TEXT: Matthew 8:18-23
18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.
19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
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We began this mini-series on Jesus and the would-be disciples with the Lord withdrawing Himself from the oncoming crowds and giving the command to depart unto the others side of the Sea of Galilee. While that may sound like a simple command, the actual process of getting a boat ready to sail could take some time. So, while Peter and the other disciples prepared the boat for their departure, we can imagine some of the crowd catching up with Jesus on the shore. Among those people would have been the scribe and the man who wanted to bury his father. Both of these individuals saw that Jesus was about to depart and chose this time to deliver their best presentations of devotion.
Jesus’ response to both of these men revealed that while, perhaps, they had good intentions, they were not ready to completely follow Him. Jesus knew that there would be few people willing to follow a leader if it meant not knowing where they would lay their head to sleep each night or if it meant possibly cutting off ties with close family members. In contrast to the would-be disciples, verse 23 concludes this segment of the chapter with the statement, “When Jesus was entered into a ship, his disciples [the Twelve] followed him.”
Most leaders would have jumped at the chance to grow their number of followers, but Jesus was content to continue on with the twelve He had chosen. If the other two men were indeed ready to follow Jesus, they would have been ready to drop what they were doing and follow Jesus into the ship, ready to go wherever he might lead them. The Twelve didn’t know where they might end up when they chose to follow Jesus. When Jesus came to them as they were fishing or tax collecting or sitting under a tree, He said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” The Twelve dropped what they were doing and began to follow Jesus. They didn’t make excuses; they didn’t say, ‘Let me do this one thing first’; they didn’t ask questions. They placed their trust in Jesus, not just with their words, but with their actions. The Twelve arose and followed Him.
And here, in this passage, we read again that “when Jesus was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him,” no questions asked. If Jesus came to us today with a one-way ticket for an ocean-liner heading across the Pacific, and said, “Come, get on the ship with me,” what would we do? No explanation. No destination. No future plans. Just, “Here’s your ticket; get on the ship.” Would you drop what you were doing and immediately follow Jesus? I hope you can answer that question in the affirmative because that is the kind of dedication Jesus requires of those who would be His disciples.
It is believed that the Indian missionary, Sadhu Sundar Singh, first penned the words of the now-popular song:
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.
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Now, if you are with us today and you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and Hell.
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at dw3@gospellightsociety.com and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry.
He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree.
He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.
BCNN1 WP 