Following Jesus Regardless
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 29 viewsNotes
Transcript
Following Christ Through Hardship and Wants
And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
It is quite certain that this "certain young man" had an idea that Christ Jesus was soon to take the Davidic throne, and he wanted to have a place with Him in His glory.
The Lord corrected and enlighten his mind.
He did not deny the fact that He would some day reign on David's throne, but He emphasized the fact that He was without any present prospect of such a glory. He promised the young man no flowery bed of ease, no earthly glory in following Him.
Those who today would follow Christ fully, may assure their hearts that it will mean suffering. "All that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution".
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
Who then is ready to go outside the camp with Christ and bear His reproach?
Who is willing to bear the Cross?
Can we sing that precious verse:
"Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee,
Naked, poor, despised, forsaken;
Thou, from hence, my all shall be:
Let the world despise and leave me,
They have left my Saviour, too,
Earthly looks and friends deceive me,
Thou art not like them untrue."
There are many who seek to follow Christ solely for the loaves and fishes; they want to join the big church, the popular church, the worldly church.
With them it is not a question of "What wilt Thou have me to do"?
But of "What advantage wilt Thou be unto me?"
It sounds wonderfully well to say, "I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest"; but, to say it, is not enough.
We must be ready to pay the price, and go all the way with God.
We must be ready to say:
"I'll go where You want me to go, dear Lord,
Over mountain or plain or sea,
I'll say what You want me to say, dear Lord,
I'll be what You want me to be."
Following Christ Above Relatives
And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
If we are going to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, we must place Him above father, and above mother, and above husband, and above wife.
In all things Christ must be first ( Col. 1:18 ).
And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
We should remember the words of Christ:
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
If we are going to follow Christ Jesus, we must not say, "Suffer me first" to do anything.
It is all right for us to love the ones at home.
The fact is, that if we love Christ truly, we will love them all the better; but we cannot even obey father or mother, if it means disobedience to Jesus Christ.
Many a missionary has been called upon to leave his home, and all of his loved ones in order to follow his Lord.
When Christ says, "Follow thou Me" we must not turn so much as one wistful glance backward, toward those human environments, which might woo us from the will of God.
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
"Remember Lot's wife"!
When she started out with Lot, and her two daughters, to flee from Sodom, she left behind her two other daughters, and two sons-in-law, many friends, and all of her earthly possessions.
And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
Therefore she turned and looked back.
Her heart was still in Sodom.
Because of this infidelity to God, she became a pillar of salt; a warning to all who turn and look back.
We should always be able to say with the poet:
"Fade, fade, each earthly joy,
Jesus is mine;
Break ev'ry earthly tie,
Jesus is mine."
Young people, particularly, must guard their love life.
They must allow no love to creep into their hearts that would cripple their love for Him.
"It is permitted unto a woman to marry only in the Lord."
A divided home is sure to spell spiritual disaster. How can two walk together except they be agreed?
'What part hath he that believeth with an infidel, (or with an unbeliever)"?
We must put Christ above all earthly ties.