Follow Me 4.30.23

Follow Me Sígueme April 30, 2023 Introduction: Let's begin with a great question-- What does it mean when we say we are followers of Jesus?... ¿Qué Significa Cuando Decimos Que Somos Seguidores De Jesús?... Here's another question equally important... What does it cost to be a follower of Jesus Christ? From this text, it is clear for the young man who approached Jesus the cost was personally too high and he choose NOT to follow Jesus. It is a BIG decision to follow Jesus. Pastor David Platt, a pastor in Alabama writes ... When Jesus came on the scene in human history and began calling followers to himself, he did not say, "Follow certain rules. Observe specific regulations. Perform ritual duties. Pursue a particular path." Instead, he said, "Follow me." With these two simple words, Jesus made clear that ...his primary purpose was to invite his disciples into a personal relationship. Cuando Jesús entró en escena en la historia humana y comenzó a llamar a sus seguidores, no dijo: "Sigue ciertas reglas. Observar las normas específicas. Realizar deberes rituales. Sigue un camino particular". En cambio, dijo: "Sígueme". Con estas dos simples palabras, Jesús dejó en claro que... su propósito principal era invitar a sus discípulos a una relación personal. He was not saying, "Go this way to find truth and life." Instead, he was saying, "I am the way and the truth and the life." The call of Jesus was, "Come to me. Find rest for your souls in me. Find joy in your heart from me. Find meaning in your life through me." (Follow Me, pg.54) Let's start by recognizing how we come to Jesus in the first place? Jesus found twelve men and invited them to follow Him. As Platt suggests, they were invited to a relationship with Jesus, * not a church * not a set of rules to keep * but a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We do not find Jesus-He finds us. No encontramos a Jesús, Él nos encuentra a nosotros. (Mark 3:14) Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, (Marcos 3:14) Luego designó a doce, para que estuvieran con Él y para enviarlos a predicar, In reality, Jesus did not calling these men to be disciples because of WHO THEY ARE but IN SPITE OF WHO THEY ARE! The same is true of you and me...God is not at work in you because of what YOU ARE but in spite of WHAT YOU ARE! We must understand that our sin is not something that exists outside of us. Sin is ingrained into the core of our being. We don't just sin; we exist as sinners. No solo pecamos; existimos como pecadores. When Jesus went to the cross to die, he was not just taking the payment of sin, as if our sin is something separate from who we are. (Video clip from the Passion of the Christ) He was not just dying for our lusting or our lying or our cheating or any other sins. Instead, Jesus was paying the price that was due us as sinners. He was dying for us, in our place, as our substitute. Isaiah 53:5... "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed." Ultimately WE ARE SAVED TODAY from our sin because Jesus willingly laid down his life and was crucified on a cross for us! * To be a follower involves more than coming to church * To be a follower is more than being baptized in water * To be a follower is more than giving in the offering, visiting a sick person or going on a missions trip. To be a follower of Jesus is to realize that in your sin, you were separated from God's presence, and you deserved nothing but God's wrath. Yet despite your darkness and in your deadness, the light of God's love shone on you and his voice spoke to you, inviting you to follow him and you have chosen to give and invest your entire life to Jesus Christ! Ser un seguidor de Jesús es darse cuenta de que en tu pecado, fuiste separado de la presencia de Dios y no merecías nada más que la ira de Dios. Sin embargo, a pesar de tu oscuridad y de tu muerte, la luz del amor de Dios brilló sobre ti y su voz te habló, invitándote a seguirlo y ¡has elegido dar e invertir tu vida entera a Jesucristo! I want us to take a deeper look at what it means to follow Jesus and my prayer is that in our discovery we will fall that much more in love with our wonderful Savior. To be a follower of Jesus Christ starts with... An Absolute Conviction that Jesus Is The Christ! Una convicción absoluta de que ¡Jesús es el Cristo! Take a look at this passage... (Matthew 16:13-18) When Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his followers, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They answered, "Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah, and still others say you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets." Then Jesus asked them, "And who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered, "You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because no person taught you that. My Father in heaven showed you who I am. So I tell you, you are Peter. On this rock I will build my church, and the power of death will not be able to defeat it. (Mateo 16:13-18) Cuando Jesús llegó al área de Cesarea de Filipo, preguntó a sus seguidores: "¿Quién dice la gente que es el Hijo del Hombre?" Ellos respondieron: "Algunos dicen que eres Juan el Bautista. Otros dicen que eres Elías, y otros dicen que eres Jeremías o uno de los profetas". Entonces Jesús les preguntó: "¿Y vosotros quién decís que soy yo?" Simón Pedro respondió: "Tú eres el Cristo, el Hijo del Dios viviente". Jesús respondió: "Bendito seas, Simón, hijo de Jonás, porque nadie te enseñó eso. Mi Padre que está en los cielos les mostró quién soy. Así que te digo, tú eres Peter. Sobre esta roca edificaré mi iglesia, y el poder de la muerte no podrá vencerla. * This realization/revelation of who Jesus truly is does not come naturally to us. It comes by the work of the Holy Spirit-God at work in us. * So there is no other way to get to heaven than through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ! * Jesus once said "no man can come to the Father except by me... Anyone who tries to get in any other way is a thief and a robber..." * Ways people try to get into heaven.. * Good deeds * Giving money * Moral goodness * Family faith * Jesus is not A way but THE way. * The Holy Spirit brings us to a spiritual awakening that Jesus is the Christ of the world, sent by God our Father to be our Savior...by faith (belief) we accept that and are saved. John 4 - Woman at the well (4:28-30)--The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah? So the people came streaming from the village to see him. John 1-Philip finding his brother (1:28-29)--The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Come, follow me." Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter's hometown. Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, "We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth." * We are followers of Jesus because we are ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Without that conviction, what happens here is merely religious practice. Followers of Jesus Possess An Unwavering Commitment to Obedience Los seguidores de Jesús poseen un compromiso inquebrantable con la obediencia * Throughout the Bible, the theme of obedience is tied to our relationship with God... (Deut. 11:26-28) Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the Lord your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before. (Deuteronomio 11:26-28) ¡Mira, hoy te doy a elegir entre una bendición y una maldición! Serás bendecido si obedeces los mandamientos del Señor tu Dios que te doy hoy. Pero serás maldito si rechazas los mandamientos del Señor tu Dios y te apartas de él y te rindes culto a dioses que no has conocido antes. * Don't be confused, we are not saved by obedience because salvation is a free gift from God-but obedience is an expression of our gratitude to God for His abundant grace. * The Greek word for obedience means to bring yourself under the authority of another-to surrender. * Biblical obedience is to hear God's Word and obey it. (John 14:15) If you love me, obey my commandments. (John 8:51) I tell you the truth, anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!" (Juan 14:15) Si me amas, obedece mis mandamientos. (Juan 8:51) Les digo la verdad, ¡cualquiera que obedezca mis enseñanzas nunca morirá!" * In 1 Samuel 15, the prophet Samuel relayed God's command to King Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites and kill the wicked king Agag... o instead Saul kept the best of the spoil and let the king live. o When Samuel arrived, Saul tried to pretend he had obeyed the Lord- o then he blamed the people for influencing his disobedience- * ultimately Samuel told him... (1 Samuel 15:22-23) Samuel replied, What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king. (1 Samuel 15:22-23) Samuel respondió: ¿Qué es más agradable al Señor: vuestros holocaustos y sacrificios o vuestra obediencia a su voz? ¡Escuchar! La obediencia es mejor que el sacrificio, y la sumisión es mejor que ofrecer la grasa de los carneros. La rebelión es tan pecaminosa como la brujería, y la obstinación tan mala como la adoración de ídolos. Así que porque has rechazado el mandato del Señor, él te ha rechazado como rey. * There is nothing God values more than obedience from those who choose to follow Him! Obedience Is An Act Of Worship True Christian obedience flows from a heart of gratitude for the grace we have received from the Lord: (Romans 12:1) And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice-the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. God Blesses Obedience (Genesis 22:18) And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed-all because you have obeyed me. (Luke 11:28) Jesus replied, But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice. (James 1:22-25) But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. In what areas of your life are you struggling to obey God? Conclusion: There's a difference between calling yourself a Christian and being a truly devoted follower of Jesus. In the first century, there were times when political pressure came to bear upon the Christians and they were forcibly required to deny Jesus or face death. In those moments, they had to make a personal decision-do I believe enough in Jesus Christ to put my life on the line? In the year 107 AD, the Christian Bishop of Antioch (Ignatius) was torn to pieces by lions in the Colosseum as 87,000 Romans approved and applauded. The Emperor of Rome mocked his faith in Jesus and required that he renounce his faith in Jesus or face death. "...there is but one God who made heaven, earth, the sea and all that are in them. And one Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God." The Emperor replied, "Jesus. Oh, yes, that Jesus. You mean the Jesus who was crucified under our Procurator Pontius Pilatus?" Ignatius jumped in. "I mean the one who crucified sin along with its inventor, Emperor. And all the deceit and malice of the devil he has put under the feet of those who carry Him in their heart. That's the Jesus I mean." "Carry Him in their heart!" Trajan smiled and leaned forward. "So you are saying you carry within you that Jesus who was crucified. That's not believable. How can you carry a god within you?" The emperor stood up and pointed to the marble statue of Justitia (left). "I can't take this statue of Justitia (Justice) and shove it inside me! I've heard enough." Trajan turned to the scribe. "I command that Ignatius who says that he carries about within him this Jesus who according to our Acta was crucified, dead and buried, I command that he be bound by soldiers, carried to the great Rome, and be there devoured by the beasts for the gratification of the people of Rome. Get him out of here!" As Ignatius was hurried away by the soldiers, he cried out, "I thank you, Lord, that You have honored me with a perfect love toward You and that I will be bound with these chains like your apostle Paul!" Will something like this ever happen to us? If put to a life/death moment to deny your faith and loyalty to Jesus Christ or die what would you do? (Mark 8:34-38) ...If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." (Marcos 8:34-38) ...Si alguno de ustedes quiere ser mi seguidor, debe abandonar su propio camino, tomar su cruz y seguirme. Si tratas de aferrarte a tu vida, la perderás. Pero si das tu vida por mí y por la Buena Nueva, la salvarás. ¿Y de qué te sirve si ganas el mundo entero pero pierdes tu propia alma? ¿Hay algo que valga más que tu alma? Si alguno se avergüenza de mí y de mi mensaje en estos días de adulterio y pecado, el Hijo del Hombre se avergonzará de esa persona cuando regrese en la gloria de su Padre con los santos ángeles". Today I'm calling you to make a public decision to follow Jesus... * You may have been a follower for many years-you are coming to reaffirm your personal commitment to be a Jesus follower * Some of you are coming to regain what you lost along the way-you once followed the Lord but now you are not-today you choose freshly to be a follower of Jesus Christ * You may be here today and have never made a personal decision to follow Jesus and I ask you to come as well in the swell of the larger crowd and stand here with all of us and decide TODAY-I choose to follow Jesus. God, I am a sinner I'm sorry for my sins I believe Jesus died for my sins I believe Jesus will forgive my sins I choose Jesus Dios, soy un pecador lo siento por mis pecados Creo que Jesús murió por mis pecados. Creo que Jesús perdonará mis pecados. elijo a jesus