Be One, Make One

Steven Prinz

CCA Chapel Sermons • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

Sacrificial Offerings

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Jesus called us to live lives that model His own.

Notes

Transcript

Introduction

What’s going on! Listen, I’m honored to be here again…I’m honored to be the last guy you get to hear before your summer break…or at least I think I am.

But listen, I wanted to challenge you as you think about this summer…I know that’s where your minds are at…I know that’s what you’re looking forward to…but I wanted to challenge you to focus on what’s important…if you’re a believer, focus on what it is Jesus has called you to, right?

Our sole purpose on earth, its to make disciples. That’s His command in Matthew 28, “To go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them all that Jesus has commanded,” right?

Guys, that’s our mission as believers in our world today. Even Jesus says in John 17:18, “Just as you’ve sent me into the world, I’ve sent them into the world.” He’s talking about us…believers. I mean think about that statement…He’s sent us into this world just as He was sent. That’s huge!

Jesus came to seek the lost. He came to give hope to the hopeless…and so, if that’s what He came to do, that’s where our purpose and meaning’s found as disciples…it’s to be like him in this world.

And so, how do we accomplish that? How do we become disciples that make other disciples? I think the answers found in the story where He calls His first disciples.

And so, if you have your Bibles and I hope that you do, turn with me to Matthew chapter 4…Matthew chapter 4. Its in these accounts that Jesus tells us exactly what it means to follow Him…to be His disciple.

It says this starting in verse 18:

Matthew 4:18–22 (ESV)

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

[Prayer]

Listen, there’s a ton of things we see here in this text…but for the sake of time, I just want us to focus in on one verse this afternoon…one verse…Matthew 4:19…Jesus says, “Follow me, and I’ll make you fishers of men.”

Listen, its in this one verse that we get everything we need to know about what it means to be a disciple.

I. Sacrificial

First, we’re called to be sacrificial, right? He says, “Follow Me!…Drop what you have and just focus on me…you don’t need anything else. Just follow Me!”

And in the context of this passage, what do we see these guys do? It says in verse 20, they immediately drop their nets and they follow Him, right? And listen, these guys were well off…it says they left their father and they left their hired servants…they left everything they knew, they left everything they found comfort in…and they followed Jesus. They were sacrificial in their relationship with Christ.

And notice, that was the first thing…having a relationship with Christ, it means we turn from ourselves and we turn to Him…that’s what it means to repent…we forsake ourselves…we forsake this world…we forsake the comforts found here, in the temporary things…and we set our eyes on Christ and Christ alone.

Being a disciple of Jesus, it means we’re sacrificial. And listen, not just sacrificial with our things…but in every aspect of our lives. Of course we should be willing to give everything up for Jesus, but listen the main thing Jesus is saying here its that sacrifice is about desiring Him over everything else, right? It’s wanting to spend time with Him. That’s why he says, “If you love me, obey my commandments.” That’s why we see Jesus in Mark 1 even modeling this for us in His own life…He gets up early after doing a ton of work the night before and He spends time with the Father…He was devoted to that relationship…He was sacrificial to it. You understand?

And so, following Jesus…being His disciple…it means first we’re sacrificial…caring only about our walk with Him…caring about bringing Him honor and pleasure.

And so, as you prepare for this summer…how can you be sacrificial? Maybe it means being intentional in your quiet times, right? In your daily devotions…and let me encourage…stay in God’s Word…that’s how the Spirit of God grows you and speaks to you. But maybe it means you’re gonna serve at your church or maybe on mission with your church. I know there’s one from my church here that’s going to Honduras…that’s being sacrificial…They’re making it about Jesus even with their time off.

And so, how can you be sacrificial? That’s the the first thing.

II. Transformational

Listen, the second thing we see here, it’s that we’re called to be transformational. As a follower of Jesus…it’s not about what we can do…it’s about what Jesus has already done. I mean that’s the essence of the gospel. And us being sacrificial…its not about our actions in the the act of us sacrificing, it’s about us finding our identity in Jesus.

Look at our passage again…Jesus says, “Follow Me, and I will,” what? He says, “I’ll make you.” “I’ll make you into what you’re supposed to be…I’ll do all the work that’ll bring glory to God…I’ll do everything…and so, just find rest in Me.”

Listen, being a disciple of Jesus…it means we find hope in the transforming work He does in us. That’s why Paul says in Philippians, “For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ, and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.”

Guys, as we become sacrificial, and as we find our identity in Christ, our confidence, it’s found in the work Christ does in us. And so, this summer, I challenge you…find your identity in Christ and Christ alone…Not in your boyfriend or girlfriend…not in your friend group or your hobbies…find it in Christ…devote yourself to that relationship…and I promise, it’ll bring you real joy and real happiness.

Listen, for those of you that know me…or you’ve looked me up on TikTok…you know I’m a Lego fanatic, right? I’m a nerd and probably a little bit of a child…but I love Lego’s. And listen, they’re not toys…no matter what my wife says. They’re complicated interlocking brick systems, right? And the beauty of Lego is that I can create with those complicated interlocking bricks just about anything. I just begin stacking them together and I just allow my mind and my imagination to do the work…it’s actually very similar for us as Christians. The beauty of the gospel is that God shapes us and molds us into the image of Jesus…and when we turn to Him, we can cling to His promise that He’ll perfect us and restore us. He’ll transform us.

That’s the second thing.

III. Relational

The third thing…it’s that we’re relational. Jesus says, “Follow me, and I’ll make you into fishers of men.” That’s the purpose…he’s making us to be like Him…to be fishers of men…relational people. Listen, in the beginning, all the way back in Genesis…God said it wasn’t good for man to be alone, right? We were created for relationship…and specifically, we were created for relationship with Him. And so, for that reason…our mission, it’s always been about other people. Our desires…our sacrifice…our transformation that Jesus is doing…it all leads to other people. As believers, we’re called to others. And specifically, we’re called to give others hope…we’re called to share the greatest news in the world with them. That while we might be sinners that’ll experience death and separation from God…He sent His Son to be our Savior…to take on our punishment…to experience our death.

We’re called to take that news to the people around us. That’s why Jesus says in Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

That’s our mission. And so, as you think about this summer and all the things you wanna do and accomplish…how can you live out that mission? Do you understand the gospel? Do you feel comfortable communicating it to others?

Listen, it’s simple…bad news, worst news, good news, best news…the bad news is you’re a sinner…and the worst news is there’s nothing you can do about it, right? But the good news is that God sent His Son to save us…and the best news is that it’s a free gift for those that repent and believe. It’s not hard to share the gospel, it’s just getting past your nerves…it’s about trusting in what Jesus said when He said, “Follow me and I’ll make you.” It’s the trusting that Jesus’ll actually make you into what He said He would. And trust me, He will.

And so, how this summer, can you bring this message to those around you? How can you be this disciple that we see modeled here in this verse?

Closing

And so, listen, as we close this morning...can I ask you this? What's preventing you from being this kind of disciple? What's preventing you from sharing with someone at school or in your neighbor, maybe in your family? What's preventing you from taking that step to go with your church family on that next mission trip? Guys, can I challenge you? Go! I promise it’ll change your life. It’ll change your walk with Jesus. Just go and trust that He’s working in your life and make disciples! Allow yourself to be sacrificial and transformation and relational. Allow Jesus to do the work He promised He’d do.

And listen, if you’re here this morning and you’ve not yet placed your faith and trust in Jesus. Do that…the Bibles says its simple…just repent and believe. Turn from yourself and turn to Jesus…believe that He’s exactly who He says He is and that He’s done exactly what it says He’s done. Believe! And let Him change everything about who you are!