Follow Jesus: Walking with and Working for God

Devotional

Day 1: Nets Left at Dawn’s First Light

When Jesus called fishermen to become soul-winners, they abandoned their livelihoods without hesitation. Their immediate obedience redefined their purpose, trading familiar rhythms of casting nets for the urgent work of rescuing souls. This radical response required trusting Christ’s authority over their security, relationships, and future plans. Modern believers face similar calls to release comfortable patterns for eternal assignments. The cost of discipleship remains unchanged: following requires leaving. [43:19]

“And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”
(Matthew 4:19-20, ESV)

Reflection: What “net” have you hesitated to release when Christ calls? Where does practical reliance on your own provision compete with radical obedience?

Day 2: Fruit That Outlasts Fire

True discipleship produces eternal harvests, not temporary achievements. The preacher contrasted million-dollar cars destined for destruction with souls redeemed through intentional hospitality and gospel conversations. Every tract given, meal shared, or prayer offered becomes imperishable fruit when anchored in Christ’s mission. Legacy isn’t measured in accumulated treasures but in transformed lives echoing into eternity. [56:15]

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.”
(John 15:16, ESV)

Reflection: Which of your current investments—time, resources, relationships—will still bear witness to Christ’s love a century from now?

Day 3: The Whispered Nudge to Act

Divine promptings often arrive as quiet urgings—to help a widow, encourage the sick, or fund a ministry. These holy impulses demand immediate response, not deliberation. Like Nathan sprinting toward a burning building, believers must act when eternity hangs in the balance. Delayed obedience becomes disobedience when souls risk being lost in the smoke of procrastination. [46:57]

“For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
(Philippians 2:13, ESV)

Reflection: What specific prompting have you rationalized away this week? How might acting on it today alter someone’s eternal trajectory?

Day 4: Forty-Five Years of Knowing His Tastes

Intimacy with Christ grows through decades of walking together, learning His heart like a spouse memorizing burger preferences. Nearness breeds familiarity with His priorities—souls over schedules, obedience over offerings. Just as the preacher knew his wife’s exact sandwich order, disciples discern God’s desires through daily communion, not crisis-driven consultations. [49:47]

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”
(James 4:8, ESV)

Reflection: When did you last pause to ask, “What pleases You here?” rather than “What’s the minimum required?”

Day 5: Awakening Sleepwalkers in Flaming Apartments

The world slumbers toward judgment, unaware of the smoldering roof beams of eternity. Christ-followers are the smoke detectors—sounding alarms through gospel conversations, tracts, and urgent invitations. Nathan’s rescue mission at the burning complex mirrors every believer’s mandate: warn neighbors trapped in sin’s consuming fire before the structure collapses. [53:16]

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar… Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be?”
(2 Peter 3:10-11, ESV)

Reflection: Which “sleeping neighbor” has God placed in your path this month? What specific step will you take to share Christ’s rescue this week?

Sermon Summary

Revelation 19 sets the heart in the right place from the start, with much people in heaven saying, “Alleluia, salvation, and glory, and honor, and power unto the Lord our God.” That song about “worthy is the Lamb” points to the day when God’s people will stand before Him and praise Him forever, so singing in church is good practice for heaven.

Matthew 4 then brings the Lord Jesus out of forty days of fasting, weak in His humanity, yet victorious over Satan. Jesus stands where temptation is strongest and proves that “greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.” The chapter then turns from the wilderness to the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus sees Peter and Andrew casting a net, and James and John mending their nets with their father. Jesus says, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

The call of walking with God begins right there. Jesus does not merely call men to believe facts about Him. Jesus calls men to follow Him, to walk close, to let Him redirect plans, schedules, comforts, and livelihoods. The call is disturbing because fishermen knew fishing, but Christ had a different work for them. The call is demanding because following Christ may mean going into unknown places, unknown needs, and unknown provision, but Christ can be trusted.

The nearness of walking with God also brings likeness. “Nearness is likeness.” A husband married forty five years knows what his wife wants on a cheeseburger because nearness teaches him what pleases her. In the same way, the Christian near the Lord learns what the Lord likes and seeks to please Him. God changes not, and closeness to Him makes obedience clearer.

The conformity of walking with God is God working in His people. Philippians 2:13 says God works in believers both to will and to do His good pleasure. The believer takes hands off the steering wheel and says, “Speak, Lord, thy servant heareth.” The word “straightway” presses the point: delayed obedience is often just disobedience with a nicer name.

The conclusion of walking with God is work for God that lasts. Cars, houses, and earthly stuff will burn up someday, but souls redeemed and service rendered for Christ will remain. A tract, a meal, a visit, a word to a neighbor, or a burden borne for a widow or the fatherless can become fruit that remains. Matthew 4 ends with great multitudes following Jesus, but it started with a few men who followed Him first.

Key Takeaways

1. Follow Christ before comfort feels safe The call of Christ is not built around convenience. Jesus interrupted fishermen in the middle of ordinary work and changed the direction of their lives. The safest place is not the familiar place, but the obedient place, because the One who says “follow me” is worthy to be trusted when the next step is not fully explained. [50:02]
2. Nearness to Christ makes likeness visible Nearness is likeness because closeness teaches what pleases the beloved. The Christian far from Christ may still know correct words, but the Christian near Christ begins to recognize His desires, His burdens, and His ways. God changes not, so spiritual nearness does not make Christ adjust to the believer, it makes the believer more ready to please Him. [49:10]
3. Obedience should not wait for later The word “straightway” carries weight because delayed obedience gives Satan room to work. Procrastination sounds harmless, but it can keep a neighbor unwarned, a burden uncarried, and a soul unreached. God’s voice should be met with Samuel’s answer: “Speak, thy servant heareth,” followed by action, not excuses. [56:58]
4. Fruit remains when possessions burn Earthly treasures may be blessings, but they are never permanent. A house, a car, a bank account, or a comfortable life will not last into eternity unless it is used for Christ. Service rendered and souls redeemed are the kind of fruit that remains when everything else has turned to ashes. [58:12]
5. The local field needs faithful witnesses Jerusalem begins where God has placed His people. A town, a neighborhood, a workplace, and a family are not accidents on a map, but fields where Christ intends light to shine. If gospel witness is scarce, the question becomes plain and searching: “If not you, who?” [54:11]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[36:08] - Worthy Is the Lamb Forever
[40:09] - Walking With and Working For God
[40:56] - Jesus Tested in the Wilderness
[43:19] - Follow Me and Fishers of Men
[46:10] - The Call to Walk With God
[48:49] - Obey Every Impulse of the Spirit
[49:10] - Nearness Is Likeness
[50:02] - The Disturbing Call of Christ
[53:49] - God Working in His People
[56:58] - Straightway Obedience
[58:12] - What Will Last Forever
[60:23] - A Few Followers Become Multitudes
[61:24] - Willing to Walk and Work for God

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 4:18-22 (ESV)
18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Observation Questions

What specific command did Jesus give to Simon Peter and Andrew in Matthew 4:19, and how did they respond?
According to the sermon, what does the word "straightway" (or "immediately") emphasize about the disciples’ obedience? [56:58]
What example was given to illustrate how "nearness is likeness" in a believer’s relationship with Christ? [49:10]

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus have specifically called fishermen—people with a stable occupation—to follow Him, rather than those with religious or political influence?
How does the analogy of a husband knowing his wife’s preferences after 45 years of marriage ([49:10]) deepen the understanding of spiritual growth through closeness to Christ?
The sermon states, "Delayed obedience is often just disobedience with a nicer name." How does this perspective challenge common excuses for postponing action on God’s leading? [56:58]

