Mark chapter 1. Today we go to Peter's house with Jesus. An archaeologist found Peter's house in 1968.
! It was where there's a picture popping up that shows you an octagonal shape there.
That was built in the 5th century by Byzantines, which often built over holy sites to protect them.
Almost every biblical site in Israel has a church over it.
The spot in Bethlehem where Christ was born is weirdly in the basement of a very large cathedral.
There was a Byzantine church that sat in front of the garden tomb, not far from the place of the skull or where Golgotha was thought to be.
There's a traditional spot. There's some argument about where Christ was buried.
The traditional spot of Jesus' burial is a huge church.
It's a pattern that you see throughout Israel.
But underneath that octagonal shaped building, the walls of Peter's house was found.
They were made of plaster.
And on that plaster was painted all kinds of images of religious art,
as well as hundreds of crosses were placed on those plaster walls.
They found fragments of special lamps that signify it was a special place.
They were found throughout that house.
And on the walls were written messages that were recorded, which were written in the first century.
One said, Lord Jesus Christ, help.
Another said, Christ have mercy.
Another said, most holy God.
There were 124 inscriptions in Greek, 18 in Syriac, 15 in Hebrew, and two in Latin.
One of them states, Peter, helper of Rome.
It is a neat spot.
And sadly, for the last 35 years, all of that has been covered by a hideous octagonal monastery.
That if you go into that monastery, there is glass in the center of it.
And you can look down on what was previously uncovered and look down and see the octagonal Byzantine building,
as well as see some of Peter's walls underneath that.
That was added because something very special happened as recorded in the Gospels.
Let's look at it in Mark chapter 1, beginning in verse 29.
It says this,
Now, Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her.
And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up.
And the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
That evening at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons.
And the whole city was gathered together at the door.
And he healed many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons.
And he would not permit the demons to speak because they knew him.
How in the world do you host the King of kings and the Lord of lords?
Well, quite honestly, anywhere that Jesus is, he's doing the hosting because he is the Lord of hosts.
Now, that term there is not speaking of exactly that kind of host.
But either way, I want you to know that Christ does not only come to church.
We talked about that last week.
But he walks with us, and he talks with us, and he ought to make a difference in your life.
And not only at the church house, but also at your house and my house.
He did make a difference at Peter's house that day.
And it gives us a great indication of the impact, the opportunity of impact that we have at our house.
Notice what happens when Jesus is in the house.
When Jesus is in the house, lives are lifted.
Peter's mother-in-law was sick.
It's ironic that it is Peter's mother-in-law because the Catholic Church considers Peter to be the first pope.
And priests have to take a vow to celibacy, and therefore they can't marry.
And the one that they believe was the first pope was Peter, who was married.
It's kind of awkward.
But anyway, his mother-in-law was sick, and it was bad.
Luke tells us that she had a high fever.
And that's bad any time, but especially when guests are coming.
And it was a preacher coming.
And the preacher was Jesus.
So now is not a good time to be sick.
I remember one Thanksgiving, we planned to eat with Mom and Dad, and Mom got sick that week.
And we was praying hard for her to get well.
And she was trying her best to fend it off.
And she woke up one Thanksgiving bad, and she called and said,
with what I've got, I wouldn't feel comfortable fixing anybody's food.
Fred did get sick.
And so Thanksgiving was canceled.
We didn't have a backup plan.
And I said, I hope you feel better.
And in my heart, I thought, I hope we get to eat.
So we went to Cracker Barrel.
Back before they took the cracker and the barrel off the sign.
When Uncle Herschel was still respected and revered.
Back when biscuits were cat head-like.
Anyway, it's tough when there's serious sickness, especially when it's the host.
The synagogue met until noon, just like we're going to do today.
I thought somebody would catch it.
But anyway, if you don't catch it now, you'll catch it in a few minutes.
I promise you them.
They left the church immediately.
That's proof that they're Baptist.
And Peter's house is very close to the synagogue.
There's an image that shows how close it was.
It was a large home with a unique feature.
Matter of fact, where you see the octagonal shape away from the synagogue,
in between were 12 houses.
So that tells you how much larger his house was than those around him.
It had a unique feature to it.
It had doors that opened into a large gathering area.
And historians and archaeologists believe that a church met in that home
and that that home belonged to Peter.
Now, what that means is there may not have been a church meeting there on the day Christ came
because they met in the synagogue.
