WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.719 Well tonight I'd like us to turn back to the passage that we read in Mark chapter 1. 00:00:04.719 --> 00:00:08.640 We can focus, we can read again at verse 14. 00:00:08.640 --> 00:00:13.560 Now after John was arrested Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God and saying, 00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:20.320 The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel. 00:00:20.320 --> 00:00:25.359 Passing alongside the sea of Galilee he saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, 00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:32.799 casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen and Jesus said to them follow me and I will 00:00:32.799 --> 00:00:39.480 make you become fishers of men and immediately they left their nets and followed him. 00:00:39.480 --> 00:00:46.000 And I want us to focus especially just on the short but crucial command of verse 17 where Jesus says, 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:55.920 follow me. We're at the beginning of a new year which is always a time to stop and think, 00:00:55.920 --> 00:01:03.799 to reflect on how the last year has gone and to plan ahead for the year to come. 00:01:03.799 --> 00:01:09.120 We think about what we want to prioritise, what we're going to pursue, what we hope for. 00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:15.960 In many ways we're asking the question, what path are we going to follow in the year ahead? 00:01:15.959 --> 00:01:22.399 And that's why this is a key time and an important time to be reminded of Jesus's words, 00:01:22.399 --> 00:01:28.359 follow me. This has been the theme that we've been looking at over at the weekend away. 00:01:28.359 --> 00:01:33.239 I didn't actually know that when I was preparing this sermon but Ali Sule who was the speaker 00:01:33.239 --> 00:01:38.599 at the weekend away emphasised this theme that at the beginning of a year we want to think about 00:01:38.599 --> 00:01:45.919 who Jesus is, about what difference he has made to the world and to us and what it means for us. 00:01:45.920 --> 00:01:53.040 To follow him. So for us tonight it's a chance for those of us who are at the weekend away to 00:01:53.040 --> 00:01:58.560 just think this through a little bit more and for those of you who weren't there it's just as 00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:08.000 important for you to consider what this means for you when Jesus says, follow me. It's a really 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:16.120 simple command, it's just two words, but behind those two words lie some of the most important 00:02:16.120 --> 00:02:24.080 matters that we could ever consider. When you're young you know maybe you have the game and people 00:02:24.080 --> 00:02:31.319 say, oh follow me, you know and it's quite a casual sort of expression, maybe somebody's off to a 00:02:31.319 --> 00:02:39.120 shop or off to play a game and you think oh yeah I'll follow for a wee while and in that context 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:52.280 follow me is just a pretty insignificant thing really. But when Jesus says follow me, it's a matter 00:02:52.280 --> 00:03:02.000 of life and death and it's incredibly important for us to think about what it means. So when he 00:03:02.000 --> 00:03:08.759 says these words follow me, what exactly is he saying? Well that's what I want us to think about a 00:03:08.759 --> 00:03:14.080 wee bit tonight and in many ways I want us to unpack what lies behind these two little words 00:03:14.080 --> 00:03:21.439 and we're going to say three pretty simple things. First thing we're going to say is that when Jesus 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:32.680 says follow me he is saying stop going down the path that you are currently on. He's saying stop 00:03:32.680 --> 00:03:41.079 going the way that you're going and follow me instead. So this call is a call to a different 00:03:41.080 --> 00:03:52.640 path, to leave one and to step on to another and Jesus uses a key word to describe what this looks 00:03:52.640 --> 00:03:59.800 like and it's a word that really lies at the heart of the Christian faith and it's there in verse 15. 00:03:59.800 --> 00:04:10.400 He says the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand, repent. Now that word repent is 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:19.519 an immensely important word for Christians. It basically means to turn around and to change 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:29.639 your thinking. We want to stop going in one direction and to start going in another. So whenever 00:04:29.639 --> 00:04:34.600 you hear that word repent I want you to simply imagine walking along and turning around and 00:04:34.600 --> 00:04:41.320 going the opposite way. That's really what the word means and it's really setting before us the 00:04:41.320 --> 00:04:48.879 great choice that Jesus presents to us that we can either follow a path that will lead us away 00:04:48.879 --> 00:04:59.000 from him or we can turn around and follow him and ultimately