Follow Thou Me

Pastor Peter Linnecar shares about the life of the disciple Peter, his denial of Jesus and about the moment when Peter knew that he was ‘accepted in the beloved’. Sometimes circumstances in life cause you to think that you have blown it, but you are accepted in the beloved and Christ came to give you His life. The call to ‘Follow thou me’ is still the same commission today as it was for Peter all those years ago.

1 Peter 5:6 – 7

This was written by the apostle Peter later in his life and when you read his letters, everything he refers to he has experienced and he knows. So when he writes, casting all your care upon the Lord, it’s true. There were times in Peter’s life where he was ecstatic, he was so caught up with everything, especially on the Mount with Jesus and at times he’d said to Him, “I’ll do anything for you”.

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John 13:36 – 38

When Peter spoke to Jesus he meant what he said. He wasn’t something on the outside and different on the inside.

Luke 22:54 - 61

Suddenly the words He’d spoken to Peter became vibrant. He’d said, “Lord, I’ll follow you wherever you go”. But Jesus knew what was going to happen and told him that he would deny Him three times and then the cock would crow.

As he denied Him the third time Jesus turned and looked at Peter, not in a ‘I told you’ so sort of way but He just looked and Peter remembered what Jesus had said.

Luke 22:62

“And Peter went out, and wept bitterly”

Inside Peter thought, that’s it, that’s the end. Sometimes in your life, you promise so much and then it goes wrong. For Peter at this point, he thought that was the end of everything.

Throughout his life, I think Peter remembered this point, where he really thought that was the end. There are some people that have got to a stage in their life, where they think they’ve had it. We are involved with a living God who wants to be your heavenly Father and your Lord. It does not matter what your natural circumstances of life are doing, God is your heavenly father and He cares for you.

Peter was weeping, thinking he had blown it: what Jesus had said was true. It did not matter whatever else he tried to remember of the things Jesus had told him, at that point you could not have talked to Peter – he was in despair, thinking “That’s it, I’ve had it”.

After Jesus had risen from the dead, he came to the disciples again.

John 21:1 – 14

It was the same disciples who had the miracle in Luke 5: 1 - 11, when the fish appeared from nowhere. Now Jesus refers back, as it were, with a similar miracle but this time the nets didn’t break. He called the disciples to the shore and Peter was now sitting round the fire with Jesus, knowing what he had done before in denying Him and it bugged him. The disciples did not know what to say, it was strange – here was someone they had seen nailed to a cross, buried and now here He was, large as life, sitting with them and eating.

John 21:15 – 19

Three times He asked the question, here is the parallel, and three times he denied Jesus, and now it’s as if each question that He asked him was removing that guilt that Peter had felt ever since denying Him. As Jesus asked those three questions, “Do you love me Peter?” Peter knew he was accepted. He was accepted in the beloved. Sometimes in your life there are circumstances where you think you’ve blown it. I want to confirm to you, you’re accepted in the beloved. Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners, to give you His life.

It’s interesting that Peter said, “Thou knowest all things”. He knew that was true because he had thought back many times to what Jesus had told him, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice”. Then it happened and he did deny Him and he had been trying to figure out a way forward. He’d seen Jesus die but now in His resurrection life He was operating a recovery programme for Peter. God’s major recovery programme was for you and me on the cross. God was recovering you from yourself in His resurrection. In your first birth you’re against God and you denied Him. You thought you’d do things your way. It does not matter what you have done, however contrary you were against God, you are in the position you are in now because God is confirming to you, despite everything, despite the cause and effect of some things you have done in your life, He loves you, is going to provide everything for you and the solution is already on its way.

In verse 15, “Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?” Jonas means dove, gentle, the spirit.

John 21:19 – 22

This is where it gets very personal. Jesus is saying to you, personally, “Follow thou me”. You don’t have to worry about another person. Obviously we care for one another, but keep your focus and don’t be a busybody in other people’s lives. John’s destiny was directed by God. God has a specific purpose for each one. As each person zeroes in and focuses on this very thing, where Jesus says, “Follow thou me”, there are going to be people who will blossom to fulfil what God has for your life.

It’s not freedom to do what you want. I want to do what pleases Him, and that’s it. His life is inside you. God is saying to you, “Follow thou me”. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the past. The previous years in your life have not been wasted. Nothing has been wasted. Everything has been for a purpose.

Peter’s character was totally different from John’s. Jesus was saying to Peter, “You are going to do things different to John”. Later John wrote the book of Revelation, they were different characters and you are different from the person next to you.

Romans 14:7 – 9

He’s your Lord and Saviour. When Jesus said those words, Peter gradually allowed in his mind that he was accepted again. If you read the sermon at the beginning of Acts when Peter speaks to the people, he knew inside himself that he was accepted in the beloved.

I’m sure a lot of knife problems and gang warfare are because people do not feel accepted anywhere. As the weeks and months go ahead we will reach out to others in need. God will bring across your path people that you can share with. You’ve got to share it. It’s what God has done for you inside. He cares, and He took the trouble to make sure that you’re accepted.

1 Peter 5:6 – 11

Think about your situation. Cast all your care upon him, for He careth for you. His name is above every name. No other name, but the name of Jesus.

If you adopt a mode of thinking in bitterness, it will destroy you. The flip side of that is that you set yourself in your mind to realise who God is. He’s our loving heavenly father. Cast all your care upon him, for He careth for you.

1 Peter 5:6 – 7