Follow Me

FOLLOW ME

Matt. 4:18-20

INTRO. What would you have done if the incident we have just read had happened to you? If a stranger came into your place of business one day and said, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." What would you do? Ignore him and hope he would soon go away? Call a cop? Ask him to leave before he scared off some customers? WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF JESUS CALLED YOU TO FOLLOW HIM? Peter and Andrew straightway left their nets, and followed him. Would you say that they were as crazy as he was? Let’s read further..(vs. 21-22)

Maybe you do not know it but if you are saved, then Jesus did call you to follow him. Not only that but when you accepted him as your saviour you signified that you would follow him.

If you are not saved then right now Jesus is saying to your heart, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men."

Perhaps it would be well if we examined the call of Jesus a little closer.

I. FIRST IT IS A CALL TO FOLLOW.

A. Follow means to come along behind.

1. We sing the old hymn: I can hear my Saviour calling, "Take thy cross and follow me". Where he leads me I will follow, I’ll go with him all the way.

2. But I wonder if we really mean it. Sadly, most people sing the songs and don’t know what they are saying.

B. Let’s see what it would really mean to follow Jesus.

1. It means laying aside your own life.

a. Mark 8:34-35

b. That does not necessarily mean to die for the Gospel though that is here also. But it means to make your following Jesus the most important thing in your life.

2. Jesus never promised that the Christian should have an easy life. Matt. 8:19-22

3. Nothing was to stand between the follower and the followed. Matt. 10:34-38

C. To follow means to be behind and not in front.

1. I think that too often we miss the blessings of God because we are leading rather than following Jesus. He said that he would send the Holy Spirit. (Jn. 16:13) - "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."

2. But I’m afraid we would rather not wait on the Holy Spirit.

3. (ill.) A guide to lead settlers across the Red River. "Wait here, I will be back". Crossed without him and got stuck in the quicksand...many died. "Why didn’t you wait?" "You were too slow."

II. NOTICE THAT JESUS SAID "FOLLOW ME"

"There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (I Tim. 2:5)

A. We are to follow him as our only example in this life and the life to come.

1. Would Jesus curse? Do you?

2. Would Jesus drink? Do you?

3. Would Jesus lie and gossip about his brethren? Would he let his temper rule his thoughts? Would Jesus quit going to church because things didn’t go just to suit him?

4. Before we act in a manner we may later regret we first ought to ask ourselves, "Is this the action of a person following the guidance of Jesus Christ?"

B. And remember that Jesus demands that we follow him seven days a week!! God never intended that His Son should die on the cross and bear the sins of the whole of mankind so that he could be worshiped only on the first day of the week.

1. On Monday morning you are as much a child of God as on Sunday night, and God demands that we act like it.

2. We shake our heads at those who will spend all day at worship on Sunday after hell-raising on Saturday night.

3. But if we go all week without praying, without reading the Bible, without worrying about the vast numbers going to hell; if we complain about Wednesday night services, gripe about the preaching and refuse to help in the song services, are we any better than they?

C. True Christianity starts from the heart and works it’s way outward. And the true Christian is a Christian all the time, under all circumstances.

III. NOW NOTICE THE STATEMENT OF JESUS, "I WILL MAKE YOU". (Eph. 2:8-10)

A. Whatever it is that Jesus has in mind for us to do HE will make us fit to do it.

1. Paul said, "If any man be in Christ he is a new creature." And he also said, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."