1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,640
Jackie's going to come up now and read our passes for today.

2
00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:10,520
It's taken from Matthew 8 and after that, Michael's going to come up for the sermon.

3
00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:32,980
Matthew 8 verse 18, when Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the

4
00:00:32,980 --> 00:00:39,020
other side of the lake, then a teacher of the law came to him and said, teacher, I will

5
00:00:39,020 --> 00:00:41,960
follow you wherever you go.

6
00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:50,360
Jesus replied, foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man

7
00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:54,220
has no place to lay his head.

8
00:00:54,220 --> 00:01:00,280
Another disciple said to him, Lord, first let me go and bury my father, but Jesus told

9
00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:04,920
him follow me and let the dead bury their own dead.

10
00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:09,560
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.

11
00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:16,160
Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake so that the waves swept over the

12
00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:19,160
boat, but Jesus was sleeping.

13
00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:25,480
The disciples went and woke him, saying, Lord, save us, we're going to drown.

14
00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:29,640
He replied, you of little faith, why are you so afraid?

15
00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:35,760
Then he got up and rebuked the wind and the waves and it was completely calm.

16
00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:41,040
The men were amazed and asked, what kind of man is this?

17
00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:45,040
Even the winds and the waves about him.

18
00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:52,040
Good morning again.

19
00:01:52,040 --> 00:02:00,640
It's great to be together on this, actually, a beautiful day today.

20
00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:04,080
And indeed, if you are new among us, you are most welcome.

21
00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:08,960
We love meeting new people and having visitors.

22
00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:13,880
If you haven't been here before, we're actually in a series at the moment called Jesus and

23
00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:21,240
the Kingdom of Heaven, which we started last year and we spent eight months in the first

24
00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:24,640
few chapters, if you would like to access any of that.

25
00:02:24,640 --> 00:02:28,840
It's all been recorded and it's on our website.

26
00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:37,960
Last week, Matthew set out yet again to prove to us in three different scenes that Jesus

27
00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:47,080
is the Christ and that his message is from heaven by showing us that God himself attested

28
00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:53,520
to Christ's ministry by signs, wonders and various miracles.

29
00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:59,280
And Matthew did that by telling us about three different occasions when Jesus just said the

30
00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:06,760
word over things that only God could deal with and it was done for Jesus.

31
00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:11,400
Three scenes with one big picture, this Jesus of Nazareth.

32
00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:19,080
He came not just with the message of the Kingdom, but also with its power because he was more

33
00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:20,680
than just a man.

34
00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:28,600
No, this Jesus, he was the long-awaited Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the living God that

35
00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:36,200
was promised by God long ago in the law and the prophets to be the saviour of his people.

36
00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:40,760
And that's been shown to us over and over and over again.

37
00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:46,760
Not just in the words of Christ, but in his very deeds as well.

38
00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:50,800
So that brings us to the passage that we have before us this morning.

39
00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:56,840
Jesus is indeed the Christ, the King of heaven and we're to believe that.

40
00:03:56,840 --> 00:04:05,440
But as we know, even the devil knows some theological truths yet remains unsaved.

41
00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:11,200
We know that there's so much more to the Christian life than believing that Jesus is just the

42
00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:12,200
Christ.

43
00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:19,680
No, we're called to believe and follow him, to be his disciples in this world.

44
00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:25,160
And that's what Matthew wants to speak to us about this morning in our passage.

45
00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:28,320
We're not just to believe, but to follow Jesus.

46
00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:34,840
And Matthew's going to teach us a few things about what it means to follow him and the cost

47
00:04:34,840 --> 00:04:38,720
that at the price it will cost us.

48
00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:43,640
But first before we do any of that, would you please pray with me and we'll ask our

49
00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:47,680
Father to help us this morning.

50
00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:52,800
Our Father, we do indeed thank you that we can come to you this morning and know that

51
00:04:52,800 --> 00:05:01,160
we're not just reading words written by Matthew, but inspired words given by you to your people,

52
00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:03,400
to the church for all time.

53
00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:08,120
Father, your word is settled in heaven and it is a good word.

54
00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:13,160
And we ask this morning that by your spirit you would open our hearts and minds, that

55
00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:19,240
you would draw us to Christ and that you would change us for your glory and for the sake of

56
00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:20,240
Christ.

57
00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:23,440
And we ask this in his name, amen.

58
00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:28,040
So church, let me set the scene for you this morning.

