John 21:22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”

INTRODUCTION

Good morning, Grace Church. It is a providential gift from God that we are at a point in John’s Gospel that allows us to lock in on Jesus’ call to follow Him as we prepare to celebrate His coming.

To that end, I wonder how many of you realized that the call to “Follow Me” is one of the very first (1:39, 43) and last (21:22) things Jesus said in John’s Gospel. I don’t want to make more of that than I should, but I also don’t want to make less of it.

To make too much of it would be to assume that’s all there is to John’s Gospel. But to make too little of it would be to miss the fact that in a very real way, John did mean for us to read everything in between as unpacking what Jesus meant by “Follow Me”. And in a very real way, that’s at the heart of the rest of the Gospels along with the rest of the Bible as well. Not to make too much of it though.

And in that way, as I mentioned in the last two sermons, following Jesus is one way to describe the essence of the Christian life. To be a non-Christian is to have rejected the call to follow Jesus and to be a Christian is to have accepted it.

But what exactly does that mean? Answering that question is the heart of this sermon. That is, the main focus of this sermon is unpacking Jesus’ words to Peter, “You follow me!”. Once again, therefore, the big idea of this passage is that following Jesus is the primary call on all of our lives. And the main takeaway, therefore, is to learn what it means to follow Jesus and to do so in faith.

Before I pray, let me encourage you to consider all of this carefully as we move closer and closer to Christmas. As I hope to help you see, the significance of Christmas—it’s meaning, purpose, and aim; the reason it’s worth celebrating—is tied up in Jesus’ simple words, “Follow Me.” If Christmas is worth celebrating, it’s because we’ve already decided to follow Jesus.

FOLLOW ME

Once again, one way to talk about the heart of the Christian life, about what it means to be a Christian, is in terms of following Jesus.

This idea first began to crystalize in my mind many years ago when, as a newer pastor, I was wrestling through how to tell others what the Bible says about what it really means to be a Christian and to live as Jesus intends.

Many people, when they think of Christianity, think of all kinds of things like belief in God and Jesus and the cross and forgiveness and going to church and reading the Bible and pastors and saying prayers and following rule

s and Christmas and Easter and going to heaven. However, as I hope to help you see, while each of these things do have a place in Christianity, they can only be properly understood under the umbrella of following Jesus.

Jesus’ First Call Was to “Follow Me”

The first thing I want to do in the way of explaining and defending this idea is to help you see that Jesus’ first call on the lives of His first followers was, “Follow me”. For example…

Jesus calling Simon and Andrew – Matthew 4:18-19 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Jesus calling Matthew – Matthew 9:9 (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27) As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

Jesus calling Phillip – John 1:43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ” Follow me.”

Jesus calling an anonymous “disciple” – Matthew 8:21-22 (Mark 1:17) Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” ²² And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Jesus calling anyone – Matthew 16:24 (Mark 8:34) … “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Jesus calling a young man – Matthew 19:16-21 (Mark 10:21, Luke 18:22) And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” … ²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

Jesus calling another anonymous man – Luke 9:59 To another he said, “Follow me.”

I wonder if you’ve ever considered how prevalent that call really is. For some reason, we don’t often talk like that when we talk about living out the Christian life, so it might be a bit of a surprise to find out that Jesus’ initial invitation to people was never to ask Him into their heart or pray the “sinner’s prayer”. It was simply, “follow Me.”

Jesus Continued Call on the Lives of His Followers Was to “Follow Me”

More than just the initial call, though, “Follow Me” was Jesus’ continued call. That is, for Jesus, it not only defined the beginning of the Christian life, but it also defined the continued Christian life.

Matthew 10:37-38 (Luke 9:23) Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

John 12:26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also.

After years of following Jesus, Jesus’ call to Peter remained the same – John 21:19 [Jesus] said to [Peter], “Follow me.” And again in v.22, our passage for today “You follow me!”

To be sure, Jesus called His followers to repent (Matthew 4:17), believe (Mark 5:36), have faith (Mark 11:22), love (Matthew 22:36-39), glorify God (1 Corinthians 10:31), etc. However, these, and all the other callings that Jesus issued are contained in the two simple words, “Follow Me.”

Indeed, Jesus main call on the lives of His first followers—from beginning to end—was, “Follow me”.

Jesus Call to Us Is Still, “Follow Me”

I hope it’s easy to see that during Jesus’ earthly ministry, His main call to everyone, from beginning to end, was “Follow Me.” But how about today? How does that relate to us now? The rest of this sermon is meant to help you see two things: (1) The essence of Christianity is still a call to follow Jesus and (2) How to respond.

