What Is That To You? You Follow Me!

WHAT IS THAT TO YOU? YOU FOLLOW ME!

John 21:18-22

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: Gifts from Heaven

1. A kitten climbed a 15-foot tree in a pastor’s front yard and climbed all the way to the top, and started crying loudly. The pastor’s children asked him to save it, so he pulled the tree over sideways, further & further, then lost his hold, and the tree snapped back, flinging the kitten over the house. They checked the backyard but didn’t find it. “I guess the Lord took it to heaven,” he told them.

2. A week later he saw a neighbor lady he knew buying cat food. “I thought you hated cats,” he said. She said, “I do, but my kids kept pestering me for one. Finally, I said, ‘Let’s kneel here in the yard and pray. Lord, if you want us to have a cat I ask that you drop one from heaven.’ As soon as I said ‘Amen’ – would you believe it – a kitten fell right out of the sky at my feet! What could I say?!”

B. TEXT

“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” John 21:18-22

C. WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE?

1. Peter had denied the Lord 3 times at Annas’ house. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to five apostles & 2 disciples at the Sea of Galilee. He called Peter out on his 3 denials, asking him 3 times if he really loved Him. Peter was humbled, repented, and the Lord told him to feed His sheep (Jesus was reinstating Peter to his apostleship).

2. Then Peter & Jesus went for a walk, during which Jesus told Peter how he would die by crucifixion. Peter noticed John following them and asked the Lord what was going to happen to John. Peter was comparing his destiny with John’s destiny. Jesus answered, “What is that to you? You must follow Me!”

D. MAIN IDEA

There are many people and situations that tempt us to take our eyes off of Jesus, to compare ourselves. Today we’re going to be looking at 4 things that distract us from following Jesus.

I. COMPARING OURSELVES TO OTHERS

A. TO OTHER BELIEVERS

1. Peter had just been assigned a mission from Jesus; his path was clearly marked out before him. Was this the time to get distracted with what other people’s missions are?

2. The ExB version (21:22) translates Jesus’ words as, “That is not your business...You follow Me!” GW says, “How does that concern you?” Clearly, our business is to follow Jesus as He leads us, not to focus on what other people are doing. As Paul said, “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?” Rom. 14:4.

B. WALKING IN HIS STEPS

1. To follow Jesus means to walk in his steps. Austin Mansfield told about his military assignment, “When I was being taught how to clear a minefield our instructor told us to step precisely in the footprint left by the person in front of us. The concept was simple: since the person in front of us stepped on a spot that didn’t set off a landmine, the only spot guaranteed to be safe was the ground under that footprint. Stepping anywhere else meant risking death.

2. The person at the front of the patrol is called the “point man.” His job is to identify the safe places to walk. Everyone else’s job is to walk where he walks and step where he steps. Jesus is our point man; we’re supposed to step where He stepped!

II. WHEN THERE’S ADVERSE CIRCUMSTANCES

A. FAITH OVERCOMES CIRCUMSTANCES

1. All the people of faith in Hebrews 11 had adverse circumstances – ones that contradicted what God was telling them to do.

a. Abraham & Sarah – too old to have kids;

b. Gideon – only had 300 soldiers Vs. a million;

c. Noah – it had never rained before, only misted.

d. Widow – had to turn cup of oil into an oilwell!

e. Andrew – feed 8,000 people with a boy’s lunch.