Application Questions

What is one area of your life where Christ’s call to "follow Me" feels uncomfortable or disruptive? How can you actively trust Him in that uncertainty this week? [50:02]
Reflect on a recent moment when you hesitated to obey a spiritual prompting (e.g., sharing the gospel, serving someone). What practical step will you take to respond "immediately" next time? [56:58]
Name one earthly possession or comfort you prioritize. How could you repurpose it for eternal impact (e.g., using your home for fellowship, your skills for ministry)? [58:12]
Who in your immediate community (neighbor, coworker, family member) has not heard about Jesus? What specific action will you take to share His love with them in the next seven days? [54:11]
What daily habit could you adopt to grow in "nearness" to Christ (e.g., prayer, Scripture, worship)? How will you hold yourself accountable to it? [49:10]

Sermon Clips

63s

“``By the way, Jesus said this. He said, draw nigh to me, and I will draw nigh to you. Are you following close to the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you ever heard this statement before? I believe this to be true. Nearness is like this. Nearness is likeness. This is my wife, Susan. Babe, will you stand up for a second? We just celebrated our forty fifth wedding anniversary on May 26. I know exactly what she likes on her cheeseburger. She wants regular French's mustard, not grape poutine. She wants tomato. She wants onion, and she wants cheese. How do I know that? We've been married for over forty five years. We dated fourteen months before that. She's never buried on that. By the way, god changes not. And when you're near him, you're gonna know what he likes. We have to seek to please him, to honor him. So we see the call. You know, it it was a disturbing call.”

61s

“Jesus is our Lord, and he is to be our master. An old hymn says, Jesus, savior, pilot me. If you always said, well, I've always wanna do this. No. No. No. What does Jesus want you to do? Who does he want you to talk to tomorrow? Who does he want you to have here in church with you next Sunday? So I can't do that. I would greatly disagree with that. Let me tell you why. What if I told you that my uncle was Steve Jobs of Apple Computer fame? He thought he was worth $4,600,000,000, and he left me a $100,000,000. What I've decided to do is every church I go into, if you have a visitor next Sunday, I'm gonna give you $10,000. Do you think maybe you could have a visitor next Sunday? Now Steve Jobs is not my uncle. He did not leave me a $100,000,000. So don't do it for money. Do it for Jesus.”

68s

“Thirdly, we see the conclusion of walking with God. Well, a service is rendered souls are redeemed. That's what's gonna count when it's all said. And I told a man whose home I stayed last night, in a small bed. I looked at the guest room tonight said, praise the Lord. I I couldn't sleep in the bed last night. It was six feet long. It had metal railings at both ends. I tried for, like, forty five minutes. I tried to sleep in a fetal position, but it didn't work. So I slept at a recliner at the living room. The man has over a million dollars worth of cars. He just bought a new Camaro that cost him a $185,000, one of only 50 made. He and his wife have his and her Corvettes. He has a racing truck. That's beautiful. I'll just show you a picture. It's amazing. You know what I told him? They're all gonna burn up someday. They're all gonna burn up. That which is done for the Lord Jesus Christ will last.”

66s

“Number one, we see the call. The call is a disturbing call. It's a demanding call. By the way, Jesus called them to follow him at night, to follow him into the desert, to follow when they didn't know where the food was coming from. But can I tell you this? You could trust him. You could trust him. So we see the call of walking with God. Secondly, we see the conformity of walking with God. Who are the people involved? God's people. God's people. You could do nothing for Christ unless you first get saved. The Bible says the plowing of the wicked is sin. So the conformity is is God's people. Friends, if people are gonna get saved in Charlevoix, how many independent baptist churches are up here, pastor? You? One yeah. So maybe there's two or three others that share the gospel. They may not be independent baptist. None other. So, I mean, if not you, who? If not you, who?”

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Follow Jesus: Walking with and Working for God

Devotional

Day 1: Nets Left at Dawn’s First Light

Day 2: Fruit That Outlasts Fire

Day 3: The Whispered Nudge to Act

Day 4: Forty-Five Years of Knowing His Tastes

Day 5: Awakening Sleepwalkers in Flaming Apartments

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Follow Jesus: Walking with and Working for God

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