Man's Response to God's Calling — Stephen Kaung

Scripture Readings on Following the Lord

Will you please turn to Gospel according to Matthew. Matthew chapter 8. We read from verse 18 through verse 22. Matthew chapter 8. Verse 18. And Jesus Seeing great crowds around him commanded to depart to the other side and A scribe came up and said to him teacher.

I will follow thee whithersoever thou may go. And Jesus said to him the foxes have holes and the birds of the heaven roosting places. But a son of man has not where he may lay his head. But another of his disciples said to him Lord Suffer me first to go away and bury my father.

But Jesus said to him follow me and leave the dead to bury their own dead. The gospel according to Luke Chapter 9 we begin with verse 57 to 62. Luke chapter 9 57. And he came to pass as they went in the way.

One said to him. I will follow thee wheresoever thou goest Lord. And Jesus said to him the foxes have holes and the birds of the heaven roosting places. But a son of man has not where he may lay his head.

And he said to another follow me. But he said Lord allow me to go first and bury my father. But Jesus said to him Suffer the dead to bury their own dead but do thou go and announce the kingdom of God.

And Another also said I will follow thee Lord, but first allow me to bid adieu to those at my house. But Jesus said to him No one having laid his hand on the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.

And finally. Revelation chapter 14. Revelation chapter 14. Just a middle sentence in verse 4. These are they Who follow the Lamb? Wheresoever It goes Let's have a little prayer. Dear Lord We want to thank thee for Giving thyself so totally To us we do thank thee for thy amazing grace and tremendous love That thou has bestowed upon us and We as a grateful people We do want to follow thee.

Lord teach us how. Show us the way That we may really Follow the Lamb wheresoever He goes. We commit this time into thy hand. We look to thy spirit to quicken thy word To our hearts that we may hear and obey.

We give thee all the glory In the name of our Lord Jesus. We would like to consider together On this matter of man's response to God's calling. Man's response to God's Calling. We know that the first calling of God That comes to us is when our Lord Jesus said come to me All ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

The Call to Come to Christ

In other words The first call that ever comes to mankind is the call to come. The Lord said come come to me. You who labor and are heavily laden and I will give you rest. Now, thank God we have Responded to that call.

We have come and We find truly in Christ Jesus. There is the forgiveness of our sins there is the peace From above. There is a new life being given to us and Grace upon grace. But brothers and sisters Immediately after that first call there is another call and That another call actually is not another Completely.

Rather it is part or it is to complete the first call and That is our Lord Jesus call Those who come to him Follow him. He calls us to follow him now brothers and sisters We must remember So far as God's purpose is concerned so far as the purpose of God's salvation is concerned.

It is more than just a coming to the Lord and God saved. It is that we who come Will follow him. We will be his disciples. We will put ourselves under his control and allow him to train us Allow him to transform us and to conform us to his own image now that is God's purpose of calling his people.

So far as God's purpose is calling is concerned this Call to follow the Lord is not optional. It is mandatory. In other words, he wants everyone who comes to the Lord Jesus to follow the Lord Jesus. There is no such thing as you can come to the Lord and not follow him.

There is no such thing as you can come and receive forgiveness from him and Not constrained by his love To follow him in order to be like him. That is looking from God's side. But of course from the human side we find when he calls there are many Various responses.

So this morning we were like to consider together or How do we respond? to the call of our Lord to come and to follow him we find in the gospel of Matthew chapter 8 a record of some people Who come to the Lord and how our Lord react and how happen to those who Say they will follow the Lord.

And also you'll find this is recorded in Luke chapter 9 Almost the same thing. But brothers and sisters if you read very carefully you'll find that these two happen at two different occasions. Because in Matthew we find that after our Lord Jesus Gave the Sermon of the Mount He came down from the mountain people.

Were amazed at the authority he had in his word and then the Lord Healed people, cast out demons do wonders and because of that great crowds Follow him great crowds were around him and It was at that occasion You'll find Matthew chapter 8.

But when you look at Luke chapter 9 You'll find that it happened towards the end of our Lord's ministry because in Luke chapter 9 our Lord was going to Jerusalem and He went to Jerusalem in order to go to the cross.

And it is on that way that such things happen. Even though outwardly they seem to be similar, but actually you'll find These happen at two different occasions. Now brothers and sisters we know when something seems to repeat In the Word of God not once but twice God is trying to say something to us.

It shows that this is not just Something happened Only once it shows that this happens all the time in other words It happened at the time of our Lord Jesus more than once. And I believe that probably it happened from the beginning of our Lord's ministry to the end of our Lord ministry, and I also believe that These being recorded in the Word of God is to show us That such things happened all the time.

