Fan Versus Follower
Sermon Audio
Sermon Notes
Intro:
Today we’re continuing our teaching series called Visible God, which is all about seeing God through the life of Jesus. We’re studying a book of the bible called the Gospel of John, which records the life and words of Jesus as it was written by an original source, an original follower of Jesus, and something I think we all agree with is when it comes to relationships, nobody likes to be used. I think both Christians and non-Christians would agree with that. When it comes to relationships, nobody likes to be used, we don’t like somebody using us simply to get something out of us. I mean what if the only reason your spouse is with you, the only reason the person you’re dating is with you, is to get something out of you...What if the only reason your best friend is friends with you, is to get something out of you...What if they don’t really love you, don’t really care about you, they’re just using you to get something out of you, and the moment they don’t get what they want, they’re out...They’re out on you and out on their relationship with you. Nobody wants to be in a relationship like that, a relationship where you’re used and treated like a commodity. Yet that’s exactly how some people are treating Jesus in today’s text. They don’t really love Jesus, they don’t really care about Jesus, they’re just using him to get what they want out of him. They’re treating Jesus like a commodity, and so let’s turn to John 4:43-54 and check it out. If you open your bible to the middle, turn a few books to the right you’ll find John. We’ll be in John 4:43-54. The title of today’s message is Fan or Friend, and here’s the big idea. Some people are fans of Jesus, but not friends of Jesus...Some people are fans of Jesus, but not friends of Jesus. They want to be consumers, not followers.
Context:
Here’s your context. In vs. 1-42 John the author of this book of the bible, records an interaction Jesus has with a Samaritan woman at a water well, and in the Jewish culture a Jew wasn’t supposed to interact with a Samaritan because they viewed them as unclean sinners. But Jesus goes against this cultural view by interacting with this woman, and he teaches his disciples that all people groups can receive his love, forgiveness, eternal life in heaven with him. When the Samaritan woman realizes this, she leaves her water bucket behind, and immediately runs off to tell others in her city about Jesus. The people end up coming, many Samaritans start believing in Jesus as their Savior, and Jesus spends the next 2 days pouring into them. But now he’s about to go back to Galilee, to a place near his hometown, where he first started his ministry. Will he be greeted by fans, or by friends? Will he be greeted by consumers, or followers? Let’s find out.
The Word:
John 4:43-54 states this, “After the two days he departed for Galilee. 44 For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.” So Jesus leaves Samaria to go back to Galilee, to go back to where he first started his ministry. He doesn’t go to his hometown where he was raised, because like the text says, it’s expected he won’t be honored there. It’s because the people in his hometown don’t realize he’s their God and Savior yet. It’d be a hard sell for him to start telling all the friends he grew up playing Ninja tag and kickball with, that he’s their God and Savior. They’d think he’s insane. In fact we learn in Mark 3 that his family thought he was out of his mind at one point, and in John 7 his own brothers didn’t believe in him. Eventually they end up believing in him, after he rises from the dead, but at this point they don’t. It’s not the right time yet, they’re not ready to hear all this yet, and so he goes to a nearby countryside in Galilee instead, and it’s the 1st of 3 things I want you to notice about today’s text.
#1 Jesus goes to outsiders = Jesus goes to outsiders, to those who haven’t been reached yet. See there’s that little word for at the beginning of vs. 44 which indicates purpose. It gives us the reason why Jesus is going to Galilee. It’s for the purpose of reaching those who don’t honor him yet. Jesus is willing to step away from Samaria where he’s being welcomed and honored, to go to a place where he isn’t being welcomed and honored, so he can reach more outsiders. This is so much different than the way we tend to think and operate. I mean nobody in here is itching to go to a place where we aren’t genuinely welcomed and honored. We’re not sitting around praying “Lord I’m trying to figure out my purpose in life, and I’m really hoping it’s difficult... I’m really hoping you send me some place where I’m unloved, unwelcomed, and dishonored.” We’re not praying prayers like that! We’re not seeking to go to difficult places, we’re trying to avoid them! But Jesus deliberately leaves a place where he’s being welcomed and honored, to go to a place where he isn’t being welcomed and honored, for the purpose of reaching more outsiders. Are you willing to do the same?...Are you willing to leave the welcome of our Sunday gatherings, to reach those in our city who are outside our Sunday gatherings?...Are you willing to love the few, so we can love the many?...Jesus goes to reach the outsiders in Galilee.
Vs. 45, “So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.” Now don’t be fooled by this Galilean welcome, because it’s not a genuine one. Notice John immediately reminds us of the Passover Feast in Jerusalem when Jesus addresses the religious corruption at the temple. At the end of that chapter John says many believed in Jesus because of the miracles he was doing. But Jesus didn’t entrust himself to them because he knew they didn’t genuinely love him, they loved what he could do for them. He knew they didn’t want a genuine friendship with him, they just wanted to see a miracle, a Jesus got talent show. John’s saying that same thing’s happening here. He’s saying the welcome Jesus is receiving from these Galileans isn’t a genuine one. He’s saying they’re fans of Jesus, but not friends of Jesus. They want to be consumers, not followers.