59
00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:34,720
We're dropping into a scene where we're meant to be feeling tension and excitement.

60
00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:43,040
A scene where things were getting so hectic because Jesus had come into this town of Capernaum

61
00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:50,320
and healed a whole load of people and cast a whole load of demons out from among them.

62
00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:55,440
Things are getting absolutely hectic and people are gathering around him.

63
00:05:55,440 --> 00:06:01,200
And we read, when Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other

64
00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:05,040
side of the lake, verse 18.

65
00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:06,640
So we can imagine it, right?

66
00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:12,640
They're on the way, getting ready to cross to the other side of the lake with all these

67
00:06:12,640 --> 00:06:15,360
people following Jesus.

68
00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:20,680
And it's here that we're met with a scene where two people come from the crowds to meet

69
00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:22,200
with Jesus.

70
00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:30,840
And they want to follow him, reread in verse 19, then a teacher of the law came to him.

71
00:06:30,840 --> 00:06:36,360
So the first guy that we meet is a teacher of the law.

72
00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:41,240
Or what we might think of, it's also translated as a scribe, or what we might think of in

73
00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:44,360
our setting as a theologian.

74
00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:50,320
Now I don't know if you've personally met many professional theologians in your time,

75
00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:58,160
but one thing you can say about them is that they're usually incredibly learned, smart

76
00:06:58,160 --> 00:06:59,160
people.

77
00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:05,040
Just the other night I had the opportunity to go to the Trinity Bible College graduation

78
00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:10,440
and I got to see a lot of my old professors who taught me theology and just talking to

79
00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:17,640
a couple of them, I was again struck with just how much they know and have studied.

80
00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:25,280
Just because their job demands that they have to be well and wide read and have a head on

81
00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:33,640
their shoulders, as they need to be prepared to not only teach but answer the many, many

82
00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:41,200
random questions that training pastors and seasoned Christian workers are going to throw

83
00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:42,200
at them.

84
00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:46,040
There's no difference with the guy in our context.

85
00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:48,320
He's a scribe, a teacher of the law.

86
00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:50,680
He had to know what he was doing.

87
00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:55,280
He was a teacher who trained those under him.

88
00:07:55,280 --> 00:08:02,800
He would have been well read, which means he would have been looked to as someone who

89
00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:11,080
was incredibly intelligent, as not every Jewish child had the opportunity to learn how to

90
00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:15,720
read and write and study and teach.

91
00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:22,440
So this guy, he's educated but as a teacher he would have also been incredibly influential.

92
00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:31,640
You see, in the ancient world the synagogue was the hub of any Jewish community.

93
00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:35,920
It was where children would go to schools, where women would go to pray together, where

94
00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:41,360
men would meet to discuss things and even maybe do business.

95
00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:47,800
And people like our teacher here would approve marriage arrangements and work out funeral

96
00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:49,120
plans.

97
00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:54,880
And then of course there was the great day of the Sabbath, where the whole community

98
00:08:54,880 --> 00:09:01,960
would join together to hear the reading of the law and maybe even a bit of preaching

99
00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:05,280
and explaining of the text.

100
00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:12,840
All that to say, this first guy that came to Jesus, he's smart, knowledgeable, he's

101
00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:20,280
influential in his circles, known to the community, known to the people.

102
00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:27,600
And so as the crowds are following Jesus, he comes up and he says, teacher, I'll follow

103
00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:31,240
you wherever you go.

104
00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:32,920
Think about that.

105
00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:34,920
That's huge.

106
00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:40,920
This as we know by reading through Matthew is becoming a big deal by this point in his

107
00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:42,680
ministry.

108
00:09:42,680 --> 00:09:47,880
He's known all throughout the region of Galilee because of his healing ministry and we're

109
00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:55,800
also told that great crowds followed Jesus because of his incredible teaching.

110
00:09:55,800 --> 00:10:02,360
And we're told that the crowds were made up of all sorts of people from all over the place.

111
00:10:02,360 --> 00:10:12,360
So what better than to have the local theologian come to Jesus and call him teacher, rabbi,

112
00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:13,360
master.

113
00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:22,440
I mean the endorsement, the advocacy of this guy willing to leave his highly influential

114
00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:26,600
career to come to be in your inner circle.

115
00:10:26,600 --> 00:10:31,080
I mean the act alone is telling.

