06 May You Follow Me

Last Sunday, Pastor Jason Finley preached the sermon: “Jesus Restores,” from John 21:1-19. We saw through Peter’s example that Jesus restores and deploys those who recognize their own inadequacy.

Read: John 21:20-25

This Sunday, Pastor Jason Smith will preach from John 21:20-25 and will show us that believing that Jesus is in control empowers us to turn from sinful comparison and follow Jesus wholeheartedly. As you prepare for our corporate gathering, let these words from John Piper lead you to further die to sinful comparison and trust in Jesus’ sovereign plan for you to bring him glory.

Reflect: “What Is That to You? You Follow Me”

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

Peter had just heard a very hard word. You will die—painfully. His first thought was comparison. What about John? If I have to suffer, will he have to suffer? If my ministry ends like that, will his end like that? If I don’t get to live a long life of fruitful ministry, will he get to?

That’s the way we sinners are wired. Compare. Compare. Compare. We crave to know how we stack up in comparison to others. There is some kind of high if we can just find someone less effective than we are. Ouch. To this day, I recall the little note posted by my Resident Assistant in Elliot Hall my senior year at Wheaton: “To love is to stop comparing.” What is that to you, Piper? Follow me.

That word landed on me with great joy. Jesus will not judge me according to my superiority or inferiority over anybody. No preacher. No church. No ministry. These are not the standard. Jesus has a work for me to do (and a different one for you). It is not what he has given anyone else to do. There is a grace to do it. Will I trust him for that grace and do what he has given me to do? That is the question. O the liberty that comes when Jesus gets tough!

I hope you find encouragement and freedom today when you hear Jesus say to all your fretting comparisons: “What is that to you? You follow me!”

Adapted from the article: “What Is That to You? You Follow Me: Freed from Comparing by Blunt Words,” by John Piper, www.desiringgod.org.

Sing: Song List for Sunday

1. “God Omniscient, God All-Knowing,” by Matt Boswell
2. “Jesus, Strong and Kind,” by CityAlight
3. “Christ Be All,” by Grace Worship