ADVICE FOR LIFE (series) ADVICE FOR FOLLOWING JESUS (PT.2) Matthew 8:18-27 Mark 4:35-41

“And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me and let the dead bury the dead.” (Matthew 8:18-22)

Matthew 8:23-27 “Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But He said to them, ‘ Why are you so fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm. So the men marveled saying, “Who can this be that even the winds and the sea obey Him.

Thesis: Following Jesus with one’s life is to embark upon the greatest adventure in life!

I. FOLLOWING JESUS IS A CHALLENGE! A. THE CHALLENGE OF LIFE’S DIFFICULTIES!

1. THE DIFFICULTY OF DISCOMFORT AND HARDSHIP VS. 19 “A certain scribe came and said to Him, ‘Teacher, I will follow You wherever you go.” And Jesus said to Him, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

2. THE DIFFICULTY OF INCONVENIENCE! VS. 21 “Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to Him, ‘Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

3. THE DIFFICULTY OF TURMOIL AND CRISIS! VS. 24,25 “And suddenly, a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves…Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him saying, ‘Lord save us! We are perishing!”

B. THE CHALLENGE OF THE MISTAKES WE MAKE! 1.THE MISTAKE OF NOT COUNTING THE COST AHEAD OF TIME! “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Mtt. 8:19 “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34

2. THE MISTAKE OF BLAMING GOD FOR OUR TROUBLE! “And there arose a fierce gale of wind and the waves were breaking over the boat and Jesus was asleep on a cushion; and they awoke Him and said, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Mark 4:37,38

3. THE MISTAKE OF LIVING WITHOUT FAITH OR AN INSUFFICIENT FAITH! “And He, said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’ Mark 4:40

II. FOLLOWING JESUS IS A BLESSING!

A. THE BLESSING OF HIS PRESENCE! FOLLOWING JESUS MEANS HE IS ALWAYS WITH US NO MATTER WHAT! “I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU!” HEBREWS 13:5

B. THE BLESSING OF HIS HELP! FOLLOWING JESUS MEANS HE IS ALWAYS THERE TO HELP US IN OUR LIVING! “GOD IS OUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH, A VERY PRESENT HELP IN TIMES OF TROUBLE!” PS. 46:1

C. THE BLESSING OF LIVING WITH COMPLETE CONFIDENCE! FOLLOWING JESUS MEANS THAT NO MATTER WHAT WE FACE, THERE IS NEVER ANYTHING THAT IS TOO DIFFICULT FOR HIM! “FOR NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD.” LUKE 1:37

D. THE BLESSING OF KNOWING THAT EVERYTHING WILL BE ALL RIGHT! FOLLOWING JESUS MEANS EVEN THE DIFFICULT THINGS OF LIFE WILL HAVE A GOOD ENDING! “AND WE KNOW THAT ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THEM WHO LOVE GOD AND WHO ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.” ROMANS 8:28

E. THE BLESSING OF ALWAYS LEARNING MORE ABOUT GOD! FOLLOWING JESUS MEANS WE NEVER STOP LEARNING ABOUT GOD, HIS WORD, HIS WAYS, HIS PLAN, AND HIS PURPOSES! “THEY TOOK HIM ALONG WITH THEM, JUST AS HE WAS…” MARK 6:36 “THEY SAID TO ONE ANOTHER, ‘WHO IS THIS THAT EVEN THE WIND AND THE SEA OBEY HIM?” VS. 41

F. THE BLESSING OF HAVING FAITH AND THE PRIVILEGE OF OBEYING GOD FOLLOWING JESUS MEANS THAT WE WALK THROUGH LIFE BY FAITH, TAKING GOD AT HIS WORD AND OBEYING HIM IN ALL THAT WE DO! “AND JESUS SAID TO THEM, ‘LET US GO TO THE OTHER SIDE…” MARK 4:35

G. THE BLESSING OF SERVING OTHERS FOLLOWING JESUS MEANS THAT WE HAVE THE BLESSING OF SERVING OTHERS AND HELPING OTHERS IN THEIR TIME OF NEED. “They took Him just as He was in the boat, and other boats were with Him.” Mark 4:36

TRUTH TO LIVE BY 1.FOLLOWING JESUS ISN’T ALWAYS EASY BUT IT IS ALWAYS GOOD!

TRUTH TO LIVE BY 2. WHEN WE FOLLOW JESUS HE IS ABLE TO TAKE THE MISTAKES OF OUR LIVES AND USE THEM FOR HIS GLORY TO HELP OTHERS.

TRUTH TO LIVE BY 3. WHEN WE DETERMINE TO FOLLOW JESUS WITH OUR LIVES, LIFE IS ALWAYS BETTER FOR US THEN IT IS WITHOUT HIM.