Follow Me!
Matt 4:18-22
Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee when He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the lake; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, ‘Come with me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him.
He went on and saw another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in the boat with their father Zebedee, overhauling their nets. He called them, and at once they left the boat and their father, and followed him.
As Jesus began His ministry
- He called men, 12 of them particularly
- To become His disciples
- To learn of Him and become those who would later turn their world upside
- Jesus came to them while they were going about their everyday affairs
- While they were working and earning their livelihood
- He called to them
- “Come, follow me!”
- “Come, follow me.”
- God is in the business of calling people to Himself
- He called many people over the ages to serve Him
- To know Him, to reveal Himself to them
- He called Moses, Abraham, Jacob, David, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Amos,
- The list goes on and on
- Jesus did the same thing
- “Come, follow me.”
- He called Peter and Andrew, John and James
- Who dropped everything to follow Him
- Notice, He did not tell them where they would go
- He did not say, “Take care of things, put your affairs in order so you are able to come, get ready and I send you to seminary so you can follow me.”
- He simply said, “Come, follow me.”
What did these simple, hard-working men do?
- Did they ask where they were going?
- Ask how long they would be gone?
- Ask how much luggage they could take, how many pairs of shoes would be needed?
- No, they dropped their nets and left
- Going after Jesus
- John and James left the boat and their father
- Standing there wondering what they were doing
- Where they were going
- They hurried after Jesus
- Went at once
- They left the boat, their father, and followed Jesus
- Nothing of their livelihood or possessions went wit them
- They did not stop to arrange for the care of the boat or nets
- They did not question Jesus
- They got up at once and followed Him
Luke 5:27-28
“Later, when he went out, he saw a tax-gatherer, Levi by name, at his seat in the custom-house, and he said to him, ‘Follow me’; and he rose to his feet, left everything behind, and followed him.”
Jesus later came by a table of the tax-collector, Levi
- Now Levi was a man of means
- He had money and a comfortable life
- You see, he was able to keep everything above the minimum the Romans required to be collected
- He sat at his table in the custom-house and collected taxes on all the goods that people brought into the city to sell
- Jesus came by and looked at him and said
- “Follow me.”
- “Follow me.”
- And Levi got up immediately
- He abandoned the money at the table
- He did not say, “Just a minute, let me get things gathered up.”
- He did not say, “Jesus let me get all this money together so you can use it in your ministry.”
- He did not make arrangements to return later and pickup where he left off
- No, He got up and followed Jesus
- He left everything that provided security to follow Jesus
- Just like Peter and Andrew, John and James
- He left everything behind to answer the call of Jesus
Let’s look again at Scripture
Luke 9:57-62
“As they were going along the road a man said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have their holes, the birds their roosts; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ To another he said, ‘Follow me’, but the man replied, ‘Let me go and bury my father first.’ Jesus said, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; you must go and announce the kingdom of God.’
Yet another said, ‘I will follow you, sir; but let me first say goodbye to my people at home.’ To him Jesus said, ‘No one who sets his hands to the plough and then keeps looking back is it for the kingdom of God.”
One came to Jesus and said he would follow Him
- Jesus tells him that He would find he had no place to call home
- Jesus and his disciples were quite literally homeless
- The disciples who followed Jesus
- Gave up house and home and family
- Peter said, “We have left everything to become your followers.”
- They had given up career, homes, family, dreams, aspirations, hopes, plans and self to follow Jesus
To another who came to Him, Jesus says the same words He spoke to Peter and John and James and Andrew and Levi
- “Follow me”
- But the man asks for time to bury his father
- You see, the son was to bury the parent and the about a year later come back to gather the bones
- The bones were then put in a special box in the tomb
- So this man was saying, ‘give me a year and I will follow you.’
- ‘Let me take care of things and I will catch up with you’
- Jesus rebukes him
- What was and what is important is reaching the living before death
- The dead are past helping
- Their fate is already decided
- But Jesus wants us to reach out the living and see them come to Him
- To find real life
- The gospel must be proclaimed, the kingdom built now
- It is imperative, not optional
- There is no catching up
- We are called as this man to follow now, not later when it is more convenient
Another man comes and declares, “I will follow you, but…”
- Jesus tells him there can be no follow, but…
- There can be no Jesus, but…
- He calls us to follow Him now
- We are asked to follow
- And let go of everything that hinders us
- Our hearts must be His and His alone
- Jesus declares clearly
- If you are going to plow, you must keep your eye on the path of the plow
- There can be no looking back or looking around
- This work is one of complete focus on Him
- This goal is heaven and the living
- Not the past and the perishing
- No one can serve Him with one eye on what was left behind
Has Jesus called you?
- Has He looked you in the eye and said, “Follow me”?
- Have you heard His voice calling you to follow Him?
- He calls us first to salvation
- He wants a relationship with you
- He wants you to surrender your life to Him
- And let Him bring you through your faith in Him
- Into His kingdom
- To make you a new creature in Christ
- To put you in His family and make you a disciple
- To make you a follower of Jesus
Our problem is we often think when we get in past the gates of salvation
- We have made it
- We sit down
- We sit down and wait
- But I tell you that is not the end, but the beginning
- We are called to follow
- “Come, follow me!”.
- Not, “Come and sit down and wait for me to return
- Following requires going, doing, moving
- What are you called to do, where is Jesus calling you?
- Are you moving or standing still?
- Have you put you hand to the plough
- But keep looking back
- Like you regret going
- Like you miss some of your former life before Christ came in?
