We are living in a time when people are looking for someone or something to follow, a mission to complete them that will give them hope and reason to dream. Look around you and listen to people they are seeking answers and direction. It doesn’t matter who you are it makes no difference if you are Donald Trump, Bill Gates, or the President of the United States everybody is searching and looking for answers that can lead them and show them a better way.
This series of sermons will take you back to your roots to fall in love again with your “first love”. The first message I shared with you was the “Invitation” there is a call and invitation that God is sending out to His church and to the people of this world for them to come and know Him.
I know this may sound like “Salvation 101” but we got to get back to the basics of who we are and whose we are.
Our walk with God should be much deeper than our wallets. What has happened is our daily lives and our daily walk have become confused with one another; we carry the burdens of our lives into our worship and devotion to God, church is now work, our relationship with God is work! Praising and worshipping the Lord is work, praying is now work, fasting is work. Anything that is to build a relationship is work and imposes on our time. What has happened to this generation, where is the desire?
This Church is not a country club or a social scene where you come to be seen and heard. If you come to church just to be seen you need to go home, if you are here for a shopping buddy or a golfing buddy you came to the wrong place…those may be benefits for coming to church but it should never be the reason, because the only reason why I am here is for Jesus. I came because this is where I can meet with the Master. I followed Him and this is where He stopped. I stopped in cause Jesus came to be in a house that He was welcomed at. When we assembly ourselves together and lift Him up; He is sure to show up and show out. You want to see His Glory you got to invite it in; you want to see great moves of God; invite Him in.
If I step on your toes good, next time come to church with steal toe boots on. This Word His Gospel needs to be preached and sometimes we need reminders of why we come to His house in the first place.
Everyone is searching for answers and follow any ol’ thing, cause people are indecisive, inconsistent, unpredictable, and unsure; they are fickle. Too hot to be cold, too cold to be hot, up so high they can’t come down, so low they can’t get up, to in to be out, to out to be in, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness. I know people in the world are fickle but I am talking about fickle people in the church.
Ask them why they are here and you get a blank stare. Some people been in church so long they forgot why they come. For many it’s just habit. To many times I hear people say, “I got to go to church today” well don’t get so excited about it hold on let me move my table out of the way so you can cut back flips!!! You don’t have to come you still have a choice; trust me with that kind of attitude just stay home, God doesn’t want you to come if you don’t want to.
God is looking for those that have a “whosoever that will” attitude those that come because they love Him because He first loved them!
What’s this got to do with your text you ask? Church the reason why I came to church today is because this is where He led me to. I followed the Leader and this is where He came. I made a choice many years ago to follow. I know that when you read how Jesus called them to be fishers of men your mind takes you to a sermon on witnessing and soul winning, but those verses I read to you tell me that we are on an assignment from the Master to Follow Him.
He is calling us to follow Him, when I was a kid we use to play follow the leader and whatever he did we had to do to. You see where I am going with this. We need to be following Him and doing what He does. I read to you the story of Moses; now when God allowed him to see His back, we know that Moses in his corruptive bodily form could not withstand the awesomeness of a face to face encounter with God, but I believe this story tells of another meaning and that is before we can see His face we must be willing to follow Him.
It is in following that we are led to a face to face meeting with the Master whereby corruption puts on incorruption, and we are told, “Well done thy good and faithful servant well done!”
But before that day comes when we see Him face to face we got to follow in behind Him and let Him lead us and direct us; Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
When we make the choice to follow there are three things you need to know. There is a call, a condition, and a cost.
I.The Call
Before we can follow there must be a call an invitation to come.
The Lord desires us and He wants our affection to be toward Him the Bible says: Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. David said in Ps 27:8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. Ps 42:1 As the hart (deer) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
It is He that has issued the invitation, for He longs to be known by His children. Since the fall of man it has taken thousands of years, intricate preparations, and a huge price to open the way for this kind of close relationship.
At the price of His son Jesus, he would lay down His life so that we can be reconnected to the Lord. He paid the price that would liberate us from darkness and bring us back to His marvelous light. Paul said it best in 1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s
Jesus there in Mark called to Peter and Andrew and James and John to “COME” He issued an invitation that forever changed the life of these men. Throughout the Gospels Jesus was calling for others to “FOLLW Him”.
• Mt 9:9 ¶ And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
• Jesus tells the rich young ruler in Mt 19:21 If thou wilt be perfect, go [and] sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come [and] follow me.
• In Luke 9:57 a certain man said I will follow you wherever you go and in 9:59 And he said unto another, Follow me.
• Joh 1:43 ¶ The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
• Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
• Joh 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will [my] Father honour.
• Joh 13:36 ¶ Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.
Jesus is making the call for us to follow Him. To go with Him, that means if we answer the call to follow we do just that we follow.
We get it backwards in the church you hear people say, “I found God” as if He was the one that was lost; they forget that we are the ones that were lost and undone. It was God that found me in the miry clay covered in sin and filth; it was His hand that stretched out and His voice that said, “Come with me if you want to live”. When we choose to follow Him it is He that takes us from the gutter-most to the utter-most.
Remember Church He called you and ask for you. The invitation was sent to you, your name was on it and the address belonged to you. He called you to follow the question is will you go.
