Sermon, Sunday, March 17, 2013

Isaiah 43:16-21
This is what God says, the God who builds a road right through the ocean, who carves a path through pouding waves. The God who summons horses and chariots and armies - they lie down and they can't get up; they're snuffed out like so many candles: "Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history. Be alert. Be present! I'm about to do something brand new! It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is. I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands. Wild animals will say - Thank you! - because I provided water in the desert, rivers through the sun-baked earth, drinking water for the people I chose, the people I made especially for myself, people custom-made to praise me."

Philippians 3:4-14
The real believers are the ones the Spirit of God leads to work away at this ministry, filling the air with Christ's praise as we do it. We couldn't carry this off by our own efforts, and we know it - even though we can list what many might think are impressive credentials. You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth; circumcised on the 8th day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict & devout adherent to God's law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God's law Book. The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing in the trash. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ & be embraced by Him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ. I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.
I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have made it. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wonderously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward - to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

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Are you a follower? A follower of the One? A follower of the One who builds a road right through the ocean? A follower of the One who carves a path through pounding waves? A follower of the One who provided water in the desert? A follower of the One who brought water from a mountain and down to the city of Cazale? A follower of the One who hand picked a team from Herndon, Virginia and brought them to Cazale to make that same water drinkable? He is the One. We are not called to stand on the sidelines and cheer Him on. We are called to take up the Cross - the Cross that leads to Easter Sunday and Resurrection - and we are called to take up the Cross and follow Him. He, who custom made each of us, wants us to follow Him.

And that's what it's all about, Friends. As children of God whom He custom made, we are invited to become His follower and to know Him personally. So let me ask you - are you a follower of Jesus? We have said the word "follower" many times now. Perhaps you heard the question and moved on to your next thought. Perhaps someone else has asked you the question before? It's so familiar there is a tendency to dismiss the question. Not because it makes you uncomfortable. Not because it is especially convicting. The question is dismissed because it feels redundant and unnecessary.

Chances are, if you are here today, you fall into one of two groups:

Let's call the first group the "of course I am a follower" group. If you are a member of this group, you are serious enough about your faith to come to church every Sunday. So, when I ask, "are you a follower of Jesus," it seems like a rhetorical question. You recognize it is an important question, but why am I asking you?

Being a follower of Jesus does NOT simply mean answering yes to the following questions:
Do you go to church?
Are your parents & grandparents christians?
Did you once raise your hand to accept Chrisat at the end of a sermon?
Did you repeat a prayer after a preacher?
Do you own three or more Bibles?
Do you know all of the songs in the hymn book?

Yes, many of us can answer "yes" to all of those questions. As Paul said to the Philippians, we may have great credentials. But none of that means anything if we do not have a personal relationship - if we are not a follower of Him.

One of the saddest passages of Scripture tells of a day when many who consider themselves to be followers of Jesus will be shocked and stunned to find out He does not recognize them. In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 7, Jesus tells of the day where everyone who has ever lived will stand before God. On that day, many who call themselves Christians, and identify themselves as followers, will stand confidently in front of Jesus only to hear Him say, "I never knew you."
It may seem there are many followers of Jesus, when in reality if they were to examine their relationship, "follower" may not be the accurate term. They are not followers of Jesus - they are fans of Jesus. They are enthusiastic admirers. They would be excited to see Him come to town, but go on with life as usual the next day. Just as with Messi or Ronaldo, we would cheer and cheer for Him. We would admire what they do, their skills and their charm, but we don't actually know them. There is no personal relationship -- just admiration from afar.

We can sit every Sunday in church and listen to great sermons by Pere Goursse, but until we know Jesus Christ as our Master firsthand, until we personally experience His resurrection power, until we become partners in His suffering, until we take up His Cross, we are simply a fan, an admirer, perhaps a friend of Christ, but you are not a follower.

If the first group here today is the group called the "of course I am a follower" crowd, the second group is "well, I had nothing better to do" group. Perhaps your friend invited you, or maybe you heard there would be free food or free water. Maybe when I asked "are you a follower", you were gazing out the window wondering what you are going to do this afternoon. You're not offended by the question, but it does not seem relevant to you. It's not that you've already answered the question; it is simply that the question does not seem worth answering. You mean no offense. You're just not into it. It doesn't bother you that some people choose to follow Jesus. That's cool - but it's just not your thing. But... what if... Pause for a moment and ask yourself this -- what if all of life comes down to this one question? What if there really is a heaven and a hell, and where I spend eternity comes down to this one question? Are you a follower of Jesus? When you come to the gates of Heaven to meet with Jesus, will you greet Him with a running hug as a best friend you know deeply and spent your life following? Or will He say, "I never knew you?"

So where do you start in determining if you really are a follower of Jesus? At some point in every relationship, the two people must sit down to determine the level of commitment. You want to see where things stand and find out if what you two have is real. My American friends know this talk is called the D. T. R. talk. It is the "Defining the Relationship" talk. Many men, especially young ones, try to run and hide from the D.T.R. talk. They are scared of commitment, and scared to become personally attached. But at some point in any relationship, you need to intentionally evaluate the state of your relationship and your level of commitment.

I would like to ask you to do something. Close your eyes. Picture yourself sitting at the corner by the market stands. You're sitting there like any normal day, talking to people as they come by. Now imagine Jesus walks by and sits down next to you. You know it's Him because of the white robes and blue sash. You don't know what to say. You try to break the awkward silence by offering Him a Prestige, but He looks at you with the same look He used to give Peter. You talk about the weather, but then realize He made the sun, the moon, and the stars. Before it can get any more awkward, Jesus takes your hand, looks you in the eyes, and says, "It's time to define the relationship."

Open your eyes. He wants to know how you feel about Him. Is your relationship exclusive? What is your level of commitment?

Whether you've called yourself a Christian since childhood or all of this is new to you, Jesus is ready for you...all of you. He wants you. He wants you to follow Him. Jesus is not interested in fans. He died on a cross to save each of us from eternal lives of misery. He is interested in followers.

The Apostle Paul begged the Philippians to understand this. Paul gave it up - gave up a great job with good pay, gave up his worldly inferior things, and took up the cross to follow Christ and know Him personally. No, he did not have it all together. No , he was not perfect. But he made the intentional decision to be a follower of Christ. Paul defined the relationship. Paul committed. He was off and running and there was no turning back. It doesn't matter who you are, where you've been,or where you are now. God, the One who carved the path out of the ocean, the One who brought you water from a mountain, the One who brought a team to make clean water -- He wants to know you personally. He wants you to follow Him.

So, who do you want to be? Will you be a fan? Or are you ready to make the commitment and be a follower?