these are the only two choices that 00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:09.040 we have. Later on in Jesus' ministry he uses a very vivid image to describe this choice between 00:05:09.040 --> 00:05:18.040 not following him and following him. He describes it in terms of two ways, one that's broad and one 00:05:18.040 --> 00:05:23.199 that's narrow. We have that in Matthew chapter 7. He says enter by the narrow gate for the gate is 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:31.399 wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction. Those who enter by it are many for the gate is 00:05:31.399 --> 00:05:40.399 narrow and the way is hard that leads to life and those who find it are few. And that's really 00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:47.000 the choice that Jesus presents us with, follow him or don't follow him. Now when you think, 00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:52.639 when you look at that image there and think of this broad gate and path or this narrow gate 00:05:52.639 --> 00:05:59.039 and path what kind of image comes into your mind? Well I googled it which is always a good way to 00:05:59.039 --> 00:06:07.519 find out anything and you tend to see a picture like this don't you? So you've got a broad path 00:06:07.519 --> 00:06:13.159 going one way and you can see that it's leading to destruction and then you can see just off it 00:06:13.159 --> 00:06:21.240 you've got a narrow path leading to life and I'm sure you've maybe seen many images that look a 00:06:21.240 --> 00:06:36.519 little bit like that. I'm not convinced that that picture is completely right. It is true in a sense 00:06:36.519 --> 00:06:42.720 there's a true sense we have a broad path that we're on or a narrow path that we can choose but I 00:06:42.720 --> 00:06:46.960 think that there's a little bit more to it than that. I think it's better to think of the broad 00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:56.319 path like this okay so there's a broad path it's going in one direction okay. The narrow path looks 00:06:56.319 --> 00:07:05.079 like this. It goes in the complete opposite direction so it's not so much standing at a junction 00:07:05.079 --> 00:07:11.079 where you can go one way or go the other way it's whereby we are all going down one path and we 00:07:11.079 --> 00:07:19.599 need to turn around and go in the opposite direction. We need in other words to turn against the tide 00:07:19.599 --> 00:07:28.000 to turn away from the the push and pressure of the world that's leading us away from Jesus that's 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:36.879 pushing us pushing us pushing us down a path that leads to destruction. We need to repent we need 00:07:36.879 --> 00:07:46.000 to turn around and this is where we see one of the the great tragedies of humanity. People are on 00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:54.759 this broad path in life and people think that true peace and true happiness and true fulfillment is 00:07:54.759 --> 00:08:04.439 just a little bit further down that path so you think well if I can just get the kind of job I want 00:08:04.439 --> 00:08:10.519 if I can just get a bit further down the path till I'm earning a wee bit more or if I can get a bit 00:08:10.519 --> 00:08:14.680 further down the path till I'm living in the kind of place that I want or if I'm in the relationship 00:08:14.680 --> 00:08:19.639 that I want or if I can get a bit further down the path till I retire and I don't have the pressure 00:08:19.639 --> 00:08:26.839 of work and I can relax. Fulfillment is just a wee bit further down the path that's what we constantly 00:08:26.839 --> 00:08:39.120 think but it's not true. True fulfillment and true peace doesn't come from getting a bit further 00:08:39.120 --> 00:08:52.959 down the path it comes from turning around and going the other way. That of course means that 00:08:52.960 --> 00:09:04.600 following Jesus means that there has to be a change. Now that word change is a word that can 00:09:04.600 --> 00:09:12.519 sometimes make us feel very uncomfortable and when it comes to the idea of following Jesus and you 00:09:12.519 --> 00:09:16.720 think of the change that it's going to make in your life it's very easy to think that the word 00:09:16.720 --> 00:09:24.639 change is a synonym for the word spoil. So it's going to spoil your lifestyle it's going to spoil 00:09:24.639 --> 00:09:31.440 your priorities. We had two brilliant speakers last night at the weekend away. One was Georgie 00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:37.399 Armstrong who spoke about the process in which she became a Christian she said her older sister 00:09:37.399 --> 00:09:42.440 became a Christian she said when my older sister became a Christian I thought it was social suicide 00:09:42.440 --> 00:09:48.160 which I thought was a great expression she just thought it's going to wreck her life we can think 00:09:48.160 --> 00:09:57.440 that change means spoil. That's one of the many many lies that the devil tries to tell us because 00:09:57.440 --> 00:10:09.760 in Christian discipleship change does