What makes someone a follower of Jesus? Going to church? Donating money to good causes? Trying to be a good person? The answer is actually much simpler: all we have to do is follow the Leader. In this message, Dr. Stanley outlines exactly how to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, surrendering our lives and mirroring His life of prayer, service, and sacrifice. For more messages from Charles Stanley, including this week’s broadcast, go to www.intouch.org/watch
if i should ask you
simple question are you a follower of
jesus
how would you answer that
are you a follower of jesus well if i
ask that to some people they would say
do you mean
do i believe in god no i just said are
you a follower of jesus
well they might respond well i know
about him
that’s not the question and oftentimes
they would say well i do attend church
that that’s that’s not the question
either or they might say
when i go to church every once in a
while they observe communion and i
participate in that
no i ask you if you are a follower of
jesus
well i give to good causes
that’s not the question well
i think i’m a pretty good person i
didn’t ask you that
um i try to live a good life i don’t
drink and run around on my wife
i didn’t ask you that i pray
when i feel like i have a need of it and
ask you to ask you
if you were a follower of jesus
it’s amazing how many people have
different answers and then
i do consider myself a religious person
i didn’t ask you that either
well my parents were very religious
and i didn’t ask you that either and the
truth is
all of those answers any one of them or
all of them together
would not equal whether you’re a
follower of jesus or not
and many people think if certain
activities are true in their life
certain experiences then they they must
be a follower of jesus they must be a
christian
not necessarily so and so
i want you to turn if you will to
matthew chapter 4
and look at this 18th verse
are you a follower of jesus listen to
what the scripture says
the 18th verse of matthew 4. now as
jesus was walking by the sea of galilee
he saw two brothers simon
who was called peter and andrew his
brother casting a net into the sea for
they were fishermen
and he that is jesus said to them follow
me
and i will make you fishes of men
and they immediately left their nets and
began to follow jesus
where does jesus christ fit into your
life
and so when i think about that that’s
going to be the title of this message
following jesus so what i’d like to do
in this message i’d like to give you
the activities the experiences of a true
follow of jesus so that you can decide
whether you are not
because there are certain things that
are absolutely essential
to a follower of jesus many people think
they are
many people are not sure many people
know
they’re not and many people
truly are followers of jesus so
the purpose of this message is simply to
clarify that
so i hope you have a pen and a pencil or
a piece of paper and i want you to write
this down
because when somebody says are you a
follower of jesus
you can say yes specifically
if you know how to say yes
and i want you to examine your heart and
ask yourself the question not that you
go to church not have you been baptized
not have you taken communion
not have you done all these things but
am i true follower of jesus so
what does the true follow-up jesus look
like
what does it sound like what are the
evidences what are the experiences of a
true follower of jesus
so i trust that you’ll write them down
now to be a follower of jesus
step number one you must be born again
john 3
3 says truly truly i say to you
unless one is born again he cannot see
the kingdom of god or enter the kingdom
of god
so the first basic step of being a
follower of jesus is being born again
so forget the church business baptism
and all that stuff
it’s being born again which is a matter
of confessing your sins
surrendering your life to christ
accepting his forgiveness of your life
and beginning to walk in his ways
first of all being born again have you
ever been born again jesus could not
have made it more clear
when he said being born again not just
being better
not just improving being born again
as a result of your confession
repentance and surrender
your life to christ is savion lord step
number one did you get that say amen
step number two and that is
if you’re a follower of jesus you’re
going to be a person who prays
listen to what he says an example of
jesus in luke 6
verse 12 it was at that time
that he went off to the mountain to pray
and he spent the whole night
in prayer to god well somebody says well
i pray how often do you pray well once
in a while no
if you are really a follower of jesus
prayer
is a major part of your life in fact how
do you start the day off
living in this world without talking to
god and how do you go to sleep at night
with perfect security without talking to
god how do you face the issues in life
without prayer that is prayer should be
a habit
and not only a habit but a very
important part of our life
pray about what pray about everything