It happened even now even Among us. So that's the reason why we want to consider Carefully what happened at these two different occasions according to Matthew. After our Lord Jesus spoke those marvelous word in Matthew 5 to 7 and Then after he did healings Wonders in Matthew chapter 8 A scribe came to him.

The Scribe's Misunderstanding of Following Jesus

Now brothers and sisters Who is a scribe? What is a scribe? Probably today we do not have any Idea, but we know scribe in those days Are noted For their knowledge of The Bible they are the people who copy the Word of God and They were so careful in every letter of the Word they not only copy the Word as Exactly as they should be but they study the Word.

So they are noted for their knowledge of the Word of God. A scribe came to the Lord. Why a scribe came to the Lord and said Teacher I will follow you Wherever you go what is behind? His mind evidently He was deeply touched by the teaching of our Lord Jesus.

Because our Lord Jesus taught with authority different from the scribes and the Pharisees. So he was touched he considered our Lord Jesus as a teacher sent from heaven and he wants to follow the Lord in order to learn more of The teaching.

You remember in John chapter 3 Nicodemus a Pharisee a Ruler he came to the Lord at night and he said teacher We noticed that you are different. You are a teacher from above. Because no one can do such sign as you do.

In other words Nicodemus came to the Lord Trying to learn more Teaching From the Lord. They think that by learning more of the teaching they will be perfect. They can enter into the kingdom of God. So that is the motive the motive behind the scribe.

He wants to follow the Lord. But in following What he really want is just following God's teaching the teaching of our Lord Jesus a better teaching a higher teaching a heavenly teaching Instead of on the human level.

So when this scribe came to the Lord And said I will follow you. You know what the Lord said to him. The Lord said The foxes Have holes. The birds of the heaven Have roosting places. But a son of man Does not have a place To lay his head.

What a strange statement a scribe coming to the Lord Saying I want to follow you wherever you go you should welcome him. You should feel honored. But instead our Lord Jesus said you do not know What follow me really means.

You mean to follow me as a teacher that you may be taught more of teachings more of doctrines more of theology higher theology. You're totally mistaken. To follow me means To follow my life to live the way that I live and see.

The foxes Have holes. The animals They have Their holes. They have something that they can consider as their own their possession they can rest and The birds of the heaven have roosting places. They also have a place of their own but a son of man Does not have a place of his own.

This is my life This is the way I live. He Who is equal with God? And that is not something to be grasped at. He emptied of course not of his deity But all the glory and honor Surround he emptied himself in order to take up the form of a man and Being the flesh of man He was obedient To the father Even unto death and that the death of the cross.

In other words His life is Self-sacrificing. He gave up everything in order to enrich us To save us To give us life. He walks the way of the cross losing his soul life In order to gain it eternally. This is Following the Lord.

So dear brothers and sisters, I think we need to be very clear What to follow the Lord? really means. We know we who have come to the Lord must follow him because if we do not follow him We will not be transformed and be like him.

This is the only way but Oftentimes we do not know What following him really means it means? Denying yourself it means losing Your soul life. It means for the Lord's sake and for the gospel's sake. You're willing to lose your soul life In order to gain it eternally.

It means Self-sacrificing it means giving up your right it means giving up your possession. You possess nothing. Everything Is laid on the altar it is the way of the cross is The way of the Lord and brothers and sisters We have no record what happened afterward whether described Went away Sadly just like the rich young ruler Because he felt that's not what he want and that's something beyond him.

He didn't want to do that All probably by the grace of God his eyes were opened. He received revelation from above. He really saw what following the Lord means and by the grace of God He followed we don't know but then When you turn to Luke you find it is Not exactly The same thing.

Why because you find in Luke This man who came to the Lord and said Lord I will follow you wherever you go Lord you see that The first one was a scribe. He's a teacher. In other words He didn't have the life of the Lord in him Without the Lord's life and Try to follow the Lord.

That's impossible. No one can imitate the Lord. No one can follow him Outwardly only those who have this life are able to follow him inwardly. But there you'll find in Luke this man called our Lord Jesus Lord.

Now, you know what it means if it's not by the Holy Spirit you cannot call Jesus Lord and this man really believe in the Lord Jesus and He called the Lord Jesus Lord. I want to follow you Wherever you go, but He also Doesn't really know what following the Lord means.

Counting the Cost of Discipleship

You know our Lord Jesus Never try to hide anything From us now if we as human beings if somebody wants to follow us We will tell him all the good things that he will receive. And we try to keep away from him all the things that he has to give up.

Not immediately Gradually after he is hooked. Then you can gradually show him what he must lose. That's the way of man, but with our Lord Jesus. He's different. At the very outset when people come to him say said Lord.

