CHAPTER THREE
FOLLOW ME
WHO ARE WE FOLLOWING?
We focus now on the later portion of verse 23 of Luke 9 –
“follow me”. In considering this we need to begin by asking the
question:- ‘who are we following?’ Jesus Christ is acknowledged by
religious teachers from all walks of life and even by secular historians
as a historical religious teacher who made a great and positive impact
on the then known world. Even today, with regard to dates in history
and calendar, BC and AD, and the year 2012 or 2013, these are written
with reference to the time when Jesus was on earth. Millions,
throughout many generations, have been impacted by the message and
life of this man. Those whom society has given up as beyond hope and
help, have their lives dramatically changed for the better when they
encountered Jesus Christ in their lives.
What does the Bible reveal about who He was and what did He
Himself claim to be?
HE CLAIMED DIVINITY
In encountering the Pharisees, a group of Jewish religious leaders,
who challenged Him regarding His identity, Jesus declared:
…before Abraham was born, I am.
John 8: 58(a)
The term “I am” in the Bible has been used with reference to the
person of God. When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush.
He declared to Moses – “I am who I am” when asked His name. When
Jesus used the term “I am”, He was not just claiming to be around
before Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, was born, but He was
in fact claiming to be God. In another incident, at a feast in Jerusalem,
when confronted by the Jews about His identity, Jesus declared:
I and the Father (referring to God the Father) are
one. John 10: 30
To His disciple Philip who asked to be shown God the Father,
Jesus replied:
Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been
among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me
has seen the Father, How can you say, ‘Show us the
Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and
that the Father is in me?
John 14: 9-10(a)
Yet again, before the Jews, who doubted Him, Jesus warned:
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want
to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from
the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no
truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language,
for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the
truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me
guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe
me?
John 8: 44-46
Here Jesus challenged them to prove Him guilty of sin; in effect,
He was claiming sinlessness – an attribute of God. We see here also
a reference to the devil. The devil or Satan is not a figment of
imagination but a real evil spiritual being. There are many more
passages which clearly taught that Jesus is divine.
HE WAS TRULY GOD AND TRULY MAN
We have seen clearly that Jesus Christ claimed to be divine, God
Himself, not just a good man or a religious teacher but the very being
of God. At the same time, the Bible revealed that Jesus, when
He was on earth, was fully man. He was truly God and truly man,
something hard to understand and may appear rather mysterious but
nevertheless, it is true according to revelation. As a man, Jesus was
noted to know hunger (Matthew 4: 2); He was thirsty (John 4: 7); He
was tired (Luke 8: 23) and he expressed emotional pain (John 11: 35).
As fully man, He encountered all that human beings encountered on
earth, including going through difficulties and pain in meeting
temptations, misunderstanding from others as well as physical trials.
Yet throughout all these, the Bible revealed that Jesus was sinless,
without sin. Some may conclude that He probably used His divine power
to overcome all the difficulties and trials but this would not explain
Him as fully man. In fact, Jesus as the God-man chose not to exercise
His divine power and attributes in order to live within the limitations of
being truly human.
He opted to experience the world through the limitations He took
upon Himself in order to be fully man even though His divine attributes
were still present in Him but not voluntarily exercised by Him. As such,
He experienced time and space events within the confines of a normal
human being and became the perfect example of how a man should
live before God. As fully man and sinless, He could take the place of
sinful men and die on behalf of sinners. But how, as fully man, without exercising His divine power and attributes, did Jesus remain sinless?
Jesus Christ, the God-man, was fully obedient to His father’s will
(Hebrews 10: 5-7) and He always did what was pleasing to the Father.
He did all these as a human, totally dependent on the power and
presence of the Holy Spirit. His was an increasing reliance and
dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit to conquer the enemy of
God. Jesus, the man, was continually energized by the divine power of
the Spirit of God (John 3: 34). In this regard, Jesus Christ was and is
the supreme example for us. He showed us what is possible in a human
life, how we may exceed the limitations of our humanness to fulfill
God’s desire for us against all odds in life. He demonstrated for us how
a human being is intended to live in God’s eyes.
IMPLICATIONS OF FOLLOWING HIM
(A) FOLLOWING HIM AS LORD AND MASTER
As we follow Jesus Christ, we need to acknowledge that we are
following one who is truly divine. He is our creator and all authority
belongs to Him. He is also a God who is not distant, but one who
entered into human history to rescue us and to bring us back to Him.
As truly God who is perfect, it is only in order that He requires
obedience from us. And obedience is expected and required for our
own well-being; disobedience would only lead to spiritual death and
destruction. Just as an earthly father expects his child to obey in order
to protect him from harm and injury, God our heavenly father sees
obedience on our part as needful for our own good. Obedience is also
an expression of our love for Him as we acknowledge that His
requirements are in line with His divine love and care for us His children.