This means, once again, that Jesus did not then, and does not today, merely or primarily call people to believe that there is a God or pray a certain prayer or to come to church a certain number of times each week or to read a certain number of verses in our Bibles each day or to stop doing bad things or even to believe certain true things.

Instead, He primarily calls us to follow Him with all that we have and all that we are; to follow Him wherever He leads and whatever it costs; to follow Him by becoming like Him in His life and in His death; to be reconciled to the Father by following Him; to inherit eternal life by following Him.

FOLLOWING JESUS TO THE CROSS

During Jesus’ time on earth, the call was literal. He was actually calling people to live and minister with Him. It was more than that, but it wasn’t less than that. But what does it mean today? And how do we begin?

While we believe the Bible teaches that the essence of Christianity—beginning to end—is following Jesus, we also believe that the Bible talks about this as a sort of two-part journey: (1) Following Jesus to the cross and (2) Following Jesus from the cross to eternal life.

Let’s begin at the beginning. If you hear the call to follow Jesus and want to respond, what does that mean? Where do you start? Likewise, if you want your neighbor or friend or kid to follow Jesus, where do they begin? There are not multiple answers to this question. There are not several starting points. Everyone, always, begins in the same place.

There Is a God Who Is Infinitely Glorious (Nehemiah 9:5-6; Romans 11:33-36; Psalm 29:1-10)

The primary call on all our lives is to follow Jesus and this call, for everyone, always begins at the cross. If we are to follow Jesus, we must begin by meeting Him at the cross. And the road to the cross begins with an understanding of who God is.

In the most fundamental sense, God is infinitely glorious; that He is supremely and unendingly and inexhaustibly beautiful, majestic, powerful, praiseworthy, splendid, fierce, mighty, wise, and good! The Bible is filled with passages that speak to this.

Nehemiah 9:5-6 “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. ⁶ “You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.

Romans 11:33-36 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! ³⁴ “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” ³⁵ “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” ³⁶ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Psalm 29:1-10 Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. ² Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness. ³ The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over many waters. ⁴ The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. ⁵ The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon. ⁶ He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. ⁷ The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire. ⁸ The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. ⁹ The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, “Glory!” ¹⁰ The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.

Sunsets, mountains, and newborn babies, along with certain paintings, books, musical compositions, and roller coasters are glorious (they are not ordinary, plain, common, dull, etc.), but their glory (and the glory of all created things) is contingent (meaning, it is wholly dependent on something else [God] for any glory that it has) and finite (meaning, it has not always existed and, at some point, will cease to exist).

God’s glory, however, is original and infinite.

Following Jesus starts with believing in this God, this infinitely glorious God, and not one of our own creation.

We Were Created by God for His Glory (Isaiah 43:1-7; 1 Corinthians 10:31)

Many people throughout history have gone to great lengths in seeking out purpose and meaning for their lives. Practices such as pilgrimages, meditation, medication, education, religion, aestheticism, service, prayer, and numerous other things have been used by countless men and women as means to discover a sense of personal or universal significance.

Because God alone is God, however, He alone has the right to assign our purpose. The second aspect of following Jesus to the cross means accepting the purpose God has assigned us: To glorify God. God is infinitely glorious and He made us for His infinite glory.

We see this idea in passages like Isaiah 43:1-7 and 1 Corinthians 10:31.

Isaiah 43:1-7 But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. ³ … I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. …. ⁵ Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. ⁶ I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, ⁷ everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

That we were created by God for His glory means that it is not up to us to go out and determine whether or not our lives have purpose or meaning. It means that it is not up to us to go out and determine what that purpose and meaning is. It means that every fiber of our being must be directed at the glory of God.

Practically, we do so by delighting in God (Psalm 37:4), obeying God (1 John 5:3), reflecting God’s glory to others (Mark 16:15), fighting against sin (1 Corinthians 6:18-20), trusting God (Psalm 4:5), loving God with everything that we have (Matthew 22:37), eating and drinking with gratitude (1 Corinthians 10:31), etc.

In short, you and I follow Jesus and live for the glory of God when we see God for who He truly is and respond as He has called us to.

Everyone Has Sinned and Failed to Live for the Glory of God (Romans 3:10-23)

The next step in following Jesus to the cross is in coming to realize that everyone has sinned and failed to live for the glory of God.

