Talk of JESUS .com

Tag: follow

“Follow Me
“Follow Me” – Jesus

“If anyone serves me, he must follow me. Where I am, there my servant also will be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
The words of the Messiah Jesus from the Good News of John 12:26 CSB

I mentioned previously in “Jesus said,” that God’s love for the world to which the Lord came in the Person of the Messiah is conditional.

The same Disciple John who witnessed John 3:16 continues by urging us to also love Jesus. In other words, you must follow Him.

John 3:36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

God is NOT for everyone. Some will continue to choose sin until their death of the flesh and accounting of their soul.

Our choice, not a command

Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
The words of the Messiah Jesus from the Good News of John 12:26 NIV

But since you do not believe what he [מֹשֶׁה] wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” – John 5:47

Not so good news for any who do not believe Jesus IS the Messiah, Christ, the only Son of the Father God.

We have a choice from the LORD.

Will we believe the Good News (Gospel) that Jesus came to the world to save sinners like you and me?

Though we may choose to wander in the darkness in our mortal days, like in Eden, we cannot hide our sin in the guise of good acts. For excuses cannot clothe our malice toward the LORD God and the Person of His only Son, Christ Jesus.

He sacrificed His body and blood for our sins.

The LORD God Eternal will judge the dust of our flesh and harvest our souls in the Court of the Supreme Judge of Heaven!
Roger Harned on John 3:18

Vision of the Angel with the Gospel

And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he said with a loud voice,

“Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.”
The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John 4:7b NASB

ἀποκάλυψις – apokalypsis

Do we understand that the meaning of Revelation is akin to the same revealing of the sin of man to the Person of God in earthly Eden?

Revelation or ‘apocalypsis‘ is literally:
1. laying bare, making naked
2. a disclosure of truth, instruction
  1. concerning things before unknown
  2. used of events by which things or states or persons hitherto withdrawn from view are made visible to all
3. manifestation, appearance
“Follow me,” Jesus asks of us (for this ever-so-brief mortal life). Yet the judgement reminds our souls the consequence of refusing God’s grace. Jesus cautions us:

“Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”
John 12:31-32 NASB

(Need a context for His conditional argument?) READ John 3:14-15

So what must I do?

One question the Person of Jesus answers is posed by a man who approached this teacher of the Jews and gentiles alike asking:

“Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? ”

Jesus answers Personally and individually. Now the Person of the Holy Spirit speaks to each soul of those called to eternal life.

Your response must be more than “I believe in Jesus.” We must heed the calling of the Lord to “follow Me.”

The Lord Jesus speaks to Andrew and John, both disciples of John the Baptist who heard him say of Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

When Jesus turned and noticed them following him, he asked them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
John 1:38 CSB

The Call to Follow Jesus

Again and again we hear the same answer (though our sinful self may not have had ears to hear the Lord before).

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.”
John 1:43 NKJV

Philip became an Apostle & disciple of Jesus not by believing in the Lord and living his mortal life as he always had done. Rather he followed Jesus and would later die as his ‘Christian Social Witness’ to the world.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
“If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
The words of the Messiah Jesus – John 10:27; 12:26 NKJV

Yet Jesus, Shepherd of the sheep and Sacrifice for their sins calls out to many.

“Follow me,” this gentle Lamb of God beckons to the humble of a first generation of followers and also the 21st century, in the year of our Lord 2020.

The Apostles following the Lord

Before His Sacrifice on the Cross for our sin, Jesus speaks to Peter about the difference between following Him by faith and also after the proof of His glorious resurrection from the grave.

Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?”

Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.” – John 13:37 NKJV

John first witnesses Jesus teaching of His own death and resurrection, a message of death, which like us, the Apostles received with great difficulty.

Later John witnesses one of Peter’s encounters with the Lord after His resurrection. And what does Jesus ask of Peter once more?

John 21:

Jesus said, “… Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old…

Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
Jesus’ words to Peter after His resurrection – John 21:19b NIV

The risen Lord asks Peter (in effect), “Follow Me to the Cross.”

Are you willing to witness Jesus even to the death, knowing the certainty of resurrection in Him?

Following Jesus in A.D. 2020

What is your CHRISTIAN SOCIAL WITNESS for Christ Jesus?

Do your social ‘friends’ online hear Jesus in your social posts and see Jesus in the witness of online pictures of your daily mortal life?

Let’s Talk.

Please SUBSCRIBE to our social witness conversation about Jesus.

COMMENT on what you read here (even if you just have an opinion or question you don’t want the world to see). Just begin it, “private.” )

SHARE the Gospel and talkofJesus.com in your social circles as you chat online about the ordinary stuff of our everyday mortal life.

EMAIL me [roger@talkofJesus.com] and tell me where in social media you invest your limited mortal time each day. (I may need to share to other sites I monitor.)

THANKS.
```
May the Lord shine His Light into your days ahead in the year of our Lord, Christ Jesus, 2020.
Roger
```
January 2, 2020
The Beatitudes and the Multitudes – Part 5
Hosea 6:1 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.

Deuteronomy 10:16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.

Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The Lord has torn you down to build you up. He pierces your calloused heart to breathe His love into your life. He shocks your soul to repentance that you might not wither to the ashes of hell. He calls out to His sheep: You with ears to hear, hear.

