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Home Improvement 2 – Fix Your Home

You don’t need to be a home owner very long to know that homes need fixing. If you are renting the house, apartment, or condo you would just call the landlord. But when you own the home, you must also own the problem.
As home owners we must learn how to fix the problems. We must OWN the problems if we are to ever FIX the problem.

Home Improvement
Welcome to Redemption Church! We have decided that a really terrible bumper video makes the sermon seem that much better.
We are in the 2^nd week of our Home Improvement sermon series. This series has nothing to do with the Tim Allen sitcom from the 1990s. The idea is that everyone lives somewhere. We should improve the situation where we find our self.
Everyone lives somewhere… improve the situation…

Last week we talked to you about building you house, your life, your marriage, your family, your career, your education… This home metaphor fits any area of your life.
I want you to remember that we told you to focus on…

• Where to build. If you want what you build to last, then you need to build on something that will last. Build on Jesus! He is the same yesterday today and forever.
• Counting the cost. We told you that amazing & encouraging story of the Vietnam snipe Carlos Hathcock and how he “made the decision when he was in his right mind.” We need to make the decision and then hold to the decision.
• Who will build? Maybe you aren’t the best candidate to be in charge of this build? God has offered to build your life, why not allow Him?

Today we are going to talk to you about Fixing your home.
Fix your home

You don’t have to be a home owner for very long to realize that homes need fixing.
When you rent a home, apartment, or condo, you just pick up the phone and call the landlord when something breaks.
When you own the house, you have to have to fix the house or pay someone else to do it.
We moved into our first home and on day one we ran our brand new washing machine. It went through all the cycles and started to drain the water into the drain. But suddenly water started to pour out onto our new homes floor. The drain was clogged by previous owners and water would not flow through to the sewers. It was such a mess having all that water on the floor.
It was an even bigger mess when I rented a plumbing tool called a “snake.” There were diapers shoved down that drain. There were rubber gloves shoved down that drain.
Sometimes you inherit problems

We didn’t shove diapers in that drain. We did not put rubber gloves in that drain. But when we bought the house we bought the problem.
You can inherit all kinds of problems.

• Shoddy workmanship that didn’t follow building codes
• A faulty foundation
• Cleverly hidden things. Cracks that are caulked and painted over. Problems within walls that are hidden behind sheetrock.
• Dangerous things like wiring that could cause a fire.

In your life right now, you may have inherited some problems.

• Maybe you had relationships that followed shoddy workmanship and cut corners.
• Maybe the way you were raised by your parents created a faulty foundation. Maybe you weren’t told you were loved. Maybe you were taught some bad habits.
• Maybe you were injured by someone. Maybe you have tried to cleverly hide the hurt.
• Maybe even right now you have a dangerous problem in your heart & mind that could cause great damage.

It’s not fair, but sometimes we inherit problems. You may have not caused the problem, but it is up to you to fix the problem.
You will never fix a problem until you own the problem. Remember that renters don’t fix the problem, they call the landlord. This problem in the middle of your life requires you to take OWNERSHIP.
RIGHT NOW there is a problem somewhere in your life. In your family, in your health, in your business, in your dream, in your moral character, in your education, in your finances, in your marriage, in your ministry, in your church…
OWN THE PROBLEM TO FIX THE PROBLEM

One of the best things that could happen today is that you decide to own a problem and begin to fix the problem. That decision would change your life. You could change your life today.
Own the problem. Another way to say that is to “CONFESS” the problem. We quote this scripture a lot…
1 John 1:9 (NIV2011) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
But here is another great one that we don’t mention as often.
James 5:16 (NIV2011) Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
It is owning the problem to make a public confession to someone you trust.
Proverbs 28:13 (NIV2011) Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
OWN THE PROBLEM TO FIX THE PROBLEM
Raise your hand if your home has ever undergone a renovation. What a pain!!

Renovation

The idea of a renovation is to refresh the design. Maybe the design is dated or just really ugly.. you would renovate by bringing in a new design.
Here are some bathrooms in need of a renovation..

Bathroom 1

Bathroom 2

Bathroom 3

Bathroom 4

Bathroom 5

Bathroom 6

Bathroom 7

Those were ugly bathroom designs. They could use some renovation. They need a new fresh design.
Maybe you feel that way about your life today. Maybe there is an area of your life that needs a new design.
Well I need to warn you of the most important step in the renovation process.
Demolition

Remember that purple clam looking bath and sink?
Bathroom 3
In order to renovate this bathroom, the clam has to go. You can’t keep the clam around… The old has to go away if the new is going to come.
The most important part of the renovation process is the demolition. This is counter intuitive. We like to look at the new design. We like to go pick out paint colors and furniture. We like to think about the finished renovation.
If the new is coming, the old can’t stay!

