I Gave Up Everything
To Follow Him
And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. And as he passed by, the saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. Mark 2:13-14
My brothers and sisters, just as Jesus has spoken to a tax collector, as men and women of God, He also speaks to us. And the words that Jesus spoke was short and to the point. These words changed the life of Levi. Levi’s life will never more be the same. Oh brothers and sisters, somebody here know what I’m talking about. For you know for yourself that God called you out. Can I get a witness? It opened the door for the start of a new walk. It opened the door for the start of a new talk. It opened the door for the start of a brand new you as well as Levi. And the door was opened with two words, “Follow me.” My brothers and sisters, I’m happy that the Master sought men and women, boys and girls to follow Him. And I’m happy to report that His words to Levi is still being spoken to us today. Jesus is not silent, He’s still saying follow me. I want to talk just a little bit about that for I have always been overjoyed over the way the Master do things. I have always been held in amazement over the way Jesus has and always accomplishes His mission.
According to scripture, Jesus is in the process of gathering what would be His band of Disciples. The Master in the process of calling individuals to make up that group that would total a number of twelve, who would be followers and learners and who would be accompanying Him. Men who would follow Him. Now according to scriptures Jesus has already made choice of a number of men. He had chosen earlier some men to join Him on His mission. He has already chosen Simon who would later be called Peter. He’s already made choice of James and John, the sons of Zebadee. He’s already made choice of a number of men to walk with Him, to follow Him. Oh brothers and sisters, at the time of our text, Jesus had been teaching down by the seaside. Jesus loved to teach as well as preach. In fact you will discover on more than one occasion in the scriptures where Jesus did more teaching than preaching. I have an awareness of preaching. for Paul himself said, “How can they hear without a preacher and how shall they preach except they be sent.”
Preaching is valuable. But oh brothers and sisters, I also know the awesome value of teaching. It’s important that all of us yield ourselves to continuous teaching. We need teaching, because teaching brings us to a level of understanding. Teaching brings us to a level of awareness and a level of conscienousness. We need teaching. And oh brothers and sisters, I can tell quickly when I have entered into the midst of a group who have not been well taught. In fact you can better appreciate preaching and you can be better able to say amen to good preaching when you have been exposed to some good teaching. And good children of God are continuous students. You are students throughout your entire lives. You should never get to the point that you have arrived and that you don’t need any more teaching or you don’t need to be taught any more, because you then need teaching more than ever before. Somebody know what I’m talking about. Because you got some folk who feel that since they are three times seven, you can’t teach them nothing. Jesus had been teaching. And oh brothers and sisters much had been shared with the multitude down by the seaside. Scripture tells us that Jesus had gotten off by Himself and started walking and according to scriptures, He comes to a man who is sitting at the custom booth. Jesus comes to the tax booth and He looks and gazes upon a man by the name of Levi. Now come a little closer. For Levi and Matthew were the same. Levi was just another name for Matthew. It was the same man, but with dual names. Now this was not unusual in the New Testament scriptures. For many New Testament characters had dual names. John Mark, Simon Peter, Thomas who was called Didymus. At the time of text Matthew is referred to Levi. At another point in the scripture he was called Matthew. Jesus approached him. Now Levi didn’t know it, but Jesus had an appointment to keep with Levi. Levi was on Jesus’ schedule.
And oh brothers and sisters, Jesus gazed upon him as the old folk used to say, looking right through him. Piercing him with his eyes. And according to scripture, Jesus arrested Levi with two words, “FOLLOW ME.” Levi was invited by Jesus to join Him. Now the first thing I want to call to your attention is Jesus calls Levi. He calls Levi. I wonder if you know how important that is. Levi was a man of unsavory character. Levi was a publican which was another word for tax collector. Levi was given to some crooked behavior. Levi was given to thievery for he sometimes over charged the people more than what they should have been charged. And oh brothers and sisters, he was man who had forgotten about ethical conduct. Levi was a Jew, but he was still a publican. He was a Jew, but he was still a tax collector who collected taxes from other Jews. Thus he became hated by the Jewish community. And if you really think about it, we don’t feel too good about tax collectors in our day and time right now. Jesus tells a man of unethical character, to follow Him.
