I am a Follower of Jesus Christ!

What is Christianity all about?  What is the essence of the Christian faith?  I believe the Christian faith can be summarized in two words: “Follow Me.”  These two words echo the heart-defining call of our Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples.  Yet, in this time and age, I do not think people understand the depth and the implications of Christ’s call.  Today and next Sunday I would like to revisit our understanding of Christ’s call “Follow me.”
 
Following Jesus is NOT the same as following People on Social Media
For those of us who use Social Media, we know that following people on Twitter or Instagram or Facebook is easy.  You set up an account, hit a few buttons and you are instantly connected to what people are thinking, saying and doing around the world; now you are “a follower.”
 
You not only get to see what they are saying and doing but you can also share all of this by sharing or re-tweeting their thoughts and comments with your followers.  Following people on twitter or Instagram or Facebook is easy which is why you can follow hundreds of people all at the same time.  We make “following” easy – but following Jesus is not.
 
The truth is that there is nothing easy about following Jesus and as we look at some of the stories of people who did follow Jesus, we see that it called for a radical change.  It was indeed “life under new management” as I called it last Sunday.
 
The First Followers of Jesus
The first followers of Jesus were four fishermen: Simon, Andrew, James and John.  Simon (who became Peter) and Andrew were brothers and James and John were brothers and as fishermen in Capernaum they all worked along the same stretch of shoreline, fished the same waters and maybe even partnered together in their fishing business. 
 
As Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee, He called out for them to follow Him and in Matthew chapter four it says that Peter and Andrew “immediately they left their nets and followed him” and then James and John, “immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.”  While it seems like following Jesus was easy for them, it was not.  Think about what they had to do to follow Jesus.
 
Peter and Andrew left their nets to follow Jesus.  As fishermen, their nets were everything.  Their nets were their livelihood.  It was how they provided for their families.  Following Jesus meant that Peter and Andrew were leaving behind “a way of life” that had been comfortable and secure for them and a livelihood that not only provided for them but for their family and others.  They sacrificed a lot to follow Jesus – they gave up almost everything that brought them identity, security and a greater sense of purpose and they gave it all up for something that was completely unknown.  
 
 
Trust is at the Heart of Following Jesus
The same is true for James and John.  It says they left behind their boats which, like the nets of Peter and Andrew, meant their livelihood and business, but it also says they left behind their father.  Here the sacrifice included family.  These first followers of Jesus left behind significant relationships that defined them.  They left behind families and friendships they treasured.  Following Jesus could not have been easy for them and again, they had no idea where they were going or what they were getting themselves into.  They didn’t know what the future held for Jesus or for them so at the heart of this following was TRUST.  Jesus didn’t tell them how He was going to provide for them or their families or what their future would be like, but there was trust.
 
These aren’t the only people who made great sacrifices to follow Jesus.  Matthew made another big sacrifice.  Before he followed Jesus, Matthew was a tax collector which meant he had a lot of financial security.  Working for the Roman government, his job was secure and he made a lot of money.  Matthew would have been comfortable and while he may not have had a lot of friends working for the Romans, he had a lot of connections and status which brought him power.  Now look at what happens when Jesus calls him in Matthew 9:9. “As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.”
 
The problem in our culture today is we want to follow, but we are not willing to pay the price.  We do not mind a religion that costs us nothing.  We do not mind grace without discipleship; grace without the cross.  This is not how the rest of the world today understand faith and following Jesus.  Think about the Christian community in Nigeria and the horrible scenes we saw this week.  They pay the high price for following Christ for sure.
 
Δεῦτε ὀπίσω μου “Deute opiso mou” – Come follow after me.  Come and follow.  The original Greek “Deute” which means “come follow” is a great word.  It literally means “join me in my path.  Join me in my journey.” Deute from which we take our English “duet” ~ a performance of two people.  In essence, Jesus was saying, “do not play solo.  Let’s do it together.”  Following Jesus is highly relational and communicative.
 
Today, Michael Pontano and Dionna Busch join our Church family.  It is a commitment they are making before God and this congregation today.  Remember, following Jesus is not the same as following someone on Facebook.  Often times, you will have to make some sacrifices to allow Christ to travel this journey we call life with you.  Do not play it solo.  The Christian life is lived in a community of faith.  And for the rest of us, members of this congregation, may we never lose sight of this amazing truth.  We been called to follow Jesus.  Sometimes we focus on ministry, theology, efficiency, programs, and policy – all good things. But we lose Jesus in the busyness and clamor of good things.  “Follow me” Jesus said.  Amen.

