Message Series // My House Part 2 (Who Is In Your House?)
Message Date // February 28, 2021 (Pastor Geoff Surratt)
Big Idea
As we continue this series called “My House”, we turn our attention to WHO is in our home. Or maybe another way to look at this is to ponder WHO we would allow in our home. This isn’t just confined to immediate blood family, but anyone we would prefer to do life with. Many of us have a list of those who we would allow to be a part of our house, but we can also come up with a list of people we wouldn’t allow to be a part of our home. Jesus, being a person who challenges us in how we think and live, would unsettle us when it comes to WHO we would allow in our home. When we read about Jesus being in homes, he is spending time with notorious “sinners”…those we might consider on the “not invited” list. May we allow Jesus to challenge us and even change our perspective on WHO we would allow to belong to our house.
“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:15
Discussion
Let’s start by thinking about your own home. Our own homes can be a place we live in, some might stay in for awhile, or others might come in and enjoy great meals and laughs together. When you think about your house, who is in it? Who would you say is a part of it? Read Matthew 12:46-49. Who would be in Jesus’ home? Why is this an important question to consider?
Read the whole chapter of Luke 15 and especially focus on the first two verses. The rest of the chapter records 3 different stories Jesus tells where there is something that is lost, something that is found, and then it’s followed by a party (Luke 15:7, 10, 24). What these stories tell us is that Jesus is scandalously obsessed with “sinners”…that Jesus’ invitation to “sinners” into his home would always be an open invitation. Our challenge, if we were to be honest, is that we tend to sort those around us like the religious people during the days of Jesus (verses 1-2). There are “saints” (those with similar beliefs and ways of life…the “good” people) and there are “sinners” (those with different beliefs and ways of life…the “bad” people), and our homes would be open to those we deem “saints” in our lives, but it would be closed to those we consider “sinners”. How do we create this “separation” in our culture today? (i.e. political party affiliation, hobbies, religious stances, etc.) What is the danger of putting people into these categories? Why do you think part of Jesus’ life revolved around challenging who we would allow to be a part of our lives?
What if our home became a lot like what Jesus’ house would look like? A place where saints and sinners hung out together. A place we refused to put people into categories. A place where we welcomed “sinners” and ate with them. What would it be like for you to do this? Would this come easy, or would it be tough?
Next Steps
As we wrap things up, let’s not forget the people Jesus was scandalously obsessed with, and let’s also humbly admit that we are one of those “sinners” Jesus invited into a relationship with him (Isaiah 53:6, Romans 5:8)…so that we can be a part of his heavenly home someday. May we also be a people who live out of this grace and learn to live like Jesus. What is one next step you can take to allow people in your life that Jesus would openly invite into his house? Maybe a specific next step you can take is to host a Journey House Church…a place where you can invite those in your life to your home and watch the Journey service together. If you or anyone in your small group would be interested in doing this, please email Pastor Geoff at geoff@journeycolorado.com.