116
00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:38,120
And maybe if we put ourselves in the shoes of the disciples or even the crowds at that

117
00:10:38,120 --> 00:10:44,280
very moment, they may have been thinking Jesus says a lot of things that are pretty hard

118
00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:45,600
to understand.

119
00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:49,280
But this guy, well he knows what he's talking about.

120
00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:51,880
He studied the scriptures.

121
00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:59,120
So him wanting to be at the feet of Jesus to be taught by him to want to follow him wherever

122
00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:04,960
he goes, he must really know what he's on about.

123
00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:11,800
So you have this teacher adamant to leave everything and not just follow Jesus to the

124
00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:14,960
other side of the lake.

125
00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:21,560
But notice the words, wherever, with Jesus in all his journeys.

126
00:11:21,560 --> 00:11:26,040
He wants to be his disciple.

127
00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:30,880
So this is what makes the scene so surprising.

128
00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:35,800
Jesus then says to the man, foxes have dens, birds have nests.

129
00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:41,200
The son of man has no place to lay his head.

130
00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:47,920
So church you'll notice straight away that Jesus doesn't say yay or nay but simply throws

131
00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:53,360
out some facts to this guy to get him thinking.

132
00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:59,640
In other words, our Lord tests this teacher's commitment to what he's just said.

133
00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:06,320
So it begs the question, what exactly did Jesus say to this guy from him to be going

134
00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:10,080
go, go, go to whoa, whoa, whoa.

135
00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:14,240
Well there's a couple of things that I would like to put out to you this morning.

136
00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:21,960
First, Jesus makes it clear that even animals have better accommodation than he does at

137
00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:23,760
the moment.

138
00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:31,920
Now we know that Jesus, he set up shop in Capernaum and our best guess is that he most

139
00:12:31,920 --> 00:12:34,920
likely stayed with Peter.

140
00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:42,520
And during his heavy touring schedule we can surmise that he relied heavily on the hospitality

141
00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:47,080
of those that he met on his journeys.

142
00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:53,760
Seeing that Jesus and his disciples, those with him, they weren't earning a packet.

143
00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:58,160
They weren't touring five star hotels around the country.

144
00:12:58,160 --> 00:13:05,840
Now while Jesus was moving about from town to town, preaching about the kingdom of heaven,

145
00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:13,200
he and his disciples, they were living what we might call on the poverty line, living from

146
00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:18,520
day to day on people's generosity.

147
00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:24,840
And so it's great that this teacher was wanting to follow Jesus and be his disciple.

148
00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:31,440
But our Lord was concerned that this guy was too eager to follow him without having counted

149
00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:37,720
the cost of what it really means to follow Jesus.

150
00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:44,000
There would be no money, there would be no theological accolades and well-done among

151
00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:46,000
his peers.

152
00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:50,160
There may not even be a place to lay his head at night.

153
00:13:50,160 --> 00:13:52,800
We can see what Jesus is doing, right?

154
00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:59,520
We may have expected Jesus to welcome this man's bold and public commitment to service,

155
00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:03,960
but our Lord is wiser than we could possibly imagine.

156
00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:11,880
He gets this guy to really start thinking about what he said in the heat of the moment.

157
00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:15,800
The second thing that I want you to notice here is this is actually the first time that

158
00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:22,360
our Lord refers to himself as the Son of Man.

159
00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:28,600
And a teacher of the law, a scribe, one who was theologically knowledgeable, who knew

160
00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:37,640
the Scriptures, knew that that was a totally loaded title to give oneself.

161
00:14:37,640 --> 00:14:44,720
You see, God referred to Ezekiel over and over and over again as the Son of Man as he

162
00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:51,760
commissioned the prophet to go and speak his word to his people.

163
00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:57,720
And interestingly enough, it's also the title that the prophet Daniel gave to the one in

164
00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:04,880
whom he saw all power and authority given over to him by God.

165
00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:07,520
His teacher knew that.

166
00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:13,640
He knew Jesus had the power and authority of heaven to be doing what he was doing in

167
00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:15,800
their midst.

168
00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:21,120
So it's little wonder that he wanted to drop everything and follow Jesus because for him,

169
00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:27,920
this is God, the God of Israel working in the present, working through this great teacher

170
00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:34,040
bringing about what God had promised to do for his people.

171
00:15:34,040 --> 00:15:44,760
But when Jesus tests this man's commitment in light of it all, of God's servant, the

172
00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:53,280
Son of Man, God's righteous one, not even having a place to lay his head.

