Transcript Follow Me - Hongmark.com

Matthew 4:19
Follow Me
and I will make
you fishers of
men.
To Follow…
 Set
aside our own goals to embrace the
purposes for which God created us.
Purposes:
To
Results:
Take
know Him
To make disciples of others by
teaching them all of His
commandments
on His brightness
Be a fisher of men
Study Question…
Why did Jesus require His disciples
to be with Him to the end of His
ministry while Moses and Paul
taught their followers by writings
that they received through the
Holy Spirit?
The Call to Follow
To Who?
“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins,
and not only for ours but also for the sins
of the whole world.“ (1 John 2:2)
“For I have not come to call the
righteous, but sinners." (Matt. 9:13)
“Come to me, all you who are weary and
burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matt.
11:28)
Song: Call to Follow
You have given us the call to follow, day by
day with standards not our own. No one
can serve two masters, so with undivided
hearts we choose to follow You alone.
Break the fear of man within our hearts.
Send Your fire and make us set apart. Tear
down the idols and make us fully Yours, we
surrender all and nothing less as worship to
You, Lord
Song: Call to Follow
Let us stand for righteousness,
integrity and truth, living out the
gospel as You have called us to do.
Let us walk in purity and holiness,
That all would know that we belong
to you.
What does following Jesus mean?
To exchange my affections, goals,
and priorities for His.
The Rich Young Ruler – priority of money
 Peter, James, John – goal of being
successful fishermen

Jesus called them to forsake their goals and
follow him. For those who did, He gave
them a new goal to be “fishers of men.”
…to being
keepers of
the
aquarium.” -Paul
Harvey
“We’ve drifted
away from being
fishers of men…
Basics of Fishing…
Fishing
for fish and
fishing for men

Lure vs. Light
Jesus is The Light
of the world.
Why are We Lights?
When Jesus was on earth, He drew multitudes to
the light of His life. Now that His physical
being is no longer here, His light must shine
through us.
"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a
hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and
put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives
light to all who are in the house. Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works
and glorify your Father in heaven.”
What is Our Light?
 The
light of every believer is the bright
presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in our
lives.
 For
God, who said, "Let light shine out of
darkness,“ made his light shine in our
hearts to give us the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the
face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)
Light vs. Lures
 Those
attracted by the bait and “bite the
lure” feel they have been tricked into
hearing the Gospel and become resentful.
 Paul
stated that he had “renounced the
hidden things of dishonesty, not walking
in the craftiness, nor handling the word
of God deceitfully.” (II Corinthians 4:2)
Answer to Key Question
 Why
did Jesus and Elijah require their
followers to be with them until the end
of their ministries?
•Transfer of Power:  Elijah > Elisha: cloak/double
portion of his spirit/cloak
 Jesus > Disciples: power of the
Holy Spirit - Pentecost
Answer to Key Question
To receive the transfer of power Elisha
and the disciples had to follow until the
end. Since they stayed devoted, they
received the transfer of power.
“I am going to send you what my
Father has promised; but stay in the city
until you have been clothed with power
from on high." (Luke 24:49)
How can we follow?
The disciples were with Jesus 24/7 for three
years. They learned how He thought, how He
answered questions, how He lived, and how He
gave himself for people.
Now Jesus is in heaven; however, He made
provisions so that we can be with Him for the
rest of our lives.
His Provisions
 He
is within us – “… Christ in you, the hope of
glory. “ (Colossians 1:27)
 He
sent His Holy spirit – “And I will ask the
Father, and he will give you another Counselor
to be with you forever-- the Spirit of truth. The
world cannot accept him, because it neither sees
him nor knows him. But you know him, for he
lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave
you as orphans; I will come to you.“
(John 14:16-18)
How can we follow?
The disciples walked with Jesus and did as
he directed. In the same way we should walk
in the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit.

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not
gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the
sinful nature desires what is contrary to the
Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful
nature. They are in conflict with each other, so
that you do not do what you want.”
(Galatians. 5:16-17)
A Result of Following
“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in
me will do what I have been doing. He will
do even greater things than these, because I
am going to the Father.” (John 14:12)
When we are in fellowship with the Holy
Spirit the Lord can accomplish even more
through our lives than He accomplished in
His personal ministry.
When our focus
is on following
Jesus, rather
than fishing for
men, we will
have no trouble
attracting others
because of the
light of Christ.
What does Jesus require of those
who follow Him?

Putting His Kingdom before work/school.

Putting His ministry and others before
ourselves.

Setting aside of any expectations or
preconditions.
Fishermen will rise early
in the morning, endure
harsh weather, and
wait long hours to
catch fish. This the
spirit Jesus wants in His
followers.
Fishers of Men vs.
Founders of Churches

Follow Christ,
not the doctrines of men

Following
Christ
requires
perfect trust
because we
all go
through the
valley of the
shadow of
death.
Name of God
Jehovah-Roni: The Lord My Shepherd
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
(Psalm 23:1)
“He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he
shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry
them in his bosom, and shall gently lead
those that are with young” (Isaiah 40:11)
Name of God
Good Shepherd
“I am the good shepherd: the good
shepherd giveth his life for the sheep…My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they follow me.” (John 10:11,27)
Meekness vs. Anger
Meekness is yielding our
rights to God so He can
demonstrate His peace and
power through us.
Meekness is not weakness.
It is
STRENGTH…
…under God’s
Control
Follow
Me
by Ira F. Stanphill
I traveled down a lonely road
and no one seemed to care.
The burden on my weary back
had bowed me to despair. I oft'
complained to Jesus how folks
were treating me. And then I
heard Him say so tenderly:
"My feet were also weary upon
the Calvary road. The cross
became so heavy I fell beneath
the load. Be faithful weary
pilgrim the morning I can see.
Just lift your cross and follow
close to Me"
“I work so hard for Jesus.” I
often boast and say, “I've
sacrificed a lot of things to
walk this narrow way. I gave
up fame and fortune. I'm
worth a lot to Thee. And then
I hear Him gently say to me,
"I left the throne of glory and
counted it but loss. My
hands were nailed in anger
upon a cruel cross. But now
we'll make the journey with
your hand safe in mine. Just
lift your cross and follow
close to Me"
Oh Jesus, if I die upon a foreign field
some day, t'would be no more than love
demands no less could I repay. No
greater love hath mortal man than for a
friend to die. These are the words I
heard Him say to me, "If but a cup of
water I place within your hand, then
just a cup of water is all that I demand.”
But if my death to living they can Thy
glory see, I'll take my cross and follow
close to Thee.