The Greatest NY Resolution - Follow Me
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 4 viewsNotes
Transcript
QIntro and Tension
QIntro and Tension
Happy New Year - Time for NY Resolution. If Stuck | Top 10:
Exercise more | Lose weight | Get organized | Learn a new skill or hobby | Live life to the fullest | Save more money / spend less money | Quit smoking | Spend more time with family and friends | Travel more | Read more
Lot’s of “More” | What’s a NY Resolution about? Better version of yourself | Jesus comes with different message:
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Follow you? Where?
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Promise is Life, Freedom, Transformation for God’s Glory, Your Good - You get there not by “Doing” more of something | But by “Knowing” more of someone.
21 times Jesus offers invitation, range of responses | Question; What’s our response?
What if this year, it wasn’t so much about how much you’re doing, but who are you following.
Title: The Greatest New Year Resolution - Follow Me
**Pray**
Where going? Look at what it means to Follow Jesus | Dive into Gospel Matthew = Flyover | Before that - Here is our Anchor Verse
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Often reduce to quick formula | Let’s break down futher.
Side bar = Not about Questioning Salvation | About knowing Jesus | Having revelation and relationship | To follow wherever He takes you.
Key elements of this scripture:
Lord = Lord of What/Who? (Dive into today)
God raised Him from dead = Why important? Not just that we serve Risen Jesus, what does this miracle mean for us?
Saved = From what? to What? For What?
Dive in: Birth in December | Pick up in Matthew 3- John baptist:
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ”
People Came - Got baptised | Pharisees Came - to watch
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Choice right here:
Illustration of how we think life goes (Even for some non-believers). More happening here.
“Now” and “Then” mentality | Sometimes God invades | This does not line up with Scripture, not what Jesus teaches (Come back to this)
Johm baptist there, then jesus comes to get baptised. Jesus then get’s baptised;
and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Declaration = Son of God. Check this (Teach)
Jewish tradition | Ordination from Rabbi - You teach what you got taught | Don’t authorise yourself | Who authorises Jesus? God - Says…I give you Authority to teach what I have.
Then what happens?
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Jesus declared Son of God | now = Ok you’re going to prove it.
peirazō = Tempt/Test | I wonder if this ever happens to you?
Satan = Tempt = Destroy | God = Test = Reveal Truth | What is revealing in Jesus? He is Son of God.
What happens = Jesus passes test | Proves He is Son/Lord.
God is Graciouse = Jesus doesn’t come with Iron Fist, but before putting you through test | Jesus faces ultimate test to reveal He is King/Son.
What is Jesus proving? He is who He says He is.
Jesus is making a point = Important we understand WHO is leading before WHERE we are going.
Jesus then comes out of test:
Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,
Just between sentences | When at nazereth - Went into Synagogue - Says something:
And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then:
And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”
Now we get some responses = Marveled, didn’t commend | That’s great - Surely Not.
Ends in Rage (Pushing off Cliff) (Wonder if we have followed pattern?)
Impressed = Still rejects. Jesus challenging what they think they know…
Leaves Nazereth - Begins Ministry - Declares Light in darkness, Finally, now tells them where He is leading them…
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
What’s happening here?
Draw the Diagram…
Where is At Hand mentioned else?
You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Why? Heaven will come over | Take away tears | What do you see about these two cirlces? Complete contrast with each other | nothing in “corrupt” world will get you where Jesus wants to take you in Kingdom of God.
Not about mixing, cherry picking - About following someone who has been there to take you to life and freedom.
Why Him proving Who He is, is so important.
Listening to an emergency response officer…
Then what happens? (We got here)
See’s Peter, andrew in boat;
And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
I will make you = Something Else, in Kingdom - But have role.
Remember when Peter finally got it:
And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
(Preach it ^^)
Hang on - 4 Chapters in Matthew = No Commands yet - That’s the point = Radical Invitation. Comands will come
But Following Jesus isn’t about seeing if rule book and seeing if it aligns = it won’t.
It’s about meeting Jesus, and knowing He is who He says He is and asking…Do you trust Him?
Why does Jesus offer Invitation before Information?
Because it requires “The Helper” to understand how to operate in Kingdom. You need to trust who leading you | Nowhere you’ve ever been
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Over next 4 weeks, look at repsonses to this invitaiton = Follow me…let me give you 3 real quick:
And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
What Jesus doing? Preaching Gospel, Kingdom, How it operates.
(Geek out with me)
Sermon on mount 3 chapters | Heals for 2 Chapters | Right at end, healing
3 responses:
And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”
Heals demon possessed man:
And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.”
Then Pharisees turn up:
But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”
3 Responses;
Pharisees = Closed Mind = I know how everything works - God does nothing new
Crowd = Marveled - but Stayed
Blind men = Couldn’t physically see Jesus, knew + Trusted
Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”
Faith = Trust | Go own way = God will let you | Won’t force himself on a closed heart.
If marvel and never commit = Maybe Same
But if come fully surrendered | Wanting to truly follow, trust = He can transform you, Spiritually heal you, Make you more like him.
Back to our start;
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Lord…Lord of What - The Kingdom of Heaven…Lord of who? Whoever trusts Him….Who ever wants to follow Him…
Who are you? Pharisee, Crowd, Blind man…who admits, maybe you don’t know everything, and maybe this is the year you’re going to trust.
Maybe this year = Don’t need list of things YOUR going to do | Maybe 1 resolution = “Follow me” - See all the things Jesus is going to do…in and through you.
