spirit-filled life, then you can help others find that as well.
You can help them through these steps, just as you’ve gone through them yourself.
And you know, it’s not only good for them, but it’s good for you.
Why? Because you have had a real impact in the life of someone.
If you’ve ever wondered what you can do to impact a life for the kingdom, this is a way to do it.
Help someone turn over the ownership of their life to Christ through the Holy Spirit, and help them establish that relationship in a solid manner, and you’ve made a significant contribution to the kingdom.
And that blesses both of you.
Conclusion
Folks, this is so important.
Followers of Jesus, if they want long-term victory, if they want long-term effectiveness for the kingdom, if they want long-term fulfillment in life, if they want to live their life in a way that brings the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” need to allow the Holy Spirit to run the show.
And He can only do that if He owns the house.
So the question on the table between you and God is this: who owns the house? You or God?
If you’ve never given you life to Christ, then your first step is to get that taken care of.
Come to Jesus, asking Him to come into your life to forgive your sins and give you a home in heaven. You can’t get there on your own – you’ve gotta have Jesus.
And then the Holy Spirit comes to live in you.
But if you’ve taken that first step, then you need to move on to the scariest step, and that’s step two.
And that’s where real life for Christ is found.
If you haven’t made that second step, then today’s as good a day any to take it.
Don’t go to bed tonight without thinking this through and taking some action.
Let Him have the house.
Now there is one part of this analogy that doesn’t quite work. In real life, if you sign over the deed to someone, there’s no way you can just go in there and demand the house back.
But that’s not the case with the house of your life in Christ. You can go in there and demand the house back.
You might let the Holy Spirit be a tenant, but not the owner.
And He’ll let you do it. It will bring Him grief, and it’ll open you up to even greater struggle and hardship as well as shut off a lot of the joy that could be yours, but He’ll let you do it.
So let me just end this with a plea: let Him have the house, and let Him have it for the rest of your life.
The decision is yours, but let me tell you as someone who’s been on both sides of that fence, it’s better when the Holy Spirit’s owning the house and running the show.
Let’s pray.
