(Note to reader - Prior to the sermon, a video clip from The Learning Channel's show "Clean Sweep" was played. The video pictured a home that was stacked and packed with thousands of objects. The objects and items were stuffed in closets or in original packing boxes and the home was so filled with stuff that the owners could barely find a place to sit, sleep, or walk.)
The National Association of Home Builders puts out a number of statistics every year. Since 1970 the average size of a house in the United States has increased by nearly forty percent from aboutfifteen hundred square feet totwenty-three hundredsquare feet. Yet during this same period of time, the average family size declined! Nowadays, we’re not building bigger homes for bigger families. We’re building bigger homes to house all our clutter. Our junk!
What a mess! Where did all this clutter come from?
The most important criteria for home buyers? It's closet space, basement space, attic space, garage space, and outdoor storage space. Coming soon to a neighborhood near you- another storage facility to house your clutter. Have you ever wondered where all the clutter has come from? How about Walmart? Target? Meijer? Shop–N-Save? Garage sales? Hand-me-downs? Flea markets? Our dogs hate flea markets! The clutter can become so overwhelming that it actually squeezes out life. We know all our extra junk doesn’t truly enhance life! If it did, it wouldn’t sit on a shelf or in the corner of a garage.
This past week I did a funeral service for Hazel Konrad, a long-time member of our church and good friend of Gen Segretto. In a room across the hall from where Hazel's service was being held, someone noticed that there sat a Harley Davidson! I must confess that I’d never seen a Harley Davidson sitting inside a funeral parlor before. Obviously, that Harley was an enormous part of someone’s life. I told one of the Staab brothers that when I die, I want my bass boat in the same room next to my casket. Actually I didn’t say that because they were still hyperventilating over the Harley being there!
Isn’t it amazing how attached we become to stuff? It's amazing how stuff can become such a huge part of our identity that even in death, people cannot separate our memory from the things we held on to in this life? There is something about our human nature that has difficulty letting go of junk.
We become attached to our stuff!
Last night, I was looking in my shed in the back yard, and there were four or five pumps just sitting there. Two of them were sump pumps that were used to discharge water from our crawlspace. The other three were septic pumps that were part of our septic system. Let’s not talk about what they were used for. All five of those pumps are broken, yet there they sit after all these years. Why? Two of them I’m saving to cash in the warranty, but the rest are junk. Any takers? In that shed there were sawed logs, two by fours, an old fan, iron pipes, a broken shovel, dozens of pots, and a rusted weight set. I probably shouldn’t have put the weights out there, huh?
What if holding on to all this clutter and junk is just the tip of the iceberg? Some of the worst junk we hold on to isn’t material or physical. It’s spiritual in nature. And instead of storing it in our closets, garages and attics, we store it in our hearts. And the junk we're storing in our hearts is killing us. It is destroying our lives, ruining our souls, wrecking relationships, marriages, families, churches, and communities.
I was thinking last night as I stood in the shed in my backyard, that this is where I put all the junk I don’t want to let go of. And I said to myself, "Self, someday I am going to come out here, take everything out and put it on my lawn, and do a clean sweep!" Our hearts are like that shed. Our hearts are where we put a lot of things we don’t want to let go of. Our hearts need a clean sweep. And not just someday, but as soon as possible.
We live out of the overflow of our hearts.
The Bible teaches that we live out of the overflow of the heart. Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. The reason that we say and do so many destructive things is because we do not possess a well-ordered heart. We haven’t invited God’s Holy Spirit to sweep it clean. We keep holding on to bad stuff.
Could we just take a little time this morning to identify some of the junk we need to purge from our hearts? Sometimes it takes an objective voice to tell us what has to go. This is what I love about The Learning Channel's show "Clean Sweep". Whenever I watch the show, I laugh at the things people absolutely refuse to let go! I cannot believe how stubborn people are about getting rid of things! But I’m the same way. You're the same way.
Calmly and firmly, the show's hosts help people let go of the clutter. And once the clutter is gone, there is so much joy and happiness. No one on the show ever seems to miss the clutter. In fact, most people wondered why they kept the clutter around for so long. And all of us watching the programs are sitting there saying, "duh."
Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount, which is found in Matthew5 through Matthew 7is God’s voice of reason to us this morning. These words teach us about what we ought to hold on to and what we ought to let go of. If you have your Bible please find Matthew5. Let’s do a quick overview of Jesus’ words.
Item number 1- Anger.
Matthew 5:21-26 (NIV) "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder,' and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother willl be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca', is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your bother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your gift. Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny."
A lot of people find value in holding on to anger. There is an energy, a kind of adrenaline rush or high, that comesfrom being angry. Anger makes us feel powerful and in control. It’s a coping mechanism. And we love holding on to anger. We keep it near and accessible so it can be turned on in a moment's notice.
But Jesus identifies that anger is the deadly root of murder. Anger isn’t an innocent thought or attitude. It quickly escalates into behavior. Out of the overflow of an angry heart the tongue lashes out with insults, then condemnation. Anger impairs our worship, our appreciation for God’s grace, our willingness to resolve differences, or to forgive others. Anger quickly escalates into lawsuits, imprisonment, and even murder. In the end, anger costs us everything. Every last penny. Every single person feels justified in holding on to anger. But you cannot afford to hold on to it any longer. Invite God’s Holy Spirit to sweep it away.
Item number 2- Lust.
Matthew 5:27-32 (NIV) says, "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery."
