The House Where Jesus Stayed

Greetings everyone! Hello to everyone in the room. Hello to everyone worshipping with us online. God bless you all. I hope you are still having a happy new year.

Welcome back to Redemption Church in Plano, TX. My name is Chris Fluitt and I believe the God’s Word has a lot to teach us.

Today I would like you to turn with me to Matthew 13:1.

I hope your Bible reading plan is going well and that you are constantly learning more and more about God and how he feels about you.

 

Matthew 13:1 (NIV) That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 

Do you see what I see? This verse made me ask… “What house?”

 

What House? 

Did Jesus own a house? Jesus says something that leads us to believe he was HOME-LESS.

 

Matthew 8:19-20 (NIV) Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”  Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 

 

Foxes have a den to call their own.
Birds have a nest to call their own.
The son of man does NOT have a place to call his own.

Whose house is it? 

Mark chapter 1 tells us where this house is and whose house it is.

 

Mark 1:21 (NIV) They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 

 

Jesus is in Capernaum – northern edge of the Sea of Galilee.
Capernaum appears 16 times in the Gospels. A lot of Jesus activity happens in the village of Capernum.

 

Mark 1:29 (NIV) As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 

 

The House of Simon & Andrew
The home of Simon Peter & Andrew in the village of Capernaum is the house where Jesus stayed.

Mark 1 – Jesus says “Follow me” to Peter, Andrew, James, & John. (v16)

More than just profess a religion, they follow Jesus and very quickly allow Him to stay in their house.

Visiting someone’s house = relationship.
Staying at someone’s house = committed relationship.

Imagine what it was like having the Lord in their house…

In this house…

• Jesus taught and revealed mysterious parables. 
• Miracles. 
• A closeness with Jesus.

DAY ONE of Jesus in the House.

 

Mark 1:30-33 (NIV) Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her.  So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.  That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed.  The whole town gathered at the door, 

 

What door?  The door where Jesus is staying!  Amazing things happen when Jesus is in your house.
 

Jesus is in the house, and the whole town gathered at the door.

Imagine that!  Imagine your house and your door.
 

Jesus meets Matthew.

Matthew 9:9-10 (NIV) As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.  While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 

 

Jesus tells Matthew “Follow me,” and the next thing you know Jesus is in Matthew’s home.  Notice how immediately Matthew opened his home to Jesus? 

Do you see that Matthew immediately introduces all of his friends to the Lord?

 

Have you invited Jesus to your house?

Has Jesus ever received an invitation to your house?

Have you ever introduced your friends to Jesus?

IF NOT…  What is the difference between us and Matthew? …Peter & Andrew?  When they met Jesus they were quick to bring Jesus into every part of their life?

 

What do you think of when you hear the words “House of God?”

 

House of God

Large building, stained glass windows?
Statues of Jesus, ornate crosses?

Well-trained praise team or a pipe organ & choir leading worship as people sit in seats?

As a Church planter, I can tell you that churches spend a lot of time, energy, and money trying to provide a church building for people to gather. There is a lot of pressure to provide a nice space.  I pray that the Lord will one day open a door for us to own a property where we can gather in that place and minister to our community from that place… Nothing wrong with that vision… but much of the New Testament is centered on the idea of finding a house.

Not a church building, but a house…

Jesus taught His disciples to enter a town and look for a home to operate from.

 

Matthew 10:11 (NIV) Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. 

 

Throughout Acts & the Epistles we see the Gospel reach new cities and repeatedly find a home in a house.

 

Acts 2:46 (NIV) Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 

Acts 5:42 (NIV) Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. 

 

The Church met in temple courts and from house to house.

In Mark 1 Jesus entered the house of Peter and Andrew… and Jesus never really left. Jesus was always welcome in that home. It was the house where Jesus stayed.

After the Crucifixion, the fearful disciples where in a house… what house do you think it was? It was likely the house of Peter and Andrew that a resurrected Jesus showed up and showed Thomas his nail scarred hands.

What if we invited Jesus into our house… and he stayed?

 

Could your house be the house?

Could your house be the House where Jesus dwells?
Could your house be the house where miracles take place?
Could your house be the house where someone far from Jesus draws close and find His salvation?

Could you take what God has blessed you with, and open it up for His purpose?
My First car was a black 1992 Pontiac Grand Am, and boy did I bring people closer to Jesus.

 

THIS WEEK – Connect Group Training
NEXT WEEK – Connect Groups Start

 

THIS WEEK we are training Connect Group leaders and hosts to open their homes for Jesus and others.
NEXT WEEK we are starting a new semester of Connect Groups.

Are you willing to open your home? Could you help lead a group?

Will you join a group for this semester?

Are you interested but want to know more?

 

Sign up!

I want you to pray about opening up your home to Jesus like never before and hosting a group at your place.

Is Jesus invited into your home?  Come to this altar today and invite Jesus into your home.