Walking with Jesus

Let's turn to the gospel of John please chapter 1 John chapter 1 a few years ago. We had the privilege of visiting the land of Israel a trip put together by a brother Brian good of PEI I Mentioned that because he chose as the theme of the trip walking in the footsteps of Jesus and And This afternoon. I'd like to take a little look at some of the places where the Lord Jesus walked Peter tells us that you should follow his steps So, let's take a look at some of these places now John chapter 1 and verse 35 again the next day after John stood and two of his disciples and looking upon Jesus as he walked He said behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the No Doesn't say that in that verse does it? That's further up in verse 29 verse 37 and the two disciples heard him speak and they follow Jesus Then Jesus turned and saw them following and saith unto them what seek ye they said unto him Rabbi which is to say being interpreted master.

Where dwellest thou? He saith unto them come and see they came and saw where he dwelt and abode with him That day for it was about the 10th hour One of the two which heard John speak and followed him was Andrew Simon Peter's brother He first findeth his own brother Simon and saith unto him. We have found the Messiah Which is being interpreted the Christ and he brought him to Jesus and so on Now back to Matthew chapter 4 Matthew's gospel Chapter 4 verse 18 and Jesus walking by the Sea of Galilee saw two brethren Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea for they were fishers He saith unto them follow me and I will make you fishers of men And they straightway left their nets and followed him And going on from thence He saw other two brethren James the son of Zebedee and John his brother in a ship with Zebedee their father Mending their nets and he called them and they immediately left the ship and their father and followed him and so on now Back to John's gospel again chapter 10 John chapter 10 verse 22 The Lord Jesus has left Galilee There's this incident at Jerusalem verse 22 and it was a Jerusalem the feast of the dedication And it was winter and Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch Then came the Jews round about him and said unto him how long does thou make us to doubt if thou be the Christ Tell us plainly Jesus answered them. I told you and he believed not The works that I do in my father's name they bear witness of me but ye believe not because You're not of my sheep as I said unto you my sheep.

Hear my voice and I know them and They follow me and so on chapter 11 and come down to verse 54 John 11 verse 54 Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews But went thence into a country near to the wilderness into a city called Ephraim and there continued with his disciples and The Jews Passover was nigh at hand and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves then sought they for Jesus and so on and One more reading from the book of Revelation Please in chapter 2 Revelation chapter 2 and Verse number 1 On to the angel of the Church of Ephesus Right these things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand Who walketh in the midst of the seven golden? Candlesticks lampstands the Lord of us to us the further reading from his word today places where the Lord Jesus walked I Think each one of these is of interest and Is of significance and certainly there are lessons that we can draw from them and learn if we are numbered amongst those that love him and Want to follow him and are interested in learning of him in chapter 1 of John We have the Lord walking by the Jordan River John John himself the Baptist was quite a phenomenon It was just yesterday that the Pharisees have come out from Jerusalem And they have had some questions for John to ask him who he was and and what was he doing and so on John replied that he was but a voice of him that cryeth in the wilderness nothing more significant than a voice But he was sent to prepare the way of the Lord Now John is speaking here and We can almost hear the awe in the voice of John as he Looks upon Jesus as he walks there along the banks of the the River Jordan He points them out and he says behold the Lamb of God Behold the Lamb of God verse 29 which taketh away the sin of the world Now John had his own disciples and there were Disciples there that heard John Speak and we find that immediately they left John and they they followed Jesus These two disciples one of them was Andrew the brother of Simon Peter There was something about Jesus as he walked and The declaration of John that this is he who is the Lamb of God Who by his death his sacrificial death will take away the sin of the world that attracted their hearts to him The power of the attraction of Christ and so they followed after him. I Think we can each one identify with that. There's been that experience that we have had in our own lives of For the first time setting our eyes as it were upon the Lord Jesus and understanding that he took our sins and he has taken them away by virtue of his sacrificial work upon the cross and we are attracted to him and There's a desire begotten by the Spirit of God in our hearts that we might be with him that we might follow him And be in his presence So Andrew and the other disciple They have that desire too, and they're interested in where he dwells The Lord Jesus said asks them the question what seek ye and they said master Where dwellest thou? Where dwellest thou? Now That Was a that was a genuine question from their hearts It was expressing their desire to be in his company and to be in his presence and to be in the place Where he dwelt I believe that every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ has that inborn in their very soul as part of the new birth to enjoy his presence and To be in his company and To be in his presence.