It doesn’t take tremendous insight to recognize the fact that there is a great deal of injustice and immorality in this world. All around us marriages are falling apart because of the unfaithfulness or indifference of a spouse, families are being torn apart because of addiction, government corruption is assumed, corporate greed seems insatiable, and even churches are filled with strife because of gossip, pride, a lack of self-control, and other more “respectable” sins. It’s easy to see that we are imperfect and that we live among imperfect people.

Sin, however, runs deeper than mere imperfection. Sin, in its most basic sense, is rebelling against God by failing to live for God’s glory in any way. This means that every time we fail to recognize the glory of God and respond to it as we should, we are sinning (Romans 14:23).

Romans 3:10-17 As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³ “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵ “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶ in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.”

A bit later, in that same passage (Romans 3:23) Paul continues, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” By that, Paul meant that every one of us has inherited sin from our parents and that every one of us has made sinful choices. That is, we are all sinful by nature and choice.

Truly, none of us have done that which we were created to do. That is, every one of us has sinned by failing to glorify God as we should. We have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25).

To be a Christian is to follow Jesus. And to follow Jesus is to believe that God is infinitely glorious, that we were made for His glory, and that we have all fallen short of God’s glory.

The Wages of Sin Is Death (Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23)

All of that forces us to consider the consequences of our sin. What difference does it make that we’ve fallen short of the glory of God?

Simply, the straightforward and unambiguous teaching of the Bible is that sin kills.

We see this for the first time in the very beginning of the Bible when God told Adam and Eve that if they sinned they would “surely die” (Genesis 2:17). The Bible never waivers on this. Millenia later, the Apostle Paul declared, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

The death spoken of in Genesis and Romans is both physical and spiritual—body and soul. And when those two things are combined, fullness of death—hell—is the just end.

Rightly understood, the Biblical teaching on hell is rather shocking. The claim that all (young and old, cute and ugly, talented and useless, black and white, smart and dumb, religious and secular, male and female alike) have sinned and thus deserve hell is a very serious claim, with very serious implications.

Not to state too obvious a point, but this is really bad news. In fact, it’s far worse than you or I could ever imagine.

Hell is where God pours out His holy and righteous wrath on sinners. You know that you are being punished, you know that you deserve it, and you know that it will last forever. No one describes this better than Jonathan Edwards:

It is EVERLASTING wrath. It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look forward, you shall see a long for ever, a boundless duration before you, which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your soul; and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverance, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all. You will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions of millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this almighty merciless vengeance; and then when you have so done, when so many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that all is but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite. Oh, who can express what the state of a soul in such circumstances is.

Hell is real and it is awful and it is eternal and it is the wage that God has assigned to sin. Please cry out to God, Grace, begging Him to grant you the ability to recognize the absolutely horrible reality of hell. Please call on God to grant you the ability to believe the Word of God regarding hell. And please ask God to help you understand that following Jesus to the cross means coming to accept the Biblical teaching on the wages of sin and the reality of hell.

God Sent His Son, Jesus, to Pay the Wages of Sin (John 19; 2 Cor 5:21; 1 Pet 3:18; 1 John 4:10; Rom 5:8)

Following Jesus to the cross means believing that there is a God who is infinitely glorious, that God created us for His glory, that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and that the wages for our sin is death.

These things help us understand and appreciate the cross of Jesus because they provide a stark and startling contrast between what we deserve and what we are offered. In other words, if we don’t have a clear sense of the glory of God, the wickedness of our hearts, and the consequences for our sin, then we will not be able to grasp, much less delight in, the sacrificial death of Jesus.

Grace, Jesus came as a baby at Christmas to die as a man on a cross. We read of the crucifixion in John 19.

So they took Jesus, ¹⁷ and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. ¹⁸ There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them… ²⁸ After this, Jesus… said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

What a horrific act for anyone to endure. But Jesus wasn’t just anyone. He was the perfect, sinless Son of God. The Christ God promised to send. Truly God and truly man.

We are sinners deserving death, but God sent Jesus to die in our place.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.

1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Romans 5:8 … while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

In order to show His love, uphold His justice, forgive sinners, and display His glory, God sent His Son, Jesus, to pay the wages of sin with His death.

Jesus was uniquely able to die for the sins of others because He was uniquely sinless and uniquely both human and divine. Conceived by the Spirit, Jesus did not have a sinful nature (Matthew 1:18-23). And having lived a perfect (or sinless) life, Jesus did not earn the wages of sin for himself (Hebrews 4:15). For those reasons, He had no death penalty of his own. Further, being fully man he was able to pay for the sins of man (Romans 5:15). And being fully God he was able to pay for all the sins of man (John 1:1). Again, what a glorious thing is the cross and the Son of God who died on it in our place.

