COME, FOLLOW ME—VI

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.

Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.

If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross (daily) and follow Me.

...go and make disciples of all nations...

teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you....

Abide in Me and I in you, and you will bear much fruit.

Walk in the Spirit....Be filled with the Spirit.

You will bear much fruit—30,60, 100 fold.

Walk in the Spirit....Be filled with the Spirit.

As we walk, we are filled.

To walk with Jesus was simply … walk with Him. Wherever He went, whatever He did, whatever He said.

As they walked, they listened and learned. They did what He told them to do. When they were wrong, He corrected them and they changed.

He taught them what He wanted them to know and do.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John show and tell us what He showed and told them. 

The Apostles learned these lessons well. That's why their preaching and teaching changed the course of history in Eur-Asia and North Africa in two generations.

These Apostles did not just preach and teach. They wrote their directions in “letters,” or “epistles.” These letters were simply instructions on how the Holy Spirit directs anyone who choses to accept Jesus' invitation,

“Come, Follow Me.

I will abide in you.

You will be filled with the Spirit.

We have all we need to know, understand, and obey Jesus as clearly today as they did then.  Paul wrote,

If you read what I wrote,

you will understand what I understand. 

Eph. 3.4

If we will continually follow the Lord Jesus by His Spirit teaching us from these letters, we will

bear much fruit—30,60, 100 fold.

COME, FOLLOW ME—V

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.

Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.

If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself,

and take up his cross (daily) and follow Me.

...go and make disciples of all nations...

teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you....

Abide in Me and I in you, and you will bear much fruit.

Walk in the Spirit....Be filled with the Spirit.

You will bear much fruit—30,60, 100 fold.

Abide in Me and I in you, and you will bear much fruit. (John 15.5)

This is such a familiar verse that it stands in the danger of complacency, too much familiarity, and being taken for granted. Its reality, significance, and power is too easily neglected. Once the words are learned, they are too often ignored.

But their simple truth is the reality of the life of Jesus for us today.

The Greek term for “abide” in John 15. 5 and 7 is translated “continue” in John 8.32:

If you abide in Me, and I in you,

you will bear much fruit. much fruit.

John 15.5

If you abide in Me and My word abides in you,...

John 15.7

If you continue in My word,

you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.

John 8.32

The idea and admonition of Jesus is incredible!

Those disciples to whom He first spoke these words were to “abide/continue” in and with Him by the Holy Spirit Who was sent from Christ to them after His ascension. The Holy Spirit continues the teachings of Jesus to those who continue to make themselves present to learn and live under His Lordship. The Holy Spirit does now for us what Jesus did then for them.

The Holy Spirit had the teachings of Jesus already in those disciples' lives. Very powerful works were accomplished through those who had this foundation!

And today?!?

The Holy Spirit has the same teachings of Jesus available every day to all who Come and Follow Jesus. 

All Jesus is, has, and does is available from the Holy Spirit for the asking, seeking, and knocking.

As Jesus directed every word, action, thought, motive, desire, and experience of the first disciples, so the Holy Spirit does for us today.

It is the Holy Spirit Who “makes all things work together” (Romans 8.28) for the good Jesus wants us to have. This is day and night, 24/7/365, as we like to say about “all things.” 

I have never looked them up, but www.blueletterbible.com lists over 800 “all” verses in the New Testament and over 3,000 in the Old.

All our God wants for us is ours in and with the Lord Jesus by the work of the Holy Spirit. All we have to do is

abide/continue—just show up.

Just show up! Amazing! How can we put these words into practice? We can't do them justice, but Paul says we can get better and better at living in, with, and for the Lord Jesus Christ through Christ Who strengthens us.

All we do is abide in Him, and He will abide in us, and we will walk daily with the Lord Jesus by His Spirit:

Walk in the Spirit....Be filled with the Spirit.

COME, FOLLOW ME—III

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.

Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.

If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross (daily) and follow Me.

...go and make disciples of all nations...

teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you....

Abide in Me and I in you, and you will bear much fruit.

Walk in the Spirit....Be filled with the Spirit.

You will bear much fruit—30,60, 100 fold.

If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross (daily) and follow Me.

This invitation comes in three parts: come, deny, and take.

“Come” is a review for those who have been following Jesus since He first extended His willingness to work with them.

“Deny”--deny yourself--—is a major step forward, however. 

These men were to learn from Jesus how “the Law and the Prophets” were to be used to open and examine the thoughts and motives of their hearts, just as He said in the Sermon (Mt. 5.17-20). They would learn in their time with Him to experience the searching of their hearts for anxious thoughts and offensive ways within them, as He led them to follow the ways of His Kingdom on Earth. Major changes would take place! (Psalm 139.23-24).