Where dwellest thou? Interesting to notice the answer of the Lord to that inquiry Notice this he says Come and see he did not just answer the question and say it's a number four on such-and-such a street up the road No, he said come and see in Other words in order to find out where he dwells it will involve active obedience on the part of those that would follow him Christianity is not intended to be a spectator sport Whereas we've been hearing already you sit on the sidelines and you're observing others That are actively participating. No. No God has saved us for a purpose that you and I might come and See where he dwells that we might be active participants in this business of Finding his presence and where he dwells and being there Enjoying his company what a what a day that was for those disciples to actually go into the very room where the Lord Jesus was dwelling and to enjoy his company For the rest of that day and I believe for the rest of that night because it was it was the 10th hour They stayed with him that night Quite a thing stay the night with the Lord Jesus, you know we're living in a Night scene down here, but the assembly the local assembly is a place where he dwells Amongst his people and God has designed it that you and I in this night scene might know the security of the local assembly and That you and I might enjoy his presence in the midst of the gathered company It's a delightful place for those who follow To Have that reward of their heart.

They're attracted to him and to find him in the midst of his gathered people. I Want to appeal to every young believer here today saved by the grace of God, maybe even baptized Are you a member? Are you in God's assembly? Are you in the place where his honor dwells? Are you in the place where he has placed his name where he has promised his presence in the midst of them? That gather in his name It's his desire that you would have be an active participant in it we notice as well that Andrew then he looked for his brother Simon and Again we we see that there comes with that enjoyment of his presence that desire in the heart of the disciple of Having others come into that same blessing and enjoy his presence too. And so he encourages Peter Simon to follow him to the place where he dwells So the Lord walking by the River Jordan Chronologically we move on and the next time we see the Lord walking here in our readings is in Matthew chapter 4 He's walking by the Sea of Galilee It's his early Galilean ministry and he has moved his Home to Capernaum and now he's walking by the Sea of Galilee and finds disciples whom he calls to become fishers of men First of all, he comes upon Peter and Andrew see a man we've been talking about casting a net into the sea He calls them follow me and I will make you fishers of men And immediately They leave that Career, that was theirs And they follow him then going a little further.

He comes upon James and John with their father They were mending their nets and again he calls them and it says of James and John that They they left the nets. They left the ship and Their father and they followed him. So here again we see The power of attraction of those that are attracted to the Lord Jesus Christ and the effect that it has upon them It was a costly costly thing for them to leave the lucrative fishing business on the Sea of Galilee a Sea that is a lake that is abundant in fish even to this day And perhaps at the time they didn't fully appreciate the radical changes that it would bring in their lives But nevertheless when the call was given they responded to the call and If they had a known the contemporary song they would have sung it as they left the boat We will abandon it all for the sake of the cause right Well, they did They left it all behind they they followed him and at such a cost as the business and even the family Left their dad behind they responded to the call, but you know those dear men They became his disciples they became his Apostles and They have the eternal distinction of being amongst the twelve Apostles of the Lamb Their names are commemorated in heaven, that's a high honor, isn't it? What a distinction? They they left it all behind and they followed him Their awards are eternal.

You know, the Lord Jesus is still calling men We were reminded of this this morning men and women to serve him young people, too And it might be costly It will be costly But her brother Murray was reminding us that there's one thing that is more costly and that's not to follow him And not to obey the voice his call to service So I wonder this afternoon then Are there those here today? Who even if it means sacrificing the career and its demands and Sacrificing those links that are so dear our family and so on to leave it all and to follow him to become fishers of men and To enjoy rewards that are out of this world the greater call of serving the master More fully now. I want to leave that and come to Matthew 14 It's this occasion is moving on in the Galilean ministry and here we have The most amazing place of all perhaps where the Lord Jesus walked it's after the feeding of the 5,000 and you remember that the disciples have been involved in that great event and even involved in that work But now he tells them to leave him To get into that boat and to cross over the the Sea of Galilee toward Capernaum and And That's instructive to our hearts As we think of the Lord Jesus going up into that mountain and he's praying he's interceding for them as They are in the darkness of the night. They're upon the sea and The storm comes up He's teaching them to move on though he is absent But all the while he's interceding for them upon the hill There's a storm that comes up and the wind is contrary coming from the west or the northwest the the wind and the waves are against them and They're starting out in the evening and the night is dark It has progressed through the night to the point where it's the third.

