This article was originally printed and distributed in 1996, and subsequently was included as the final chapter in Harry’s book, “When the Road is Rough and Steep”.

 

 

DISCIPLESHIP

 

Are you finding it tough being a follower of Jesus?

 

Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them…When Peter saw him he asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” (John 21:20-22)

A disciple and a Christian are the same (Acts 11:26). A disciple is someone who has heard the call of Jesus and has chosen to follow him—as Saviour, Lord, Teacher, Example and Friend. Jesus’ last great commission to his church was, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them . . . ” (Matthew 28:19).

This article is about discipleship, and we will base it upon some words that Jesus spoke to Simon Peter, one of his first disciples, “You must follow me.” The King James Version correctly reveals the strong personal emphasis of the original Greek words, “Follow thou me.”

These words were uttered by the risen Lord Jesus Christ to Simon Peter as part of a conversation which took place early one morning on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The story is told in John, chapter 21. You might like to re-read it to refresh your mind.

Peter had three times declared his love for his Lord, and Jesus three times had reaffirmed Peter’s apostolic ministry. Jesus then went on to warn Peter of the fact that his love would one day cost him his life. He would follow his Master to a cross. No doubt taken aback, Peter looked over his shoulder and, seeing John nearby, he immediately inquired of Jesus regarding the future destiny of his fellow apostle.

This brought forth the surprising reply which is our consideration in this article. Taken alone it sounds almost a rebuke but, as we will see, it was in fact a necessary reminder to Peter of the terms of discipleship.

Every disciple—and every would-be disciple—will hear the question put to Simon Peter, “Do you love me?” If we likewise reply, “You know that I love you,” then the Saviour will say to us, “Follow thou me.” We do well, therefore, to make ourselves aware of what that call means.

First:

Follow Me—WITH UNQUESTIONING OBEDIENCE

The Lord Jesus had no sooner said to Simon Peter, “Follow me,” than Peter immediately had a question. “Lord, what about John? What will happen to him?” It is as if he wants to discuss what Jesus had just said. But our Lord’s command to him was not open to discussion. There was nothing to discuss. It was a “just do it” kind of command.

Now it is not always wrong to ask questions. Far from it. We learn by asking questions—and listening to answers. Questions that have to do with ascertaining the correct interpretation of the will of our Lord. Questions that seek to understand more accurately or deeply the truth revealed in God’s Word. Our earnest desire with those sorts of questions is—or should be—obedience. There are, however, other kinds of questions which are really excuses to avoid obedience—or at least to postpone it.

My father used to say to me when I was a teenager and didn’t want to do something, “Harry, why do you always want to question everything? Just do it!”

Is this not the trouble with many of us? We often want to question what our Lord has told us to do.

We acknowledge that:

• Jesus is our Master and we are his servants (in fact the Bible usually uses the Greek word “doulos”, slave), and yet we are sometimes reluctant to obey.
• Jesus is our Sovereign and we are his subjects, and yet we are slow to serve.
• Jesus is our Commander-in-chief and we are soldiers in his army, and yet we do not always do what he commands.

We need to be reminded sometimes of all three of the above, but for now let us just consider the third. We have become soldiers of Jesus Christ and we are his to command.

With this thought in mind, in 1962 my friend, the late George Verwer, launched a missionary movement called Operation Mobilisation. At I write this, over ninety-thousand young people have been trained to wage warfare against the forces of darkness by proclaiming throughout the world the light of Jesus Christ.

At the time of writing there are more than two thousand five hundred full-time workers in various parts of the world and on two OM ships, and thousands more are mobilized for short term missions. OM-ers would never be the force they are if they questioned every clear command which came from Jesus.

In the nineteenth-century, William Booth called the movement he founded The Salvation Army. It is a good term.

When I was eighteen years old, I was conscripted into the Royal Air Force. In England conscription was called, “National Service.” There was no choice. You were drafted.

I found that there were many ranks in the military and a chain of command. Most people not only took commands from someone above them but had someone below them whom they could in turn command. Except for me. I was just an “Airman Class II,” the lowest of the low, the bottom of the pile. I did not command anybody. Even the squadron’s cat ignored me!

Now if the sergeant had said to me, “Kilbride, pick up that pack.”

And I had responded, “Well that is an interesting request, Sergeant. I would like to discuss this with you. I have a question. I was just wondering if Smith here is going to pick up any packs?”

If I had said any of that I would not be here to write this article! You know, men disappeared off the face of the earth who questioned the sergeant’s command, leave alone the Commanding Officer! You were trained from the beginning, that if he says do it you do it. You just do it.

