Fan or Follower-Where did he go?

John 20:1-18

April 16,2017

Resurrection Sunday

#10 in series

(Credit Kyle Idleman, not a fan, chapters 12-14)

The big question of ...Resurrection Sunday is - where did He go ?

Mary Magdalene was given the task of going to anoint the dead

body of Jesus that first Sunday after the Friday Jesus had died on

the cross. She went to the tomb where she last saw his body

placed.

She walked to the tomb and saw the body was not there.

She shockingly shouted out to the disciples Peter and John.

"Where did he go?!" They ran to check it out and sure enough

Jesus' body was not where they last saw it a few days ago.

Mary then saw a man she thought was the gardener. She asked

him, "Where did he go?"

We know the answer...He got up from where he had been laid

dead and was now alive...resurrected.

So why then is this question, "Where did he go?" still relevant

for us today, of all days, Resurrection Sunday?

Because like Grumpa and Grandpa we get distracted by the game

of life on the big screen! Things are going well and all of a

sudden we look around and our hearts cry out, "Where did he

go?"

We are asked to follow Jesus. We figure, no problem.

But before we know it life happens, distractions get our attention,

and the next thing we know Jesus is no longer in our heart's view.

What happened? "Where did he go?"

I believe we can get some answers to this question from three

"wanna be followers" of Jesus. Jesus told the story to his

disciples to encourage them to follow him wherever, whenever

and whatever! (Luke 9:57-62)

As we look at the "wanna be follower monitor" I believe we will

possibly find our lives reflecting at least one of them.

So if you are willing to watch them, here is the monitor.

WHEREVER!

The first "wanna a be" follower told Jesus that he would follow

him "wherever." (Vs. 57)

Jesus basically asked this "wanna be follower" the question, "Are

you ready to rough it?"

How many of you are willing to go camping?

It all depends on how we define that word, "camping!"

A month ago my wife and I joined our daughter and her family

for a night of camping to celebrate our grandson Addison's first

birthday. We went camping at Ft. Wilderness campground at

Disney.

The name "wilderness" is so deceiving. I mean the bathhouses

are air-conditioned.

We did rough it in comparison to others.

We slept in our tents. I actually slept between two trees in the

ENO hammock my wife had surprised me with. I think it was her

creative way to get my snoring like a bear out of the tent.

Not everyone at Ft. Wilderness was roughing it. When we walked

down to the lake to watch the fireworks there was a section of the

campground that had nothing but mega bucks motorhomes.

These RV's were huge! No roughing it there. I would imagine for

some of you that is your idea of "roughing it" camping!

Jesus asked the "wanna be follower" if he was willing to rough

it...no place to call home...not even a hammock! Jesus pointed

to a place that would be a threat to this person's comfort and

security. It was a call to make some significant life changes.

It literally meant that this "wanna be follower" was willing to go

wherever Jesus went.

Jesus asks us if we will follow him wherever?

There is an old song, hymn, titled, "I Surrender All!" Listen to

the words of the first two stanzas and see if you could pray these

words to Jesus, wherever...

All to Jesus I surrender; all to him I freely give;

I will ever love and trust him, in His presence daily live.

All to Jesus I surrender; humbly at his feet I bow,

Worldly pleasures all forsaken, take me, Jesus, take me now

A fan of Jesus would change the title from "I Surrender All" to "I

Surrender Some!" There is not the wherever. Jesus calls the

follower to the "wherevers" of life.

Wherever? What about in your home? There is the decision to

follow Jesus till we walk into our home. It's as if we ask Jesus to

wait outside for us. We stand up for our selves instead of

humbling ourselves to serve others in our family.

Instead of being patient we are demanding and belittling.

Wherever?

What about work? Do you take Jesus with you or tell him to wait

in the car? Do your co-workers know you as a follower of Jesus?

Wherever?

What about in the "recreational" areas of your life? What about

your neighborhood? What about there? Do people see Jesus in

you there?

Wherever Jesus calls you are you willing to go there?

That "wanna be follower"...where did he go?

A follower of Jesus says, "Yes! Now where do you want me to

go?"

WHENEVER

The next "wanna be follower" seemed willing to follow Jesus.