173
00:15:53,280 --> 00:16:02,560
Well, that was a cost that was just way too high to pay.

174
00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:06,320
We can see where this is going, can't we, church?

175
00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:12,960
Jesus doesn't just call us to believe in him, admire him, be awed by him, know some theological

176
00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:19,800
truths about him, but to count the cost and pay the price of following him.

177
00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:24,280
In this instance in the text that we have before us this morning, this man was called

178
00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:31,240
to leave his influential, highly praised career, to leave a life where friends and family would

179
00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:39,640
be so proud of his achievements to follow Jesus into the great unknown, into suffering

180
00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:43,880
and service that would be thankless and hard.

181
00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:49,800
Jesus, yes, while very much revealing his true identity to this man, showing him that

182
00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:58,960
God was indeed working among them, he was also showing that to follow him, well, it's

183
00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:02,480
a life of sacrifice and self-denial.

184
00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:10,720
Brothers and sisters, I want you to hear me loud and clear this morning.

185
00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:16,800
Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

186
00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:21,120
I think Billy Graham said it really well once.

187
00:17:21,120 --> 00:17:28,880
He said, yes, salvation is free, but discipleship, it costs everything.

188
00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:31,480
That's what we see here.

189
00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:39,320
Commitment to Christ is too important for us to not realize what it actually costs us.

190
00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:42,760
Many don't count the cost.

191
00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:50,920
They start to follow, but then they fall away when they realize just how hard it is to follow

192
00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:55,560
Jesus and be his disciple in this world.

193
00:17:55,560 --> 00:18:01,840
So, what we see here is that our commitment to Christ isn't just something we do in the

194
00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:09,680
excitement of the moment, but something that is done in light, in realization of how serious

195
00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:14,400
it really is to say, yes, Lord, I will follow you.

196
00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:18,720
I'm not going to lie to you this morning, church.

197
00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:24,640
You may lose everything in this world to follow Jesus.

198
00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:29,920
I don't know what he will call you to give up or where he may take you.

199
00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:33,640
That's his business to do with his people.

200
00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:41,000
But what I do know is that Christ never calls his people to come to him just so we get a

201
00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:45,000
ticket to heaven and then can hold on to our old lives.

202
00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:51,520
No, we are called to come to Christ to get Christ.

203
00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:53,080
He is the one that we need.

204
00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:58,120
He is everything in this world worth giving up everything for.

205
00:18:58,120 --> 00:19:06,360
Our careers, our status among peers, our money, recognition with others, even our very well-being

206
00:19:06,360 --> 00:19:14,240
is all given over to our Lord and Savior and Master for his sake and kingdom.

207
00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:16,920
He may take it away.

208
00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:22,040
And so the first thing that we learn here, Jesus expects that those who would follow

209
00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:28,240
him count the cost, be willing to leave it all for him and his kingdom.

210
00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:33,160
Second thing that we learn from our passage this morning, what we see it in verses 21

211
00:19:33,160 --> 00:19:35,920
and 22.

212
00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:40,880
Another disciple said to him, Lord, first let me go bury my father.

213
00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:43,120
Jesus told him, follow me.

214
00:19:43,120 --> 00:19:47,040
Let the dead bury their own dead.

215
00:19:47,040 --> 00:19:54,240
So faith in Jesus, it not only causes us to count the cost, pay the price, but it also

216
00:19:54,240 --> 00:20:03,480
causes us to recognize the priority of our Lord and his ways above all else.

217
00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:08,800
Now there's a lot that could be said here this morning about everything going on, whether

218
00:20:08,800 --> 00:20:15,880
this man's father had just died or if he was about to die or even being moved from the

219
00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:23,400
family house to the tomb, which was a common practice in that time.

220
00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:31,800
Well regardless of what's going on there, we can see what Jesus is doing here.

221
00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:35,880
He's saying to this man that the dead take care of their own business, but are you ready

222
00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:42,720
to follow me and live to take care of my business?

223
00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:50,160
Church, Jesus, he's not being insensitive to this man's situation.

224
00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:56,280
Of course we can take things out of context and we can read something like this and say

225
00:20:56,280 --> 00:20:58,640
this seems so heartless.

226
00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:07,440
However, if we look at the whole counsel of Scripture, we know that God deeply cares for

227
00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:08,940
family.

