Called By God! Series

Called - Who to a Do!

Mark 8:34, John 15:1-5

August 16, 2020

Have you ever wondered how someone can just drop everything in their life and follow Jesus at a moments notice? Listen to the words of Jesus in Mark 8 - - - -

34 And calling the crowd to Him with His disciples,

Jesus said, “If ANYONE would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. - Mark 8:34

It’s great to get called to join. But that sounds like a call to a hard life. Take up your cross and follow Jesus.

That call doesn’t sound so easy! We’d prefer a little less stress and expectation in that call. How about let’s follow Jesus without picking up my cross. Or follow Jesus and enjoy the good life!! That sounds better.

Yet, it may surprise you, but for many of those who heard it, the call from Jesus was refreshing, even liberating.

Jesus’ offer was for who? ANYONE!! ANYONE! WHOMEVER! If you were willing to follow Jesus, you were welcome to come.

Understand the way it worked in those days. Rabbis and great teachers would have had a very specific group of followers. They would follow the rabbi’s every step.

They would be His constant companions. And that group would have been an exclusively chosen group. Only the best of the best of the young scholars would be asked to follow their rabbi.

But Jesus is offering this to ANYONE! Anyone is welcome to follow Him. That call is for the rich and the poor, the socially awkward and the socially elite; the dropout or the doctor; the addict or the health nut. The call is for the spiritual or the atheist. All are invited - - - - ANYONE - - - - come and walk with Jesus.

It’s an inclusive group. All are welcome to follow Jesus.

That’s why people like Peter and Andrew; James and John dropped their fishing nets and immediately followed Jesus. The offer was amazing.

Imagine this - - - -

You always wanted to be a technology professor. But you dropped out of high school. You just didn’t like it. So, you end up working in a small shop doing simple tech repairs. It’s the same thing everyday. You want to get out, but this is what life is for you. It’s a paycheck, and it’s tech!

Then one day this world famous IT professor walks in and he looks at you, I mean really looks you in the eye. It’s like he’s reading your soul. He says, “Come, follow me, you can be my understudy. Be my student, my disciple! I will teach you all you need to know.”

You’re in shock at this opportunity. Then he adds, “I believe in you. I will equip you to do all that I do, and even more. It won’t be easy, in fact, it will be really difficult, you will be challenged more than ever, but, you cannot imagine who you will become. You will do more than you ever thought possible. But, you have to come, now.”

What do you do? You close the shop, lock the door and you go. That’s the offer from Jesus. Drop everything you’re doing and follow me.

Here’s the thought . . . .

Before you knew Jesus,

Jesus already knew you,

He loves and believes in you!

You see, this is all part of the who. Who we are in Jesus.

It’s what we’ve been talking about for the past couple of weeks.

We have the offer to be like Jesus, to know Him and experience His power and grace; and then go into the world, taking our cross and demonstrating what the cross means as we live like Jesus.

None of this happens by accident. It’s not getting a lucky roll of the dice or making a lucky half court shot. There are no accidents in God’s kingdom. We are called to follow the Master.

In other words, we need to be with Jesus. We need to be connected to Jesus. And that’s what Jesus tells us to do. I mentioned one part of this verse last week, but I want to look a little more at what Jesus was saying in John 15.

This is Jesus’ last night, and He’s giving these final words to the disciples and to us. In John 15:1, Jesus said - - - -

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. - John 15