A lot of people, and not just men, find value in holding on to lust. "What’s the big deal?" people say. "It’s just an innocent look. You cannot help it, temptation is everywhere. In magazines, in supermarket aisles, on the internet, the girl walking down the street, the guy down the hall. So what, we're a sex-crazed society."
But Jesus identifies that lust is the root of divorce, adultery, and sexual immorality. That innocent look becomes a covetous thought. That covetous thought becomes an evil desire. That evil desire despises what God has given, and seeks what God has not given. That desire becomes a behavior. That behavior leads to a sinful relationship. And soon a marriage is destroyed, a family is cast into turmoil, and God is dishonored. But it doesn’t stop there, because that sinful relationship spawns other sinful, adulterous relationships. And what began as a simple look jeopardizes one’s very soul. That first look is so deadly that Jesus warns, "it's better to gouge out your eye." That first sinful act is so deadly that Jesus says, "it's better to cut off your hand, than for your whole body to go into hell."
Item number 3- Falsehood
Matthew 5:33-37 (NIV) says, "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne, or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes', and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."
Jesus identifies how we use words to shore up the gaps in our character. We lie, we stretch the truth, and we make false promises. Instead of being renewed in our innermost being through the power of the Holy Spirit, we leave the old self unchanged.
Item number 4- Hatred
Matthew 5:38-48 (NIV) says, "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love you enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Jesus condemns the hatred that causes us to take matters into our own hands. We are resisting, fighting, seeking revenge, and retaliating.
Item number 5- Hypocrisy
Matthew 6:1-8 (NIV) says, "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret, Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the streeet corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."
Jesus exposes how a hypocritical heart that lacks all sincerity, that goes through the religious motions of giving, praying, and fasting, can never experience the true rewards of heaven. He exposes how religion done for men fails to transform one’s relationships and soul.
Item number 6- Unforgiveness
Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV) says, "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, you Father will not forgive your sins."
Item number 7- Materialism
Matthew 6:19-24 (NIV) says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."
Item number 8- Worry
Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV) says, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Item number 9-Judgmentalism
Matthew 7:1-6 (NIV) says, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
Item number 10-Following the crowd
Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV) says, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
In Matthew 7:15-16 (NIV)Jesus describes false prophets who come to you dressed in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. In Matthew 7:16 (NIV) he says, "By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, a good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit." You may think all that evil junk you are storing down in your heart doesn’t matter, but the truth is that it completely controls who you are, what you say, what you do, who you're becoming, andthe health of your relationships. That junk endangers your soul.
Can we really enjoy life in the midst of the clutter?
There’s a question in your outline. Can we truly enjoy life in the middle of the clutter? Perhaps a better question is, are you enjoying life with the all the clutter in your heart? The clutter includes anger, lust, falsehood, hypocrisy, unforgiveness, materialism, worry, judgmentalism, and crowd-mentality. It's all squeezing out the life of God. If you are miserable and dissatisfied, it's because of the things you are cultivating in your heart.
This is why Paul says in Colossians 3:8-9 (NIV), "But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other." This is why Paul says in Colossians 3:5 (NIV), "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry." There is no life in sin. In sin there is only death. The wages of sin is death. So what’s the big deal? What are we missing out on?
In Matthew 5:3-12 (NIV) Jesus says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
The greatest blessings come in possessing a well-ordered heart.
The greatest blessings come in possessing a well-ordered heart. A heart swept clean by God’s Holy Spirit and receptive to God. The heart that God blesses is one broken by sin, and one that mourns for what’s been lost in sin. The heart that God blesses is humble and meek, not proud. The heart that God blesses hungers and thirsts for the very righteousness of God. It’s merciful toward others. It’s pure. It seeks peace. It remains steadfast even when persecuted and unpopular. A well-ordered heart tastes the kingdom of heaven, it receives eternal comfort, it inherits the good things of life, it is filled and content, it's shown mercy, it sees God, it revels in sonship, andit is richly rewarded in heaven. And out of the overflow of a godly, well-ordered heart comes good fruit, pleasing to God.
Total transformation- pipe dream or reality?
Let me end by talking about total transformation. Is total transformation a pipe dream or a very real possibility? In Matthew 5:48 (NIV) Jesus says, "Be perfect, therefore, just as your heavenly father is perfect." In Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV) Jesus says, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Clearly, God’s goal is that we would be perfect. That we would obey everything Christ has taught us and commanded of us. Jesus demonstrated that such a life is possible. He was tempted in every way, yet was able to remain without sin. The standard God wants us to embrace is total transformation. But that transformation is a life-long outgrowth of the clean sweep God wants to do in the depths of our hearts.
The Bible teaches how we can become totally transformed.
In Matthew 6:33 (NIV) Jesus says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will given to you as well."
In Colossians 3:1-2 (NIV) Paul says, "...set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."
In Ezekiel 36:26-27 God promises, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."
In Ezekiel 18:31-32 he says, "Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!"
To be transformed, we must surrender our lives to Jesus Christ.
For all of us this morning, it really comes down to a critical decision and commitment. Are you willing to surrender your entire life to Jesus Christ? Are you willing to seek his kingdom and his righteousness, not just before everything else, but instead of everything else? You cannot serve two masters.
Are you willing to repent and turn away from the sins you have been holding on to? And through the power of God’s Holy Spirit, are you ready to receive a new heart and a new spirit? This morning I invite you to surrender your heart, mind, body, and soul in the waters of baptism, to put your old self to death, and receive the life God intends for you to have.