But we Christians say, “Yes, Lord Jesus. You are my Lord, my King, my Commander. I hear your call, ‘Follow thou me.’ Well, I will certainly try. However, I have a question—or two, or three.”
Baptism? Stewardship? Possessions? Tithing? Relationships? Not storing up treasure on earth? Praying every day? Evangelizing the lost? Caring for the poor? Forgiving that one who wronged me? Well, Lord, you know that I love you, but I must think a bit more about these commands. They are a bit—um—tough. Maybe tomorrow.

How does Jesus know that we mean it when we tell him that we love him?  Lots of people tell people they love them but it does not mean anything. How do we give substance to our declaration? Answer: by obeying his commands.

If you love me, you will obey what I command…Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father…If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. (John 14:15, 21, 23)

The inescapable conclusion we must draw from these words of our Lord is that true love for him leads to obedience. Obedience is both the fruit of our love for him and the evidence that our discipleship-love is real.

These words also teach us that love is the motive Jesus wants in his disciple’s obedience. There can be obedience through fear, such as the obedience I gave to my sergeant. Or obedience through moral duty, such as that I give to traffic laws—well most of the time! But the best obedience is motivated by love, and that is what our Lord speaks of in John 14 and in his challenge to Peter. Love, then, is the motive for a disciple’s obedience and the power of it. The more love we have for Christ the more eagerly we will want to please him in all things.

Disciple of Jesus, do you truly love him? Then follow him—and follow him with unquestioning obedience.

Second:

Follow Me — AND ACCEPT THE CROSS

Jesus warned Peter, “…When you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”

Comments John, “Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, ‘Follow me!’” (John 21:18:19). Early documents tell us that Peter died by crucifixion in Rome during the persecution of Emperor Nero.

Mercifully the Lord spares most of us from knowing when or how we will die. However, the Lord Jesus calls all his disciples to sacrifice in one way or another. That is why we talk about laying our lives on the altar. Salvation is free but discipleship costs everything.  Nothing, it seems to me, is so misleading as when preachers and others give new converts the impression that it is easy to follow Jesus, and that to live the life of a disciple of Jesus is just a “bed of roses.” That is the very opposite of what Jesus taught.

Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble…” (John 16:33) and, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) When Jesus speaks of disciples being called to bear a cross, he is not speaking of the ordinary trials of life—as Shakespeare put it, “the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to.” He is speaking of something which the disciple is called upon to voluntarily take up. Something costly, something painful, something for which the only appropriate metaphor is the awful cruelty of death on a cross.

Some other words of Jesus are, perhaps, even more astonishing.  Listen to them:

Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost…?” (Luke 14:25-28)

Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.” (Matthew 10:34-36)

We do not hear much of these sayings today do we? Perhaps we don’t want to. Jesus is calling would-be disciples to stop, think, and count the cost. Discipleship will be tough and involve sacrifice. Would we not today more likely be trying to persuade as many people in the crowd as possible to “make a decision for Christ” by making it as painless and alluring as possible, in some cases even promising “Heaven now”—health, wealth, and a trouble-free life? To inflate our statistics and fill our churches, we frequently offer a cost-less, cross-less and even mind-less discipleship. Shame on us. That was not the way of our Lord Jesus.

Reading again our Lord’s words you may be saying, “I am shocked. I thought we were supposed to love people. I thought we were supposed to love our family. What does Jesus mean by hate our father and our mother and so forth?”

I agree it is a hard saying. Many of our Lord’s words were “hard sayings”. We conveniently avoid them if we can. This one was what we call a Hebraism. It was a way of speaking in Jesus’ time. When faced with painful choices, when you have to choose one thing rather than another, it may seem as if you hate the one that comes second. In reality you simply choose to love one more. Of course, Jesus not only taught us to love our families but even our enemies. Nevertheless, if we put the Lord Jesus first—even above dearly loved family—it may seem (at least to them) that we hate them.

Whether you understand that strange saying or not, let me tell you it frequently comes true. People give their lives to Jesus Christ and they go back to their unsaved family and their family turns against them. It may be one member of the family, it may be more than one, but they are told, “You brought division in this house.”  They say, “You are not like you used to be. You are different. Something has happened to you.” They say, “You hate us. You are ‘holier than thou’. You look down upon us.”

And the Christian daughter or son says, “Oh, I do not hate you, Mom and Dad. Brothers and sisters, I do not hate you. I love you more than I ever loved you, but I love Jesus first, and I cannot do what you want me to do. Yes, I am a different person.”

