In Luke 11, Jesus tells a strange story about an unclean spirit leaving a man. The man’s “house” is swept, cleaned, and put in order.

Everything looks good. Everything looks respectable.  But there’s a problem.

The problem isn’t that it’s dirty. The problem is it’s empty.

Jesus warns that the unclean spirit eventually returns, bringing others with it, and the man’s condition becomes worse than it was before.

What’s the point?

Jesus isn’t saying there’s anything wrong with cleaning up your life. The problem is thinking that cleaning up your life is enough.

You can give up a bad habit. You can clean up your language. You can become a better person. You can become religious. You can even start going to church.

And still miss Jesus.

Christianity isn’t primarily about becoming a cleaned-up version of yourself.

Jesus doesn’t just want to clean up your life. He wants to live His life in you.

Paul said:

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”
— Galatians 2:20

I’ve had to learn this personally over the years.

When I came out of seminary and served my first church, I wanted desperately to do a good job. I practiced my sermons over and over. Sometimes on Saturday night, I’d even have my wife sit in an empty sanctuary while I rehearsed the entire sermon.

I worked hard.

But looking back, I realize that at times it had become more of a performance.

I still work hard today. I study. I prepare. In fact, I probably prepare more now than I did then.

But I’ve learned something:

The power isn’t in me. It’s in Christ.

And that’s true far beyond preaching.

The Christian life isn’t about trying harder to make ourselves acceptable to God. It’s about staying connected to Christ and allowing Him to change us from the inside out.

At the end of the passage, Jesus says:

“Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”
— Luke 11:28

That’s following the King.

Not merely cleaning up the house.

Letting Him move in.

Want to Go Deeper?
This post is adapted from Sunday’s message, No Neutral Ground, from Luke 11:14–28. Watch the full message below.