not mean spoil change means improve. It means improved 00:10:09.759 --> 00:10:17.200 friendships that are deeper than just a superficial acquaintance or just trying to get a benefit from 00:10:17.200 --> 00:10:22.319 knowing others or being in a certain circle of friends. It's an improved understanding of life 00:10:22.319 --> 00:10:28.679 where you can actually look out over life you can look out over people see all the different people 00:10:28.679 --> 00:10:35.360 in Edinburgh from the people who are at the top of the ladder to the people who are really struggling 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:45.080 you can look at them all and think and know that they are people who are loved by God and who are 00:10:45.080 --> 00:10:52.800 made in his image that's a far better understanding of life and it means improved priorities whereby 00:10:52.800 --> 00:10:59.800 we start chasing after the things that really matter not the things that will leave us empty. In 00:10:59.800 --> 00:11:04.039 all of that Jesus isn't calling us to abandon the good stuff in our lives it's easy to think that 00:11:04.039 --> 00:11:10.399 Jesus is saying oh give up everything it's not saying that at all Jesus is calling us to a new 00:11:10.399 --> 00:11:20.360 path that makes the best of things even better but the biggest improvement of all comes in ourselves 00:11:20.360 --> 00:11:28.240 so I could say to you well if you become a Christian you'll have better friends you'll have 00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:39.440 better employment you'll have better connections in life you'll know better people that's not 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:44.200 through at all the key point is not that you'll get better friends the key point is that you will 00:11:44.200 --> 00:11:57.840 become a better friend you'll become a better wife or husband father mother or child you'll become a 00:11:57.840 --> 00:12:05.399 better employee you will change for the better and other people will see the amazing difference 00:12:05.399 --> 00:12:11.120 that that will make and one of the key things that brings that change is that following Jesus gives 00:12:11.120 --> 00:12:19.800 us a new sense of purpose you see that in this passage for these people James and John and Simon 00:12:19.800 --> 00:12:25.879 and Andrew who followed Jesus he said to them follow me and I will make you become fishers of 00:12:25.879 --> 00:12:32.039 men there's a very famous verse in the Bible Jesus calls these disciples they were fishermen they 00:12:32.039 --> 00:12:38.519 said follow that follow me and I will make you become fishers of men that's a passage that we can 00:12:38.519 --> 00:12:46.559 often associate with ministers I remember hearing one of one of my favorite preachers from my younger 00:12:46.559 --> 00:12:50.600 days Kenneth Stewart saying that when he was thinking about a call for the ministry this word 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:56.480 this verse spoke to him very powerfully that he would become a fisher of men and I think that 00:12:56.480 --> 00:13:04.480 that's absolutely true but is this verse just for ministers like me or is it just for Christian 00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:10.759 workers is it just for missionaries the people who go out and who work full time to be fishers of 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:22.200 men is it just for them I don't think so I think it's true for all disciples it's true for all of 00:13:22.200 --> 00:13:29.080 you that when Jesus called you to follow him he's calling you to be a fisher of men and women as 00:13:29.080 --> 00:13:41.520 well why is that well it's because if we are walking that path that goes against the tide it means 00:13:41.520 --> 00:13:52.520 that all around us there are people who are going the wrong way and who need to be saved and isn't 00:13:52.520 --> 00:13:58.680 that true of your life you go to work tomorrow you're going to be surrounded by people who are 00:13:58.679 --> 00:14:11.399 just waltzing down that broad path and God needs you among them in order to reach them the key 00:14:11.399 --> 00:14:19.759 point is that no one is standing still that's why I'm a bit iffy about this picture because it kind 00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:23.799 of gives the impression that you can sort of well you can think well I'll just stand on the grass 00:14:23.799 --> 00:14:30.839 in the middle and see what happens and it's easy to think that you know well in terms of my 00:14:30.839 --> 00:14:35.399 relationship with God I just want to stay on neutral ground just now and I'll maybe make a 00:14:35.399 --> 00:14:44.240 decision further down the line it's absolutely vital that you recognize that there is no neutral 00:14:44.240 --> 00:14:53.759 ground and that's why although my picture is much more basic and blocky I prefer it 00:14:53.759 --> 00:15:04.879 because you're either you're either on that path that is pulling you along to destruction or you're 00:15:04.879 --> 00:15:14.879 following Jesus surrounded by people who need to be saved all of this means that there are