Summary

His invitation to follow is addressed to Anyone. Many people don’t realize they’ve been invited to follow. They think, “Not after what I’ve done. He wouldn’t want me to follow him. I would never make the cut. “They assume they aren’t qualified and as a result never take seriously what it means to follow Jesus.

Sermon Questions

1. Do you believe the gospel is “really” for anyone? Explain your answer.
2. Anyone is an all-inclusive word. Anyone means everyone. Jesus doesn’t begin with a list of pre-qualifications. How do we? Why are we so hard on certain people?
3. Matthew sins for a living. Tax collectors’ sin for a living. They legally steal from people. Yet, Jesus calls Matthew to be a disciple. What does that say to you about Jesus?
4. What is the problem? What exactly was their complaint? And why was Jesus so “wrong”?
5. He says, “Follow me.” You think there must be some mistake. “Doesn’t he know what I’ve done? Doesn’t he know who I am, REALLY?” How do you respond to Jesus’ invitation to follow?