2. Jesus calls you “Come follow me”
Matthew 4:18-20 (MSG)
Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus
saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter)
and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their
nets into the lake. It was their regular work.
Jesus said to them, "Come with me. I'll make a
new kind of fisherman out of you. I'll show you
how to catch men and women instead of perch
and bass." They didn't ask questions, but
simply dropped their nets and followed.
3. Imitate us, you imitate the Master
1 Thessalonians 1:2-5 (MSG)
2-5Every time we think of you, we thank God for you.
Day and night you're in our prayers as we call to mind
your work of faith, your labor of love, and your
patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ,
before God our Father. It is clear to us, friends, which
God not only loves you very much but also has put his
hand on you for something special. When the
Message we preached came to you, it wasn't just
words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit
put steel in your convictions.
4. Imitate us, you imitate the Master
1 Thessalonians 1:5-6 (MSG)
5-6You paid careful attention to the way we lived
among you, and determined to live that way
yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the
Master. Although great trouble accompanied the
Word, you were able to take great joy from the
Holy Spirit!—taking the trouble with the joy, the joy
with the trouble.
5. God cares for you and He is our
ultimate Provider
Matthew 6:25-26 (MSG)
"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it
follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at
mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in
fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you
put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance
than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the
birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job
description, careless in the care of God. And you count
far more to him than birds.
6. The follower’s priorities sorted
Luke 14:25-27 (MSG)
One day when large groups of people were
walking along with him, Jesus turned and told
them, "Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let
go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers,
sisters—yes, even one's own self!—can't be my
disciple. Anyone who won't shoulder his own cross
and follow behind me can't be my disciple. The
eternal position and destiny of a follower of Christ
7. The Inheritance of a follower of
Christ
Matthew 19:28-30 (MSG)
Jesus replied, "Yes, you have followed me. In the re-
creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule
gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule,
starting with the twelve tribes of Israel. And not only
you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields—
whatever—because of me will get it all back a hundred
times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of
eternal life. This is the Great Reversal: many of the
first ending up last, and the last first."
8. The follower’s source of sustenance
is Christ
John 6:27-29 (MSG)
27"Don't waste your energy striving for perishable
food like that. Work for the food that sticks with you,
food that nourishes your lasting life, food the Son of
Man provides. He and what he does are guaranteed
by God the Father to last."
28To that they said, "Well, what do we do then to get
in on God's works?"
29Jesus said, "Throw your lot in with the One that
God has sent. That kind of a commitment gets you in
on God's works."
9. The follower’s source of sustenance
is Christ
John 6:30-33 (MSG)
30-31They waffled: "Why don't you give us a clue
about who you are, just a hint of what's going on?
When we see what's up, we'll commit ourselves. Show
us what you can do. Moses fed our ancestors with
bread in the desert. It says so in the Scriptures: 'He
gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
32-33Jesus responded, "The real significance of that
Scripture is not that Moses gave you bread from
heaven but that my Father is right now offering you
bread from heaven, the real bread. The Bread of God
came down out of heaven and is giving life to the
world."
10. The follower’s source of sustenance
is Christ
John 6:34-38 (MSG)
34They jumped at that: "Master, give us this bread, now
and forever!"
35-38Jesus said, "I am the Bread of Life. The person who
aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. I
have told you this explicitly because even though you have
seen me in action, you don't really believe me. Every
person the Father gives me eventually comes running to
me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don't let
go. I came down from heaven not to follow my own whim
but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me.
11. The follower’s source of sustenance
is Christ
John 6: 39-40 (MSG)
39-40"This, in a nutshell, is that will: that
everything handed over to me by the Father be
completed—not a single detail missed—and at the
wrap-up of time I have everything and everyone
put together, upright and whole. This is what my
Father wants: that anyone who sees the Son and
trusts who he is and what he does and then aligns
with him will enter real life, eternal life. My part is to
put them on their feet alive and whole at the
completion of time."
12. Summary
• We are all called to be simple followers of Christ
• We have to learn to imitate the Master,
remember that others are following you as well
• As a follower we have Christ as our Provider and
Source
• We are called as followers to be true
worshippers a way of life
• The follower will have the right priorities for life
• A follower is not a poser or try hard
