Is Your House In Order?

In the Book Of Matthew (21:12-13) we read about Jesus arriving in Jerusalem and heading straight into the temple. Why? To put His house in order first and then be about His Fathers' business! As we strive to live like Jesus, are we working to make sure our houses are in order? Before answering, it is important realize that as Christians we have three homes in this world.

Our first home is our physical body. In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul refers to our bodies as the temple of God and a place that He dwells. There are several fad diets that will encourage you to flush out all of the negative toxins in your system in order to achieve better health. In the same way, our spiritual cleanliness depends on the amount of "toxins" we allow to live inside us. Just like physical viruses or infections, the longer they are allowed to stay, the larger they grow and worse they become. As Christians, we are hosting the Great I Am within each of us. In knowing that, should we not conduct a daily cleaning of this temple?

Second is the physical building we call home. Imagine, if you will, that you have just arrived home from church this afternoon and there is a knock on the door. You open it and there stands Jesus in His physical body. What would be the first thing you would want to do before inviting Him in? Would you ask Him to stand on the porch for a few minutes while you went inside and tried to clean up the best you could? Would you be embarrassed for Jesus to see how you were living? Would you need to hide anything before allowing Him to come inside?

Our last home on earth is the church. While not necessarily always in agreement with one another, church should be a place of fellowship, love, understanding and accountability. The church (which remember Jesus referred to as His home) should be a place of healing for the hurting and understanding for the searching. What is the ultimate goal of the church? To win the lost! Imagine if Jesus physically came to visit our services today. Would He only see a church that was clean on the outside? Or, would He find a church that has veered from its' mission and is concerned about all of the wrong things?

One thing I hope you noticed in this message was the use of the word physical. Our physical bodies, Jesus physically coming to visit your home or our church. This begs a very important question, would you act differently if He was here with us physically? If so, why? For God's Word clearly tells you and I that He is already here dwelling in and among us.

So I ask you today, is your house in order?

Pastor Aaron