people 00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:22.000 all around us in the week ahead in the year ahead who desperately need to be called to follow Jesus 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:29.279 it's utterly vital that humanity gets fished I don't that's the right way of saying it but 00:15:29.279 --> 00:15:36.919 humanity needs to be fished by God's people in every part of my life as a disciple and in your 00:15:36.919 --> 00:15:45.120 life if you are a disciple you are there to fish you're there to reach out for others so how do 00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:49.720 we fish what do you need for fishing I'm actually not much of a fisherman to be honest but I know 00:15:49.720 --> 00:15:57.720 the basics what do you need well you need bait don't you why does a fish go to bait why if you 00:15:57.720 --> 00:16:06.560 put bait in the water as a fish go because it's attractive isn't it and one thing that disciples 00:16:06.560 --> 00:16:16.800 of Jesus must always be is attractive not in the sense of being flashy and good-looking 00:16:16.799 --> 00:16:28.039 but in the sense of a quality of character that people will look at and notice and think there 00:16:28.039 --> 00:16:37.839 is something different about that man or about that woman there needs to be bait you also need 00:16:37.839 --> 00:16:42.120 to cast when you're fishing don't you so these disciples were casting their net into the sea I 00:16:42.120 --> 00:16:50.360 think of a fishing rod when you cast your line into the sea all that's doing is making contact and 00:16:50.360 --> 00:16:57.360 as disciples we need to do exactly the same we have to have some contact with the world around 00:16:57.360 --> 00:17:02.000 us again that's why I like this picture because you're right in the thick of it you're right in 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:08.000 the thick of a thick of a massive crowd heading towards destruction and we need to constantly be 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:13.039 making contact with them and one thing is for certain is that we were very unlikely to make 00:17:13.039 --> 00:17:18.960 contact with them in this building we're gonna make contact with them at your job tomorrow 00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:25.720 we're gonna make contact with them when you do the school run we're gonna make contact with them 00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:31.599 when you involve yourselves in the communities in which you live and that contact is absolutely 00:17:31.599 --> 00:17:36.440 crucial in order to fish you need bait you need to be attractive to people you need to cast you 00:17:36.440 --> 00:17:41.400 need to make contact and then there's one final thing that you must do and this is the hardest 00:17:41.400 --> 00:17:59.080 part of fishing you have to wait and wait and wait and maybe you spent the whole of 2019 00:17:59.079 --> 00:18:11.359 praying for a friend or a colleague and maybe you feel like giving up don't keep going keep 00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:17.599 loving that person keep praying for that person keep on going because one thing any fisherman 00:18:17.599 --> 00:18:28.480 will tell you is that it's not a fast sport it takes time but you've got to persevere so Jesus 00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:36.440 is saying stop going down the road that you're going on turn around follow me what do we need to 00:18:36.440 --> 00:18:46.640 do we need to go for it and follow him the second thing that Jesus is saying to us when he says 00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:54.400 follow me is he's saying and well there's three sub things to this he's saying listen to me trust 00:18:54.400 --> 00:19:01.000 me and obey me and we'll just unpack that a wee bit for a moment think about the things that you 00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:05.720 follow in life what kind of stuff when we use that word follow what do we use that word for 00:19:05.720 --> 00:19:16.400 well we'll say we'll say we'll follow instructions so my son got a got a massive box of Technic Lego 00:19:16.400 --> 00:19:22.759 for Christmas we're gonna have to follow the instructions in order to put it together you 00:19:22.759 --> 00:19:29.640 have to follow a map so we were up in Perthshire for the weekend away didn't know the way had to 00:19:29.640 --> 00:19:36.359 follow the map on our phone and also we would maybe say that we were following a treatment and so 00:19:36.359 --> 00:19:43.839 supposedly you had an injury or an illness you'd maybe follow a course of treatment in order to 00:19:43.839 --> 00:19:53.559 be made to be made better all of these are examples of following and each of these involves listening 00:19:53.559 --> 00:20:00.279 trusting and obeying so you want to follow instructions you've got to listen to what they 00:20:00.279 --> 00:20:07.159 say you've got a trust that that they're actually giving you accurate directions and then you 00:20:07.159 --> 00:20:11.399 actually have to put the bits together in the way that it tells you otherwise