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Today we are continuing what we started looking at last week when we were in John 6.
Jesus had been doing miracles, and teaching with authority.
The people loved what He was doing, and many became His disciples.
That is, they began to follow him to see more of what He did, and learn what He was teaching, and experience all of the miracles!
They were exciting times!
Could this be the Messiah who will establish the kingdom of Israel and provide for us?
However, as we saw in John 6, when Jesus started teaching them that what they really needed was a savior who would give them eternal life, and not food and an earthly kingdom here and now, they did not like it.
Their response is recorded in John 6:60, 66.
That is a scary sentence.
“Many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.”
What I find scary is that it wasn’t just a few.
It was many.
And it wasn’t just some people who just the day before had fed on the bread and fish Jesus multiplied.
It was many DISCIPLES.
These were people who were supposedly committed to following Jesus to learn from Him, and become like Him.
Why did they turn away?
Why did they stop following?
I believe it was because they were fans, and not followers.
It has to do with the definition of being a follower.
We looked at those definitions last week.
Let’s review them now.
What is a Fan?
fan noun
[probably short for fanatic] 1682
1: an enthusiastic devotee (as of a sport or a art) usually as a spectator
2: an ardent admirer or enthusiast (as of a celebrity or a pursuit) 〈science-fiction fans〉
What is a Follower?
fol•low•er \ˈfä-lə-wər\ noun
before 12th century
1 a: one in the service of another: RETAINER
b: one that follows the opinions or teachings of another
c: one that imitates another
These people did not want to be in Jesus’ service.
These people did not want to follow Jesus’ teaching.
These people did not want to imitate Jesus.
They were fans for a time while what Jesus did and said did not go against what they wanted.
What they wanted…
That is part of what we mentioned last week as the difference between a fan and a follower.
Differences between a fan and a follower:
Focus; Desire
Commitment
Action
A fan focuses on an event.
A follower focuses on the present.
A fan desires, or wants the goodies Jesus can give.
A follower desires, or wants Jesus.
A fan is desires the fan wants.
A follower desires what the Lord wants.
A fan wants earthly things.
A follower wants spiritual things.
A fan knows stats and facts.
A follower knows the Lord.
A fan is committed to themselves.
A follower is committed to the Lord.
These people who claimed to be disciples were really desiring what they wanted, and not what Jesus wanted.
They wanted the things Jesus could give them here an now, earthly things like healing, good sermons, good food, and a kingdom which would bring them earthly goods.
What Jesus wanted to give them was a kingdom.
His eternal Kingdom and eternal life.
What is eternal life?
John 17:3.
A loving relationship with God that lasts for eternity!
These fans missed out on eternal life, because they were focused on what they wanted, instead of what God wanted.
They were fans, not followers.
Am I a fan or a follower?
At the conclusion last week, I encouraged us all to examine if we were fans or followers.
I encouraged us to consider what our focus and desires are, and to what are we committed.
Now, last week, Nick Axtell talked to me after the service, and told me that my using sports to describe a fan vs. a follower was inaccurate.
He assured me that he was not just a fan, he was a follower of his football team!
He knows the language, and special terminology used by the coaches.
He studied the tactics and truly wanted to be involved.
What he described was a follower of sports!
He was no ordinary fan.
He is truly a follower of his sports team.
That actually leads us right into where we are going today.
Am I a fan or a follower?
Last week, we were asking if we were a fan or a follower of Jesus based more on the focus or desires, and commitment.
This week, we are asking the same question, but the focus is on action.
What does a follower do?
A fan is a spectator.
A follower is a doer!
If I looked at what I do, would I be a follower of Jesus?
Back to our sports example: The difference between a fan and a follower is action!
A fan is a spectator.
He admires.
And he leaves.
You can tell the followers of a sports team by their actions!
They are the ones wearing the jerseys, the hats, the coats, the cheese-heads, or whatever will let everyone in the world know which team they are following!
These are the ones painting their bodies in the team colors and staying in the stadium in the freezing cold, with sleet coming down.
Sports Followers are the Fanatics, or Radical Fans!
A fan watches the game.
A follower gets into the game!!
The problem is, we tend to use the word ‘fan’ when we mean a ‘Radical Fan’, or Follower.
So, maybe a way to help us understand what we are talking about when we say Jesus wants ‘followers’ we could say...
Jesus wants followers—Jesus wants radicals.
He wants the radical fans, not just fans.
He wants the ones who follow with their heart and go into action!
You can see this in the calling of the disciples.
This was radical.
These fishermen literally dropped what they were doing and went to follow Jesus!
They gave up their livelihoods to follow Jesus!
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