The Commands of Christ-11
Notes
Transcript
April 21, 2021 The Commands of Christ - 11
April 21, 2021 The Commands of Christ - 11
Adult Bible Study
Ice-Breaker:
What kind of invitations do you enjoy receiving? Why?
For what kinds of relationships are people willing to sacrifice their own needs?
When are you most willing to set aside your own needs for another person’s needs?
Recap
Recap
Series Foundational Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20 esp. vs.20 … teaching them to observe (obey) all things I commanded you...
As we study the Commands of Christ we are using Tom Blackaby’s approach in his 2012 book, The Commands of Christ. In his book, Blackaby divides the commands of Christ into 6 areas:
1: Coming to God| 2: Christ as Lord | 3: Character 4: Concerning Others | 5: Calling | 6: Cautions
We have covered the commands that relate to Coming to God:
Be born again | Repent | Come as a child | Love God with all your being | Receive the Holy Spirit | Enter through the narrow door | Worship in Spirit and in truth | Abide in Me
We continue to cover the commands that relate to Christ is Lord:
Deny Yourself | Take Up My Yoke and Learn from Me | Follow Me | You Have Heard It Said . . . but I Say to You | Pray This Way | Do This in Remembrance of Me | Remember What I Said
Surrendering to Christ as Lord means obedience to the command of Matthew 16:24: “Deny yourself.” Is it possible to “Follow Jesus” without denying self?
Douglas Connelly: The Christian life begins with a step of faith. We put our trust in Jesus as our Savior and Lord and King. In that instant we are made new and we pass from death to life. But that first step of faith leads to a walk of obedience and trust and holiness. The process begins with a decisive act, but we don’t remain just inside the door of God’s kingdom. We go on in our walk with the Lord. We follow Jesus.
Pastor Uses Glass of Water to Get Church Members Attention
Pastor Uses Glass of Water to Get Church Members Attention
A man went to the Pastor of his church and said, “I won’t be attending Church anymore.”
Pastor said, “May I ask why?”
He said, “I see people on their cell phones texting and typing during the service, some are gossiping, some just aren’t living right, some are sleeping, some are staring at me, they are all just hypocrites.”
The Pastor was silent. Then he said, “Can I ask you to do something for me before you make your final decision?”
He said, “Sure, what’s that?”
He said, “Take a glass of water and walk around the church two times and don’t let any water fall out of the glass.”
He said, “Yes I can do that!” He went and got the glass of water and walked around the church two times. He came back and said proudly, “It’s done.”
The pastor asked him these questions; “Did you see anybody on their phone?; Did you see anybody gossiping?; Was anybody living wrong?; Did you see anyone sleeping?”
He said, “I didn’t see anything because I was so focused on this glass, so the water wouldn’t spill out”
He told him, “When you come to church , you should be just that focused on God , so that you don’t fall. That’s why Jesus said, ‘Follow Me’, He did not say follow them.”
Don’t let your relationship with God be determined by how others relate with God. Let it be determined by how focused you are with God.
Dig:
Let’s read ONE of Jesus’s calls to follow Him.
READ: Mark 1:14-20
Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,
and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen.
And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets.
Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.
Follow Me!
In our text, why was Jesus in Galilee?
To preach the Gospel (With actions and words) telling that the Kingdom is come repent and believe
How were the two parts of Jesus’ message connected? (1:15)
It is good news that the Kingdom is come and that we CAN repent and believe.
How did Jesus want people to respond to the fact that the kingdom of God was near? (1:15)
Repent and believe
Whom did Jesus call to be His followers? (1:16, 19)
Fishermen
How did Jesus get people to follow Him? (1:17)
He have them a word picture they could understand.
But that’s not how He called all His disciples.
As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.
Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples,
and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?”
He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.
One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.”
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.
Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”
Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
What does it mean to be "fishers of men"? (1:17)
Metaphorically, use some of the methods for fishing
How did Simon and Andrew respond to Jesus’ call? (1:17)
What sacrifice did James and John make to follow Jesus? (1:20)
Why did the disciples decide to follow Jesus?
Account of Jacob Cruz. Died at Battle of Tarawa in 1943. Remains found and identified in 2020 and buried last month.
What does Christ expect us to give up to follow Him?
What does it mean for a person to sacrifice personal achievements, friends, or even family for the sake of Christ?
What does Jesus ask all of us to do?
What can you learn from the disciples’ response to Jesus’ call?
Reflect:
What are you willing to give up in order to follow Christ?
How can you obey Christ’s commands more faithfully?
What prevents you from following Jesus wholeheartedly?
What action is necessary to eliminate these hindrances from your life with Christ?
What specific attitude or action should you give up NOW as an act of following Christ?