Follow Me
Intro: More than 24 times in the Gospels, Jesus invited people to follow him. Who did Jesus invite?
- The wealthy and powerful.
- The casual observer.
- The spiritual seekers.
- The religiously devoted.
Read Matthew 4:18-20
18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.
Note: Peter and Andrew knew Jesus. He had talked with them previously (John 1:35-42) and had been preaching in the area. They knew what kind of man he was.
Read Matthew 4:21-22
21 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. 22 They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.
Note: Verse 22 says that they immediately followed him, no excuse.
Q: What excuses do we give God daily?
Side Note: When Jesus asks us to serve him, we must be like the disciples and do it at once.
Read Mark 1:16-20
16 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon[a] and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 17 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 18 And they left their nets at once and followed him.
19 A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets. 20 He called them at once, and they also followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men.
Note: The disciples were not men of great faith when they met Jesus.
Read Luke 5:1-11
One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee,[a]great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon,[b] its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”
5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.
8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” 9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. 10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.
Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” 11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.
Q: What is Peter’s reaction to the fish?
- Realizes what Jesus has done.
- Realizes his own insignificance/sin.
Q: What did following Jesus equal?
- Leaving old life.
- Being trained by Jesus.
- Learning to obey Jesus (coming under his authority and leadership).
- Having a life that looked like his (character, priorities, and practices).
Closing Questions
Who are you living for today?
What does it mean to follow Jesus today?
How can you refocus your relationship/walk with Christ in 2019?
Memorize
John 3:17 – “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” (NLT)
These are my notes from teaching this morning. I thought sharing them might be helpful.
