Untitled Sermon

LAST WEEK

We saw Jesus do the unthinkable

We saw Him engage with a needy Roman Centurion

We saw Him care for his slave as if he was His own

We learned that this Centurion, a Godless yet Hopeful man

Had greater faith than any Jesus follower to date

Jesus said

I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.

We saw Jesus respond to Peter’s sick mother in law

We also saw that many other had been healed that night

Many were brought to Him in hopes that they would be healed of many diseases and spiritual oppressions.

THIS WEEK

We are going to look at what it means to follow Jesus

How many of us would consider ourselves followers of Jesus?

How has that identity benefitted you?

How has being a follower of Jesus blessed you?

Church, there are so many reasons for us to praise the name of Jesus

There are so many reasons for us sing and lift up our hands in praise

But in this text, Jesus is not focused

However one of the hardest things we will ever do

Is worship Him when there aren’t any praise reports

To raise our hands in surrender when everything seems against us

To praise His name when we are confronted with hard, humbling times.

In this text we are going to look at how Jesus deals with those following for the wrong reasons

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We will look at what it truly means to follow Jesus

We will look at the things that might prevent us from following Jesus

We will also look at the circumstances that may strengthen our “Why we follow Jesus”

READ

Matthew 8:18–34 NKJV

18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 21 Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” 23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” 28 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.” 32 And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water. 33 Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.

Matthew 8:18-34

Matthew 8:

Matthew 8:18–22 NKJV

18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 21 Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

PRAY FOR OPEN HEARTS & FOR GOD’S SPIRIT TO MOVE POWERFULLY

WHAT DID THE TRUE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS HAVE IN COMMON?

Matthew 8:18–22 NKJV

18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 21 Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Jesus is being followed by the multitudes

The Papparazzi has been hounding him wherever he goes

They want to see more

They want to experience more

They want to be enetertained

They want to be fed spiritually and physically

It is at this point that Jesus begins to paint the picture of what it truly means to follow Jesus

Yes, you will be blessed

Yes, you will see the miraculous

Yes, you will go to Heaven

But what happens when Jesus confronts your comfort?

What happens when Jesus calls you out on what you thought it meant to follow Jesus?

What happens when Jesus exposes what it is really like to follow Jesus?

As they made their way to the other side

Those following him had no clue what was about to happen

At this point it hadn’t been that challenging

Some of the guys had left their failing businesses

But nothing super crazy

Nothing life threatening or Theologically Challenging

As they prepared to launch out, a scribe comes up to Jesus

We must remember, a scribe was very well versed in OT Text

They also were very educated

In fact, their schooling was very much a part of their identity

Scribes would sit under a Rabbi and learn from him, be discipled by him, and forever be identified by the reputation of the particular Rabbi

If was as if you went to an Ivy League

You would be known for being a Princeton Graduate

You would get the Alumni License Plate Bracket

You would were your Alma Maters sweater

You would seek to represent it well

So to a scribe it was very important who he chose to be under

This decision would effect him for his entire life

Knowing all of this, we read that this scribe comes up to Jesus

Makes a brave claim saying

“Teacher”

Rabbi

“I will follow you wherever you go”

How many of us think this is the correct response?

How many of us have said this at one point or another in our lives?

Though this saying is commendable

Though it is something we think is the right response

This statement is easier said than done

How does Jesus respond?