Vs. 46, “So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.” Okay so scholars believe this is a Roman official, a Roman centurion who was assigned to work with the king of Galilee which was King Herod. Now the interesting thing is this guy believes what the Galileans believe, he believes Jesus is a miracle worker. His son’s dying, he’s desperate for his son to be healed, so he travels from Capernaum to Cana which is over 15 miles uphill by foot or horse. It would’ve taken him about an entire day to get there, and when he arrived he would’ve been exhausted from the 15 mile uphill journey. But he doesn’t rest, instead he goes right to Jesus to seek healing for his son, and from a historical perspective the implication of that is huge, because it validates that there’s something uniquely powerful about Jesus. He’s so uniquely powerful, that it causes this non-Christian Roman official to travel over 15 miles uphill to see him. There’s absolutely no reason for him to do this, for him to seek Jesus out like this, unless he truly believes the miracles Jesus is doing are true. He believes they are true, so he takes the journey and begs Jesus to heal his son. Listen to how Jesus responds.
Vs. 48, “So Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’”
Now at first glance that sounds callous, but it’s not. Jesus isn’t being callous, he’s addressing the hearts of both the official and the Galileans. See the you in the text is 2nd person plural, meaning Jesus is addressing the faith of the official and the Galileans. He’s saying the welcome and honor they’re showing him, the faith they’re displaying isn’t genuine, they just want to see a miracle show. This leads to the 2nd thing I want you to notice about this text. It’s...
#2 Jesus isn’t seeking fans and consumers, he’s seeking friends and followers = Jesus isn’t seeking fans and consumers, he’s seeking friends and followers...He knows what these Galileans want, and he’s making a statement that he’s not interested in building a fan base. He’s not impressed with a crowd...Most of us spend our entire lives trying to impress a crowd. We try proving our worth to others, giving them an ideal image of ourselves, hoping they’ll like us, date us, marry us, hire us, befriend us. But Jesus is so secure in his identity that he doesn’t try to impress or prove himself to anyone. He’s not impressed with the crowds or with people whose reason for coming to church is to hear a funny preacher, experience some skinny jean worship with a laser light show, while sipping on a PSL, a pumpkin spice latte from the coffee bar next to the rock climbing wall. Yet this is exactly how a lot of people view Jesus and the church. They view Jesus and the church with a fan and consumer mentality. They’re like “How’s the preacher, how’s the music, how’s the programs in the church? Do you have a singles ministry, a children’s ministry, or my favorite ministry which is the It’s All About Me Ministry? That’s my favorite ministry. Come on Jesus! I want to see a Cirque Du Soleil show, a magic show, a signs and wonders show that’ll attract me and keep me.” That’s the mentality a lot of people have towards Jesus and the church. They view Jesus and the church with a fan and consumer mentality like the Galileans, and if they don’t get what they want, they’re out...They’re out on Jesus, out on the church, and off to find a better magic show somewhere else. It’s possible that’s the mentality of some of us here. It’s possible some of us aren’t here for Jesus, we’re just here to have Jesus fix certain issues in our lives, and if he doesn’t we’re out. We want a magician, not a messiah. We want a magic show like the Galileans, not a Savior like the Samaritans. We want Jesus to fix our lives, not be Lord of our lives. But Jesus isn’t seeking fans and consumers, he’s seeking friends and followers.
Again vs. 48, “So Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’ 49 The official said to him, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies.’” The official isn’t deterred by Jesus’ comment. Instead he persists because he’s desperate for Jesus to heal his son. So he asks Jesus again, and Jesus has compassion over this man’s desperation.
Vs. 50, “Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, ‘Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.’ 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ And he himself believed, and all his household.” So Jesus heals the official’s son, and it leads the official and his entire household to believe in Jesus. They fully believe he’s their God, their Savior, and they become friends and followers, which leads to #3. Jesus goes to outsiders, he seeks friends and followers, and #3...