228
00:21:08,940 --> 00:21:15,720
He deeply cares for how we honor our father and mother and some of Christ's very last

229
00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:24,480
words were to the disciple John in how he was to look after his own mama.

230
00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:28,840
But we have to understand the immediate context.

231
00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:34,520
Jesus was surrounded by a fanfare of people that wanted to join him.

232
00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:41,160
They were excited about what they had both heard and witnessed and climbing over themselves

233
00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:46,320
to be part of the action, part of the in-crowd.

234
00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:53,080
But notice it, they want to be disciples on their own terms.

235
00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:58,800
And so Jesus is emphasizing that the cost of following him in this world, well for the

236
00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:02,600
first man it was to leave career prestige and comfort.

237
00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:09,440
For this man, Jesus is emphasizing that there is nothing in this life that takes priority

238
00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:15,280
over living for Jesus and the kingdom of heaven.

239
00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:17,440
Nothing.

240
00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:22,800
Might we cast our minds back to the first disciples all the way back there in Matthew

241
00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:29,880
4 all those months ago when Jesus came to these lowly fishermen as they're casting their

242
00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:32,240
nets out into the ocean.

243
00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:37,440
And how he came up to them and he said, follow me.

244
00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:39,520
Remember their reaction.

245
00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:42,280
Remember what Matthew records.

246
00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:43,400
Immediately.

247
00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:46,960
They left their nets.

248
00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:50,040
They left their family business.

249
00:22:50,040 --> 00:22:54,120
They left everything to follow him.

250
00:22:54,120 --> 00:22:57,240
Notice Matthew doesn't say, but I just need to.

251
00:22:57,240 --> 00:22:58,840
But I just have to.

252
00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:05,080
But can I, if you're a parent of small children, maybe even larger ones, you know exactly how

253
00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:11,560
that sounds when you say, go tidy your room.

254
00:23:11,560 --> 00:23:14,680
We see an immediate reaction with these guys.

255
00:23:14,680 --> 00:23:18,440
They leave everything behind to follow Jesus.

256
00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:26,800
Which is to say, when Jesus calls us to follow him, the simple answer is yes, Lord.

257
00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:29,600
Yes, I will follow.

258
00:23:29,600 --> 00:23:34,680
Matthew is stressing in these scenes that the Lord takes priority over everything, over

259
00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:42,840
everything that comes between us and whatever he calls us to.

260
00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:49,040
I love this English theologian not only having the greatest beard maybe to ever hear England,

261
00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:55,560
but JC Ryle once said, nothing has done more harm to Christianity than the practice of

262
00:23:55,560 --> 00:24:00,720
fulfilling the ranks of Christ's army with volunteers who were willing to make just a

263
00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:02,720
little profession.

264
00:24:02,720 --> 00:24:06,560
That's what Matthew is showing us here.

265
00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:10,280
Jesus, he's turning away people.

266
00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:15,680
He warrants unconditional trust, undivided attention.

267
00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:22,240
So I might ask of us this morning, all of us, is the Lordship of Christ evident in our

268
00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:23,640
lives?

269
00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:29,080
When we heard all those years ago or even recently, follow me, have we done so?

270
00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:33,400
Again, this is between you and God.

271
00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:39,240
But would you say that as the Holy Spirit has revealed things in your life through the

272
00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:47,400
Word to be hindering and hurting your discipleship, that you've pleaded to put that thing to death,

273
00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:51,080
to leave it behind for the sake of the kingdom?

274
00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:58,040
Would you say that as things have presented themselves to you to threaten to take priority

275
00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:06,120
over following Christ, like relationships, worldly expectations, responsibilities, even

276
00:25:06,120 --> 00:25:12,040
homes and family, have you resolved in your heart and said no?

277
00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:13,360
I belong to Christ.

278
00:25:13,360 --> 00:25:14,640
I belong to his kingdom.

279
00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:16,280
I belong to eternity.

280
00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:17,840
I'm his.

281
00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:21,360
All of me is his.

282
00:25:21,360 --> 00:25:32,440
It's the evidence of an undivided heart in our Christian walk church, in our discipleship.

283
00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:37,680
So the first thing we see is Jesus expects that those who would follow him count the

284
00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:42,840
cost and be willing to leave it all for him and his kingdom.

285
00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:48,040
The second thing we learn is that our Lord wants us to follow him as our first priority.

286
00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:57,320
The third thing we see is that Jesus wants us to trust him with it all, verses 23 to

287
00:25:57,320 --> 00:25:58,320
27.

