Why Jesus Wants us to Follow

Introduction

This morning I want us to consider this thought.....

Why Jesus wants us to follow....

If there is on truth I am certain of today, i am certain that Jesus desires, wants people to find Him and follow Him.

But what is involved in this idea of finding and following?

Lets think about that...

Finding begins with looking for or investigating the life of this man who is called Jesus.

What is special is that the Bible plainly says that if a person seeks the Lord, he will find Him...

And once a person has found Jesus.. what will you do?

What will you do? We are forced to make a decision concerning Jesus.

Will you abandon the truth about Him or will you follow Jesus.

So with all of this in our mind I want to share a message with you with this at the heart of the topic....

Why Jesus Wants you (us) to Follow!

So how can we answer this thought… Why Jesus desires people to follow Him.

Lets consider this first thought...

1. Sin Naturally Separates Man from the Divine.

When God created this world and placed man into it, sin was not here.

Think about it, the world we now live was made perfect, it was free from any form of corruption, disease was not here and certainly death was not here either.

Our world was sin free,

All that God created, it was perfect. And God said “it was good.”

This world was a complete utopia.

A beautiful garden, plant and animal was there, man and woman was there and God’s presence was there.

And there was no sin. Perfect.

And then the devil shows up and twists the truth of God’s word, he deceives Adam and Eve and suddenly sin is birthed..

Because of this, the serpent is judged, man and woman are judged and driven from the garden.

Genesis 3:22–24 ESV

Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Sin has ruined everything, but sadly the most important truth is that it ruined man’s relationship with God.

Isaiah 59:2 ESV

but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Look at that word separation there in Isaiah.. The word separation means to build a wall or raise a wall of separation, and here it is between man and God.

Think about the great wall of China, it is a huge wall designed to keep the outside from making their way inside.

So sin is very much the same. Sin is a huge dividing wall, separating man from God .

Now consider this thought.... Why does Jesus want man to follow Him?

To help man (me and you) realize, we do not have to be held in bondage by sin, He has broken down the wall of separation.

Thus we do not have to be separated, we do not have be cut off..

But friends realize the Devil is still deceiving men and women trying to keep them from that truth.

I was talking to a student past Wednesday, they had come asking me about Spiritual matters, and as we talked that person asked about the supernatural.

And as I considered our conversation, i thought of this … Man goes looking for the supernatural, the unexplained all the time - when we fail to realize Jesus is the supernatural.

He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, was crucified on a cross, was buried and rose from the dead… all to release us from the penalty and burden of sin.

My friends there is the supernatural. Jesus wants us to follow so that we can do away with the separation caused by sin.

Man was made to walk with God, not be separated from Him. That is one of the reasons why Jesus wants us to follow Him.

2. So We Can Learn His Grace is Sufficient for every Situation.

`Unless a person follows,

Here is a thought for you to consider, if a person never follows, what do they really know?

Well the answer we would surmise would be nothing....

So here is the conclusion

So unless we follow, we can never really learn and know what it means to follow Jesus.

Unless we follow, we can never really learn and know what it means to know Jesus. To really know Him and be blessed by His presence.

As Jesus walked on this earth, after His public ministry started we know that He began to call people.

Jesus began to call people to follow Him. He visited place after place preaching the message of the kingdom of God.

Soon there were 12. Those 12 men followed Jesus, and those 12 with Jesus called others.

Now here is the blessing, As they walked with Jesus something wonderful began to happen.

They learned that His grace was sufficient for every situation.

* * Let me share with you two thoughts.....

A. His Grace was Sufficient to Give us Hope

As people began to walk with Jesus they heard the message, sin brings death! And we have no hope, no answer, no way to overcome. But the other side of the message, while sin brings death --- Jesus brings life. Jesus is the answer.

let me share a passage with you..

2 Corinthians 8:9 ESV

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Jesus was rich, He was King and the King came on behalf of His people.

Consider the word grace, grace is a word that means God’s immutable favor, and when considering what God has done on our behalf we discover the word ‘gift.”

So the gift of God, Jesus was the richest man, yet He gave His gift to us.. that we might be rich.

