Fan or Follower
Luke 9:23
January 29, 2023
Almost 20 years ago, when we lived in Michigan, a lot of the people in the church would go camping for a weekend. We’d cook out, swim in the lake, use lots of fun toys in the water. The boys went frog hunting. No frogs were hurt, just catch in your hands and release them. Then we’d have a worship on Sunday morning, enjoying God’s creation.
We had a nice 2 bedroom tent. And we had sleeping bags and it seemed like it would be such a great time. And it was, until it was time to sleep. Sleeping in a sleeping bag on the ground, wasn’t my idea of sleeping. It was not the least bit comfortable. The boys slept well. They can sleep on the floor. I can’t! After that weekend, our tent has not been used again. My idea of camping is to stay in a hotel. A comfy bed, hot showers, no bugs and breakfast - someone else prepares.
My point is, most of us like comfort. At least I do! You know, if you had to choose between sleeping on a nice mattress, you know, the ones advertised on TV that conform to your body, would you take that over a roll away cot in a hotel?
What about wearing those old shoes which know every nock and cranny of your feet or a new pair of dress shoes?
And what about a nice pair of cozy and warm fleece sweat pants on a freezing cold day, or a pair of jeans?
The common denominator is what? Comfort. We place a pretty high value on comfort. There’s a lot of money to be made on products that enhance people’s comfort. Memory foam for your bed, Lazy-boys for your living room, body pillows, technology to vacuum the house with the push of a button, so you can sit on that lazy-boy.
And --- there’s nothing wrong with being comfortable. But it can become an idol. It can be one of those things that we strive after more than some other things. There can be a danger in loving comfort too much.
It seems that as we’ve sought comfort in the world, we’ve also sought it in our faith. Again, there’s nothing wrong with being warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Having padded pews and chairs. But in some places the teaching and messages are padded to bring comfort as well. We can try to avoid the difficult passages. Yet, the call to be a follower of Jesus is not always easy / comfortable.
Remember, our main verse for this series is Luke 9:23, Jesus said - - -
23 If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. - Luke 9:23
We’re in a series called Fan or Follower? This is a key passage for us to consider the commitment we have to Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Are we fans, admirers who cheer on the cause of Christ, but fail to get involved? Or are we committed followers who are willing to get our hands dirty, doing the dirty jobs. Willing to be inconvenienced, not always comfortable for the sake of the Kingdom of Christ?
I really want us to be the people God is calling us to be. And sometimes that means we can’t be as comfortable as we’d like.
The hard part about this statement from Jesus is He places the cross right in front of us. We can’t avoid it. I mean, it’s pretty hard to avoid the cross when you’re a Christian, right? What can you do with a phrase like, “take up your cross?”
Fans find a way to make the cross comfortable. They create a comfortable idea of the cross and what it means for us today to take up our crosses. So the phrase, “We all have our crosses to bear” gets thrown around loosely, referring to menial or everyday tasks and inconveniences.
We’ve come to wear the cross as a piece of jewelry. We can also see the hypocrisy when people wear a cross, but don’t act like a Christ follower.
I’m reminded of the time I worked at the rehab hospital. It was part of the Fransiscan order and there was a convent on the campus. On Good Friday we would have a worship and they would pass the cross from person to person, and you need to remember the Catholic church has Christ on the cross. It always struck me how the nuns reacted to that cross . . . they would kiss it, they would stare at it, they would hold it with tenderness.
Most non-Catholics didn’t know what to do with the cross. But the nuns, they venerated the cross. That means they revered it, they worshiped it. We may not agree with Catholic theology, but their actions spoke volumes for how they view the cross. If you were given a cross to hold, what would you do with it?
Yet, when you think about the cross, it’s a tough sell. I mean the symbol of the NFL is a trophy. Other religions have symbols which are neutral.
I mean, look at these religious symbols. The Jews have the star of David. Islam is a star and crescent. Hinduism is the brahman. Bahai is the 9 pointed star. Buddhism is the dharma wheel. Daoism is the tai symbol of peace. And so on.
None of these are really offensive. But then we get to Christianity and our symbol is an apparatus which was a tool of torture and death. Wouldn’t a better symbol have been a round circle? That would symbolize the empty tomb.
So, it’s bad enough Jesus died on the cross, but now He insists that we pick up our own cross - - - and do it daily. UGH!! That’s not a great public relations slogan. Hey come and be a Christian and pick up your cross (you know that tool of death) and let’s do it daily. Come on, it’ll be fun!
In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul talks about how the world sees the cross – in verse 18 he wrote - - -
SLIDE18 For the word of the cross is folly (foolishness) to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For those living in the first century the cross was the ultimate symbol of weakness.
For many, then and now, the message of the Gospel – that God came to earth in the form of man and was crucified – is complete foolishness.
I mean why would God use a symbol of torture, of death, of weakness to save the world? I suppose the idea of the cross seems more appealing to us because it’s no longer used to execute people and we’ve dressed it up.
If a first century Jew came in and saw an illuminated cross hanging from our walls – they would think we were messed up. Imagine people walking around with jewelry which showed a guillotine or an electric chair hanging around their neck. The cross meant torture, guilt and weakness.
Yet, I believe that’s exactly God’s point. That’s what makes the cross so beautiful. God takes what, from a human perspective, is foolish - - - and He chooses what has no glory and honor. He finds the least likely symbol for love and life and says, “I’ll use that.”
God takes what the world says is foolish, demeaning, and shameful, and says “watch this” and turns it into the power of salvation.
To those who reject Christ, it’s foolishness, but to those who believe, the cross comes with power and hope and life. That’s the irony of the cross.
