Sweep The House | Student Pastor Zach Hammond by Zach Hammond First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN) Kind: sermon Scripture: Luke 15:1-10, Matthew 5:14-15, Genesis 18:20-26, John 8:3-11, Matthew 23:13-15, Matthew 23:23-24, Acts 2:38-39 Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/zach-hammond--sweep-the-house Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page. Free to copy and share with attribution. ------------------------------------------------------------ we'll get it on here two-minute praise the Lord once you stand near me and honor the word of the Lord it's so good to see everybody in the house of the Lord today looking across I see so many guests so many friends different ones from out of town obviously it's so good to have our missionaries from across the world and I stand before you today as they always do but you just in a little bit more of a another way humbled because of all the men that are here that could be preaching in ministering this morning I give honor to pastor sister carpenter in their absence and we're just glad to be in the house of the Lord amen we'll go to Luke chapter 15 and verse number 1 very familiar passage here I believe the Lord is gonna speak to us if you don't have your Bible you can follow along on the screen we'll read these 10 verses together then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him and the Pharisees and the scribes murmured saying the man receiveth sinners and eateth with them and he spake this parable unto them saying what man of you having a hundred sheep if he lose one of them does leave the ninety and nine and the wilderness and go after that which is lost until he find it and when he found it he layeth on his short laying on his shoulders rejoicing when he cometh home he called together his friends and neighbors saying unto them rejoice with me for I have found my sheep which was lost I stand to use that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth more than over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance either what woman having ten pieces of silver if she loses one piece does she lied a candle sweep the house and seek diligently till she find it and which she has found that she calls her friends and neighbors together saying rejoice somebody say rejoice for I have found the peace which I had lost likewise I sanded you there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth we've gathered here today to cause heaven to rejoice that's the point that's why we're a church if you're a guest today we're not hiding what we're trying to do we want to see you come to an altar of repentance we want to see your life changed by the same Lord and Savior that's changed our life that's what why we do what we do every single week that's why we open up the Word of God that God would lead me to somebody to share what he's done with me done in my life just a simple topic for just a few minutes this morning sweep the house sweep the house if you'll bow your heads we want to go to the Lord in prayer ask that he would bless it this morning oh we love you God we honor and bless your name Lord I know God that you've given me the word God and you have great people here this morning God that we know we can a week out it falls on good ground Lord and they put Lord your word to action and there are lives and their homes Lord of their families Lord and I pray that this morning God that we would see your kingdom come that we would see your will done Lord your your word this morning not my word not my thoughts Oh God but I pray that you would anoint me today God and speak what you would have the church to hear in the name of Jesus we pray and everybody said amen you can be seated this morning Luke begins this passage it makes it very clear for us to understand by pointing out how the scribes and the Pharisees reproved Jesus they were happy with Jesus they begin to murmur because Jesus is association with publicans and sinners gives them a little bit of a frustration here they didn't like that they they were the religious people and you didn't fellowship with those sinners and which gives them not only the the understanding of the parables but for us as an audience reading now thousands of years removed they get to play a role in Jesus's message there is more attention and concern given to the sinner and the lost by heaven than all of the things combined in the Word of God should get our attention this morning because it shakes heaven that the loss being found causes heaven to rejoice if we want heaven to come down to earth it is reaching the lost we see here that the the beginning parable in in the middle parable and then it goes into the story that we know as as as Christians maybe you've never even been around church but you've heard the story or you've heard the analogy of the prodigal son there is the third parable here in Luke chapter 15 but this middle parable is different than the other two because we have a lady that's trying to find something that can't find itself we have a woman that's in the house that lights a candle to find something that the Sheep the scripture we know that even goes back and forth talking about the sheep and the Shepherd and the Sheep will know the Shepherd's voice and the Sheep knows where the flock is and it leaves you and guides you the Shepherd doesn't that sheep has legs brother or and it has the ability to hear and it has the ability to follow and it has to be beef and at times and it may wander back into the flock it may wander away but ultimately it's making its own decisions that prodigal son decided to leave his father's house where everything was fine but he wanted to go do his own thing and live his own life and make his own decisions and have his own free will they made their decisions but this coin is simply just lost as no ability to come back to itself we see the scripture says there's four things that I'd point out there's ten pieces of silver which tells us this they're all of equal value the price that was law of what which lost was not more value than the pieces that were intact he didn't come to call the righteous the scripture says but but for the sinner to repent we should not we cannot we're less than a Christian we're less than a child