Sermon Tone Analysis

Sermon: “Follow Me”                                                                           May 20, 2007

 

John 1:43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee.

Finding Philip, he said to him, "*Follow me*."

Matt 4:19 "Come,* follow me*," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

Matt 8:22 But Jesus told him, "*Follow me*, and let the dead bury their own dead."

Luke 14:27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and *follow me* cannot be my disciple.

Matt 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.

Matt 10:38 and anyone who does not take his cross and *follow me* is not worthy of me.

Matt 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and *follow me*.

John 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they *follow me*.

Matt 19:21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.

Then come, *follow me*."

John 12:26 Whoever serves me must *follow me*; and where I am, my servant also will be.

My Father will honor the one who serves me.

John 21:19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.

Then he said to him, "*Follow me*!"

John 21:22 Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?

You must *follow me*."

Sermon: Follow Me

 

John 1:43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee.

Finding Philip, he said to him, "*Follow me*."

~* The first one called to “follow me”

This section introduces the fourth day since the beginning of John the Baptist’s witness.

From this verse, it might appear that Philip* *followed Jesus without being evangelized by another disciple, but there are several indications that Philip was approached by Andrew and Peter before he actually met the Lord.

V 44 says that Andrew and Peter were from the same city as Philip, suggesting that they had talked to him.

Furthermore, when Philip told Nathanael what had happened, he said “we” have found the Messiah (v.

45).

Jesus called Philip personally and Philip trusted Him and followed Him.

We do not know what kind of heart preparation Philip experienced, for usually God prepares a person before He calls him.

We do know that Philip proved his faith by seeking to share it with his friend Nathanael.

Though the first disciples were from Galilee, Jesus had called them in Judea where they were with the Baptist.

On His way north to Galilee, He called Philip to be His disciple.

Philip’s hometown of Bethsaida was on the NE side of the Sea of Galilee (called “Bethsaida in Galilee” 12:21).

Also Andrew and Peter* *were born there.

Philip’s name is Greek but his nationality cannot be inferred from that fact.

Matt 4:19 "Come,* follow me*," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

Cf Mark 1:17

            ~* The first call with a promise

*18 *Jesus had encountered Peter and Andrew before, near Bethabara, in the Jordan region, where Andrew (and perhaps Peter as well) had become a disciple of John the Baptist (Jn 1:35–42).

They left John to follow Jesus for a time before returning to fishing in Capernaum.

Perhaps they had returned to Capernaum during Jesus’ earlier ministry here.

Here He called them to follow Him in long-term discipleship.

18-22*.*

Since Jesus is the promised Messiah, He had the right to call men from their normal pursuits of life to follow* *Him.

This was not the first time these men had met Jesus, for the Fourth Gospel relates Jesus’ first meeting with some of the disciples (Jn 1:35-42).

Jesus now called these fishermen* *to leave their profession behind and to begin following Him permanently.

He would take them from fishing for fish and make them fishers of men.

The message of the coming kingdom needed to be proclaimed widely so that many could hear and could become, by repentance, subjects of His kingdom.

The calling carried with it a cost, for it involved leaving not only one’s profession but also one’s family responsibilities.

Matthew noted that James and John . . .

left* *not only their fishing, but also their father* *to begin following Jesus.

In Matt 4:17–22 the call of Peter, Andrew, James, and John, men who had already met Jesus and trusted Him (Jn 1:29–42).

They had gone back to their fishing business, but He came and called them to give up their business and follow Him.

The details of this call may be found in Mk 1:16–20 and Lk 5:1–11.

The term “fishers of men” was not new.

For centuries, Greek and Roman philosophers had used it to describe the work of the man who seeks to “catch” others by teaching and persuasion.

“Fishing for men” is but one of many pictures of evangelism in the Bible, and we must not limit ourselves to it.

Jesus also talked about the shepherd seeking the lost sheep (Lk 15:1–7), and the workers in the harvest-field (Jn 4:34–38).

Since these four men were involved in the fishing business, it was logical for Jesus to use this approach.

Jesus had four and possibly seven men in the band of disciples who were professional fishermen (Jn 21:1–3).

Why would Jesus call so many fishermen to His side?

For one thing, fishermen were busy people; usually professional fishermen did not sit around doing nothing.

They either sorted their catch, prepared for a catch, or mended their equipment.

The Lord needs busy people who are not afraid to work.

Fishermen have to be courageous and patient people.

It certainly takes patience and courage to win others to Christ.

Fishermen must have skill; they must learn from others where to find the fish and how to catch them.

Soul-winning demands skill too.

These men had to work together, and the work of the Lord demands cooperation.

But most of all, fishing demands faith: fishermen cannot see the fish and are not sure their nets will enclose them.

Soul-winning requires faith and alertness too, or we will fail.

Matt 8:22 But Jesus told him, "*Follow me*, and let the dead bury their own dead."

Lk.9:57

As they were walking along the road, a man [teacher of the law – matt.8] said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."  58  Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

59  He said to another man [another disciple – matt.8],

"*Follow me."*

But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."

60  Jesus said to him, "/Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."/ 

61  Still another [man] said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family."

62  Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

*/57–62)./*

Three men could have become disciples, but they would not meet the conditions that Jesus laid down.

The first man was a scribe (Matt.

8:19) who volunteered to go until he heard the cost: he had to deny himself.

Apparently he was accustomed to a comfortable home.The second man was called by Jesus (what an honor!), but he was rejected because he would not take up the cross and die to self.

He was worried about somebody else’s funeral when he should have been planning his own!

Jesus is not suggesting here that we dishonor our parents, but only that we not permit our love for family to weaken our love for the Lord.

We should love Christ so much that our love for family would look like hatred in comparison (Luke 14:26).

The third man also volunteered, but he could not follow Christ because he was looking back instead of ahead.

There is nothing wrong with a loving farewell but if it gets in the way of obedience, it becomes sin.

Jesus saw that this man’s heart was not wholly with Him, but that he would be plowing and looking back.

No wonder the laborers are few!

(Luke 10:2) The calling carried with it a cost, for it involved leaving not only one’s profession [4:19 Peter & Andrew] but also one’s family responsibilities [James & John in Mt.4:22]

 

Luke 14:27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and *follow me* /cannot/ be my disciple.

Far from making it easy for them to respond positively, He set the cost of discipleship as high as possible (26, 27, 33)—and encouraged them to do a careful inventory before declaring their willingness to follow.

carry his cross.

I.e., willingly.

28 count the cost.

The multitudes were positive but uncommitted.

The setting then changed: large crowds were traveling with Jesus*.

*Jesus intended to impress on the people their need to examine their resolve to follow Him.

He was on His way to die on the cross.