TO FOLLOW OR NOT TO FOLLOW

MT. 4:18-22

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

One of the most famous lines from Shakespeare’s writings is a question posed by a young man contemplating suicide. Though the line is famous it could be that most people are ignorant of the context of the line. The young man Hamlet is pondering whether or not life is worth living. While he ponders, he utters the well-known line, “To be, or not to be, that is the question.”

People look for meaning and satisfaction in many areas- play, work, athletics, music, business, education, government, etc. – strangely enough there is a lifestyle that has the capacity of exciting and thrilling everyone. To put it simply- follow Christ!

Following Christ for the disciples meant a change of direction, of language [Pete had a problem here], of interest, of priorities. What is the excitement, the challenge in following Christ?

 

I. TO FOLLOW CHRIST IS TO FOLLOW THE GREATEST OF ALL- THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

 

1. To Follow Christ is to Receive Him as Saviour [Jn. 1:10-14]

- He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

 

2. To Follow Christ is to Love Him [Jn. 14:23-24]

- Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.

 

3. To Follow Christ is to Exchange Your Plans for His Plans [Mt. 4:18-22, 8:19-22, 9:9]

- And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

- And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

- 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.

 

II. TO FOLLOW CHRIST IS TO WALK BY FAITH

 

1.  Walk by Faith in Youth [Ecclesiastes 12:1]

- REMEMBER now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

 

2. Walk by Faith in Shadows [Ps. 23:4]

- Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

 

3.  Walk by Faith in Success [Acts 8:5-8, 26-27]

- Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city.

- And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,

 

III. TO FOLLOW CHRIST IS TO ENGAGE IN THE WORK THAT PAYS THE HIGHEST DIVIDENDS

[Mt. 4:19] And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

 

1. Believe the Lord- He has Commissioned Us [Mt. 28:18ff, Acts 1:8]

- And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore,

- ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

 

2. Believe the Lord- men are lost without Christ [Jn. 3:18, 36]

- He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

- He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

 

3. Believe the Gospel- Christ alone can Save [Rm. 1:16, 1 Tm. 2:5-6, Acts 4:12, John 14:6]

- For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

- For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

- Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

- Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.