God turns the foolishness of the cross into the power of salvation. Jump down to verses 22 - 25, Paul tells us - - -
22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,
23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. - 1 Corinthians 1:22-25
Who else but God could take a cross that represented defeat – and turn it into a symbol of victory?
Only God could take a cross that represented guilt – and turn it into the symbol for grace?
God takes the cross which represented condemnation – and turn it into a symbol of freedom?
The cross represented shame, pain and suffering – Yet, God turned it into a symbol of healing and hope?
Who else but God could take a cross that represented death – and turn it into a symbol of life?
Only God can do that. What seemed like the ultimate moment of God’s weakness was in reality the ultimate moment of God’s strength. Here’s why that matters. Here’s what I don’t want you to miss. This is really my only point for this message - - - - and it’s so important, it’s the only thing you need to get from this morning:
What God Did For the Cross, He Can Do for You.
When you are your weakest – you’re exactly where you need to be for God to be the strongest. The upside down truth of the cross is that when you are weak – you are strong. Look at verse 27 to the end of the chapter - - -
27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing, things that are,
29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
30 And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
It’s not that God used the cross in spite of its weakness – He chose the cross because of its weakness. There is no boasting because of what we do, but it’s because of what God does for us. It’s how we find redemption and grace. It’s experiencing His righteousness, growth and ultimately salvation comes through the work of Christ on the despised cross.
Paul tells us that God chooses the weak things. And think about it this way - - -
Throughout Scripture God continually chose the weak over the strong.
Abraham was old, Jacob was insecure, Leah was unattractive, Joseph was humiliated, Moses stuttered, Gideon was poor, Samson was proud, Rahab was immoral, David had an affair, Elijah wanted to die, Jeremiah was depressed, Jonah was disobedient, Ruth was a foreigner, John the Baptist was eccentric, Peter was impulsive, Matthew was a despised tax collector, Martha worried, the woman at the well had several failed marriages, Zacchaeus was a thief, Thomas doubted, Paul persecuted Jews, and Timothy was timid.
The Bible is a long list of imperfect misfits who discovered that weakness is strength. So, we ask God to do for us what He did for the cross.
Though it seems backwards, God teaches us that when we think we’re strong we’re really weak – but when we acknowledge our weakness and humble ourselves before the Lord we put ourselves in a position to receive His strength.
You see, when times are good, we tend to not recognize our blessings, we tend to see ourselves as the hero of the story. Yet, all we have comes from God. It’s to proclaim with all humility “I AM BLESSED and that BLESSING IS ONLY BECAUSE OF GOD!!”
And that’s inspite of whatever bad there is, whatever sickness there is, whatever struggles there are. . . I know in the end I am blessed. That’s part of showing our weakness, and humility, because I know I’m nothing without God in my life. On my own, in my mind, I’m a tower of strength. Yet, the reality doesn’t bear that. I’m weak and more than anything I need God to save, lead and guide me
In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul spoke about his thorns. We have lots of guesses, but there was something physically wrong with Paul. He prayed and prayed, asking God to heal him. Ultimately, Paul tells us God gave him the answer NO! No healing for you Paul. Paul wrote - - -
9 But God said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.
For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 12
That’s not easy to admit. We don’t like to admit we’re weak.
Paul said “I boast / I delight in my weakness – because when I am weak, then I am strong.” I don’t know anyone who naturally delights in their weakness. In fact, most of us go to great lengths to disguise our weaknesses.
Like when you’re on a job interview and they ask the dreaded question, “What’s your greatest weakness?” How do you answer that?
Well, I’ll tell you what you don’t want to do – you don’t tell them your weakness – because if you do, they aren’t going to hire you. You don’t say, “I’m never on time – I constantly procrastinate – I always take a 2 PM nap, I have trouble getting along with coworkers – I’m not sure how to turn on a computer.” Don’t say that.
You have to say something. You can’t say I have no weaknesses, so you come up with a weakness that sounds more like a strength — I don’t like conflict, yet, I’ve realized the benefit of a healthy discussion when I’m trying to resolve a conflict.
Why do we do that? Because in our world – – weakness isn’t strength – strength is strength. But Paul says strength comes when we realize our weakness.
In the end, I believe a large aspect of this is being humble. Being humble with others, but more so with God. And I think that often separates fans and followers. When I’m able to say that God is leading me, when I can give credit to God, when I can say I’m weak, broken, in need, then I can find my strength.
I’m learning that. It’s a process. Not that I’m old, but as I age, I find there are more things I can’t do, or I can do, but I feel pain afterwards.
I wish I would have known that about the ways we interact with God when I was younger. Instead of pride and I can do it myself, I would have known, I need God in every aspect of my life. I’m much better at that today than yesterday.
When the boys were younger, it was so fun picking them up when they were tired, but trying to be strong. They would fight sleep, but they couldn’t walk much more. And in spite of their protests, I’d pick them up, and they would rest their head on my shoulder and fall asleep. Even as children, we want to be strong.
When I can admit my weaknesses – I want to ask God to show His strength in my life. To do for me what He did for the cross. It’s part of my pride that I want to carry my own load – and I refuse to admit my weakness. But the cross makes it clear that when I am weak – He is strong.
And that’s a test for followers. Will you, like Christ did before us, trust God enough to let your weakness be His strength? Because it’s when we let go of our need for comfort, our need to be in control, our need to glory in our strengths or accomplishments or our paycheck or our trophies or our co-workers’ approval or whatever it is that keeps you from abandoning a comfortable version of the cross — it’s then that God does in our lives what He did in Christ’s death.
It’s then that God does in our hearts what He did for the cross. He takes followers who were at their weakest moment and uses it for the kingdom. He takes followers who were all but defeated and He turns their testimonies into life-giving messages of truth and hope, all to His glory.