“If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
John 14: 15“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is
the one who loves me..”
John 14: 21(a)
We need also to exercise faith as we follow Him as our Lord and
God. Faith is essentially trusting Him in His being and in His promises.
Jesus Christ has gone before us as the first fruits. As He has been
resurrected, we will also be resurrected when He comes again. Jesus
declared this whilst on earth,
I am the resurrection and the life. He
who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives
and believes in me will never die… (John 11: 25-26(a))
Jesus revealed that He has gone to prepare a place for His people
and He would come back to take those who belong to Him to be where
He is. He also told His followers to expect trouble in this world but not
to lose heart as He has overcome the world. He encouraged His
followers to persevere and to endure, and surely they would see the
salvation of the Lord. When He comes again, He will judge the world
and make right what is wrong and unjust. We need to keep our eyes and
focus on Him as we follow Him here in this transition period until we
see Him face to face. Indeed, the just shall live by faith; followers
of the Lord Jesus need to continue to trust Him and to affirm His
faithfulness in His promises even in the midst of persecution and
tribulation. He is completely reliable and trustworthy and circumstances
do not change this truth. In that light, God’s people need not lose heart
but they continue to live with confidence in the hope they have in Christ
Jesus.
(B) FOLLOWING HIM IN HIS ATTITUDE
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ
Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider
equality with God something to be grasped, but made
himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being
made in human likeness. And being found in appearance
as a man, he humbled himself and become obedient to
death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him
to the highest place and gave him the name that is above
every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and
every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father.
Philippians 2: 5-11
Notice the attitude of Christ Jesus. Although He was God, He
did not cling on to this, but He willingly made Himself nothing and
took on the nature of a servant, being made in human likeness, and
humbled Himself to a point of dying on the cross for the sake of
redeeming a people for God’s own possession. There is no actual
example in our own experience to understand this but perhaps, we can
ponder on a hypothetical example of a man becoming an ant, giving up
all his rights and abilities as a man, suffered and died cruelly “at the
hands” of a colony of ants on its behalf in order to save the colony from
extinction. Even this cannot fully explain the profound reality of Jesus,
God Himself, becoming man and a servant in order to die for the sin of
man and to bring him back into the kingdom of God.
It is the almighty God, creator of the universe, the one who holds
all things together, who went down so low and to a point almost
unbelievable, becoming man and dying like a criminal on a cross. The
apostle Paul exhorted believers to have the same attitude as that of
Christ Jesus. Unless we deny ourselves and carry our cross daily, we cannot hope to have such an attitude. It is an attitude devoid of selfish ambition or vain conceit; it is an attitude that considers others better than ourselves and one that looks not only to one’s own interests
but also to the interests of others. Jesus demonstrated such an attitude
when He became man to die for the sin of man and to save him from
judgment and condemnation. Following Jesus would mean nurturing
such an attitude as His disciples and this we can only do with the
enabling of the Holy Spirit and by His grace.
Contrast the attitude of Jesus with that of some spiritual leaders
today. They are quick to give a list of their accomplishments, successes
in ministry, academic achievements and the number of books they have
written and the many invites they receive throughout the year. This is
not much different from those in the secular world. Whatever happens
to humility and meekness that God desires so much to be manifested in
His servants?
(C) FOLLOWING HIM AS A SERVANT
For even the Son of Man (referring to Jesus) did
not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as
a ransom for many.
Mark 10: 45
In this verse, we see the Lord Jesus declaring that He came to
serve and not to be served and to give His live as a ransom for many.
This is closely related to His attitude expressed in Philippians 2.
His humble attitude was manifested in His willingness to be a
servant of others, to give His life to ransom man from the bondage of
sin. As His disciples we are also called to serve others and to serve one
another in love and with humility. This calling is clearly seen in the
passage John 13: 13-15. This describes the well known scene when
Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. Such a task is only undertaken by a servant. After washing their feet, the Lord Jesus made a startling
statement:
You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so,
for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher,
have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s
feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I
have done to you.
John 13: 13-15
Following the Lord Jesus would mean the preparedness to be
servants of others and to serve others for Jesus’ sake. This is surely
contrary to self-life, for the self does not wish to take on such a
“demeaning” role. It is no surprise that denying the self and carrying
one’s cross must precede following Jesus.
Genuine godly servants of the Lord Jesus would follow the
example of the Master to seek to serve and not to be served. They are
not in the ministry with the objective of increasing their reputation,
lifestyle and bank account at the expense of those they are ministering
to. The “servant attitude” would mean not “lording it over” those who
are led by them and certainly they would not demand unqualified
loyalty and total obedience to them such that believers in their context
no longer have the freedom to look to the Spirit and the Bible to guide
them in their personal lives and decisions.