the whole exercise 00:20:11.400 --> 00:20:15.720 is pointless if you're following a map or if you're listening to the sat nav you have to listen to 00:20:15.720 --> 00:20:21.600 what it says trust that when it says turn right you should turn right I just pointed left but anyway 00:20:21.600 --> 00:20:29.640 and you have to then obey what it says and especially if you're following treatment if you go to 00:20:29.640 --> 00:20:37.400 the doctor you have to listen to what he says and you have to trust that he says if you do this so 00:20:37.400 --> 00:20:43.080 supposedly you've had angina and he says you need to start walking for half an hour a day and you 00:20:43.080 --> 00:20:50.560 need to cut back on the saturated fat and the cholesterol in your diet you need to trust that 00:20:50.560 --> 00:20:54.320 that's going to help you and then of course you have to actually do it if it's going to have any 00:20:54.320 --> 00:21:00.680 effect these three things listen trust and obey all go together in terms of following and so I tried 00:21:00.680 --> 00:21:06.280 to think of a really profound illustration which would sum this up the fact that these three 00:21:06.279 --> 00:21:16.839 things go together and the best thing that I could think of was a sandwich because in a sandwich 00:21:16.839 --> 00:21:22.879 you've got three things that must go together without each bit it's not a sandwich so if you 00:21:22.879 --> 00:21:29.440 don't have the bread then you just got jam or ham or whatever it is that's in the middle if you 00:21:29.440 --> 00:21:35.680 don't have the top all you've got is raw toast and if you don't have the bottom all you've got is 00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:48.519 raw toast fallen on the floor but if you have all three bits you have a sandwich and I think that 00:21:48.519 --> 00:21:58.000 that's very true in terms of what it means to follow Jesus listening without trust it's just 00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:04.400 skepticism isn't it I've listened to a lot of things that's been have been said by our politicians 00:22:04.400 --> 00:22:13.640 in recent years I'm generally opting for skepticism rather than trust in terms of my response to that 00:22:13.640 --> 00:22:24.960 trusting without listening is just a gamble isn't it trusting without obeying is it's really just a 00:22:24.960 --> 00:22:34.320 half-heartedness it's not really trusting at all but obeying without trust is just slavery you 00:22:34.319 --> 00:22:41.279 just doing stuff for the sake of it in order to follow you need all three of these and they're 00:22:41.279 --> 00:22:50.159 emphasized for us very strongly in the life and ministry of Jesus we must listen to him if we're 00:22:50.159 --> 00:22:55.720 going to follow him we saw that in verse 21 it said that Jesus after he had called these disciples 00:22:55.720 --> 00:23:02.839 he went into Capernaum what did he do he immediately went into the synagogue and was teaching and 00:23:02.839 --> 00:23:10.759 that's a key role that Jesus has in their lives he is our teacher the disciples would have literally 00:23:10.759 --> 00:23:16.799 walked behind him listening to the teaching that he was giving it's a great reminder that 00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:24.319 discipleship is always a call to listen learn and think that was one of the things that we 00:23:24.319 --> 00:23:30.519 tried to emphasize last last autumn for those of you who weren't here we worked through a series 00:23:30.519 --> 00:23:35.440 on discipleship which was based around the image of a tree and one of the points that we wanted to 00:23:35.440 --> 00:23:42.839 emphasize was that as disciples we are learning and growing together we must listen to Jesus we 00:23:42.839 --> 00:23:50.680 must think about what he says we must make sure that we grasp and understand his teaching but that 00:23:50.680 --> 00:23:57.599 alone is not enough there needs to be trust and Jesus himself emphasized this when he said the 00:23:57.599 --> 00:24:04.679 time is fulfilled the kingdom of God is at hand repent and believe in the gospel and so in asking 00:24:04.679 --> 00:24:13.000 us to turn around Jesus is also asking us to trust him to believe what he is saying and it's 00:24:13.000 --> 00:24:18.319 it's important that we recognize that this goes beyond just intellectual awareness you can listen 00:24:18.319 --> 00:24:24.879 to what I'm saying you can listen to what the Bible says and not trust it you could even know it in 00:24:24.880 --> 00:24:35.520 in great detail and you could even have a high regard for it but still not trust it because trust 00:24:35.520 --> 00:24:43.840 involves commitment one of the one of the one of the ways I find really helpful to think about 00:24:43.840 --> 00:24:50.520 trust is to think in terms of leaning if you lean on something if you put your weight on something 00:24:50.519 --> 00:24:56.680 you are committing yourself to trust that whatever you're leaning on is going to be strong enough 00:24:56.680 --> 00:25:03.799 to sustain you and uphold you it's a great image for what Jesus is asking us to do he's not saying 00:25:03.799 --> 