For example, when a Jewish person comes to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, the hostility of the uncomprehending family can sometimes be very severe. The family may even disown them. When a Muslim person converts to Christ it can cost him, or her, their lives. That is strict Islamic teaching. Conversion carries the death penalty. Similarly, in Hinduism and other religions there can be great hostility towards a family member who becomes a follower of Jesus Christ.

Or – the cross may come in a different way.

Simon Peter was to face a cross. That is what he flinched from in the courtyard of the High Priest when he denied his Lord. He was brave when his blood was hot. He unwisely boasted that though his fellow disciples might deny their Lord he would never do so. In Gethsemane’s Garden he was prepared to fight the entire Roman army and die in action.

Bravo!  But the test did not come that way. It came through the questions and taunts of a servant girl. Satan often attacks us when and where we least expect it. Disguised and very subtle, he exploits our weaknesses. A tough, middle-aged Galilean fisherman would stand up and fight another man anytime but did not want to appear to have backed a loser when questioned by a girl, especially in front of some other fellows warming themselves around a fire. Besides this, Jesus was now under arrest. An admission of association with Jesus might result in his own arrest and execution.

I do not know what your test will be, or your cross. It might be in your family but it might be in your career. Perhaps you will be asked to compromise your Christian principles and deny your Lord. If you refuse to do so your cross could be being passed up for promotion.

Imagine trying to get on in the world of science-teaching if you don’t believe in Darwinian Evolution. What is it like for some nurses who refuse to assist in abortions? Your cross may be no worse (?) than the fact that, though your colleagues like you and admire you because as a Christian you are truthful, cheerful, loyal and diligent, yet they keep you at arms’ length because you are—well—different. You are “religious”; one of those strange “born-again” types. Best to be avoided! You may be branded a ‘right-wing Fundamentalist’ and dismissed either as an oddity, a menace to a libertarian society, or both.

The Apostle Paul said, “Present your bodies a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). We naturally fear to die—especially a violent death—but it may sometimes be harder to live for Christ than to die for him.

Can we evade the cross? Sometimes we can. Since it is something we are called upon to “take up” we may refuse it. Peter refused to accept the cross when he denied he ever knew Jesus and did so with oaths and curses. But he bitterly regretted his choice.

Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, refused to accept the cross in sixteenth-century England. At heart he was a Protestant, persuaded that the doctrines of the Reformation were true. Prominent people in the reign of Henry VIII, however, tended to have short lives and were often executed. Cranmer feared that and feared the fire even more. Five times he recanted his writings to save his life and to please his sovereign.

But when Mary Tudor came to the throne, he would recant no more. Instead, he recanted his recantations, was taken to Oxford, and on March 21, 1556, he was burned alive. This naturally timid, vacillating monarchist found the inward pain of refusing to bear the cross worse than anything “Bloody” Mary could do to him. As the flames leapt about him, he held forth his hand until it was burned to a stump. Said Cranmer, “This hand, which offended in writing contrary to my heart, shall be punished first.” So died a brave martyr.

The paradox is this: no one is as miserable as the true disciple of Jesus who has refused the cross. In the denial or compromise to avoid the pain, the disciple only finds that the pain of regret and shame is far worse. Praise God there is for all, as for Peter, forgiveness, cleansing, restoration and another opportunity to be faithful.

Christian disciples, do you love Jesus?  Will you accept the cross?

Third:

Follow Me—AND DON’T COMPARE

Lordship is sovereign and it is individual. Jesus is Lord over me.  I have given my heart to him. I have bent the knee to him. I am his servant, his subject and his soldier. He can do with me, therefore, whatever he wants. He can also do with Michael, and Andrew, and Sarah, and Emily, or whomever, whatever he wants. What he appoints for others may not be the same as for me. I must not compare my lot with that of someone else or I may be in trouble.

Now there are, of course, some things he offers the same to all.  All who come to him receive the forgiveness of all their sins, his daily presence through the indwelling Holy Spirit, and a future inheritance in Heaven.

There are other ways, however, in which we are treated differently. To one he appoints riches and to another hardship. To one he grants good health but another is apportioned sickness. One he calls to be married another he calls to be single. To one he gives 20/20 vision, but another may even be permitted to be blind.

The first time I visited the United States, in 1984, I stayed with a friend on Long Island, a friend who is now in Heaven with the Saviour.

Greg was blind. He had a singing ministry and we met and became friends when he and his family sang in my church in England. Greg was a brave disciple of Jesus. We sat up late at night talking long after his wife and daughters had gone to bed. Eventually exhaustion overtook me and I too needed to go to bed.

