Where Ever He Leads I'll Go.

Intro: This past week I was reminded by my friend Daniel of a true story that took place in Clanton in Alabama. The little town in Central Alabama where my kids were raised. It is the story of B.B. Mckinney who in January of 1936 was attending and leading the singing at the State Sunday School Convention hosted by First Baptist Church of Clanton. The key note speaker was a missionary by the name of R.S. Jones. At dinner one evening, Jones told Mckinney that because of ill health he would not be able to return to the mission field. When Mckinney asked about his future plans, Jones replied, “I don’t know, but wherever He leads, I’ll go.” The statement stuck with Mckinney who immediately wrote both words and music to a hymn we sing still today. Later that evening, the song leader told this story and led this hymn,

“Take up thy cross and follow me, I heard my Master say. I gave my life to ransom thee, surrender your all today. Where ever He leads I’ll go. Where ever He leads I’ll go. I’ll follow my Christ who loves me so, where ever He leads I’ll go.”

In our text, Peter has just professed Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Moments later, Jesus discloses His passion, revealing His purpose for coming to earth… He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day. Peter then rebukes Jesus saying “God forbid it, Lord!” Peter wasn't focused on the things of God but rather His own interests. Then Jesus invites His disciples to come after Him by denying themselves, taking up their own cross and following Him.

CPS: Today, I pray that in response to this text we will, in complete submission to Jesus, follow Him where ever He leads.

I. following Jesus is a call to die (24)

Jesus tells us, if you want to follow Him then there is a cross in your future. Will you follow Jesus even if He leads you to the cross. His call to follow Him is one to self denial and sacrifice. This is not a call to self inflected torture or deprivation but a call to yield your will and to die to sin, self, and the world.

ILL: When R.G. Lee first visited the holy land, a tour guide took them up top Calvary's hill. He began to tell the group that this is where Jesus was crucified. He then asked the group if any of them have been here before. Dr. Lee with tears flowing down his face raised his hand. The tour guide asked, “Sir you’ve been here before, may I ask when?” Dr. R.G. Lee said, “Yes! You see, 2000 years ago when Jesus died for me, I died with Him.”

The call to follow Jesus is the call to die with Jesus, this is accomplished only by grace through faith and once you die with Jesus then you can truly follow Jesus. The Apostle Paul tells us Galatians 2:20 ““I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Will you follow Jesus in death?

II. following Jesus is a call to forsake the things of the world (25-26)

A crucified man holds on to nothing and has no plans that are of his own will. Whoever loves this world and the things of this world sells his eternal soul for so cheap a price. He doesn't know that His soul is so valuable to God that He would die to purchase it from Satan.

To me, the Saddest story in the Bible is that of The Rich Young Ruler (Matt. 19:16-26)… Who chose his riches over Jesus and left very grieved.

The biggest obstacle set before us are the desires for the things of this world. They tarnish and perish and are not worth broken fellowship with Jesus. A call to follow Jesus is a call to forsake the things of this world and to follow Him in obedience, be it to a small mountain Bible college, a third world country, a new job or even into poverty.

Do you want to know what keeps us from following Jesus? Its the American dream, and there is nothing that better Illustrates the American dream than the board game Monopoly.

ILL: James Dobson tells the story of when his daughter, Diane, was a teenager, she came home one day and said, “Hey, Dad! There’s a great new game out. I think you’ll like it. It’s called Monopoly.” He just smiled. They gathered the family together and set up the board. It didn’t take the kids long to figure out that their Dad had played the game before. Soon He owned all the best properties, including Boardwalk and Park Place. He even had Baltic and Mediterranean. His kids were squirming, and he was loving every minute of it. Around midnight he foreclosed on the last property and did a little victory dance. His family wasn’t impressed. They went to bed and made him put the game away. As he began putting all of the money back in the box, a very empty feeling came over me. Everything that he had accumulated was gone. The excitement over riches was just an illusion. And then it occurred to him, Hey, this isn’t just the game of Monopoly that has caught my attention; this is the game of life. You sweat and strain to get ahead, but then one day, after a little chest pain or a wrong change of lanes on the freeway, the game ends. It all goes back in the box. You leave this world just as naked as the day you came into it. Phil. 3:7-11....

There is nothing in this world that you can take with you, so forsake the world and follow Jesus!

III. Following Jesus is a call to eternal glory (27-28)

One day soon, Jesus will saddle His horse and return to earth with the army’s of heaven. On that day He will repay every man according to his deeds. Repay (reward) means pay back, whether good or bad for what he has done. To the lost sinner, who never denied himself, took up his cross in faith and followed Jesus he will be repaid for his sin. The Bible tells us the wages of sin is death, that man will be destroyed and shortly after cast into the eternal sea of sulfer. But for those who followed Jesus, they will receive their award, their reception into the kingdom of heaven. What a reward it will be.

ILL: A little girl was taking an evening walk with her father. Wonderingly, she looked up at the stars and exclaimed; “Oh, Daddy, if the wrong side of heaven is so beautiful, what must the right side be!”

Six days later, Jesus proves His words true, as Jesus gives Peter, James, and John a glimpse of His glory as they follow Him on the Mount of Transfiguration.

Conclusion: Would you follow Jesus to the promised land that faith has secured? But, would you follow Jesus in death, and forsake your desire for the things of the world. Will you daily, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus wherever He leads.

My hear, my life, my all I bring, to Christ who loves me so. He is my Master, Lord, and King wherever He leads I’ll go.