April 28, 2021 The Commands of Christ – 11a Follow Me
Notes
Transcript
April 28, 2021 The Commands of Christ – 11a
Ice-Breaker:
Ice-Breaker:
A lot more people attracted to the Christian life than are actually willing to pay the price; look at the Gospel accounts to see how large the crowds were at various times; What made Jesus so attractive?
Recap:
Recap:
Series Foundational Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20 esp. vs.20
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?
Dig:
READ: Matthew 16:21-27
From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.
Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.”
But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
“For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.
What is the context of verse 24? What difference does it make?
Vs. 24 comes after Jesus says, “I’m going the way of suffering, the cross, death and resurrection from the dead.
They (Peter in particular didn’t like that - they wanted to stop following and start leading)
Following Jesus Illustrated by Peter:
Mark 1:16-18; Matthew 16:22, 23; John 21:15-22; Acts 9:39-41
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.
Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.”
But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
The following takes place after the shame of Peter denying Jesus:
So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.”
He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.”
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.”
Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!”
Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?”
So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?”
Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.
But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.
Acts 3. Dorcas Is Raised from the Dead (39–42)
Tabitha, arise: Peter seemed to clearly remember what Jesus did in Mark 5:38–43 (or Luke 8:50–56). In that healing, Jesus said, “Talitha, cumi.” Peter said here (in the original language) “Tabitha cumi.” Peter could hear Jesus’ words in his head as he ministered.
i. Peter simply tried to do as Jesus did. Jesus was his leader. He wasn’t trying to lead Jesus anymore, as he did when he told Jesus not to go the way of the cross in Matthew 16:22. Now Peter was letting Jesus lead him.
They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing.
And entering in, He said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.”
They began laughing at Him. But putting them all out, He took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and entered the room where the child was.
Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).
Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded.
When He came to the house, He did not allow anyone to enter with Him, except Peter and John and James, and the girl’s father and mother.
Now they were all weeping and lamenting for her; but He said, “Stop weeping, for she has not died, but is asleep.”
And they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died.
He, however, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Child, arise!”
And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He gave orders for something to be given her to eat.
The 3 Fundamentals of Biblical Christian Discipleship
1. Self- ___denial____ Matthew 16:24
2. ____Suffering______________ - Identification with Christ no matter the cost (1 Peter 2:20-21)
For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,
3. ____Submission______________ - Following, sight unseen, no questions asked. (John 10:4, 5, 27)
“When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.
“A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
What are some consequences to following Jesus?
Ruptures in ____relationships______ with ______people______.
Ruptures in ____relationships______ with ______possessions___.
Ruptures in ____relationships______ with ____vocations_____.
(Matthew 10:34-38; Matthew 19:16-26; Matthew 9:9; Matthew 8:22; Mark 1:18, 20
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
“For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.
“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?”
And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Then he said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness;
Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?”
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.
And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
“Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?”
And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
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.
But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”
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.
Jim Elliot (missionary martyr): "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."
What is the value of following Jesus? (Matthew 16:27)
We have to be careful here! There is a Biblical principle that is supported by MULTIPLE SCRIPTURES:
God WILL repay each according to their deeds:
And lovingkindness is Yours, O Lord,
For You recompense a man according to his work.
“I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give to each man according to his ways,
According to the results of his deeds.
But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
who will render to each person according to his deeds:
‘And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.
We WILL receive according to our deeds, but NOT salvation:
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
But even after salvation our works are judged:
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
But here are other blessings of following Jesus:
In this life:
John 8:12
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
Mark 1:17
And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
In the life to come:
Matthew 19:21, 27-30
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”
And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.
“But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.
Reflect:
What are you willing to give up in order to follow Christ?
What specific possession, attitude or action should you give up now to be obedient in following Christ?
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