“Will you do me a favor as you go upstairs?” he asked me. “Please turn off all the lights because I have some chores to do in the kitchen and I will not know whether the lights are on or off. Please make sure.”

And so, I did that and I was plunged into instant, total darkness. As I groped my way to my bedroom, I heard Greg singing away in the kitchen as he began to wash the dishes.

Only then did I even begin to realize the world that Greg lived in. It was black-dark like that for him all the time, day or night.  And his Saviour had, in the mystery of his own providence, appointed it so. Greg had other sicknesses too, painful ones. Although only in his 40’s, his Lord called him Home.

Why my friend was called upon to suffer, I do not know? I do know that he influenced my life greatly—and that of thousands of others. Few who met him will ever forget his testimony. Greg was no super-saint. He had his difficult days—and even more difficult nights. Sometimes he cried out in his pain. But there was about him a radiance, a joy, a thankfulness, a trust, that made me ashamed that I had ever grumbled about anything and led me to consecrate my life afresh to the Saviour. Greg did not compare.

May I remind you that in Hebrews chapter 11, in the great gallery of heroes of faith, we come in verse 32 to these words:

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again… (vs32-35)

Is that the life of faith where lions cannot touch you and flames cannot burn you? For some, yes. But go on in Hebrews 11 from verse 35:

…Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, perse­cuted, and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better … (vs35-40).

What if these ‘others’ had said, “Well, you delivered Daniel, why are you not doing the same for me?” They would have lost their joy and their peace. Comparisons are not only odious they are fatal to victorious discipleship. The Lord Jesus is saying to us, “Look, when you gave me your heart you gave me your heart, your life. Do not compare yourself with someone else.”

At one time I was for three years Field Director of a Missionary Society. I remember once asking one of our workers if he could manage on the monthly allowance we sent him.

“Yes,” he replied, “we can manage, but if I thought someone else was getting more—well that would be hard to take, I must say!”

At least he was honest. Are not many of us inclined to think in a similar way? We would be satisfied except that we have looked over our shoulder and observed someone whom we think has a better deal. Then we complain. Why should he have that car and not me?  Why should she get that job (or that child, or that house, or that trip) and not me? Why has that tragedy happened to me when nothing bad seems to happen to him?

Jesus said to Peter regarding John, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”

Obviously, John did not remain alive until the return of Christ. Neither did he have it easy. Though he lived to a ripe old age, he did so as an exiled prisoner on the Island of Patmos, cutting rocks in blistering sun. Jesus could have explained that to Peter in answer to his question. Jesus might have said, “Oh, John will have it tough too. His destiny will not be quite the same as yours but it will be just as costly. Peter, don’t think that John will have an easier time.” But that was not the point. The destiny of John was Jesus’ business not Peter’s. “Mind your own business,” Jesus is saying, “You must follow me.” The personal pronoun is very emphatic in the Greek.

Perhaps this is the hardest aspect of discipleship—to be content with whatever the Master has appointed for us. Even Paul had to learn the secret (Philippians 4:10-13). Envy and jealousy are hard dragons to kill. I read one famous preacher’s testimony in which he said that he did not think he had a jealous bone in his body until he was preaching in a certain city and he heard that another preacher was having a series of meetings in a church across town and was drawing bigger crowds. Then—and only then—did the dormant green-headed monster rise up and seek to devour him.

By the way, Jesus himself was single, was poor, was very lonely, was usually misunderstood—even by his own family—was betrayed, was tortured, died young, and died very cruelly. He had large crowds but few disciples and even they deserted him in his hour of need. He does not ask anyone to follow except along a pathway he himself has trod.

Christian disciple, do you love Jesus? Then follow him and don’t compare.

Fourth:

Follow Me—AND FULFILL YOUR MINISTRY

When Simon Peter affirmed his love for the Saviour, Jesus immediately gave him his ministry.
“Feed my lambs”…v 15.
“Take care of (Gk. ‘poimaine’, to shepherd) my sheep”…v 16.
“Feed my sheep”…v 17
Peter was thus reappointed to be a leader, a pastor and a preacher. We know from a study of The Acts of the Apostles that Peter fulfilled that ministry and also became an inspired writer of God’s Word in the form of two New Testament letters.

A call to discipleship always involves a call to ministry. We are saved to serve. Obviously, we are not all called and appointed to be pastors and teachers, but each one of us has our appointed sphere of service (Ephesians 4:9-13). Disciple, are you serving?