Grace and Truth in time the Lord Jesus would purify their heart, conscience, and faith.

The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

1 Timothy 1.5

“To take up our cross daily” sends us away from Jesus to give ourselves, in the form of time, to others for redemptive purposes, for discipling others.

Denying ourselves for the cross is, first, to spend time with Jesus. It is, second, to spend time with others. Sacrificing real time to be present with Jesus sends us to real time in the physical presence of someone He directs us to.

Cross time is to be “redemptive time” with others. Time with Jesus will transform us—

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Romans 12.1-2

Beholding...we are transformed...by the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3.18.

Transformed, we are to walk with others into the ways of transforming grace and truth of the Holy Spirit.

We can comfort others with the comfort

we ourselves have received from God.

2 Corinthians 1.3-7

We love God and keep His commands sacrificially because He loves us.

We love others, sacrificially, because He commands us to do so.

We learn of the love of God and love Him in return, and then we learn to love others in the love the Holy Spirit gives us for them for Him.

God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit,

Whom He has given us.

Romans 5.1-5

The One Who said, “As the Father has sent Me, so send I you,” requires daily sacrifice to

...go and make disciples of all nations...

teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you....

COME, FOLLOW ME--II

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.

Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.

If anyone would come after Me, he must take up his cross (daily) and follow Me.

...go and make disciples of all nations...

teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you....

Abide in Me and I in you, and you will bear much fruit.

Walk in the Spirit....Be filled with the Spirit.

You will bear much fruit—30,60, 100 fold.

Jesus offers to help us make the changes that will bring peace and joy with one simple but powerful word: Repent. With one word Jesus promises to bring all the resources of His Eternal Kingdom to our behalf.

For those who say, “Yes. I need Your help,” He says,

Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.

And those who would follow, He takes to the Sermon on the Mount.

This “Sermon” condenses how He transforms the hearts of men for His kingdom. After three and half years of teachings that transformed those first disciples, He tells them to go and make disciples to be taught to obey teachings and commandments.

Now the Lord Jesus from this Sermon teaches us the grace and truth that bring us peace and love.

The Sermon (in eleven divisions):

The process of how He changes us—the Beatitudes, 5.3-12

The “bait” of the fisherman—salt and light, 5.13-16

The manual of how the changes take place—the Law and Prophets (and, including the Apostles), 5.17-20.

The application of the changes from Law to Heart—

           Relationship with others, 5.21-48

           Relationship with God, 6.1-18

The benefits to be gained—Treasures in Heaven, 6.19-24

The focus—His kingdom and righteousness, 6.24-34

The responsibility to others—7.1-6

The steps of answered prayer—A.S.K., 7.7-12

The road—Narrow, 7.13-14

The dangers of the road—False prophets and professions, 7.15-23

The builders—wise and foolish, 7.24-27

Jesus spent three and a half years, seven days a week teaching men and women how to follow Him according to this Sermon.

The Holy Spirit stands ready seven days a week to teach each of us as much as we are willing to wisely put into practice.

The invitation now stands ready:

If anyone would come after Me,

he must take up his cross (daily) and follow Me.

COME, FOLLOW ME--I

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.

Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.

If anyone would come after Me, he must take up his cross (daily) and follow Me.

...go and make disciples of all nations...

teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you....

Abide in Me and I in you, and you will bear much fruit.

Walk in the Spirit....Be filled with the Spirit.

You will bear much fruit—30,60, 100 fold.

Set your minds/hearts on things above...that the Spirit desires.

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,

and all these things will be added to you.

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.

“Repent” means “change.”

It means “change your mind.”

We say, “You need to change your attitude” with exact same idea that Jesus means. In these words, He offers us the resources of His Kingdom to bring about eternal changes in our lives day by day.

This command, Repent,” is an offer of Jesus to enter our needy hearts with all His wisdom, power, goodness, love, patience, forgiveness—His infinite omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence.

He asks, “Would like (do you need) to make some changes in your life?”

Our Lord Jesus stands ready to provide for every need of our souls out of His riches in glory, which means “the kingdom of heaven is near.”

He did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory. Romans 9.23

All this is available for the asking. 

“Whatever you ask in My Name, I will do.” John 14.13-14

When we ask in His Name, He promises we will receive.

Asking is followed by seeking, which is how we find the answer our request.

The answer to our request leads to “doors” that will bring the changes He promises to make as He leads us into His Kingdom.

He promises

Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.