There is a tendency among believers to value gifts above
character in Christian ministry. The Church may also be guilty of
overlooking the spiritual maturity of an individual because he or she
seems to manifest extraordinary spiritual gifts. At times, even obvious
moral failure and doctrinal errors are conveniently dismissed because
the individual apparently made a significant impact in the ministry.
This is certainly contrary to the call to self-denial, humility and a
servant attitude.
(D) FOLLOWING HIM IN DOING GOD’S WILL AT ALL
COSTS
Much can be looked into regarding the values and character of
the man Jesus. Yet what perhaps crystallizes His focus when He was on
earth as a man is seen in the following:-
He replied to him, ‘Who is my mother, and who
are my brothers?’ Pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here
are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the
will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and
mother.
Matthew 12: 48-50Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the
ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this
cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’
Matthew 26: 39
What is common in these two passages is doing the will of God
the Father. The Lord Jesus counted those who do God’s will as His
kinsmen and family. Even for Himself, as He agonized regarding
going to the cross, His final statement and stand to God His Father was
“Yet not I will, but as you will.”
It can perhaps be said that Jesus’ consuming passion, whilst on
earth, was to do the will of God the Father no matter what it costs and
that took Him on the road to suffering, mocking, scourging and death
on the cross at Calvary. It was a road that demands obedience through
sufferings, pain and rejection by those He came to save; unjust
treatment by men and those in authority; betrayal and abandonment by
those closest to Him and finally separation from His Father with whom
He has eternal and intimate fellowship, because He carried the sins of the world upon His shoulders. He could have summoned legions of
angels under His command to deliver Him, but He remained steadfast
on the cross until it is finished. He could have struck His perpetrators
with a word of command but He was silent like a lamb led to the
slaughter.
All these He did to do the will of His Father. He denied Himself;
He did not follow His own will and desire; He took the cross, endured
it and remained on it until His mission was accomplished, in the midst
of mockings, agonizing and searinag pain, breathlessness and thirst
and the unleashing of all the powers of darkness upon Him. In a sense,
Jesus went “through hell” on our behalf.
As we follow Jesus our Lord, are we following Him with
grumblings, complaints, a sense of entitlement, self-pity and a cry for
immediate relief from situations very much less painful and agonizing
as those encountered by Him whilst He was on earth? Do we turn back
from the path God has given us and insist on our will rather than His?
Do we cry out “unfair!”, “not worth it” as we compare ourselves with
people of the world and with brethren who seem to go through life so
smoothly and without any endurance of suffering and persecution?
Remember the consuming passion of the Lord Jesus whilst He was on
earth and let us not be weary. We need to persevere so that when we
have done the will of God, we will receive what He has promised.
PROVISIONS FOR FOLLOWING HIM
At this juncture, we may feel that is impossible, in our own
strength, to fulfill the calling of the Lord Jesus. How can we possibly
follow Him when the standards set are so high and beyond our reach.
Thanks be to God! – we are not left on our own. God has given us
ample provisions to help us to finish the race here until we reach our
final destination.
CHRIST’S INTERCESSION FOR US
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be
enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which
he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in
the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who
believe. That power is like the working of his mighty
strength which he exerted in Christ when he raised him
from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the
heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power
and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only
in the present age but also in the one to come.
Ephesians 1: 18-21Therefore he is able to save completely those who
come to God through him, because he always lives to
intercede for them.
Hebrews 7: 25
The Lord Jesus has been raised from the dead and He is alive,
sitting at the right hand of God the Father, in a place of almighty power
and authority, above every dominion and power of this age and the age
to come. From this position of power and authority, He intercedes for
us constantly and He is also our advocate before the Father. He
understands our struggles and He sees our motives and our hearts.
Although we still stumble into sin, there is always forgiveness
whenever we come to Him in repentance. He upholds us in prayers and
He always look out for the welfare of His people. Indeed, the Lord
Jesus is able to save completely all those who come to God through
Him.
PROVISION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Jesus as a man on earth cannot be with all His followers at the
same time. He knew that the followers still need His help, guidance,
encouragement and presence to carry on when the time comes for Him
to leave to return to the Father. As such He told them:
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you
another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of
truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither
sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives
with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans;
I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me
anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will
live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father,
and you are in me, and I am in you.
John 14: 16-20But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I
am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not
come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
John 16: 7But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will
guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own;
he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what
is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from
what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs
to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take
from what is mine and make it known to you. In a little
while you will see me no more, and then after a little while
you will see me.
John 16: 13-16
God the Father and Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God,
the third person of God, to be with the believers and to dwell in them.