But in the future ministry of Peter, even after the ascension of Christ,
a church was formed in that home.
It speaks a lot of the ongoing ministry of Peter and after the ministry of Jesus.
But it also, the size of his home speaks to his success as a fisherman
and how he walked away from that business to give Christ service while Christ walked the earth.
That day when he left synagogue, they didn't have to go far.
However, Peter's mother-in-law slipped out of the service early
and it wasn't a check the rose just because she's sick.
Actually, I doubt she was even able to go based on the biblical description of her sickness.
They told Jesus immediately.
Now, either that means they were very concerned about her
or that means they were very hungry.
I'm not sure which one.
But that's not a problem when Jesus comes home with you.
He can handle it.
You see, he's the healer.
He can handle it.
Whatever the ailment.
Now, there were all kinds of healing, but, and there are all kinds of healing, but he can do it.
And I love the way he did it here.
He didn't ask her for a seed gift.
He didn't slap her on the head.
She didn't fall out.
He took her by the hand.
And he lifted her up.
And when he did, the fever left her immediately.
I love how he did that.
He just took her by the hand and lifted her up.
That's exactly what he'll do for each one of us.
Regardless of the hole that we're in, regardless of the bed in which we lie,
regardless of the ailments that slow us, Christ will lift us up.
Are you down today?
We'll try our best to be kind to you today, but I'm going to tell you something.
Christ is going to lift you up.
Meet you where you are.
Not only are lives lifted when Christ is in the house, but others are served.
I want you to notice a couple things.
One is she was instantly and completely healed, and she immediately began serving.
It's the first thing that she did.
Now, you know if you've had fever, high fever, that even when that fever breaks, you are worn,
you are weary, you don't instantly feel completely well.
It takes a while.
That is unless you're healed by the touch of Jesus, because for her, immediately her strength came back,
and she went to work.
There was no recovery period.
She got busy.
And notice what she got busy doing.
She was serving.
That is what we need to be doing when Jesus has touched our lives.
You know, some of you may know this, but I don't like calling this hour a worship service.
I'll call it a worship hour.
I'll call it a time of worship.
I may call it a worship service from time to time, like I sometimes call life group Sunday school.
I may fall back into that.
But I don't like calling it a worship service, because when I grew up, that's what it was called.
But I grew up believing that when we were here, sitting in the pew, we were serving the Lord.
Can I be honest?
That's not service to the Lord.
Now, there's some in the nursery.
That's service to the Lord.
There's those in children's church from week to week.
That's serving the Lord.
There's those who are ushering.
That's serving the Lord.
That's those who are securing our facility.
That's serving the Lord.
Those who run this video and run this audio, allow you to hear and listen.
That's serving the Lord.
Those who served you coffee, if you went to the coffee bar this morning or gave you a bulletin when you came in and greeted you as you came in.
That's serving the Lord.
But sitting in a worship hour is not service.
Let's never believe we're serving the Lord just by tolerating a preacher.
That's not service.
And serving the Lord is not only to happen in the church.
I believe it is to happen in the church.
And I believe all of us need to serve in some capacity.
But it's not only to happen in the church.
You serve him wherever you are.
And I want you to notice something else.
In Mark chapter 1 verse 31 it says,
And she began to serve them.
With an emphasis on them that I placed on there.
Not him.
But them.
And that's big because service to the Lord involves serving others.
Jesus tells a story in Matthew 25.
And brings up people feeding the hungry.
And giving drink to the thirsty.
And welcoming the stranger.
And clothing the needy.
And visiting the sick.
And visiting those in prison.
And he says in Matthew 25 verse 40.
Truly I say to you.
As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers.
You did it to me.
He goes on to say.
When you do not do it.
Do that.
You show evidence.
That you don't have Christ in your life at all.
When Jesus comes home with you.
More than just an at church Sunday morning check off.
When he comes home with you.
Your home will be marked by serving others.
There will be mutual service in your home.
Even if you don't have guests.
There will be mutual service in your home.
When you serve others.
You serve Christ.
And the presence of Christ will change.
A home.
Not only that.
But when Christ is in the house.
Lives are changed.
Scripture says.
As soon as the sun went down.
People started coming.
Not just a few people.
Everybody.
The talk was great that day.
Verse 28 says that his fame spread everywhere.
And it spread fast.