of God to sit here today and and we've come in and we all look nice and we've made it to church on time and we've got our families here and we're excited to be in the house of the Lord to think that God values us any more than he does the person who strung out on drugs and had woke up from being from being shot up and from being drunk out of their mind last night we've got to understand it those that are lost have just as much value as the nine coins that were still intact he lets you know there's ten pieces because it doesn't make you any more valuable than the other what makes them valuable is that they're all together the second point is that she lights a candle because you won't find anyone or anything in the dark we understand that you are the light of the world according to Matthew 5 and verse number 14 a city that's set up on a hill that cannot be hid neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel but on a candlestick and it giveth light unto all that are aware in the house light a candle in the house be the light of the world number 3 gives us brings us to our title and where we'll focus today and that is she sweeps the house she sweeps the house for the Jacob if you don't care to try not to hit brother named you with that nice she sweeps the house if you could imagine with me and see the understanding that is she sees a purpose in maybe that this coin is lost because her house is dirty maybe there's some dust and maybe there's some things around that need to be cleaned I could see it if it hadn't have fallen down into the pile of dirty laundry I need to clean some things up so she begins to sweep the house right we see here that we could we can be communicated as we sit here in the audience today now he has the scribes the Pharisees the publicans and the sinners today just like many of us sitting here today we feel like the scribe and the Pharisee religious we've had the Holy Ghost we've been baptized we've been in this thing years and some of you are sitting here thinking what's this young guy talking about he is crazy standing up here with a broom you've never been in such had never seen such and he's teaching and talking in Luke 15 now to a crowd somewhat like what we would have today some that do not know Jesus and some that's known Jesus and know the law and they they've crossed every T and dotted every I and and we see here that he says many are busy counting and feeding the other nine but not looking for the one lost in the dirt lost in the dust lost in our flesh lost in our pride from the dust we were created we know that our lives sometimes can get so busy with trying to make a dollar we're trying to raise our family we're trying to get our degree young person we're trying to do something that we feel like is the American dream or what we're just supposed to do I have to have this I have to have that I have to accomplish this that we forget that there's something lost some of us are living our lives in all different stages from trend setter to young person middle school student today that we have become so busy that we forgot that there's a coin missing and it's not going to come wandering out of the woods because it's not a sheep and it's not going to come running back to the house because it's not a son it is lost in the house it is lost simply because I'm not looking so we have to stir up the dust we maybe have to confront the elephant in the room father we have to find the things in our house that are keeping our young people from having any kind of spiritual desire it's not the world's fault they could be lost sitting in the house sitting on the couch sitting in the bedroom find things I don't know about you I told you about cleaning my truck out last Sunday more we clean our house you'll find things you're not looking for it there's been plenty of people that we've hung door hangers up and all of a sudden had nothing to do with door hangers brother Ericsson and had everything to do that we were looking that we were searching and all of a sudden the soul walks in you've heard pastor tell it he's waiting to certain witness to certain people at a gas station and he'll tell you he never saw those people but that following Sunday morning in walked a new guest and it was God's confirmation that if you'll sweep the house you'll find things that you might not have been looking for but God honors your effort the lost and forgotten would be ashamed for that woman just as much as be shamed for the Bride of Christ the church to have someone in the house to have someone in our family to have someone that we have access to on the workplace that's in our lives that we're not diligently looking for because the fourth point is just that seek diligently don't give up don't take no for an answer this is not just an option of going out to eat this is not just some event this is not you can come to the birthday party or not come to the birthday party we're not inviting you we're not trying to reach you for some for some menial purpose this is for heaven's sake this is this is life or death this is for eternity because so I'm not going to give up a failure is not an option my product go is not an option I'm gonna look in the cracks I'm gonna look at the corners I'm gonna do whatever I got to do I got to move furniture around I got to get active I've got to do everything I can possibly do to find that thing that's lost some of you I know the devil's convinced you to give up on your lost son he's convinced you to give up on what used to be valuable to you he's convinced you to give up on your calling he's convinced you to give up on that person at the workplace because they've just got these far-fetched ideas that they argue with me and they ask me hard questions God's calling you today to seek diligently who is it where is it see seek everywhere the world your flesh you get tired of it but especially the devil tell you they'll find their way out the devil is a liar it's a bunch of hogwash that the devil wants to throw at you and tell you they'll come back to themselves no I'm here to tell you that there is a prodigal that's stuck in between the sheep and the son that's not going to come to itself unless you go knock on the door unless you move the dirt unless you remove your pride