Good weekend to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
I have an important question for us to begin with today: When you consider that phrase, which you hear me say every day, “Walking with Jesus”, what does it mean to you? Does it mean that you hope for a sense of God’s Presence with you each day? Or does it mean you are living your life doing all you can to follow Jesus as HE leads you through your life?
Oh my, there’s a huge difference between living life with me in control, wanting God’s blessing; and living my life as a servant of King Jesus with HIM in control, do you agree? Honestly now, which is it for you, my friends?
For the past few days, we’ve been sitting around a shoreline breakfast with resurrected Jesus and seven of His disciples. A net full of flapping fish is still in the water as evidence of another of Jesus’ great miracles. Peter has three times been asked to define his relationship with Jesus and now Jesus has said those most challenging words: “Follow Me”. (John 21:19)
This was not a theoretical or philosophical statement, this was an invitation by Jesus to Peter, as Jesus got up from the breakfast and started walking down the beach! Suddenly Peter had an important decision to make. Get up and walk with Jesus or sit with the guys and watch Jesus walk away? What would you have done? What have you and I done in the past when we’ve sensed Jesus inviting us to join with Him in taking action?
It appears Simon Peter got up and joined Jesus. We have no record of what they initially talked about but at one point Peter turned around to notice the disciple John was following them. That fascinates me and causes me to ask why? I don’t sense John was close enough to eavesdrop but knowing the relationship John had with Jesus I presume John wanted to stay close enough that he could see Jesus. Remember that since His resurrection, Jesus appeared and disappeared without warning.
Perhaps Peter was still wrestling with the first question Jesus had asked him, “Do you love Me more than these?” and perhaps Peter was comparing the relationship John had with Jesus with his own. Peter’s question was short: “Lord, what about him?” (John 21:21) Jesus’ response caused quite a stir: “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow Me!” (John 21:22)
Now what do you think Jesus meant by that? John tells us in the next verses that as people heard about this it confused many. Yes, it is true John lived to be the oldest of all the disciples, finally dying in his old age, in his 90’s. But Jesus’ statement was not about life longevity, was it?
I think Jesus was declaring to Peter that each of us has a unique, personal relationship with God through our Savior Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit of God living in us is doing a unique, personal work of refining us and teaching us God’s truths and freeing us from any residue of dark kingdom influence in us.
While we refer to ourselves as a ‘people of God’ and there are perhaps now nearly 1 billion of us in the world today; both the relationship we have with God and His work IN and THROUGH each of us is uniquely personal! This is very important, my friends.
Our salvation experience is UNIQUE to each of us. God does not save people ‘en mass’ or as people groups or even as families. The atonement sacrifice of Jesus is applied to a sinful person by God one person at a time. That’s why Paul wrote “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation, the old is gone and the new has come and all this is from God.” (2 Cor. 5:17,18) Do you hear the individuality in that? Your salvation is a unique work of God in your life!
Oh, but there’s much more for our salvation is only the beginning!! God then sends His Holy Spirit to live within a redeemed person and the work of the Holy Spirit IN the life of each person is unique to that person! WHY?
Because the cleanup work of the Spirit in cleansing me from my sinful past is unique to my sinful past, just as the Holy Spirit’s cleansing work in you is unique to your sinful past. (1 John 1:9) And the work of the Holy Spirit in giving me spiritual giftedness is unique to His work in me as it is His unique work in you. (1 Corinthians 12:4-27) And the Holy Spirit’s guiding me in life is unique to Jesus’ Lordship in my life as my Savior and King as it is unique in your life. (Colossians 2:6-3:17) This is what Jesus was talking about with Peter, do we understand this, my friends?
Peter was a strong, self-confident, headstrong man accustomed to making his own way in life, but Jesus was asking Peter to live the rest of his life daily yielding to what Jesus wanted to accomplish in this world WITH and THROUGH Peter! That would be a total inversion of how Peter normally lived. Peter would need to learn to constantly be submitting his life to the Lordship of Jesus! And more, the future life adventure Jesus wanted to lead Peter in living, was very different from the life John was going to live as John followed Jesus.
While they both would have a vibrant, dynamic, powerful relationship with God for the rest of their lives they both would be led by the Holy Spirit into very different life adventures in following Jesus!
Now… here’s the big question for you and me: Is Jesus inviting you and me into the very same relationship that Peter and John had with Jesus 2000 years ago? YES!! And that my friends is what I mean when I say we are “Walking with Jesus” every day!
What is required? Three very important things that you and I need to develop:
First… the ability to DISCERN when the Holy Spirit living in me is leading me to do something that Jesus wants me to do.
Second… the ability to DISCERN when the Holy Spirit is warning me! Warning me to NOT say or do something that my mind and heart is thinking of doing or saying. And more… to understand WHY the Holy Spirit is cautioning me!
Third… a never-ending passion to KNOW God more and better today than I did yesterday and then more tomorrow than I do today! Oh my, that is the central, dynamic factor. Everything for everyday for the rest of my life is rooted right here. The only way I can live the life God has created me and saved me for is if I desperately pursue knowing God more and better each day.
Now let’s pause right here sitting with five disciples on the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee watching Jesus and Peter walking along talking together and John walking behind them. It’s decision time.
Will I be satisfied sitting with the five watching, or do I want to be like John walking behind, or do I want to be like Peter walking in lock step with Jesus? And what about you, my friends?
The ‘lessons learned’ notes below will help you wrestle with these questions, and the worship song link will draw you to reflective worship about your desire to walk close with Jesus. And I’ll be here on Monday waiting for you.
