Pt. 6: Prescription for Discipleship
Luke 14:27, 9:23–25; Matthew 10:38, 16:24–26; Mark 1:16–20 John 21:19–22
1.
What Jesus Means by “Follow Me”
Four
times in Luke 14, Jesus specifically said who “cannot be” His disciple: if you
do not follow Christ, you cannot be His disciple.
To follow Jesus is to reorient
identity, loyalty, and daily life around Him. It is not merely believing in Him
but apprenticing under Him. Following
Jesus means learning His way, obeying His voice, and walking in His steps.
2.
What Following Jesus Requires
A. Surrender of Self: following Jesus
begins with denying self and laying down personal agendas, preferences, and
self‑rule.
B. Daily Obedience: the cross is not
a one‑time event but a daily posture. See Luke 9:23 below
C. Immediate Response: the first
disciples did not negotiate or delay.
D. Lifelong Faithfulness: Peter’s
restoration shows that following Jesus is a lifelong call, even after failure.
See John 21:19 on back of this page.
3.
Core Scriptures
“And
whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” ............................................................................................. Luke
14:27
Similar
verses
23 Then He said
to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross daily,
and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his
life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For
what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself
destroyed or lost? Luke 9:23–25
Jesus defines discipleship as
self‑denial, daily cross‑bearing, and following Him. This is the clearest and
most comprehensive “Follow Me” passage.
“And he who does not take his cross and follow after
Me is not worthy of Me.” Matthew 10:38
Following Jesus requires taking up
the cross. No one is worthy of Him who
refuses this call.
24 Then Jesus said to His
disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires
to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find
it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the
whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for
his soul? Matthew 16:24–26
This is like Luke 14:27, and 9:23–25,
emphasizing the exchange of life or losing life for Christ to find true life.
16 And as
He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a
net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 Then Jesus
said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 They
immediately left their nets and followed Him. 19 When He had
gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee,
and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their
nets. 20 And immediately He called them, and they left
their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and went after Him.......................................................... Mark
1:16–20
James
and John leave their nets and family business.
A narrative example of immediate obedience. This is the first call to
Peter.
18 Most
assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked
where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and
another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” 19 This
He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken
this, He said to him, “Follow Me.” 20 Then Peter,
turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had
leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays
You?” 21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord,
what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If
I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow
Me.” John 21:19–22
And this is Jesus’s final personal call to Peter, “Follow
Me.” A summons to faithfulness even
unto death.
4.
What Following Jesus Produces
A. A Changed Life: following Jesus
reshapes character, desires, and habits.
B. A New Mission: “Follow Me”
leads to “I will make you fishers of men.” Disciples become
disciple‑makers.
C. A New Future: Following Him leads
to a prepared place and eternal hope.
1. What part of Jesus’s call to
“Follow Me”
is most challenging for you right now?
2. What “nets” or “boats” might Jesus
be asking you to leave?
3. How does cross‑bearing show in
your life? What about “daily”
4. Where do you sense Jesus saying
“Follow Me” today?