II. The Condition
When we make up our minds to follow know that “following” comes with conditions.
God requires that He be first in your life, God must be King of Kings and Lord of Lords of your life no one is to be on the throne but Him.
Luke 14:25-33 (KJV)And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
When we played follow the leader we had to do what the leader did in order to win. So if the leader jumped we had to jump, if he ran we ran, if he kicked a rock so did we. As the game progressed the challenges got harder, and if the leader touched something out of reach we had to as well, no matter how difficult it got to win we had to keep on going no matter what. Are you feeling me are you with me.
When you follow the Lord that means you do as the leader does. What the Master does you do as well. Not sure what to do then read His word and it will show you the way; can’t see the next step then pray for God to open your eyes!
Here let me help you out and show you what Jesus is doing through His Word…
Luke 2:46-49 Jesus was in church, In Matthew chapter 4 Jesus prayed and fasted., In Matthew chapter 5 and 6 He preached the Gospel, In John chapter 5 He was healing the sick, In Mark Chp. 5 He was casting out devils, healing the sick, and raising the dead. In Mark chp. 12 He was paying tithe.
I can do this all day; but if you want to know what to do then read His Word, You can read about Him in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and the other 62 books of the Bible, they will tell you what you need to do next. His word will tell you how you need to act, talk, and walk.
Lu 9:23 And he said to [them] all, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
When you choose to follow that means it is not about you anymore. You are not going to act the same, talk the same, or be the same when you follow Jesus. 2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
When you follow the Lord nobody is to see the old you, you left him behind, and you are now a new creature with a new name and identity. You were bought with a price adopted into the Kingdom of God, you now represent Him.
When you follow the Lord, bud isn’t your friend anymore, you don’t need the addictions, instead of cussing you start blessing. There won't be a desire to drink, dip, smoke, or chew or hang around them that do. You have a new mission in life your lease was renewed and came with upgrades.
So what if you got to leave some friends behind, so what if you got be honest in your business, God can do more with 6.75 an hour than you could with the 6 figures you blew on yourself and got nothing to show for but pain and misery. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?
Church taste and see that the Lord is good, what do you have to lose, there is nothing but gain with God.
I don’t know why people think they can be Burger King Christians and have it their way!! Act like they can go to God any ol’ way and walk with God their way. Don’t they know there way leads to destruction? Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
I would rather go on the road less traveled, than the one busting Hell wide open.
You want ever miss the mess because with Jesus you are too blessed to be stressed and in distress.
I don’t know why people think that there are not conditions when it comes to God… there are with everything else in life, you can’t go down the road at 100mph without consequences, and neither can you kill someone without repercussions. There are conditions and laws in place and if you break one there is a penalty. Same thing with God, and when you follow Him; His way is the best way. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
If you are to ever see His face you first must be willing to get up and following in behind Him and let Him take you to green pastures and still waters.
Don’t be like the rich young ruler who wanted to go with Christ but didn’t want to meet the conditions to follow.
You got to put on the Lord Jesus and take off you. The moment it becomes about you that is when you walked away from Him.
Church we have looked for the easy way out, if Staples really sold an easy button we would have it. It seems like we have lost our passion and desire.
III. The Cost
Many of you have heard the call and accepted the conditions, but never realized there is a cost as well.
Look back at in Mark chapter one; when they were called they got up and left it all behind. There old way of life was put down and this new life was put on.
It says they forsook their nets and followed Him; they left their occupation and started a new one. James and John would leave their father and the family business to go with Jesus. They didn’t take their fishing poles and nets with them they left them behind.
Let me read you the story of Elijah and Elisha; 1 Kings 19:19-21So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.
This is what I have been trying to get too. Let me share with you the spiritual implications of these similar events. What you have here are men that let go of it all for Jesus. His ways became their ways and His thoughts their thoughts. They laid down and forsook what they knew and in the case of Elisha he not only forsook His life he chopped it up and burned it never to pick up again.
I hear what you are saying, so we need to leave it all behind we get it.
No the meaning here is much deeper, you see you got the invitation and accepted it and followed Him but you are bringing baggage with you. You got some weights that are slowing you down.
The old life you left behind but some old habits you took with you. Just like Rachael in Genesis 31 when she steals one of her father’s idols, and takes it with her as she and Jacob leave to start their lives. She wasn’t quite ready to let go of all the habits she had. She was going with Jacob and God but was also bringing along her security blanket.
You know what I am talking about it, as children we have objects or things we cling to for security, rather it be a blanket, a stuffed animal, or some creepy looking one eyed doll with nappy hair. Whatever it is we hold to these things just in case.
So many in the church pick up and follow the Lord holding on to baggage. They hold on to the old ways just in case the new one doesn’t come through.
Many are carrying with them fear, worry, doubt, addictions, hurts/pains, attitudes, anger, bitterness, pride, anxiety, depression, etc…
The weights are keeping you from being able to keep up with the Lord and are holding you back from following Him into deeper waters. These weights are making it hard to move from faith to faith and glory to glory.
The cost to follow the Lord is your faith and trust in Him; now is the time to release and lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
Jesus is saying to you right now come and follow me and Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