I want to follow you the Lord said. Do you understand what following me means? I will tell you. You know in the Word of God again again the Lord Jesus said now if you love your father and mother and brother and sister and children and Even your own life more than me.

It's not worthy. Cannot be my disciple. If you do not forsake all and follow me you cannot be my disciple. If you want to be my disciple you have to deny yourself take up your cross and follow me. Because he who gains his life Will lose it, but he who loses his soul life for my sake shall gain it eternally brothers and sisters.

The Lord is not after crowds. Popularity. The Lord is after reality so here you'll find the Lord try to say to this man Who has come to the Lord who has received his life? But the Lord said now are you willing to give up your own soul life and live by my life.

Give up your own way of living and live the way that I live. Brothers and sisters think about it. We have a way of life. We live that life for years. Some longer some shorter, but we live for ourselves.

We are self-centered Self-love self-possessed Self, but when we come to the Lord The Lord said now I have given you my life from now on. How are you going to live? Are you going to live still with self at the center?

Everything is for self or are you going to live by my life? Which is Self-sacrificing God-pleasing Doing the will of God willing to lay down Your own self. Self is natural to the natural man. Self possession is an instinct.

In natural man, this is mine. Even with children when they are playing with toys. You find the children that this is mine. We want to have a resting place. And we do have and we treasure that. We will not let that go.

This is our life. But brothers and sisters now we have a new life a heavenly life a divine life a Life that has been demonstrated in the life of our Lord Jesus. Are we going to live by that life? And if we do You will find it's a different manner of life not my me mine.

But now not my will but I will be done not what I love. But what I love not what I want, but why thou wantest. That is the life our Lord Jesus live upon this earth and he say follow me. This is Following me.

Brothers and sisters have we considered this seriously Before the Lord. We find in Luke chapter 14 the Lord Jesus Said if you want to follow me Count your cost first. Sit down. Count your cost see if you are willing to give up all.

No king can fight a battle If he reserved half of his strength To fight an enemy of full strength. No one can complete a tower If he will hold back his resources and Only willing to give that much. Then he will only lay the foundation But cannot finish it.

The Lord said count your cost if you are not willing to forsake all and follow him. Don't follow. You won't be able to finish brothers and sisters how many of us Really understand what following the Lord.

How many of us have really Sitting down and count the cost. How many of us have really see? By what life? Have we be living? Since we believe in the Lord Jesus Are we really living by his life? Or we are still living by our own life.

Putting the Kingdom of God First

So the Lord Tells the one Who is his? The foxes have hold. The birds of the heavens have roost in place. But a son of man has nowhere to lay his head. Are you willing to follow? So that is the first case and now comes the second case you find there is a little bit difference in the Record in Matthew it says one of his disciples came to the Lord and said Lord I will follow you.

But let me first Go to bury my father and after I finish the business Then I will follow you and then you look. You find it is said the Lord said follow me and that man Respond and said yes, I will follow you, but I ask permission to go and Bury my father first and then I will come so in other words here you'll find it is a person who really has come to the Lord a person who is really desiring To follow the Lord.

He really has a heart to follow the Lord. But he has a problem his problem is He has a responsibility a Human responsibility a human duty he has a father and He has to bury his father first and then he is free to follow the Lord now evidently the follow.

Evidently the father had not died yet, but this man felt he had a responsibility to his father it's legitimate is The right thing to do so he has to fulfill his human responsibility first and Then he is free to follow the Lord and do His bits now that is the situation.

Now I wonder if we have the same situation. We as human beings we have responsibilities. In this world these are legitimate. These are our duties. These are expected us to fulfill and what's wrong with that.

Nothing wrong and we have to fulfill our duty first and Then we are free to follow the Lord and do his work. Isn't that reasonable and isn't that our condition but brothers and sisters listen to what the Lord said let the dead Buried their own dead go And announce the kingdom Lord you are unreasonable you are inhuman.

How can you say such thing. What do you mean by that? Let the dead Buried their own dead. What's the implication the first dead is the spiritually dead? To bury the second dead Who is physically dead.

In other words the Lord said it is true. This is a human duty So far as the natural world is concerned The spiritually dead buried the physically dead. That's it, but You do not see The first thing you think that human responsibility and duty must have the first place and After this is finished Then God your second.

No the Lord said God has made him the first place in all things. Who is first? What is first in your life is? With legitimate human responsibility first you have to finish these things Before you can follow the Lord and serve him or is it the Lord first?

His business first and if you make him first He will not fail you in fulfilling What is needed in your responsibility. So that is the issue. Brothers and sisters, what is the problem of Our following the Lord.

Do you sometimes being troubled? You want to follow the Lord and Do his bidding but then you'll find You have so much human responsibility to fulfill. You have to take care of these first Before you are free to serve To do his work.

