Follow the Follower
Follow the Follower
Romans 5:19-20
19 For as by one man’s disobedience (Adam and Eve) many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience (Jesus) many will be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,
21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Now the Disciples Will Carry the Name: "FOLLOWERS"
Now, they’re not just marked as followers—they’re called to live as followers.
They are entrusted with the mission to disciple others—to show what it truly means to follow Jesus.
In the New Testament, the word “follower” appears throughout the Gospels and Acts to describe those who devoted themselves to both the teachings and the person of Jesus.
So now, FOLLOWER becomes their identity.
And it’s ours too.
A few years ago, I saw a little boy walking just a few steps behind his dad.
The father didn’t even notice, but his son was mimicking his every move.
When the dad scratched his head, the boy scratched his head.
When the dad adjusted his watch, so did the boy.
Even the way he walked matched his father’s stride.
I smiled—then I heard someone behind me whisper,
“That little guy is definitely his father’s son.”
Not because he said anything.
Not because he wore a shirt that said “#1 Son.”
But because he walked like him.
You could tell who he belonged to—not by his words, but by his actions.
He bore the marks of his father in the way he lived.
In this sermon series, we’ve been walking through the life of Peter.
Now, as we come to the close, we see Peter after the resurrection—he has seen the Risen Savior with his own eyes. He has watched Jesus ascend into heaven.
And now, Peter receives his commission: Go and make disciples.
So what are the marks of a follower that Peter would tell us today?
He saw the Savior—risen!
And that changed everything.
Peter would tell us:
People should be able to tell you’re a follower—not by what you say, but by how you live.
19 For as by one man’s disobedience (Adam and Eve) many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience (Jesus) many will be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,
21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Now the Disciples Will Carry the Name: "FOLLOWERS"
Now, they’re not just marked as followers—they’re called to live as followers.
They are entrusted with the mission to disciple others—to show what it truly means to follow Jesus.
The English word “disciple” comes from the Greek word “μαθητής” (mathētēs), pronounced mah-thay-TAYS, meaning “learner” or “follower.”
In the New Testament, the word “follower” appears throughout the Gospels and Acts to describe those who devoted themselves to both the teachings and the person of Jesus.
So now, FOLLOWER becomes their identity.
And it’s ours too.
We are called to follow—and to teach others what that means.
A few years ago, I saw a little boy walking just a few steps behind his dad.
The father didn’t even notice, but his son was mimicking his every move.
When the dad scratched his head, the boy scratched his head.
When the dad adjusted his watch, so did the boy.
Even the way he walked matched his father’s stride.
I smiled—then I heard someone behind me whisper,
“That little guy is definitely his father’s son.”
Not because he said anything.
Not because he wore a shirt that said “#1 Son.”
But because he walked like him.
You could tell who he belonged to—not by his words, but by his actions.
He bore the marks of his father in the way he lived.
In this sermon series, we’ve been walking through the life of Peter.
Now, as we come to the close, we see Peter after the resurrection—he has seen the Risen Savior with his own eyes. He has watched Jesus ascend into heaven.
And now, Peter receives his commission: Go and make disciples.
So what are the marks of a follower that Peter would tell us today?
He saw the Savior—risen!
And that changed everything.
Peter would tell us:
People should be able to tell you’re a follower—not by what you say, but by how you live.
Big Idea: We Must Live a Faith That Is Seen, Not Just Heard!
Be Holy
1 Peter 1:15-16
15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
This call to holiness means to be set apart—different from the world around us.
Tony Evans says:
But it does say:
Isaiah 6:3
3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”
15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
This call to holiness means to be set apart—different from the world around us.
Tony Evans says:
“Jesus is distinct from His creation, unstained by sin, and the standard of righteousness. Holiness is who God is.”
The Bible never says God is love, love, love or sovereign, sovereign, sovereign—But it does say:
Isaiah 6:3
3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”
Holiness Embraces
Sexual Purity
1 Thessalonians 4:3–4 7-8
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.
Sexual sin isn’t just against people—it’s a sin against God.
Holiness demands that we honor Him with our bodies.
Knowing and Obeying God’s Word
John 17:17
17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
Holiness requires us to stay anchored in Scripture.
We pursue this through:
Offering Ourselves as Living Sacrifices?
We are offering our bodies as “living sacrifices” to God
Romans 12:1–2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Holiness is a full-life offering. It’s not a Sunday-only standard—it’s a daily surrender.
To Be Holy is to live a life that shows we belong to God—set apart, obedient, and honoring Him in every part of who we are.
1 Thessalonians 4:3–4 7-8
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.
Sexual sin isn’t just against people—it’s a sin against God.
Holiness demands that we honor Him with our bodies.
Knowing and Obeying God’s Word
John 17:17
17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
Holiness requires us to stay anchored in Scripture.
