"Don't Hold Back"
Matthew 26:36-39, 28:1-10; Not A Fan Series- 3/31/13

Introduction: I want you to think for a moment about Jesus’ last few days here on the earth. He met with the disciples and instituted the Lord’ Supper on Thursday, then He went out to pray in the garden. While in the garden He began to think what His next few hours would hold. Arrest, trial, flogging, more trial, conviction, and crucifixion. In the anguish of what He was about to experience, He cried out to the Father: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me…” Jesus was overcome by what He was about to do. Jesus was fully contemplating the commitment He had made to the Father, and to you and me.

            Fortunately for us, Jesus’ words don’t stop there. He completes His thought by saying: “…yet not what I want but what you want.” This is exactly what we need to say as followers of Jesus. Not what I want, but what Jesus wants. This is where so many people get confused about what it means to follow Jesus. They want to follow Jesus on their terms, and in their choices. They are not willing to stand strong when things get difficult.            Easter Sunday is about recognizing the full commitment that Jesus made to us. Easter Sunday is about understanding that as Jesus held nothing back, so we should hold nothing back for Jesus!

I.                   What About That?- (Luke 9:61-62; 1 Kings 19:19-21; Psalm 106:19-20)

a.      Not this- The last couple of weeks we have been looking at people who

thought they wanted to be followers, but when it came down to it, they chose to be just fans. The first man told Jesus he would go wherever Jesus went, but when Jesus told him it would mean he would be homeless, he couldn’t make the commitment. A second man called Jesus Lord, but in the end made an excuse of why he couldn’t follow Jesus right away. He told Jesus now wasn’t a good time.

            This morning we look at a third man who tells Jesus he will follow Him. It comes from Luke 9:61, “Still another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.’” Again, it seems that this man wants to be a follower. “I will follow You, Lord,” he says. There are some similarities between this man and the man we talked about last week. This man agrees to follow Jesus, but not right at that moment. Like the man before him, he says to Jesus: “First…” He first wants to say goodbye to his family.

            The request doesn’t seem out of place. The man knows he will be busy with his training with Jesus, and with his traveling with Jesus. What is wrong with going home and telling the family goodbye and giving them a quick hug?

         If you look at the custom back then of saying goodbye to your family when you were leaving somewhere, you see that it requires numerous farewell parties that last a period of weeks. Jesus tells the man in no uncertain terms, in verse 62, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Jesus knows that this man’s request reveals where his heart truly lies. It’s not that this man didn’t have a desire to follow Jesus, it is that following Jesus was not his top priority. Jesus tells the people around Him, and tells us today, that if you are not willing to leave everything behind, it won’t work to follow Jesus. If you’re not willing to go “all-in,” then there will always be something that pulls you away from truly following Jesus.

In fact, you might see that happen in your life from time to time. You make a commitment to go to church every week, but then things come up on Sunday that you have to do instead. You want to be more prayerful and connected with God’s word, but all the responsibilities of life keep you from giving much time to those things. We tend to allow things to become more important than following Jesus if we are not fully committed followers.

Ex. There was a practice that was allowed by the church way back when. If someone who belonged to the Knights of Templar became a Christian and was to be baptized, during the immersion they would hold their sword above the water while their body went under the water. It was their way of saying to Jesus: “You can have control of me but you can’t have this. I’m all yours, but the sword is not part of the deal.”

Is there something that you haven’t given Jesus control over? Have you said to Jesus, “You can have me, but not this?”

b.      Surrender everything- Jesus doesn’t want followers who have a

divided affection or a split allegiance. Jesus points to those things that we value most and asks us if we are willing to give them over to Him. Not too long ago we sang the song “I Surrender All,” and this is what Jesus wants from followers.

            Let me give you some examples that might challenge you in this…

For Jean Jesus was asking, “What about food?” For years she had turned to food rather than Jesus as her source of comfort and satisfaction. To Joe Jesus asked about his entertainment choices. Would he give up movies and TV shows that didn’t honor God? Jesus says to Stephanie: “What about your kids?” Her life revolved so much around her kids that she couldn’t find time for Jesus.

            There’s a great story in the Old Testament, in 1 Kings 19, where Elijah is told to go and choose Elisha as his successor. When he finds him, Elisha is plowing the field with twelve yoke of oxen. Having 12 oxen meant that Elisha was doing pretty well for himself. Elijah offers the call to Elisha, and at first Elisha says: “Let me first kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” That sounds kind of familiar, doesn’t it? Like what the man said to Jesus in Luke 9:61. Elijah responds by indicating that is not how following is to be done. In the end Elisha realizes that he can’t keep even a part of his business on the side, so he slaughtered his oxen and burned his equipment, and then he followed!

            We need to understand that Jesus loves us so much that He died so that we could have a relationship with Him, and He could have one with us! He will not let you share your heart with anyone or anything. He will settle for nothing less than complete devotion. He made no comprises when He came to this earth to give up His life. He expects us, when we choose to be followers, to make no compromises.

            When we surrender those things that might have a higher place in our lives than Jesus, we will discover the satisfaction that comes from being a true follower. When we make this full commitment, we will see what we were missing when we were holding back on Jesus.

