Following Jesus in Today’s World | Joakim Lundqvist

Where Is Jesus Going?

Scripture References

• Matthew 4
• Luke 15
• Matthew 26

Overview

Jesus still calls, “Follow Me.” The crucial question is: where is He going? From three parables in Luke 15, we see His destination—toward every person who is lost. To follow Jesus, therefore, is to leave the safety of the ninety-nine and join Him in seeking and welcoming the one. The message traces that mission through Scripture, real-life testimonies, and the warning of what happens when we allow distance to grow between us and Christ.

Main Points

1. Ask the Right Question: “Where is He going?”

• Commitment means sharing the leader’s destination; we must know Jesus’ route before we promise lifelong allegiance.
• Personal illustration: before proposing, the preacher first discovered Maria’s “destination” so their lives could align.
• Hebrews says Jesus is unchanging; His call “Follow Me” now carries the same direction it did on the shore of Galilee.

2. Luke 15 Reveals Jesus’ Destination

• Parable patterns
  • Lost sheep: 1 lost, 99 safe; shepherd (God) pursues the one.
  • Lost coin: 1 lost, 9 safe; woman (God) searches relentlessly.
  • Lost son: 1 wandering, 1 home; father (God) watches, runs, restores.
• Repeated three times so no one misses the point: God’s primary focus is always on what is in the wrong place.
• Following Jesus therefore means centering our lives on finding and restoring people far from God.

“Follow Me…to find another lost sheep, another lost coin, another lost son or daughter.”

3. What Happens When We Obey

• Story: Marcus, a shy 17-year-old Swede, determined to invite the first classmate he met to a life-group.
• He approached Daniel (whom he didn’t know). Daniel thought he was being invited to a party, came, asked for prayer for his grandfather’s cancer—he was healed the next day.
• Daniel received Christ, attended Bible and missions school, and now serves full-time in Thailand’s red-light districts. Marcus is a missionary in China.
• Point: simple obedience unleashes outcomes we cannot imagine.

4. The Danger of “Following at a Distance” (Matthew 26)

• Peter once followed closely, but during Jesus’ arrest “followed Him at a distance,” leading to denial and self-protection.
• Distance shifts our focus from the lost to our own comfort and safety.
• Restoration came when Peter closed the gap again—immediately his mission returned to people.

5. Two End-Time Pictures: Half-Full Lifeboats or John Harper

• Illustration: First hour after the Titanic struck the iceberg, lifeboats launched half empty; once safe, most rowed away while hundreds perished in the water.
• The Spirit highlighted this as one picture of end-time Christianity—content believers ignoring those drowning spiritually.
• Story: Evangelist John Harper (age 39) put his daughter into a lifeboat, then spent his final minutes in the water crying:

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”

• One young man, William John Mellors, accepted Christ through Harper’s call and later testified, “I was saved twice that night.”
• Followers of Jesus are called to be the John Harpers of our generation, not passengers rowing away.

Key Truths

• Following Jesus always involves moving toward people who are far from God.
• God’s heart prioritizes the one who is lost over the many who are already safe.
• Distance from Jesus breeds self-preservation; closeness rekindles compassion.
• Simple acts of obedience can set global, generational change in motion.
• The church must resist a half-full-lifeboat mindset and embrace sacrificial pursuit of the lost.

Response

• Examine your life direction; align it with Jesus’ pursuit of the lost.
• Pray daily for specific people who are far from God, then initiate conversation or invitation.
• Step out of comfort: take the first tangible action—an invite, a serve opportunity, a gospel conversation.
• Close any relational distance with Jesus through confession, Scripture, and worship so compassion stays fresh.
• Commit resources—time, talent, finances—to mission efforts that reach unreached people.

Closing

The original version of Christianity is not self-preservation but self-giving pursuit of those still in danger. Jesus’ eyes are fixed on lost sons and daughters; He turns and says, “Follow Me.” Our generation can either row away in half-empty boats or echo John Harper’s cry to a dying world:

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”

Choose today to recommit to His route and become an active rescuer, not a passive passenger.

Prayer

Father, forgive us for every moment we drifted into comfort and forgot Your mission. Re-ignite our hearts to follow Jesus closely and seek every lost sheep, coin, son, and daughter until none remain outside Your embrace. Give us boldness, compassion, and obedience to be the John Harpers of our time. In Jesus’ name, amen.