Statements by the Savior
Notes
Transcript
I wasn’t sure how to begin this morning’s message. However, after this weekend, I know…It’s amazing how God works. The messages which we heard this weekend, in my mind, go right along with this morning’s message to the point where I had to “re-arrange” and “add to” the message this morning...
Follow Me
Follow Me
And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
Levi, we also know him as Matthew, is now enlisted to follow Christ. He is a Jew; a part of the tribe of Levi. The Levites had been set-apart by God to serve in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. However, Matthew turned his back on serving God and instead decided to serve himself. He was a tax collector who worked for the Roman government and grew rich by padding the tax assessments that he collected. The Jews regarded tax collectors as traitors and extortioners. To most - if not all - Levi would not have been the ideal type of individual that Jesus Christ should have invited to follow Him. However, he did, and Levi responded. Luke 5:28 tells us:
And he left all, rose up, and followed him.
What is the purpose for following Jesus?
What is the purpose for following Jesus?
Simply this…to become fishers of men!
And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
The purpose for following Jesus isn’t just so that He will bless and give us a better life, an easier life; it is so that we will be fishers of men. The purpose for following Jesus is our purpose - Proclaiming the Gospel; Experiencing the miracle of changed lives!
Now...Did you know, Christ is still calling individuals to follow Him? That call is still being extended to men and women; boys and girls to follow Him?
Are you a follower, or simply a fan, of Jesus Christ?
The church has responded to the identity pressures of our culture by offering young people a Jesus “brand experience” rather than facilitating a transformational experience to find their identity in the person and work of Jesus.
Jesus is just one more brand competing for our loyalty.
Kinnaman, David. Faith for Exiles (p. 51). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Jesus Christ is not looking for more “fans;” He is looking for more followers. And, we must first seriously consider the fact there is a cost in truly following Christ.
Unfortunately, very few - if any of us in here this morning - truly know what it is to follow Christ. It costs us “little to nothing” to follow Christ here in the United States!
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
If you are truly going to follow Christ - and not merely be a “fan” - you must...
Deny yourself!
Deny yourself!
The world says, “Look out for ‘Number One’!” Christ says, “Deny yourself.”
True discipleship requires a willingness to not only come to Christ, but to deny self with all its desires and interests. (Sorenson)
But why is this so difficult? We are naturally selfish! To deny ourself it requires that we humble ourselves! (That was the theme of this weekend’s messages!)
Turn to and read Philippians 2:3-8.
Ken Collier, the president of The Wilds, gave us this:
The spirit of a humble heart which realizes...
God is all.
Self is nothing.
Others are more important.
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
To deny ourselves, we must surrender to the Holy Spirit’s working in our lives to develop the same spirit and attitude that Christ carried while He was on the earth; the spirit and attitude of humility.
To follow Christ you must deny yourself. Then, you must...
Take up your cross!
Take up your cross!
Christ’s listeners knew and understood what it meant to “take up your cross.” A cross was reserved for the worst in society - for criminals. As will be seen later, an individual was forced to carry their cross to the place of crucifixion. To “take up one’s cross” was more than just a burden; it brought shame and reproach.
He is despised and rejected of men; A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: And we hid as it were our faces from him; He was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Jesus Christ knew what it was to take up His cross - literally and figuratively! He was despised. He was rejected. Are we willing to endure that same treatment?
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross
The emblem of suffering and shame
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true
It's shame and reproach gladly bear
Then he'll call me someday to my home far away
Where his glory forever I'll share
Are you willing to suffer to follow Christ? Following Christ is never easy. Are you willing to endure the shame that comes with taking up your cross? Following Christ will never earn you a badge of honor. The Apostle Paul knew what it was to suffer; he knew what it was to endure shame.
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Dr. Robert Grant, Jr., a pastor in Warrenton, Virginia, was invited by a pro-life lawmaker to deliver the opening prayer [last week] for the Virginia House of Delegates. He did so, but some lawmakers, who did not like his prayer, walked out and the House Speaker, Eileen Corn, eventually gaveled him down and silenced him by leading the house in the pledge of allegiance.
Parts of his prayer focused on the Biblical definition of marriage and the sin of abortion.
The pastor said, "If they don't like that, then ask a businessman to open up the House, but please don't ask a pastor to open up the House and expect him to say anything other than what God has put inside of his heart to say."
When the pastor returned to his church, he found the church’s voicemail filled with messages of hate!
While I may not agree will all of Dr. Grant’s theology, I certainly agree with the stand that he took in the Virginia legislature! He was “despised.” He was “rejected.”
If your goal in life is to win as many popularity contests as you can or to live as comfortable a life as you can then I would suggest that you find something else to do with your life than follow Christ!
However...
If you desire to make your life count for something worthwhile - Follow Christ!
If you desire to make a difference for all eternity - Follow Christ!
If you are tired of “following the crowd” - Follow Christ!
If you hope to hear the words, “Well Done!” - Follow Christ!
This coming week, we all will have plenty of opportunities to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Christ. The question is, “Will we!” We must determine right here and right now to do just that. Don’t expect, in the “heat” of the moment, to make those choices. Determine, this morning, to follow Christ!
After Matthew accepted the call to follow Christ, he took Christ to his home where he made a “great feast.” Mark records...
And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.
The Pharisees, when they saw all the publicans (tax collectors) and “sinners” who had gathered around Jesus, they became quite indignant.
And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
That’s when Christ made this statement...
I Came To Call Sinners
I Came To Call Sinners
When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Did you know that “religious” people cannot get saved? Why? Because “religious” people think that they are already good enough.
Do you know why it is so difficult to see people come to Christ in Charlotte, NC? Because it is filled with “religious” people. “Religious” people don’t need Christ. In fact...
As of 2013, 51.91% of people in Charlotte practice religion on a regular basis, making it the second most religious city in North Carolina after Winston-Salem.
Also, according to Barna, as of 2016, Charlotte was the 6th most “Bible minded” city in the United States!
“Religion” can never save anyone!
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Before a person can ever come to Christ for salvation, they must admit that they are a sinner!
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
If you are here this morning and you consider yourself to be a religious person please understand: Your religion cannot save you!
If you are here this morning and you consider yourself to be a “pretty good” person you must realize: You will never be “good enough.”