DON'T FOLLOW JESUS

Don't follow Jesus unless ...

Matthew 4:19, speaking the words of Jesus says, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." (NIV)

Notice the second part of this verse (thanks to Real Life Discipleship Training Manual, for drawing my attention to this). "I will make you ..."

Following Jesus involves many things, but one thing we must do in deciding to follow Jesus or not is to "count the cost." (See Luke 14:25 ff. for the idea of this.)

It is not easy to make a commitment to Jesus as Lord, and it is not easy to continue to allow Jesus to be Lord of one's life. The struggles and battles are many.

"I will make you" implies that Jesus will be about making changes in our lives. The representative of God and Jesus, the Holy Spirit, is working in one's life--the one who follows Jesus as Lord--to "transform" us into the likeness of God. (See Romans 12:1-2) That implies change from one thing to another. Change is not easy and change is not always what I seek.

Change implies different ways of thinking, different attitudes than are natural for me, and different actions in living life.

But notice who makes the changes. "I." That implies in the context that Jesus makes the changes--God makes the changes. He points out areas where there is a conflict between "my" ways of thinking, feeling and doing from "HIS" way of thinking, feeling and doing. And when those are pointed out, I am to allow Him to have His way and do His work in me and through me.
Not easy for me, but that is a part of "following Jesus," and letting Him be Lord.

When I think of the forgiveness, mercy and grace that I have received from the Lord, the changes don't seem as hard, knowing that He has His best interests in mind, but also what is best for me in mind as well. It really is best for me to be more like God and Jesus. He will make me a better person than I could just be in my own power, without someone loving and moral working in me.

Don't follow Jesus ... unless you count the cost and ... unless you are willing to let Him make the changes in your life that He feels are necessary. But if you do choose to follow His lead, you will find a very rich and rewarding life is in store for you.

"I will make you ..."

COMPLETE YOUR TASK

Had a friend who wanted to hear more about my sermon yesterday, so I post my notes today on my blog. (Sorry the formatting just doesn't transfer well into HTML, I guess.)

COMPLETE YOUR WORK

Our prayers often reveal who we are and what is important to
us.

Nearing Easter—study the life of Jesus—John 17—“High Priestly
Prayer of Jesus”—prayer for Himself, prayer for disciples, prayer for future
disciples

John 17:1-9

Jesus nearing the Cross—the most important event of His
earthly life—Jn 13-17, probably in upper room with disciples night He was
betrayed

What was Jesus’ work?

1) v. 2 Jesus came to give eternal life

2) v. 3 What is eternal life—knowing God
through knowing Jesus

a. Not just head knowledge nor a one time knowledge

b. Growing, maturing knowledge—heart knowledge

c. Real disciples continue seeking to know God better—a growing knowledge of God and
Jesus

d. Part of growing knowledge is patterning life after the One we come to know—Jesus is our
pattern—we to follow Him

3) v. 4 Jesus completed the work God gave Him to do—anticipation of going to the Cross—to die for our sins

4) But in context of passage—completing His work had more to it:

a. V. 6 I revealed you to those you
gave me—Jesus lived like God—people saw and experienced Jesus, they experienced
God

b. Jesus revealed—people obeyed

c. V. 7 They knew everything Jesus had came
from God—the source, the beginning

d. V. 8 Jesus gave them the words God gave Him
to share with them—they accepted them—as from God—success

e. Jesus revealing God led to their belief—their faith and trust—recognized God and His
place

5) Jesus’ completed work on earth was salvation—but it was also revealing God and God’s
Word—so that people would believe in God, obey His Word, and live like God.

6) Our challenge is to do the same—to complete our work—our purpose for living life

a. We can’t die so others will be saved

b. We can live to reveal God

i. Pattern our life
after His—love, forgiveness, sacrifice for others—live by godly values


ii. Teach others to
obey God—by our example—by our words


iii. Pray for
others—as Jesus did in v. 9 ff.

