Following Jesus
Notes
Transcript
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
It is often said that knowing Jesus can happen in a single moment with a single prayer, while following Jesus happens over the course of a lifetime. Jesus uses His words strategically throughout His ministry, calling people of all different backgrounds and lifestyles to follow Him. Our task this week is to answer the question: what happens when we decide to follow Jesus? And if we answer that question; we will experience what it means to go All In for Jesus.
18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
Introduction
Introduction
As Jesus began His ministry
- He called men, 12 of them particularly
- To become His disciples- a follower of Jesus- a true/genuine Christian
- To learn of Him and become those who would later turn their world upside
- Jesus came to them while they were going about their everyday affairs
- While they were working and earning their livelihood
- He called to them
- “Come, follow me!”
- “Come, follow me.”
- God is in the business of calling people to Himself
- He called many people over the ages to serve Him
- To know Him, to reveal Himself to them
- He called Moses, Abraham, Jacob, David, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Amos,
- The list goes on and on
- Jesus did the same thing
- “Come, follow me.”
- He called Peter and Andrew, John and James
- Who dropped everything to follow Him
- Notice, He did not tell them where they would go
- He did not say, “Take care of things, put your affairs in order so you are able to come, get ready and I send you to seminary so you can follow me.”
- He simply said, “Come, follow me.”
What did these simple, hard-working men do?
- Did they ask where they were going?
- Ask how long they would be gone?
- Ask how much luggage they could take, how many pairs of shoes would be needed?
- No, they dropped their nets and left
- John and James left the boat and their father
- Standing there wondering what they were doing
- Where they were going
- They hurried after Jesus
- Went at once
- They left the boat, their father, and followed Jesus
- Nothing of their livelihood or possessions went wit them
- They did not stop to arrange for the care of the boat or nets
- They did not question Jesus
- They got up at once and followed Him
Going All In for Jesus
Going All In for Jesus
27 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.
Jesus later came by a table of the tax-collector, Levi
- Now Levi was a man of means
- He had money and a comfortable life
- You see, he was able to keep everything above the minimum the Romans required to be collected
- He sat at his table in the custom-house and collected taxes on all the goods that people brought into the city to sell
- Jesus came by and looked at him and said
- “Follow me.”
- “Follow me.”
- And Levi got up immediately
- He abandoned the money at the table
- He did not say, “Just a minute, let me get things gathered up.”
- He did not say, “Jesus let me get all this money together so you can use it in your ministry.”
- He did not make arrangements to return later and pickup where he left off
- No, He got up and followed Jesus
- He left everything that provided security to follow Jesus
- Just like Peter and Andrew, John and James
- He left everything behind to answer the call of Jesus
Let’s look again at Scripture
No excuses
No excuses
57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”
58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
59 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”
But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”
61 And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
One came to Jesus and said he would follow Him
- Jesus tells him that He would find he had no place to call home
- Jesus and his disciples were quite literally homeless
- The disciples who followed Jesus
- Gave up house and home and family
- Peter said, “We have left everything to become your followers.”
- They had given up career, homes, family, dreams, aspirations, hopes, plans and self to follow Jesus
To another who came to Him, Jesus says the same words He spoke to Peter and John and James and Andrew and Levi
- “Follow me”
- But the man asks for time to bury his father
- You see, the son was to bury the parent and the about a year later come back to gather the bones
- The bones were then put in a special box in the tomb
- So this man was saying, ‘give me a year and I will follow you.’
- ‘Let me take care of things and I will catch up with you’
- Jesus rebukes him
- What was and what is important is reaching the living before death
- The dead are past helping
- Their fate is already decided
- But Jesus wants us to reach out the living and see them come to Him
- To find real life
- The gospel must be proclaimed, the kingdom built now
- It is imperative, not optional
- There is no catching up
- We are called as this man to follow now, not later when it is more convenient
Another man comes and declares, “I will follow you, but…”
- Jesus tells him there can be no follow, but…
- There can be no Jesus, but…
- He calls us to follow Him now
- We are asked to follow
- And let go of everything that hinders us
- Our hearts must be His and His alone
- Jesus declares clearly
- If you are going to plow, you must keep your eye on the path of the plow
- There can be no looking back or looking around
- This work is one of complete focus on Him
- This goal is heaven and the living
- Not the past and the perishing
- No one can serve Him with one eye on what was left behind
Has Jesus called you?
Has Jesus called you?
- Has He looked you in the eye and said, “Follow me”?
- Have you heard His voice calling you to follow Him?
