Matthew 9:9-13
"Take two steps forward and two steps back."
“I just can’t do all that.”
Serving God is not keeping all the rules.
Are you more interested in getting the rules right or building a one-on-one personal relationship from the heart?
He was always trying to lead people from religious rules to a relationship.
“I am the vine, and you are the branches.”
“No branch can survive outside the vine.”
“As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth.”
“Follow Me.”
“Matthew got up and followed Him.”
Matthew 9:10 “When Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Him and His disciples.”
Matthew 9:11 “The Pharisees were spinning out of control. They asked the disciples, ‘Why did your teacher eat with the tax collectors and sinners?’”
Matthew 9:12 “It’s not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”
I paid the price. Now follow Me.
#1. The open invitation is to sinners.
You never know what's behind the door until you decide to extend your faith and walk through.
It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done.
#2. The invitation to follow Jesus is an invitation to a relationship.
Just as I am is absolute acceptance.
One is love, and the other is rejection.
Love wins over rejection every single time.
They make changes to draw closer to one another.
But when you get married, and you're in love, you change.
#3. An open invitation to follow Jesus is a resounding invitation to those who have become a bit religious and “churchified.”
He challenges them every day to get out of their comfort zone.
God wants us to stay in the "Follow Me" mode.
#4. An open invitation is an invitation to the ultimate life adventure.
He didn't know what hung in the balance for him when he took that first step.
He has something in your future that will honor Him.
But the beauty is, your life has been far better because of Jesus.
"Follow."
He got up and walked away from his booth to follow the Lord.
Following Jesus will bring rewards beyond your imagination.