The Walk of Following

We are obsessed with following people.  We “follow” all kinds of people on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.  We “follow” our friends and family.  We “follow” celebrities and personalities.  We “follow” businesses and organizations.  We will follow people we don’t even know.  We spend hours looking at photos and reading posts of all those we follow.  Our lives are full of following individuals and things that we are interested in.  We don’t hesitate to follow anyone and everyone so why are we so hesitant to follow Jesus?

READ:  Matthew 4:18-22

Jesus Christ was way ahead of His time.  Even before the internet, before smartphones, before Facebook, before Twitter, before Instagram, before Snapchat, . . . Jesus invited people to “follow” Him.  Following Jesus is much more than keeping up with His status or His daily story.   Living life in the same way as Jesus did requires RESPONDING to His INVITATION to FOLLOW Him with our LIVES!  Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”.  The invitation to follow Jesus is no casual invitation.  Following Jesus is not like social media where we observe or admire someone from a distance, it is entering into the same life as He lived.  The greek words “δευτε οπισω” together translated “follow” mean to “come along behind”.  Jesus invitation to follow was not physical follow the leader, but an invitation to get close to Him, to get near to Him, and to imitate His life.  For the disciples, following Jesus meant a dramatic shift in the overall direction and purpose of their lives.

What response does Jesus’ invitation to follow Him require?  Andrew, Simon, James, and John all did two things in response to Jesus’ invitation to follow Him.  This is how we are to respond to Jesus’ invitation as well.

Following Jesus requires an IMMEDIATE response (vss 20, 22) – Most of us want immediate everything, . . . except when it comes to making major commitments. When we receive an invitation, we wait until the very last minute in order to keep our options open.  We like to consider the possibilities before we go all in on anything.  If we commit too early, we might miss out on something better.  The disciples responded to Jesus invitation to follow Him “immediately”.  They didn’t wait for a less demanding leader, they didn’t wait until their life circumstances were more favorable, they didn’t wait until they knew all the details of what following Jesus would mean.  If they would have waited, they would have missed out!  At any moment we sense Jesus inviting us to follow Him, we must not wait.  We must respond immediately with our whole lives!

Following Jesus requires LEAVING behind ANYTHING in life that we DEPEND on (vss 20, 22) – We would be considered foolish if we just left things of value behind.  If we study at the library, we don’t just leave our laptop behind in the cubicle.  If we go to a friend’s house, we don’t just leave our cell phone behind on the counter.  If we drive to the store, we don’t just leave our car with keys in the ignition and walk home.  That would be foolish.  And yet, why would Andrew, Simon, James, and John “leave” their nets, boat, and father behind to follow Jesus?  Because they understood that accepting the invitation to follow Jesus was the most important, most valuable, and most meaningful thing they could do with their lives.  There is nothing in life worth holding on to if it means missing out on following Christ.

CONCLUSION
Jesus Christ has sent all of us a follower request.  Jesus didn’t just invite Simon, Andrew, James, and John, He invited all twelve of His disciples to follow Him and each of them responded yes with their lives. Jesus Christ invites all of us to follow Him.  The invitation is not an invitation to respond sometime in the future, but an invitation to respond right now today.  The invitation is an invitation that is going to demand that our lives dramatically change even if it means giving up something that we depend on in life. Don’t miss out on the most important, most valuable, most meaningful thing you can do with your life! What is your response to Jesus’s invitation to “follow Him”?

The Walk

What if for one day, Jesus became you?  Jesus woke up in your bed, wore your clothes, lived in your house, and assumed your schedule.  What if, for 24 hours, Jesus became you?  Your friends became his friends, your parents became his parents, and your teachers became his teachers.  What if for one day, Jesus became you?  Jesus had your voice, your hairstyle, you physique, and your personality.  What if for one day, Jesus became you?  Jesus faced your temptation, your struggles, your doubts, your fears, and your anxiety. What if Jesus lived your life for one day?

For all of us, it would be an understatement to say that those 24 hours of our lives would be very different.  It might  seem to those observing from the outside that an alien had taken over our body.  Our attitude and thoughts would be altered.  We would speak and behave differently.  Our priorities and schedule would be changed.  Most dramatically, our heart would be unrecognizably transformed. What expectation does God have for how we live our lives?

READ:  1 John 2:1-6

God expects nothing less from us than to live LIFE the SAME WAY Jesus did!  The word translated “walk” comes word from the περιπατεω which means to “live” or “behave” in a particular manner.  We are to emulate the pattern of living that Jesus exhibited during His life.  According to Romans 8:29, “those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son” (cf. Col. 3:10).  From the very beginning, God’s plan has been to use the Holy Spirit to transform us into people who are Christlike.  Christlikeness is more than an attitude adjustment or behavior modification, it is a Spirit-led way of living that impacts all of our attitudes, thoughts, words, and actions.  Christlikeness is a lifelong process and the ultimate pinnacle of God’s plans for us as humans!

What does it mean to live life the same way Jesus did?  There are 3 characteristics of Jesus’ life that we must emulate in order to become more like Him.  If we are going to live life the same way Jesus did we need to . . .

Live life using the same METHOD as Jesus (John 1:14) – Jesus’ method of relating with humanity was incarnational.  Jesus, God Himself, related with us by humbly putting on human “flesh” and “dwelt among us” (cf. Phil 2:6-7).  In order to be Christlike, Jesus’ method of being incarnational must become our method.  We are incarnational when we intentionally humble ourselves and enter into the world of others through relationship.  Jesus left the comforts of heaven in order to relate with us and we are to relate in the same way with others!

Live life proclaiming the same MESSAGE as Jesus (Matthew 4:17) – Jesus message was simple, “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.  Jesus spoke frequently about His relationship with the Father and the importance of believing in Him in order to be forgiven of sin and receive the gift of eternal life (John 3:16).  In order to be Christlike, Jesus’ message of salvation must become our message.  Jesus proclaimed the message that believing in Him was the way to have a relationship with God (John 14:6), and we must proclaim the same message to others!

Live life with the same MISSION as Jesus (Philippians 2:8) – A mission is an extremely important assignment, an objective, or a goal to be accomplished.  Jesus mission in taking on “human form” was to “die on the cross”.  Jesus sacrificially paid the penalty of our sin so that we could receive the benefit of forgiveness.  In order to be Christlike, Jesus’ mission of sacrifice must become our mission.  Being on the same mission as Jesus means sacrificing ourselves for the benefit of others. 1 John 3:16 says, “(Jesus) laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers”.  Jesus sacrificed Himself for us and we are to live in the same way for others!

CONCLUSION
According to 1 John 2:5 “walking in the same way in which (Jesus) walked” is how we “know” we are in Christ.  We are in Jesus Christ when we believe that He is the propitiation for our sins.  Jesus walked through life in the humble and sacrificial way that He did because He loves us and was willing to pay the penalty for our sin.  There is no reason to try to live for Christ if we’ve never trusted in the fact that He died for us. We will never walk in the same way in which Jesus walked if we never put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Do you believe that Jesus Christ walked through life to the cross for you?  If we do, then we ought start walking in the same way that He walked!