            Jim Elliot, the famous missionary who gave his life trying to reach the Auca Indians of Ecuador put it this way: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

            Psalm 106:19-20 reflects back on the Israelites worshiping a golden calf while Moses was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments from God. Here’s how the psalmist explains what they did: “They made a calf at Mount Sinai; they bowed before an image made of gold. They traded their glorious God for a statue of a grass-eating bull.” I don’t know about you, but when I read that, I realize they did not make a good trade. Often we don’t understand the trade we are making when we allow something or someone else to have a higher place than Jesus!

II.                No reserves, no retreat, no regrets- (Psalm 37:4)

a.      Don’t hold back- The things that make this life so amazing, also can

be the biggest roadblocks to our following Jesus. Have you exchanged obediently following Jesus for a car that can really handle the corners? Have you exchanged following Jesus for a job that pays a little more than what you were making, but requires much more time? Have you exchanged obediently following Jesus for a weekend of fun? These are not good exchanges. Too many times we allow these good things to become God things. Too many times they become too important to us and keep us from following Christ with our whole hearts.

            I’ve noticed that at Memorial services one of the most powerful times is the sharing of stories of the person’s life. It is wonderful to hear the fun and meaningful things they have done with their life. It is nice to see how this person is remembered for the way he or she lived their life. And yet, the most meaningful thing that can be shared about the person is that they loved Jesus. Even more, that they served Jesus. Those services I do where the person gave their life fully to Jesus is the service where there is the most fulfillment of a life well lived.

            What is it that is competing for your allegiance to Christ? How do you need to let go of the plow and move forward to follow Jesus? If you can do this, then you will come to know the joy and satisfaction that finally comes when you go all-in.

            EX. William Borden was a multi-millionaire. He was born in the late 1800’s; an heir to a family fortune. He was an Ivy-league graduate, having earned an undergraduate degree at Yale and a graduate degree from Princeton. But more importantly to William Borden, was that he was a follower of Christ. He chose to leave his millions and follow the call of Jesus to an unreached Muslim group.              Long before he had made this decision to go to the mission field he wrote these two words in his Bible: NO RESERVES. He knew that for him to do this well he had to make a complete commitment to Jesus. During his time at Yale he had worked with the homeless and hurting in the streets of New Haven. He founded and personally funded the Yale Hope Mission in an effort to rehabilitate alcoholics and addicts. At this time he wrote in his Bible the words: NO RETREATS. He knew that to follow Jesus meant that he couldn’t look back.    Before going to the mission field William Borden went to Egypt to learn the Arabic language to prepare for his ministry to Muslims. While in Egypt he caught spinal meningitis and died one month later at the age of twenty-five. There could be some that would say he didn’t make a good trade. He gave up much to serve Jesus and follow the call he had received. He died before he could even reach the mission field. But this man sparked a revival at Yale and ministered to hundreds through his Mission. He also inspired thousands of missionaries by his complete commitment to Christ. After his death there were three phrases in his Bible: No Reserves; No Retreats; No Regrets. William Borden chose to not hold back in his following!

b.      Your story- I want you to imagine for a moment that your life has

ended, but before you get to heaven you find yourself in a movie theatre. As the movie begins to play you see familiar faces: your friends, your parents, your family, your spouse, your children. Then you realize that you are the star of the movie; it is your story. You see the meanings behind your decisions. You chose to hang out with friends who weren’t Christians, and this kept you from going to church… Then the scene replays itself, but something different happens. You choose to go to church and choose a new group of friends. You commit yourself to Christ because of this.

            Now I could go on and on with this scenario: the choice you made verses the choice you should have made. How often have you made a choice that was not for Christ, but for you, and it didn’t bring you closer to God? How many situations in your life would you do over again and make a different choice? If you thought like a follower, and not like a fan, what might be different in the way you lived your life?

One of the most common reasons that people give for not following Jesus is they want to get their lives together first. It sounds noble, but the truth is that the only way you can get your life together is to give it to Jesus. When Jesus invites you to follow Him, His invitation comes to you right where you are. He doesn’t want you to wait until tomorrow in hopes that you will finally be heading down the right path; He wants you to say yes today and He will lead you out of where you are now to the right path.

            When you get to the end of your life, will you be able to say to Jesus: I lived with no reserve, no retreat, and no regret? What would it take for you to be able to say that? Our lives will not be perfect, but they sure can be going in the right direction most of the time. This will happen if we choose to follow Jesus without concern, without excuse, and without hesitation. The life we will live when we follow Jesus will indeed be a life with no regrets. As Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” As your desires come in line with God’s desires, He will lead you to live a life of fulfillment, purpose, meaning, and fruitfulness. When you are done living, this world will not be the same because you spent time here living for the Lord!

Conclusion: Many cars today have a GPS. To use this GPS you put in the address where you are going, and the car will direct you as you drive. It will give you the path you are to follow to get to your destination. The Bible is our GPS for our lives. We need to know that our destination is with God in heaven. The Bible tells us how to do this in a way that is faithfully lived: follow Jesus.

            What is even better, is that Jesus has shown us the way. He came to this earth and lived a life that is worthy to follow. He also died so that we could not have to be slaves to sin, but slaves to God. He was resurrected on Easter Sunday so that He is now in heaven, at the right hand of God the Father. He is alive. He is alive to empower us. He is alive to guide us. He is alive to offer us forgiveness and restoration. Let us give thanks and praise to Jesus, for being our Savior, AND for being our Lord. For dying for us, and for being raise from the dead. Let us understand that this is a sign of new life. New life spiritually, and new life for our church. In Jesus, when we follow, all will be well, wherever we may go. Amen.