What It Actually Means To Follow Jesus | Mark 1:16–20 | Pastor Kyle Alison

What does it actually mean to follow Jesus—not just believe in Him, but truly follow Him? In this message from Mark 1:16–20, we unpack the moment Jesus calls His first disciples and their immediate, life-altering response. This isn’t a casual invitation—it’s a call to surrender, transformation, and purpose.

Discover why following Jesus means letting go of control, leaving behind your old life, and stepping into the mission He’s already called you to. If you’ve ever wondered what real discipleship looks like or felt unsure if you’re “ready,” this message will challenge and encourage you to take your next step.

Whether you’re new to faith or have been in church your whole life, this sermon will help you understand what it means to follow Jesus with everything.

Transcript

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So, you guys can understand who I am a little better. I have been a pastor for over 10 years. And during that time, I have had some amazing, almost outrageous opportunities to do a bunch of different things. One of the things I was able to do is a couple years ago, I was able to go to Kenya, Africa. I know it's absolutely insane. You got this redneck out of Oregon. Next thing you know, I'm in Africa. And I have this uh probably once-in-a-lifetime opportunity while I'm there to preach the gospel to uh this amazing church. It was several hundred people. Like it is hot outside, it's Africa, and I'll tell you what, I'm sitting there up front, and I'm sitting right next to the pastor that was there at the church. She was an amazing uh older lady who took over after her husband had passed away, and she, you could just tell just by standing next to her that she was a powerful, wise woman of God. And I remember sitting there thinking to myself, why am I going up to preach when she is right here? She can do so much better than I ever could. And I remember feeling so humbled and asking God, why would you choose me? You know, one of the biggest lies that we tend to believe from the enemy is that God sees us the same way that we see ourselves. Or, take it a step farther, the way the world has labeled us. You see, we see our past, we see our mistakes, we see where we fall short, but God, can I tell you today that God does not see you the way that you see yourself right now? And he especially doesn't see you how the world sees you. In fact, we see in the book of 1 Samuel, when Samuel the prophet is going and he's looking for the next king, he gets to David's family and he sees the greatest, the biggest, the strongest brother, and thinks, surely, this is gonna be the next king of Israel. But it says this in 16.7. It says, the Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. That was God talking to Samuel. You see, the Lord doesn't just look at who you are now or even what you've done in the past. He sees you for who you were made to be and what you can become through him. See, that means that when Jesus calls you, he is not calling the finished version of you. Listen to me today that he is calling the one who he will soon transform. Here's my main idea for today. Following Jesus means letting him transform you into who he already sees, into who he already sees. Today we are continuing on our series, Voice in the Wilderness, and we'll be in Mark 1, starting in verse 16. It says this one day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people. And they left their nets at once and followed him. A little farther up the shore, Jesus saw Zebedee's sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their net. He called them at once, and they also followed him, leaving their fall their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men. Let's pray just for a second. Lord, we just thank you for the opportunity we have to open your word. Lord, we just pray that you will speak to us today. Lord, that your word will be a light into our hearts to examine our hearts. Lord, please unveil your truth to us so we may be transformed by your goodness. We pray all these things in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. I got four quick truths on what it means to follow Jesus. The first one is this following Jesus requires leaving what's familiar and trusting him in the unknown. Someone out there in Fort Hall, I want you to say, trusting Him. There you go. See, Jesus walks up to these ordinary men doing these ordinary things, and he says two simple words, follow me. And in that moment, everything changes. How many of you today would have loved to be in that boat when Jesus walks up and says, follow me? Think about it, to walk beside him every single day, to share meals with him, to witness miracles with your own eyes. How amazing would that have been? To have that moment where you step out of the boat and say, Yes. But here's the reality. He is still 2,000 years later, calling each of us out of the boat. See, every one of us, every person there in Fort Hall, every person you'll ever meet and ever will meet has been invited to step out of the boat, to walk with Jesus, to see God move, and to proclaim the gospel message. So the question is, why aren't we following him? You know, perhaps it has something to do with fearing the unknown. There's a tension here, right, in following Jesus. When Jesus says, follow me, unfortunately, he doesn't give us a five-year plan. He doesn't map up, map out every single step, and he doesn't explain every detail of what's coming next, does he? What does he do? He just says, follow. That's a little frustrating, isn't it? There's not a lot of extra details there. I know a lot of us want the extra details, but that's where it gets hard, doesn't it? Because how many here would admit that you like to be in control? Now, how many also agreed with that statement, but you were just too lazy