288
00:25:58,320 --> 00:26:02,600
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.

289
00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:08,000
Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake so that the waves swept over the boat.

290
00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:09,840
But Jesus was sleeping.

291
00:26:09,840 --> 00:26:13,040
The disciples went and woke him saying, Lord, save us.

292
00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:14,040
We're going to drown.

293
00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:19,200
He replied, you of little faith, why are you so afraid?

294
00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:25,680
Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves and it was completely calm.

295
00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:31,560
The men were amazed and asked, what kind of man is this?

296
00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:37,960
Even the winds and the waves obey him.

297
00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:43,560
Now church, think about the details that Matthew has just given to us here.

298
00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:45,520
Think about it for a moment.

299
00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:53,040
The context, these were experienced guys, experienced living their lives in this lake

300
00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:54,040
fishing.

301
00:26:54,040 --> 00:26:58,680
Surely they had come up against storms before.

302
00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:03,160
Surely they were used to this kind of weather and their fishing.

303
00:27:03,160 --> 00:27:08,920
But for whatever reason, this storm is an absolute doozy.

304
00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:15,760
The disciples freak out so much so that they fear for their very lives.

305
00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:20,720
So it's telling what they start thinking about Jesus.

306
00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:28,640
They cry out to the only guy that we're told is the son of a carpenter who's asleep mind

307
00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:29,640
you.

308
00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:34,160
They're saying, Lord, save us, we're going to drown.

309
00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:38,400
This is where Jesus does something absolutely astounding.

310
00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:47,080
We've read, he got up, he rebuked the winds and the waves and it was completely calm.

311
00:27:47,080 --> 00:27:54,640
Unfortunately, it's at this point that many sermons on this text jump into some sort of

312
00:27:54,640 --> 00:28:01,960
weird promises that Jesus is going to change the storms of your life and that those storms

313
00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:08,040
of money issues and relationships and health are all going to change.

314
00:28:08,040 --> 00:28:14,200
But the only problem with that, that's not the point of this passage.

315
00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:22,280
Now what Matthew wants to point out to us here is so much deeper than all of those things.

316
00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:29,280
And we're meant to be asking the same questions, the same questions that the disciples are

317
00:28:29,280 --> 00:28:33,120
asking there in verse 27.

318
00:28:33,120 --> 00:28:36,240
What kind of man is this?

319
00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:41,040
Even the winds and the waves obey him.

320
00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:52,200
You see, this is a group of Jewish men and they knew that only the God of Israel, Yahweh,

321
00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:58,080
only he was able to direct the wind and the waves like they had heard about in the Book

322
00:28:58,080 --> 00:28:59,580
of Jonah.

323
00:28:59,580 --> 00:29:09,320
Like it was preached by the psalmist, oh Lord, God of hosts, who is as mighty as you are?

324
00:29:09,320 --> 00:29:12,880
You rule the raging sea.

325
00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:18,720
When its waves rise, you calm them.

326
00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:25,760
You see this whole picture is meant to be pointing us yet again to the real identity

327
00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:27,400
of Jesus Christ.

328
00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:35,360
Yes, though a man, he is no ordinary man and his disciples are starting to realize that.

329
00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:43,840
This Jesus, this Son of Man is in fact, as John will say many, many years later, God with

330
00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:46,280
us.

331
00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:49,080
That's what we're meant to see here.

332
00:29:49,080 --> 00:29:56,040
This isn't just a great teacher or miracle worker who knew a lot about the Scriptures

333
00:29:56,040 --> 00:29:58,480
and could explain it to the masses.

334
00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:07,720
Now this authority that belongs to God is the authority that belongs to Jesus because

335
00:30:07,720 --> 00:30:14,320
he is the God man.

336
00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:20,840
God's insistence in conclusion, the promise of this whole passage isn't that the storms

337
00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:27,040
of our lives will end soon or simply go away because you're a disciple of Jesus.

338
00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:35,760
Now the promise is that this Jesus who has all power and authority of heaven who continues

339
00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:43,920
to control all things, well it is he himself who has called us to be his disciples.

340
00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:51,320
He is his disciples in this world and it is he who has called us to trust him no matter

341
00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:54,440
what our circumstances are.

342
00:30:54,440 --> 00:30:55,760
That's what we're meant to see here.