7) Jesus came to save and then disciple others

8) We are to live to reveal God and disciple others

Are you completing your task as a believer in Christ?

Who looks to you as an example of Jesus? Who are you teaching, through words and life,
to obey God?

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD

The fourth "I AM" statement of Jesus in the gospel of John is found in John 10:11 and 14. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (10:11) “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me." (10:14, NIV)

Jesus has switched descriptions of Himself in John 10 from being a "door or gate" to being "a good shepherd." There is a contrast in the passage (see the fuller passage) from a bad shepherd, one who is just hired to do the job, with the one who cares sincerely for his sheep and is willing to give, even his own life for their good. This latter shepherd is Jesus.

We are in the time near Easter now, and that is the Christian celebration of Jesus giving His life for the forgiveness of sin and eternal life of those who come to accept Him. (An aside, I do not believe in a limited atonement--I believe He died for all, but not everyone will choose to accept His offer of forgiveness and eternal life.)

Jesus laid down His life for His sheep. What they could not do for their own protection and best, Jesus did for them. He did not have His life taken; He willingly gave it up--chose God's way. Jesus, as God and God's Son, was in control throughout the passion event. So He "lay down His life"--gave it willingly for His own.

But the good shepherd also has an intimate relationship with His sheep. They are His beloved--he genuinely cares for us and we should care for Him, love Him back. The word, "know," implies a personal knowledge that is experienced, not just a knowing from afar nor with the head only. It is a personal, heart knowledge.

With my wife, the better I know her, the more I love her. I know so many more facets to the diamond that she is than I did when we married. And I am ever more in love with her due to that personal, experienced knowledge. It brings forth intimacy--closeness--love.

That is what Jesus is describing about Himself here--a personal, intimate, experienced knowledge of His own, and the personal, intimate, experienced knowledge that they gain of Him as well. That is only done by the good shepherd who loves His sheep and is willing, even to die, for their best. And that is Jesus essence--love and sacrifice as mentioned in these verses.

What does that say to us? You are valuable because God's Son died for YOUR good! You are loved and cherished by One who was willing to die for you. Ponder that thought for a while, and see all of its facets or implications.

How grateful we should be if we have experienced that love and mercy and forgiveness! How grateful if we have experienced that sacrifice for us! And therefore, what is logical and best is that we genuinely love Him back--the One who gave His all that we might have forgiveness and eternal life and the continuing love of God.

Jesus is the good shepherd, who gave His life for you, and He is the good shepherd who knows you intimately, and still loves you unreservedly. Will you love Him back and accept His love and sacrifice?

STEP UP TO THE PLATE

Today, my blog consists of my sermon notes from preaching yesterday at University Baptist Church in Macomb, our former church when we lived there. Maybe these notes can speak to you and your situation.

STEP UP TO THE PLATE

Baseball—must have an offense

Why don’t people do that?

Joshua 1; Eph. 4:11-13

1) Inferiority

a. I am not as good as person who did this before me

b. I cannot do it—task is too big

c. In both, focus is on self

2) Challenge for Joshua—focus on God, not others, not yourself

a. How big is God?How powerful?How skillful?Can He gives you what you need to succeed?

b. “Be strong and courageous”—given also to him in Deuteronomy 31.

c. “for the Lord your God is with you”—same thing said to Moses. Did God fulfill that to Moses? Would God do that for Joshua?Will God do that for you too?

3) Blackaby—Exp. God--“God equips those He calls”—gives them what they need to complete the task.

4) What is God asking you to “step up to the plate” with right now? God says to you, “Be strong and courageous because I am with you.”

5) Ephesians 4:11-13 Equipping task of a pastor—not to do all of ministry—to equip others for the work of service.

a. How can body best be built up? Everyone involved. Everyone using their spiritual gifts and talents to make the church work and make ministry happen.

b. Could be “on hold" if have no pastor or pastor sick or ...

6) Call to church is to be about Great Commission

a. Make disciples

b. Baptize

c. Teach people to obey God

d. Should that be “on hold” because pastor is ill? Should it ever be on hold?

7) Interesting what Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “Upon this rock I will build my church—gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” Will not stand up against it.

a. Implies church is on the offense—not defense—not “on hold”—not in a fortress against the world—not playing catch up. (Gates are for defense not offense. Who is behind the gates in the passage?)

b. Step up to the plate—implies everyone is involved—doing what God wants them to do to make the church on the offense against Satan.

c. Where are you right now—offense or defense?

Step up to the Plate

WHO JESUS SAID HE WAS

I continue today with the seven statements in the gospel of John, where Jesus tells who he thought (knew, said) he was. We have looked at "I am the bread of life," and "I am the light of the world." Now today to the third, "I am the gate (or door)."

John 10:1-9. (Especially verses 7 & 9) "7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ... 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture." (NIV--See biblegateway.com)

A gate is a passageway, a door, a way into and out of something. This passage in John 10 is about sheep and pastures and storage places for sheep. Jesus compares Himself to a gate to the sheepfold for His sheep. He compares people to sheep. Often in Bible times, several shepherds would put their sheep into the same sheepfold (storage space) as other shepherds. But a person may act as "gate" or "doorkeeper." This would be a person who would protect the sheep from going out, but also from others (wolves, other wild animals, thieves) from coming in. Jesus described Himself here as that.

But He turns the picture into a sheepfold that is a place of salvation and a place of spiritual sustenance (food, water, bread). So He is building on some of the other descriptions and metaphors that He has already given in John about Himself.

He is here stating that the "one who enters through me will be saved." In other words, there is an ultimate "saving" found in Him, but He is the gate or door to it.

He will later make this statement even more bold in John 14:6 (looked at later).

What is salvation? It is something worth having, and it is something that Jesus is the door or key for. It is something worth investigating further to find out what it is and how to obtain it. Apparently, Jesus says He is a gate to God and relationship with God Himself.

I need protection against the wolves of the world. I need protection from myself straying (see also Psalm 23 and the idea of the "rod and staff".)

Jesus believes something profound here--He is the door to God and His best. Others have thought they were this, but the writer of the gospel of John believes that Jesus did not just say it. He actually proved that He was the door by His actions, His life, His miracles, and His end and beginning.

I believe I have entered that door. I have found that food and water--that sustenance. I have found and experienced God through this Gate--Jesus. I have found that saving.

Have you? And, if not, will you look further at Jesus' teachings and life from the gospel of John? Will you consider all that John (who personally knew Jesus) said that Jesus said and did?

The one who enters through Him will be saved and find pasture. He is the gate!

MY WAY--HIS WAY

People struggle. We all want to have it our way, on our terms. But life, and life with God especially, is not that way.

I am teaching Old Testament now, and have been teaching/reading in Genesis. One thing I am learning from this survey is the bigger picture. So often we read one verse or one small passage from the Scriptures, and do not see the bigger story--the bigger picture. At times, we need to read the Bible as story--as we read other novels or stories.

The story of Abram (Abraham) is one interesting story, dealing with "my way or His way." (Genesis 12-22, especially)

God tells Abram that He plans to bless him with a land, a relationship (with Himself) and with many descendants. And Abram will be a blessing to many nations. But the promise doesn't come quickly.

For about 25 years, Abram struggles with "my way or His way--especially in the area of a son and descendants. God tells him (Abram is 75) that he will have a son. His wife Sarai (Sarah) is 65. But as time goes on (read the chapters for yourself), this gets even harder to believe for Abram. So he takes things in his own hands. (Glad you and I never do that! LOL)

He tries to save his own life by saying that his wife, Sarai, is his sister. He talks to God and says that he guesses his servant Eliezer will inherit his possessions (God's promises to him--things that would normally be given to a son). But God says, "No, not him--a son."