and jesus prayed about many things
but what i want you to notice is this he
watch this this is the son of god he
began
his day alone with god how many times
have
i mentioned that to you about starting
the day with prayer and getting along
having a quiet time if you’re going to
be a follower of jesus
a follower does what the leader does
right
so first of all you’re born again and
secondly you’re going to make
prayer a very very vital
habit in your life so i would ask you
this question
most of you consider yourselves
followers of jesus
where does prayer fit in your daily life
is it something you do when you get in
trouble when you have a need when you
get sick
if you think about it or you almost had
an accident you thank god
but prayer pray without ceasing the
scripture
says jesus began his day
not just in this verse but other verses
began his day
alone talking to the lord and of course
the disciples they couldn’t stand it
they’re there to find them and interrupt
him
but prayer is the second very vital part
thirdly if you
really and truly are a follower of jesus
you’re going to listen to him in matthew
chapter 17
verse 5. listen what the scripture says
while he was still speaking a bright
cloud overshadowed them and behold a
voice
out of the cloud said this is my beloved
son
with whom i am well pleased
listen to him that’s the scripture
and i believe one of the greatest
weaknesses
among believers is failing to listen to
god
god is the sovereign god of this
universe
lord master over all things who
requires our obedience surrender and
our acknowledgement of his
rule as god in this society and in this
world
how many of us are listening to him
when is the last time you got on your
knees or you got by yourself and your
particular place the praying just said
lord today
i’m not going to tell you anything i
just want to listen to you
lord you say well i’ve listened to god
and he didn’t say a thing
do you know why the attitude wasn’t
right
the sovereign god of the universe who
loved you enough to send jesus to die
for your sins
is always available to hear the prayers
of his children who come to him
in sincerity it doesn’t mean we have to
come to him all
confessed up because sometimes we come
to him in order to
confess and repent of our sin whatever
it might be
but a follower of jesus is the person
who prays
and the person who listens to god as
well as talk to god
so i would ask you the question have you
been born again
what place does prayer have in your life
and how often do you take time
to listen to him or do you all do all
the talking
and many people pray like this lord i’m
coming to you today for my needs you
know all my needs and i’m trusting you
to protect me watch over me and care for
me
and you know what i’d like to have you
know the things in life on my prayer
list
and i’m going to trust you take care of
me today in jesus name amen
that is all about me myself
and i not all about or any of all about
worshiping holy god who deserves our
allegiance and obedience to walk
faithfully before him number four
if i’m going to be a follower of jesus i
must believe him
this simple verse for god so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten
son that whoever believes in him will
not perish but have everlasting life
trusting him faith in him john 3 16 for
example that verse
is absolutely essential in order for us
to follow him
if i don’t believe him i’m not going to
do what he says
if i don’t believe him i’m not going to
obey him if i don’t believe him
i’m not going to walk in his ways if i
don’t believe him i’m going to live my
life centered around what i want when i
want it
whatever that might be can you honestly
and truly say
i live by faith i trust god for my needs
i trust god for my difficulties hardship
pain
i trust god when i’m in a sense of
facing
temptation what part does faith have
in my daily life in a practical
kind of life so
number five if i’m a follower of
jesus i’m going to obey
i’m going to obey john 8
12 says i am the light of the world
he who follows me will not walk in
darkness
but will have the light of life that
is who follows me who obeys me
if i’m really and truly a follower of
jesus
obedience is absolutely essential and
besides that
it’s the desire of my heart if i
understand who jesus
is i would be absolutely foolish not to
obey him
the bible says the wages of sin is what
that’s pretty weak the wages of sin is
what
death right why do i want to sin against
god
if i know that ultimately there’s going
to be death
not just physical death it could be
death to my true
ability to love somebody it could be
death
to my opportunity from god to be blessed
financially because i’m disobeying him
financially
and we should go right down the line
obedience
is absolutely essential to being a
follower of jesus
and you say well why do you spend all
that time with that
let me ask you a question why did you
spend most of those early
hours and days of your children’s lives
saying that it’s what you must do
i want you to grow up to be and you were
