My Heart Christ's Home Series

Sermon for 8/11/2003

My Heart, Christ’s Home

Idea and portions adapted from Robert Boyd Munger’s My Heart Christ’s Home

Introduction:

A. Wanted: Fishers of Men. You catch them and the Lord cleans them.

B. Cleaning fish or getting them ready to eat is a disgusting job.

C. Took the boys fishing and we caught 4 catfish. I took them home and tried to clean them. The knife was too dull to fillet them so I had to do it the old fashioned way and gut them and then clean them.

D. I am so thankful that when we are fishing for men, the Lord takes those who are saved and cleans them up.

WBTU:

A. Many people have a misunderstanding when it comes to church and Christianity. “When I get my act cleaned up, then I will come to church.”

B. We need to understand that without Jesus Christ no one will be clean. No one will be able to clean up their act. (2 Pet 1:3 NIV) His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

C. When the blood of Christ washes our sins away, Christ also begins the process of removing the junk from our hearts.

D. When we were baptized, several things occurred. We usually emphasize that through our faith in Christ, our sins are forgiven, our slate is wiped clean and we are on our way to heaven. We have been pardoned through the blood of Jesus Christ. We made Christ our Savior.

E. However, when we are baptized with faith in Christ, we are making Jesus our Lord. What does the term Lord mean? It comes from an old English term which refers to the “lord” of the manor. Still use that term in Europe. This person is the Master of this manor, of this property.

F. (Rom 10:9 NIV) That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

G. When we were baptized, we made Jesus our Savior but we also made Him our Lord. He bought us with his blood and we are His.

H. Also when we were baptized, Jesus Christ came and began living in our hearts. Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

I. (John 14:23 NIV) Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

J. Jesus Christ is living in our hearts; He has made our hearts His home. (John 14:17 NIV) the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

Thesis: This morning I want us to compare our hearts to the rooms in our houses and see how Jesus would view each room. (Idea and portions adapted from Robert Boyd Munger’s My Heart Christ’s Home)

For instances:

1. Let’s take our Friend Jesus into the study- the Library.

A. This is the room of our minds. It is the room that controls the other rooms.

B. Jesus enters with us and looks around at the books in the bookcase, the magazines upon the table, the computer on its desk, and the pictures on the walls. As we follow His gaze we become uncomfortable.

C. Strangely, we had not felt self-conscious about this before, but now that Jesus was there looking at these things He is embarrassed.

D. Some books were there that His eyes were too pure to behold.

E. On the table were a few magazines that a Christian had no business reading.

F. The computer has internet sites, e-mail’s, programs and documents stored that are not wholesome or family friendly.

G. As for the pictures on the walls- the imaginations and thoughts of the mind- some of these are hideous.

H. Red faced, we turn to Jesus and say, “Master, we know that this room needs to be cleaned up and made over. Will you help us make it what it ought to be?”

I. “Certainly!” Jesus says. “I’m glad to help you.”

1. First of all, take all the things that you are reading and looking at which are not helpful, pure, good and true, and throw them out!

2. Put on the empty shelves the books of the Bible, my Word. Fill the library with Scripture and meditate on it day and night. Fill the computer with the same things.

3. As for the pictures on the walls, you will have difficulty controlling those, but I have something that will help. He gives us a full-size portrait of Himself. “Hang this in the center,” He says, “on the wall of your minds.”