Following Jesus is not just an important thing – it’s the most important thing in life.
Sermon Title: THE COST OF FOLLOWING CHRIST
Scripture Text: MATTHEW 8:18-34
Sermon Series: HERE I STAND: BUILDING A STRONG FAITH
Sermon Notes:
MATTHEW 8:18-34 ESV
18 Now when Jesus saw a great crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side.
19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
20 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.”
21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.
24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.
25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”
26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.
29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them.
31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.”
32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.
33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men.
34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.
disciple | Greek: mathetes
student, learner
MATTHEW 8:1 ESV
1 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.
PARALLEL PASSAGES:
Matthew 8:18-22 (Luke 9:57-62)
Matthew 8:23-27 (Mark 4:36-41; Luke 8:22-25)
Matthew 8:28-34 (Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39)
I. THE DISCIPLE: PUTS CHRIST FIRST
MATTHEW 8:18-22 ESV
18 Now when Jesus saw a great crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side.
19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
20 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.”
21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.
The Enthusiastic Disciple:
And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” (Matthew 8:19)
MATTHEW 8:10 ESV
20 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.”
Profession is easy. But Jesus says: Count the cost!
The Reluctant Disciple:
Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” (Matthew 8:21)
MATTHEW 8:22 ESV
22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
“The disciple of Jesus might not always know where the road leads, but they always know who they are with.”
REFLECT:
Does Jesus mean more to you over everything else in your life?
PUTTING CHRIST FIRST IS NOT ABOUT WHERE WE GO BUT WHO WE’RE WITH.
II. THE DISCIPLE: PLACES HIS/HER TRUST IN CHRIST
MATTHEW 8:23-27 ESV
23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.
24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.
25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”
26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
On the one hand, those who didn’t follow Christ escaped a furious storm; on the other hand, those who followed experienced an awesome miracle.
MATTHEW 8:24 ESV
24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.
25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”
“Trusting Jesus isn’t about having nothing to lose. It’s about having everything to lose.”
MATTHEW 8:27 ESV
27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
“When we trust Jesus to see us through the storms of life, he takes us through to the other side and what we see is more of who he is.”
REFLECT:
Does your life reflect the faith that you have in Christ or the fear that you have in the storm?
PLACING OUR TRUST IN CHRIST IS NOT ABOUT ESCAPING THE STORM BUT EXPERIENCING WHO HE IS.
III. PURSUE HIS WILL
MATTHEW 8:28-34 ESV
28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.
29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them.
31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.”
32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.
33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men.
34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.
MATTHEW 8:29 ESV
29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
MATTHEW 8:31 ESV
31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.”
MATTHEW 8:32 ESV
32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.
MATTHEW 8:33 ESV
33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men.
MATTHEW 8:34 ESV
34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.
MARK 5:15 ESV
15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.
MARK 5:18-19 ESV
18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
“A disciple does not seek for his/her will to be accomplished through God. Rather it is about God’s will being accomplished through him/her.”
MARK 5:20 ESV
20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
“There is no failure in God’s will, and no success outside of God’s will.” — George Washington Truett
REFLECT:
Are you seeking God’s direction and pursuing it even if it’s different from what you want?
PURSUING HIS WILL IS NOT ABOUT DOING GREAT THINGS BUT CHOOSING WHAT IS BEST INSTEAD OF WHAT IS GOOD.
“Following Jesus is not just an important thing – it’s the most important thing in life.”