WHEN GRACE COMES ALL THE WAY HOME

MARK: THE SERVANT WHO WAS OUR SAVIOR  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  50:06
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WHEN GRACE COMES ALL THE WAY HOME

Mark 1:29–34 ESV
And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 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.

1) THE ENTRANCE OF GRACE INTO OUR LIVES.

a) THE CONVERSION OF ANOTHER.

Andrew, Peter’s brother, had been a follower of John the Baptist until John’s revelation of Jesus being the Messiah. Andrew heard John’s identifying cry; “Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.”

b) THE COMPASSION OF ANOTHER

i) HE SOUGHT HIS BROTHER

He left John and began to follow. Jesus, and having become a disciple, he desired to lead others to be disciples too. Salvation makes us all evangelist. Notice I did not say evangelist like Billy Graham but evangelist.
As we see in his first evangelistic steps no group of people were more important than his family and no person more important than his brother, Peter. I believe, if we are really lively and thoughtful Christians, our conversion is an omen for good to all our kinsfolk.
Andrew, who will hide in Biblical obscurity. He never writes a book. He never has a sermon recorded. If the number of verses written about someone constituted success in Scripture he would be a failure. However, God has structure his economy of importance differently than man’s. Consider for a moment what was accomplished through Andrew act of gospelizing his brother.
Andrew may not have written a book in Scripture but he brought the man upon whom Christ would build His church. He may have never had a sermon recorded but his message to Peter served to convert the first crusade evangelist.
Why did Andrew seek out Peter? It is likely that Peter was the oldest brother and having been married the spiritual leader of his home. This reinforces a father’s influential role within family structure. This is a role that we cannot shake but one that we must embrace. Our Heavenly Father has given us little kingdoms to influence for better or for worse.
This may be a throne we wish not to sit upon but it is a throne that no man can abdicate. Our family members come under our shadow and we either drip poison upon them like a deadly upas tree or they breath an atmosphere perfumed with our godliness beneath our shade.
We can obstruct anyone, even our children or family members, from salvation but we can be obstacles that The Spirit must overcome. Let’s choose this day to be an instrument not an obstacle. Let the gracious Spirit use you for their conversion. Don’t become an instrument that Satan employs for their destruction.

c) HE SPOKE TO HIS BROTHER

Our speaking does not have to be detailed just direct. It does not have to be a full blown sermon but words spoken that are filled with the Spirit.
We have an old proverb that charity must begin at home, let me shape it into this, —piety must begin with yourself. Before you ask salvation for your family, lay hold upon it for yourself. This is not selfishness: indeed, the purest benevolence makes a man desire to be qualified to benefit others; and you cannot be prepared to bless others unless God has first blessed you. Is it selfishness which makes a man stand at the fountain to fill his own cup, when he intends to hand that cup round for others to drink? Is it any selfishness for us to pray that in us there may be a well of water springing up unto everlasting life, when our second thought is that out of us may flow rivers of living water whereby others may be replenished? It is no selfishness to wish that the power of the Lord may be upon you, if you long to exercise that power upon the hearts of others for their good. Look ye well, brethren, to yourselves; ye cannot bless your children, ye cannot bless your households till first of all upon yourselves the anointing of the Lord doth rest. O Spirit of the living God, breathe upon us, that we may live yet more abundantly, and then shall we be chosen vessels to bear the name of Jesus to others.

2) THE EFFECT OF GRACE ON OUR LIVES.

a) WE BECOME PEOPLE OF INTERCESSORY PRAYER

i) THEIR INTERCESSION WAS SPECIFIC.

“They told him about her”, sometimes all we need to do in our affliction is just to tell our Lord about it and leave it to his loving judgment to act as he sees fit. Do you have any temporal trouble or sickness in your house today? Tell Jesus of it for this as much as you may do. You may beseech him to heal, but you will have to say, “Not as I will, but as you will,”. Tell it to Jesus and leave your case in his capable hands.
He is gentle and loving, and you may rest assured that he will answer in the kindest of way. He will do what is most right; therefore, we may be content to “tell him about her.”
In spiritual matters we may press and be very demanding, but with regard to temporal matters, we must draw a line, and be satisfied with telling Jesus and then leaving our request to his discretion. May we learn to say with Samuel;
1 Samuel 3:18 ESV
So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him.”

ii) THEIR INTERCESSION WAS SIMPLE.

There was no complexity to their prayer as a matter of fact their prayer was not only simple but short. They were not redundant in their request but rested in the one to which they made their requested.
Notice that they did not allow the smallness of their request prevent them from beseeching the Lord. Her fever was a commonplace illness during that time.
Do not let Satan get an advantage over you by persuading you to keep back commonplace troubles or sins from your loving Lord. Beloved, if he counts the hairs of your heads, if not a sparrow falls to the ground without his knowledge, then rest assured that your common trouble will be sympathized in by him.
Isaiah 63:9 ESV
In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
It is a great mistake not carry to your ordinary trail of the day to your Redeemer. He desires you to speak with him concerning them. He is an audience waiting for you to tell, him all. Do not think there are matters too small for which to trouble him.
Parent there may be no signs of unusual depravity in your child. Your children may present themselves as amiable and gentle, but do not think there is no need to pray. It may appear as only a common case of the fever of sin, yet it will be deadly in the end unless a balm be found, therefore tell Jesus of it at once. Do not say there is much worse they could be doing. Do not minimize their sickness as that which is common to demography. Do not wait till your son becomes a prodigal, pray at once! Do not delay till your child is at death’s door, pray now!
As we read Dr. Luke’s account of this story we understand that this common fever has escalated ordinary to extraordinary. He tells us that she is with great fever. The expression in Greek means “she was burning up with fever”. This leads to another idea that our Enemy will lay before us. Just as he will tempt us not to pray over that which is commonplace he we tempt us not to pray for that which is challenging.
Our Enemy will press on to our minds that this is divine judgment for the way this person has lived. Don’t be held back by such a suggestion. Only Jesus Christ can lift up those that are broken down and rendered powerless by raging sin. Wonders of grace belong to God.
Peter’s mother-in-law was not a follower of Christ.

iii) THEIR INTERCESSION WAS SURE

I believe they prayed because they fully expected Jesus to heal he. When we talk to Jesus about our child, friend, co-worker, family member who is unconverted we should expect that he will look upon with an eye of love. He can save them. This is what he does. This is why he died. This is his delight. Expect him to do it and present to him their case this day.
You must not only talk about them to the Lord in pray but you must talk to them about the Lord in person.

b) THEIR INTERCESSION LEAD TO CHRIST INTERVENTION

i) JESUS HEALS HER OF HER SICKNESS.

Not everyone in Scripture that was healed was saved. Don’t mix physical restoration with spiritual redemption. If this were the case then there would have been more than 120 in the upper room. Christ healed many.

ii) JESUS HEALS HER OF HER SIN.

Our text does not explicitly tell us that she was saved or does it? There is a word in verse 31 that tells us all we need to know about her salvation; “she began to serve them.”
Mark 9:35 ESV
And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
Mark 10:43 ESV
But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,
Mark 10:45 ESV
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

3) THE EXTEND OF GRACE FROM OUR LIVES

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