00:25:11.599 I want you to know about my offer of salvation he's saying I actually want you to lean on that and 00:25:11.599 --> 00:25:24.199 depend on it with your whole heart but from that it has to have a practical effect on the way that 00:25:24.199 --> 00:25:33.159 we live and that's why obedience is the natural outworking of our trust in Jesus this again is 00:25:33.159 --> 00:25:39.119 emphasized for us in the passage that we have before us as we said Jesus went into the synagogue 00:25:39.119 --> 00:25:44.719 he began to teach and in verse 22 which was the last verse we read it said they were astonished at 00:25:44.719 --> 00:25:54.839 his teaching for he taught them as one who had authority and not as the scribes and this is 00:25:54.839 --> 00:26:00.479 one of the key emphasis in Mark's gospel that Jesus himself has authority as he entered into 00:26:00.479 --> 00:26:08.079 his ministry he was confronted by opposition he repeatedly displayed his authority over those 00:26:08.079 --> 00:26:13.720 who opposed him and in his confrontation with the kingdom of evil in terms of helping people who 00:26:13.720 --> 00:26:23.720 were sick blind lame he healed them again demonstrating his authority in order to heal and to 00:26:23.720 --> 00:26:34.839 perform miracles that doesn't make Jesus a slave driver and he's the exact opposite of the kind of 00:26:34.839 --> 00:26:39.679 leader who's saying you must do this you must do that you must do the next thing if you want to 00:26:39.679 --> 00:26:50.959 have any sort of relationship with me but what it is telling us is that his that he is worthy of 00:26:50.959 --> 00:26:59.399 our trust so much so that we're not just saying on the inside oh yeah I believe what you're saying 00:26:59.400 --> 00:27:10.200 but we're actually saying I want to shape every part of my life according to what you are saying 00:27:10.200 --> 00:27:22.280 to me listening trusting and obeying all go together if we're going to follow for you in the 00:27:22.280 --> 00:27:28.320 week ahead and in the year ahead many people will be calling you to listen to them many will be 00:27:28.319 --> 00:27:34.200 calling for your trust and often we have very little knowledge as to whether what people are 00:27:34.200 --> 00:27:40.480 saying to us is trustworthy or not many people will be calling for your obedience to do certain 00:27:40.480 --> 00:27:50.759 things in a certain way the crucial question you have to ask and I have to ask is who are we 00:27:50.759 --> 00:28:07.920 going to follow and it's impossible to escape that question we're all following someone whether 00:28:07.920 --> 00:28:15.279 we think about it or not when Jesus says follow me he is saying I want you to listen to me I want 00:28:15.279 --> 00:28:24.440 you to trust me and I want you to obey me there's one final thing though that Jesus says to us when 00:28:24.440 --> 00:28:29.519 he says follow me we started off by saying that he's saying don't don't go down the path that you're 00:28:29.519 --> 00:28:35.879 on anymore secondly we said that he's calling us to trust to listen to him to trust him and obey him 00:28:35.880 --> 00:28:49.160 but thirdly when Jesus says follow me he is saying to you and to everyone who trusts in him he's 00:28:49.160 --> 00:28:59.000 saying where I go you are coming with me and when we think about that we have to think about the 00:28:59.000 --> 00:29:07.119 journey that Jesus took in his life and we often think of the the life of Jesus Christmas we've 00:29:07.119 --> 00:29:14.119 thought about Jesus being born he then enters into adulthood he has this relatively short 00:29:14.119 --> 00:29:19.759 ministry of about three years and then we have the cross and the resurrection and these key 00:29:19.759 --> 00:29:27.640 events this is the great journey that Jesus went on and when Jesus says follow me he is saying 00:29:27.640 --> 00:29:40.280 you're coming with me on that journey now what do I mean by that well we summarized this journey 00:29:40.280 --> 00:29:45.840 that Jesus took under two headings and they're there before you we call it his humiliation and 00:29:45.840 --> 00:29:51.560 his exaltation and when we say humiliation we don't mean it in the idea of being embarrassed 00:29:51.560 --> 00:29:56.160 we mean the idea of being made low which is what it really means to be humble that's why 00:29:56.160 --> 00:30:00.720 there's a downward arrow and then an upward arrow which is the opposite and that's exactly 00:30:00.720 --> 00:30:06.200 what Jesus's journey was Jesus didn't come into existence when he was born in Bethlehem 00:30:06.200 --> 00:30:14.960 2000 years ago Jesus has always existed the key change that took place at his birth was that he 00:30:14.960 --> 00:30:25.320 became a human like us and that involved if you like a step down from heaven into our world our 00:30:25.319 --> 00:30:33.279 experience and into our status that's the first step he then enters into his ministry which we 00:30:33.279 --> 00:30:38.919 read about which began with this great call to follow me but Jesus the path that Jesus took 00:30:38.919 --> 00:30:44.079 wasn't a smooth one and if you were to go home and to read through the