Will YOU follow Jesus Christ?

Read: Matthew 8:18-22

Introduction: How did you come to faith in Christ? Take a moment and think about that, and then will a few of you tell me how you came to Jesus Christ? Did a parent lead you to Christ? Did you come to Christ at an Evangelism crusade? Did you come to Christ at a VBS program? How did you come to Jesus Christ?

Today, as I continue our study of the Gospel of Matthew, I want to have a word with you about following Jesus Christ. Will YOU follow Jesus?

We have been studying in Matthew 8 and have seen the amazing miracles that Jesus has performed. But sandwiched between the 10 miracles are two teaching segments on the cost of discipleship (See Matthew 8:18-22; 9:9-17). In fact, the heading in your bible may say the following: The Cost of Following Jesus.

Please hear this, DISCIPLESHIP is not easy, but it is worth every step.

In our text, we are going to look at three types of people who must make a choice as to whether they would follow Jesus. Who are they? They are:

I. The Multitudes – 8:18

18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side.

Early in the ministry, I learn that people are at different stages in their spiritual journey. The following circle helped me to see the movements of people as they come to faith in Christ.

What is the goal of Evangelism? The goal of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Good News of Salvation, and to bring them in, build them up, train them for, and send them out. This is what discipleship is all about. Allow me to walk through how this may be played out in the life of many people.

Look at the circle on the screen as I talk about these various groups of people.

Who is the Community?

I would suggest that they are the multitude that we read about here in our text (Matthew 8:18). These are the people who heard about Jesus’ teaching, and they have come to hear Him. The community is a great starting point – they are the hottest prospects. They are showing some interest in spiritual things. At the least these are the people who are willing to listen We ought to thank God when the Community shows up!

Who is the Crowd?

They are the ones that press in to get a little closer. They are the people who move from standing towards the back of the multitudes to standing with feet of Jesus. These may be disciples, or they may be made up of non-believers.

In every Church, there is a crowd. Some in the crowd know Jesus, and others need to come to know Jesus.

Who is the Congregation?

These are those who have decided to follow Jesus Christ. They have come to faith in Christ and are a part of the church. Thank God for all those that have given their lives to Jesus Christ. Although the congregation is important not all in the congregation are engaged. They are not all active in Church ministry.

Who is the Committed?

These are the people who show up when something is taking place at the Church. They have become Church members. They pray, and they give to the ministry of the Church. They attend Bible studies and special Church activities. They help with discipleship.

Who is the Core?

These are the Peter and Andrew’s, and the James and the John’s of the disciples. They left all to follow Jesus, and they are all in. These are the people that make the Church flow and without them you would come to a standstill. In today’s Church, we call them the Church leadership. They are the ones listening to God and moving the Church forward in ministry.

What do you think was Jesus’ purpose in speaking to the multitude? To bring them in one circle at a time. This is the healthiest way to grow. Salvation to becoming a part of the core.

Sometimes those that make up the community will come to faith in Christ, and other times all they wanted to do was to come and see what was happening. Some will choose to follow Christ, and others won’t.

Our ministry is to present the Gospel. The Holy Spirit’s ministry to take the Gospel and transform a life.

There is a second person present when Jesus was teaching. It is the Scribe. I’ll refer to him as…

II. The Religious – 8:19-20

19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 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.”

Surely you would think that the religious would be ready to follow Jesus, after all, they are religious, right? A scribe was a teacher of the law. He had a good understanding of the Scripture. Look at what this scribe said to Jesus,

“I will follow you wherever you go.”

Do you think he meant it, or was this a very off-the-cuff remark? Do you think he thought about his response to Jesus before he provided his answer to Jesus?

Did the scribe count the cost of following Jesus Christ? Jesus reminded him,

20 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.”

Foxes have holes. Foxes have their dens in the ground. It’s their place of rest and warmth. Birds of the air have nests. Birds build nests everywhere. In trees, on buildings. Birds use all kinds of building materials – mud, moss, sticks, string, leaves, and even hair. They will use whatever materials they can find. Even the word nest sounds inviting!

After speaking about foxes and birds Jesus drops the bombshell on the scribe. Jesus said to him,

But the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.

This is the first time in Matthew that Jesus refers to Himself as the “Son of Man”. Jesus is presenting His humanity here.

