Fan or follower?
Mark 10:17-22
Last week a tragedy struck Washington D.C. when one of the metro rail trains crashed into another train. That accident really struck me in an emotional way because I was just on those trains one month ago. While reading about the accident the thought, “that could have been me” kept going through my head.
Being a pastor I have to live in the world of reality more so than others in the sense that I deal with death all the time. And something I have learned very quickly in the last 5 years is that nobody is guaranteed anything in this life except death and taxes. The problem with death is that we never know when it will come. We all think it will be when we are old and gray. I doubt any one on the metro thought they were going to die that day. Death many times comes in shocking and unexpecting ways. I think of young people like Amanda Gallagher who passed away last fall just a few days after giving birth. Kim Aubuchon who tragically died in a car accident a month ago. While we were in Wisconsin this last week we met an awesome lady named Jen. Jen was married to Tim. Tim was 32 years old, healthy, worked out, had played football as an offensive lineman for the university of Wisconsin. Last year they were coming home from vacation. Tim was outside of his car in the driveway and in just a split second collapsed on the ground and died. Doctors say he had a hole in his heart. He died instantly.
Why do I bring all of this up this morning? Because I want you to think. I want you to evaluate. I want you to grasp that nobody is guaranteed another second on this earth. Nobody is guaranteed to be alive tomorrow. We live so arrogantly thinking that tomorrow is a given. Because we think like that we put off those things that are most important like our spiritual lives, our relationship with Christ. We put off opportunities to share about Jesus or to know Jesus more through prayer and study thinking, “Oh well there is always tomorrow.” I want you to ask yourself a question this morning and the question is, “If I died today would I die as a fan of God or a follower of God?” Have I lived my life in such a way that if I died today I would be proud of how I lived and loved for Jesus? Or have I lived my life more for me and put God in the back of my priority list thinking I always have tomorrow?
When we like something in life we are either a fan of that thing, or we are a follower of it. Parents go to support their children in their sports. They always start out as fans. They enjoy going to the games and watching their child do their best but sometimes some parents grow from a fan to an obsessed follower. They scream at the coach. They know the starting lineup of the team and might even spout off statistics. They travel all over to every game; they get mad at the kid for messing up. They don’t just watch the game but they coach the game from their seats. They get obsessed.
People can become obsessed with just about anything. Sports, family, work, money, hobbies, television, music, movies and even religion. At some point we stop becoming a fan and can quickly turn into obsessed followers. And without knowing it we can hurt our marriages, our families and hurt our spiritual lives.
Today I want to look at an example of this in mark chapter 10. It’s the story of the rich young ruler. Here we have an example of someone who wants to have a relationship with god like many of you but because he can’t let go of his obsession, the one thing in his life that he values more than anything else it keeps him from ever truly knowing god.
Mark 10:17-31 This is the only time the bible talks about this man. We don’t know anything about him except that he was rich, he was young, and he ruled over something. He had some sort of authority. We also know that this rich young ruler was anxious and excited to talk to Jesus because it says the man ran up to him. We know that he had great respect for Jesus because when he reached him he fell to his knees before him, then he even called Christ good. Of course Christ interrupts the conversation right there and says that only god is good so if this man thought Jesus was good then he would have to believe that Jesus is god.
The rich young ruler just wanted to know one simple thing. How do I obtain eternal life? What is the quickest way to heaven? He wanted to know bad enough that he ran to him to find out. Christ said well you know you should follow the commandments; don’t murder, steal, commit adultery, give false testimony, defraud, and honor your father and mother.
Right here is were the story gets interesting. The rich young ruler almost seems to rudely interrupt Christ by saying, “teacher I have kept all of these things since I was a little child.” he says yes I know I know I have kept these. Tell me what else do I need to do. I am desperate. I want to know what will it take what will it cost for me to get what I want. To get eternal life. So Jesus says to him, “one thing you lack, go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Jesus nails him with the one thing he knew this man would struggle with giving up most. The bible says as soon as the rich young ruler heard this his face fell and he was sad because he had great wealth. This is where Jesus wanted to find out from this man are you going to be a fan of god or are you going to be a follower of god.
This rich man had a desire. He wanted to get into heaven but at the same time he had an obsession which was his money. Something had to give and if he really wanted to get into heaven then he had to be willing to give up everything even the one thing he loved the most in order to become a true follower of god. Jesus isn’t saying we must all live in poverty. He is trying to show this man, whom it says Jesus showed genuine love for that nothing can stand between god and us.
A lot of us in here would say that we are not like this man, that there is nothing that we wouldn’t be willing to give up if god asked us. But you have to be careful about what you say because god might ask you to give something up that may be harder for you to give up than you thought. Whether we want to admit it or not a lot of us have things in our lives right now that we place more importance on than our relationship with god. And because we do that then we are really more fans God than followers of God. We live our lives deceiving ourselves because we are convinced about Jesus but we aren’t committed to Jesus.
