a. Lesson Intro
i. Are you a follower or a leader?
A young girl was applying to an Ivy League college with great anticipation. That is until she came to the question, “Are you a leader?” She agonized over the question for a while and finally told the truth. “No” she wrote, “I am not a leader.” She felt certain that her answer to that question would seal her fate and that she would have to start looking for other colleges. After a few weeks, she received a letter from the university that gave her the news. To her surprise, she was accepted for admission. Here’s what the letter said, “We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted for admission to the university. We have a freshman class of 4298 leaders and we think it is good to have at least one follower within the group.”
ii. It is almost a sin in our country to deny being a leader. It is assumed to be the necessary trait of an achiever, but leaders are often terribly ill equipped at learning from others.
iii. Illustration – not a good follower.
iv. A disciple is a follower and if we are going to grow in Christ, we first must learn what it means to be a follower.
v. Today we will look at an important passage in Luke Chapter 9, but instead of moving from start to finish, today let’s back into this passage, starting with its conclusion.
vi. “I will follow you wherever you go. . . “
vii. Jesus’ words in Luke 9 help us learn the real meaning of those words.
2. The Message (9:57-62)
a. (Lk 9:57-58)
i. “57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”"
ii. New Sense of Security
1. A follower of Christ must first learn to find security in God and not in the things of this world.
a. Not in our jobs (They can fail)
b. Not in our homes (They can be destroyed)
c. Not in our savings (It can disappear)
2. Matt 6:25ff God cares for the bird and the flowers. We are more important than they.
3. (Mt 6:33) "33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
4. It is not that God demands that we all give away our riches to live in poverty, but we should be willing to put them on the table, be willing to make that choice, when God calls.
Marty Koonce is our missionary to Togo Africa, but before he accepted the call to be a missionary, he was a manager at Wal-Mart and on the rise in that company. But he felt God’s tugging to do more with his life – to take God’s good news to people across the globe. How do you give up a six figure income and move your family across the world to live in a third world county? You do so by finding security in your savior, and not your stuff.
5. When it comes to where we put our security, are we going to lead by our own desires or are we going to follow Jesus?
b. (Lk 9:59-60)
i. "59He said to another man, “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”"
ii. New Sense of Responsibility
1. It was a show or respect and honor to care for aging parents in Jewish circles. And Jesus’ teaching appears to be a terrible request.
2. But his words remind us that we have to prioritize our lives, placing the most important first.
3. Let others bury dead people, that task I have for you is truly earth shaking.
4. Our typical approach is to deal with the pressing matters first in hope that once they are out of the way, we can tackle the really important matters, but the pace of life continues to throw pressing matters before us and unless we prioritize, we can spend our entire lives solving pressing matters and leave all the important things untouched.
a. A father can pursue his job and advancement to provide for his family, while missing out on the chance to do the truly important things and provide spiritual and emotional guidance for his children.
b. A college student can pursue the pleasures of her young years because you’re only young once, all the while making bad career decisions, bad relationship decisions, bad moral decisions that will affect her entire life.
5. When it comes to prioritizing your life, are you going to lead putting your wishes first, or are you going to follow, letting God’s agenda set your calendar?
c. (Lk 9:61-62)
i. "61Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” 62Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”"
ii. New Sense of Identity
1. It’s not so much that Jesus opposed this man saying goodbye, but he knew that his return home was fueled by an inner desire to hold on to the past.
2. Looking back is almost dangerous.
a. We either look back fondly, longing for the things we gave up.
b. Or we look back in frustration, realizing how little progress we’ve made.
3. A farmer who plows large fields knows that to till straight rows demands that you not look back or down at your tiller blades, but you need to keep your eyes focused on the goal, the ultimate destination, and head straight for it.
4. We are not defined by the family we came from or by the person we used to be. We are defined by who God says we are: (1 Pe 2:9) “. . . a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
5. When it comes to determining what kind of person we are going to be, are we going to lead and become who we are destined to be, or are we going to follow and become the person God wishes us to be?
3. The Application (9:52-56)
a. (Lk 9:52-56) "52And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” 55But Jesus turned and rebuked them, 56and they went to another village."
b. These two had earned the nicknames, “Sons of Thunder”
i. They were rough fishermen and as you can tell from the story above, they didn’t take any thing off of anyone.
ii. But Jesus’ response to ignore the insult and move on to another village for the night, challenged them
1. It challenged their identity – they were explosive guys, but Jesus showed them that there is a better way to navigate through life than blowing up at every perceived injustice.
2. It challenged their sense of responsibility – This injustice was the most important thing to them, but Jesus showed them that there are more important missions than finding a place to rest for the night.
3. It challenged their sense of security – If we don’t stand up for ourselves, people will push us around. But Jesus showed them that no matter how others treat them, God will always provide.
c. And after hearing Jesus continue to teach about turning the other cheek, to Love you enemy & do good to those who hate you, or that God says, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” James and John slowly learned what it was to be a follower, to lay down the reigns of their lives and follow God’s lead.
d. So much so that in John’s later years, he would write things that seemed so counter to that “Son of Thunder” he used to be. He would say, (1 Jn 4:20) "20If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen."
A mother who was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, 5, and Ryan, 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake... Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. “If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.’” Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus!”
e. The leaders of life call others to be Jesus. A true follower, says, ‘I’ll be Jesus”.
4. The Example (9:51)
a. (Lk 9:51) “51As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem."
b. (Mk 8:33) "33But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”"
c. (Mk 14:36) "36“Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”"
5. Conclusion
a. Discipleship is commitment
i. It is not enough just to attend worship services, to be a good person, to have a social consciousness. These are traits of involved people, but true commitment is much more.
What is the difference between involvement and commitment?
Perhaps I can best explain this by way of analogy with bacon and eggs. In bacon and egg, the hen is involved but the pig is committed.
b. Invitation
i. I’ll follow you wherever you go.
1. Jesus’ path will take you to through fear and uncertainty.
2. To forks in the road where you must choose to ignore what you’d like to do or say and choose the path that makes little sense to you.
3. He will call you to give away your secured savings, your cherished time, and your hard-earned rest.
4. But his path will ultimately open break through the fog of this world and open onto the clearing of heaven.
5. Where you will stand along side great people of faith who have walked that path before.
6. And you will stand before Jesus and the Father, basking in the holy spirit.
7. And on that day, you will rejoice when you think back on the day you decided to follow Jesus.
