Dear Christian friends:

You hear many commands during your life: your parents, school teachers, coach, your boss, all give you many commands. Some commands are important and some are not very important. The most important command that you can hear is the one in our text today. It is Jesus' command:


As Jesus commanded Philip and all the twelve disciples to follow Him, so Jesus also commands you and me to follow Him here on earth today. It is a very important command for you to hear and obey. It is the most important command that you can hear.

Before we can follow Jesus we must meet Him and know Him and believe in Him and love Him. Philip followed Jesus after Jesus found him and talked to him about his soul. But Nathaniel at first refused to follow Jesus. Why? Nathaniel had not yet met Jesus. When Philip found Nathaniel and told him about Jesus, he refused to believe in Jesus. Nathaniel thought that Jesus was just a man, the same as any other man. He did not believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. But after Nathaniel met Jesus, he became a believer and he said to Jesus, "Teacher, You are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel." (verse 49)

What changed Nathaniel's mind? Jesus showed Nathaniel a little bit of His glory and power. When Jesus saw Philip bringing Nathaniel to Him, Jesus said about Nathaniel, "Here is a real son of Israel. There is nothing false in him." (verse 47) Nathaniel was surprised and impressed to see that Jesus knew that about him. Nathaniel asked Jesus, "How do you know me?" Nathaniel had never met Jesus before, yet Jesus seems to know everything about him. Jesus answered to Nathaniel, "I saw you when you sat under the fig tree, before Philip invited you." (verse 48) Jesus showed His power, wisdom and glory to Nathaniel. Therefore he knew that Jesus was not just a man, but also the Son of God, the Christ God had promised through Moses and the prophets, as Philip had told him before. (verse 45)

We, the same as Philip, Nathaniel and all the disciples, have also seen Jesus' power and glory. And we have seen much more than Jesus showed here to Philip and Nathaniel. Philip and Nathaniel later on saw much more of Jesus' power and glory. When Nathaniel confessed his faith in Jesus, Jesus asked him this question: "Do you believe only because I told you I saw you when you were sitting under the fig tree? Then Jesus added these important words: "You will see many greater things than this! I tell you the truth. You will see heaven open and the angels of God going up and coming down on the Son of Man." (verses 50-51)

Later on Nathaniel and all the disciples saw greater proofs than this one here in our text. Jesus' promise happened exactly. They saw Jesus change water to wine; command the stormy sea to be calm; heal the sick, the blind, the crippled and the deaf. They saw Jesus raise up the dead to life and cast out devils. They saw Jesus suffer and die on the cross and then arise from death on the third day. Forty days later they saw Him ascend into heaven to sit at God's right hand.

We, also, have seen these many proofs that Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ God promised through the prophets, the Savior for sinners. Each year in the church service we read these beautiful lessons and preach them. Truly, we, the same as the disciples, have seen "heaven open and the angels of God going up and coming down on the Son of Man." We have seen Jesus' power and glory. We have met Jesus and know Him and believe in Him and love Him. Therefore, we can with joy obey His great command: "Follow Me!"

But what does that mean: "Follow Me!"? Follow Jesus? How? When? Where?

The Rev. Dr. Dahlman, a Lutheran pastor in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, many years ago wrote a book called: "Follow Jesus". His book had about twenty chapters explaining about following Jesus. I used to have that book in my library, but I loaned it out to someone and never got it back. I remember some of the chapter titles or topics:

Follow Jesus In Loving God
Follow Jesus In Loving Man
Follow Jesus In Prayer
Follow Jesus In Doing Good
Follow Jesus In Suffering
Follow Jesus In Witnessing
Follow Jesus In Doing Missionary Work
Follow Jesus In Helping The Poor
Follow Jesus In Showing Mercy
Follow Jesus In Forgiving Others
Follow Jesus In Dying

Follow Jesus means to copy His good examples. It means to obey God and seek to do His will instead of our own will or the devil's will.

Follow Jesus also means to continue to trust in Jesus even when we fail to follow Him. It means to daily confess our sins and failures to be His followers, and then trust in His blood, shed for our forgiveness. Following Jesus means to live under His cross daily. Follow Jesus means to know HIS LOVE AND THEN RESPOND TO HIS LOVE!

Come, follow Me, the Savior spake,
All in My way abiding;
Deny yourselves, the world forsake,
Obey My call and guiding.
O, bear(suffer) the cross what'er betide(happen);
Take My example for your guide."
(Come, Follow Me, the Savior Spake, Hymn, verse 1)

Amen.