A Fan of God Or A Disciple Of Jesus

Intro:

We live in a time were sports are the premiere entertainment of our culture. From a child we were brought up with all kinds of sports. Some we played and even pretended to be the players of whatever sport we liked. We were also told if you’re going to make something of ourselves, we had to get into sports. We all had our favorite games, teams and athletes. Even now we have got more technical in our cheering. Now there are play sheets and different boards to bet on. We buy the team products and fight small wars over the special games.

If we didn’t get into a sport, we became a fan of which ever sport became our favorite. We could tell you all about our favorite teams, the athletes who play the game, and even if you’re that hardcore fan the statistics and all of that.

Unfortunately, we have become that way with Jesus. We have become fans of Jesus and not disciples of Jesus. We have made confessions without commitments.

Fans of Jesus rather than disciples of Jesus

· Matt. 7:21-23; 25:11; Lk. 6: 46-49

Notice they have the religious terms down. But Jesus says: depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!

What is a fan?

A fan is a cheerleader.

They support the team.

They buy the merchandise.

They standup for the team they support.

They know a great deal about the team and the athletes.

The most important thing is they are not a part of the team.

They always cheer from a distance.

They know the terminology of their favorite team or in other words the team slogans.

· The same is true of the fan of God.

They know who Jesus is and may or may not have had an encounter with Jesus.

They agree that the bible is the word of God but fail to pick it up and read it.

They know the religious terminology.

They agree with some of the things of the church but fail to be a part.

They are outside of the kingdom cheering what goes on inside.

The truth is many who consider themselves Christians live this way. A Christian has the responsibility to be on the team. Even if you’re on the sideline or the bench, you’re on the team.

Confession without the heart

· There are those who have made a confession of Jesus and have not given their life to Jesus.

Rom. 10:8-10

This is a heart thing, not only a confession thing. In other words, the heart is committed before the mouth speaks not the other way around. 2 Cor. 4:13

If we are confessing that Jesus is our Lord, there has to be commitment to Him and the kingdom. HE is the King of Kings. We are to be under His kingship.

We are to be living sacrifices…Rom. 12:2

Becoming a disciple of Jesus

1. Must be born again

2. Always seeking the kingdom

3. Working out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Must be born again. John 3:3; 2 Cor.5:17

It can’t happen unless you’re made new. A born-again man or woman is a new creation created in Christ. Eph. 2: 10

The fan has now become a member of the team.

Always seeking the kingdom. Matt 6:33

Our life is in His hands now. The things we chased after we are to put that down. The fan is not just a fan anymore, they are involved in the game. The bible calls this a race. A race that if you stay in it, you will win. We are chasing the glory of God in His kingdom.

Work out your own salvation. Phil. 2:12-13

This is a personal walk as well as corporate. It all depends on what you do. The more you yield to the Spirit of God the more you’ll grow.

God has not given up on anybody. God wants the fan to become a member of His team. There are many people in the stands just like there are many people in the pews.

God wants you to get out of the stands and off the pews and get involved in HIS work.

Matt. 7:24-27