It's the fourth watch of the night So it's from 3 o'clock 3 a.m. In the morning onwards. They haven't got very far perhaps three miles And they're only probably about two-thirds of the way across from that northeast part of the Sea of Galilee to the northwest corner or area of Capernaum, so It's very dark and it's not very pleasant The wind has come up and the storm is high and there they are upon the sea and they're they're struggling against that storm and All of a sudden in that darkness of the night with the waves and the wind beating against the the bow of the ship They see him and they don't understand first of all who it is. So they cry out it is a Ghost it is a phantom.

It's a spirit. It is a Spirit but the Lord speaks And it's a word of assurance They said it is a spirit. He says it is I It is I be of good cheer.

It is I Be not afraid and he comes walking upon the water to meet those Disciples in their need in the dark in the storm as it beats upon them You know, it's wonderful to remember That even today the Lord is upon the mountain. His people are down here He is in heaven and he's interceding for us and Even though that the night may be dark for us, even though the storm might be against us even though all our energy might be expended in and even just surviving He knows exactly where we are He knows all about us and He can come and make his presence known and felt Amongst us even in ways that we least expect with a word of comfort It is I Be not afraid When he was received into the ship The wind ceased and it was cause for worship They understood he is the Son of God even though winds Obeys him the wind and the waves obey him. This is the Son of God and it says that they worshipped him cause for worship from despair from fear To worship why just because now they know his presence right there in their circumstances We've been reminded of this already about bringing God into the situation.

I think our brother Eric mentioned that and One of our brethren this morning. They mentioned that bringing Christ into the situation He knows all about our situation Even when the night is dark and the storm is around and even whenever our struggles seem to be Helpless and hopeless and we're getting nowhere Just to know his presence right there Puts a whole different perspective on things and allows the Saint of God To have that calm in their heart Because Christ is in the vessel He can smile at the storm and worship flows instead of fear You notice Peter on that occasion too. He wanted he wanted proof of the Lord's power in a special way and Bid me come unto thee so the Lord said come and Peter get out of the boat and and went to walk on the ways and you know the story how He sank and Lord saved me and the hand of the Lord was was right there and Peter found out that he just was not Confident in the midst of the storm and the waves as he thought he might have been No, sometimes the Lord can allow us to have our own way in certain certain certain circumstances and situations Just so that we might learn that lesson to that We are not just as strong maybe as we thought we were but in in at all To learn our dependence upon him our need for dependence Upon him and when we are cast upon him he is there to meet the need he cares He knows He delivers and he's right there To bring us through walking upon the water In John 10 we we find him now walking in Jerusalem in the temple in the area called Solomon's porch It's getting towards the close of the Lord's earthly ministry and Now he's in the temple he's Walking in this area called Solomon's porch was likely a colonnade a cloister where Visitors to the temple could come and converse in the shade and as he's walking there the the Jews Evidently, they stop him and they ask him directly if he was the Christ and the Lord answers in chapter 10 verse 25, I Told you and he believed not the works that I do in my father's name they bear witness of me and the response from those people instead of falling down and and Worshiping him the one who can speak of his father and coming in his father's name and the works the miracles That Nicodemus said we know that thou art come from God No man can do those miracles that thou doest except God be with him instead of falling down and worshiping the Son of God We find that they sought to kill him and they took up stones to stone him to death They were full of unbelief in spite of the testimony the perfect testimony of The Son of God amongst them and the proof it gave proof to who he was But still they were marked by unbelief You notice in that scripture it specifies that it was winter It was winter Paul or John notes that And in the winter there were those cold hearts of unbelief Now I think we still live in the winter time, don't we? I know it's the fall of the year, but spiritually speaking.

