Follow The Leader

FOLLOW THE LEADER

MATT. 9:9

INTRODUCTION: FOLLOW THE LEADER, A GAME THAT HAS BEEN PLAYED BY CHILDREN FOR YEARS, HAS SOME FUNDAMENTAL AND PROFOUND TRUTHS THAT CANNOT BE NEGLECTED. THE OBJECT OF THE GAME IS TO FOLLOW THE PERSON THAT HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AS THE LEADER. YOU DO WHAT THEY DO, GO WHERE THEY GO, SAY WHAT THEY SAY. YOU IMITATE IN EVERY WAY. AND IF YOU DO NOT DO IT THE RIGHT WAY, YOU ARE PENALIZED AND YOU RUN THE RISK OF BEING PUT OUT OF THE GAME. WELL MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THERE IS A LEADER ABOVE EVERY LEADER, THAT WE WOULD DO WELL TO DO WHAT HE DOES, SAY WHAT HE SAYS, GO WHERE HE LEADS US, AND IMITATE HIM TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY. FOR IF WE DO NOT FOLLOW THE LEADER IN THE RIGHT WAY, WE RUN THE RISK OF BEING PENALIZED. THEREFORE IT IS IMPERATIVE AND PRUDENT FOR THE SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT OF OUR SOULS THAT WE FOLLOW THE LEADER.

I. TEXT

IN THE BEGINING OF THIS CHAPTER JESUS HEALED AND FORGAVE THE SINS OF A MAN THAT WAS SICK WITH THE PALSY, MEANING THAT HE WAS PARALYZED. AFTER THAT MIRACULOUS FEAT, HE PASSED BY MATTHEW, THE JEWISH TAX COLLECTOR, AND SAYS THREE WORDS THAT WOULD BE THE TURNING POINT OF MATTHEW’S LIFE. FOLLOW ME. MATTHEW DID NOT QUESTION JESUS, BUT HE RESPONDED IMMEDIATELY TO THE COMMAND OF THE MASTER. MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, WE WOULD DO WELL TO STOP QUESTIONING JESUS AND JUST FOLLOW AS HIS COMMANDS.

WE LIVE IN AN AGE WHERE SO MANY OF OUR

YOUNG PEOPLE ARE FOLLOWING THE WRONG CROWD. NOT ONLY OUR YOUNG, BUT ALSO THOSE OF US WHO ARE NOT SO YOUNG, ARE FOLLOWING THE WRONG PEOPLE. THERE ARE THOSE WHO WOULD RATHER FOLLOW A DRUG DEALER THAN TO FOLLOW JESUS. THERE ARE THOSE WHO WILL FOLLOW A FAMOUS PERSON FROM CITY TO CITY, BUT WON’T FOLLOW JESUS. THERE ARE EVEN THOSE WHO WILL FAITHFULLY FOLLOW A MAN OR A WOMAN TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH, BUT WILL NOT FOLLOW JESUS TO CALVARY. MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, I WANT TO SUGGEST THAT IF YOU WANT TO HAVE SPIRITUAL PROSPERITY, THEN FOLLOW THE LEADER.

II. WHAT FOLLOWSHIP REQUIRES

FOLLOWING CHRIST REQUIRES THAT YOU WALK IN HIS FOOTSTEPS, PAUL TEACHES IN HIS LETTER TO THE COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 2:6 “AS YE HAVE RECEIVED CHRIST JESUS THE LORD, SO WALK YE IN HIM.” THAT MEANS THAT YOU MIMIC THE MASTER. FOLLOWING CHRIST ALSO MEANS AS ILLUSTRATED IN MATT. 16:24 THAT YOU MUST BE WILLING TO DENY YOURSELF, AND CARRY YOUR CROSS. WHICH MEANS YOU CAN’T DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IN THE FLESH, BUT YOUR WILL IS LOST IN HIS WILL. THAT’S WHY PAUL STATED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS THAT HE WAS A PRISONER OF CHRIST. ALLOW ME TO MOCK TIME MOMENTARILY AND ASK, HAVE YOU COUNTED THE COST OF FOLLOWING CHRIST?

FOLLOWSHIP PRODUCES FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD THE FATHER, GOD THE SON, AND GOD THE HOLY GHOST. JOHN 14:23 STATES, “IF A MAN LOVE ME, HE WILL KEEP MY WORDS: AND MY FATHER WILL LOVE HIM, AND WE WILL COME UNTO HIM, AND MAKE OUR ABODE WITH HIM.” FOLLOWSHIP ALSO PRODUCES A HARMONIOUS RELATIONSHIP WITH FELLOW BELIEVERS IN CHRIST.

III. CONCLUSION

IF WE ARE GOING TO FOLLOW THE LEADER, WE MUST FOLLOW HIM IN THREE AREAS. FIRST, WE MUST FOLLOW HIM IN HOLINESS. 1 PETER 1:16 INSTRUCTS US TO BE HOLY AS CHRIST IS HOLY. IN OTHER WORDS WE MUST STRIVE TO LIVE RIGHT ACCORDING TO THE PRINCIPLES OF ALMIGHTY GOD.

SECOND, WE MUST FOLLOW HIM IN SERVICE TO HUMANITY. MATT. 25:35 TEACHES, “FOR I WAS AN HUNGERED, AND YE GAVE ME MEAT: I WAS THIRSTY, AND YE GAVE ME DRINK: I WAS A STRANGER, AND YE TOOK ME IN: NAKED, AND YE CLOTHED ME: I WAS SICK, AND YE VISITED ME: I WAS IN PRISON, AND YE CAME UNTO ME.”

THIRD, WE MUST FOLLOW HIM IN LOVE. IF WE ARE GOING TO DISPLAY TO GOD AND THIS WORLD THAT WE ARE CHRISTS’ DISCIPLES WE MUST LOVE. JOHN 13:35 STATES, “BY THIS SHALL ALL MEN KNOW THAT YE ARE MY DISCIPLES, IF YE HAVE LOVE ONE TO ANOTHER.”