Without even flinching, Jesus exposes what this scribe might not be ready to do

Maybe, this scribe was following from afar

Maybe, he had seen the miracles, the feedings, the entertainment, and he desired to be a part of Team Jesus

Jesus goes on to say

Foxes have holes, they have a residency, a place they call home

Birds have nests, a place to rest and nurture their babies

But the Son of Man, Jesus

Has nowhere to lay his head

What if this guy was thinking:

Man, If I follow Jesus, I wont be homeless anymore

If I follow Jesus, I will soon be a homeowner

If I follow Jesus, I will have a place to call home

If I follow Jesus, I will have a place where I can rest

Just as he is thinking all of this

Jesus probably looks at those he had been discipling

Or maybe he looks at him square in the eye and says something that may have challenged every perceived notion of what he thought it meant to follow Jesus

Church, I want us to realize what Jesus is saying here

It’s not just a hard jab to the face of the scribe

It was about setting the pace for the future of the church

It was about being Kingdom Minded

In essence, Jesus is saying

Following me changes your view of residency

Following me changes your view of citizenship

Following me changes your view of the word “Home”

Following me causes you to rethink what this world values

Another disciple

A person Jesus was pouring into

A person who had been following Jesus a little closer

Comes up to him and says

Lord, let me first go and bury my father

Lord, let me go take care of my father in his old age

Lord, dismiss me from following you for the time being

Lord, let me honor my father before I begin to follow you.

This process could have taken years if not decades

In hindsight

Let’s say this dude really wanted to follow Jesus

He was passionate about it. He was excited about it. He was all in.

When he asked Jesus his question, Jesus said, “Go for it”

So this dude, goes on to care for his father

3 years go by

His father dies

He buries his father

On his way back to follow Jesus

He learns that Jesus himself had been crucified?

Friends, the urgency involved in making a decision to follow Jesus is so real that Jesus responds the way he does.

Follow Me

Let the dead bury their own dead

The disciple didn’t know how long Jesus would be here on earth

The disciple didn’t know that Jesus would be crucified soon

The disciple thought there were only two choices

Care for his father or Follow Jesus

What if Jesus wanted to prepare you for caring for your parents through an active decision of following him.

But you chose go care for your family first.

What if Jesus wanted to equip you for the better of your family

But you have let your family stop you from following Him

What if Jesus wanted you to experience such a salvation, such a grace, such a love, for you to display to your family

But you decided that family is more important

Church, If we believe that Jesus wants to save the lost, and he wants to use us to do it, one of the pictures God may use to draw people to himself, is the visual of how we, as His People, follow Jesus.

If we are ambassadors of God’s love, how are we displaying that?

If we are the Forgiven, how are we forgiving others?

If we have been shown Grace, how are we demonstrating that to the undeserved?

Jesus isn’t just asking us to leave everything behind, He is calling us to prepare ourselves to see those things redeemed.

Matthew 8:23–27 NKJV

23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Matthew 8:23-

After those two hard conversations, Jesus gets in the boat

As they sailed across the ocean.

A great tempest arose, so that the boat was covered with waves

Where was Jesus?

Asleep without a care

So disappointing

So not Christ Like

So, His disciples woke him up

Crying out

Lord, Save us, We are perishing!

My question is:

Did Jesus know this was going to happen?

Of Course, thats why He was asleep

Why did He let it happen?

To give them a glimpse of where their faith was at

To show them that alongside him, a storm should not be feared.

The reality is, that these disciples had yet to know exactly who Jesus was.

Look at their language:

They marveled saying

Who can this be?

Who is this Jesus that even the wind and the sea obey him.

Jesus shows us again, that He was investing in people who had yet to trust him and who still did not know exactly who He was.

Matthew 8:28–34 NKJV

28 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.” 32 And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water. 33 Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.

Matthew 8:28-

Imagine being in the boat with him

You get to the other side and you may think

“Well, Im glad I learned that lesson”

“I’m glad, thats over and done with”

Just when you thought that was that:

They get to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes

Where he met two demon possessed men.

These two were gnarly

They had been coming out of the tombs

Exceedingly fierce

Prohibiting people to pass through where they stayed

And then they opened their mouth

“What have we to do with you Jesus, You Son of God? Have you come to torment us before the time?”

This reveals to us a little about the spiritual realm

1. It exists

2. They know who Jesus is

3. They know what Jesus is capable of

4. They knew what He came to do

Without even responding, they go on to beg him: