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Matthew 4:18-22  //  As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus doesn’t call the qualified.

He qualifies the called.

Luke 9:23 NLT  //  Then he [Jesus] said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”

Crowds are fans of Jesus, not followers.

If means this is your choice.

Any of you includes you.

Follower means to come after.

Turn means to reject and to deny utterly.

Bond Servant.

Luke 14:26  //  If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.

Galatians 2:20 ESV  //  I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 5:24 ESV  //  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV  //  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Daily is a commitment.

Where do I need to die to selfishness in order to follow Jesus?

Commitment and pace are critical to a defined relationship with Jesus.

Luke 9:57-62  //  As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Let's do it!

Not just yet

Give me a second

God wants obedience, not sacrifice.

God isn’t impressed with what a mouth can say, but with what a heart will obey.

John 14:15  //  If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

Today is the best day!

Forward is the only option.

Proverbs 27:1  //  Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus?

Luke 9:23 ESV // And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

Fan = enthusiastic admirer

You can know about someone and not know them.

Do you know about Jesus or actually know him?

Luke 7:36-38 //  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

God knows you intimately.

God wants you to know him.

Fans choose knowledge. Followers pursue intimacy.

Yada = to profoundly know

Psalm 139:1-4 //  You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.

Luke 7:39 //  When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

Luke 7:44-50 // Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus?

Fan: Enthusiastic Admirer

Matthew 4:18-22  // As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Luke 6:46  // Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

Matthew 7:21  // Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Luke 9:23 NLT  // Then he [Jesus] said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”

Anyone means everyone.

Turn from Selfish Ways means Total Surrender.

Jesus: Come and Die.

1 John 2:17  //  The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

Epithumia: Hyper Desire

Why Are You Here?

Are You All In?

Have You Made It Your Own?

Luke 14:26  //  If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.

Who is the me I want to be 12 months from now?

Joshua 1:5-9  //  No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Be Strong and Courageous

Fear Not

Acts 4:29  //  Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.

Acts 1:8  //  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Courage > Integrity

Courage > Integrity > Humility

Integrity is rooted in humility.

Numbers 12:3  //  Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 34:9  //  Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.

Philippians 1:20-21 //  I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the absence of self.

"You don't get invited to every party."

Turning the page requires forgetting and straining.

Philippians 3:13  //  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead…

If we don't learn how to turn the page:

We won't heal.

We won’t be ready for what’s to come.

We won't appreciate what's to come.

1. Forgetting

Philippians 3:3-7  //  For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—  though I myself have reasons for such confidence.If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee;  as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

Forgetting what is behind means leaving both the good and the bad in the past.

Leave it!

2. Straining

Philippians 3:14  //  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Straining towards what’s ahead means giving all we have to God’s plans.

Reflect on what is hard to forget, make peace with it, so you can leave it.

I'm here, but this isn't home.

John 17:1 // After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.

Matthew 26:36-39 // Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

 

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Transference – When we redirect our feelings and emotions to someone around us.

John 17:1-5 // After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

Advent is waiting in anticipation

How would your parents respond with you made a mess?

How do you think God will respond when you do?

Luke 15:1,2,17-24  //  1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Mercy gave the son a second chance.

Grace gave him a feast.

Prodigal: wastefully extravagant

Luke 15:7  //  I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Luke 15:10  //  In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Luke 19:10  //  “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Communion not only commemorates, it also anticipates.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26  //  23 The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Thankful People Are Content People.

Content: To be free from care because of satisfaction with what is already one's own, to be pleased.

Philippians 4:10-13  //  I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Content people lament, they don’t complain.

Complaint says: this is not good, this is not enough, therefore God is not good and God is not enough.

Lament says: this is not good but God is good and God is enough and he will work this for my good and his glory.

Lament turns you to God.

Complaint entices you to run from Him.

Being content is not a response to what we have. It’s a response to who God is.

Hebrews 13:5  //  Don’t be obsessed with money but live content with what you have, for you always have God’s presence. For hasn’t he promised you, “I will never leave you alone, never! And I will not loosen my grip on your life!”

Entitlement kills contentment. Gratitude makes it grow.

”You must arrange your days so that you are experiencing deep contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday life with God." – Dallas Willard

Content people live with eternity in mind.

"A life contemplating the blessings of Christ becomes a life acting the love of Christ." – Ann Voskamp

Proverbs 29:18 MSG  //  If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.

How would you LIVE differently if you believed that God was fully in control?

How would you DREAM differently if you believed that God was fully in control?

Genesis 39:2  //  The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did.

Genesis 37:3-11, 17-24  //  Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. 5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. 9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. 17 So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. 19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. 20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.” 21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. 22 “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

Thankful people understand: 

God has a coat for all of His children.

Represents the favor of the Father’s love.

There are no favorites.

It gives you permission to dream out loud.

Have perspective on opposition.

Every dream worth dreaming will face opposition.

Have perspective on their seasons

The pit is brief, but the story is long.