Sermon Central
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Follow Me - Responding To His Call
Contributed by Scott Redmond on Jul 28, 2018 (message contributor)
Summary: When you follow Jesus, He will lead you into the Bible, through the prayer closet and out into the harvest fields! Jesus said, "Follow Me". Jesus is still calling disciples to daily follow Him on the path of life.
Title: Follow Me - A Daily Walk with Jesus
Jesus is still calling disciples to daily follow Him on the path of life.
› INTRODUCTION:
God has a plan for your life.
God’s PLAN FOR YOU... is your purpose and what He had in mind when He created you.
Jesus said that He came to give us life. God’s plan for you is full of life!
It’s that very plan that we will answer for when we stand before Him.
As a Christian, what is the most important thing you can do? Follow God’s plan for your life.
In order to follow God’s plan for your whole life, you need to FOLLOW Him each day!
The Bible calls your life a PATH.
Psalm 16:11 NKJV
You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
God’s plan for us is only good:
Jeremiah 29:11 The Message
I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.
God’s good path is already loaded with His blessing, provisions, relationships, etc.
God has provided several things to help us along life’s path.
We are not left alone to figure life out by ourselves - we have access to the guide inside.
Who is the guide? For the disciples, it was Jesus.
For us, it is still Jesus, but through the person of the Holy Spirit.
Do you remember how Jesus called His disciples?
Mark 2:14 NKJV
As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
Jesus called Matthew with two words. “Follow Me”
Mark 1:16–18 NKJV
16 And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
Jesus called the four fishermen with the same words, “Follow Me…”
It's important to note what Jesus DID say, (follow me).
It's also important to note what Jesus DIDN’T say. He didn't say get saved or become a Christian, or “do Christian stuff”.
He said “Follow Me”.
It’s more than a single decision or conversion experience, but a call to discipleship.
A call to DAILY walk with Jesus!
“‘FOLLOW ME’ is the Alpha and Omega of the Christian life. This is the secret of the Christian life. The whole Christian program from Matthew to Revelation is summed up in these two words. No man can have eternal life who does not do this (Jn. 10:27-29). This means to obey literally all things in the New Testament that Christians are supposed to do.” ~ Anonymous
John 12:26 NKJV
If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
NOTICE: “…where I am, there will my servant be also”. To follow Jesus means that you spend time WITH Him.
For the disciples, what did “follow me” actually mean? It meant to be with Jesus. (Spend time with, daily, eat, walk, listen, look, watch, absorb, permeate their heart and soul, change their way of thinking to His way..)
Be changed by Him.
Years later, people noticed that they were changed by spending TIME with Him.
Acts 4:13 NKJV
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.
We too will be changed by spending time with our Lord and Master!
How do we follow the Lord? How do we spend time with the Lord?
Part of our calling as a Christian, is to answer the call to a devotional lifestyle of spending time with the Lord.
› PROPOSITION / THEME (PURPOSE) OF MESSAGE:
When you follow Jesus, He will lead you into the Bible, through the prayer closet and out into the harvest fields!
› TRANSITION
We can FOLLOW daily in three ways:
1. Follow Jesus into the Bible. (Your Devotional Life)
2. Follow Jesus through the prayer closet (Your Prayer Life)
3. Follow Jesus into the fields that are white to harvest (Your Christian witness to influence on the world around you).
1 - FOLLOW ME - IN THE WORD ==============
Follow me - into the Bible. (Your Devotional Life)
Some people say, “Jesus is not here. The disciples could touch him with their hands, see Him with their eyes, hear Him with their ears. We cannot see Him”.