Now that leads me to say this. It doesn’t matter who you are, you will get an invitation from Jesus to follow Him. Regardless of your life style, regardless of your behavior, regardless of your conduct, Jesus is inviting everybody to follow Him. But now the second thing I want you to note in this message is this. In order to follow Jesus, Levi had to step down from what he was already doing. Can I get a witness? He had to leave some things behind if he truly followed Jesus. And one of the problems plaguing the present day church is that you got some claiming to follow Jesus, but they haven’t left some things behind. Say amen if you can. How can you say that you’re following Jesus and you’re still in the midst of things that are not pleasing to God. There are some stuff you ought to turn a loose when you’re following Jesus. Somebody knows what I’m talking about. You can’t follow Jesus and still talk about folk.
You can’t follow Jesus and have a hateful attitude. You can’t follow Jesus and still putting folk down think that you are better than they are. Oh brothers and sisters, to follow Jesus Levi had to make a serious decision. To follow Jesus Levi had to decide where his priorities lay. He was man who had a compassion for finance. He loved money. That’s why he became a publican. Here he was engaging in a conduct that was improper and totally unacceptable because of his hunger for money. Now let me tell you something. There is nothing wrong with money. Can I say that again? There is nothing wrong with money. Money builds hospitals. Money enables us to acquire many of the necessities of life. There is nothing wrong with money itself, but scripture tells us, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” When you love money so much until you will turn away from what is right and what is decent in order to get more money so you can buy more things, oh brothers and sisters, we then fall into serious trouble. But scripture tells that Levi had to make a decision.
Am I going to make following Jesus my priority or am I going to stay where I am. Because it would be either one or the other. I can’t have them both. I think I ought to tell you that if it’s immoral, if it’s out of character, if it’s wrong, you’ve got to turn it a loose. And oh brothers and sisters, scriptures tells us that Levi heard the voice of Jesus. How many times have you heard the Master’s voice? How many times has He spoken to you and in no uncertain terms? You may not a Biblical scholar, you may not be a great theologian, you may not be a Bible teacher, you may not consider yourself as the most spiritual person in the world, but you have heard the Master’s voice. Can I get a witness here? And you got to understand that that God of ours has called all of us out of darkness into the marvelous light. You have heard His voice. He has spoken so many ways. He has so many created ways of talking to us. The question is not whether Jesus has spoken to you, but the question is have you heeded to His message?
Have you responded in a positive way to His call? And oh the record tells that Levi, I’m happy to report, made the right decision. Levi obeyed the Master’s call. Without any hesitation or reservation. You can’t find nowhere in the text where there was debate with Jesus or where there is a discussion with Jesus, scripture simply goes on to tell us that he arose and followed Him. Levi got up and followed Him. He stopped what he was doing and followed Him. And I think I ought to tell you that Matthew didn’t stop what he was doing temporarily. He didn’t follow Jesus temporarily. He gave up what he was doing for good and followed Jesus. I wish you could have been there to have seen him. Getting down from his place in custom from which received the payment of taxes. I’m sure others of his peer and comrades wondered, where is he going. Why is he doing something so different from us? Why is he leaving here? But Levi had heard clearly, the Master’s voice. And even though it would make him the odd ball, he was willing to give it up to follow Jesus.
Now I think I ought to tell you as I leave you that everybody follows something. Everybody in a way of speaking, follows something. You follow some system. You follow some idea. You follow some type of teaching. You follow some type of direction. Everybody follows something. And oh brothers and sisters, since we are going to be followers of someone or something, who better is there to follow than Jesus. You got to understand that some things will mislead you. Some folk will mislead you. If you remember there was a group who followed Jim Jones to a place called Guiana. They followed him honestly and wholeheartedly, but they were greatly misled. And they ended up in that number that failed to tragedy and fail victim to disaster. Oh brothers and sisters, you got to be careful about who and what you follow. I’ve always had problems with this keep up with the Jones business.