There are 3 things I see today that show the differences between being a fan of god and a follower of god.
I. A fan wants an acquaintance a follower wants a relationship.
This man trusted Christ. He trusted him that he would know the answer to his question on how to obtain eternal life. He had respect for Christ. He trusted his teaching, he might have even believed Christ was god, but other than that he did not seek a relationship with him. He wanted the quick answer. He wanted Christ to say just do ABC and you will get it, but god wanted a relationship. God wanted him to be willing to give up everything for him. To have a love for him that was greater than anything the world could offer.
When we are a fan of god we will tell and maybe even show god daily that we like him. We might throw out a prayer once in a while, we attend church on Sundays, and we sing along with the songs, we might even teach Sunday school classes or lead bible studies. We may even give money, go on mission trips and be a board member but that doesn’t mean we are saved and/or true followers of Jesus. It just means you’re good at doing works. If there are other things in your life that you find more important like your work, or sports or TV or money or whatever and you choose those over god then your relationship is really just empty. God says if you do those things but don’t have a growing relationship if I am still not the most important part of your life over everything else then those things you do to please me or maybe more truthfully to make yourself feel less guilty are meaningless works and you are just a fan. In reality you are just showing god that you like him but you don’t love him. You’re trying to get to Heaven like this young man by doing good works instead of repenting of your sin and trusting Christ for salvation. Again, you’re showing god that you’re convinced but you’re not committed.
To be a follower of god we need to be completely devoted in developing a relationship with him. God says to this man I want to be first in your life. God has given us salvation for free. Not by works. We don’t have to earn it. It is a free gift through grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone. Salvation in Christ gives you and me the power over sin and death and because of that the least I can do is give my life completely to him and let nothing stand between god and me.
The way to eternal life and being a follower of Jesus doesn’t stop with asking Christ into your heart. True repentance and salvation goes beyond saying a simple prayer. True salvation brings transformation. Repentance brings transformation. Transformation in the sense that I no longer want to do what I want to do when I want to do it I now want to do all things for god’s glory. I want to act, think, worship, speak, work, love in such a way that it would bring the maximum glory that I can possibly give to god. I live for him and long for him and now hate the very sin I used to love. If there has not been radical transformation in your life, a longing to be like Jesus, a hunger to love others and know god more then you should question your salvation. If you prayed a prayer out of guilt yet have not seen any change in your life then you are only doing the minimum of what you think you need to do to get into heaven. You’re just being a fan of Jesus not a follower. A fan says I want to just stick with being an acquaintance of god a follower says I want to have a true relationship with god. I want to be obsessed with god. I want to know god deeply. I want to be completely regenerated, reborn by God.
II. A fan seeks knowledge a follower seeks wisdom.
The rich man came to god with a question. What must I do to inherit eternal life? He wanted the basic knowledge. He wanted the surface answer. He wanted it to be like toy instructions. Plug part a into slot b. And if Christ gave him the answer he wanted, then how great that would be. He would be rich, he would be young, he would be a ruler, and he would have secured his spot in eternity.
But to be a follower of god we need more than just the surface knowledge of god. We need to learn the wisdom of god. A fan seeks after the basic knowledge. They listen on Sundays and in Sunday school, they can quote John 3:16 and even might be able to walk you through a salvation plan, but they do not grasp the wisdom of god. Or what it means to live out that wisdom in our everyday lives. A follower desperately desires god’s wisdom to fill them so that they may live a life holy and pleasing to him. Those who follow god wisely follow the teachings of Christ. They are people who remain humble, gentle, patient. They do good deeds to glorify Christ and show his grace and mercy. James 3:13 says, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” James 3:13
Just as faith without works is meaningless, so to wisdom that does not show itself in good deeds and good character is worthless. You might be the greatest armchair quarterback in the world, but the rams aren’t beating down your door to sign you because while you might have a lot of opinions and knowledge about how the game should be played, you can’t deliver the goods in the same way that the guys on the field can. You don’t possess the wisdom to be a successful NFL coach. True wisdom in found in learning how to live our lives just as Christ did. To walk, talk, act just like him. To be a light to the world. To show Jesus in all of us. True wisdom is simply learning how to live like god intended not just here on Sundays, but at home when no one else is looking.
A person of godly wisdom also understands something very important about life and sin. They understand that our faith does not grow while we are standing on the mountaintop with our heads stuck up in the clouds. Our faith doesn’t grow when life is great and everyone is happy. Our faith grows while our lives are down in the valley with our hands in the muck of everyday life.
Sure this rich man would follow Jesus when he had everything and life was good, but would he follow him if he had nothing? Would he follow him with such energy and devotion that he seems to show here if he owns nothing but the clothes on his back? Will you still follow Jesus if everything is stripped from you? Will you still follow Jesus when your 32 year old husband falls dead right in front of you in your driveway? Or when your wife dies two days after giving birth or when your best friend dies in a subway crash? Or when your daughter tragically dies in a car accident? Will you still follow god then? Those who are transformed filled with godly wisdom do.