Simply put, the cross of Jesus combines the love and the justice of God to bring about the forgiveness of sinners in a way that put His glory on display like never before. Following Jesus means believing this by God’s grace.

Forgiveness of Sin and the Everlasting Life Is a Gift of God for All Who Trust in Jesus (Ephesians 2:1-9)

So far we’ve traveled quite a path on our way to following Jesus to the cross. We began by standing in awe at the nature of God (infinitely glorious), moved on to consider the purpose of mankind (to glorify God), grieved together as we discussed the problem of all mankind (sin), mourned together because of the wages of sin (death), and then paused to marvel at God’s solution to our sin problem (the cross of Christ).

The primary question in front of us at this point is how we gain access to all that Jesus accomplished on the cross. What does following Jesus look like at this point? What does He require of us to benefit from His sacrifice?

Ephesians 2:1-9 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins…⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ … ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

In short, the forgiveness of sins and the everlasting life bought by Jesus’ death is a free gift of God for all who trust (or place their faith in) in Jesus. That is, we are saved by hoping in what Jesus already did for us.

This means that God does not save us based on our own merit or performance. God does not determine who goes to heaven by our “religious deeds” or how we measure up against anyone or anything else. He does not forgive us and grant us eternal life because we’ve cleaned ourselves up enough or worked hard enough. Instead, God saves, as an undeserved gift, those who put their hope entirely in Jesus—confessing our sin and believing in His name. Following Jesus means accepting this amazing Grace.

The immediate result of trusting in Jesus is the forgiveness of our sins and reconciliation with God. The ultimate end, which comes when we die or Christ returns, is eternal life. But what does that mean?

Hell is where God pours out His holy and righteous wrath on sinners. You know that you are being punished, you know that you deserve it, and you know that it will last forever. Heaven, on the other hand, is where God pours out his holy and righteous blessing on those who trust in Jesus. You know that you are being blessed, you know that you don’t deserve it, and you know that it will last forever. Indeed, heaven is every bit as awesome as hell is awful.

Let us again listen to the words of Jonathan Edwards whose description of heaven is perhaps unequaled as well.

They shall know that God and Christ shall be forever with them as their God and portion, and that his love shall be continued and fully manifested forever… And they shall know that they themselves shall ever live to love God, and love the saints, and to enjoy their love in all its fullness and sweetness forever. They shall be in no fear of any end to this happiness, or of any abatement from its fullness and blessedness, or that they shall ever be weary of its exercises and expressions, or cloyed with its enjoyments, or that the beloved objects shall ever grow old or disagreeable, so that their love shall at last die away. All in heaven shall flourish in immortal youth and freshness. Age will not there diminish anyone’s beauty or vigor; and their love shall abide in everyone’s heart, as a living spring perpetually springing up in the soul, or as a flame that never dies away. And the holy pleasure of this love shall be as a river that is forever flowing clear and full, and increasing continually … Everything in the heavenly world shall contribute to the joy of the saints, and every joy of heaven shall be eternal. No night shall settle down with its darkness upon the brightness of their everlasting day.

Breathtaking isn’t it?! Heaven is the great hope of, and promise to, everyone who trusts in Jesus. Heaven is the place where believers are forever in the presence of almighty, infinitely glorious God. In heaven we are able to see Jesus face-to-face. In heaven God pours out all His strength to bless His children. Heaven will be a never-ending, ever-increasing discovery of the glory of God and the joy that is found in it. In heaven, there will be no darkness, for God is its light (Revelation 21:25). In heaven there will be no more sickness or sadness, for God will wipe it all away (Revelation 21:4). In heaven there will be no more unmet needs or desires, for God will fully and eternally satisfy us. Heaven will be beautiful beyond our imagination. In heaven our fellowship with all the saints and with the Father, Son and Spirit will be eternally uninterrupted. Heaven will be a place of complete satisfaction and joy. Heaven truly is every bit as awesome as hell is awful.

Grace-enabled belief in these things, trusting in them with all you are, is the beginning of following Jesus. It is what it means to follow Him to the cross. It is what it means to be a Christian and is the start of the Christian life.

FOLLOWING JESUS FROM THE CROSS TO ETERNAL LIFE

Our purpose in life is to glorify God by following Jesus. Following Jesus begins at the cross and ends in eternal life. But one of the most important questions we need to ask is: What happens in the meantime—in the time between first believing in the gospel and going to heaven? The answer is, once again, following Jesus.