I tell you the best is yet to come
- Following Jesus causes a hunger and a deep desire so strong
- That there is a restlessness to be going
- To follow Him wherever He leads
- There is a passion, a fire
- That cannot be contained when you focus on Him
- There is a fire that wants to jump from your heart
- And catch others on fire
- The satisfaction in being in His company is greater than houses or family or stuff
- He grabs your heart and fills you with a joy that cannot be found anywhere else
- He brings fulfillment to life beyond anything we cling to
Drop your regrets, leave your fears, abandon the money tables
- Take Him as your security, your family, your portion
- Let Him lead you and don’t look back
- Don’t look back
- There can be no going back
- There is nothing there worth going back to
- He leads on, ever onward
But I must warn you
- There is a cost
- This is a high stakes affair
- Be aware
- There is a cost up front as well farther along
Listen to this
John 21:15-19
After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than all else?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ he said. A second time he asked, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ ‘Yes Lord, you know I love you.’ ‘Then tend my sheep.’ A third time he said, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was hurt that he asked him a third time, ‘Do you love me?’ ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘you know everything: you know I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep.’
‘And further, I tell you this in very truth: when you were young you fastened your belt about you and walked where you chose; but when you are old you will stretch out your arms, and a stranger will bind you fast, and carry you where you have no wish to go.’ He said this to indicate the manner of death by which Peter was to glorify God. Then he added, ‘Follow me.’
Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love Me?”
- “Peter do you love Me; am I your priority?”
- “Do you love Me more than anything else?”
- After Peter affirms his love
- Jesus tells him the cost
- He will suffer martyrdom
- He will die at the hands of pagans for the name of Jesus
- He will be stretched out on a cross and die
- All for the glory of God
- He also tells him three times
- To do something- feed my sheep, tend my sheep, feed my lambs
- Jesus called Peter to follow and to do what he was called to do
- He ended with “Follow me.”
The message here for us is to count the cost
- Realize that there is a cost involved in answering Jesus’ call
- Jesus wants us to follow Him
- But realize when He told Peter here to follow Him
- He had already gone to the cross and died
- He was now resurrected and on His way to heaven
- “Peter, follow me, even to the cross.”
- “Peter, love me enough to go where I have gone for you.”
- “Peter, love me and follow me wherever I take you”
- Because I love you so much I went to the cross for you.”
- Jesus calls, “Follow me,” each one of you, because He loves you and died for you
- “Follow me, love me so much you will give up, let go of everything that keeps you from following me.”
Listen further
Matthew 10:37-39
No man is worthy of me who cares more for father or mother than for me; no man is worthy of me who cares for son or daughter; no man is worthy of me who does not take up his cross and walk in my footsteps. By gaining his life a man will lose it; by losing his life for my sake, he will gain it.
Count the cost
- Take up your cross day after day
- Put Christ first, follow Him, walk in His footsteps
- Even when things look like they are going from bad to worse
- What can you compare Christ to?
- What- winning the whole world?
- Success in business, material wealth?
- Financial security, a good life?
- Can they compare to Him who loves you so much as to die for you?
Count the cost
- And follow Him with your eyes wide open
- Know there will be sacrifice- time, money, comfort, self-interest
- Understand up front that it may not be easy
- Then grab hold of your cross, and follow in His footsteps
- Reach out and grasp the plough and go
- Follow, freely, without reservations, without restraint
- Follow wherever He leads you
Ok, so then what?
- How should you respond
- What will you do?
Listen again
1 John 3:18
My children, love must not be a matter of words or talk; it must be genuine and show itself in action.
Real love, love from God is seen in obedience to Christ
- It responds to the call, even when it leads to places unknown
- It calls us to obedience
- To follow Christ in acts of genuine love
- In service to those He puts in our way
- You know God provides for every need of His body,
- Yet we lack key people in the church
- Did you hear the nominating committee’s report?
- That means that someone is sitting and not following
- Is there a need here not being met
- Someone needs to respond to God’s urging to follow
- And be obedient
Let me tell you that God does call
- A year ago, I knew God was calling me to follow Him somewhere
- I knew He was about to do something
- Something was about to happen
- He assured me, told me to be prepared for Him
- Shortly later I was discussing giving up my comfortable life at 1st Baptist to come here
- I told Theresa to get ready
- God might send us to China
- Who am I to be your associate pastor?
- What qualifies me to stand here and preach to you?
- What on earth would ever have got me here to do this?
- To bring me to the point of finding myself
- Kneeling next to a young man
- Who is in tears
- Asking God to put his life back together
- To restore him to the life he was called to
- To counsel a person who is hearing God
- But unsure how to respond?
- To teach, to preach, to share the truths of the Gospel?
- I can only think of one reason
- God called, Jesus said, “Come, follow me.”
What did God do in the mountains of West Virginia with our young people?
- He called to them and they responded
- They heard Him and they came and bowed down to follow His call
- God called, you responded
- What happened here last Sunday?
- The Lord spoke through our youth, through our songs, through Mike and I
- And some of you heard Him
- You heard His voice
- And you responded
- Some answered His call
- Now He calls again
- He calls to count the cost
- He calls you to lay down everything you hold dear
- And pick up the task He gives you
- And follow Him
- Just like He looked across the table at Levi
- He looks across the room to you
- And asks you to look into His face
- And respond as He calls- “Follow me”
- He looks you in the eye and says, “Follow me.”
- “If you love me, follow me”
- “Lay down your treasures and find real treasure in obedience to Christ
- “Come, follow me”
- Join Him, join those whose lives have been transformed by an encounter with Him
- Open your hearts’ eyes and ears
- See and hear Him call to you to follow Him
- Through the cross and on to heaven
- Let go of your nets and your material things
- And follow Him now and day by day
Come follow Him
