Follow Me—Matthew 4:18-20

Good afternoon from the Panhandle. So today as you come on in sit down and open your Bible, go ahead and turn to Matthew 4:18-20. As we look at these verses we see Christ Jesus calling Peter and Andrew to follow Him.

There is an old Disney movie I like called “Follow Me Boys.” It stars Fred Macmurry, Vera Miles and a very young Kurt Russell. To impress a Vera Miles, Fred MacMurry starts a Boy Scout troop, the thing is he has no idea what he is doing. On their first hike Fred Macmurry, uses a phrase his old Sargent used to start the boys on their hike.“Follow me boys, follow me.” And that becomes his signature phrase throughout the movie. Christ Jesus says to you and me, Follow me! Come after me, receive my doctrines, copy me in my conduct. In every respect be my disciples.

A 1st Century rabbi would only choose a very select few, highly promising young men from all the wannabes who asked to be his disciples. He selected only those who he thought could fully measure up to his standard and eventually become just like him. What the rabbi was looking for was not just a detailed knowledge of the Scriptures, but the ability of this candidate to interpret the Scriptures and apply them to real life. Remember, the issue for an observant Jew in the First Century was never what God’s Word says. They all knew what it said. They had memorized it. The issue was: can they interpret the Scripture just like him. So when a Rabbi gave his invitation of "follow me," he was saying: "Come and be with me as my disciple and submit your life to my authoritative teaching."

Matthew 4:18-20

18 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. 19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

We to are to be Followers of Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus had much to say about our following Him. The word “follow” occurs 92 times in the Gospels (nkjv).

• “He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:38).

• He told the rich young ruler, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Matthew 19:21).

• He called Levi the tax-collector with just two words: “Follow Me” (Luke 5:27).

• In John 8:12 Christ Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).

• He also said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).

• Christ Jesus said to Peter when he ask about John's fate: “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me” (John 21:22).

Following Christ means you make Him Lord of your daily life, that you seek out His promises and claim them, that you seek out His commands and obey them, and that you offer yourself as living sacrifices for Him (Romans 12:1–2).

Following generally is pretty simple, that's why there are more followers than leaders. But in some cases, such as following Christ Jesus being a follower is anything but easy. What being a follower of Christ Jesus is not. It is not a pretending everything is okay, or that you have a perfect life. It is not the pulled up by your boot straps, self-made life. It's not the denial of sin in your life. When you follow Christ Jesus whole-heartedly it can be a messy business. It is an authentic, my life is not perfect, there are good days and bad day kind of life. It is a life that is unfinished , incomplete, imperfect, in process, under construction, kind of life.

"Follow Me" means sacrifice. It means an obedience that includes sacrifice. Peter's relationship with Christ Jesus is a great example of what it means to "Follow Me"—acquaintance, a new life, schooling, service, the sight of Christ Jesus on the cross, and then a willingness to go on even though it meant a painful sacrifice. "and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:7). This is the starting point for the "Follow Me" life.

When will I be finished, when will I “arrive”? How long do I follow Christ Jesus? I guess the answer is, we never stop following Christ Jesus. Even when we get to heaven He will be our Lord and Saviour and it will be a joy to be in His presence.

Hey, thanks for dropping by. I pray our Lord and Saviour bless you and yours richly.

Until we sit and look at God's Word again,

Biblesurfer