I don’t know how you feel about it, but before I try to keep with the Jones, I want to be sure I know where the Jones are headed. I want to be sure that I know where the Jones will end up. Some of these Jones may be headed to destruction and some of us might be following them. Be careful who you follow. Be careful what you follow. And since we are all followers of something or someone. I recommend with all that is in me, I recommend that we follow Jesus. Let’s follow Him. And since my brothers and sisters, He’s made it possible for folk who have faults to follow Him, since He’s extended an invitation to the likes of Levi to follow Him, we ought to follow Him. Oh brothers and sisters, I don’t know about you, but I’ve made up my mind to follow Him. Now I think I ought to tell you, I hadn’t always been like I am today. Now don’t y’all get too Holy on me where you can’t say amen. Because you hadn’t always been like you are either.
As in the case with many of you, I’ve had some shortcomings, I’ve had some failings, I’ve had some faults, I’ve had some spiritual defects, but there’s one thing I decided to do, I’m going to follow Him. If I’m going anywhere and if I’m going to ever be what I ought to be, it’s going to be through following Him. Now I think I ought to tell you that when I started following Him, I didn’t find myself overnight where I am now. It was a growing process. Yes we follow Him and as we follow Him, He leads us from strength to strength. As we follow Him, He leads us from glory to glory. As we follow Him, every round gets higher and higher. Can I get a witness? I think I ought to tell you that you, you and you can follow Him.
Conclusion:
* As I hurry on to a close. I used to hear the old preacher say, “You ought to come on out of your wicked ways. You ought to make it up in your mind to go with the Lord all the way. Ain’t God alright. But I wonder if there’s anybody in this sanctuary who have made up their mind to follow Jesus? Is there anybody here who decoded that I’m going with Jesus all the way? I heard the hymn writer say, “I have decided, I can’t speak for others, I can only speak for myself. I have decided to follow Jesus. You can have this whole world, just give me Jesus.” And oh brothers and sisters, if you’ve been following Him and if you know for yourself the joy of following the Lord, you can testify that everyday with Jesus is sweeter than the day before. Oh if you have been following Jesus, your crooked roads has been made straight. Can I get witness here? He walks with us and He allows us to walk with Him. Now I think I ought to tell you that as you follow Him, don’t get in hurry and get in front of Him, but follow Him. Don’t jump out in front of Him. Don’t put your will in front of His will. There are some things that the Lord has in store for you. There are some blessings that are going to be yours. If you just follow Him and don’t get in too big of a hurry.
I don’t know how you feel about, but oh Loving Peace I gave up everything to follow Him. And if I follow Him I will always have Him in my view. If I get in ahead of Him, He’ll be behind me and I can’t see Him. If you follow Him, He will right there where you can see Him. I need Him where I can see Him. I need Him where I can watch Him. It’s a wonderful thing to follow Him. And if you know that you are following Him, keep on following Him. I don’t about you, but I’m not perfect yet. I still got some shortcomings. I’m not perfect yet. I still got some growing to do. But I know that if I keep following Him, everything will be alright. I’m going home when I tell you. If I keep following Him, it will be alright. It’s good to follow Jesus. Since I’ve been following Him, all of sorrow has turned into joy. Since I’ve been following Him, He’s been my hope for a better tomorrow. Since I’ve been following Him, He’s been right there to carry my heavy load.
Since I’ve been following Him, weeping may endure for a night, but joy sho comes in the morning. Since I’ve been following Him, that God of mine makes my enemies my foot stool. Oh, Loving Peace, I gave up everything to follow Him and not only that, but my mind is made up. I’m on my way up. And you know, on this Christian journey I may have to cry sometimes, but that’s alright. I know that Jesus can fix it for me. I wonder this morning if there’s anybody here who knows that Jesus will fix it for you. I heard a songwriter say, “He fixed it for my mother and He will fix for you. He fixed for my father and He will fix it for you. Oh, I gave up everything to follow Him. I gave up world to follow Him. I gave up some friends to follow Him. I gave up some family members to follow Him. I’m going to keep on following Him. Where the Lord leads me I will follow. I’m going all the way the Lord. Is there anybody here who is willing to go all the way with the Lord? Are you going to go all the way? Say yeah. Say yeah. Say yeah. Oh yeah.
