February 2, 2025
Follow After Me
Pastor Ricky Smith

Sermon Notes

Mark 1:16-20
Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

Following Jesus is a…
I. Relationship

II. Process

Jeremiah 16:16, 18
“I am about to send for many fishermen”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and they will fish for them.… I will first repay them double for their guilt and sin because they have polluted My land. They have filled My inheritance with the lifelessness of their detestable and abhorrent idols.”

Ezekiel 29:3–5
This is what the Lord GOD says: “Look, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster lying in the middle of his Nile, who says, ‘My Nile is my own; I made it for myself.’ I will put hooks in your jaws and make the fish of your streams cling to your scales. I will haul you up from the middle of your Nile, and all the fish of your streams will cling to your scales. I will leave you in the desert, you and all the fish of your streams. You will fall on the open ground and will not be taken away or gathered for burial. I have given you to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the sky as food.”

Amos 4:2
The Lord GOD has sworn by His holiness: Look, the days are coming when you will be taken away with hooks, every last one of you with fishhooks.

Romans 8:29
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

III. Commitment

The call of Jesus is to come and walk in His dust.

Next Steps

I confess my sin and turn to Jesus as King for the first time.
I commit to going “all in” and making Jesus Lord over all my life.
I choose to follow Him each day and cultivate our relationship.

Deep Dive

Read Luke 5:1-11. Why is it significant that they immediately left their nets to follow Jesus?
What does it mean to follow Jesus, and how do you struggle to do it well?
Is Jesus truly the Lord of your life? Why or why not?

Springboards

Which teachings of Jesus do you find amazing?
What are the advantages of being raised in a “good, Christian home”? What are the disadvantages?
In what ways can demonstrations of the authority of Jesus be used to spread the Gospel today?