Following Afar Off
Text: Matthew 26:47, 55-58,
69-75
This is a familiar passage which causes us to think.
Introduction:
“And
they that had laid hold on Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas
the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were
assembled. But Peter followed Him afar off.
. .”
Matthew 26:57-58
Following afar off is just as serious a danger for us as it
was for Peter. There are Christians today, once committed
to Jesus Christ, who are even now following afar off. Many
New Testament passages encourage us in our efforts to reach
our heavenly home. But not all who begin the Christian race
will finish. As
Matthew 7:13-14
informs us, the gates into heaven are quite narrow. The
purpose then of this lesson is to persuade you to examine
your own lives to see if you, too, are following afar off.
It may make the difference as to whether you reach your
heavenly destination. That is how serious this is! What
should I look for to see if I am following afar off?
Body:
I.
A Forgotten Commitment
The Christian life, above all else, is one of complete
commitment to our Lord. The words of Jesus to his disciples
as recorded in
Matthew 16:24
should stir us out of our complacency and remind us of our
commitment. [Compare to the marriage vows, commitment.]
Did we truly mean it when we confessed Jesus as Lord; and
all that it entails? Or have we forgotten that we are new
creatures, having put to death our old lives of sin? (II
Corinthians 5:17, Romans 6:17-18)
Brethren, have we forgotten just who we were meant to
become?
II.
A Seldom Glance at the Cross
“But
God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8 So many Christians have forgotten the great cost of
Calvary. (Philippians
2:8) Christ gave up His home in heaven only to be killed in
disgrace and shame on the lonely cross between two thieves.
The Romans ridiculed Him and the Jews despised Him. His own
received Him not. He poured out His blood for all of
mankind and yet so often we neglect the greatest gift ever
given to man. (Ephesians 2:8) How many times this past
week have you thought about the cross? But not all will
heed the message of the cross. What is their end? Just
listen to
II Thessalonians 1:7-9
where it describes the end of those who follow afar off.
III.
The House of God Is Slipping from View
Jehovah said in the long ago, “Can
a maiden forget her ornaments or a bride her attire? Yet my
people have forgotten me days without number.”
Jeremiah 2:32 All of us here must heed the words spoken in
Hebrews 10:25-31.
If we were to call for our family meal and a member of the
family is not at the table, would we not find out why? And
yet there are members who perpetually forsake the assembly,
thus the Lord’s Supper; and many do not check on them. When
we miss partaking of the Lord’s Supper, we miss that
spiritual participation in the death of our Lord; for Jesus
is with us as we partake. (Matthew
26:24)
We have a scared obligation to gather together with God’s
people; and yet so many without harm to their conscience,
lay out of the services. Will heaven be their home? Not
according to
Revelation 2:10.
Being continually absent from the House of God is a sure
sign of walking afar off.
IV.
We Don’t Seem to Miss Our Brothers and Sisters
Peter, by the inspiration of God, penned these words: “Seeing
ye have purified your soul in obeying the truth through the
Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love
one another with a pure heart fervently.”
I Peter 1:22 Example: After missing a service, how anxious are you to
get back to see your brothers and sisters? You just can’t
wait to be with them; find out how they are; weep with them;
laugh with them? I’m afraid much of our feelings toward
brethren is lackluster. Take ‘em or leave ‘em. This is not
the kind of love that Peter tells us to have here. This
love is based on the worthiness and preciousness of the
person loved. Our love should be fervent, intense, and
forceful! How long has it been? The people here in this
assembly will be those with whom you spend an eternity in
heaven. Therefore, the assembly should be a source of great
joy.
V.
We Don’t Feel the Need for God Which Once We Did
The weeping prophet stood at the charred gates of Jerusalem
that was destroyed by the Babylonians; crying, “Is
it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?”
Lamentations 1:12 How dear and how precious was that faith and trust which
once we had in God! Someone has said, “If God is farther
away from you than He once was, just who moved?” James
tells us that if we draw near to God, He in return will draw
near to us. How many of us once had a sacred hour of
prayer, a time when we shared innermost thoughts with God;
but no longer do? How many of us no longer have a set time
during the day for meditation on God’s Word? (Psalm
119:15)
Do the words of
Psalm 55:16,
“As
for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me”
mean anything to us anymore? Are our needs being met by the
world? If so, you are in grave danger and are certainly
following Him afar off.
VI.
Like A Toy Once Dear, The New Has Begun to Wear Off
Are we no longer excited about our being saved, about our
special relationship with God? Is our Christian lifestyle
like a coat, which was once new and precious, but now is
just one of many? Being a disciple of Jesus should feel new
to us each day in that we’re proud to “show it off”, to tell
people who we are and what we stand for. Peter and John
were proud to tell the Sanhedrin who Christ was and what He
meant to them. (Acts
4:13)
Christianity should never feel old to us not should we ever
feel we have outgrown it. A side thought – If a foreign
power invaded US and forbade us meeting together, would we
then realize how dear all of this really is? Is this what
it would take? Maybe this is why we are following afar off?
VII.
We Begin to Take Priceless and Scared Things for Granted
Reading the precious Word of God used to be done daily and
with eagerness, but now is seldom done at all. We are not
excited about the Bible. We forget the seriousness of these
words. These are the very words of God! Listen to what
they can do. “Your
word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against
You.”
Psalm 119:11 The Bible is so readily available to us in America that
often we don’t realize what a great blessing this is. Many
don’t even bring their Bible to services. Cherish it!
Christians of yesteryear were known far and wide as People
of the Book. They knew it from cover to cover. They
allowed it to guide their entire lives. “How
sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my
mouth!”
Psalm 119:103 Are His words still sweet to us, or have they become bitter?
VIII.
We Have Totally Anchored to This Present Life and Rarely
Think on the Hereafter
Today many spend their entire lives trying to find heaven
here on this earth. How often we forget that when we became
Christians, we gave up this world in a sense. At that time
we changed from being citizens of this world to citizens of
heaven. Read
Philippians 3:20.
But many brethren are best described as was Demas. “Demas
hath forsaken me, having loved this present world.” II
Timothy 4:10 Our Lord tells us not to lay up treasures here on this
earth, but rather in heaven. See how much time and money
you spend on recreation and entertainment. Materialism and
indifference have invaded the camp. These are sure signs of
following afar off.
Invitation:
We have mentioned many things today which are signs of
following afar off, from a distance. Any of these will
cause you to be eternally lost; separated forever from God.
Does this describe your life as it now is? If it does, I
pray that you will say to the Father the words of the
Prodigal Son: “I
will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him,
Father; I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.”
The invitation is open; and God awaits. Please come.
Bobby Stafford
July 14, 2013
