“Follow Me”

"Follow Me"

• Matthew 9:9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector's booth. "Follow me and be my disciple," Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.
• Luke 9:59-62 He said to another person, "Come, follow me." The man agreed, but he said, "Lord, first let me return home and bury my father." [60] But Jesus told him, "Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God." [61] Another said, "Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family." [62] But Jesus told him, "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God."
• John 1:43-49 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Come, follow me." [44] Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter's hometown. [45] Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, "We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth." [46] "Nazareth!" exclaimed Nathanael. "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" "Come and see for yourself," Philip replied. [47] As they approached, Jesus said, "Now here is a genuine son of Israel-a man of complete integrity." [48] "How do you know about me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, "I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you." [49] Then Nathanael exclaimed, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God-the King of Israel!"

Benefits of Following Jesus

• Matthew 4:18-22 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers-Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew-throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. [19] Jesus called out to them, "Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!" [20] And they left their nets at once and followed him. [21] A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. [22] They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.
• John 8:12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."
• John 10:27-30 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. [28] I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, [29] for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father's hand. [30] The Father and I are one."

Count the Cost

• Luke 14:25-35 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, [26] "If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison-your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. [27] And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. [28] "But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? [29] Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. [30] They would say, 'There's the person who started that building and couldn't afford to finish it!' [31] "Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? [32] And if he can't, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. [33] So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own. [34] "Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? [35] Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!"
• Luke 18:17-30 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it." [18] Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: "Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?" [19] "Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked him. "Only God is truly good. [20] But to answer your question, you know the commandments: 'You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother.'" [21] The man replied, "I've obeyed all these commandments since I was young." [22] When Jesus heard his answer, he said, "There is still one thing you haven't done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." [23] But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich. [24] When Jesus saw this, he said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! [25] In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!" [26] Those who heard this said, "Then who in the world can be saved?" [27] He replied, "What is impossible for people is possible with God." [28] Peter said, "We've left our homes to follow you." [29] "Yes," Jesus replied, "and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, [30] will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come."

Perspective Shift - Adopt a Kingdom Perspective - Perishable/Imperishable

• Luke 12:33-34 "Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. [34] Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
• Matthew 10:32-39 "Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. [33] But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven. [34] "Don't imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. [35] 'I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. [36] Your enemies will be right in your own household!' [37] "If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. [38] If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. [39] If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.
• Mark 8:31-38 Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. [32] As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. [33] Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. "Get away from me, Satan!" he said. "You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's." [34] Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. [35] If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. [36] And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? [37] Is anything worth more than your soul? [38] If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
• John 12:23-26 Jesus replied, "Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. [24] I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels-a plentiful harvest of new lives. [25] Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. [26] Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.
• Matthew 13:44 "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

What Does this Look Like for You? - Plank Illustration

• John 21:19-22 Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, "Follow me." [20] Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved-the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, "Lord, who will betray you?" [21] Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?”[22] Jesus replied, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me."