He still doesn't receive the promise of a son, so he thinks that his nephew, Lot, will be the one inheriting it all. But that is taken care of by Lot's circumstances and a separation between Lot and Abraham.

Then, Abraham takes things into his hands (Sarah also does this--her "my way"), by taking Hagar as the surrogate mom for a son, Ismael. But God tells Abraham again, "this is not the promised son--he will be a son you have with Sarah."

Finally, twenty-give years later, after doing things his way, rather than God's way, he receives, with his wife, Sarah, the promised son, Isaac. What joy--what blessing--what laughter (Isaac's name means this)!

And then in Genesis 22, God asks Abraham to do an illogical thing. "Take your son, your only son, [the promised son] and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on Mt Moriah." God's way doesn't at all make sense at this time (Did it make sense before--advanced ages and birth of a son and 25 years later?).

But this time, Abraham does it God's way--takes the promised son to sacrifice him to God. God stops him from killing and sacrificing his son, just at the critical moment. Abraham has proven he is willing NOW to do things, finally, God's way. And God supplies another sacrifice, hence the name of God, Jehovah Jireh (the LORD, my Provider).

Did God need to prove to Himself that Abraham would follow Him here? No, God already knew. But Abraham needed to learn, for himself, that God was trustworthy, even when things do not intellectually or emotionally make sense to oneself. God's way is the best way. And Abraham saw that to follow God was the best thing to do, rather than attempting to live "his way (Abraham's).

Finally, God's way, not his way. Finally, trusting God, not himself. Finally, seeing God is good and has good in mind and has the best way for things to occur--and even amazing things to happen.

Abraham finally got it. Have I? Have you? My way or His way--which is REALLY best?

MY DAD

Today we celebrate my youngest daughter's birthday, though it was actually yesterday. Today is really my father's birthday--born in 1903. When Laurel was born, it was almost like God gave us her to replace or to comfort us for the loss of my dad that we would have about three years later.

My dad grew up, raised by his grandfather, in a small town. He walked to school and went to a one room school, several miles from where he lived.

He played basketball in high school--back in the days when after each basket, the ball went back to center court for a jump ball. He said that if you had a good center to jump, you got most of those jump balls.

He worked cutting bread dough for Wonder Bread in Indiana. He sent money back to his grandfather, helping them have money to live on. He worked at an oil refinery in Minneapolis. He sold candy when there was shortage of sugar, therefore a shortage of candy. He worked as a foreman, building LST (landing vehicles for tanks, etc.) during WWII in Seneca, IL. The last years of his working life, he worked all over southern Illinois as a boilermaker, helping build power plants, oil refineries and such.

People in the town he grew up in, and the town he settled back in with his five kids (and later one more--me), respected and liked the quiet, gentle man he was. He was well-liked by boilermakers with whom he worked. (I got to work one summer with some of those men, and several told me how much they liked my dad.) He did his best to support his family through depression times, unemployment times, and good times.

I loved my dad. And he wasn't "father" to me--he was "dad," with all the close, warm feeling that the word to me implies.

There is a praise chorus that I like that goes like this: "Abba, Father, My defender, You are holy, I surrender, In my weakness you protect me, When my heart strays you correct me. Abba, Father, I love you daddy."

My dad was many of those things to me--close, defender, an example of holiness (as best I could see), one who followed God, one who protected me, and one who corrected me. And I loved him for all of that and more.

But today, though I miss my daddy, I still have an Abba, Father that this song was written about. He is certainly One that goes beyond all the love, protection, correction and holiness that my earthly father could provide. He is the One who gave me the godly father that I had on earth. And I am eternally thankful, that even though I do not have my physical dad, I have Him always here with me to guide me, protect me, give me wisdom and strength to live out my life here on this earth.

Thanks today to Cecil, my earthly dad. You are cherished and loved, even these many years after your passing from this earth. But thanks mostly to God, my Abba Father, with whom my earthly father now dwells. One who is always available and very near to each of us. He said, "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." I love You, Abba, Father!