I am neither Prophet nor preacher – qualified not for either office or its responsibilities. I am only a voice from the pew, a sinner like you – first and mostly convicted by the same scripture by which I cut to your hearts of stone as fellow fallen believers, dependant on Christ as our Lord.

Therefore, by disagreeing with some you have heard preached – with some you have heard taught, even by most respected men of God (though all are fallible), I yield for your benefit to the teaching on the Beatitudes by another: Matthew Henry (1662-1714).

Matthew Henry – Commentary excerpt on Matthew 5 – The Beatitudes.

None will find happiness in this world of the next who do not seek it from Christ by the rule of his word.

vs. 3-12 Our Savior here gives eight characters of blessed people, which represent to us the principal graces of a Christian.
1. The poor in spirit are happy. These bring their minds to their condition, when it is a low condition. They are humble and lowly in their own eyes. They see their want, bewail their guilt, and thirst after a Redeemer. The Kingdom of grace is of such: the kingdom of glory is for them.
2. Those that mourn are happy. That godly sorrow which worketh true repentance, watchfulness, a humble mind, and continual dependence for acceptance on the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, with constant seeking the Holy Spirit, to cleanse away the remaining evil, seems here to be intended. Heaven is the joy of our Lord: a mountain of joy, to which our way is through a vale of tears. Such mourners shall be comforted by their God.
3. The meek are happy. The meek are those who quietly submit to God; who can bear insult; are silent, or return a soft answer; who in their patience, keep possession of their own souls, when they can scarcely keep possession of anything else. These meek ones are happy, even in this world. Meekness promotes wealth, comfort, and safety, even in this world.
4. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness are happy. Righteousness is here put for all spiritual blessings. These are purchased for us by the righteousness of Christ, confirmed by the faithfulness of God..
5. The merciful are happy. We must not only bear our own afflictions patiently, but we must do all we can to help those who are in misery. We must have compassion on the souls of others, and help them; pity those who are in sin, and seek to snatch them as brands out of the burning.
6. The pure in heart are happy: for they shall see God. Here holiness and happiness are fully described and put together. The heart must be purified by faith, and kept for God…
7. The peace-makers are happy. They love, and desire and delight in peace; and study to be quiet. They keep the peace that it be not broken, and recover it when it is broken. If the peace-makers are blessed, woe to the peace-breakers!
8. Those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake are happy. This saying is peculiar to Christianity; and it is more largely insisted upon than any of the rest…Blessed Jesus! how different are thy maxims from those of men of this world! … With these enjoyments and hopes, we may cheerfully welcome low or painful circumstances.
Here is proper teaching and conviction of the words of Jesus from the Beatitudes. And of verses 13-16, Henry teaches:

Ye are the salt of the earth. Mankind, lying in ignorance and wickedness, were as a vast heap, ready to putrify; but Christ sent forth his disciples, by their lives and doctrines to season it with knowledge and grace. If they are not such as they should be, they are as salt that has lost its savor.

And in conclusion (though not nearly complete application of Matthew 5), of verses 17-20:

Let none suppose that Christ allows his people to trifle with any commands of God’s holy law. No sinner partakes of Christ’s justifying righteousness, till he repents of his evil deeds. The mercy revealed in the gospel leads the believer to still deeper self-abhorrence.

A call to follow
- Do I speak too severely to the church?
- Are my words too harsh for a brother?
- Do Henry’s teachings point too severely toward our great wickedness?
- Is Jesus’ call to you for perfection in the Law and in your heart too much to bear?
Indeed we must take up our cross and follow him.

Matthew 7:28 – 8:1

And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.

Will you?
December 21, 2013
#Share Follow Me – Jesus

FOLLOW ME – The Social Networking of Jesus

Luke 5:

10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.

Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” 11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.

27 Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth.“Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. 28 So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.

“Jesus followed no man. Yet in just three years our Lord connected to thousands and convinced many followers.

I’ve been giving much thought and listening to considerable advice recently about how to reach readers who also follow Christ. This is crucial for Christian authors.

IF we seek followers of Christ to read our book (or our blog), where will our journey take us in three years?

(Jesus must have had a plan and strategy for Jews and gentiles to receive the gospel of the Cross before the sacrifice of the Cross.)

How did He do it? What was His strategy?

Although Jesus followed only God, our Lord pursued faithfully those who sought to follow him. Matthew, Zacchaeus, Mary Magdalene, a Samaritan woman at the well and Nicodemus are just a few examples.

Jesus was connected to a Mentor Circle. (You know the other Two.)

His Followers, Apostles, Paul, Timothy and others all built their churches in the same way – Mentors from the One original AND Followers of each new closely connected group of believers.

His followers he then added and pursued any who followed with love for their souls.

Therefore my intent is to follow some of your wise counsel from our inner circle of Christian authors. Yet my advice to us:

“Walk among the circles of our READERS. Show them Christ. See who will follow.

Do you have any specific directions for us?

Please comment. AND please… #SHARE on http://talkofJesus.com AND share our community of Christian Social Witness for Jesus Christ. #FOLLOW us on your SOCIAL PAGES. May our Lord bless you.

August 19, 2013