I have decided to Follow Jesus

If you ask 100 people, you will get a 100 different answers. Why is that? We are living in a culture today where following is based on personal convenience instead of personal conviction.

Social Media - if you click follow you see what is going on in their lives. If you follow the wrong person, they will fill up your feed. That’s the mentality of following today. if you don’t want to follow someone you simply unfollow them.

Today, we will find out that following is much more than that.

LW we sang have decided to follow Jesus.

Song - I have decided to follow Jesus. India 200 years ago. Hindu Family that converted to Christianity. It was a capital offense to become a Christian. The father, Asam was brought out in front of the village and told to renounce Jesus. He said out loud, I have decided to follow Jesus. They said you don’t understand and they executed his wife in front of him. He responded… no turning back, no turning back. As they killed him, he said, the world behind me, the cross before me.

That takes following Jesus to a whole new level. so I will ask you again, What does it mean to you to be a follower of Jesus?

Today we will look at what Jesus said about what it means to follow him.

Mark 8:27–38 NLT

27 Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets.” 29 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah.” 30 But Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. 31 Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. 32 As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. 33 Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. “Get away from me, Satan!” he said. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” 34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. 36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? 37 Is anything worth more than your soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

IOW, this is an important decision. We have people at different places of following. We need to take following the Lord seriously.

Keep going after God with all you can do, and you will find real life. Culture says if you want to find life, live it up. God says, figure out how to make the most of this life by following Jesus and you will have eternal life.

Luke adds a word.

I have Decided to Follow Jesus

Luke 9:23 NLT

23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.

Where ever you are in the following journey, take the next steps. If you do this, you will find your life.

RW came up with the steps of following.

Crowd: Come and see

The first appeal Jesus made was to the crowd. Come and see. Sunday services are that way.

Jesus first said to Peter… follow me. Then Jesus filled his boat with fish.

Congregation: Come and join us

If you like what you see, come be a part of our church. We want you to feel welcome to join us and be part of what we are doing.

We are going to launch small groups a little later than we wanted … flus and COVID

Committed: Come and grow

People who want more. They want to grow. Salvation is not the end, it’s the beginning. Maybe a Ladies Group… Mens’ group… Marriage group… parenting… financial… Maybe you need to commit to reading the bible every day. Start the 21 Days now…

Core: Come and serve

You are not just coming to grow, but now you want to serve. Kids ministry… run a camera… greet… Serve Day…

You won’t know until you check it out.

Join what I want to call the Dream Team.

Ultimately, we want you to be at the

Commissioned: Come and die to my self

I am at the point of I am going to serve God every day of my life in every area of my life.

You are somewhere on this process. Fidn where you are on this process, and do the next thing, you will have the best year of your life.

We are giving you the opportunity to go

From No Commitment to Total Commitment

From a Consumer to a Contributor

From Savior to Lord

From what God can do for me to what I can do for God.

My job is for me to help you in this journey.

First Step

Acts 2:41 NLT

41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.

The firs thing people in the bible did when they gave their heart ot Jesus, was they were baptized.

I was baptized as a baby. Not taking anything away from that, but those were more dedicatory and not decision based. believer’s Baptism is a decision based action you take. All of the baptism in scripture were post decision.

That’s why we dedicate babies, and baptized believers.

Next week, we will hod a baptism. If you have chosen to follow Jesus and have not been baptized, next week is your week.

Three Reasons to take the Next Step

1. We need to follow the example set by Jesus

Jesus got baptized and he didn’t need to. Baptism shows we have been forgive for our sins… Jesus never sinned.

1 Corinthians 11:1 NLT

1 And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

Wedding band illustration - means I belong to someone. It doesn’t make me married, it just shows that I am married. Jesus said that Baptism is the wedding ring of Christianity.

Look what John said,

1 John 2:4 The Living Bible

4 Someone may say, “I am a Christian; I am on my way to heaven; I belong to Christ.” But if he doesn’t do what Christ tells him to, he is a liar.

2. We need to demonstrate Our changed lives

IOW, wear the wedding band.

1 Peter 3:21 NLT

21 And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The water is not magical, it’s the wedding band. It shows that we have been saved by what Jesus did.

3. We need to declare our commitment publicly

Big deal with God. He wants us to follow him and not be ashamed. The degree he went to of us, he wants us to go for him.

Jesus says we are a light.

You don’t not wear your wedding ring to show we are married. We are baptized after deciding to follow Christ. If you are willing to tell Jesus, I have decided to follow You… check off that Baptism box and come ready to get Baptized next week.

Matthew 10:32–33 NLT

32 “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.