Christ said if you want eternal life than you need to be willing to give up everything. Give your life to me and trust that no matter how hard it gets I will lead you through. The ones that settle for the basic knowledge are the ones that go through the hard times of life and come out questioning god and questioning their beliefs. They ask the question why would god let this happen? The followers of god take the hardships of life and lean on god, they trust in him to help them persevere, and when the challenge has ended they don’t come out of it questioning god but they come out of it with an even stronger faith than they had before.
The wise are not shocked when bad things happen. They know bad things will happen because 1. The world is a sinful, wicked, evil place and 2. Bible says so…II timothy 3:12 says, “and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
The wise do not welcome trouble. They don’t go looking for persecution but they know it will come and when it comes they do not fear because Christ has overcome the world and his promises are clear. He will always be there. He will see us through all difficulty. The fan runs in panic. The follower stands firms. The fan only wants the basic knowledge. Give me only what I need to be saved. The follower says let me breath deep the wisdom of god. Let it permeate my entire being so that I am consumed with him in thought, word and action. Finally today…
III. A fan seeks toleration, a follower seeks dedication
This is not found in this particular passage of scripture. This is one that I see from my own life, ministering and counseling. A fan of god seems to seek after toleration. They have accepted Christ, but they still cling to things that they won’t say are more important than god but you can tell they are by how they live their life. A fan of toleration struggles over and over with the same sins. They have the attitude that it’s okay because god will forgive them. They feel guilty when they do sin, but they do not try to take the steps needed to overcome that sin, they simply ask god for forgiveness and move on. They have the attitude that god will tolerate them because they have accepted Christ and they really do believe. They are the ones that are stuck on the milk of spiritual teaching. They have the desire to be better but just won’t do it for whatever reason, laziness, schedule or whatever.
A fan of toleration has the attitude that it doesn’t matter if I miss church for a sporting event, or because I just didn’t feel like getting out of bed. It doesn’t matter if I haven’t studied God’s word for a week. They struggle with anger, jealousy, and grudges. A fan of toleration is a person after his or her own heart and desires before gods will. But Jesus says if you want to follow me you must be willing to forget about yourself. You must be willing to learn what it means to strive for dedication not toleration. Dedication means to be set apart. To do whatever it takes to live a holy life pleasing to god. A dedicated follower of god is able to take the steps needed to overcome the sin in their life. They wake up everyday wanting to be a better believer. They deeply desire the fruit of the spirit to flow out of their life. And through the fruit they show in their life people will see how they are different. A person of dedication is one that does not put on the facade Sunday mornings but are the same person wherever they are. They seek after god’s heart and will first in all things.
Where are you today? Are you a fan or a follower? Are you happy with where you are just barely knowing god, having the basic knowledge and struggling with the same sins over and over again? I truly believe everyone that truly has accepted Christ wants to learn what it means to become a follower of god. One that wants a relationship, wisdom and dedication. A follower settles for nothing less than transformation through sanctification, that is god doing a work in them of making them holy and righteous because of Christ. Some of you in here are very close to making that leap from a fan to a follower but there is something in your life that you cannot let go of just like the rich man couldn’t let go of his money. For some of you it is money, you want to control it, to not be afraid that you will lose it. For some of you it’s your anger. You’ve been angry for so long that you don’t know how to act without it. You let the littlest thing bother you and you take your anger out on your spouse or your children.
For some it might be your job. Your life is wrapped up in it. You are too worried about pleasing your boss over god or being with your family and you let your work consume every part of you so that even when you are away from work all you can think about is what you need to do the next time you are at work. What do you need to give up to god today? Jesus says in that passage, “it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of god.” the disciples were amazed and wondered who then could be saved. Christ said with man it’s impossible but not with god. No one who gives up everything to follow me will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age and in eternal life.” the rich man wanted to gain heaven through good deeds. Problem was his good deeds only revealed how sinful he was. The law of the OT is there to reveal to us just how sinful we are. If we don’t follow it then we are sinners, if we do follow it then we are self righteous, prideful, legalistic religious bigots. So either way we are doomed. Jesus was saying that with man it is impossible to save ourselves. But god can save us. God can free us from that, which separates us from him if we will repent of our sins, believe in Jesus for eternal life and the forgiveness of our sins and go live for him. Let nothing in this life compromise your faith and relationship with Jesus.
If anything begins to pull you away from god no matter how much you like it or enjoy it quit it. Because no body in this room can guarantee they will be alive tomorrow. God isn’t going to care how nice you were, how many ministries you served in, how rich you became, how educated you are, or how many you influenced. All he is going to care about is did you know him? Was he first priority in your life? Quit putting off tomorrow what you know you need to do today because tomorrow may not make it.
