The Calling Of Jesus Series

The Calling of Jesus

Brad Bailey - September 8, 2013

Intro

football season officially started this past week... it unleashes the energy of fans. Lives that have been in slumber seem to awaken.

What it means to be a "fan" really bears a breadth of intensity...default fan... the weekend fan... the obsessed fan. (IMAGE) For some...it's as if life is back on...there's a reason to get up again.

Last weekend driving home from the picnic with my oldest son... he was excited because he was hosting a fantasy football draft that night. At one point I said, "Just remember it's "fantasy." It got quiet. And then he said: "Not to those who have a team it's not."

> We all want to have a team...something we can be inspired by...energized by.

I like being a fan.

But I wonder.... is that how we relate to God... to Jesus.

Are we fans... or followers? What we may need to realize is that Jesus never sought fans...but rather followers.

Because we live in a time and place in which Christianity as a religion has known of Christ as a central figure.... there has never been a greater potential to be a fan rather than a follower.

There is a difference. What are some of the differences?

• Participation...Just look at any sporting event... where two groups of lives are...Fans are in the stands...and players are on the field.

A fan doesn't have to do anything. Fans have T-shirts.... players have jerseys.

• You can be fans of multiple people... but you can't truly be loyal in following multiple leaders.

Personal - I had some posters of Jesus... and Led Zeppelin...and surfing.

You can be fans of multiple people... a bit divided in time...but not in the nature of being a fan of both. But devotion to the influence and loyalty of another....is not something to can simply share. (Neither with a spouse nor God.)

• Fans are drawn by what someone has done, followers because of who someone is. They are coming to Jesus strictly for what He can do for them. A fan cheers on someone who offers them. A fan is being served by the "hero." A fan is bound only by how the "object" they cheer serves their sense of well-being (i.e. inspiration, confidence, power, etc)

• You don’t have to do everything to be a fan....or change anything.

In fact, registering your support as a fan of something is so easy that it only requires clicking a button on Facebook. When Facebook was becoming popular, they had a button called “become a fan.” Today it is called the “like” button. Jesus isn't calling for Facebook fans....but rather those who want to participate in what he is doing.

A fan is defined as an enthusiastic admirer. A fan can love the team and still not be on the team. He can wear the T-shirt and have thorough knowledge of the game and the players involved. He can feel like he is part of the game while never being involved on the field.

One of the symptoms of a being a fan is that you think you are a follower

So lets look again at the calling of Jesus.

Matthew 4:18-22 (NIV)

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Here we read of the calling of some of the first disciples.

The call of Jesus is a call to FOLLOW HIM.

At first we may read of this calling and think it's rather wild that these guys just walked off with a stranger. Didn't their parents every teach them not to be so trusting of strangers? These were not strangers. Jesus had begun teaching in something of the role of a rabbi.....and he was likely already gathering crowds. From those crowd he now chose and called out these followers.

Read through the Gospels accounts and the whole of Jesus' life and earthy ministry is surrounded by two words - "crowds"...and "disciples"...or followers...There are crowds and there are the committed...and the committed are disciples...those who chose to give up everything for the privilege of following him into the life he offered.

The first thing we should realize is that...

1. The calling of Jesus is life-defining