Jesus simply said, "Follow me." The first word out of his mouth

was, "Lord." He called Jesus by the title a servant would call his

Master. But the second word out of his mouth is, "First." "First

let me bury my father." (Vss. 59-60)

He really wanted to follow Jesus but right now was not a good

time for him. His excuse seemed reasonable...to bury his

dad...but we are not sure the dad was dead yet. The son felt an

obligation to care for his dad before committing his life to follow

Jesus. The guy wasn't telling Jesus, "No." He was simply saying,

"Now is not a good time. Not right now. Maybe later."

I have a 2005 van with over 134,000 miles on it. Every now and

then the yellow check engine light comes on. I had it checked

out and was told it had something to do with a vapor lock on the

gas cap. No big deal. Now when the light comes on I simply

ignore it. I have actually heard of people putting a sticker or

black piece of electrical tape over the image so they don't have to

see it or be bothered by it.

Jesus wasn't too compassionate with the lukewarm follower.

Why? He knew he was merely procrastinating his commitment to

follow Jesus. Contrast this to the response of his first two

followers Peter and Andrew. When Jesus asked them to follow

him they put down their fishing nets and immediately followed

him. (Matthew 4:18-20)

That is the kind of commitment or follower Jesus is still looking

for. We give the lukewarm answer, "Yes, but not right

now...later." Or we follow Jesus like we do our promised diet or

exercise program. We will start tomorrow. Tomorrow only

becomes today when a crisis shocks us into saying, "Where did

he go?"

A fan will only seek Christ in a crisis. Once the crisis is over Jesus

goes out of view of their heart. They no longer monitor him in

their lives.

The danger of ignoring Jesus today, or putting him off till

tomorrow, is that you and I are not guaranteed our tomorrow.

The truth is that the longer you put off following Jesus the less

likely you will follow him whenever.

Jesus speaks to the fierce urgency of the now. Today! Not

whenever!

The writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews echoes the

warning from the psalmist, "Today, if you hear his voice, do

not harden your hearts." (Hebrews 3:15; Psalm 95:7-8)

WHATEVER

This brings us to our third "wanna be follower." He told Jesus,

"Yes, but let me go tell my family goodbye." (Vs. 61). The

problem with the "yes, but..." answer is that the cultural practice

during that time period meant numerous farewell parties that

could last for weeks.

Jesus' response was, "Don't keep looking back to something

that gets your attention more than me." (Vs. 62)

If you keep looking back you are not giving your full attention to

Jesus. It becomes a "whatever attitude."

Have you ever had someone give you a "whatever attitude" when

you have asked them to do something for you? Or worse yet, the

person agrees but then gives you a "whatever attitude" kind of

effort. They were not willing to go all in.

Jesus calls his followers to go all in. Listen to how he puts it:

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and

take up the cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants

to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me

will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole

world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self." Luke 9:23-25

This is how Jesus loves us.

He denied himself, took up the cross and followed the will of his

Heavenly Father.

This is also how Jesus wants to be loved by us. Jesus loves us so

much. He died to have a relationship with those who will follow

him wherever, whenever, whatever.

He will not share your heart with someone or something you are

always looking back on in life.

He will settle for nothing less than a complete commitment and

devotion to him...a heart monitoring affection. He made no

compromises when he gave up his life for you.

I know there is a hesitancy, a reluctance to go all in and give

Jesus all of who you are, today.

Jesus calls us to be a follower and not a fan.

He calls us to follow him wherever, whenever and whatever.

As a follower, a completely committed Christian, we don't have to

cry out in a panic, "Where did he go?"

Wherever you go in life He goes with you.

Whenever a crisis crashes in on your life; call out, He's there.

Whatever you are or whatever you will go through in life you will

never go it alone because he is there.

Where did he go?

Turn around and discover the gardener who is calling to you by

name!

Recognize that is Jesus, the Resurrected Savior.

this is the final posting from the Not a Fan series. I hope you have enjoyed it and will decide to be a real follower of Jesus Christ for the rest of your life. Let Jesus use your life for eternal value. Be His servant, go where-ever He sends you. Use your life to make an eternal difference in God's Kingdom

have a blessed day,   Gary

yfc77jesus@aol.com