"A Home Makeover Story"
Dean AngellNovember 27/28, 2004
I found out something about myself a long time ago - (I'm better at breaking stuff than fixing it . . .). In fact - I am the most inept fix-it guy you can imagine . . . I can't do it - I can't do carpentry - I can't do plumbing - I can't do electrical - I can't patch walls or do flooring or even paint very well . . . and I certainly can't read blueprints or picture what something might look like if it was designed differently than it is . . .
So . . . when it comes to home renovations and makeovers - I'm the wrong guy . . . but I figured out something else this week that made me okay with this subject . . .
Today - we're talking about our spiritual house getting re-done . . . here's the thing that helped me . . . (did you know that) God never asks us to change or makeover anything in our lives by ourselves . . . never . . . . . Instead He says . . . all we have to do is be willing to change . . . and He'll actually create the change - He'll handle the specifics and do most of the work - All we have to do is show up and be moldable. Well that just makes me feel a whole lot better . . . about this weeks topic . . .
So - let's get at it. Today I picked 2 rooms in our spiritual life that we might want to remodel a little bit . . . (2 out of about 20) . . . Great thought pattern connected to this topic . . . lots of ideas generated . . . But I just picked 2 really obvious rooms to makeover in this great house that God is building inside each of us . . .
In the home I grew up in, the kitchen was the focal point of the entire house. If you came in the front door.the first thing you saw was the kitchen - a little bitty entrance and then this long sprawling kitchen. And if you were in another part of the house - and couldn't see the kitchen, at least you could always hear it - our kitchen was where the action was in our home. We'd pull up a chair, or we'd pull up a cupboard and everyone would talk and laugh and eat.. And lots of stories came out of that kitchen - funny stories - food stories and life stories - and I bet you have some kitchen/food/eating stories as well. In fact, I brought up some of this kitchen/food stuff around where I was this week and it amazed me how quick people were to respond to the subject. People love to talk about food.. Just try asking this question in a group some time: do you know anyone with some unique eating habits?
And immediately you'll hear a story about somebody's Uncle Angus who puts gravy on his cake or Auntie Olga who eats raw onions like they're apples. In fact, let's just do that.any of you know someone with unique eating habits?
(In crowd response)
"I eat my peas with honey
I've done it all my life
It makes them taste funny
But it keeps them on my knife"
I heard a story about a man who had nine sons - they had only one kitchen rule, and it was simple - dad gets the last piece of chicken.if he didn't want it, the fastest fork wins. One night as all ten of them eyed the final piece on the plate.a thunderstorm caused an electrical blackout.there was a scream in the dark and the lights flickered back on and the dad's hand was on the chicken platter with nine forks sticking in it..
Everybody has a kitchen story because everybody has history in the kitchen. It's the room where your basic needs were supplied. A garage is optional, a living room is worth talking about, and an office is a luxury.but a kitchen is absolutely essential.
When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he said, "Our Father who art in heaven." and he went on and then he said this great kitchen line, "Give us this day our daily bread".. Jesus wanted to make it very clear to his followers that the same God who provided our spiritual nourishment and soul food.is also the God who is most concerned about our basic needs.and we often forget that..
Max Lucado put it like this, "The same hand that guides your soul gives food for your body. Your eternal salvation and your evening meal come from the same hand."
You know, over the years we have had lots of folks stay at our house - whether it has been relatives or friends or just people that were going through a crisis, or whatever..lots of folks.but my wife usually says the same line to them every time.when she's showing them the house and gets to the kitchen - same line - "Don't be shy.if there's something you need and don't see it.ask." That's the best sounding kitchen line in the world.
And when Jesus taught us to pray, he said, "Don't be shy.just ask"."Give us this day our daily bread.". Now the term bread here means a whole lot more than just some good old carbs.it means all of our physical needs - all of them.. Martin Luther described daily bread as "everything necessary for the preservation of life.including food, a healthy body, house, home, wife/husband, and children"..
It's all about talking to God about the necessities of life.and Jesus' point was simple.God is committed to caring for us..
And by praying this way, we aren't asking God for the right to fight for scraps (at His table).we're saying thanks for his generosity - we're affirming (by this prayer . . . ) that providing for us is a priority to God.because that's just what God does..
Let me read a few more verses that clarify this even more.
Psalm 37:3-4, " Trust the Lord and do good. Live in the land and feed on truth. Enjoy serving the Lord, and he will give you what you want. Depend on the Lord, (trust him) and he will take care of you . "
Hebrews 13:20, "I pray that the God of peace will give you everything you need so you can do what he wants."
Haven't those prayers been answered in your life?
Those are some great promises.
But here's the challenge..many of us who live in Canada have a hard time relating to what Jesus said. "Give us this day our daily bread" - because we don't think we need to pray about such an obvious thing (we have no trouble finding our daily bread) .I mean, our kitchen pantries are so full and there's so much food - that we would rather pray for self-control, not food..
