2021-5-16, The Christian Home: The Closet, Mt. 6:6

Welcome

Recap on Gospel Conversations Conference

If you missed it, we will practice some of it at Pat Swan’s house tonight. Let me know if you want to be a part because she is fixing a wonderful dinner.

Monday option a week from tomorrow.

Introduction

Game closet

Valuable games

A lot of games

We are going to see how a closet is a metaphor for a aspect of our family, house.

Review

May is for families

What is a house? kingdom, domain

Includes house rules, house ways, internally, externally, posture toward the Lord

God’s has a house

3 Circles

God’s house ways become our house ways.

The reward is our houses will become established and will endure, and be blessed.

Jesus and the house built on sand or rock

Our family ways will influence the world.

Our family ways will go into the future.

Our homes can turn around today.

In this series, I want to point out several ways that the Lord’s house ways can shape our family ways.

I want to do this by visiting different rooms in our houses (figuritively, of course). These rooms are metaphors for different aspects of family life. As we visit each room we will look at some of the Lord’s ways which you can consider to apply to that area of your family’s life. My hope is that as your add His ways into the mix, you will find your home bigger and stronger in Him.

So far, the kitchen is the place of...

Gratitude for God’s provision- Thank you board & prayer

Family Connection- family dinner a priority, 4+ times each week

Hospitality- remember the empty chair

The family room reminds us of...

1. Remembering our family heritage and faith stories. Establishing new faith stories.

2. Family devotions

3. Worthy family leisure- Not too little, not too much, not contrary to family faith

The Closet

First, The closet reminds us that our identity is in Christ, not in possessions.

The closet is where we store stuff. I think the closet is the proper place to consider God’s ways regarding possessions.

Closets are where we store valuables- in the safe or in the box on that top shelf.

Closets are where we store a lot of things. They become easily cluttered (anyone have the problem of things falling out when you open the closet door?). Closets show our hesitation to throw things away because we “may need it someday.” or we have an emotional attachment to something, or we like to have something in our possession.

I saw some videos on organization. It said to have a give away box, throw away box, and a put away box. I could never get anyone to put clutter in any of their boxes. It is really hard to fill up two of these boxes, empty one of them

Maybe the closet is a the tip of the iceberg regarding our possessions. We also have the garage, and the attic, and the storage building out back. If we are not careful, we can fill them all up.

This tendency can betray something about us, that our possessions are more than just items we collect. Our fear of getting rid of things reveals that they are our security. Do we put our trust in them rather than in the Lord. Do you trust Jesus to take care of you, or the things in the closet?

Also revealed is our tendency to find our worth or identity in what we own.

I think about Gollum in the Hobbit who obsessed about his ring or his “Precious” and ends up chasing the ring to his doom.

Mark 10:17–27 ESV

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

This poor rich young ruler had money, wealth, and reputation, but he didn’t have what really mattered, a warm personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If he had this, he would have what really mattered, but he exchanged Jesus for his earthly possessions.

The author of ecclesiastes, King Solomon, sought to find happiness in possessions.

Ecclesiastes 2:4–11 ESV

I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man. So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

The meaning of vanity here means that in the end wealth and possessions are fleeting of futile. Everything in that closet will be left behind and will belong to another person or to the trash heap.

Paul says in the new testament, that all things such as power, prestige or wealth, are considered

Philippians 3:8–10 ESV

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

The closet reminds us that our identity is in Christ, not in possessions.

Action- Pursue Christ more than possessions. Gain a proper perspective of possessions. Keep a loose grip on them. In the words of Billy Graham: “It’s okay to have possessions, just not for possessions to have you.”

How to keep possessions from owning us?

Give them away. Give the tithe.

“Gain all you can

Save all you can

Give all you can”

-John Wesley

Be like C.H. Spurgeon who managed to have a net worth of $0 when he died. He gave it all away.

The closet reminds us to make personal prayer a major part of our homes.

Matthew 6:6 ESV

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Spurgeon: “When asked, ‘What is more important: praying or reading the Bible?’” I ask, ‘What is more important: breathing in or breathing out?’”