- He calls us first to salvation
- He wants a relationship with you
- He wants you to surrender your life to Him
- And let Him bring you through your faith in Him
- Into His kingdom
- To make you a new creature in Christ
- To put you in His family and make you a disciple
- To make you a follower of Jesus
Our problem is we often think when we get in past the gates of salvation
- We have made it
- We sit down
- We sit down and wait
- But I tell you that is not the end, but the beginning
- We are called to follow
- “Come, follow me!”.
- Not, “Come and sit down and wait for me to return
- Following requires going, doing, moving
- What are you called to do, where is Jesus calling you?
- Are you moving or standing still?
- Have you put you hand to the plough
- But keep looking back
- Like you regret going
- Like you miss some of your former life before Christ came in?
I tell you the best is yet to come
- Following Jesus causes a hunger and a deep desire so strong
- That there is a restlessness to be going
- To follow Him wherever He leads
- There is a passion, a fire
- That cannot be contained when you focus on Him
- There is a fire that wants to jump from your heart
- And catch others on fire
- The satisfaction in being in His company is greater than houses or family or stuff
- He grabs your heart and fills you with a joy that cannot be found anywhere else
- He brings fulfillment to life beyond anything we cling to
Drop your regrets, leave your fears, abandon the money tables
- Take Him as your security, your family, your portion
- Let Him lead you and don’t look back
- Don’t look back
- There can be no going back
- There is nothing there worth going back to
- He leads on, ever onward
A Sacrifice is Required
A Sacrifice is Required
But I must warn you
- There is a cost
- This is a high stakes affair
- Be aware
- There is a cost up front as well farther along
Listen to this
15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”
And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. 18 Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” 19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”
Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love Me?”
- “Peter do you love Me; am I your priority?”
- “Do you love Me more than anything else?”
- After Peter affirms his love
- Jesus tells him the cost
- He will suffer martyrdom
- He will die at the hands of pagans for the name of Jesus
- He will be stretched out on a cross and die
- All for the glory of God
- He also tells him three times
- To do something- feed my sheep, tend my sheep, feed my lambs
- Jesus called Peter to follow and to do what he was called to do
- He ended with “Follow me.”
The message here for us is to count the cost
- Realize that there is a cost involved in answering Jesus’ call
- Jesus wants us to follow Him
- But realize when He told Peter here to follow Him
- He had already gone to the cross and died
- He was now resurrected and on His way to heaven
- “Peter, follow me, even to the cross.”
- “Peter, love me enough to go where I have gone for you.”
- “Peter, love me and follow me wherever I take you”
- Because I love you so much I went to the cross for you.”
- Jesus calls, “Follow me,” each one of you, because He loves you and died for you
- “Follow me, love me so much you will give up, let go of everything that keeps you from following me.”
Listen further
37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
Count the cost
- Take up your cross day after day
- Put Christ first, follow Him, walk in His footsteps
- Even when things look like they are going from bad to worse
- What can you compare Christ to?
- What- winning the whole world?
- Success in business, material wealth?
- Financial security, a good life?
- Can they compare to Him who loves you so much as to die for you?
Count the cost
- And follow Him with your eyes wide open
- Know there will be sacrifice- time, money, comfort, self-interest
- Understand up front that it may not be easy
- Then grab hold of your cross, and follow in His footsteps
- Reach out and grasp the plough and go
- Follow, freely, without reservations, without restraint
- Follow wherever He leads you
Ok, so then what?
- How should you respond
Are you All IN for Jesus?
Are you All IN for Jesus?
Listen again
18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
- It responds to the call, even when it leads to places unknown
- It calls us to obedience
- To follow Christ in acts of genuine love
- In service to those He puts in our way
- You know God provides for every need of His body,
- Yet we lack key people in the church
- Did you hear the nominating committee’s report?
- That means that someone is sitting and not following
- Is there a need here not being met
- Someone needs to respond to God’s urging to follow
- And be obedient
Let me tell you that God does call
Calling us today to pray and serve, to cary the gospel to become Kingdom focused
reality check youth retreat
- Now He calls again
- He calls to count the cost
- He calls you to lay down everything you hold dear
- And pick up the task He gives you
- And follow Him
- Just like He looked across the table at Levi
- He looks across the room to you
- And asks you to look into His face
- And respond as He calls- “Follow me”
- He looks you in the eye and says, “Follow me.”
- “If you love me, follow me”
- “Lay down your treasures and find real treasure in obedience to Christ
- “Come, follow me”
- Join Him, join those whose lives have been transformed by an encounter with Him
- Open your hearts’ eyes and ears
- See and hear Him call to you to follow Him
- Through the cross and on to heaven
- Let go of your nets and your material things
- And follow Him now and day by day