We live in a winter where people's hearts are full of unbelief The world looks at Christians as those that are making strong claims It recognizes that the Lord Jesus in expressing the fact that he is the son of the Father God They wouldn't believe them and they reacted by trying to put him to death That same world is looking on to us We who claim to belong to Christ the one who died for us and when he died for us We died with him and in our baptism We claim that we have been walking in newness of life And we're on our way to heaven and we are heaven's citizens and we are governed by heaven's values And we live our lives according to the Word of God And we are obedient to it and seek to put it into practice in every department of our lives and this world To us is a wilderness wide Really? says the world in a skeptical way That world had perfect evidence in the life and the works of the Lord Jesus Christ And in the words that he spoke and still it did not believe him But the question I have this afternoon is this Does our life and testimony back up the claims that we make as believers Is there enough evidence in my life in your life? to show that there is indeed a distinction between Me as a believer and the world out there. Is there a distinction in the places I go in? The activities I'm involved in in what occupies my mind from day to day What takes up my time at the weekend what I write about on Facebook Is there a distinction Between me and the world is there enough evidence if it was a crime to be a Christian Is there enough evidence to convict us in a scene of unbelief? The world will reject the testimony of Christ But that's no excuse for you and I to compromise our testimony to conform to this world and To try to fit in and have a cozy comfortable walk through it You notice the Lord Jesus was walking in the precincts of the earthly sanctuary in the temple. I Wonder do you and I walk close enough to the heavenly sanctuary For others to take note and to wonder who we are and what do we profess? I Have to leave that let's come on to chapter 11.

It's in the Parian ministry of the Lord Jesus we read in verse 54 Jesus Therefore walked no more openly among the Jews But went sense into a country near to the wilderness into a city called Ephraim and there he continued with his disciples The animosity and the hatred of the Jews is reaching a climax It's coming near the end of his public ministry He's now withdrawing from walking publicly in Judea and he's no more walking openly amongst the Jews who are seeking to kill him and Even though the Lord Jesus notice even though he knows that his time the time of his departure his hour is Coming near When he will depart this world and go back to the father Even though he knows that his death is imminent. Do you notice? He doesn't expose himself to unnecessary risks in walking publicly Amongst those that are seeking to kill him. I just want to apply that There is a sense in which you and I are immortal until our service here on earth is done But following his steps You and I are under Obligation To be obedient to him and to follow him in terms of not putting ourselves at Unnecessary risks Just for the thrill of it Getting involved in crazy stuff that is actually putting our life at risk We've been bought with a price.

We don't belong to ourselves anymore We are to glorify God in our bodies we are to emulate our Lord Jesus Christ who would not unnecessarily put himself at risk Even though he's perfectly aware The time of his death is at hand Paul writes to Titus and he says that The grace of God would teach us that denying on godliness and worldly lusts. We should live soberly righteously and Godly in this present world a testimony to Christ finally notice from Revelation 2 We have the Lord Jesus walking in the midst of the seven golden lampstands Previously have been thinking about him literally walking on earth But now figuratively we find him walking in the midst of the seven churches of Asia Seven a perfect number complete witness To testimony for God on earth and assembly companies and the companies of assembly believers gathered to his name We find that he is scrutinizing each company. I Think that's the that's the whole point here in these early chapters in the book of Revelation So far as the seven churches are concerned the glorified Lord Jesus walking in the midst He's got eyes as a flame of fire He is scrutinizing those companies.

He is observing what's going on and with divine discernment He is able to put his finger right upon the exact condition of each company where they are And so he speaks and the letters are written It must have been kind of embarrassing if it was if they still were feeling shame in Laodicea To have Her failures as an assembly enumerated by the Lord. It was a place where really his presence was No longer being fully appreciated and Enjoyed it seems like The assembly as a whole was no longer fully enjoying the nearness of his presence But still he stood at the door and not and to those individuals that would open in communion They would enjoy something of communing with him something with him and he was them Philadelphia was mentioned this morning by a brother Murray They would be humbled too when They were reminded that they had but a little strength They couldn't boast of great things They had but a little strength and there's likely not an assembly that's represented here this afternoon that can boast of great things so far as size or Strength so far as the world's assessment would go. We we have at best but a little strength But they had not denied his name they had kept his word And I wonder this afternoon if the Lord was literally to be walking here in our midst With those eyes as a flame of fire here in the auditorium Looking upon the assemblies that you and I form a part of what would his assessment be? Would he see that lackadaisical? Lukewarmness, but marked Laodicea It's after all the spirit of the age or would he see a little company like Philadelphia all be it with a little string but exercised to keep his word and exercised To not deny his name But to represent him here in testimony on earth.

So May it be a challenge to our heart. May each one of us be exercised to be strengthened by his might To keep his word to not deny his name and in all of these things to seek to follow his steps and To bring glory to his name and testimony down here. Just the Lord will bless his word to our hearts