1. WELCOME GWU- SPRINGVALE CHURCH DEC. 27 2009 “I WILL SING OF THE LORD’S GREAT LOVE FOREVER; WITH MY MOUTH I WILL MAKE YOUR FAITHFULNESS KNOWN THROUGH ALL GENERATIONS. I WILL DECLARE THAT YOUR LOVE STANDS FIRM FOREVER, THAT YOU ESTABLISHED YOUR FAITHFULNESS IN HEAVEN ITSELF.” Psalm 89:1-2

2. DEC. 27, 2009 TITLE: Follow Me: An Invitation to High Adventure Scripture Reading: Matthew 4:18-22 Introduction: all of us are seeking adventure and excitement in some way or another. Many hear the call of the sea and interpret this as a command, and consequently they sail the high seas from one country to another. Others have heard the call of the wild and have spent their lives on the frontiers of human activity and progress. Some have heard the call of the field and have spent their lives out in the open among living things. Others have heard the call of gold and find themselves chasing dollars. From time to time, some of us hear the call of the water, and we find ourselves sitting on the bank of a stream or in a boat on a lake or sea.

3. If we would want the deepest satisfaction that the heart can experience, with the ear of the soul we need to hear the call of God and respond with faith and faithfulness to his love and grace for our lives. The greatest pleasure and the highest sense of self- satisfaction that one can know is to have the assurance that he knows the eternal God and that he is living his life in cooperation with God’s purpose. The Promise of this invitation. “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). This invitation from our Lord is a command. Jesus was saying to these men, I will take your techniques and your methods, and I will give you the thrill of bringing into a person’s life the greatest possible joy that can come to him.”

4. The call of the sea promises excitement. The call of the wild promises game. The call of the field promises fruit. The call of the water promises fish. The call of gold promises profit.Usually there are those among Us who have responded to the call of gold with all of their minds, Hearts, souls, And energy. Some of us have reaped a part of the promise of plenty, but some of Us have not . A false god always promises plenty. But it never completely satisfies. It always disappoints. The call of the Lord promises souls for our rewards.The Joy and delight of helping someone experience the love, Mercy, and grace of God are excelled by no other thrill and excitement. Jesus said, “If you will come and follow me. I will take you with your experience, skills, and talents and teach you and train you to become the means by which others will be saved.”There is no

5. Greater service you can render an individual than to lead him to Jesus Christ as Savior. II. The invitation explained and applied. Jesus is extending an invitation for people to invest their lives in that which is of present and eternal significance. Being a genuine Christian means more than attending church. If we want to follow Jesus, we must accept his attitudes. We must accept his attitudes as our attitudes, his ideas as our ideas, his concepts as our concepts, and his values as our values. Paul said to the Philippians, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus”(Phil.2:5). Accepting the mind of Jesus Christ as our viewpoint is repentance in positive terms. If we want to follow Jesus, we must identify with his ambitions. 1. To do the will of God in all things. What was deep within the mind of Jesus Christ that caused him to be willing to go to the

6. Cross and die for us? He came to the world to do the will of God in all things. This was his supreme objective (Luke 22:42; John 4:34). 2. To serve the needs of others (Mark 10:45). 3. To make known the good news of God’s love to others. For this Jesus lived, died and arose. C. If we want to follow Jesus today, we must adopt his affections. What did Jesus love 1. He loved God supremely. 2. He loved people sacrificially to the extent of dying for us. D. If we want to follow Jesus, we must imitate his actions. People will begin to see Jesus in us only after we think as he thought, love as he loved, and redirect our lives according to his purpose.

7. III. The gracious invitation is extended. A. To Philip, the spiritual leader. “The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, He said to him, Follow Me.” (John 1:43). B. To Peter, Andrew, James, and John who were professional fishermen. They heard and heeded the invitation of Jesus (Matthew 4:19). C. To Matthew the Tax collector. “AS Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of Custom: and he saith unto him Follow me. And he arose, and followed him” (Matt. 9:9). 1. Matthew gave up a comfortable job, but he found a destiny. 2. Matthew lost a good income but found honor. 3. Matthew lost a comfortable security, but he found an adventure he never could have imagined.

8. Conclusion: “And they straightway left their nets and followed him.” Do you suppose that Jesus’ disciples ever regretted following him, accepting his attitudes, identifying with his ambitions, imitating and accepting his affections, and letting their actions become such that even their enemies took knowledge of the fact that they had been with him?