URBANA 2k15 | Following Jesus is Demanding

Patrick Fung started out the sermon with a quote, "His enemies would go blind from overexposure to pure awesomeness." I loved that Patrick Fung started with this quote from Kung Fu Panda, and I loved how he presented it. In a way he reminded me of Po's bird dad from the movie; so wise, but also kind-of silly. Like Po, we are often consumed by our dreams and follow a "master" to pursue our dreams. Jesus was like a "master", he attracted people and crowds because of the authority he showed. Like following any master, following Jesus is demanding, radical, risky, and costly.

In Matthew, Jesus was called the Son of Man in three contexts: Jesus' future glory (Mat. 24:30), Jesus' ministry and power on earth (Mat. 9:5), and the suffering of Jesus' death (Mat. 12:40). There on the cross as the Son of Man laid down his head, He rested in the will of the Father the day he died for all of our sins. Jesus suffered in glory and humiliation. In following Jesus, we are asked to let go of our security in the world." Our ultimate security and rest is found in obeying the Father as Jesus did even in suffering." Never give up on what God is telling you, following is demanding but it can be done if you keep the will.

Jesus' words are very simple and profound. He went to Peter saying, "Come, Follow me", and he left Peter saying, "You must follow me." Jesus asks us to surrender all of our control to Him and simply follow him. Patrick Fung gave a very relative example for me with his "very-Chinese" father. When he had gone to do his mission trip in Pakistan, his father claimed in front of their relatives that he will now have one son less and he wouldn't be his father from that day on. Four years later when he was back visiting home from his mission trip, his father took him to a very nice restaurant famous for roast duck. Though the dinner atmosphere was solemn, at the end of the dinner his dad said, "Son you must finish everything on your plate. I bet there is no roast duck in Pakistan." In a very Chinese way his father was telling him that he loves and cares for him even though he may not completely like what his son is doing. This is very true for many asian families; I could relate so much with this and I see other families that would too. I think with the right mindset, we would understand our parents more and hear what they are saying behind possibly harsh words. Patrick's father became a Christian 20 years later. This story is so beautiful. God is so compassionate.

Understanding what it means to follow Jesus is a journey. Our business is with life not death, and with our life we can choose to follow Jesus. In Matthew 8:23-16, Jesus sends his disciple into a storm, saves his disciples from the storm, and leads his disciples through the storm but he never lets them completely avoid the storm. Jesus is the Lord for the storms that we may go through. Mental storms are far worse than physical storms. Some might reject Jesus, but we can not ignore Him. He is everywhere, and if we want to follow Him we have to stand up for our trust and love for Him.

"Jesus promises his disciples three things--that they will be completely fearless, absurdly happy, and in constant trouble." - G.K. Chesterton

Following Jesus is: 
1. Demanding - Our ultimate security is in the will of God.
2. Radical - The claims of the kingdom is absolute and immediate.
3. Risky - He leads us into the storm, saves us from the storm, and never lets us avoid the storm.
4. Costly - You have to follow him with all of your life.

"Are we willing to follow Jesus even into the storm?"

You can watch the morning service of Urbana for Monday, January 28, 2016 here!