rest of Mark you wouldn't 00:30:44.079 --> 00:30:50.879 be reading about like somebody's rise to stardom often if you if you pick up a biography you'll 00:30:50.880 --> 00:30:55.400 maybe read about how somebody worked their way up to the top of a business or worked their way up 00:30:55.400 --> 00:31:02.720 into become a global superstar or a president or whatever that's not the kind of biography that 00:31:02.720 --> 00:31:07.040 Mark is going to give you at all what he's actually going to tell you about this how Jesus was 00:31:07.040 --> 00:31:20.320 opposed betrayed and ultimately rejected and it can often be the sense in which there can often be 00:31:20.319 --> 00:31:28.079 a sense in which we follow Jesus on that journey he's become one of us that is incarnation in his 00:31:28.079 --> 00:31:36.879 ministry he says follow me so we start following him and for us that can lead to the path of 00:31:36.879 --> 00:31:43.359 opposition and Jesus makes that a reality that that sometimes being a Christian means that people 00:31:43.359 --> 00:31:51.319 will oppose us and there's never a guarantee that it's going to make life all rosy sometimes 00:31:51.319 --> 00:31:59.639 there's suffering and difficulty and for some people they follow Jesus all the way to death for 00:31:59.639 --> 00:32:09.599 their faith and that's been through of many Christians throughout the history of the church 00:32:09.599 --> 00:32:20.879 there is a sense in which Jesus Jesus's journey can become our journey but what about the rest 00:32:20.879 --> 00:32:29.959 of the journey after that comes Jesus's resurrection and his ascension and his return to heaven do we 00:32:29.960 --> 00:32:42.319 follow him on that journey too right we do and this is one of the great emphasis of the Christian 00:32:42.319 --> 00:32:49.240 faith in fact this is really what lies at the heart of the Christian faith it's not that Jesus is a 00:32:49.240 --> 00:32:56.680 leader or a kind of guru who's sort of path and lifestyle and experience we follow it's not what 00:32:56.680 --> 00:33:05.039 Christianity is about at all what lies at the heart of Christianity is that if we trust in him we 00:33:05.039 --> 00:33:16.960 are united to him and that union with Christ means that all the steps of his journey include us in 00:33:16.960 --> 00:33:24.560 other words where he goes we're going with him and that's emphasized for us throughout the Bible 00:33:24.559 --> 00:33:29.519 there's a great passage in Romans chapter 6 which I'll just read and then we'll explain a little 00:33:29.519 --> 00:33:33.039 bit more about what this means when we come to it he says do you not know that all of us who've 00:33:33.039 --> 00:33:39.599 been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death we were buried there for with him by 00:33:39.599 --> 00:33:44.359 baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father 00:33:44.359 --> 00:33:51.599 we too might walk in newness of life for if we've been united with him in a death like his we shall 00:33:51.599 --> 00:33:57.439 certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his we know that our old self was crucified 00:33:57.439 --> 00:34:03.000 with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing so that we would no longer be 00:34:03.000 --> 00:34:11.480 enslaved to sin for the one who has died who's been set free from sin now if we have died with Christ 00:34:11.480 --> 00:34:21.360 so when we see that word death in the diagram his death if we have died with him we believe that we 00:34:21.360 --> 00:34:26.760 will also live with him we know that Christ been raised from the dead will never die again death no 00:34:26.760 --> 00:34:33.240 longer has dominion over him for the death he died to sin once for all but the life he lives he 00:34:33.240 --> 00:34:43.280 lives to God so you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus so 00:34:43.280 --> 00:34:47.880 that means that when we say that we're following Jesus to the path of death we don't actually 00:34:47.880 --> 00:34:55.480 mean that that's that we might have to die for our faith one day which many people have and and 00:34:55.480 --> 00:35:01.920 that's an immensely precious thing but above that lies the truth which is true for every 00:35:01.920 --> 00:35:14.200 Christian that when Jesus died on the cross he took us with him he took us with him in the sense 00:35:14.199 --> 00:35:24.480 that he took our sin upon himself and the death he died he died in our place and he died for us 00:35:24.480 --> 00:35:32.960 and the same is true of all the next steps in his journey after death comes resurrection Jesus 00:35:32.960 --> 00:35:39.759 is raised to new life and if we are united to him we are raised to new life as well after that 00:35:39.760 --> 00:35:45.920 Jesus was ascended into heaven he's now exalted at the right hand of God and in the future he will 00:35:45.920 --> 00:35:51.680 come that should say consummation or doesn't say on my screen he will come to consummate his kingdom 00:35:51.680 --> 00:35:59.040 where every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord we have this 00:35:59.040 --> 00:36:05.880 amazing picture of Jesus dying