and ask them to forgive you unless you remove your dust and your pride after your life and say hey I didn't lead you as a father like I was supposed to I didn't have the household environment like I should have the house was dirty when you grew up so please forgive me and come back to the Lord swallow your pride swallow your flesh get all that out and see the lost coin be found I know it's hard to swallow I know some of you don't want to think about it we can pray over that prodigal jar until we fill it with tears and it dissolves the papers that lie within but the bottom line is that there are some sons and there are some sheep but I'm here to remind somebody about a coin today it's valueless laying on the ground up under the dirt it's valueless and they may there they feel it like like what they are they feel like the grime they feel like that they feel forgotten over there in the dark but somebody is sitting there waiting for a text message there's somebody waiting for a phone call there's somebody that wants you to share the love of Jesus Christ inside of you there's somebody that wants to share you don't want you to share the hope that you feel they want to know who you know God forbid that we allow anyone to be lost because I was too lazy to sweep God forbid that we lose sight and we've become unconcerned because here's here's the flipside of the coin Genesis 18 to 20 and the Lord said because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because their sin is very Grievous I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it which is coming to me and if not I will know and the men turn their face from thence and went towards Sodom but Abraham stood yet before the Lord and Abraham through near and said wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked Abraham had no part in the matter the cities were filled with sin and ungodliness and they deserved according to God to be destroyed God was done with it God was ready to mop the floors up God was ready to do away with it Abraham says oh and again this looks like many churches the man of God steps up and everybody else walks away it's not pastors responsibility to win the world by himself I am deceived in my own flesh to think that I'm here in the church because I want to watch pastor win the city but Abraham stayed because Abraham Terry Abraham asked he said Lord just give me some time to sweep I know it's dusty I know it's full of sin I know it looks bad I know it's not pleasing to you but don't destroy the righteous with the wicked verse 26 and the Lord said if I find Sodom 50 righteous within the city then I will spare them I'll spare the place for their sakes Abraham watch the rest of that chapter read it later on Genesis 18 certain in verse number 23 going into 24 25 26 he goes from 50 to 45 Lord give me time just to find 40 Lord could you let me sleep a little bit let me let me see if I could just find 30 I can't find 30 can I just find 20 could I could I just find 10 Abraham was concerned about the lost I pray today that we have the desire of Abraham the father of faith that Lord just let me sweep the house I know it's wicked I know it's vile I know the world seems to be headed in a direction that is so direct opposite of anything that we want to accomplish but Lord just give me a little bit more time to sweep the house I know we want to see the coming of the Lord I want him to come back sooner than later but I do know really young that I've got some kin folks that I've got some friends I've got some students that graduated from apostolic Christian Academy then if the Lord comes back right now they're not going to make it so god please just give you a few more days give you a few more hours give you a few more services let me call a few more people give me another day give me another Bible study I've done everything I can do surely to God there's something else you can do surely there's something else you can do surely there's somebody else you can call John 8 and verse number 3 the scribes and Pharisees we find them here again brought unto Jesus a woman taken to the act of adultery when she they set her down in his midst they said unto Him master they're frustrated they want to point this out this woman has been taken in adultery in the very act sin now Moses in the law commanded us that such should be stoned or what do you think Jesus that's one question we need to ask what do you think Jesus how would you see them Jesus how would you approach them Jew I know they're wicked I know they're vile I know they believe false doctrine I know they backslidden I know they used to talk bad about the church I know they used to talk bad about me and my family but what how do you see them Jesus he said tempting him that they might have to accuse him but Jesus stooping down on the ground with his finger if you could see it with me he said he said let's not forget that let he is who without sin any of you got any dust in your life and have you got any pride in your life if you're without dust in your house go ahead and throw a stone if you're if you don't have any problems yourself go ahead and cast the stone at the lady go ahead and throw it at it Jesus lifts up himself in verse 10 and saw there was nobody standing there he said unto her woman where are your accusers hath no man condemned thee she said no man Lord Jesus said unto her neither do i condemn thee go and sin no more a lot of the world today and if we're not careful our flesh gets us into sweeping for the wrong purpose we find things not out of concern but trying to uncover dirt in somebody else's life to justify the mess in our own there's a lot of people got a broom but they sleep in their own house a lot of people with brooms but they're trying to justify themselves they're trying to find an excuse for themselves you know there's a lot of things that are meant to be positive that are used in a very wicked way I looked up trying to find some pictures to put on the screen of some dirty houses you know what popped up the witch's house dust and cobwebs and haunted looking and nowhere I'd want to live because she uses her broom for something else right in fact a lot of the depictions that we have you can look it up there's some weird stuff on there about Y which has a broom