The Essence of Following Jesus
Notes
Transcript
18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
What is it really like to be called a Christian?
Membership in a church. Practitioner of some Christian religion?
When we prayed the sinner’s prayer? (clarification from Karen last Sunday)
When we put our full faith in Jesus.
FAITH is a big word:
Trusting in What Jesus did for us on the cross and that He is the only way. (but that is not all)
Believing that we will go to heaven (but that is not all)
Trusting the Lord that He will provide and that He will be to us Who He promised He would be. (but that is not all)
The assurance that you can follow Him.
(seems to be an open-ended definition)
TO FOLLOW JESUS IS TO GO WHERE HE IS GOING
To follow Jesus is both to:
1) Follow Him in obedience and ...
2) to Follow after Him wherever He goes.
I do not mean heaven, Jesus ascended to heaven.. Jesus is active in the world today..
And He goes to the places where he is needed the most.. the unreached nations, the streets, where the suffering are, the poor (describe),
Far places - Afghanistan, Haiti
People out there who need Jesus the most don’t understand us when we label ourselves Christians.
People who need Jesus the most don’t care when we tell them we are going to heaven.
What will impact them the most is seeing that we are really following Jesus.
Truths about following Jesus:
1. Jesus is on the Go.
18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
Jesus will not stop His work to wait for us.
Yes he pursued us but He pursued us for a purpose.
He is working and finishing the task.
He will use someone else...
Truths about following Jesus:
2. He calls you for a purpose.
19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Our purpose is to be… fishers of men. (Research to expound)
Many churches in the world have stopped being fishers of men.. churches have rather been maintaining aquariums. They are dirty aquariums that need cleaning all the time!
What does it mean to be fishers of men? Picture it like this: Jesus is already out at sea, on a fishing expedition for the souls of men. Do we want to join this expedition?
Pastor Shawn’s story. Affirmation of where we are headed.
Truths about following Jesus:
3. Following Jesus should be decisive and immediate.
20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Why decisive?
Following Jesus should go against our doubts..
doubts
fears — that is not a nice place.. a ghetto — where do you think Jesus would be?
Why immediate?
procastination
priorities
counting the cost
“they left their boat and their father..”
livelihood
career
family
Not telling you necessarily unless there is a clear call from God to do so - to leave your families --- They can be released and offered up to the Lord in order to really follow Jesus.
Remember that Jesus was on the go? This is where He was headed...
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
Teaching in the synagogues: He taught from the Bible of that time - What would Jesus have taught from the Old Testament? I would say He did the same thing as when he taught from the synagogue in Luke 4, when he opened the scroll of Isaiah 6.
I preached from this two weeks ago.. Again He read from Isaiah 61:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
In teaching this, Jesus pointed people to Himself.
the same way we are to be in the business of pointing people to Jesus/
Proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom.
Message of Hope - God’s love
Message of Urgency - Jesus is coming soon. Time is short. The rapture is at hand!
Matthew said: Healing every disease and every affliction.
Every disease - Physical ailments
Every Affliction - Spiritual wounds
Deliverance from demonic possession
Healing of hurts deep down in people’s souls
Jesus is where these people are:
the poor
the lost
the despised
the hurting
the oppressed
Our new home will be where these people are.. we will be the incarnation of Jesus to these communities.
Mayor Coffman, we thank and applaud you for going undercover for seven days and seven nights to live among the homeless in Aurora and Denver in the middle of winter. That is the best way you can help them, to be among them not only to understand them, but also to be like one of them.
That is the example of our Lord Jesus.. He dwelt among us and He became like one of us.
We have been a church in this isolated location (and I am telling you this is no safer than that new place we are moving to) — and for almost 10 years we are inviting, attracting people to come.
Jesus did not only same come, He said “Come, follow Me”.
Jesus is on the move, and He has already gone to where the lost people are.
Now, are we willing to follow Him?
Let us all be together as the Lord transforms and beautifies that community for His glory!
Prayer.