You have to take a sledge hammer to some things and smash them and carry them out to the dumpster.
You have to remove some nails that were holding the old in place.
You have to reach up and tear down some gross flower wallpaper.
You must reach down and rip up that shag carpet some sick demented person thought would be pretty in the bathroom.
If the new is coming, the old can’t stay. What does that mean in your life? What is it in your life that needs demolition?
There is a space in your life where you are attempting to build something new.

Perhaps the reason you are having trouble building the new, is that you haven’t gotten rid of the old.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV2011) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Christ comes and He brings newness with Him. Christ comes and the old must go.
Christ brings a renovation. Christ brings a new design.
Brand New

Jesus Christ is into new things.
Jesus does not look on craigslist and find where someone is throwing out 30 year old carpet out. Jesus does not go over to their house and load it in his truck and come install this 30 year old carpet in your house.
Jesus brings BRAND NEW things.
Jesus gives a brand new grace & mercy when he washes away all your sins. You will be born again into a new life. You will come out of the waters of baptism feeling like a new person. You will rise to walk in newness of life. He will take out your old heart of stone and put a new heart of flesh in you. He will put a new Spirit in you, His Holy Spirit.
Jesus doesn’t do 30 year old carpet. Jesus does brand new.
Brand New is awesome. It is everything we should be wanting… but we have to be willing to let go of the old.
Isaiah 43:18 (NIV2011) “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
Isaiah 43:19 (NIV2011) See, I am doing a new thing!
Isaiah 65:17 (NIV2011) “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.
Isaiah 65:18 (NIV2011) But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.
Hebrews 8:13 (NIV2011) By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.
Revelation 21:5 (NIV2011) He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”
Jesus doesn’t just make things newer… He makes everything Brand New
This is the best thing. Jesus makes us brand new.
Jesus takes a drug addict, demolishes the old, and makes them brand new.
Jesus takes abusive husbands, demolishes the old, and makes them brand new.
Jesus takes lying, greedy, hateful, and jealous people, demolishes the old, and makes them brand new.
Jesus takes failures, demolishes the old, and makes them brand new.
Jesus takes hypocrites, demolishes the old, and makes them brand new.
Jesus takes you and me, demolishes the old, and makes us brand new.
But there is a problem. We don’t always want brand new.
Bathroom 3
I have to go back to the clam bathroom.
This bathroom doesn’t just need a new throw rug.
This bathroom doesn’t just need a new shower curtain.
This bathroom doesn’t just need a new toilet paper holder.
This bathroom needs a completely new design.
Status Quo has got to go

Far too often we don’t want Jesus to make us brand new. We just want him to improve us a little.
We don’t want a completely new design, we just wonder if he could slightly improve us.
We say we want new but we are more committed to the status quo.
Our care pastor, Marshal Blessing, and I answer a lot of phone calls of people wanting help from the church. We are here to help and we are honored to answer the call. BUT this is how the majority of these phone calls go.
“Hello. My life is falling apart and I need your help to help me maintain my status quo.”
“I can’t afford BLANK and I am about to lose it. Can you help me make the payment.”
We want to help everyone, but it is NEVER a help to keep someone in a status quo that is not working.
I want to make sure you understand that sentence.
For example someone calls and says they need someone to help them pay for a motel room for the weekend or they are going to be out on the street. Redemption Church do we want them out on the street? No we don’t. It is in our heart to help them, but before we go and buy two nights at a motel 6 we ask… What happens on Monday? Where will you stay on Monday?
The reply is usually “I don’t know what I’ll do on Monday… can you help me today…”
They are asking for us to help them maintain their status quo even though their status quo is not working.
We do find Godly ways to help everyone who calls and if you would like to know more about our care ministry we would gladly share with you and invite you to help us in that ministry. BUT HERE IS WHAT I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU AS I DRAW TO A CONCLUSION TODAY AND INVITE YOU TO PRAY.
It is human nature to hold onto your status quo, but often our status quo is like the clam bathroom.
We are trying to hold on to a status quo that doesn’t work anyway…. It is no longer sustainable… it is not fulfilling.
You will have to demolish your status quo to have the new life you desire.

You need to demolish your secret sin habits to have the brand new of Jesus Christ.
You need to demolish laziness and a lack of focus to have the brand new you desire.
You have to let the old go of the status quo to have the brand new.
Fix Your Home
You know what this tool is. It’s a hammer. It is such a useful tool.
Half of this tool is for building. Driving nails. Connect wood beams together.
The other half of this tool is for demolition. Removing nails. Prying things apart.
We want you to build this new life, but maybe you need to spend some time today focusing on the other side of the hammer.
When you come to this altar today, YOU ARE owning the problem. You are saying I am ready to fix some things.
When you come to this altar today, YOU ARE saying that you want something new. You want a new design on your life.
When you come to this altar today, YOU ARE saying that you are willing to let go of the status quo.
Come talk to God today. It’s time to get to work.