The Foolishness of a Diversified Life With God

Matthew 7:24-27

I’ve heard that artists of all stripes are never actually finished with their creation; they just run into a deadline. The same is true for preachers. I’ve been known to pull out my iPad right before preaching and jot down a quick note. And after preaching, it’s normal for someone, usually Ashanti, to tell me a story that would have worked perfectly in the sermon.

Last week, I preached on Matthew 7:24-27, the parable of the wise and foolish builders. It is a well-known passage that encourages us to build our lives fully on Christ.

While driving to a conference yesterday, I heard a story that perfectly summarized the dangers of having Christ as a part of your life versus having Him as the center of your life. The story was told by Reinhard Bonnke, a German evangelist popular for his ministry in Africa.

There was a man who heard Jesus knocking on the door of his house. When he opened the door, Jesus said, "I’d like to come in and live with you." The man, feeling especially fond of Jesus, said, "Come on in, Jesus. I have 10 rooms, 5 upstairs and 5 downstairs. You can take one of the rooms upstairs."

Jesus, being a gentleman, said, "Thank you." And with that, He ascended the stairs and chose a room.

The next morning, there was another knock on the man’s door. He opened it and was shocked to find Satan there. Unlike Jesus, Satan forced his way into the man’s house, and the man began wrestling furiously to get him out. They wrestled from morning to evening until the man, exhausted, finally kicked Satan out.

After the man caught his breath, he remembered that Jesus was inside and wondered to himself, "Why didn’t He come to help me?"

He ascended the stairs, knocked on the room where Jesus was staying, and said, "Lord Jesus, didn’t you hear my cries? I fought with the devil all day! Why didn’t you help me?"

Jesus said, "My brother, of the 10 rooms in the house, you occupy 9. You only gave me 1."

"Oh," said the man, "I can see my mistake. Why don’t you take the 5 rooms upstairs, and I’ll take the 5 downstairs."

The gentlemanly Savior said, "Thank you, my brother." And the man went to sleep.

The next morning, there was another knock on the door. The man thought, "It couldn’t be Satan again; perhaps it’s a neighbor. Let me just open the door slightly and see who it is."

He cracked the door a little bit, and as soon as there was a bit of daylight, the door was violently forced open, and Satan stormed in.

Again, the man wrestled from morning until evening. Once again, he was able to force Satan out in the evening. Once again, he wondered to himself, "Why didn’t Jesus come and help me?"

He went upstairs and said, "Lord, the devil came again; did you not hear me fighting him?"

Jesus, looking at him with pity, said, "My brother, why don’t you give me all 10 rooms and the key? That way, instead of me staying with you, you can stay with me."

The young man knelt down, fished the key out of his pocket, and said, "Lord Jesus, I solemnly hand over the key to my house to you. The whole thing now belongs to you!"

Jesus smiled and said, "Thank you, my brother."

Before dawn, a terrible knocking began at the front door. The terrified man jumped out of bed, fearful that it might be the devil again. As he lay in bed, he suddenly heard heavy footsteps moving downstairs. Then he remembered, "Jesus is the owner of this house; He will answer the door."

The man crept down the stairs to see what would happen. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw Jesus arrive at the front door. But He didn’t timidly open the door as the man had learned to do, fearful of who might be on the other side. Instead, Jesus opened it wide, using every space of its hinges.

Outside the door stood Satan.

When Satan saw Jesus, he bowed low and said to Him, "Excuse me, please. I knocked on the wrong door." Then he hurriedly ran away.

Having God as a part of your life seems wise and good, but as the parable and the story indicate, it still leads to weariness and disaster.

As Proverbs 14:12 says: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but it leads to destruction."

With Jesus Christ, diversification is foolish; it only gives the appearance of wisdom. Build your life entirely and exclusively upon Him, give Him the keys and the deed. Then life begins to be good, powerful, and filled with freedom.