Things Jesus is Calling Us to Do | Short Sermon Series
1. A CALL TO A HIGHER PURPOSE OF LIFE: “FISHERS OF MEN”
No, He said, “Follow me and I will so transform you to a higher purpose and a higher calling in life, that you live for something more than just mere existence.”
You move from just your own career to your calling, from your occupation to a vocation from God, from the mundaneness of life to a mission for God – and we have to be missional as disciples of Jesus.
If we’re building disciples in Bible studies and discipleship groups and we don’t give them a sense of mission, a sense of the nation, a sense of the heart of God, a sense that there’s so much up for grabs in the world today among the nations, and if they don’t have a missional Cross in their hearts and missional engagement in their lives, they cannot be true disciples.
But the minute they catch those things and are willing to sacrifice everything for that mission, everything for that treasure, they understand radical discipleship because they have become missional. They live for a higher purpose.
2. A CALL TO A GREATER REALITY: “FOLLOW ME”
Jesus is calling us to a greater reality. "Follow me".
God should be the defining reality of our lives, and culture the context by which we live for that reality in God. But now culture has become the defining reality for the Christian, and God has become the context of light church talk on Sunday mornings. And when these Christians go back into the world, they don’t know how to engage with the world in their Christian faith, or engage with the Christian faith in the world, simply because God is not their defining reality, culture is.
We dare not make Jesus “Lord”. Why?
And the only reason why we don’t want to lose control and surrender to Jesus is that we have an illusion of control. We don’t realise that in reality, we don’t have control. We don’t have control of tomorrow. We don’t know tomorrow. We don’t hold tomorrow.
We have a God who knows tomorrow and holds tomorrow and He says: “Trust me, I am in control.”
That is the smartest thing to do. Since I don’t have control, I might as well surrender to the One who truly has control. That’s what discipleship is all about: “Follow me”. Not just to a higher purpose, but to a greater reality.
3.A CALL TO DEEPER TRANSFORMATION: “I WILL MAKE YOU”
“I will make you.”
My heart resonates with Peter when he was answering Jesus’ question of “do you love me?” – “Lord, you know I love You”. I love You but I’m a mess.
And what does Jesus reply? “Follow me.”
Follow me, and I will break you, I will transform you and I will so change you in that mighty transformation. You will have newness of life, newness of purpose, newness of mission in your life.