Intro: With Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Michigan and his seemingly Universalist claims that everyone will be saved. It seems more and more the Gospel message is being muddled and what it really means to be a believer is misunderstood. From the time I was young I remember hearing just pray this prayer and accept Jesus into your heart. I myself have unfortunately said that as well.
The popular verse use is Acts 2.21 which is a quotation of Joel 2.28-32 in it the living God of Israel promised to deliver them from the coming judgment if they would call on Him. We must be careful how we communicate the gospel. The demons believe that God is and tremble James tells us. They accept that He is but do not call on Him for salvation. Remember we are not simply saved from Hell we are saved for God. Simple acceptance of Jesus existence and the facts of what he did when he walked, died and rose is not what Luke, Paul, or Jesus spoke about. Calling on God is a crying out, a calling to the person of God in recognition of sin that we are in desperate need of deliverance from the sin and the judgment that will come because of our rebellion and rejection of God!! It is also crying out for the beginning of a relationship with the one who died on a cross for us. He doesn’t just want to save you He wants to share His life with you!!
Listen to what Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 3.1-8 (Read)
Lovers of self heads the list because it is from this self-centered existence that all the others spring. This love has no place for the grace, forgiveness, mercy, direction or correction of God. We see that today in the teachings of those who say how can a loving God sentence people to hell. First off God did not create hell for man.
Matthew 25.41 “Then He will say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed was originally created for rebellious, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” However the love of God allows you to choose your own master. Heaven is heaven because God is there. Hell is hell because God is not there.
So with all the information and miss information about what God is like and not like, about who will and will not go to heaven. Sometimes we miss what the bible is trying to communicate to us. God did all he did for His fame, for His glory, and so that if we call to Him, if we trust Him we too can share in God’s life both now and forever. So what is eternal life all about? What is the church supposed to be all about? What as a believer are we supposed to be all about?
First we are not to merely accept the information about Jesus that only makes you a historian. We are invited by the Bible not to merely accept Him but to do something that will radically, completely change your life for the best forever. Listen to the words of Jesus.
Matthew 11.28 – 29 (Read)
Jesus invites any who are weighed down religious, social, economical, or other pressures and he would give rest.
But in this look closely. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. In the ancient times of Jesus and before when training a new animal they would yoke it or connect it to an older more experienced animal. The purpose of this was for the more experienced animal to bear the burden and guide the younger animal as they learned their task.
We are not called to accept Jesus we are called to follow Him! We accept his invitation with belief we accept His instruction with behavior. His life and teachings reveal to us the character of God. As his children we are His image bearers we are to reflect by the power of the Holy Spirit the very character of God.
Why did Paul warn Timothy about the dangerous times coming in the last days? Because he knew that many would not be following Jesus.
John 10.27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” We follow Him because we know Him. This Hebrew idiom clearly reveals the intimacy and personal attention He gives to His sheep. The metaphor of sheep reveals that those that Know Jesus hear and obey Him. Those that know Jesus follow and imitate Him. He was a servant if we know and hear him and follow and imitate Him that will be one of our chief attributes. Revelation 14.4 believers are called His followers. “They who follow the lamb.”
Why do we follow Him? Jesus is the only one who is worthy or capable of leading. Jesus’ invitation is not for mere acceptance it is for relationship for following!
Some things to be aware of before you choose to follow.
Vance Havner said that our day is marked by “anarchy in the world, apostasy in the church and of apathy in the individual believer.”
I. Following Jesus is costly
Matthew 16.24 “If any of you wants to be my follower you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me.”
The reality of physical death was always a shadow over the lives of Jesus fist disciples. That is not the reality in America today. The devil is diabolically intelligent and has placed us in a cocoon of apathy reinforced by comfort and prosperity. Jesus calls us to make a decision. To the rich young ruler He said one thing you lack, sell everything you have, give it to the poor and follow me. What was the result he turned away from Jesus instead of his riches.
There are many today that say you don’t have to turn away from anything. The cross we want to carry has a wheel on one end and is made of Styrofoam. There is nothing that makes it hard or difficult to decide to follow Christ. Yes Jesus loves me but the way to a real relationship to Him is the way of the cross. The cross effects its change in us by destroying the old patterns of our lives.
AW Tozer “[The cross] destroys the old pattern, the Adam pattern, in the believer’s life, and brings it to an end. Then the God who raised Christ from the dead raises the believer and a new life begins.
What does it cost you when you go to the cross and allow yourself to be crucified with Christ?
It cost you sin, selfishness, pride, prejudice, status, death, etc.
What do you gain? Why was Paul willing to throw away his position as a Pharisee, his prominence as a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin, His power as a member of the Sanhedrin?
Christ and His cross. He gained peace, power, purpose, eternal life, and above all Jesus Christ. John 17.3 tells us that Jesus is eternal life. The cross eradicates the self-centered give me way of thinking that is saturating the church today.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Theologian and Pastor who was executed by the Nazi’s in 1945 for opposing their ideology and military campaign. He said “Salvation without discipleship is cheap grace”.