343
00:30:55,760 --> 00:31:03,040
This Jesus is God so we follow him, we bow down to him, we pray to him, we worship him

344
00:31:03,040 --> 00:31:10,800
and trust him with everything that we are and have no matter what comes.

345
00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:16,120
We're to trust him because Jesus is sovereign.

346
00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:19,440
He is the God, the creator of the universe.

347
00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:26,040
That's who we have put our faith in, who we are to continually put our faith in no matter

348
00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:29,680
the circumstances.

349
00:31:29,680 --> 00:31:38,280
And we see here in our text that we can cry out to him, cry out to him when we are faithless.

350
00:31:38,280 --> 00:31:42,720
So as we end our time in this wonderful part of scripture this morning, I want to sum it

351
00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:44,880
up for you like this.

352
00:31:44,880 --> 00:31:51,440
We're to have faith in Jesus, count the cost of following him and pay the price of discipleship.

353
00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:57,240
I'll say it again, we're to have faith in Jesus, count the cost of following him and

354
00:31:57,240 --> 00:32:00,440
pay the price of discipleship.

355
00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:02,720
But I want to end on this.

356
00:32:02,720 --> 00:32:07,200
Look who has called us to himself.

357
00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:12,400
He is the one who when he speaks leprosy obeys.

358
00:32:12,400 --> 00:32:16,280
He is the one who speaks and paralysis obeys.

359
00:32:16,280 --> 00:32:20,120
He is the one who speaks and fever obeys.

360
00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:23,080
He's the one who speaks and demons flee.

361
00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:27,000
He's the one who speaks and nature obeys.

362
00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:32,080
He's the one who has conquered all things including death itself.

363
00:32:32,080 --> 00:32:37,720
He's the one who sits in the heavens with all power and heaven and on earth in his hands.

364
00:32:37,720 --> 00:32:43,280
The one whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.

365
00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:45,800
The one who is coming again.

366
00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:52,400
Church, we're not following, we're not the disciples of some first century teacher from

367
00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:58,520
some backwater town that's relegated to the annuals of history who's begging for our attention

368
00:32:58,520 --> 00:32:59,520
and allegiance.

369
00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:09,320
Now this is Jesus, God Almighty who came in the flesh, who came to seek and serve and

370
00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:11,680
save his people.

371
00:33:11,680 --> 00:33:17,880
To seek, serve and save people like you and me.

372
00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:24,560
The Son of Man with the very words of God and the deeds to prove it, who has all power

373
00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:28,760
and authority over every circumstance.

374
00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:34,880
God is who has reached down into our lives, who's pulled us up from the murky clay and

375
00:33:34,880 --> 00:33:41,560
called us to follow him and trust him with all that we are, all that we have, all that

376
00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:43,560
we do.

377
00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:53,800
Yes, yes you may lose everything in the eyes of the world, but look what you gain.

378
00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:59,280
Look what you gain, you gain everything in a life walking with Jesus.

379
00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:01,800
Let's pray.

380
00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:11,720
Lord Jesus, time and time again we are reminded that you have the words of eternal life.

381
00:34:11,720 --> 00:34:19,280
Lord we are so thankful that we are not saved by our works, but saved by your works, your

382
00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:28,920
perfect works and that you have taken the punishment for our sin and raised victorious

383
00:34:28,920 --> 00:34:30,240
for our justification.

384
00:34:30,240 --> 00:34:36,800
This morning Lord Jesus we asked that by your Holy Spirit you work in our midst and cause

385
00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:40,840
us to raise our eyes to you.

386
00:34:40,840 --> 00:34:48,720
But in the doing Lord as your Spirit reveals to us where our hearts are divided, where

387
00:34:48,720 --> 00:34:55,720
we have gone off track, where we have become faithless, might we be reminded of those words

388
00:34:55,720 --> 00:35:03,480
that you said to us through your Apostle Paul, when we are faithless you remain faithful.

389
00:35:03,480 --> 00:35:11,360
Father would you please heal us of our divided hearts, would you cause us to see that you

390
00:35:11,360 --> 00:35:18,440
are the one to follow, no matter the cost, no matter where you take us.

391
00:35:18,440 --> 00:35:23,640
And that you would use Grace Christian Church, these wonderful blood purchased people that

392
00:35:23,640 --> 00:35:29,280
you have called to yourself for your kingdom and your glory in your power.

393
00:35:29,280 --> 00:35:31,080
We ask for this in Jesus' name.

394
00:35:31,080 --> 00:35:50,760
Amen.