Once, by the grace of God, we’ve followed Jesus to the cross in faith, the rest of our time on earth is spent continuing to follow Jesus in faith, by the grace of God. But what does that mean?

To really answer that question would take another sermon altogether. In short, it means growing to love what Jesus loves, hate what He hates, think what He thinks, feel what He feels, and do what He says.

It does not mean having everything figured out, being perfect, or never messing up. Following Jesus from the cross means being in the Holy Spirit initiated and led process of becoming more like Jesus. We are forgiven based on Jesus’ righteousness (following Him to the cross) so that He can begin filling us with a righteousness of our own (following Him from the cross).

But what does that mean? The best way I know how to summarize the answer to that question is this: Following Jesus from the cross to eternal life means being transformed by the Holy Spirit to the point that we are increasingly:

Rightly Understanding God and His Word (John 17:17).

Because we’re born into sin, we’re born with all kinds of distorted understandings of who God is, who we are, and what God wants from us. Following Jesus from the cross begins with asking God to change that, to help you begin to rightly understand God and His Word. To this end, Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth”.

Becoming a Worshiper/Lover of God (Matthew 22:37)

The very nature of being made in God’s image means we love and worship. We can’t not. At the same time, because sin corrupts, we’re born loving and worshiping wrong things in wrong ways. Following Jesus means having both rightly tuned to God by the Spirit and the Word of God.

Becoming a Lover of People (Matthew 22:39)

The other side of the coin of following Jesus by loving God with all we have is receiving His love and turning that back on everyone we meet. That’s why the second greatest commandment (according to Jesus) is to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Following Jesus from the cross means growing in Christ-like love for others.

Living as a Part of the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27)

Fourth (of seven), in following Jesus we become a part of His people, His family, and in a sense, His body. This is why the Apostle Paul wrote, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). One of the primary ways we follow Jesus in loving people, therefore, is by using our God-given gifts to build them up in faith and allowing them to use theirs to build us up.

Growing in Godliness (Galatians 5:22-23)

Next, and with a good deal of overlap, following Jesus means being transformed from the inside out. Before following Jesus, our hearts were set only on the flesh; on worldly desires. In following Jesus, though, the Holy Spirit begins to bear a new kind of fruit in our hearts; the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Becoming a Suffering Servant (Matthew 20:38)

Sixth, following Jesus means having our priorities flip-turned-upside-down. For Christ-followers the first are last and the greatest are servants of all. With increasing gladness, we increasingly look to bless others in Jesus’ name and endure whatever suffering and persecution comes because of it.

Recognizing our Dependence on God (John 15:5)

Finally, and connected to all of this, whether we know it or not, we are all completely dependent on God. Following Jesus does not mean becoming dependent on God, therefore, but finally recognizing that we have always been, so that we can live consistently with that reality. That’s why Jesus declared in an unqualified way, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” And that’s why we pray and fast regularly.

CONCLUSION

The primary call on all of our lives is to follow Jesus. There are two key aspects to Jesus’ call. The first aspect, or starting point, of following Jesus is following Him to the cross. This means receiving and believing the gospel—the good news that Jesus died to save us. And again, the second aspect of following Jesus is living the new life that Jesus purchased for us at the cross from now until eternal life is ours. This means trusting in God while fighting with all that we have in the strength He gives to become more like Jesus.

In conclusion, I want to offer a brief thought as a challenge and as an encouragement. For much of my life I could not articulate any of the points of the gospel (what it means to follow Jesus to the cross) or describe with any clarity a biblically acceptable response to the gospel (what it means to follow Jesus from the cross). I had vague concepts of both, but nothing approaching a firm grasp on the whole. I (mostly without thinking) lived my life on my terms and for my own purposes. While I did not knowingly disbelieve any of the tenants of the gospel, I certainly did not accept any of them either. I was not trusting in Jesus for the forgiveness of my sins and yet I always believed that I would go to heaven when I died.

I mean this little biographical sketch to challenge the notion that feeling safe about your eternity has anything to do with where you’re going to spend your eternity. I’d guess that most people in hell were surprised to find themselves there.

And I mean this as an encouragement because if God can capture the heart and mind and soul of a selfish, prideful, wretched, sinner like me, after two decades of ignorance and defiance, He can save anyone. It is not too late to follow Jesus to the cross and be saved. That’s why Jesus came at Christmas. That’s why John wrote his Gospel—”that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” And if you will follow Jesus to the cross in this way, He will keep you following Him forever. He will make you like Him and He will bring you to be with Him in eternal life.