Having Faith To Leave Everything Behind

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Introduction
1 Corinthians 3:2 NIV
2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.
Paul is talking to the Corinthian church here and if you were in the Bible study you might have heard about this
Here in america there is a lot of Christians but they are not Christ Followers
New series called “Following The Call”
In this series we are going to be talking about the process of salvation and the steps that we see as we continue to work towards sanctification.
Having Faith To Leave Everything Behind
The Holy Spirit
The Importance of Baptism
Continued Sanctification/Works
This is such a big topic that we cannot possibly cover everything and this isn’t in an exact order
But today we are going to talk about the first step to following this call.
Luke 5:1–11 NIV
1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
Body

Leaving Sin Behind

Luke 5:8 NIV
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
We see in this story the miraculous thing that Jesus did and what Peter did in response
Peter responds to this telling Jesus that he is a sinful man. This is the first step of salvation.
We first have to acknowledge that we are sinners and that are separated from God
Many people are not willing to do this because of pride
This is important because if we don’t acknowledge that we are sinners then we think we don’t need Jesus and we cannot turn from this sin and leave it behind
Example - The first step in any addiction program is admitting your are addicted
But once we have admitted that we are sinners we have to put our faith in Jesus and leave this sin behind
We have to do this for two reasons
If we continue to go on sinning it will affect our relationship with God
God wants what is best for us and this sin will only hurt us and leave us empty inside
We all have a hole in our life that we try to fill with other things but only God can fill it
Why do you think that we have many Christians in America but not as many Christ Followers?
Why do you think it is important that we acknowledge that we are sinners in order to come to Christ?

Leaving Comfort Behind

Luke 5:10 (NIV)
10 Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”
We see that Jesus was calling Peter to a new life.
He was calling him to leave his job and everything that he had know. He wanted him to get out of his comfort zone
I’m sure that Peter had not done much with public speaking or ministering to people.
Jesus calls us to do the same thing when we come to him
He might not call us to quit our job or move somewhere else but he call us to leave our comfort zones.
He calls us to do this because this causes us to grow in Him.
Example - I’m sure peter and the other disciples were not comfortable with doing miracles and casting out demons but God called them to do this in order to spread the gospel and so they would grow in Him before he left.
Luke 9:23 NIV
23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
A cross would have been a sign of suffering.
Has their been a time when Jesus has called you to come out of your comfort zone?
What’s one way that you can get out of your comfort zone this week?

Leaving Independence Behind

Luke 5:11 NIV
11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
Peter and the disciples left everything to follow Jesus. They would have left their jobs so they wouldn’t have any income where they were going.
It’s not like they were craftsmen or something they could do wherever they were fishermen.
They had to become dependent on Christ.
We have to do the same thing. We have to become dependent on Jesus in everything we do. We have to seek the Lord before we see anything else.
Example - Right now money can be tight and I can want to rely on myself rather than the Lord.
Is it hard for you to leave independence behind to follow Jesus? Why or why not?
What is a area that you struggle relying on God for?
Conclusion
Leaving Sin Behind
Leaving Comfort Behind
Leaving Independence Behind
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