He became poor for us, so that we might become rich

John, the beloved tells us that in Jesus was life and that life was the light of men.

John 1:4 ESV

In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

That life, that light came... Jesus brought himself to meet our need, He gave us life, so that we could have life, enjoy life and be changed by that life.

And the life came.... Jesus brought himself to meet our need, He gave us life that we could have life, enjoy life and be changed by that life.

John 1:4 ESV

In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

Thus we are made rich...

Man, that gives us hope.

Jesus wants us to follow my friends so that we can have and enjoy the gift of God....

But secondly.....

B. The Benefit of Grace Blesses Us....

Jesus wants people to follow Him, not only to enjoy the greatest gift that man has ever known, Salvation...

But that we might also enjoy the blessing of walking in His strength.

So consider this my friends, We are no longer chained by sin, we have been set free because of the gift of God, Salvation we have in Christ.

But once we are His, saved and sealed by the Holy Spirit — We have the joy of walking with Jesus day by day and living for Him we can walk in His strength.

This truth is where we are blessed in life...

We never walk alone or in our own strength...

Now how do I know this, what proof do I have you might ask...

Well, i’m glad you asked.

Let me share this passage with you, it is a difficult one… we call it a Hard Saying of the Bible..

2 Corinthians 12:7

2 Corinthian 12:7-9...

2 Corinthians 12:7–9 ESV

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

This passage is one of the most amazing passages you will ever find when we think about God’s blessing in our lives as we walk with him each day.

So Paul speaks of a problem, a thorn that was given to his flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass him.

Now we know that part of the issue is Paul.

Paul says that part of the problem was to keep him form being conceited (the KJV says to keep him from being exalted above measure). So Paul, in a effort to be held in the right way, says that a thorn was given him.

Now many people have tried to speculate what the thorn is … but i can tell you diffidently what this thorn is...

First it is evil… it is described as a messenger of Satan, not an angel of God. This tells us that the thorn comes from the Evil one, with evil intent. Whether it was a disease or and adversary it came from an evil one.

Secondly, God was allowing it.... Paul says there was given me, Paul says he prays three times for this to be taken from him, yet God declined and promised a greater blessing...

Thirdly, The Thorn caused some type of Weakness… Yet Paul was able to realize, God would sustain him.... in fact Paul, when he knew God would not remove it, but would sustain and keep him.. well he says

2 Corinthians 12:10 ESV

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Now here is a question?

Now here is a question?

Was it an illness? i have heard eye trouble, seizures, and many other things through the years… so what is the weakness.

In verse 10, Paul refers to weaknesses in a list that included insults, hardships, persecutions, difficulties but no terms for illnesses...

When you run the references from the Old Testament to the New especially as it ties to the word “thorn”, as an adversary - Paul refers to those who sought to hurt him, insult him, and yes even to harass him (v 10.)

Now looking backward to the Old Testament, we know from Job that God can allow Satan to bring things to our lives for his will and glory…

A

So perhaps while Paul was this Pharisee of Pharisee, from the tribe of Benjamin and so forth, perhaps he did not impress, perhaps he was not elegant in speech, perhaps his speech was unrefined…

But no matter....it was not Paul that made the impression, it was not Paul who blessed but God working through him..

Maybe Paul like Moses felt so inadequate, but God was able to help...

Maybe, just maybe and i really think this is how the text works it self out… Paul could have easily got caught up in himself, instead God kept him so that what people always saw was the magnificent wonder of God’s presence in Paul’s life

God’s grace was sufficient...

But regardless if my research is right, or some other preacher that knows more than me...

God’s grace is made perfect in weakness.

Jesus calls us to walk with Him and alongside of Him so that we might know the joy of serving God well, empowered, knowing it was Him and not us!

I am glad its not up to me, i mess up… But God can take this messed up life and find victory through His grace.

*Closing*

Jesus wants us to follow so that we can be free of sin,

Jesus wants us to follow so that we can find his strength for every part of life, for every situation and so that we can go away blessed knowing God will be victorius...

Now I will finish this next week, but for now…

Jesus is calling you… to come and follow.

sin

repentance

a new life

what do you want today?

Do you want to be the same or someone differenent