What is Christianity all about?  What is the essence of the Christian faith?  I believe the Christian faith can be summarized in two words: “Follow Me.”  These two words echo the heart-defining call of our Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples.  Yet, in this time and age, I do not think people understand the depth and the implications of Christ’s call.  Today and next Sunday I would like to revisit our understanding of Christ’s call “Follow me.”
 
Following Jesus is NOT the same as following People on Social Media
For those of us who use Social Media, we know that following people on Twitter or Instagram or Facebook is easy.  You set up an account, hit a few buttons and you are instantly connected to what people are thinking, saying and doing around the world; now you are “a follower.”
 
You not only get to see what they are saying and doing but you can also share all of this by sharing or re-tweeting their thoughts and comments with your followers.  Following people on twitter or Instagram or Facebook is easy which is why you can follow hundreds of people all at the same time.  We make “following” easy – but following Jesus is not.
 
The truth is that there is nothing easy about following Jesus and as we look at some of the stories of people who did follow Jesus, we see that it called for a radical change.  It was indeed “life under new management” as I called it last Sunday.
 
The First Followers of Jesus
The first followers of Jesus were four fishermen: Simon, Andrew, James and John.  Simon (who became Peter) and Andrew were brothers and James and John were brothers and as fishermen in Capernaum they all worked along the same stretch of shoreline, fished the same waters and maybe even partnered together in their fishing business. 
 
As Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee, He called out for them to follow Him and in Matthew chapter four it says that Peter and Andrew “immediately they left their nets and followed him” and then James and John, “immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.”  While it seems like following Jesus was easy for them, it was not.  Think about what they had to do to follow Jesus.
 
Peter and Andrew left their nets to follow Jesus.  As fishermen, their nets were everything.  Their nets were their livelihood.  It was how they provided for their families.  Following Jesus meant that Peter and Andrew were leaving behind “a way of life” that had been comfortable and secure for them and a livelihood that not only provided for them but for their family and others.  They sacrificed a lot to follow Jesus – they gave up almost everything that brought them identity, security and a greater sense of purpose and they gave it all up for something that was completely unknown.  
 
 
Trust is at the Heart of Following Jesus
The same is true for James and John.  It says they left behind their boats which, like the nets of Peter and Andrew, meant their livelihood and business, but it also says they left behind their father.  Here the sacrifice included family.  These first followers of Jesus left behind significant relationships that defined them.  They left behind families and friendships they treasured.  Following Jesus could not have been easy for them and again, they had no idea where they were going or what they were getting themselves into.  They didn’t know what the future held for Jesus or for them so at the heart of this following was TRUST.  Jesus didn’t tell them how He was going to provide for them or their families or what their future would be like, but there was trust.
 
These aren’t the only people who made great sacrifices to follow Jesus.  Matthew made another big sacrifice.  Before he followed Jesus, Matthew was a tax collector which meant he had a lot of financial security.  Working for the Roman government, his job was secure and he made a lot of money.  Matthew would have been comfortable and while he may not have had a lot of friends working for the Romans, he had a lot of connections and status which brought him power.  Now look at what happens when Jesus calls him in Matthew 9:9. “As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.”
 
The problem in our culture today is we want to follow, but we are not willing to pay the price.  We do not mind a religion that costs us nothing.  We do not mind grace without discipleship; grace without the cross.  This is not how the rest of the world today understand faith and following Jesus.  Think about the Christian community in Nigeria and the horrible scenes we saw this week.  They pay the high price for following Christ for sure.
 
Δεῦτε ὀπίσω μου “Deute opiso mou” – Come follow after me.  Come and follow.  The original Greek “Deute” which means “come follow” is a great word.  It literally means “join me in my path.  Join me in my journey.” Deute from which we take our English “duet” ~ a performance of two people.  In essence, Jesus was saying, “do not play solo.  Let’s do it together.”  Following Jesus is highly relational and communicative.
 
Today, Michael Pontano and Dionna Busch join our Church family.  It is a commitment they are making before God and this congregation today.  Remember, following Jesus is not the same as following someone on Facebook.  Often times, you will have to make some sacrifices to allow Christ to travel this journey we call life with you.  Do not play it solo.  The Christian life is lived in a community of faith.  And for the rest of us, members of this congregation, may we never lose sight of this amazing truth.  We been called to follow Jesus.  Sometimes we focus on ministry, theology, efficiency, programs, and policy – all good things. But we lose Jesus in the busyness and clamor of good things.  “Follow me” Jesus said.  Amen.
What is Christianity all about?  What is the essence of the Christian faith?  I believe the Christian faith can be summarized in two words: “Follow Me.”  These two words echo the heart-defining call of our Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples.  Yet, in this time and age, I do not think people understand the depth and the implications of Christ’s call.  Today and next Sunday I would like to revisit our understanding of Christ’s call “Follow me.”
 