Let us be clear about one thing; our Christian service is not confined to that which we do in church. Our daily work, whether out at business or working from home, appointed of the Lord and done as ‘unto him’, is also service for Christ (Colossians 3:22-24). When our Lord Jesus worked at his books as a boy, and at his bench as a man, he was doing the will of God his Father just as much as when he left the carpenter’s shop to preach and to heal. Nevertheless, few of us can legitimately claim to have no time at all that can also be used in one of the ministries of our local church.

No disciple is too old to serve. Those aged saints confined to home—or even to bed—may breathe a petition and thus exercise their most powerful and fruitful ministry when they may least think so.

No disciple is too young to serve.

You may think that you are too sinful to serve. Wrong—unless you are an unrepentant sinner, willfully continuing in your sin. We are all sinners—sinners saved by grace.

The only sinners disqualified from Christian service are unrepentant ones. The moment you come to Jesus confessing your sin, trusting in him and him alone to save you by his blood shed on the Cross, your sins are blotted out and are gone for ever. When Simon Peter failed, it was not his salvation that was in jeopardy—for all his sins were covered by the Cross—but his unclouded fellowship with his Lord.

Three times he had denied his Lord. So, three times Jesus asked him, “Do you love me?”—offering him the opportunity to three times reaffirm his love. It was then that Jesus gave Peter his commission—three times.

There is something else here—and it is in some respects the main message of the entire story. Peter may have imagined that he had forfeited the right to fulfill the ministry of an Apostle because he had sinned as a disciple—even as an Apostle. To be forgiven is one thing, but to be restored to church leadership and a public ministry of teaching and preaching is quite another. After all, Peter had let his Lord down, sinned grievously and betrayed his high calling.

I am never comfortable with classifying which sins are the worst—we are usually unbiblical in our lists and make sure our own faults have low ratings. But could anything be much worse than what Peter did? To have spent three remarkable years with Jesus as one of the Twelve and been in the privileged trio to witness Jesus’ Transfiguration, his agony in Gethsemane and other intimate events, only to then deny that he had ever known him—why that must rank high on any list of sins, don’t you think? And poor Peter did this with foul profanity, calling down curses upon those who accused him of being Jesus’ friend.

Yes: Peter had repented with bitter tears and his Lord had met with him privately to assure him—I believe—of complete forgiveness (see Luke 24:34, 1 Corinthians 15:5). Nevertheless, it would not be surprising if Peter thought his days of apostleship were over.

The Lord Jesus thought otherwise. This encounter was about restoration to ministry. My New International Version rightly gives this story the heading, “Jesus Reinstates Peter.”

Maybe there is someone reading this chapter who has also let the Lord down; maybe in the way Peter did, or maybe in some other way. Maybe your sin was private, known only to God, and is your ‘guilty secret.’ Or maybe your sin was public and known to many. If the latter, you can be sure that some of your fellow Christians will tell you that you can never minister again. And if they don’t, Satan will. It was Satan who arranged the temptation of Peter in the courtyard of the High Priest. Jesus said so (Luke 22:31-32).  And there was nothing Satan would like more now than to make sure that Peter was disabled forever.

Peter couldn’t say, “The devil made me do it”—and neither can we. Satan can never make anyone sin. We willfully do it. The responsibility is our own.

That does not mean, however, that Satan the master strategist does not devilishly go after those whom he fears the most and lays some traps. We have said that we are soldiers under our Commander. Well, that implies there is a war going on. Of course there is. We are at war against sinful tendencies which come from within and sinful temptations which come from without, from the enemy.

Maybe your sin was to give in to a weakness in your character, or maybe Satan targeted you, or both. Now Satan’s desire is to see to it that you never serve your Lord again. He cannot rob you of your salvation, so he will seek to rob you of your usefulness.

My brother or sister: Don’t listen to the devil. If you listened to him once, don’t listen to him now. In other words, if Satan won a battle don’t let him win the war.

Wrote St. Benedict:

I am wounded but I am not slain
I will lie me down and bleed awhile.
Then rise and fight again.

Praise God! That is the message of this story. Those whom the Lord forgives he also restores. He binds up the brokenhearted, he recycles the discarded, and he heals (not shoots) the wounded warrior. Don’t bleed for long.

I read in a book that this restoration of Peter was “an exception.” No: quite the contrary. This is the consistent message throughout the Bible. We not only have the example of Simon Peter, but there are many others. Had I the space I could tell of Abraham, of Moses, of David and many more, sinners all who were treated with the same forgiving and restoring love.

Little wonder God says “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord.” (Isaiah 55:8) Let me tell you something: God is indeed different from men. His ways are not our ways. He is far, far kinder. He is full of understanding, of compassion, and of love.

Fallen one, do not listen to those who would discourage you. They will have their own failings. Read those precious Gospels again and again. The heart of God is revealed in Jesus Christ—Deity Incarnate. What is God truly like? He is exactly like Jesus. And Jesus had hard words only for the self-righteous and the proud. They thought they had no sin. Jesus is the friend of the frail and the fallen. He challenged the legalistic accusers of a woman arrested for adultery, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.”

And to the woman he said, “Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more.” (John 8:11)

That is what he says to all who come to him and say, “I’m sorry, Lord, deeply, deeply sorry.”

Friend: have you “blotted your copybook?” Well, I ask you have you returned to the loving arms of Christ? Then that page is gone. I said gone. Gone forever!!! Don’t walk around still carrying the burden of guilt for that which God has blotted out. Today is a clean page.

Guess who Jesus chose to be the preacher, a few weeks later, on the Day of Pentecost, the Inauguration Day of the Church? Simon Peter.

Our Own Memories

Someone may ask me, “Harry, if the Lord forgets our sins, why can we not forget our own sins?”

Answers:

So that we will not sin again. 
Do you think Peter would deny his Lord in that way ever again? I doubt it. He would always remember that awful conversation by the fire. The guilt, the pain, the shame, the hurt on the face of his dear Lord as Jesus crossed the courtyard and turned to look at him; the embarrassment after his previous boasting. No, remembering all that would help to keep him from sin in the day of battle.

So that we will magnify God’s grace
If we forgot our sins, then we might forget the wonder of the grace which took away that sin. Isn’t it rather wonderful that Jesus chose to create for Peter another memory of a conversation by a charcoal fire?

Do you know that the word which John uses to describe the fire in the fateful courtyard when Peter fell (‘anthrakian’, charcoal fire; John18:18), is the same word used for the fire Jesus prepared on this memorable morning. (John 21:9) This is the wonderful way our Lord works. It is so balanced. There would be forever the crowing of the rooster to remind him of his sin and shame—admittedly a very painful reminder. But this fireside, lakeside scene would surely have left an indelible memory of grace and healing—the breakfast with the risen and glorified Master and then this unforgettable personal conversation. All preceded by a miraculous catch of fish which must have recalled to Peter his original call to service (Luke 5:1-11), which had not been rescinded, as he might have supposed, only interrupted.

So that we will, if possible, keep well away from the kind of situations which led to our defeat
We are told to pray “Lead me not into temptation.” So clearly then we should not willfully lead ourselves into it either. Has a weakness been exposed? We do well to take note of it.  When I say the Lord has not finished with you but has ministry for you, I do not necessarily imply that it will be the same as you had before. I do not know. Perhaps it will. As we have said before, the Lord determines that, not you or me. There are many ministries.

So that we might remain humble
“Pride goes before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18), the Scriptures say. Some of us have to learn that the hard way. There is nothing which God abhors more than pride. It was for pride that Satan was cast out of Heaven. Humility is a first-fruit of true repentance. It does not demand; it seeks no prominence; rather it says. “Lord, I am not worthy.” Peter would never boast again of his strength and loyalty above that of others. It was a humbled and chastened disciple who was told, “Feed my sheep.”

However, though Christ humbles, he does not humiliate. He grieves, not gloats, over the sins of his servants. He loves us and deals gently with us—just as he exhorts others to do with those who fail (Galatians 6:1). Since he has paid for our sins on the Cross, he will never make the sinner pay. (Others may! And sin often brings its own painful consequences.) The Lord even sanctifies our mistakes—without thereby condoning them—by using them for our good and his glory (Romans 8:28).

Peter became a better man—and a better preacher. Later he wrote, “All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under God’s mighty hand that he may lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:5-6). Peter had learned that by experience.

God does not allow us to remember our sins to paralyze us or give us an excuse—through false humility, hurt pride, self-pity or even self-disgust—to withdraw from the battle.

Friend, do not let what others may say or what you imagine they may think determine your future.

Do you love Christ? Yes? Then that is what matters, notwithstanding any failures in the past. They are gone now. Follow him. Let Christ and Christ alone be your Master; and Scripture your guide. Fulfill your ministry – anywhere, in any way, at any cost. Seek no glory but that of your Saviour and he will give you what ministry he chooses. Like Peter’s, it might well be the most fruitful ministry you have ever had.

