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Following Jesus
Big Idea: Decide to follow Jesus, and don’t turn back
though none go with me, still I will follow
will you decide now to follow Jesus
Introduction
For the past 4 years, every August we have had a new theme in Y4C.
This year is going to be different.
We are still very much going to have a push and a focus towards one thing, but it’s not going to be just a Y4C theme.
It’s First Baptist Church of Milford’s theme.
It’s First Baptist Church of Milford’s mission.
I want each of you to know that you are a part of First Baptist Church of Milford.
Y4C is a part of First Baptist Church of Milford.
However, we are still a unique group with unique needs.
I love hearing people like that pray.
You know what would be even more amazing?
Hearing Jesus pray.
In fact, there’s a passage in Scripture where we can not only read what Jesus prayed, but his prayer actually was for us.
You and me, today, in this room.
Because of this, we are going to spend the next 4 weeks in a series we’ve titled No Turning Back.
This series is the heartbeat of our youth group and the heartbeat of our church.
Please plan to be here for the next 4 weeks.
We are going to unpack and discuss a simple but powerful mission: Following Jesus.
This mission is at the very core of what it means to be a Christian, and therefore it should be at the very core of who we are as a youth group.
So please, ask God now to give you an attentive and peaceful heart as we dive into this series.
It can change your life, if you let it.
Segway
Open your Bibles to Luke 14
Jesus Calls Us To Follow Him
The overarching call of Jesus’ ministry was simple: “Follow me.”
In each of the 4 Gospels (the books of the Bible that contain the life of Christ) we see Jesus begin his ministry with this simple command: Follow me.
At the end of his ministry, in the final conversation with Peter in the book of John, Jesus twice says to Peter, “Follow me.”
From the very beginning to the very end of Jesus’ ministry we see one consistent call to all that he met.
The poor and the rich, the sinners and the saints, the Jews and the Samaritans — still the call from Jesus was the same: “Follow me.”
This applies to us today, every person in this room — regardless of age, school, gender, family, past, mistakes, or personality type.
Jesus extends the call to you: “Follow me.”
Segway
Segway
But…following Jesus isn’t always as easy as it sounds.
Some of you have probably struggled with, or are currently struggling with, this idea of following Jesus right now in your lives.
Each of us has different lives with unique struggles, but none of that should stop us from deciding to follow Jesus.
3 Unique People with 3 Unique Obstacles
An invitation met with excuses
Invited, but unwilling to accept
There were all different kinds of people here with all different kinds of excuses
Man who purchased land — too important
Man with cattle to manage — too busy
Man who was a newlywed — too distracted
There’s nothing inherently wrong with any of these things on their own, but their is something wrong with each of them if it stops us from following Jesus
If we’re not careful, just like these people, we’ll come up with every excuse in the book to not accept the invitation to follow Jesus.
A confrontation met with a challenge
Accepted, but unwilling to deny self
At first glance, what Peter suggested to Jesus seems like a noble cause: “Jesus, you can’t die!”
However, what Peter didn’t yet understand was that he was still seeing the world through the lens of “what I want” instead of seeing it through the lens of “what God wants.”
Jesus wanted Peter, and the rest of the disciples, to see that he was setting the example for us of how to set ourselves aside and pursue the will of the Father
But, what if that will doesn’t line up with ours?
What if we had different plans?
It’s not enough to just accept Jesus’ invitation to follow, we must choose to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and truly follow Him.
Sometimes these desires aren’t even wrong, but if they don’t line up with God’s desires than
An opportunity requiring conviction
Committed, but unable to endure
This story may seem just like the first, but it’s not.
It’s different.
These people have already accepted the invitation to follow Jesus.
They truly, in their hearts, want to follow Jesus.
Yet something is tugging on their shoulder.
Something is pulling on them to turn back.
Jesus’ response to this is simple: if you’re going to be a true follower of me, it has to be with conviction.
There’s no turning back.
Sure, you can decide to turn back.
Your salvation is secure.
says the following:
But you’ll miss out on the abundant, fulfilling, satisfying, blessed life of following Jesus.
Following Jesus means enduring through the hard times, enduring through the influences trying to pull you away, enduring through distractions and temporal passions and dreams.
Following Jesus means following through—to the end.
Segway
You may be asking now, “Okay… so is it worth it?
Is following Jesus worth choosing his will over mine?
His dreams over mine?
His plans over mine?
I can tell you this: yes.
It is absolutely, positively, 100% worth it.
No Turning Back
Decide to follow Jesus, and don’t turn back
Christ promised that those who follow Him will be rewarded — both in this world and in eternity
Following Jesus is always worth it
Our God has an ability to even the score like no other, and following Him is the most rewarding and fulfilling life that any person can live
Decide to follow Jesus, and don’t turn back
Each of us in this room will face unique obstacles when we make the decision to follow Jesus
Jesus isn’t expecting you to be perfect, he just wants you to be persistent.
Some of us have heard the invitation, but are afraid to accept the call to follow Jesus
What will it mean for my dreams?
What will have to change in my life?
Will I lose all my friends?
Some of us have accepted the call, but are unwilling to deny ourselves
Following Jesus is about Him, not us.
The question is not “What should God be doing for me?” it is “What is God asking me to do for Him?”
Someone truly following Jesus will “deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.”
What are you unwilling to deny?
What is God asking you to lay down so that you can pick up your cross?
Some of us have committed to following Jesus, but are being pushed to turn back
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