Following Jesus is NOT the same as following People on Social Media
For those of us who use Social Media, we know that following people on Twitter or Instagram or Facebook is easy.  You set up an account, hit a few buttons and you are instantly connected to what people are thinking, saying and doing around the world; now you are “a follower.”
 
You not only get to see what they are saying and doing but you can also share all of this by sharing or re-tweeting their thoughts and comments with your followers.  Following people on twitter or Instagram or Facebook is easy which is why you can follow hundreds of people all at the same time.  We make “following” easy – but following Jesus is not.
 
The truth is that there is nothing easy about following Jesus and as we look at some of the stories of people who did follow Jesus, we see that it called for a radical change.  It was indeed “life under new management” as I called it last Sunday.
 
The First Followers of Jesus
The first followers of Jesus were four fishermen: Simon, Andrew, James and John.  Simon (who became Peter) and Andrew were brothers and James and John were brothers and as fishermen in Capernaum they all worked along the same stretch of shoreline, fished the same waters and maybe even partnered together in their fishing business. 
 
As Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee, He called out for them to follow Him and in Matthew chapter four it says that Peter and Andrew “immediately they left their nets and followed him” and then James and John, “immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.”  While it seems like following Jesus was easy for them, it was not.  Think about what they had to do to follow Jesus.
 
Peter and Andrew left their nets to follow Jesus.  As fishermen, their nets were everything.  Their nets were their livelihood.  It was how they provided for their families.  Following Jesus meant that Peter and Andrew were leaving behind “a way of life” that had been comfortable and secure for them and a livelihood that not only provided for them but for their family and others.  They sacrificed a lot to follow Jesus – they gave up almost everything that brought them identity, security and a greater sense of purpose and they gave it all up for something that was completely unknown.  
 
 
Trust is at the Heart of Following Jesus
The same is true for James and John.  It says they left behind their boats which, like the nets of Peter and Andrew, meant their livelihood and business, but it also says they left behind their father.  Here the sacrifice included family.  These first followers of Jesus left behind significant relationships that defined them.  They left behind families and friendships they treasured.  Following Jesus could not have been easy for them and again, they had no idea where they were going or what they were getting themselves into.  They didn’t know what the future held for Jesus or for them so at the heart of this following was TRUST.  Jesus didn’t tell them how He was going to provide for them or their families or what their future would be like, but there was trust.
 
These aren’t the only people who made great sacrifices to follow Jesus.  Matthew made another big sacrifice.  Before he followed Jesus, Matthew was a tax collector which meant he had a lot of financial security.  Working for the Roman government, his job was secure and he made a lot of money.  Matthew would have been comfortable and while he may not have had a lot of friends working for the Romans, he had a lot of connections and status which brought him power.  Now look at what happens when Jesus calls him in Matthew 9:9. “As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.”
 
The problem in our culture today is we want to follow, but we are not willing to pay the price.  We do not mind a religion that costs us nothing.  We do not mind grace without discipleship; grace without the cross.  This is not how the rest of the world today understand faith and following Jesus.  Think about the Christian community in Nigeria and the horrible scenes we saw this week.  They pay the high price for following Christ for sure.
 
Δεῦτε ὀπίσω μου “Deute opiso mou” – Come follow after me.  Come and follow.  The original Greek “Deute” which means “come follow” is a great word.  It literally means “join me in my path.  Join me in my journey.” Deute from which we take our English “duet” ~ a performance of two people.  In essence, Jesus was saying, “do not play solo.  Let’s do it together.”  Following Jesus is highly relational and communicative.
 
Today, Michael Pontano and Dionna Busch join our Church family.  It is a commitment they are making before God and this congregation today.  Remember, following Jesus is not the same as following someone on Facebook.  Often times, you will have to make some sacrifices to allow Christ to travel this journey we call life with you.  Do not play it solo.  The Christian life is lived in a community of faith.  And for the rest of us, members of this congregation, may we never lose sight of this amazing truth.  We been called to follow Jesus.  Sometimes we focus on ministry, theology, efficiency, programs, and policy – all good things. But we lose Jesus in the busyness and clamor of good things.  “Follow me” Jesus said.  Amen.

First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012                                                                              
Sermon Notes (Sunday March 31st, 2019)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor