What’s Required to Follow Jesus?

3rd Sunday after Pentecost, 6/26/22 1 Kings 19:19-21 What’s Required to Follow Jesus? I. A Spirit-issued call II. A Spirit-produced commitment It was 11:00 PM, and the restaurant manager realized he had one more hour left and then he could go home. But then his phone rang. It was the midnight manager calling to inform him that she was sick and wouldn’t be coming in to replace him. He drew a deep breath of disappointment and resigned himself to the fact that he was now going to pull a double shift. The next few hours were slow, but about 5:30 AM a man walked in, and, after the manager seated him, they began a conversation. He owned a property management company, and, in the course of the conversation, he urged the manager to apply for a job in his company. The manager did so and got the position. Right before COVID hit, he left the restaurant business for good. He came to love his new job, and through it he met the woman of his life. They got married, and now are expecting their first child. He couldn’t be happier. All due to a phone call from a sick co-worker. I’m guessing you could point to similar situations in your life. That one thing happened—something which seemed insignificant at first—but it ended up changing your life. I’m not sure how often you think of it this way, but there was a day in your life when it was changed not only for all your days here on earth but forever. It’s the day that the Holy Spirit brought you to faith in Jesus as your Savior. Ever since that day you have been a follower of Jesus Christ. And now Jesus wants you to consider every day what that means as you live your life. We have an example of what it meant for a man named Elisha before us this morning. It’s the account his calling to be one of God’s prophets. While your calling to follow Jesus might not be as outwardly dramatic as Elisha’s was, it does share some important similarities. So, let’s remind ourselves of what it means to follow Jesus. What’s required to follow him? Let’s focus our hearts and minds on this portion of God’s word and find the answers to our question. I. When you first heard these words a few minutes ago, what were your first impressions? Well, you learned you can plow with your oxen and eat them too, roasted over a fire fueled with wood from the yoke strapped to their necks. You might also have learned to be careful around people who are throwing around their mantles. If one lands on you, it might be one of those life-changing moments, as it was for Elisha. Perhaps a bit of background information regarding this unusual event would be helpful for you. In the previous chapter, Elijah had his show-down on Mt. Carmel with the prophets of Baal. The Lord sent fire from heaven which burned up Elijah’s offering—a stunning victory for the Lord. The prophets of Baal were then put to death in keeping with God’s word, but things didn’t change for the better for Elijah. Israel’s wicked Queen Jezebel took an oath to murder him. So, Elijah fled, travelling 40 days into the wilderness and was overcome with depression. That’s when the Lord came to him and told him to anoint Elisha to be God’s prophet to succeed him. In spite of the murderous threat against him, his ministry would continue. And that’s what we hear occurring in these three verses of our text. Elijah found Elisha and cast his mantle over him. In Bible times, this was a rite that indicated the transfer of a position and the power that accompanied that position. So, this guy named Elijah suudenly appeared in the life of Elisha one day and changed his life from that point on? I don’t think it happened that way. I can’t say for sure, because the Bible doesn’t tell us, but I think it’s safe to say that these two men knew each other prior to this event, perhaps even quite well. At this time in Israel there was a seminary for prophets who assisted Elijah. We hear about them in later chapters. These men likely supported themselves with their day jobs, while studying to be prophets. Was Elisha one of these seminarians? He might have been. And on this day in his life, he received the call from God the Holy Spirit through Elijah to be one of the great prophets of the Old Testament. The account of his ministry is peppered with miracle after miracle at a time of spiritual darkness in Israel. This call changed his life. It defined how he would follow his Savior, even though that Savior was yet to come into this world. You, too, have received a call to follow Jesus. It wasn’t outwardly demonstrated with the transfer of a mantle, and it didn’t result in you performing manifold miracles as Elisha did, but it was a call from the Holy Spirit nonetheless. It occurred on the day that the Holy Spirit entered your heart and brought you to faith in Jesus as your Savior from sin. Likely that occurred on the day of your baptism. From that day forward you have been following Jesus. My point is that following Jesus isn’t something you initially decided to do; it’s something God did for you, just as he did for Elisha. What’s required to follow Jesus? A Spirit-issued call. Your Christian discipleship is not a path that you chose; it’s a path that God chose for you. And he didn’t do so after he saw what a good little child of God you would be; he chose you in eternity before he created the world. In other words, he chose you before you could do anything for him. He chose you solely because of who he is and not because of who you would be. And now he encourages you to live like the follower of Christ that he’s made you to be. How’s that going for you? Well, at times I’m sure it’s going well. Christians will show their faith in Jesus with their lives. And when that happens, I’m sure you’re filled with joy at the opportunities Jesus gives you to do so. But if only that occurred more often. The sad truth is that, at times when we need to show that we’re following Jesus, we fail. Others see an ugly side of us. They hear words from our mouths that give others the indication we’re far from Jesus. We’re vengeful, spiteful, resentful, hateful. I’m not surprised. Neither is any honest follower of Jesus. That’s the way it is with followers of Jesus. And that’s when we need to recall that Jesus called us. He loves us so much that he called us to faith in him even though he knew our record of following him would be miserably sinful at times. By his death and resurrection, he washed our sinful record clean with his forgiveness and guaranteed us life with him. His love for us fuels our love for him. Follow Jesus! The Holy Spirit has called you to it! II. When you commit to something, it means you’re going to forego other things and opportunities. In fact, making a commitment often means making a sacrifice. That was vividly true for Elisha. Listen to these words once again, “Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. ‘Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,’ he said, ‘and then I will come with you.’ ‘Go back,’ Elijah replied. ‘What have I done to you?’ So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.” He realized, first, that his calling as a prophet meant a re-ordering of his human relationships. He said good-bye to his parents, a clear indication to them that he would no longer be near them. Someone else would need to take his place in caring for them, if needed. Second, he left his occupation. By the way, this must have been some family farming operation. Owning a yoke of oxen in Bible times was like owning a farm tractor today. And Elisha’s family had at least 12 of them! In slaughtering the oxen and burning the plowing equipment, Elisha was not only providing a farewell party for himself, but he was also indicating that he was cutting ties with farming and pursuing a new profession, one which was far less lucrative. The same Holy Spirit who called him to be a prophet was now also producing in him a wholehearted commitment to follow his Savior. When the Holy Spirit called you to follow Jesus, he brought you great blessings, blessings that all the money in the world can’t buy. He brought you—among other things—the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. And now he calls for you to commit yourself to Jesus every day. Recall what I stated a few minutes ago. A commitment usually involves a sacrifice. When we commit to following Jesus, we sacrifice following the ways of the world and getting the advantages that others receive. It means we’ll face ridicule and hostility. We’ll be falsely labeled and unjustly reviled. That’s bad enough. But following Jesus also means we’ll put him first in our lives ahead of everyone and everything else. There’s a Christian side to us that wants to make that commitment; but we also struggle with a sinful nature that refuses to do so. When you face that struggle, recall that you didn’t call yourself to follow Jesus; he called you to it by his Holy Spirit. And that same Holy Spirit promises to promote and produce an undying commitment to Jesus. He does that through his word and sacraments—the fuel for Christian living. He brings you daily forgiveness for your failures to commit fully to following Jesus and renews and strengthens you to take up your yoke and follow him again. What’s required to follow Jesus? It takes the calling of the Holy Spirit and his working in your heart through his word to commit yourself to Jesus. Encourage each other to follow Jesus! Amen.