Lesson 255: "Follow the Leader"
Many times when a person becomes a Christian they will immediately experience temptations, trials, criticisms and hardships. To most, this is discouraging and some even begin to wonder why they ever wanted to be a Christian. It sometimes seems to them that life was much easier when they were living the “worldly life” and some find it too hard to resist this life when first becoming a follower of God. Christianity and non-Christianity alike are about following the leader; whether that leader is God or Satan. Jesus Christ stands at the door and knocks, offering you salvation and eternal life (Rev. 3:20-21) and Satan, who is sin, crouches at your door desiring to master you (Gen. 4:7). If you follow Jesus into baptism, you can be sure that Satan will snatch you into temptation just as he did Jesus (Matt. 3:13-17, 4:1). Understand that the devil did not take Jesus into the desert for this period of testing but instead this was under God’s direction; a time in which the Son obeyed (Heb. 5:8-9). It was impossible for the Divine Son to sin and give in to the tests but He had to endure until the tests were completed. He knew His Father would be with Him just as the Father promised that He would be with all Christians who are tempted (1 Cor. 10:13, 2 Thess. 3:3).
What ever or whom ever you follow usually becomes your master because when you offer yourself to someone, to obey him, you are slaves to that one. If you are a slave to sin, which is mastered by Satan, then you will follow him to death. But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the teaching of God’s Word and have been set free from sin and now are slaves to righteousness. What benefits did you reap from living in sin? Are you ashamed of what you have to show for your sin? Now that you are a follower of Jesus Christ the benefit you reap leads to holiness and the result is eternal life (Rom. 6:15-23). If you feel “tempted” to do evil it is not God that is tempting you but the devil and your own evil desires. This desire gives birth to sin and sin, when allowed to grow to maturity, gives birth to death (James 1:13-18, Rom. 6:23). Following Christ will mean that you have to “squeeze” into places such as the narrow gate that only a few find (Matt. 7:13-14). The devil wants everyone to find his “gate” so he makes a wide path to go through it but it leads directly to destruction.
True discipleship involves following Christ and doing His will, wherever that path might lead. Jesus told His disciples that they must take up their cross and follow Him, denying themselves (Matt. 16:24-27). In the Roman Empire a convicted criminal, when taken to be crucified, was forced to carry his own cross. This showed publicly that he was then under and submissive to the rule he had been opposing. Although God does not force anyone to follow Him, once you do you must demonstrate submission to the ONE against you rebelled while you were yet an unbeliever. Jesus knew the scripture, drew His authority from them and based His words upon them. Those who follow Him must do the same, remembering to not go beyond what is written (1 Cor. 4:6). Charles Colson writes that it is no frivolous matter to hear the voice of God and certainly it is an awesome trust to deign to speak for Him. Luther said that preaching made his knees knock and Spurgeon, the brilliant British preacher, said he trembled lest he should misinterpret the Word. When we submit to following Jesus Christ, then we must also commit to following His Word.
When Jesus called Peter and Andrew, He said; “follow me”; when He called Matthew, He said; “follow me”; we don’t know what He “called out” to James and John but they immediately left the boat and followed Him (Matt. 4: 18-22, 9:9). Notice that Jesus did not tell His disciples what they would be doing when He called them except that they would be fishers of men. No details! In Matthew 10 we find that He called His twelve together and sent them out with instructions. When Jesus calls your name, He may not give you detailed instructions until you have made the decision to follow Him. God did not cut off the water of the Jordan until AFTER the priests with the Ark of the Lord set foot in the waters (Jos. 3:13). Jesus said that His sheep listens to His voice and follows Him and He gives them eternal life (John 10:27-30), but the thief (Satan) comes to steal and kill and destroy and the ones who choose to follow him will be thrown into the lake of fire with him (John 10:10, Rev. 20:10, 15).
Follow the leader in the school yard game is great fun; follow the leader in real life is serious business! Make sure you are following the One that can lead you to Heaven. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the ONE who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28). “If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Your decision will last an eternity. Make it the right one!