And they came as soon as the sun went down.
And you know why?
Because that's when the Sabbath was over.
The Sabbath would go from sundown to sundown.
Typically about 6 p.m.
To about 6 p.m.
Instead of our day.
Ends or starts at midnight.
And goes to the next midnight.
The Jewish day is 6 p.m.
Or sundown to sundown.
When the skies darken.
And even Jewish law speaks of.
When you can see as many as three stars.
That's when the Sabbath is over.
And Jewish law prohibited one from carrying anything or anyone on the Sabbath.
So they waited.
To me it was almost like horses at the gate of sorts.
Waiting to break loose.
Won't the sun go down?
And as soon as the sun went down.
And the stars were seen.
They came.
Scripture says all of them came.
And they brought the sick.
And they brought the demon possessed.
Now sometimes people get confused about the sickness that Jesus healed.
And the demons that he cast out.
Was that all the same?
No it was not.
Maybe in that day they couldn't tell the difference.
I even talked about last week about.
How there's confusion today I believe.
And how we figure out exactly what someone's problem may be.
When demonic activity becomes involved in that.
But I'll tell you how I know who was sick.
And Jesus healed them.
And who was possessed.
Or oppressed by a demon.
And Jesus cast it out.
He called it as it was.
And he didn't make mistakes doing it.
When he healed he healed.
When he cast out he cast out.
He was very clear.
On what the problem was.
Even maybe if somebody else couldn't figure it out.
He could figure out.
What exactly what it was.
And he always took care of it.
When the demon possessed.
And the demon oppressed came.
Surely due to the word getting out about what happened the day at church.
When the demon possessed man.
When that one was cast out.
They brought more.
He cast out demons.
He was always able.
To defeat evil.
And stop disease.
You will see some healing in the Old Testament.
You will see some healing in the book of Acts.
Nowhere.
Do you see any kind of healing.
Like you see around Jesus.
They brought him to Jesus.
And there was not a task.
That was too large.
For him to handle.
He handled everyone.
He could do what needed to be done.
He always defeated evil.
He always stopped disease.
He healed disabilities.
He healed deafness.
He healed blindness.
He healed leprosy.
He healed paralysis.
He raised people from the dead.
Whatever it was.
He would cure it.
But he.
Here.
Not only did he do that.
But he shut the demons down.
Shut them up.
Why?
Why did he want them to be silent?
He wanted them to be silent.
To save the confusion that they cause.
Look back at the demon.
And what he said to Christ in the synagogue.
In verse 24.
It says.
The demon says.
I know who you are.
The Holy One of God.
They knew who he was.
And they acknowledged it.
But he also could.
It also could sound like an endorsement.
Of sorts.
That if the demon.
Acknowledged.
The Holy One of God.
The demon.
And said it in that way.
It almost sounds affirmative.
Coming from the demons.
And Jesus didn't want the affirmation of the demons.
He didn't want an endorsement of them.
Because it could easily confuse people.
Into believing that Jesus and the demons.
Were on the same team.
There's a similar thing that happens.
In Acts chapter 16.
Luke tells us about an encounter.
That Paul and Silas had.
With a slave girl filled with a demon.
And he says in Acts chapter 16 verse 16.
As we were going to the place of prayer.
We were met by a slave girl.
Who had a spirit of divination.
And brought our owners much gain.
By fortune telling.
She followed Paul.
And us.
Crying out.
These men are servants of the most high God.
Who proclaim to you the way of salvation.
And this she kept doing for many days.
Paul having become greatly annoyed.
Turned and said to the spirit.
I command you in the name of Jesus Christ.
To come out of her.
And he came out that very hour.
Now why did Paul get annoyed.
By somebody coming behind him.
And saying.
They're proclaiming the way of salvation.
Because the demon of divination.
In the girl.
Was aligning itself.
With Paul.
And the message of Christ.
And the effort was.
To deceive people.
To either.
Give credence to.
The slave girl.
And her fortune telling.
Or either to somehow dismiss.
Paul.
Even with an affirmation.
Because.
That fortune telling girl.
Had been dismissed.
It was to align.
God's message.
The gospel.
With such evil.
In people's minds.
And for the same reason.
Christ silenced the demons.
Lives were changed that night.
Ailments that had plagued people for years.
Maybe their lives.
Maybe all their lives.
Those ailments were gone.
Terminal illness was healed.