but the bottom line is they said they used it because it was obvious she wasn't using it in her house she was flying around and looking at everybody else's house and from what I could tell I'm not here to call anybody a witch this morning by any means I believe pastored have had my head but but I do think that the word of the Lord talks about it and he doesn't call it a witch or wicked but he calls it hypocrisy he says in Matthew chapter 23 but woe unto you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men but you think you're going to go there yourself you brought them unto Jesus we're gonna do with that Lord but you yourself have got dust in your own house woe unto you verse 14 scribes and Pharisees you hypocrites for you do er a widow's house and for the pretence make long prayer therefore ye shall receive a greater damnation woe unto you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites but you compass the sea and land and make one proselyte and when he is made you make him twofold more the child of Hell than yourselves verse 23 says woe unto you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for you pay tithes of men and the knives of coming and have omitted the weightier matters of the law and judgment and mercy and faith and have thought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone you blind guides which strain at a gnat and swallow a camel wicked it is wicked for us to be looking at everybody else's live young people and not look at our own he says yo yo yo you'll do this you'll do that you'll pray more in front of everybody you're the sage you're going to heaven but the mercy of God that worked for me didn't will work for that for another person in my family because they said too much they've done too much they went too far he says here is hipper hypocritical you better believe you better believe he said well that's why I don't go to church that's why I don't live for God I've heard it before churches all they are as a bunch of hypocrites I don't believe that for one second otherwise there won't be people sitting on these pews my grandpa used to say you can go to church with a few hypocrites or you can go to hell with all of them right yeah I'm sure there's a bunch there's a few people in here that's got got a dusty house but I'm sure there's times in the year if you came by my house you'd find some dust as well but it's not my responsibility to go over to the neighbour's house my responsibility is to keep my house my responsibilities to keep my life clean if we could realize how precious and how loved by God that we are it would cause us to look for the lost coin because when we find value in ourselves we see the value in everybody else's life just you're just as important as anyone else do not allow Satan to tell you anything different get out the broom and open up your eyes and start looking at what you can find of value there's a two-for-one deal when the lost are found because heaven is rejoicing and hell is in range we see the sound of rejoicing where it should be and hail begins to shake and the other two-for-one deal that we find is that when when when they find Jesus you find your purpose this is the reason a lot of people backslide I don't understand what my purpose is perhaps I should be a musician perhaps I should some of some people went as far as to say we've seen it happen they say they want to be a missionary but they can't sweep their own house the purpose for every called Christian is to share who Jesus is and when others find Jesus of seeing it through you because you swept the house and found the coin you you begin to see your purpose and they get to find Jesus that's the twofold from that's the Great Commission that's what we are called to do before ever called to sing or teach Sunday School or be security or run a camera or do anything that we see as serving in the house of God first we're called to sweep the house we go back to Luke chapter 15 we started our opening text looking at the lost sheep reading about the lost sheep and we'd spent some time focused on the lost coin that cannot come to itself but Luke chapter 15 ends with hitting all the audience that is gathered there that day on that and that scene if you could see in one story you know it if you've been around Church for very long you've heard a priest the younger son leaves the house asked for his inheritance takes advantage of the disgrace and then disgraces his father he connects with the center the publican that day that you can't change you need to come back to the house the father represents God who is merciful and receives us back with loving arms and is always there as we could kind of paint the picture our mind on the front porch looking for that lost son to come home then the older brother shows up in the story he gets mad when the younger brother comes home the younger brother gets this celebration and I've been at home this whole time and I've been working and doing and I've never got a part in I believe that he right there's representing the scribes and the Pharisees the religious I believe this story ends the way it is for a specific reason it's open-ended whatever happens does the brother come in to the party does the father convince him to come in and celebrate what takes place in the story of the prodigal son I believe it plays out in the rest of the gospel the older brother those scribes and Pharisees make their decision to kill the father they crucified Jesus on a cross they ask God and Jesus looks down at those same scribes and Pharisees and asks God forgive them because they don't know what they're doing well he was paying the price not just for the younger brother but for the older brother he asked for them to be forgiven but they didn't they don't really understand what they were doing he was buried but three days later he rose again and conquered death hell and the grave that's the last part of the prodigal son story it's not God's will that any should perish but that all should come into repentance he ascends up into heaven and then he pours out his spirit in Acts chapter 2 where the church has started and Peter stands up and gives the plan of salvation repent repent Peter begins to sweep the house and says please repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost