Title: Follow Me (John 5:21-23)
content you follow me
John 5:21-23
"Jesus said to him, "If I want him to stay until I come, what does it matter to you, follow me?"
Today's Bible says that the time is after Jesus was resurrected, and the place is on the Sea of Galilee After Jesus died on the cross, as if most of the disciples had been waiting, they returned to the Sea of Galilee to catch fish. A snippet from a conversation with Peter. The point of that conversation was, “Follow me,” and I would like to testify on this issue today.
First, to “follow” means to live with the Lord, work with the Lord, and die for the Lord.
To borrow the Apostle Paul's expression, "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). Knowing and learning Jesus is easy. But following Jesus is no easy feat. Matthew 16:20 says, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." In the Gospels, there were many people who said they would follow Jesus, but even though they knew that Jesus was the Son of God and a good teacher, they could not follow Jesus when they were told to give up everything and be different. In Luke 15:11, Peter left everything and followed the Lord.
Second, why did the Lord tell Peter to follow?
Third, it is the attitude of following the Lord.
A follower attitude does not need to look back on others. In today's Bible text, Peter looked back at John. Then when I asked what would happen to this man, the Lord said that no matter what his life might be, you follow me. You don't have to look at anyone else. You and God have a one-to-one relationship of faith, so you must look to the Lord and pray and act in front of God as the center. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Let us look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” In the refrain of Hymn 387, “I will be the Lord’s mighty man in any way” is sung. Also, to follow the Lord, you must follow closely. As a disciple, Peter always followed Jesus like a shadow to where Jesus was going, because he was trusted by Jesus. However, when Jesus was arrested, it is recorded in Mark 14:54, “Peter followed Jesus at a distance.” Because Peter was far away when Jesus was arrested, he denied Jesus three times and became a traitor.
Fourth, what happens if we follow the Lord closely.
In fact, it is difficult to follow the Lord. But even if it is difficult or difficult, the way we go is the way of discipleship and the way of the cross. How can we live in the Lord and the kingdom of glory? Only those who follow to the end can achieve glory. The glory of the world may be temporary, but the world of God's glory is eternal. If the eternal world is determined by how we follow the Lord in this world, how should we follow the Lord? 1 Corinthians 9:24 says, “Do you not know that in the field all runners run, but only one gets the prize? That's right. Run to the end and follow along to win a prize. Even though it is difficult to follow, and the road to heaven is rough, it is the way of life, it is by grace. By following the Lord closely, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will become the saints of blessed blessings who have the final victory.