People live in homes, but not Him. He travels and is always on the move. Matthew uses the words “Son of Man” 29 times, Mark 14 times, Luke 24 times, and John 13 times.

We need to remember as a Man that Jesus’ ministry was itinerant. He was always on the move. Jesus never owned a home. He didn’t even have an apartment back in Jerusalem. He didn’t have a hotel room at each stop. I find it ironic that even when Jesus was born that there was no room at an inn. So what Jesus is saying is this, Now, Mr. Scribe are you ready for this type of adventure? Are you ready to become homeless for following Jesus and becoming His disciple? You see, a Scribe was part of the ruling class in society at that time. What Jesus is saying to the scribe is this: Are you ready to suffer? Are you ready to give up all that you have known to hang out with fishermen and tax collectors? Jesus is giving this Scribe the truth of being a true follower of Jesus.

Some Bible teachers believe that what this scribe was looking for was fame. He wanted to be able to say that he was following Jesus the popular teacher that was drawing the large crowds.

Not only do we have the multitude in the text, and not only do we have the religious in the text, but we also have the…

III. The Procrastinator – 8:21-22

Don’t worry, I won't be using any of you as an example here:

Look with me starting in Verse 21:

21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Another disciple responds to Jesus. He says,

“Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”

Excuse me, but what is the guy doing there in the crowd if his father has died? Shouldn’t he be back home taking care of the remains of his father? Isn’t this disciple expressing something that is legit? I mean if you had a parent that had died, wouldn’t you want to go and take care of their remains? Is Jesus lacking compassion here? No, Jesus understands this man’s excuse for not following Him. Jesus understands that this man is not ready to count the cost. His priority was to take care of his father’s remains.

Ensuring your father had a proper burial was among the highest duties of a Jewish eldest son. So, this disciple is saying, essentially, “I want to follow you, but first I have other duties to take care of.”

However, what we need to know is that this man’s father wasn’t dead at the time. That is why he is a part of the multitude following Jesus. This man was talking about the future, about a day down the road on which his father would die. In other words, he is asking for a deferment until the time he must deal with burying his father.

Bible teachers believe that what this guy was saying was that he wanted to stick around until the death of his father so that he could collect his inheritance.

Money first – following Jesus second.

Now, how did Jesus respond to this man’s question? Jesus said,

“Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

What is Jesus saying to this man? He is telling him not to be a procrastinator. Don’t put off following Jesus for things that are only temporary. Money doesn’t last. It has wings and it flies away so often (Proverbs 23:5). You can’t take money with you, so don’t live for that.

Next, Jesus tells him that the physical dead (his father down the road) needs to be cared for by the spiritual dead. Those who are lost in their sins and without Jesus Christ. Now is the time to follow Me.

Far too many people put off discipleship for things that are earthly and fleeting. Discipleship is about the eternal, about things that last forever.

A disciple is a follower and a learner of Jesus Christ. All three groups in our text were being called to follow Jesus Christ. Will you follow? Move from being a part of the multitude and come in close to Jesus. Go from standing outside the circle to becoming a part of the CORE. Those who have surrendered fully to Jesus Christ.

There is a song that I grew up singing in my church:

I have decided to follow Jesus no turning back, no turning Back.

Though none go with me, still I will follow, no turning back, no turning back.

Following Jesus does have a cost. It might cost you a job or friendships. It might even cost you a relationship with family members.

There is no such thing as costless Christianity. Salvation is a free gift of God but there is a cost. Are you willing to pay the cost?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German Theologian wrote,

“The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death—we give over our lives to death. Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

So, my question to you today is where are you in the circle? Are you on the outside looking in with interest? Are you like the religious man, or the procrastinator hanging onto the things of this world that are temporary? Or are you part of the core that is all in and sold out for Jesus? Are you willing to suffer and lose everything for Him?

Conclusion: So, what are the take-home truth from this section

of the Gospel of Matthew? Here they are:

1. Give the multitudes an opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ. Love on your Community.

2. Move from being a part of the multitude to becoming a part of the CORE. The Church needs godly leaders.

3. Count the COST of following Jesus Christ. You may be called upon to give up a lot to follow Jesus Christ. I say again, count the COST.

4. Don’t be a procrastinator in following Jesus. There is NOTHING here worth waiting for when it comes to following Jesus Christ. Follow Him today!