We pursue this through:
- Discipleship Training
- Sunday School
- Personal Devotion
- Youth Group
- Kidz Bible Experience
- Bible Drill
Offering Ourselves as Living Sacrifices?
We are offering our bodies as “living sacrifices” to God
Romans 12:1–2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Holiness is a full-life offering. It’s not a Sunday-only standard—it’s a daily surrender.
To Be Holy is to live a life that shows we belong to God—set apart, obedient, and honoring Him in every part of who we are.
Be Growing
1 Peter 2:2
2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
After Pentecost, Peter—and many others—couldn’t get enough of the “new milk” of God’s Word. They hungered for it. They grew through it.
Notice Peter’s word here:
Desire
Desire the Word.
But how do we stir up that kind of desire?
Here’s a word to remember:
Cultivate
To cultivate means to prepare, develop, or foster something intentionally.
Growth doesn’t happen by accident—it’s the result of deliberate effort.
Cultivating a hunger for God’s Word means practicing:
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success
Engaging with the Word consistently shapes our minds, strengthens our hearts, and aligns our lives with God's will.
Prayer
Psalm 119:18
1 Thessalonians 5:17
Prayer connects our desire to God’s power.
We don’t just study—we seek. We ask. We listen.
Be Growing
2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
After Pentecost, Peter—and many others—couldn’t get enough of the “new milk” of God’s Word. They hungered for it. They grew through it.
Notice Peter’s word here:
Desire
Desire the Word.
But how do we stir up that kind of desire?
Here’s a word to remember:
Cultivate
To cultivate means to prepare, develop, or foster something intentionally.
Growth doesn’t happen by accident—it’s the result of deliberate effort.
Cultivating a hunger for God’s Word means practicing:
- Regular reading
- Intentional meditation
- Consistent study
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success
Engaging with the Word consistently shapes our minds, strengthens our hearts, and aligns our lives with God's will.
Prayer
Psalm 119:18
“Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.”
Ask God to increase your hunger and open your understanding.1 Thessalonians 5:17
“Pray without ceasing.”
Prayer connects our desire to God’s power.
We don’t just study—we seek. We ask. We listen.
Be Growing
- Desire the Word
- Cultivate time in it
- Pray for understanding
Be Begging
1 Peter 2:11
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
Peter isn’t simply urging here—he’s begging.
Not as someone pointing fingers, but as someone with a broken heart.
The Heart Position Against All Sin
We are to live with a deep, holy sorrow over sin. Not casually brushing it off, but mourning, resisting, and fighting it—because we understand what it costs.
Two Dynamics of Begging
1️⃣ Physical Begging:
The man at the temple gate begged for silver and gold, thinking that was his greatest need.
2️⃣ Spiritual Begging:
But Peter gave him something greater—hope, healing, and the name of Jesus Christ.
Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms (1st Beg) from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms (Begged for). 4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.”
5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: (2nd Beg) In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
That is the heart cry we must carry.
Begging for the salvation of others.
Pleading with a lost world.
Do You Beg Like That?
We cry out for many things—but do we beg God for the souls of the lost?
Matthew 5:4
This isn’t just mourning over hardship—it’s grieving over sin.
It’s the kind of grief that leads to repentance, intercession, and action.
This mourning is the cry out the begging to God for Salvation of the Lost!
Matthew 23:37
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
Jesus didn’t mourn because He was weak—He mourned because His love was rejected.
He yearned for people to turn and be saved.
God’s Not So Much Interested in Our “Amens”
If they aren’t followed by action.
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
Peter isn’t simply urging here—he’s begging.
Not as someone pointing fingers, but as someone with a broken heart.
The Heart Position Against All Sin
We are to live with a deep, holy sorrow over sin. Not casually brushing it off, but mourning, resisting, and fighting it—because we understand what it costs.
Two Dynamics of Begging
1️⃣ Physical Begging:
The man at the temple gate begged for silver and gold, thinking that was his greatest need.
2️⃣ Spiritual Begging:
But Peter gave him something greater—hope, healing, and the name of Jesus Christ.
Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms (1st Beg) from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms (Begged for). 4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.”
5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: (2nd Beg) In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
That is the heart cry we must carry.
Begging for the salvation of others.
Pleading with a lost world.
Do You Beg Like That?
We cry out for many things—but do we beg God for the souls of the lost?
Matthew 5:4
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
This isn’t just mourning over hardship—it’s grieving over sin.
It’s the kind of grief that leads to repentance, intercession, and action.
This mourning is the cry out the begging to God for Salvation of the Lost!
Matthew 23:37
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
Jesus didn’t mourn because He was weak—He mourned because His love was rejected.
He yearned for people to turn and be saved.
God’s Not So Much Interested in Our “Amens”
If they aren’t followed by action.
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