on the cross rising again being brought up to his father in 00:36:05.880 --> 00:36:11.680 heaven having that special place and status with God in heaven and looking forward to the future 00:36:11.680 --> 00:36:17.680 where he will come and restore all things and be king and head of it all as he restores the 00:36:17.680 --> 00:36:25.280 universe and creates a beautiful kingdom and when Jesus says follow me he says when I do all that 00:36:25.280 --> 00:36:35.160 I'm taking you with me so when I go to the cross and die I'm taking your sin with you with me 00:36:35.159 --> 00:36:43.079 when I rise from the dead I'm giving you new life as well when I ascend and exalt at the right 00:36:43.079 --> 00:36:50.399 hand of the father it means that I'm going to prepare a place for you and when I come and my 00:36:50.399 --> 00:36:58.319 kingdom is consummated when I celebrate that great moment when death and evil are defeated when that 00:36:58.320 --> 00:37:06.039 great feast is set before us when the great marriage supper of Jesus Christ the Lamb of God 00:37:06.039 --> 00:37:19.000 is taking place you're gonna be there and you're not there as a spectator or as an outsider but 00:37:19.000 --> 00:37:33.119 you are there as Jesus is beloved bride the one who he is going to love forever and so when Jesus 00:37:33.119 --> 00:37:43.360 says follow me he's saying I'm going on a journey and I'm taking you with me and this is what makes 00:37:43.360 --> 00:37:52.720 Jesus different from all other leaders in the world if you think about it in the world it's the 00:37:52.720 --> 00:38:02.800 followers that ultimately make the leader special isn't it so if you want somebody to be really 00:38:02.800 --> 00:38:10.760 somebody's gonna be really famous on Facebook what do they need? Basilians of followers if someone's 00:38:10.760 --> 00:38:17.800 gonna be a big YouTuber he needs zillions of subscribers if a politician is gonna be elected 00:38:17.800 --> 00:38:25.160 he needs lots of people to follow him and vote for him in the world it's the followers that 00:38:25.160 --> 00:38:30.280 make the leader special whether it's the fans of the pop star whether it's the activists for the 00:38:30.280 --> 00:38:34.720 political leader whatever it is it's the followers that make the leader special and when the 00:38:34.719 --> 00:38:42.559 followers stop following the person stops being special isn't that true? In the world it's the 00:38:42.559 --> 00:38:54.719 followers that make the leader special in the gospel it's the opposite in the gospel you have the 00:38:54.719 --> 00:39:05.639 leader making the followers special you have a leader coming looking for you and for everyone 00:39:05.639 --> 00:39:13.639 else who's on that broad path you have the leader delighting in you for who you are and what you 00:39:13.639 --> 00:39:18.879 mean for him you have the leader dying for the followers not the followers dying for the leader 00:39:18.880 --> 00:39:26.720 you have the leader bringing you into his own family you have the leader loving and protecting 00:39:26.720 --> 00:39:33.559 and cherishing you forever never forget that Jesus doesn't need followers to be famous he is 00:39:33.559 --> 00:39:44.280 God already he doesn't need a party of activists or anything like that he has all the status in 00:39:44.280 --> 00:39:58.920 and of himself he comes after you not to make him special but because he wants to make you special 00:39:58.920 --> 00:40:10.400 and he wants you to be with him forever when Jesus says follow me ultimately he's not saying do 00:40:10.400 --> 00:40:25.400 what I tell you ultimately he's saying you're coming with me and that brings us back to his 00:40:25.400 --> 00:40:36.000 great command follow me and I suppose the final question you just have to ask is what's your 00:40:36.000 --> 00:40:44.920 next step because in following Jesus there's always a next step if you're not following him 00:40:44.920 --> 00:40:53.639 yet then the next step is to start if you are following him the next step is to continue 00:40:53.639 --> 00:40:59.079 serving him to involve yourself in the life of the church and in the life of people around you 00:40:59.079 --> 00:41:04.960 so that you can serve him if you're already serving the next step might be to step into a 00:41:04.960 --> 00:41:13.360 leadership role and to take responsibility or maybe you've served him for many many many years 00:41:13.360 --> 00:41:23.480 and maybe you're near the end of your own journey your next step will be to go home 00:41:23.480 --> 00:41:43.960 what's your next step I mean let's pray Lord Jesus we thank you for the fact that you're 00:41:43.960 --> 00:41:50.039 calling us to follow you that you're calling us to turn away from a path that's not worth going 00:41:50.039 --> 00:42:00.840 down that you've given us words that we can listen to and trust and obey and that ultimately you've 00:42:00.840 --> 00:42:13.279 gone before us as the pioneer and as the first fruits and you've gone down a path and you're 00:42:13.280 --> 00:42:21.040 bringing us with you we thank you for that so much we pray that in every part of our lives 00:42:21.039 --> 00:42:44.960 we would follow you Amen