Sunday Service 01/24/2021
By Jeffrey Rachmat
Jesus Comforts His Disciples
14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me.
2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jeffrey was asked to drive once in Holland, however, the guy that he was supposed to follow was actually never knew the street and they ended going in the wrong direction and causing traffic. –> That’s called blind leading bling.
Follow these days has a quite different meaning, follow in social media doesn’t mean we know anything about that particular person that we follow. And most people might get a wrong impression whey comment about whatever the posting it’s about. But if you knew that particular person really well, you will be able to comment correctly.
The same that when we go to Church and follow God, it doesn’t that we really know God.
Matthew 16:13-16
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
That particular verses told us that the more we know about a person, the more likely we got to know them correctly.
Matthew 4:18-22
Jesus Calls His First Disciples18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus was already well known as a teacher/Rabbi. Hence why the story that Jesus went to Synagogue, and taught there. So Peter, Andrew and sons of Zebedee was already knew about Jesus, and they have been through Jewish education, but probably failed at Bet Talmud. So when Jesus called them, its like graduating to Bet Mitzvah.
John 15:16
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
In this case, it was Jesus as teacher who called them. Rather the traditional way, in which the students seeks the teacher once they have graduated from the Jewish education.
John and James left their father, since all of them knew very well, that this is a golden opportunity — something that never comes to them. Remember they are ordinary people, simple people that has already failed their education to be Pharisee.
1 Corinthians 1:25-29
25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.
Jesus choses those failed and ordinary simple people, to be his disciples. We never have to change first in order to follow Him. We can start to follow Him in whatever condition we are in.
Follow Him to get to know who He really is. The more we know Him, the easier for us to follow and trust Him.
Colossians 2:6 Spiritual Fullness in Christ
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,
Luke 9:23-24
23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.
We need to know about Jesus in order for us to follow Him. And we need to face the cross when we decided to follow Jesus.
When Israelites got out from Egypt, they must face desert — and in those desert, we learn about ourselves, and we must get rid our slave attitudes before we got into the promised land.
We must deny ourselves, why? Because its our sinful nature and our slavery attitudes.
But at the cross, everything has been paid for. Cross is an evident that Jesus has already paid for everything.
To accept Jesus as our saviors, its once in the lifetime opportunity. But to follow Jesus, we need to fight everyday and deny our sinful nature.
Do we want to hate, do we want to be lazy, do we want to be selfish? That is our daily fight.
Galatians 5:16-171
6 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[a] you want.
Romans 8:6-8
6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
To follow Jesus, we need to learn that we don’t follow the rule of the worlds. And learn to say His will be done, not ours.
Romans 8:13-18
13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[a] And by him we cry, “Abba,[b] Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
To bear the cross is not something fun, but its something that we must do in order to be free from the burden of sins. The moment we dead to sins, we are actually alive and its a freedom.
Hence why Jesus said, whoever want to save their own soul — they will lost it, but those who lost it because they follow Jesus, that when we got an eternal life.
Its always about serving others and making others more important that ourselves. Its always started with the people closest to us, like our family.