teaching your children to do what
to obey you because you wanted them to
grow up and be the best they could be
if you follow jesus you obey him
if you don’t obey him you thank him for
sending you enough heartache and
troubles and trials
to correct your sense of misdirection in
life
obedience to him is absolutely essential
and people don’t like to talk about
obeying god they want to talk about
how good god is for sure god’s good and
you know one of the reasons he’s so good
is because he teaches us to obey him
who is the source of every good thing
that comes our way
now i hope you write these down and i’m
trusting you when you before you go to
bed tonight
check yourself out in fact it’d be a
good idea
if you had this list right by your bed
so you would say okay lord
i know i’m a follower of you so i know
i’m born again
i’m praying and listening in other words
check yourself out
a true follower of jesus christ is going
to do
every single one of these so far we’re
right correct
amen that’s pretty weak but you’ll wake
up in a minute
you’re going to obey him and then
you’re going to love him if you’re going
to follow him
you’re going to love him listen to mark
12 30. you shall love the lord your god
with all your heart with all your soul
and with all your mind and with all your
strength
look at that love the lord your god with
all your heart
not a divided heart half in the world
and half with god
all your heart with all your soul that
is all your very being
your whole personality and
he says with all your mind that is if i
love it watch this
if i love god with all my mind i’m going
to be careful
what i place in my mind what i think
about
who i think about and the kind of
thoughts i have
if i’m a true follower of jesus and love
him with all my heart soul
and my mind i’m going to be very careful
what i place in my mind you can’t listen
you cannot love the lord your god with
all your heart
and sit and watch something on
television that absolutely messes up
your mind
challenges your sense of obedience
challenges your sense of purity in your
heart now if you really and truly
love him and we come to this whole issue
of loving him
that love is going to affect what i
think
the way i think where i go what i say
what i do
loving is going to affect every aspect
of our life
so when i think about people saying oh
yes i’m a believer i’m a follower of
jesus
and yet they’ve not even thought about
how their activities
indicate whether they’re a follower or
not
then share him that is tell somebody
else about him
listen to what he said in matthew 28 19
you know these verses go therefore
and make disciples of all the nations
that is spread the word get to the truth
of the word of god
to all the nations the people who love
us the people who hate us
and i think about how that verse is
taking place today
all over the world there are people who
risk their lives
24 hours a day to get the simple truth
of the gospel
to the people around them jesus
sent his disciples into a world of
hatred
bitterness animosity and death
but it is our responsibility to get the
word out
so that means i’m to tell somebody
but let me ask you a question
when is the last time you deliberately
willfully
singled out somebody that you knew
really and truly
needed to know about the lord jesus
needed to be saved when’s the last time
you said something to them maybe just a
little something inviting them to
anything in order to get them
to the place that they’re saved and
begin to follow jesus
he said that to his disciples but he
meant for us all to do that
go into all the world and preach the
gospel yes
but we can tell them how one-on-one they
didn’t have television radio microphones
or anything
but they transformed the world of their
day and today
we have the privilege of penetrating
every single piece of earth
upon which you and i live we have the
ability
and the capacity to get it there
but here’s the truth i’m not too sure
how authentic i would be
if i were not interested in somebody
it’s one thing to say everybody what
about somebody
everybody knows somebody that you say
something to at least spark their
attention about their relationship to
god
that’s what a true follower of jesus
knows
we follow jesus not blind we
but we follow jesus sensitive to people
around us
who are not following him who
desperately need him every single one of
us knows somebody
today who needs christ in their life
a true fa watchers the true follower
doesn’t shut their ears
or their eyes or shut down their
feelings
we are sensitive to somebody else around
us who so desperately needs him
then of course number eight
serve him if i’m a true follower of
jesus
i’m going to serve him in some fashion
listen to what
the scripture says in john 12 26
if anyone serves me the father
will honor him that is crystal clear if
anyone serves me
the father will on him you want to be
blessed by god
that’s the shortest one of the shortest
promises in the word
listen if anyone serves me the father
will honor him
all of us have the capacity to serve the
lord in some fashion
