"Spirit Filled Following
Series: Not A Fan, by Kyle Idleman
Sunday, February 17, 2013- Matthew 23:1-12

Introduction: We are on a journey together. It is a Lenten journey taking us to a place of greater and deeper commitment to Jesus. It is a journey that is helping us to see what should be our focus. It is a journey that is allowing us to walk down the path that God has for us. It is a journey that will bring ultimate fulfillment, because when you live as God has designed you to live, you will experience fulfillment.

            Today we are going to learn how to let the Holy Spirit fill us so that we can be guided and directed by the very Spirit of God. This was Jesus’ intention when He left this earth. As He told His disciples in John 16:7, “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you.” It is really only with the help of the Holy Spirit that we can be true followers of Jesus Christ. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can stay away from the things of the world, and commit ourselves to God.

            So, let’s spend some time Learning more of how to be “not a fan.”

I.                   Following Jesus Above the Rules- (Hebrews 11:6; Matthew 23:5)

a.      What is your target?- There is a heartbreaking story in the 2004

Olympics. The athlete was Matt Emmons. He was actually one shot away from claiming victory in the 50-meter three-position rifle event. He didn’t even need a bull’s-eye to win. His final shot only had to hit the target. Normally, the shot he made would have received a score of 8.1 and given him the gold medal. But in what was described as “an extremely rare mistake in elite competition,” Emmons fired at the wrong target! Standing in lane two, he fired at the target in lane three. Because he hit the wrong target his score was a 0. Instead of getting the gold medal he got no medal at all, because his 0 dropped him to eighth place.

            This is a picture of what happens to a lot of fans of Jesus. As I said last week, most people who are fans of Jesus believe themselves to be followers. The problem with fans is that they aren’t following Jesus. Without realizing it they are aiming at the wrong target. Instead of following Jesus they are following religious rules and rituals. They have confused the targets.

            In Matthew 23 Jesus tries to get the attention of a group of fans known as the religious leaders. The irony here is that they are devout religious people. In their time, if you would had asked someone to identify a follower, it would be these religious leaders. They knew the Scriptures better than anyone. They were known for observing the laws of God. They kept the rules better than anyone.

            When Jesus comes He helps people understand that the laws and rules are not the target. This is because the laws and rules help you to “look good” on the outside, but not on the inside. Their hearts were not in tune with God and God’s ways. Their hearts were not guided by love and compassion, as God’s heart is.

            In Matthew 23 Jesus gives what is known as the seven woes. These seven woes are directed at the religious leaders. Seven times Jesus says to them “Woe is you…” He isn’t offering them counsel or advice. He is opposing them because He doesn’t want the people to be confused with how God wants them to live. These woes are a warning to the religious leaders, the people around them, and to us!

b.      The hard work of a fan- We need to understand that fans work hard.

They are committed to doing the right things. They want others to think that they are spiritual people. They are trying to “please” God with their actions. But while doing good things has its place, we are told in Hebrews 11:6a, “And without faith it is impossible to please God…”

            EX. There is an interesting story about Andre Agassi. If you don’t know who Andre Agassi is, he was a famous tennis player. For years he was one of the top players in the world. He turned pro at the age of 16! He won eight Grand Slam titles in his career, which lasted 22 years. It turns out however that he never liked tennis. He writes these words: “My dad decided before I was born that I would be the number one player in the world.” He started practicing seriously at age 7. On the outside you would never have guessed that his heart wasn’t in it. He put in countless hours of practice. He was one of the best at what he did. But he was wearing a mask, because he never chose it. As a result there was no love.

            The reason why we can’t please God without faith is because without faith our heart will never be in serving God. You may work hard at trying to do all the right things, but not love what you are doing. You may serve in the church so that others will think good of you, but you will not love what you are doing. You will be working hard, but for the wrong reasons. Your heart will not be in it.

c.      Becoming more focused- The main problem that Jesus had with these

religious leaders is that they were hypocrites. Meaning that they would teach one thing, but practice another. Eight times in Matthew 23 Jesus calls them hypocrites. The word hypocrite is from the Greek ancient classical theater. Often a single actor would play several different characters. To change characters they would just hold up a different mask in front of their face. As Jesus says of the religious leaders in Matthew 23:5, “Everything they do is for show.”

            Jesus does tell them to obey and do everything they tell you to do, but do not practice what they do and preach. Hopefully, if I lived differently than the messages I preached, you would see it and call me on it. At least I would think that you would not follow my example. Although people follow the wrong behaviors of leaders all the time.

            Jesus here is trying to get people to see what’s on the inside of the religious leaders lives, and challenge people to match the inside with the outside. Fans struggle to do this.

            To become more focused then as a follower you must choose love over laws. Not that laws aren’t important, but they are designed to lead us into good and loving behavior. Legalism leads to loveless practice. You are only concerned with what is the “lawful” thing to do.

            EX. A man named John, dressed in blue jeans, walked into a bank to finalize a business transaction. The teller told him that the person he needed to see wasn’t in, and he would have to come back the next day. John then asked the teller to validate his parking ticket. She said to him that she couldn’t since he didn’t make a financial transaction. He said he intended to, but couldn’t because the person he needed wasn’t there. She then responded: “I’m sorry; that’s our policy. Rules are rules.” So John decided to make a business transaction. He decided to close his account. John last name was Akers. John Akers, the CEO of IBM. He then closed his account of one-and-a-half million dollars! The teller was then able to validate his parking sticker.