The Holy Spirit can be with and in all the believers all over the world at
the same time because He is not limited by time and space and He will
take what is from the Father and from the Lord Jesus and make it known
to His people. He is the teacher, the guide, the comforter, the counselor,
the one who empowers His children to live for the glory of God, for He
is God Himself. Jesus’ presence in His followers is by the presence of
the Holy Spirit in them. Indeed, we are not alone and as the Lord Jesus
had said, “I will not leave you as orphans”. It is the Holy Spirit who is
principally responsible for molding us and transforming us into the
image of the Lord Jesus and He, the Spirit, will bring forth the fruit of
the Spirit in our lives as we walk in Him and live by Him.
PROVISION OF THE WORD OF GOD
Jesus answered, ‘It is written: Man does not live
on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the
mouth of God.
Matthew 4: 4
This was the answer Jesus gave to the devil, when, after fasting
forty days and forty nights, the tempter tempted Him to use His power
to change stones to become bread. Although He was extremely hungry,
Jesus did not succumb to the temptation. Instead, His answer focuses
on what truly matters in living before God. God has provided His
written word in the Bible and His children should look to the Bible for
God’s revelation and principles in order to live lives that are pleasing to
God. In this world we live in, there are many voices that seek our
attention and response. In the midst of these many voices, we need to
listen out to the voice of our Lord and God. Often, His voice is heard as
we prayerfully, in dependence on the Holy Spirit, read the Bible and
understand the teachings and revelations in the Scripture. He can also speak to us through the brethren, through hymns and through
circumstances if we are sensitive to His Spirit and His promptings. The
Word of God, when expounded in worship services, ministers to us
and helps us to respond by being doers rather than just hearers only.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly
equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3: 16
Believers cannot afford to be ignorant of the Bible. We need to
be good students of the Bible so that we can correctly handle the Word
of truth. Knowing the truth will set us free and will prevent us from
being led astray by false teachers and false prophets. We need to spend
time studying the Word of God individually and together with the
brethren and we must constantly be open to the Holy Spirit making
the Word alive to us in various contexts. We need also to develop
convictions regarding the teachings in the Bible; in this regard, our
convictions should help us to distinguish what are true from what are
false. We must not come to a point where we are afraid to give the
feedback that an opinion or a teaching is wrong biblically. We have no
right to treat as optional what God has said and affirmed in the Bible.
We might feel that we are being tolerant and understanding by not
speaking up for the truth; in fact, we may actually be compromising
and diluting the truth in outworking. The Bible reveals that Satan can
dress up as an angel of light. False teachers and false workers can do
likewise and diluting and compromising the truth or emphasizing one
aspect of truth at the expense of the complete wholesome truth may be
an effective tool of deception employed by the evil one and his agents.
But what about the reliability of the Bible, some of us may
wonder? It is helpful to note that more copies of Bible manuscripts
exist than for any other ancient book (more than 5000 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament alone). These copies have been
declared historically reliable by hundreds of experts ranging from
archaeologists to theologians. In other words, the Bible has been
transmitted accurately from the time it was originally written. The Bible
is correct when it deals with historical people and events; it remains
true and relevant to all people for all times. More importantly, although
the Bible consists of many books covering a span of many years,
written by different ones who were enabled and guided by God Himself,
the message of the Bible is a unified complete whole. It is the Word of
God!
PROVISION OF THE CHURCH AND THE BRETHREN
As we seek to follow the Lord Jesus, we need to remember that
God calls us to be members of His family and part of the Church of
God. We are not meant to be alone or individualistic; we need to be
part of the local Church in our local context.
And let us consider how we may spur one another
on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting
together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us
encourage one another – and all the more as you see the
DAY approaching.
Hebrews 10: 24-25
The DAY refers to the day of the second coming of the Lord
Jesus Christ. As we await the second coming of the Lord Jesus in
this transition period, let us be mindful to be vigilant as we have a
formidable enemy in the evil one and there are spiritual dangers
abounding. God has provided the Church to keep His people during
this period.
The Lord Jesus has invited us to follow Him and we need to
keep our focus on Him during our pilgrimage on earth. He warned us
that there would be false Christs and false prophets who seek to lead
the people of God astray (Matthew 24: 5,11). They can do miracles and
they are also adept in using and quoting the Bible. The Lord revealed
that we will know the tree by its fruit; the true servant of God would
manifest the fruit of the Spirit and he would look like the Lord Jesus in
his character, holiness, attitude and his desire to honor God and glorify
Him. True godliness is essentially built on character, not charisma; it is
grounded on virtue, not visions; it is centered on Christ and a Christexalting
gospel and not on self or a display of power or heightened
states of ecstasy. The true servant of God will not teach principles
contrary to the Bible and he will uphold the authority of Scriptures.
Worldliness and self-promotion are not on his agenda; instead the true
servant is prepared to “decrease” so that Christ may “increase”, and his
greatest joy is to give all glory to his Master. Belonging to a healthy
local church with godly teaching and guidance would help the believer
to steer clear from false teachers and false influence.