Jesus to Peter: Follow Thou Me
Minister: |
Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: |
5/3/2009 PM
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Text:
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John 21:18-23
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Psalters: |
269, 262, 321, 271 |
- Jesus’ command.
- To “follow” Jesus is the activity of a disciple of Jesus (Matt. 16:24).
- The ability to follow Jesus presupposes that one has been redeemed and saved.
- When Jesus says, “Follow Me,” then He is renewing Peter’s call to be His disciple.
- To follow Jesus means three things.
- One, to pay heed to His Word (in order to learn Who He is, where He is going, and what He commands).
- Two, to walk (live) in the direction in which His Word points.
- Three, walk after Jesus no matter the way He has for us.
- Our text emphasizes that following Jesus will mean death (cross-bearing).
- First, Jesus had just come from the cross where He was despised, mocked, beaten and killed.
- Second, Jesus had just spoken of Peter’s death (19).
- Jesus gives us good reasons to follow Him even though it means cross-bearing and may mean martyrdom.
- First, the One speaking had risen from the dead.
- So to follow Him is to go through death and into eternal life.
- The end of following Jesus is the resurrection and victory in Jesus.
- Second, the Jesus we are to follow has power over the way we walk: “If I will...” (22).
- Jesus teaches that He has authority over all the world so our ways are determined by His will.
- Any trouble or difficulty we experience He has willed for our good (or He would have prevented it).
- Our way (and each step of it) is willed by Jesus for the glory of God (19).
- To follow Jesus is a very personal activity.
- This is brought out in Jesus’ answer to Peter’s question whether John would also die a martyr’s death (21).
- Jesus shows that what happens to others is to be much less significant than our responsibility to follow Him.
- When focusing on striving to follow Jesus, then it is not profitable to ask about the future of fellow-saints.
- Walk our way, considering only what it means to follow Jesus.