            The teller was so into the rules that she failed to care for the customer. God wants us to be concerned about love. If we love others, then we will be following God’s main law. Love God, and love others. Fans are concerned with rules, followers are concerned with following God’s ways. Fans miss what really matters. Followers care about what matters to God the most.

II.                Spirit Filled- (Acts 1:8-9; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

a.      From where the power comes- If I were to say the word spirit-filled,

many people are not sure what that means. That is because churches often time don’t talk much about the role of the Holy Spirit and the person of the Holy Spirit. That is one of the things I like about the Alpha program, is that there is a whole section on understanding who the Holy Spirit is, how we can be filled with the Holy Spirit, and what that means to us.

            Fans fail to see that the Spirit of God is how God resides in them. They fail to understand that God’s Spirit is what empowers us and enables us to truly live for God. Fans try to do everything on their own power, forgetting that they have access to the very power of God. Followers have discovered that it doesn’t work without the power of the Spirit.

            EX. I have been taking cholesterol medicine now for many years. Because of this I have to get a blood screening every year. This last visit the doctor was concerned with my Thyroid. He wanted to put me on some medication that he believed would help me with my energy level. I told him I thought my energy level seemed fine. My doctor, being a Christian, then said to me: “Yes, but we don’t know if that is because you are Spirit-powered!”

            Jesus said to His disciples in Acts 1:8-9, just before He ascended into heaven: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to all the ends of the earth.” After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.”

            Fans may try to follow Jesus out of their own strength, but followers are empowered by the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament it talks about God with us, but in the New Testament it says God in us. This is an important discovery for us. Because of Jesus, His followers will have God in us.

b.      The Breath of God- In Genesis, when the Bible talks about Adam

being created, it says that he was created from the dust but had no life. It then says that God’s Spirit (the Hebrew word Ruach) was breathed into Him. It was then that he was filled with life. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive the breath of God, the life of God, the power of God!

            Because of this, it is okay that we have weaknesses, because in our weakness we seek God’s power, and we are then made strong. As it says in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “But he 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

            The Apostle Paul understands that living in the power of the Spirit means shining a light on our weaknesses. This is what fans find most difficult. Most fans have learned to make sure everyone knows about their strengths, but that no one finds out about their weaknesses.

            The only way to be filled with the Spirit is to empty yourself of you. When you empty yourself of you, it provides space for the Holy Spirit to fill you. The more of you that you try and bring to the forefront, the less room there is for the Holy Spirit. The more you try and do it on your own power, the less of God’s power will be there for you to use. We have to choose moment by moment, day by day, will we seek to live on our own power, or on God’s? Fans live on their own, followers live on God’s power!

III.             An Open Invitation- (Matthew 7:13-14, 21; James 2:17)

a.      Open your eyes- My prayer is that this series would help you to be

open to God’s Spirit’s presence and awaken your soul to the kind of relationships God desires to have with you. I want you to be able to stand before God and be identified by Jesus to be a follower of His.

            EX. A couple of weeks ago my family and I were going up to Big Bear to have some time away and to ski. We had written down the directions and were going along I10. We passed one exit for Big Bear, but I knew there was another one that would take us up the backside of the mountain. However, not knowing the way very well, I passed that exit as well. We were driving for a while when Tami finally said: “Chris, you passed where we were supposed to get off.” We discussed this for a bit, all the while going farther out of our way, and then finally agreed that I had. We then had to backtrack to get to our exit.

            In Matthew chapter 7 Jesus talks about two different roads that lead to different places. He says in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gat. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

            Many people take the wrong road and only few find the narrow path. If that is true, it is worth our while to regularly slow down and evaluate if we are followers of Jesus, or not. Donald Whitney once said: “If a person is wrong about being right with God, then ultimately it really doesn’t matter what he or she is right about.”

b.      It’s not just about what you feel- In Matthew 7:21 Jesus makes it

clear, when He says, “Not everyone who says…but only he who does…” Jesus makes a clear distinction between fans and followers. We cannot be comfortable with separating what we say we believe and how we live. The world has convinced so many that if they sincerely believe something, then it is true. We must get our truth from the words of Jesus and the words of the Scriptures!

            EX. If we were to take a survey asking the question, “Do you believe it’s important to eat right and exercise?” many would say “yes.” But if you would analyze how people live, and eat, you would see that they often live contrary to their belief as they eat double bacon cheeseburgers and double chocolate fudge cake.

            Here is what fans do: they confuse their feelings for faith. But your feelings aren’t faith until they are expressed. For example, you may see someone in need, and to help them would require you to sacrifice something for them, and you feel God tugging at your heart to help, but then you don’t follow through. You might “feel” bad for them at first, but it doesn’t manifest itself in action. In James 2:17 it says, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

Conclusion: So let me conclude with a couple of questions. Question 1: “Do you think you’re on the right road because of what you’ve done? Ultimately what will determine if you are a fan or a follower isn’t what you say or what you do. No matter how much good you do, no matter what you accomplish for the kingdom, that’s not what makes you a true follower. Jesus gave many examples of this. Those things matter, but only to the extent that they reflect your answer to this next question. Question 2: “Do you know Jesus, and does Jesus know you?” That is what Matthew 7 is all about, when you get to heaven will Jesus say that He knows you? Jesus identifies His true followers based upon an intimate relationship. How you will know that you are His true follower is that this relationship will radically change your life. You will love differently. You will care about the things of God more. You will seek to be more giving. You will have increased patience. You will experience more peace. All these things and more will manifest themselves in your life when you become a follower of Christ.

            Jesus has defined the relationship He wants with you. He wants completely committed followers. Amen.