to raise your hand in the moment? I see you. I get it. I am the same way we all want control. But following Jesus is not about doing something that feels natural. See, there is nothing natural about following Jesus. I'll say that again because I know that might be kind of crazy to hear, especially from a pastor, but there is nothing natural about following Jesus. Because following him in its very nature is supernatural. See, who wouldn't prefer to choose what's easier, what feels safer, what feels more in our control? And that's why I think a lot of us we try to follow him our way. But let me ask you, is that really following him at all? You know, God never said that it's going to be easy, but he does say it'll be worth it in the end. See, following Jesus requires true faith. So what does that mean? Well, listen closely. Real faith means trusting that where he is leading is better than where we are right now. See, at the end of the day, we all have this choice. We can stay in the boat with our nets, holding on to what's comfortable and familiar, or we can step into this unknown and we can follow Christ wherever he may lead us. Number two, the second truth. Following Jesus requires urgency. Someone up there in Fort Hall say urgency for me. Verse 18 says, and they left their nets at once and they went and followed him. Someone give me an amen. You see, the scripture says they immediately left their nets. They followed Jesus. See, these nets, these were expensive. They weren't just tools. These nets were their livelihood, their security, their identity. So when they dropped their nets, they were not simply leaving equipment. Pay attention to this. They were leaving their previous life behind, planning to never return. How many of you are here grateful that when Jesus called you, your life changed today? See, how many of you can look back at your past and just thank God you're not there anymore? See, here's this tension we live in, however. It's really easy to say yes to Jesus while still carrying pieces of our old life without even realizing it. And there lies a really important problem. See, so many people say yes to Jesus, but they don't drop their nets. See, when Jesus calls you to follow him, he is also calling you to put aside everything from your old life to follow him and him alone, to let go of it. Your old direction, your old way of thinking, your own habits, and even your sin. You see, following Jesus doesn't just change where you're going, it changes who you are. You know, I remember when I gave my life to Jesus, there were things I convinced myself were harmless. I told myself I could still drink once in a while. I I'm not gonna get drunk. It's okay for me to continue to chew a little bit of tobacco because, you know, it doesn't affect me that much. It's just a little vice. It was things that I thought was fine, but later on in my Christian walk, they tripped me up because I was still holding on to them. See, that's why Jesus calls us to die to our old selves so we can eventually become new. The word says we are to become a new creation in Jesus when you accept him as Lord. So can I encourage you today? If there are things in your life that you are still hanging on to, even if they aren't sin, it could be a dream, a passion, it could even be a mindset. But you ask God, show me, does it belong in my new life? Or is this something that I need to let go and walk away from? You see, even something that looks completely innocent can still hold you back if it's not coming from him. Number three, someone say, number three, following Jesus means letting go of how you see him. Someone say letting go. Verse 20 says, He called them at once, and they also followed him. And I tell you, it is easy to miss this as Americans reading this passage 2,000 years later, but there is something that happens in this verse that was very against the culture of the time. You see, at the time, rabbis were not the one, excuse me, to choose people. It was the people that instead chose the rabbi that they wanted to follow. But Jesus, how he always does, he flips this completely on his head. He walks up to the men who have not seen themselves as qualified. They would never have gone up to another rabbi and asked to follow him. And Jesus says, I choose you. In other words, Jesus is saying, you would not have picked yourself because you do not think you are worthy of following me. But I am taking you because I know what you can become. See, Jesus is not calling you because you think you're ready to be called, he is calling you because he knows the person he can transform you into. Number four, following Jesus requires submission to his process of transformation. Someone say submission up in here. Verse 17. Jesus calls out to them, come follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people. Jesus says, follow me. And in some translations it says, and I will make you fishers of men. Now notice he did not say, go make yourselves into something. Go back to school, fix yourselves, stop sitting, get off of that habit, get rid of that addiction, put the drugs aside, put the alcohol aside, and then you can come to me. No, he doesn't say go make yourself into something. He says, I will make you. See, that means that transformation is not something that we control, it is something that we have to submit to. See, in other words, we do not get to follow Jesus and still call the shots. Someone give me an amen up in there. You see, we give up our choice when we follow Him. We give up our desires and our wants when we follow Him. We give up our stubborn, someone hear me, our stubborn will to do everything on our own. Come on, I know I'm speaking to somebody up in here today. See, transformation requires submission and it requires a process. It doesn't happen overnight. So here's an honest question we have to ask ourselves. If we are