Closets are where we go to pray in private and commune with Christ. Sweet hour of prayer

Action step- establish a prayer closet and get in there every day. 30-day challenge

The closet reminds us that we are completely forgiven, yet the Holy Spirit is still purging us of sin.

Closets are also where we hide things. We can put things behind that door and pretend that they don’t exist. They are out of sight, out of mind- most of the time.

In our homes, we have those family secrets that we keep in the closet, and we tell everyone in the household, “Ya’ll make sure no one at Church knows about these things.”

Personally, we have those sins that we keep around even though we’ve been saved. Some of these are socially acceptable sins. Others are things that are worthy of extreme shame.

Yet, Christ came to redeem us completely and thoroughly.

We’ve been justified and forgiven for all of our sins.

Romans 3:23–26 ESV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

We are redeemed. We bear the righteousness of Christ in the eyes of the Father. Our condition has categorically changed from wicked sinners to restored sons and daughters. This has all happened through grace by faith. So, now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 There is now no shame and guilt for sin. Amen!

Yet, a second part of our salvation is not as punctiliar. It is the process of sanctification.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 ESV

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This sanctify means to cleanse. Certainly, we have been redeemed, but the wrestling match with that part of us that wants to sin continues. But the Word tells us that the Holy Spirit is performing a purifying work in us. One day, we will be presented to Christ not only justified, but also completely washed of sin. This will make the Kingdom of God so special- imagine a kingdom of people who do no sin!

But in the meantime we battle the flesh. The flesh wins more often than what we would like to admit. In order to portray ourselves as more “together” or “sanctified” than we really are, we hid our sins in the closet.

But the Spirit of Christ is coming for these hidden sins.

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 ESV

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

In other words, these sins will not be a part of you when you go into His kingdom.

Philippians 1:6 ESV

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

You will have these things purged of you, whether you like it or not. You can go along with the Lord in it or He can do it the tough way.

In 1951, R.B. Munger wrote a work called My Heart Christ’s Home. It’s about a Christian who gives Jesus a tour of his home. Jesus has comments along the way.

The Hall Closet

There is just one more matter that I might share with you. One day I found Him waithing for me at the door. An arresting look was in His eye. As I entered, He said to me, “There is a peculiar odor in thw house. There is something dead around here. It’s upstairs. I think it is in the hall closet.” As soon as He said this, I knew what He was talking about. Yes, there was a small closet up there on the landing, just a few swuare feet, and in that closet, behind lock and key, I had one or two little personal things that I did not want anyone to know about and certainly I did not want Christ to see them. i knew they were dead and rotting things left over from the old life. And yet I loved them, and I wanted them so for myself that I was afraid to admit they were there.

Reluctanty, I went up with Him, and as we mounted the stairs the odor became stronger and stronger. He pointed at the door. “It’s in there! Some dead thing!”

I was angry. That’s the only way I can put it. I had given Him access to the library, the dining room, the living room, the workroom, the playroom, and now He was asking me about a little 2x4 closet. I said to myself, “This is too much. I am not going to give Him the key.”

“Well,’ He said, reading my thoughts, “if you think I’m going to stay up here on the second floor with this odor, you are mistaken. I will take my bed out on the back porch. I’m certainly not going to put up with that.” Then I saw Him start down the stairs.

When you have come to know and love Christ, the worst thing that can happen is to sense His fellowship retreating from you. I had to surrender. “I’ll give You the key,” I said sadly, “but You’ll have to open the closet and clean it out. I haven’t the strength to do it.”

“I know,” he said. “I know you haven’t. Just give me the key. Just authorize me to take care of that closet and I will.” So with trembling fingers I passed the key to Him. He took it from my hand, walked over to the door, opened it, entered it, took out all the putrefying stuff that was rotting there and threw it away. Then He cleaned the closet and painted it, fixed it up, doing it all in a moment’s time. Oh, what victory and release to have that dead thing out of my life!”

The closet reminds us that we are completely forgiven, yet the Holy Spirit is purging us of sin.

Action step- Repentance, Swallow your pride. Overcome you shame and guilt. Talk with your GG leader or a fellow member. Visit with me and learn that there is nothing quite as great as a brother or sister in Christ who repents of sin and takes a huge step forward in Christ.

Luke 15:7 ESV

Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.