I Have Decided to Follow Jesus Pt.2
Jesus Followers • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 4 viewsThere are 3 Types of People who follow Jesus or 1 Type and the the other 2 wrestle with following Him.
Notes
Transcript
Jesus Is?
Jesus Is?
When you are looking for someone to follow, you always have a reason as to why that person has influenced you. We as humans are always looking for that next influencer, that person we can look up too... For whatever they do and or who they are to motivate us, we need that person. All of us do. Dale Carnegie said: The only way you can ever influence anyone is to talk about what they want and then show them how to get it.
We are going to look at three groups of people whom Jesus influenced and how these same groups exist today.
The first group is the none believers and we are going to look at that today. - Jesus influenced them to not be influenced by Him as all will not come to the Father. Because some just are bent towards wrong and not right. It’s easier to do thy will and not the Father’s will. This is why most don’t want to follow Jesus , because it causes you to walk a very narrow path. The world is a big place with many paths to destruction but the path to to God our Father is very narrow, it’s a path that leads you to Him by accepting our savior Jesus Christ. The perfect atonement for our sins.
14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
Wow that’s scary right, if you are not a follower of Christ right now you are probably like, man, I gotta walk through a small, rough, path, to get to God? Why would I do that then, I might as well look for other options to get to God. But my friend, Christ is the only real option.
10 It will happen with every sort of wicked deception of those who are heading toward destruction because they have refused to love the truth that would allow them to be saved.
11 This is why God will send them an influence that will mislead them so that they will believe the lie.
12 The result will be that everyone will be judged who is not convinced by the truth but is happy with injustice.
Now I want you to think about what is happening right now all around you. What do you see happening? You see those who say that we need to be more tolerant. But I pose the question tolerant of what? We see those who say we need more justice, but what justice do we need?
Listen do not be distracted by systems of this world and ideas that don’t embody God as the center point. Well Pastor how do we get to the center point, the same way we’ve been getting there for the last 2000 plus year through Christ Jesus our redeemer!
45 When the Temple guards returned without having arrested Jesus, the leading priests and Pharisees demanded, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”
46 “We have never heard anyone speak like this!” the guards responded.
47 “Have you been led astray, too?” the Pharisees mocked.
48 “Is there a single one of us rulers or Pharisees who believes in him?
49 This foolish crowd follows him, but they are ignorant of the law. God’s curse is on them!”
50 Then Nicodemus, the leader who had met with Jesus earlier, spoke up.
51 “Is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?” he asked.
52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Search the Scriptures and see for yourself—no prophet ever comes from Galilee!”
Be careful who you allow to influence you, bad company corrupts good morals.
The Pharisees were so trapped by the ideas of the law that they could only see anything coming from the law. They had no real faith. Only law!
Much like people today who only want what they want for their own selfish desires. Ones who are so trapped by thoughts, ideas, and religious positions presented by man. That trap you into the positions of laws and causing you to become lawless. The laws of science, the laws of astrology, the laws of islam, the laws of buddhist, the laws of materialism, atheism, new ageism or even humanism. All of these and more trap you into the thought of working hard towards this that influences you.
But Jesus says in John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
8 Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that’s not the way of Christ.
Can I give you something to chew on? Spend less time debating about who is right and more time on living right. It’ll have way more influence then anything you say. As a believer that’s what we need to show the world around us.
After his sunday messages, the pastor of a church in London got on the trolley Monday morning to go back to his study downtown. He paid his fare, and the trolley driver gave him too much change. The pastor sat down and fumbled the change and looked it over, counted it eight or ten times. And, you know the rationalization, “It’s wonderful how God provides.” He realized he was tight that week and this was just about what he would need to break even, or at least enough for his lunch. He wrestled with himself all the way down that old trolley trail that led to his office. And finally he came to the stop and he got up, couldn’t live with himself, walked up to the trolley driver, and said, “Here, you gave me too much change. You made a mistake.” The driver said, “No, it was no mistake. You see, I was in your church last night when you spoke on honesty, and I thought I would put you to the test.”
Listen the world needs to see our light and we look like the power that either fills us up to shine, or we either look like a sad dimly lite candle under a box. Just sad and fading out fast.
No let us shine bright for all to see, we look like the love of Christ and can influence even those who are not typically influenced.
Listen who are you influencing and how are you influencing them.
See the pharisees love the idea of being smarter, better and brighter then anyone else. They loved to be looked upon, they loved to influence those around them, but their influence was one that reflected their father, not God.
Jesus says to them: John 8:44-45 44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.
45 So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me!
Satan has and his children has always relied on deception and manipulation. What does both of these sinful traits have in common? They both produce results for selfish desires. When you can’t have your way as a child of satan then you result in natural tactics. Those tactics at end produce destruction and death in your life and typical lives of others. So Christ is pointing out here to them you want to kill me because that’s what your father wants.
Listen carefully saints, the world and especially those who walk the walk of their father wants to kill Christendom. because they want their fathers will done on this earth. But Jesus said:
18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.
Listen I want to speak to those who who are being influenced by the worlds system, satan’s system. Yes walk this walk is hard and very challenging, and it seems like why does everything have to be a battle? But fear not brothers and sister for our Father in heaven knows what we suffer and He will always take care of us.
Don’t be like the Pharisees who put on a great act of righteousness, which is really only self.
Don’t be like the guards who heard this amazing teaching of Christ but then were so easily influenced by the Pharisees. No you want to be like the last person we are going to talk about today. Nicodemus.
We look at the first encounter of Nicodemus listen I love this:
1 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee.
2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.
6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.
7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’
8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
9 “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.
10 Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things?
11 I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony.
12 But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
13 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.
19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.
20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.
21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
Learn to be be inquisitive with the things of God
Nicodemus was respectful and very inquisitive, he wanted to know. He had saw what he had saw but now he wanted more details. Get more details.
50 Then Nicodemus, the leader who had met with Jesus earlier, spoke up.
51 “Is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?” he asked.
52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Search the Scriptures and see for yourself—no prophet ever comes from Galilee!”
Ask questions fairly as mature believers we reflect God’s grace and mercy
Listen even Nicodemus knew the law as he had studied it well to present a fair position for Christ defense, He was ridiculed for his position but in the end it exposed all that Christ had told him about the pharisees. I’m sure Nicodemus must have been wondering like wow we really do need to change our hardened hearts. We must learn to defend what is truly right. Not based on world’s standards but on God’s standards.
Which brings us to the last point as to why we need to look like Nicodemus saved and or not saved yet.
38 Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away.
39 With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes.
40 Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth.
41 The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before.
42 And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
Pastor said it best recently and I’m going to echo it right here as a point you need to write down.
Your faith should cost you something!
Nicodemus came to faith and he along with Joseph both very wealthy men paid into what they really believed. Joseph owned the garden where Jesus was laid and Nicodemus provided the burial spices worthy into todays dollar about $200,000.00 dollars! Great examples of men who were willing to pay the cost for their Lord and Savior who paid the ultimate cost for them.
Listen I want to close with this last thought, it was a quote I read that just stuck with me. You want to have influence for real? Treat it like a savings account, the less you use it, the more you’ve got.
As followers of Christ we’ve got to do better with how we really influence those around us, we have a great opportunity to change the world around us but we must not look like them, we will never influence the world trying to be like them.
Let’s pray.