Isn't that our problem? What is the solution? The solution is not in these Things the solution is your heart so far as Following the Lord is concerned. You have to put the Lord first Before everything.

Remember our Lord said if you do not hate your father and mother brother and sister Wife and children and even your own life. You cannot be. What does it mean? Does it mean that the Lord want us to hate?

Our father and mother no He wants us to love our father and mother Respect our father and mother honor our father and mother take care of our father and mother. But why does he say such word because When you have father and mother brother and sister wife and husband children and Parents and even your life when they are in Opposition is it Christ?

Or is it your father and mother brother and sister? Husband and wife parents and children even your own life. Or is it Christ that's the issue. Who has the priority. Who is first brothers and sisters this has to be settled?

The Lord said let the dead bury their own dead. You go and Proclaim the kingdom of God it means that his business Seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things Shall be added unto you and then you find.

The Divided Heart and the Plow

The third case here is a man Evidently one who has believed in the Lord, and he really also wants to follow the Lord. He said Lord. I will follow you But I ask your permission To let me go back say goodbye To all those in my house, and then I will come reasonable.

What's wrong saying goodbye? Since you're going away. You remember in the Old Testament time even Elisha when Elijah came to Elisha and Put his mantle upon him that is calling him and Elijah said Let me kiss my father and mother and I will follow you and nothing wrong with that.

But here is strange the Lord's answer is so strange the Lord said No one who has Lay his hand on the plow and look back is fit for the kingdom of God. My Lord you're very hard, but the Lord knows our heart.

You know the problem is not the outward action our good action can vary, but it is the heart. Here is a man whose heart Is divided he loves the Lord But he also loves his family these two things. When they do not agree Then what do you do?

Remember Abraham When he was in Earl of Chaldea the God of glory appeared to him and said Leave your native place your kindred and Go to where I will lead you. Abraham saw the glory of the Lord. He wanted to follow he consorted With his father Terah he consorted with flesh and blood.

And the flesh and blood said no. What are you doing? This is your home This is your people. This is where you stay. Why do you go to somewhere not knowing where to go? That's foolish Unreasonable don't do that and the result is Abraham still want to go the father is all right.

I'll take you and you know the result he not only Took Abraham and his wife, but also a lot and he took them halfway and stayed in Haran. Never crossed the river. Brothers and sisters remember Paul After the Lord revealed to him on Damascus Road He said I did not consult.

With flesh and blood he went to Arabia And spent two three years Restudy the Old Testament in the light brothers and sisters. No one can put his hand on the plow. That is to say if you have begun Never you cannot look back.

If you look back you're lost. If you look back the plow Will not plow straight. In other words the work of God will be destroyed. Damaged. You are not fit for the kingdom once caught no escape never look back brothers and sisters.

Do not allow human affection. Do not allow human reasoning. Do not allow self-love. Do not allow anything to turn you around. Set your face to a Jerusalem as our Lord Jesus did. That's the way to follow the Lord.

John’s Immediate Response to the Lamb of God

And finally what is the more excellent? Response to following the Lord. You know in the scripture I find There is one case So beautiful it is a perfect way of response to God's calling and That is the Apostle John if you remember the story He was actually a disciple of John the Baptist and one day he an angel Was standing with their master John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus.

John the Baptist raised his voice and said behold the Lamb of God. Immediately his two disciples and follow in other words The very Announcement of the Lamb of God so arrested. That's it. That's our hope.

That's the Messiah. That's the glory so I rest him that he left everything and Follow the Lord without being called. He knows Lamb of God means come and Follow me brothers and sisters. Do we need the Lord to call us again and again and we still hesitate.

We are still arguing Reasoning all. Even before he called he followed the Lord In life, and when you come to the end of the gospel of John in John chapter 21 You remember our Lord Jesus? Say to Peter Follow me.

He called Peter before to follow him. But now he called Peter again Follow me. What does it mean? He has just told Peter When you are young You go wherever you want to. But when you're old You will be taken Where you do not want to in other words you have followed me in life now Follow me in death.

He was not called so Peter turned around and said what about this man the Lord said that's not your business. If I want him to stay until I come What is that to you? It doesn't mean that he will not die.

But he really means That he is the one Who show us? So clearly What happened and the coming of the Lord in other words here is a man Who follows the Lord. Before he was called both to life and To death he loved the Lord the Lord Is everything to him brothers and sisters?

This is to me a perfect Response so may the Lord dear brothers and sisters the way Of following is very short now. This is a time We have to there is no time to play around any no time to cheat ourselves It is time That we be earnest Real they follow the lamb Where so ever made the Lord dear Lord by thy grace We want to be among those Who follow the lamb?

Where so ever?