Follow Thou Me
Jesus told Peter in Jn 21:19, “Follow Me”. But when John walked up, Peter wanted to know what Jesus was going to tell him to do. And Jesus replied, “what is that to thee? Follow thou me”. When it comes to following Jesus, we need to concern ourselves with what he wants us to do and not what others are doing. We need to be very single minded about our personal need to follow Jesus.
Now it wasn’t long after Jesus told Peter, “Follow thou me”, that Jesus left this earth and ascended up into heaven. For three and a half years these apostles had the Lord Jesus to follow every where he went. Then all of a sudden he was no where to be seen. How were they going to follow him? If we can figure that out, then we can also figure out how we are supposed to follow him today. We’ll find the answers in the Acts of the Apostles.
To follow Jesus today we must:
Follow his commands. Acts 1:4 Jesus “commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father”. And so they waited in Jerusalem till the Holy Spirit came upon them. By following his command, Peter followed him.
He said, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”, Mk 16:15. This is not something they could accomplish in their lifetime. So it falls to us to complete the task. Jesus said, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world”. And the end of the world is not yet. We must preach the gospel so the lost can be saved when they believe the gospel.
Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another”, Jn 13:34-35. This is a command; not a suggestion.
Follow his words. Acts 1:20 speaking of Judas Iscariot, Peter quoted “and his bishoprick let another take” Ps 109:8. And so Matthias replaced Judas Iscariot as an apostle. By following God’s words, Peter followed the Lord.
God’s word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, Ps 119:105. “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way”, Ps 119:9. His word shows us where to go and how to live clean. Here are some examples of things the Lord wants us to follow in his words.
- Boast not thyself of tomorrow
- Take no thought for the morrow
- Think on these things, Phil 4:8
- Wait on the Lord
- Trust in the Lord with all thine heart
- Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven
- Forsake the foolish and live
- Fear God
Following Jesus is not a matter of you doing whatever you want to do and then waiting for Jesus to correct you or stop you. In John 21, Peter told the other apostles that he was going fishing. They fished all night and caught nothing. In the morning, Jesus called out and told them to cast their net on the right side. When they did, they loaded the net. To pray, “If this isn’t right, shut the door” is not a good prayer. You should ask the Lord first and check his word to see what he has to say about what you’re thinking about doing. Like he said to Peter, “Follow thou me”.
Follow his Spirit. Acts 2:4 “and they were all filled with the holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance”. These were the languages of the Jews from every nation that were in Jerusalem at the time. By following the Holy Spirit, Peter was following Jesus.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
The Holy Spirit doesn’t push and pressure you. Those feelings are from within or from your adversary. The Holy Spirit leads and he leads gently. Gentleness is his fruit. The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated…. If you’re feeling “pushed” you’re not being led.
Follow his prophecies. Acts 2:16, the prophet Joel, 2:25, David, 3:22, Moses… Peter was able to understand what was going on by the prophecies recorded in the Old Testament.
Peter wrote, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts”. By following these prophecies, he was following Jesus.
We should follow the prophecies of the Bible and not the speculations and prognostications of men. They don’t know. Speculations are fear mongering and anger stirring today. They are also motivated by pride many times. David wrote, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly”. Your favorite conservative news outlet may present the news in a way you prefer to hear it and may predict outcomes you hope to see. Nevertheless, they are the counsel of the ungodly. Jesus said, “Follow thou me”.
Follow his example. Acts 4:13 “when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus”. What a testimony. When you’re doing things the way Jesus did them, people can tell that you’re following him.
1 Pet 2:21 “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps”. Jesus said “if the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you”.
So, stand up and boldly proclaim the truth of the words of God without fear or shame. The righteous are bold as a lion.
Conclusion: Jesus said, “Follow thou me”. By the things we have discussed today, you can tell whether you’re following Jesus or not. If you are, be encouraged to keep on following him. If you aren’t, then start following his commands, his words, his Spirit, his prophecies, and his example today.