Fifth:

Follow Me—YOU HAVE A GLORIOUS FUTURE

Who is this man who calls us to follow him unconditionally, even though it means a cross?
Why should we obey his costly call and follow him?
Because he is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords

Let us notice again the words Jesus said to Peter in answer to his question concerning John. “If I want him to remain alive until I return…” Again, I like the way it is put in the old version “If I will that he tarry till I come…” (KJV).  If I will…The Lord Jesus Christ is hereby declaring that he will determine the future destiny of both Peter and John. Not any of those who but recently sent Jesus to the Cross, or thought they did.

• • Not Caiaphas, gloating in the house of the High Priest because he thought he had rid himself of a dangerous upstart.
  • Not Pontius Pilate, feasting in the Governor’s Mansion because he thought he had skillfully evaded a tricky political situation.
  • Not paranoid King Herod, partying in his palace because he imagined that yet another threat to his throne had been removed.
  • Not the Emperor in far off Rome, who imagined he ruled the world.
  • Not the mob, who howled for Jesus’ blood.
  • None of these: nor any others.

Jesus, and Jesus alone, holds the destiny of Peter and John in the hollow of his hand—and, for that matter, the destiny of Caiaphas, Pilate, Herod, Nero and every other man, woman and child who has ever lived or ever will live.

Before he ascended to Heaven, Jesus assured his assembled disciples, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me…” Not merely some authority, you will notice, but all; not only in heaven, but on earth. Not only on some future earth in some future age, but on this earth in this age. If not, he could not have said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”

An aged John, enslaved on the Island of Patmos, had a vision of the risen and reigning Lord Jesus. He wrote about it in the Book of Revelation.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and for ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” (Revelation 1:17-18)

Little wonder that John describes Jesus as, “king of kings and lord of lords,” and, “the ruler of the kings of the earth” (Revelation 19:16; 1:5).

Oh, what a comfort it is to me when I lay down to sleep at night and rise to a new day to know that I belong to the One who alone determines what befalls me. Unless the Lord returns first, one day I will die. I should not be afraid because that cannot happen until he has appointed it. Not a second sooner or later. When my work on earth is done, he will call me Home. In Acts, chapter twelve, we read what happened the next time Peter was called upon to suffer for Jesus’ sake. Arrested and imprisoned, the night before his expected execution Peter slept like a baby (Acts 12:6).

Will we not, therefore, gladly obey the call of Jesus, the Sovereign Lord, to follow him and trust him, no matter what in his wise Providence he appoints for us?

Why should we follow him?

Because he is the One who Loves us Like no Other

He is the King with nail-pierced hands. As Peter watched the risen Saviour prepare that breakfast, he could not help but notice the scarred hands. As Jesus walked beside him while Peter declared his love, Peter would surely see the prints of the nails on his sandalled feet. The Lord Jesus will be the only one in Heaven with a wounded body. They are glorified wounds. They are there so that we will never forget his love, never forget his sacrifice, and never forget the Cross.

If we ever doubt his love we must come back to the Cross again and again. We must constantly dwell beneath its shadow. One reason why the Lord left us the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper was to remind us of the cross.

Do you ever doubt his love? He loves you enough that he died for you. And if he did that then will he not watch over you? He cares about every problem you face, every moment you live, every tear you shed.

When I visited my blind friend, Greg, in Long Island, New York, I noticed a plaque on the wall. It said, “I asked Jesus, ‘How much do you love me?’ ‘This much,’ he replied, then opened his arms and died.”

This was Greg’s source of strength. He knew how much Jesus loved him and that love filled his heart.

Why should we follow him?

Because His Kingdom is Glorious and Has no End

What is your purpose in life? Do you have one?

George Bernard Shaw, the famous playwright wrote, “This is the true joy of life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.” I find that a challenge coming from a man who was not a Christian.

The question is, what “purpose recognized by myself as a mighty one” shall I choose? Will it be political, or social, or philanthropic? What mighty purpose can compare with following and serving the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings, who, when he determines that our purpose on earth is complete does not throw us “on the scrap heap”, but takes us to heaven to await the glorious consummation of his kingdom?

Jesus said to Peter, “If I will that he (John) tarry till I come…” What does Jesus mean, “…till I come?” He means that he will return. Yes, I do believe in the Second Coming. I believe it with all my heart.

Nothing we do in Christ’s name will ever be consigned to a scrap heap. Even the smallest action has eternal significance and reaps an eternal reward. Whatever we are called upon to sacrifice for Jesus is nothing but an investment in our future glory. That is why our Lord told us not to store up treasure on earth but send it on ahead.