"God, help me not to eat too much." is usually my prayer. But what we have to get our heads around, is that the reason we pray "give us our daily bread" is to only find out that our prayer is already answered.amazing.. It's a prayer of thanksgiving for us.
At some point in our lives.(and maybe for some of you - this is that moment).at some point in our lives - it has to occur to us that someone is providing for our needs.. See, the truth of the matter is - it takes more than a trip to Superstore and a cooking pot to put food on the table.. Think about it.have you ever wondered who makes it rain or allows the soil to grow our food.or ever think about who created animals for food?
See folks, the truth of the matter is this.(long before we knew that we needed someone to provide for our needs.God already had done so)..
1 Chronicles 29:14, (King David says this to God . . . ) "But who am I, and who are these people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you have already given us!"
I remember cookie days when I was a kid.where you got home from school and the minute you opened the door you can smell fresh baked cookies.. My brothers and I would get huge glasses of milk and stand right at the cupboard (and eat fresh cookies . . .) on cookie days.it was very easy to be thankful on a cookie day..
People, when is the last time you were truly thankful for your life's basic needs just being taken care of?
See, if you're like me - sometimes I take that stuff for granted or I'm frustrated when my daily bread includes the broccoli of life - (which we have to eat sometimes to be healthy) - instead of just cookies..
See.there are times when our daily bread could be mixed with tears or when part of the provision of life, is adversity, as well as opportunity..
God knows what we need . . . , and some days there's nothing but vegetables on the plate.and that's just a little hard to swallow, if you know what I mean.. But then there usually comes a few cookie days as well..God knows what we need..
And I guess what I want to say is - trust the cook. The next time your plate has more celery than apple pie.remember who gave you that meal.and if it's a little hard to swallow.ask him for something else.. But either way , trust the cook .. That's the rules you and I need to follow if we want a kitchen makeover."give us this day our daily bread". If you NEED - then ask.he's committed to providing it. And if you look back.on your life . . . He's done a pretty good job of it..
And when you really think about it - I guess our kitchens probably don't need a real big makeover.. Instead, maybe we need to be happy with them just the way they are.pretty full - pretty blessed.and most times, enough for everyone that drops by and more..with a few cookie days thrown in on the side..
Let's go on to the second room . . . and it's way different than the kitchen . . . it's a totally different spot . . . .
Living Room -
As a father, I think there are few moments that get this good. Something very cool happened last Sunday night - I was watching the late NFL game - Green Bay vs. somebody else.because it doesn't really matter who Green Bay is playing, you want the other team to lose and Green Bay to win - and while I was watching Brett Farve (the legendary quarterback of the Green Bay Packers) - while I was watching him put together yet another 4 th quarter comeback for the win.my two boys - Kaden and Kash - came and sat on my knee.and it was pretty cool.. They had their Packers shirts on and we were cheering and it felt so good to have them right with me and I'm thinking it felt pretty good for them too.. Just a really warm - safe - awesome place to be.with their dad.in the living room...
Well every spiritual home needs that kind of space as well.a place to just hang out with your heavenly Father..
See, from a human perspective - this is the one thing I can't do enough of.just be there for my kids to hang out with any time they want.and it's the thing they need the most.and to be honest, it's my most important job as a father.. Yes, I need to train them and discipline them and teach them life skills and all that.but what's best is when they just know they can sit with me and be themselves and hang out - that's what builds them the very most.in confidence and in life..
Well folks, I believe there is nothing better than to find that kind of a space or maybe just renovate that room in your life as well . . . - to create a living room for you and God to hang out in..
Again, listen to how Max Lucado describes it, "Walk behind Jesus as he leads you into his living room.sit in the chair he has made for you and warm your hands by the fire which never fades. Take time to look at the framed photos and find yours. Be sure to pick up the scrapbook and find the story of your life.and don't forget to stand at the mantle and study the painting that hangs there.a tender scene of a father and a son."
Did you know that of all his names, "Father" is God's favorite? Jesus called God "Father" over 200 times.in fact, in the gospel of John alone, Jesus says it 156 times.it's just how they communicated..
Now there are all kinds of other metaphors the Bible uses to drive home this father-son/father-daughter relationship stuff into our spiritual lives.. The biggest is probably the whole idea of adoption.. This is just one of the strongest metaphors of the Bible when talking about what actually happens when we decide to follow Jesus Christ with our lives..
Ephesians 1:4-5 says this, " Long ago, before God made the world, God chose us to be his very own through what Christ would do for us. He decided then to make us holy in his eyes, . . . . . . without a single fault are we who stand before him, covered in his love. (Listen) His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family , by sending Jesus Christ to die for us. And he did this because he wanted to." (He chose us and adopted us - because He wanted to . . . )
During the month of September and October, our church spent a bunch of time really looking at this idea of adoption.. You may want to check out our web page and find the "Faith That Sounds Like Jazz" week and give it a listen - there is so much depth of truth there..