following Christ fully, does our life reflect that transformation? Because transformation, what does it produce? It produces change. See, the person who has been following Jesus for 20 years, believe it or not, they should be looking a lot different than the person they were who started seven days ago. So ask yourselves, is our life changing? Do I look different, or is the only real change just showing up on a Sunday when the pow-wow was the night before? Can I ask the wives up in here? When God calls you to be transformed and to submit to your husband in your marriage, are you following him or your own desires to resist? Husbands, you're not off the hook. Are you becoming the man who she will want to follow, who will lead his family spiritually? See, if someone was to look at your life before Christ and now with no context at all, one question: would they be able to see a real shift in who you are today? See, real transformation shouldn't need an announcement. People should be able to see on their own. See, real transformation shows up in everyday life. It's visible before it's ever explained, and it will always leave an impact on the people around us. You see, transformation isn't optional when we are following Jesus. It's not something we choose to happen. When you are truly following Jesus, transformation is the evidence of that submission to Christ. Because when you truly follow him, your life will change. So to conclude, here's what it all comes down to. Today, Jesus is calling you, church. Just like he was calling the first few disciples 2,000 years ago, but today he's calling you with this simple but powerful invitation. Follow me. Not when you feel ready, not when you have it all figured out, but when you've cleaned everything up for right now. And the truth is this every single one of us has a choice today. You can always stay in the boat. You can hold on to the nets, to what's comfortable, hold on to what's familiar, hold on to control, or you can drop your nets. You can step out of the boat. You can trust Jesus in the unknown and step onto the shore and allow him to begin transforming your life today. You know, maybe you're sitting here today watching this sermon and you've never truly made a decision to follow Jesus. I get it. I have been there just like you 20 plus years ago. I was sitting in a small room, just like you are now, sitting in a seat, hearing the same message about Jesus. For me, I had heard this message my whole life. I had grown up in church, but I had never made a decision for myself. And there came a moment, I think it was about 23 years ago, that I made a decision to actually get out of the boat, to lay down my nets, and to follow Jesus, to give him my whole life. And today, whether this is your first time hearing Jesus or like me, it is your thousandth time hearing about Jesus, but you've never made a decision. He is calling you today. I know it can feel like you're not ready, that you have to do some more things to have it all together. But can I tell you today that you don't have to transform your life to follow Jesus? Transformation happens after you say yes to him. So today that's my first question. If you are ready, if you are there and you're saying, Yes, I need to follow this Jesus, a Jesus that died on the cross for my sins, that I may have a chance to have eternal life, the only chance. Say, I want to follow him, truly follow him the rest of my life. If that's you today, will you just raise your hand? Thank you. I want everyone here today to repeat this prayer after me. Jesus, I give you my life. I admit I've sinned and need you. I believe you died for me and rose again. Forgive me and make me new. From this day forward, I choose to follow you in Jesus' name. Amen. You know, today, if you prayed that prayer, I just want to welcome you to the family of believers. And also just celebrate you for just a second because you've made a decision to step out of that boat, dropping your nets down to follow Jesus. Again, if you made that decision, will you do me a quick favor? Again, on the back of this card, It says salvation. Will you just check that? And then drop it into the offering bucket as it goes past so our pastors can come and help you with the next steps of moving into your new walk with Jesus. My last question is this. For some of you who have been following Jesus a long time, life gets repetitive, stuff gets in the way. And eventually you realize where you're carrying nets and rows and all this fishing equipment when you should have everything dropped and you should be following Jesus today. My question for you today is there's something in your life that you also need to lay down so you can fully follow Jesus. Maybe there's a sin in your life that you keep trying to overcome by yourself, but you've realized you just can't. And you need to give that to Jesus. Maybe there's something else. Maybe God's been calling you to do something, but you've been too scared to do it. And you've been saying no to him. Perhaps it's time that you lay that down. Whatever it may be, I know God's talking to you. I know he's whispering in your ear right now. If you have something today and you are saying, I need to lay this down so I can fully follow Jesus, will you just raise your hand right now so we can pray with you? Thank you. Let's just pray for a second. God, we just love you. And Lord, we give you praise. Thank you for revealing stuff in our heart. Lord, we just pray right now that every person here who has their hands raised, Lord, that they will lay it down at your feet. Whether it be sin, habits, a mindset that they have to shift, whatever it may be, Lord, may we lay it down so we can follow you fully to be transformed by your power in the name of Jesus. I pray a blessing over every person here and for the rest of service. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.