Wrote missionary martyr Jim Eliot, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Sixth and lastly:

Follow Me—AND KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS

Our text says, “Peter turned…” Our Lord Jesus Christ had just said to Peter, “Follow me,” and lo and behold, he immediately took his eyes away from Jesus to look elsewhere. That was seemingly not only a problem for Simon Peter but it is for so many of us also. We must not turn our gaze from Christ or else when the going gets tough or in the moment of temptation we may fail. Turning is fateful to faithful discipleship.

We must not turn back
When following the Lord becomes costly and difficult, some disciples are tempted to turn away from Jesus and look back to their pre-conversion days. Instead of recalling the wastefulness, the futility, the guilt and the emptiness they put on rose-colored glasses and recall the easy times. Even Israel forgot how they groaned under the lashes of their cruel Egyptian slave masters and began to look longingly back toward Egypt (Exodus 16:1-3).

The road of discipleship may sometimes be rough and steep and lonely, but it leads to heaven. The broad road is well-traveled but it leads to destruction. Oh disciple, don’t turn back! The old road will not be as easy and attractive as you might think.

She set a rose to blossom in her hair,
The day faith died.
“How glad,” she said, “I go and free,
And life is wide.”
But through long nights she stared into the dark,
And knew she lied.

Amelia Atwater Rhodes

Some look back in a different way. They look back to incidents of hurt and pain and become paralyzed with bitterness or regret. They become what Shaw so colorfully described as, “a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making [them] happy.” How terrible when such a person professes to be a follower of Jesus Christ. It could never describe you, could it?

It may not be something in the past done to us which captures our gaze but something done by us. We have considered why our Lord allows us some memory of our sins. I must tell you that he never wants us to focus upon them or dwell upon them. As we have emphasized, they were paid for by Christ on the Cross. They have been expunged from God’s record book. If Peter had stayed wallowing in self-pity for the mistakes of yesterday, he would never have become the great leader of the Apostolic church. Jesus is always going forward.

Wrote Paul, “Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13,14).

Discipleship is like running a race. It is not a sprint. It is more like a marathon. If we stumble, we must get up and go on. The prize is not for who comes first but for all who finish.

We must not even turn aside
If we turn our gaze away from Christ and look at our circumstances—as Peter once did when he looked at the waves—we too will sink.

If we turn our gaze away from Christ and listen to the unbelievers—as Peter once did—we may deny him.

If we look over our shoulder at a fellow believer, we might hesitate.

Now it was a fellow apostle who caught Peter’s eye. “Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved…” One might think that was safe enough, but our focus must be Christ.

I heard a pastor ask his congregation: “To whom do you look up? Do you look up to your preacher? Then you don’t look high enough, that is not ‘up’, it’s horizontal. He will let you down for he is a sinner like you.”

He went on to explain that pastors, evangelists, and even apostles, are just weak humans. If our gaze is directed there, we will become disillusioned and stumble. Only Christ is worthy of our gaze. There is only one Person upon whom we must focus.

Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus… (Hebrews 3:1) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith… (Hebrews 12:1)

IN CONCLUSION

The Lord Jesus never deceived anyone. “Follow thou me,” he calls; and promises us a cross to carry, an enemy to fight, a task to fulfill, a cause to advance, a race to complete, and a crown to win. Is that it? Anything else? Oh yes.

Our Lord also promises:

• a peace which the world can never give;
• a joy which cannot be quenched;
• a freedom which cannot be constrained;
• a happiness which does not depend upon happenings; and,
• an abundant life in his kingdom;

when tears will be wiped away, and suffering, sin and death will be no more, where righteousness, beauty, love and glory will reign forever. We will reign with him in a new heaven and a new earth. I can hardly wait.

I was about to write, “these are priceless blessings”, but of course they are not priceless. The Son of God came from heaven and went to the cross, that he might pay the greatest price, the only price, even his own blood.

But if we would have the blessings of being a disciple of Jesus, we must accept the terms. For these few short years of our pilgrimage we must carry the cross, wage the war, fulfill the task, advance the cause, run the race, and strive for the crown.

If we share his sufferings now, we will share his glory then; if we accept the cross today, we will wear the crown tomorrow.

Satan will tempt us to take the easy way. He came to our Lord himself and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and said, “All this will I give you if you will bow down and worship me” (Matthew 4:9). Satan is still trying the same strategy. “Do not go God’s way; it is too costly. It is the way of self-denial and a cross. All these things will I give you…”

What things?  Oh, a few trinkets.

__________________________________________

Jesus asked him, “Do you love me?”

“Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you.”

“Follow me…Follow thou me.”

I have decided to follow Jesus,
No turning back.

The world behind me, the Cross before me,
No turning back.

Tho’ none go with me, I still will follow,
No turning back.

Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
No turning back.