it's on that day it's not his will that any should perish he says this promise is not just to you and to your kids and their kids but to all all not who we like not who we don't like but to all and that's how the prodigal story ends but there's something major that's missing its history actually if you want to come to the you know there's something major that's missing you say it was open-ended but we can see by the audience how the story ended Jesus was crucified God still extends mercy to both the younger and the older brother but in this story this prodigal story this whole chapter of a lost things there's a key element missing in the house of the prodigal son and that's a mother see the house was a great story we hear about the servants we hear about the brothers we hear about the father we hear about all the riotous living he tells us very distinct details from robes to rings from pigs to where he comes to himself but he never mentions a mother because I believe with my whole heart that he would finish the story by putting the church into existence in Acts chapter 2 what Peter stands up it wasn't just a bunch being filled it was that day that Christ would be given a bride that mother would be put into the house nobody could sweep the house like mama can nobody can get the dust up out of the house like mama can nobody could reach a world like the church can the church is called to reach he says there to be added to the church daily we're gonna do it the way did it they did it let us add to the church daily not just Sunday morning not just Sunday night not just Wednesday night but when's the last time you invited somebody he said go out to the highways go out to the hedges compel them to come in go find them go seek them out not by chance not by I'm not my habit s go compel him be intentional about winning somebody be intentional about sharing it's no coincidence that he says highways and hedges because Isaiah tells us it's a highway of holiness in Isaiah 35 it's a hedge of protection throughout the scripture you can tell them from where you're at he even said go sweep the highways he didn't say go sweep the hedges he said sweep the house and from the house you compelled them to come in we got too many people there trying to leave this thing and they never come back saying they're trying to win somebody sweep the house you keep a clean house you can invite people over you keep a clean house you have nothing to hide you keep a clean house consistently and people see the love of God you've got you consistently be a Christian and it's contagious but if you consistently are trying to dis uncover the dust in everybody else's life well you got a mess just stand to your feet I close with this church I challenge you to sweep the house I know it may seem old-fashioned but just so that I could communicate my heart to you could you close your eyes and bow your head and hear me for just another moment I know that there are families I know that there are fathers and mothers that sit here today and you have sons and daughters and grandchildren and friends and loved ones that are lost and I simply ask you as a voice from God today what can you do about it because I don't believe from what I can read in Scripture that you're gonna be able to just stand before God all alone because his commandment is that you brought somebody with you our whole purpose for being here is not to make money it's not to make a family it's not to have a nice car or build a house or gonna get a good degree or have a job it's to win somebody in fact the only reason the only reason that you were one is somebody saw value and you so that you could see value in somebody else my covenant with God is based upon my covenant with man my standing with God Who I am in the eyes of God determines who I'm reaching if you can get your house clean if you can get your house clean you can stop worrying about your own problems enough to see value in somebody else but some of us have misused our own alter and misuse mercy for years and years and years we've questioned God for so long that we couldn't dare answer the question of somebody else we couldn't dare find somebody else because we can't find our own selves and I'm here to challenge you and shake you to the very fiber of your being as a Christian to tell you are you in right standing with God because if you are you must be in right standing with everybody else around you I'm calling you today under the voice and the power of the Holy Ghost to sweep the house sweep the house make right what is wrong see value and like God see value in and that's a soul I open these officers today if you want to make a vow and a commitment that there's going to be a revival in this church there's fixing to be a great soul harvest as brother name he's already talked about its revival time it's harvest time but we've got to have laborers we've got to have somebody willing to sweep the house I wish your father and mother would bind hands and walk to this altar the day and say I'm gonna do whatever I got to do to see my lost son my lost daughter come home I'm gonna find what's in my old house this altars open to anybody today if you're a guest all the water the waters ready if you want to be baptized in the only name of Jesus there's an altar here that that anybody would be glad to pray with you that you can repent of your sins come on that gift of the Holy Ghost is for everybody today the church is here for you Oh God we love you Oh God we love you come on mom and dad come on grandparents come on strong tower students I know you have brothers and sisters I know you have loved ones I know some of you have fathers and mothers that are lost God wants to use you to bring a whole God what you use you to see a soul save come on sweep the house sweep in the house today get everything out of your heart and everything out of your minds thought of it's not pleasing to you God watch me if you've recently received a gift of the Holy Ghost if you're just now coming into a relationship with God your whole purpose is to share it share it share it share I gotta bus come on right now that I have in this place reach over pray with somebody you don't know what couple reach over light a candle light a candle