Come Follow Me
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Title: Come Follow Me
Text: Mark 1:16-20; 2:13-14
Objective: To move listeners from mere observers to active followers of Jesus Christ, emphasizing His authority, grace, and call to transformation.
The Hook: Think about the last time you received an invitation that completely disrupted your calendar. Maybe it was an unexpected wedding invite, a sudden job offer, or a late-night phone call from a friend in need. We live our lives by tightly controlled schedules, color-coded calendars, and predictable routines. We like to know what is coming next.
The Problem: The danger is that we often try to fit God into our pre-existing schedules. We give Him a neat one-hour slot on Sunday morning, or a brief five minutes before we fall asleep. We want Jesus to be a consultant for our lives, someone we check in with when we need advice, rather than the Lord who commands our lives.
The Text in Context: Today, we meet four fishermen and a tax collector who were locked into their own predictable routines. They had plans for their day, their businesses, and their futures. But then, Jesus walked into their workspace.
Thesis: When Jesus speaks, He doesn’t offer a polite suggestion to add Him to our busy schedules; He issues a radical, life-altering command to drop everything and follow Him.
I. The Interrupting Voice of Jesus
16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.
17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them.
14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.
The Context of the Call: Jesus walks into ordinary spaces. He meets Simon and Andrew at their nets, and Levi at his tax booth.
The Power of His Voice: The phrase "Follow Me" is a command of divine authority, not a polite suggestion.
Focus on Jesus: Jesus does not wait for us to clean up our lives before He approaches. He initiates the contact. He steps into our routine, our mess, and our brokenness to call us to Himself.
Sermon Illustration: The Divine Interruption. Imagine sitting at your office desk, deeply focused on a spreadsheet, or folding a mountain of laundry at home. Suddenly, the CEO of the universe walks into the room, pulls up a chair, and calls you by name. We often treat church as a scheduled appointment we keep with God. But in this text, Jesus shows up uninvited to a workday. He doesn't wait for a holy moment; He makes a mundane moment holy. Think of C.S. Lewis, who described his conversion not as a peaceful quest, but as being "brought in kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance of escape" by the relentless pursuit of God. Jesus interrupts our small plans to give us His global kingdom.
Now, it’s one thing to hear an interrupting voice, but it’s an entirely different thing to actually change your direction because of it. When Jesus speaks to these men, His words don't just leave them astonished on the shore—they demand an immediate, disruptive choice. And that brings us to the second truth we see in this text: hearing the voice of Jesus always requires a radical response of faith."
II. The Radical Response of Faith
18 At once they left their nets and followed him.
20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.
Immediate Abandonment: The text emphasizes immediacy. "At once they left their nets." Levi "got up and followed him."
Leaving the Past Behind: Following Jesus requires leaving behind security (nets), relationships (father Zebedee), and identity or wealth (the tax booth).
Focus on Jesus: The disciples could leave everything because they recognized the supreme value of the One calling them. Jesus is worth more than our comfort, our past mistakes, or our current worldly security.
Sermon Illustration: The Safety of the Nets. A commercial fisherman’s net isn’t just a tool; it represents his financial security, his family legacy, and his comfort zone. It is what he knows best. Leaving the nets means leaving your safety net. There is a story of a young child trying to pick up a beautiful, priceless diamond, but they can't lift it because their hands are tightly clenched around a dirty, plastic toy. They have to drop the cheap imitation to grasp the true treasure. Simon and Andrew dropped their plastic toys—their predictable lives—because they saw the Diamond of Heaven standing on the shore. Levi walked away from a literal goldmine at the tax table because he realized true wealth was walking away on two feet.
But please don't miss this: Jesus didn't call them to leave their old lives just to leave them empty-handed. He didn't ask Levi to walk away from his money or Peter to walk away from his boats just to see if they would do it. He emptied their hands of earthly securities so He could fill them with an eternal destiny. When you make the radical choice to drop your nets, Jesus replaces your old routine with His transforming purpose.
III. The Transforming Purpose of the Call
17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
From Catching Fish to Catching People: Jesus says, "I will send you out to fish for people." He takes their ordinary skills and redirects them for eternity.
From Outcast to Apostle: Levi the tax collector—a political traitor—is transformed into a proclaimer of the Gospel.
Focus on Jesus: Jesus is the ultimate Transformer. He does not just change our destination; He changes our identity, our purpose, and our heart. Holiness in the Nazarene tradition is about being entirely devoted to Him and His mission.
Sermon Illustration: The Master’s Workshop. Think of a master luthier who finds an old, cracked, water-damaged violin in an attic. To a passerby, it’s trash. But the master builder looks at it and hears a symphony. He takes it into his workshop, cleans it, replaces the broken strings, and tunes it perfectly. Jesus doesn't discard our broken pieces, nor does He leave us in our ruined state. Levi was a social outcast, viewed as a traitor by his own people. Yet Jesus saw a Gospel writer. In our Nazarene heritage, we talk about holiness and entire sanctification. This is exactly what it looks like: Jesus taking a life completely ruined by sin, washing it, and redirecting every ounce of its passion and talent toward the Kingdom of God.
Conclusion and Invitation
Jesus is still walking along the shores of our everyday lives. He sees the nets of comfort we cling to. He sees the tax tables of security we build around ourselves. And He stands before us today with the exact same two-word command: "Follow Me."
We believe that God’s grace enables us to make a real, decisive choice. Holiness begins with a definitive "yes" to Jesus. You cannot hold onto your old nets and follow Him at the same time. True discipleship will cost you your self-will, but it will gain you Christ.
Final Challenge:
As our worship team comes for our closing song, I want to invite you to do something very practical. Look down at your hands right now. Mentally, spiritually, look at what you are gripping so tightly today. What are you holding onto today that keeps you from following Him fully? Is it a habit? A past hurt? A desire for control?
What is the 'net' in your life that is keeping you from moving forward with Jesus? Is it the net of a comfortable routine? Is it the security of a career or a bank account that you trust more than God? Or maybe, like Levi, you are sitting at a table of past mistakes, shame, or an identity that you’ve built up to protect yourself.
Hear me clearly: Jesus is standing right here in this sanctuary. He isn't looking at who you used to be, and He isn't waiting for you to fix yourself up. He is simply looking into your eyes and saying, 'Come, follow Me.'
We believe the altar is a place of decision. It is a place where we physically bring our invisible burdens and drop them at the feet of a holy God. If you need to tell Jesus 'yes' for the very first time today, this altar is open for you. If you are a believer but you realize you’ve been trying to follow Him while still holding onto your old safety nets, and you want to completely consecrate your life to His mission today, this altar is open for you.
As we stand together all across this room, don't let fear keep you on the shoreline. Leave the nets behind. Step out from where you are standing, come forward, and find freedom at this altar as we pray.
Benediction:
And now, church, as you leave this place, remember that you are not walking away from the presence of Jesus—you are walking out into the world *with* Him.
May the Lord Jesus Christ, who met you in your routine and called you by name, give you the courage to leave your nets behind. May God the Father, who created you for an eternal purpose, redirect your talents, your passions, and your everyday steps for His Kingdom. And may the Holy Spirit, our Sanctifier, fill your hearts with perfect love, keeping you entirely devoted and fully surrendered to His voice.
Go now from this place as fishers of people, transformed by His grace, and empowered to live a life wholly consecrated to His mission.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."