Jesus was never meant to be a Jeanie to jump out when we fulfill a faith formula for our benefit. He does however fulfill His promises when His children come to Him in faith. Why does Jesus heal? Jesus heals so His fame will increase and because He loves us. Why does He provide for us? He provides so that others will know that He is faithful. He does miracles and the miraculous so that others will learn what He is like and that He is faithful.
II. Following Jesus calls for radical commitment
John 10.27 “my sheep know my voice, and I know them”
Jesus is talking about a radical relationship. He wants us to learn to trust Him enough that we allow Him to lead instead of trying to control our lives ourselves. He asks for us to surrender and submit, not self-hatred, he wants us to lose our self-centered determination to be in charge. In this we find a call to be radically committed to His person, word and leadership.
A) To His Person
Discipleship, spiritual life and growth were never meant to be to an institution, a denomination or even a local New Testament church. I know them Jesus said. I know Bill Ricks, I know James Gosney, I know Shane Russell, and on and on down the roll. Following Jesus calls for radical commitment and abandonment of other pursuits to know Jesus.
Still the idea of faithfulness in churches or ministry is expansion, growth, numbers. The cross and Jesus and the Biblical witness tell us different. 8 people went into the ark and were saved from the wrath of God at the flood. 300,000 were whittled to 300 as Gideon was preparing to fight the Amalekites. Narrow is the way to salvation and few there are who find it. The call that is missed today is the still small voice that powerfully and passionately says abandon your comfort come and follow me to the homeless. Abandon your social status and hang out with the underprivileged. Abandon your free time and mentor children, teens, etc abandon your free time for me. Jesus never said abandon all for Immanuel Baptist Church. What we do with church today is say Jesus didn’t really mean sell all I have and give it to the poor. Jesus didn’t really mean don’t go bury my dad. Jesus didn’t really mean my relationship to Him would be so radical that all others by comparison would look like hatred. If we are going to be a church that is on the edge then we must come face to face with the radical claims and commands of Jesus. When you make following Christ comfortable you no longer need a comforter. When you make following Jesus easy you no longer need the power of the Holy Spirit. When you make following Jesus normal you don’t need Him to show up in abnormal or supernatural ways. In effect you nullify the power of the cross and the radical nature of the gospel.
B) To His word John 10.27 “my sheep know my voice, and I know them”
How exactly do we hear His voice? The Bible, Holy Spirit. As He speaks do you recognize His words? Jesus speaks and says simplify you can give more time to me. Jesus speaks and says minimize your expenses so you can give to my eternal kingdom not temporary extravagance.
The American dream involves self-advancement (opportunity), self-esteem, and self- sufficiency. What we desperately need to do is hear the voice and words of Jesus. It is never enough to say with the words of Jesus what is He saying. Jesus communicated in such a way that he called for a response to His truth. In Joshua 1 we are told true success comes from obedience to the word of God. How are we able to obey, 1) we know His voice 2) We know Him and we desire to follow His direction.
C) To His lead (Matthew 16.24 the Message: “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead”)
The places Jesus leads are never safe and often not socially acceptable. They often are populated by sinners. Are we following His lead as a church in such a way that we go where he leads no matter what others think? Or do we only talk about living on the edge and being radical?
III. Following Jesus calls for radical change
A) A radical change of mind Romans 12.1,2
A radical change in the way we think about God, church, missions, etc.
B) A radical change of behavior
Walk worthy of the calling of Christ
IV. Follow Jesus into
A) The relational
Love God with all you heart, mind, soul, strength. Love your neighbor
B) The known
I know the plans I have for you. As an individual follower of Christ we do not have to blunder and wander in the dark. Jesus has planned for us to make disciples of the people of Carlisle, of the people that come to us from the prisons, of the people that come to us off the highway etc. That involves us doing more than working up excitement and interest. That calls for abandonment to Christ and investment in the kingdom.
C) The kingdom focused life
The kingdom is all about the king.
Jesus is gathering focusing us toward His kingdom objectives. The mission center is not about the building but about our response and attitude to the voice of God. Have we really been bought with a price? Are we really not our own? Is he really the king of our entire life? What is our foremost mission as a church? To glorify God. The entire Bible continually tells us that the history of the world is about the glory of God. What is our mission how do we go about glorifying God? We fulfill our mission by allowing Jesus to lead us to make disciples. How do we know when we are reaching our goal? Our God given goal is reached when the people in our spheres of influence are becoming followers of Jesus. When their lives are kingdom focused, when their ears hear the voice of their shepherd and when their legs follow His lead.
Conclusion: Jesus’ invitation was come unto me. Jesus instruction was follow me. Jesus intention was that we would teach others about His invitation and instruction.
What should we do?
1) Examine -- Are you a follower of Jesus
2) Intercede --Pray for unity as we follow Jesus
3) Pray for salvation for the lost in Carlisle
4) Pray for concrete for the footing of a building enough for a 30X30, or 40X40
5) Inquire --Ask God how you can be involved in following Jesus in the vision of the mission center
6) Ask God how you should invest in the vision and mission he has given Immanuel