When we make a decision to follow Jesus Christ, God immediately adopts us into his family.and it's not something we can earn. The best part about adoption is that it can only be received.it's a gift of the greatest kind.and..it is from this vantage point of being daughters and sons of God that we can see what is most important to God.. Relationship with his kids is what is most important - time with his kids - laughter and joy and love and forgiveness and peace being given to his kids.. (is what is most important to God . . . )
Folks, I don't think we have any idea how much God wants to be near to us.I don't think we have any concept of the depth of his love or how much he longs to just hang out with us..
Listen to Romans 8:38-39, (the apostle Paul says . . . ) " Yes, I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor ruling spirits, nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us, nothing below us, nor anything else in the whole world will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
People, I don't know what kind of relationship you've had with your earthly father - (for a lot of you it hasn't been a good one) - but let me tell you about your heavenly Father.the one who longs to walk with you - the one who waits in the living room just hoping to hang out with you.(I imagine he's a Packers fan as well).. And this Father will never turn you away - the doors to this room are never closed.. So when you're confused, run to that room - when you're hurt, run to that room - when you're frustrated or overwhelmed or elated or energized, go to that room.when you've messed it all up, go there.because there (in the living room), your heavenly Father is waiting.and he will mend what is broken - heal what is hurting - celebrate what energizes you and cry with you during defeat. Go often to those big chairs and learn to linger in that place.. He is always there and he is always waiting..
Folks . . . make sure your spiritual house has this kinda room in it . . . (Can you stay with me - one more) Let me close with a few thoughts on foundations - because to be honest - it's really kinda silly to do any home makeovers if the foundation of the house is shaky . . . Always before you do renovations - or changes of any kind - you've gotta ask - What am I building on? And is the foundation strong enough to develop and build on top of?
Jesus talked in chapter 7 about foundations.
Matthew 7:24-27, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock... But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
And so the question is very simple . . . Rock or sand? What are we building our lives on?
Man - I was thinking about this stuff all week . . . that renovations are worthless without a solid foundation . . . (thinking about and how to get us thinking correctly on this . . . ) and I don't know how except in a very straightforward gut-check kinda way . . .
How solid is your life foundation? Because there's lots of places where we could build it . . .
. You and I can build our life foundation on success or on our ability to make lots of money . . .
. We could build a foundation on our careers or on our ability to put a deal together . . .
. We can build a foundation on top of our smarts or our education - or our health . . .
. We can build on our ability to make friends or have an incredibly full social calendar . . .
There's lots of places to build . . . but the question is not where to
build . . . that's not what Jesus asked . . . no - He asked what our foundation is built on (not where) . . . Rock or sand? . . .
And folks, I gotta be honest . . . everyone of the things I just mentioned are great things, success is great, money is great, social status is good, education and leadership and health . . . These are all good . . . but they're all sand . . . that we try to build our lives on . . . (everyone of them) and they shift and can very easily come apart . . .and everyone of those can leave you empty and alone and in a pile of trouble . . .
With the rest of the house falling down because the foundation shifted . . . Listen to how David the psalmist said it . . .after his house crashed . . . .
Psalm 40:2, "He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand."
Folks, there is only one solid foundation to build on - there is only one foundation that will not change or waiver or move . . . There's only one foundation that you can trust with everything in your life . . . and that is Jesus Christ . . .
Let's chase this a little more . . . .
You know there are many ways that God is described in the Bible . . . names (of God) that give me huge confidence in my foundation . . . so as we close . . .
Just sit back and listen to who God is . . . (this is our foundation) (these are just a few of his names)
The Powerful One - The creator of the universe and of my life.
The Caring Shepherd - The one who safely leads us.
The God who provides - The one who gives us daily bread and more. . .
The God of Peace - The one who supplies peace that is beyond comprehension.
The God who heals - He heals our diseases. . . and mends our wounds. . .
The God of Refuge - The one who is a hiding place during the fiercest of storms . . .
And you know what - there are dozens more . . . describing the most
solid foundation you will ever find . . .
And you know what - I know it's true . . . that that's who God is . . . but don't just believe me . . . ask anyone whose been following Jesus Christ for a few years - ask them whether their foundation is getting stronger or weaker . . . I dare you - ask them . . . cause they'll all say the same thing . . . they'll say its true -
. He's been a faithful friend when everyone else left
. He has healed me in so many ways you wouldn't believe it . . .
. He's bee a trustworthy guide during the foggiest seasons of life and
. He's been a shelter in the midst of terrible storms . . .
They'll say - that's Jesus - that's my foundation. And I'll say it to - He's solid - He's a rock and we can build a great house (a great life) (a great house) on top of that Rock . . . (who is Jesus Christ)
So folks, . . . don't build your house on the sand and don't try to do a makeover and leave God out of it . . . and please . . . don't remodel on a shaky foundation.
Folks . . . Jesus is the rock were looking for . . . and on Him you can build your life forever . . . He will never let you down and He will never walk away . . . He is unchanging and all loving and amazing . . . and He's a treasure . . . and I'm calling you to give him more of your life today . . .
As the song is played . . . use these moments to connect or re-connect your life to Jesus . . . let the words speak into your life . . .and then we'll pray.