well how do you serve the lord by
serving somebody else in some way
there are many many ways to serve the
lord but
the issue here i think is that he wants
us to give ourselves
away to others think about this is that
not what he did
he came into the world 30 years he lived
those working years as a carpenter and
then those last years he spent
preaching the gospel sharing the truth
and dying on a cross for you and me what
was he doing
he was serving the father
and every time you and i do something
that is
godly that’s wise that’s helpful
either in what we say or what we do what
do we do we’re serving him
so that’s what that’s what true
believers do followers of jesus
are not self-centered followers of jesus
look around them followers of jesus are
able to hurt whether people are hurting
followers of jesus
are able to discern when someone around
them is hurting
and nobody else seems to care or
understand
followers of jesus are willing to serve
others by giving to them
by encouraging them in some fashion by
presenting them with the truth of the
gospel
or presenting them with the truth of the
gospel when they don’t want to hear it
followers of jesus make a difference
and then of course this is one we don’t
like
followers of jesus suffer for him
are willing to suffer for him
philippians 1
29 is a great verse for you
it has been granted for christ’s sake
not only to believe in him but also to
suffer for his sake
now you say well i don’t know why i have
to suffer to be a christian
you may not ever have to suffer to be a
christian but if i’m going to follow
jesus i’m probably going to suffer in
some way
you say well pastors don’t suffer you
haven’t lived in our shoes
and other people well if you follow
jesus you’re going to suffer watchful
you’re going to suffer rejection by some
you may suffer financially you may
suffer
job-wise you may
suffer in relationships
if you’re a true follower of jesus some
people don’t want you
in their in their circle you know why
they don’t want you
you make them feel uncomfortable
because there’s something about your
personality that doesn’t fit who they
are
they love the world you don’t you don’t
drink what they drink go where they go
dress like they dress and so there’s
something about you that you don’t fit
but the scripture says we’re to suffer
for him
that is we’re to be where we need to be
whether we’re accepted or not
we’re to do what we need to do whether
they like it or not
we’re to share the truth of the gospel
when it’s acceptable or when it’s
rejected
true followers of jesus
now if you’ve written those down which i
trust that you have
but i’m brother said by the bedside at
your house and
but tonight before you go to bed just
look over them
you don’t have to say everything i said
just born again pray
listen believe obey love him watch this
when you right before sleep
go over something like this and you go
to sleep with that in your mind that’s
the last thing you’re thinking about
all night long your mind
is working that truth into your thought
processes when you wake up in the
morning
if you simply went over all those today
and you simply said lord i want to be a
follower
of jesus today thank you that i’m born
again and
pray and so forth and go right down the
list
it will not take you very long you’ll
know them all by heart
because your mind has been programmed to
think the way god wants you to think
and what happens god transforms our life
without even realizing what’s happening
and that’s my prayer for you now you’re
here this morning maybe you just dropped
in this a visit
or maybe you’ve been coming several
several sundays
but you’ve never been born again you’ve
never trusted jesus christ
to save you and surrender your life to
him that’s step number one
and i would encourage you because you
see the rest of this doesn’t count
forget the rest of them until you deal
with the first one
because everything else is a step upon
the first one
and if you are willing to ask the lord
jesus christ to forgive you of your sins
and you’re surrendering your life to him
today and you want to build
upon this foundation of your faith in
christ
he’s willing to forgive you of your sins
and he’s willing to start with you today
living the most awesome life you could
ever imagine
amen amen let’s stand if you will
father how grateful we are that in all
of your infinite wisdom you’ve made
truth
simple enough for all of us to
understand
and know that we could walk in obedience
to your will
etch these truths
into all of our minds and hearts father
i pray that you’ll bring to every single
person’s
memory tonight before they turn off the
last light
to read these over and to ask you to
work them into their heart
and after they turn on the light
tomorrow morning
to read them again and lord that you
would
bring them to their mind one of them or
all of them
during the day as they meet other people
listening to their heart aches and
problems and burdens
we are followers lord we want to be true
genuine life-changing followers
of jesus and we thank you for that in
christ’s name
[Music]
amen