Song: I Will Follow You

Artist: Jon Guerra

57 As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”59 He said to another person, “Come, follow me.”The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”60 But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”61 Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.”62 But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:57-62

Definitely

We’ve been looking all week at discipleship, about what it really means to follow Jesus. To do what he says. Or, you might say, to go where he goes.

This moment in Luke’s narrative marks a significant turning point in Jesus’ life and ministry. Just a few verses earlier, we read this: When the days drew near for Jesus to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.

He set his face to go to Jerusalem. What was waiting for Jesus in Jerusalem? Confrontation. Trial. And cross. He set his face…to the cross.

And now we read: as they were walking along. Walking where? To Jerusalem. Walking along to Jerusalem. Walking along…to the cross.

And on the way, someone says to Jesus, “I’ll follow you wherever you go.”

Sometimes, I think I’m just as clueless as this guy walking alongside Jesus on that road to the cross. I’ll follow you wherever you go! Definitely! This guy was clueless. And, often, I am as well.

Maybe

Then Jesus flips the script. As he’s walking along – to Jerusalem – to the cross, He says to two others, “Come, follow me.” This time, Jesus initiates the conversation.

Where the first guy seems a bit naive, these two are a bit more reluctant. Let’s call them cautiously optimistic. Or reluctantly willing. “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first…” How many times have I walked along this very same road?!

Definitely!…maybe.

“Maybes” are subtle, and often legitimate. Yes, Lord! But first…

This passage makes one thing very clear: the decision to follow Jesus is an unqualified decision to follow Jesus – to reshuffle the priorities of our lives, submitting them all to His call. The disciple’s call is a call to go where He goes. And where He went was the cross.

It reminds a lot of something else Jesus said: “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”

Give up your own way, take up your cross. Reshuffle your priorities, go where Jesus goes.

The invitation today? Sniff out the “maybes” in your “walkingalong” with Christ.

Song: Mountain to Valley

Artist: Bread & Wine

5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

John 15:5-8

Disciples

Jesus is at it again. Like yesterday, the command is simple: Remain. Abide.

He’s the vine, we’re the branches. It’s organic dependence. He’s the source of life. Anything of life that we have – it derives from Him. Stay connected, he says. Remain.

But Jesus doesn’t leave us there. He refuses to let us off the hook with some sort of navel-gazing discipleship. In the next few verses, Jesus teases out what “remaining” looks like. How do we remain? Do all that I command.

Discipleship is sinew and bone. Discipleship is flesh.

Disciples bear fruit.

Which brings me to tomatoes.

& Tomatoes

My mom loves tomatoes. A lot. In fact, she’s been known to smuggle home-grown tomatoes into a restaurant, discreetly produce them from her purse, and replace whatever imitation-tomato slice may have accompanied her meal – with the good stuff.

Good fruit. We like good fruit.

Jesus says when we bear fruit, good fruit, it brings glory to God. Apparently, He likes good fruit, too. The home-grown kind. No substitutes. Nothing artificial. The kind that grows in the soil of Jesus’ words – so full of His words that it changes the way we pray (v 7). Prayers so rooted in the words and will of Jesus that God grants them! Talk about fruitfulness!

It’s an interesting picture of true discipleship. The words of Jesus so saturating the disciple’s life that obedience to Jesus becomes the most natural thing in the world. And that kind of obedience produces fruit. Good fruit. Like home-grown tomatoes. And God loves tomatoes!

John 8:31–So Jesus was saying to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word[continually obeying My teachings and living in accordance with them, then] you are truly My disciples.

This is a powerful statement that Jesus makes to the Jews who claimed to believe in Him.  Jesus may have known the belief of the Jews was shallow.  So He challenges their belief in what it means to follow Him and tries to deepen their understanding.

I love how Jesus is constantly challenging us as believers!  To go deeper. To grow.  To challenge what it means to follow Him.

We can’t stay in one place. Jesus is telling us to obey, remain faithful, and abide in the teaching of Christ.

I believe Jesus does this to us today.  He wants us to deeper understand what it means to follow Him.

And what a challenge it is!!

The NLT says “remain faithful to my teachings.”

Faithful is a powerful word.  Abide. True to the teachings and ways of Christ. This is what Jesus is calling us as followers to do, to live.

Pride says, “I don’t need to change.  I am fine right where I am.”

Humility not only admits when we are wrong but also that we have room to grow.  And I believe we as followers of Christ always need to be growing!

Know. We can’t do and remain if we don’t know the Word of God.  That is where true knowledge begins.

John 8:32— “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

DO.  As disciples and followers of Jesus, we don’t just know it, but we live it.  We act and live according to the words of Jesus.

This is a disciple.

And the reward and blessings of living according to His Word and His ways are immense.

We are free from bondage and the penalty of sin to liberty!

Tenney words this progression well:

Basically, this implies a progression from ignorance to knowledge, from error to truth, and from slavery to liberty!!

What a Lord we have!  In following Him, abiding in Him, and living it, we find freedom!

Freedom is priceless and where it is present almost any kind of life is enjoyable. When it is absent life can never be enjoyed; it can only be endured.  A.W. Tozer

As we go today and the rest of this week, what areas is Jesus challenging you to grow In?

Also, if you start to feel down, remember the freedom we have because of Jesus!!

Have a great day!!