Preschool
Lie not one to another (Colossians 3:9).
Forsaking All to Follow Jesus
Memory Verses
Primary
Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds (Colossians 3:9).
Junior
Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds (Colossians 3:9).
Background Scripture: Luke 5
Lesson Scripture: Luke 5:1-11
Introduction
The apostle John admonishes us not to fall in love with the world or the things of the world (1 John 2:15-17). Are we to conclude then that “forsaking all” means to restrict our contact with worldly things and worldly people?
Within the history of Christianity, some people have turned aside to a strict manner of living, hoping to avoid the corrupting influence of the world. They have rejected marriage, led an ascetic lifestyle, and retreated from contact with other people. By this they believed to have achieved a higher level of spirituality, yet it almost seems that as they considered the forsaking of comfort and the basic, simple pleasures of life to be of paramount importance, following the spirit of Christ became secondary, perhaps even optional.
Let us take some time to consider what the true meaning of disengaging our hearts from the world is so that we can be fully engaged in following Jesus.
Key Verse
And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life (Mark 10:29-30).
Lesson Scripture
Luke 5:1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:
10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.
Studying the Lesson
Peter, Andrew, James, and John had just hauled in what was possibly the largest number of fish they had ever caught. They drew the nets to shore and then walked away, following Jesus. Does that mean they never again had to work for a living? That would be jumping to a conclusion that goes beyond the information given. Comparing the accounts in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, it appears as if Peter and Andrew owned one of the boats, and Zebedee, the father of James and John, carried on the work after his sons left.
The verses before our lesson text (Luke 4:38-39) describe the healing of the mother of Peter’s wife. From this example, we can infer that the responsibilities of marriage are no hindrance to Christian life or the gospel ministry.
The apostle Paul refers to this in 1 Corinthians 9:5: “Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?” It is an incalculable advantage for an evangelist, when bringing the gospel to men, women, and children, to have a wife as a co-worker in the same faith.
The apostle Paul occasionally relied on support from fellow believers in his mission activities. Sometimes he had no other choice, but often he worked as a tentmaker to cover his living costs. To the Thessalonians, he wrote, “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thess. 3:10).
Clearly then, forsaking all does not mean forsaking social responsibility, but in order to disengage our hearts from the world, we may need to redefine our concept of success. The key verse tells us that true success is not the accumulation of material goods but the assurance of eternal life and fellowship with Christian brothers and sisters.
According to Adam Clarke’s Commentary and other reliable translations, the original wording in Luke 5:10 implies catching men alive. Matthew 4:19 and Mark 1:17 also speak of becoming fishers of living men. Our Lord was calling these fishermen to do something altogether different from capturing fish in a net against their will and killing them for food. It does not work to throw out the net of faith and drag people in against their will. Men and women are netted into the kingdom when their own wills are engaged by faith. By introducing them to the more abundant life, we hope to draw their souls unto salvation and prepare them for eternal life.
Practical Truths for Today
Early in the Christian era, some people attempted to combine the teachings of Jesus with Greek philosophy. They taught that physical pleasures must be suppressed to set the soul free. This pursuit of knowledge (gnosis) developed into a belief system called Gnosticism, and its followers believed they attained a secret knowledge that was hidden to others. This hidden knowledge came from spiritual powers, or beings, called Aeons. The belief that one has gained a secret knowledge hidden to others has been a temptation to Christians ever since.
Second Corinthians 4:4 tells us “the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” Romans 12:2 says, “Be not conformed to this world.” Aion is the Greek word for “world” in these verses and is the same word as the Aeon of the Gnostics. English translations render aion as “world,” but a word study reveals its deeper meaning to be the “spirit of the age.”
When looked at in this way, Romans 12:2 is not warning us about the things of this world but about the spirits that shape the thinking of this world. It warns us not to allow our attitudes to be shaped by the ideas and opinions that currently surround society but rather to have our thinking be transformed by the power of the gospel in order to fully discern the will of God.
It is good to be somewhat informed about what is going on in the world around us. If we do not really understand what is happening, it is much easier to become critical or misled. However, when our feelings get involved to the point that we often feel the need to offer an opinion about events in politics and in the society around us, this could be evidence that the god of this world is at work shaping our thoughts and attitudes.
We are living in turbulent times. The world—most notably, Western civilization—is endeavoring to cast off foundational principles that were once highly valued, including a moral and spiritual heritage, and is hurtling toward what they expect to be a new and better future. Ideas of what that future will look like are bandied about, but they are often unrealistic and conflicting. In order to safely navigate these dangerous and troubled waters, we need the vision that can only come from minds that are renewed by the Spirit of God, the Word of God, and the church of God.
At the time of our conversion, we as believers made a commitment to God to obey and to follow wherever He would lead us. Repentance initiates an about-face in the way we see things, the way we think, and the way we conduct our lives. It means that we disengage ourselves from the goals and ambitions we formerly cherished and allow God to guide our lives. Are our hearts still firmly engaged in maintaining that commitment?
Earning a living is necessary. Honesty, good workmanship, and serving others are all part of that. While we should dedicate ourselves to doing our best, work should not become the thing that gives meaning to our lives. We serve the living God; He must be our master, not the mammon of this world.
Sometimes disengaging ourselves from the world will mean that we need to go to people we have wronged and confess our wrongs to them. If our actions have caused material loss, we need to do our best to restore that loss. If the Holy Spirit prompts us to make those confessions and restorations, obedience will bring liberty, but if our confession is motivated by self rather than the Holy Spirit, the confession will not bring liberty.
Sin has consequences, and unconfessed sin will tend toward falling into further sin. Confession also has consequences and can give power to resist future temptations.
In the criminal justice system, prisoners deemed to be at low risk to re-offend may be released with an ankle bracelet that allows probation officers to monitor their movements. Those who truly want to change their lives appreciate wearing those ankle bracelets. They are free to live a normal life, to hold a job, and to do all the ordinary things of life. When their former associates invite them to take part in questionable activities, they can simply respond, “I can’t do that. I can’t go there. I am wearing a monitor.” They enjoy their freedom and know that giving in to those temptations would lead them back to prison.
As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit to monitor not only our actions but even our thoughts. If He warns us that we are approaching dangerous territory and we obey, we remain in liberty. If we disobey, we will find ourselves back in bondage. It is only by forsaking the world and all its lusts in order to follow Jesus that we are able to experience true freedom.
A girl in southwestern Ontario wrote the following words in her diary in 1897, the year she turned 13:
“Ma says the greatest mistake in the world is the notion some people get that outside of God’s laws there is freedom. She says that the only real freedom to be found on the earth is within the circle of His laws, and as soon as one steps outside of that circle, he finds himself in another circle that gradually closes in upon him, closer and closer till all the joy is squeezed out of his life and out of the thing he went outside to enjoy. But God’s circle widens and widens to hold all your happy times, and add happy times unto them, and keep them for you forever.” 1
Isn’t there timeless wisdom in those words?
Questions
- Does it sometimes feel like the church or the Holy Spirit is trying to restrict freedom? What is freedom?
- Do we realize how much our thoughts about politics and current events are being shaped by the god of this world?
- What can we do to make ourselves more aware that the blessings of following Jesus are of greater importance than material abundance?
- How should we respond when neighbors look at our homes and our lifestyles and say that we are rich?
- Are constant financial struggles a sign that one is not following Jesus?
- 1 Christina Young Plumb 1884-1968, When I Was Thirteen, privately printed at Aylmer, Ontario.
Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).