Fan or Follower

Introduction

A lot of people make the claim, Jesus is my identity, but not many choose to worship him

Does anyone know what a fan means?

Illustration of football fan and celebrity fan, but doesn’t really know the person

Body

Are you a follower of Jesus?

Do you go to church?

Did you repeat a prayer after a preacher?

Did you make a decision at Falls Creek?

Many are quick to say I follow Jesus, but fail to really understand what that means. What the weight of that statement is.

You might think I’m crazy for even asking, but there’s nothing more important than asking yourself

Am I a follower of Jesus or a Fan of Jesus?

Matthew 7:13–23 CSB

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it. 15 “Be on your guard against false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. 16 You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So you’ll recognize them by their fruit. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’

What did you get out of the passage?

What do you think are some traits of people on the wide road?

What about the narrow road?

DTR means Define the Relationship!

Have you ever had a dtr talk?

Have you ever had that talk with God?

Have things moved past just admiring God as being good and moved to a place of deeper devotion?

Is it just a weekend thing?

Is it casual?

What do you think God wants our relationship with him to look like?

He wants us to be true followers of him, but most of the time he just gets enthusiastic admirers.

What are some traits of fan?

Led by their emotions

They like to be comfortable

Fans are stuck on the sideline, they can admire it and celebrate it, but they don’t really grasp what it takes to be on the field.

They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not close enough that it requires anything from them.

Many fans mistakenly identify themselves as followers by using cultural comparison. They look at others around them and think their relationship with Jesus is solid

Why is it dangerous to compare ourselves to others?

We look at the bell curve

How does Jesus define what it means to follow him?

Conclusion

Share nicodemus story

Does anyone know who that is?

John 3:1–3 CSB

1 There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to him at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.” 3 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

What did you notice about Nicodemus in this passage?

John 7:50–52 CSB

50 Nicodemus—the one who came to him previously and who was one of them—said to them, 51 “Our law doesn’t judge a man before it hears from him and knows what he’s doing, does it?” 52 “You aren’t from Galilee too, are you?” they replied. “Investigate and you will see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

What did you notice about Nicodemus in this passage vs the one before?

John 19:39–40 CSB

39 Nicodemus (who had previously come to him at night) also came, bringing a mixture of about seventy-five pounds of myrrh and aloes. 40 They took Jesus’s body and wrapped it in linen cloths with the fragrant spices, according to the burial custom of the Jews.

What about this one?

Christian history says that Nicodemus ultimately was killed for his faith.

How has following Jesus interfered with your life?

Following Jesus likely cost Nicodemus everything, Following Jesus should cost us too

Do you think Nicodemus regretted following Jesus? Why or Why not?

The Gospel changed him

He died to his old self and started having an eternal vision.

Have a volunteer read:

John 6:68–69 CSB

68 Simon Peter answered, “Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

G - God created us to be with him O - Our sins separated us from God S - Sins cannot be removed by good deeds P - Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again E- Everyone who trusts in Him alone has eternal life.

L - Life with jesus starts now and lasts forever!