Demon possession.
People were free.
All of the city.
Was there to see it.
And people's lives were.
Forever changed.
Matthew 18.
16 says.
Matthew 8.
Verse 16.
Says that he healed all who were sick.
Everybody that was there.
That was sick.
There wasn't one he skipped over.
Because it was too hard.
And that's what happens when Jesus comes into the house.
Nothing is the same again when Jesus is welcomed.
And working and leading in our homes.
He makes all the difference.
Now let me ask you something.
How did all these people come to know that Christ had come?
To Capernaum.
How did these people know he was in town?
They knew to come to Christ.
Because somebody was telling them.
About the difference that Jesus makes.
People were telling folks.
Where Jesus was.
And how they could find Jesus.
Because of the word of mouth.
And because of the invitation to come.
They came.
Now I've been to Capernaum.
The streets are narrow.
The city's not large.
To have that many people.
From the Galilean region.
To come into that area.
Was somewhat overwhelming.
There were people everywhere.
But it did not stop them.
Because lives were changed.
Why?
Because people.
Were told.
My question for you today.
Is.
Is Jesus welcome at your house?
More specifically.
Is Jesus welcome in your life?
To have his will and his way.
And to do what he would like to do.
And.
When's the last time.
You told someone about Jesus?
I mean.
We tell people about our youngins.
We tell them about our grand youngins.
We tell them about our football.
Well hey.
You should have been at Pickens.
High school football.
Friday night.
My soul.
Y'all lit it up.
Proud of you.
Listen.
If we love Jesus.
And we talked about him half as much as we do our love.
Interest.
And our hobbies.
We'd set the woods on fire for the Lord.
We'd just have to change our conversation.
What it is we're talking about.
Listen.
They took Jesus home with them.
And when they took Jesus home.
He characterized their homes.
And when he did.
People's lives were changed.
Their needs.
Were met.
Change came.
My question for you today is.
What changes do you need to happen today?
What do you need Jesus to do?
In your life.
In your home.
Today.
I am thankful that he can change it.
He can cure whatever ails you.
He can cast out whatever needs to be cast out of your life.
He can change your life.
It comes and starts with an acknowledgement.
That you need him.
It starts with an acknowledgement that.
You know that you've sinned.
And been separate from the Lord.
Because of the sin that divides you.
And you ask God to forgive you.
To cleanse you.
And to come into your life.
And I'm thankful that when you do that.
He'll empower you with the spirit of God.
And help you to rise above the very things.
That have hindered you.
Without his help.
You'll be strengthened and empowered.
And it happens instantaneously.
His salvation comes like his healing does.
It's instantaneous.
And the reality is.
If you feel any inkling to the need of that at all.
In your life today.
You didn't come up with that on your own.
The Bible says that we're dead in our transgressions and sins.
We're not spiritually aware of our needs.
Until God shows us that.
And when God shows us that.
If we'll answer his invitation.
Scripture is clear.
That today's the day of salvation.
He'll meet you where you are.
And he'll change your life forever.
If you've never given your heart and life for the Lord.
That's where it all starts.
Maybe you have.
And it's been private.
But you've never done that publicly.
Jesus by his commission.
And by his example.
Told us to follow that with baptism.
And if you've never been baptized.
We're going to do it in a few weeks.
I encourage you.
To come.
And let's talk about that.
And line that up.
Maybe God's leading you to First Baptist Church.
You know this is the place where God would have you to serve.
And I'm thankful for what God's doing in our midst.
God's leading you to come.
You come.
We'll work out what that means.
Maybe you're here and it's not those things.
You need to touch.
You need a touch.
Today.
From the Lord.
You need him to take you by the hand.
And to lift you up.
To touch what ails you.
To straighten out what's wrong.
To fix the things that are not right.
And you need to lay them before the Lord.
And ask him to do whatever he'd have you to do.
You can do that where you'll stand in just a moment.
You can do that at this altar.
I'll be happy to pray with you.
I have no idea.
Don't pretend to know what God's told you.
I know what he's told me to say.
I don't know what he's doing in your life.
But I encourage you to be obedient today.
What better way to celebrate the Lord than just to be obedient.
Lord Jesus I love you.
And I thank you for your love for us.
I ask right now that you'll lead and guide and move in our midst.
Help us to simply be obedient.
Father I pray.
In Jesus precious name.
Amen.