#3 Jesus has compassion and patience = Jesus has compassion and patience as we grow in our faith. It’s an interesting text when it comes to growing in our faith, because we see this official’s faith growing the more he interacts with Jesus. Like I said before, the official already starts with a certain level of faith in Jesus, otherwise he wouldn’t have made the 15 mile uphill journey to see Jesus. But he had more of a fan and consumer faith like the Galileans which is why Jesus addressed both him and the crowd. He was more interested in Jesus fixing his life, than in Jesus being Lord of his life. But we see his faith growing in vs. 50 where it states he believed the word Jesus spoke to him, and he went on his way. That’s a progression and growth in faith. He goes from believing Jesus can do something, to trusting what Jesus says, to doing what Jesus says. Jesus tells him to go, and he goes. He has a lot more faith than I have, because if that were me I’d be begging for Jesus to come back with me. But he trusts Jesus has the very power to heal his son from a distance, so he heads home without Jesus, his son is healed, which leads to him and his household becoming genuine friends and followers of Jesus. But it took time for him to get to that place of genuine faith, and Jesus had compassion and patience as he was growing in his faith. Jesus has that same compassion and patience for us as we grow in our faith, as we grow in our stumbling pursuit of holiness. We’re gonna talk more about this kind of progression in faith snext week, as we start a new 3 wk series called A Work In Progress. It’s our 2020 vision series, so you don’t want to miss it. We’re a work in progress, and Jesus has compassion and patience with us as we make that progress, just like he did with this official.
Vs. 54, “This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.” John’s bringing this 1st part of Jesus’ ministry journey to an end. He starts with the prologue in ch 1, but then he sections off ch’s 2-4 with miracles being done in Cana of Galilee. The 1st miracle was done at a wedding in ch 2, and the 2nd miracle is done here in ch 4. John is bringing this entire first section of his book to a close, and if we step back to look at the big picture of it all, we’ll see is its mostly outsiders believing in Jesus, not insiders. The disciples believe in Jesus at the wedding in ch 2, but after that it’s mostly outsiders believing in Jesus. In ch 2 and 3 you have the insiders at the temple, you have the insider religious leader Nicodemus, and the many insiders Jesus won’t entrust himself to because they only want to see a miracle show. But then we come to ch 4 and who are the people getting it, who are the people coming to faith? It’s the outsiders, the Samaritan woman, the other Samaritans, the ones Jews deemed to be unclean sinners that nobody should associate with. It’s them who proclaim in vs. 42 that Jesus is more than a miracle worker, he’s the Savior of the world! Then who else do we see getting it in ch 4? It’s another outsider, it’s the Roman official, the Roman centurion and his household.
So do you see what’s happening in all this, you see what’s happening in ch’s 2-4?..Jesus is starting to spread his name and message to the rest of the world, and John’s trying to tell his Jewish readers that they’re the insiders who are supposed to be getting it, but they’re not! It’s not the insiders who are getting it, it’s the outsiders, it’s those who are furthest away from Jesus that are getting it. The Jewish readers are so close to Jesus, yet still so far from Jesus, and the same can apply to us today. Sometimes it’s the very people sitting in our churches who are so close to Jesus, yet still so far. They want to be fans and consumers of Jesus, but not friends and followers of Jesus. They want Jesus to fix their lives, but they don’t want him to be Lord of their lives.
The Big Idea:
Okay so here’s the big idea. The same question Jesus asked the Galileans back then, is the same one he’s asking us today, and here it is...Is Kanye West a fan or a friend?...Just playing! I hope he’s a friend, I hope his conversion is real, but Jesus isn’t wanting us to ask that question about Kanye. He’s wanting us to ask that question about ourselves. He’s asking are you a fan and consumer, or a friend and follower?...Are you here because you want Jesus to fix your life, to give you a miracle show, or because you want to worship Jesus as your God and Savior?...Are you here as a fan and consumer, or because you want to have a genuine friendship with Jesus?
In John 15:13 Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends,” and then he did it...He went to the cross to lay his life down not for his fans, but for his friends. He’s the greatest friend you’ll ever have, because he won’t ever use you like a commodity, instead he laid his life down for you by giving up his body. He laid his life down for you, as a friend...Communion is a reminder of this. It’s a reminder that Jesus came to live, die, rise again for the forgiveness of our sins. He came to lay his life down for his friends...
Communion:
So let’s have those serving communion start passing the plates at this time...Jesus told us to do this in remembrance of him, in remembrance of who he is and what he did for us on the cross. So as the plates are being passed take a few minutes to prepare your hearts, to ask Jesus to forgive you of any sins you’ve committed, maybe even to forgive you for treating him like a fan and a commodity. Ask him to forgive you of that, then thank him for dying for your sins on the cross, and ask him to help you grow in your friendship with him. Let’s pray...
On the night Jesus was betrayed he was having a meal with his friends. He took some bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it saying “This is my body which is to be broken for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. As often as you eat it, do so in remembrance of me, in remembrance of who I am and what I’ve done for you.” When supper ended he took the cup, blessed it, gave thanks for it, and said“This cup is a symbol of my blood which is to be shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. As often as you drink of it, do so in remembrance of me, in remembrance of who I am and what I’ve done.” City Awakening let’s eat, let’s drink, then let’s stand and worship our friend Jesus. Let’s worship our friend Jesus, then go invite others into a friendship with Jesus too.
#1 Jesus goes to outsiders
#2 Jesus isn’t seeking fans and consumers, he’s seeking friends and followers
#3 Jesus has compassion and patience