Jesus Unfiltered-Follow Series: What Does it Mean to Follow Jesus?, Part 1 | Chip Ingram

you've probably heard a lot of people say I'm a follower of Jesus or I'm a Christian what does that really mean and how do you know for sure you're really following Jesus you want to answer to that stay with me that's [Music] today welcome to this edition of living on the edge with Chip Ingram the mission of these daily programs is to intentionally disciple Christians Through the Bible teaching of Chip Ingram if you were to stop 10 different Christians and ask what does it mean to follow Jesus you'd probably get 10 different answers so today Chip's going right to the source in the Gospel of John Jesus himself well there's a lot to get to so here's chip to continue our series Jesus unfiltered John chapter n opens with the story of a blind man and very instructively he's blind from birth and we know it's not his fault or its parents' fault but it's a very special miracle because God will be glorified as you read later in that story you'll find that some people can't even believe it's the same man they even bring his parents in and they testify they cross-examine him twice because they think maybe he's lying and at the heart of it is Jesus opens his eyes and does a Messianic Miracle now you'll never understand the real meaning of that man who was blind until you go back to chapter CH 8 and find out that it came after the most intense and unique conflict up to date that we find in jesus' life that I mean there was a point in time where they were ready to kill him they were ready to Stone him he's going to say something about himself they're going to have this dialogue this debate where the issues of his calling and his claims against the religious establishment will be so intense that they will be blind and what you just listen to is Jesus helping them understand there's some people in the world that are physically blind and he can make them see and there's some people he can see and they think they're not blind but they are I'm going to ask you to open up um your notes because we're going to talk about what it means what it really means to follow Jesus and I'm going to suggest as we kind of get our arms around that that everybody in life everybody follows something or someone I mean some people are very I mean intentional about it very conscious other people are very unconscious but they just don't know that they're following someone there's probably a hundred different ways people follow things but I put a six down here that I just see if see if these don't ring a bell with you some people follow in the footsteps of their family I know a family that if you're born in this family son son grandson I mean if you're born in this family kind of the personal light is you go into this family business you go to this college you will live geographically near Mom Dad grandfather great grand I mean the whole world revolves around Christmases are always at this house Thanksgiving are all I mean everything in the world revolves around the family that's kind of their their light that's what gives them perspective that's what really matters more than anything else a second is some people follow a philosophy of life I have a friend who is a excellent businessman and um I'm always talking to him about you know have you been reading the Bible much ah I haven't been reading it not as much as I know you want me to and well you know intimacy with God I'll talk with him about that he goes look chip Here's My Philosophy the Golden Rule just I just do to other people the way I want them to do to me and he does he he's got more Integrity than like anyone I've ever met he's kind he's generous but his a sort of like you know what you just follow that rule and I I have another friend uh from my days in Santa Cruz and his entire philosophy of life I would we talk deeply on a lot of occasions was one word said so what do you I mean what do you want to do what's whatever I'm dead serious just whatever what do you mean whatever he says I mean whatever just kind of go with the flow whatever happens and you know I'm just gonna kind of third is I find some people follow a religious leader or a spiritual path you know you know it's the doly Lama or this new age teacher or some with some enlightened way and if they follow that path what light always promises is Direction perspective and it's going to deliver the life that you really want fourth is some people um follow I just their own intuition they're they're sort of eclectic they sort of just pull from the solad bar of philosophy and life and parents and family and say basically I got it you know I just going to figure out I think I know best what's best for me and you ask them well what do you base that on well me I just my intuition in my gut that's good for you whatever that is whatever it is with anyone this is what I think is best fifth some people just follow what's popular I mean if everyone's kids are doing this they're kids doing this if they start the kids at this age or this age that's what they do if internet and everyone says you know this is what you need to eat they all eat that I mean whatever the fads wherever the you know they just follow the crowd and whatever is kind of popular they just sort of have a world that is like like like retweet you know and uh and finally there's some who follow what what I just call a formula for Success this was this is how I grew up and it goes something like this education is Paramount work hard practice get disciplined be an overachiever over prepare get get in the best schools get a good paying job and wealth and success will make you very happy and so in each one of these here's all I want to say is that all of us I I call this people's personal light this is their perspective that even if they don't know it this is their perspective that light promises fulfillment light promises living this way provides values a process a filter an interpretation and so they're on a path following one of these or maybe 10 or 15 or 30 others and so I thought it'd be kind of fun since we all follow something or someone to just probe a little bit together and find out what you follow and what I follow and so I have three questions for you you ready if you have a pen pull it out question number one is who or what do you think you follow I mean if I really kind of pushed you and just first thing that comes to your mind who or what do you think you really follow that is kind of the the direction for my life decisions what really matters why I say yes why I say no okay the second question and and I'm messing with you here just a little bit but it's because I care who or what does your time money and energy reveal you follow because see I have this weird thing that happens is mentally and and I'm think I'm being honest this is what I think I follow is really important but when I look at my time or my energy or my money or for some if we just looked at you know sort of your whole who who who who are the people that you follow on Twitter um if we could go through all where all the buttons that you push like or whatever you retweeted who do you follow or which of the TED Talks are like your top five right I mean I mean doesn't it say on our little devices everywhere follow you can follow us by this this this this I mean that tells a lot about what we're interested in where our passions are so my time and my money really reveal Who I Really follow instead of who I think I follow and the last question is why would anyone follow Jesus Christ why would any because he's called what did he say If any man will follow me deny yourself take up your cross follow me why should we why should they and in John chapter 8 beginning at verse 12 he answers that question but he answers it for them and he really answers it for us so what you see is um a context in which he says some very radical things then you have some content which is a fierce debate and then it comes to a climax here's the context in other words here's what's happening this is sort of the you are there so you can get what's happening remember there's the Feast of Tabernacles people have been camping out they've made these little leanos and they're all all over the place on top of houses and you know kids think it's camping out there's all this food there's all these parties there's all this dancing there's remembering all those 40 years in the wilderness it's just great and then there's the Feast of Tabernacles it's also called The Feast of Lights And so there's this whole section called the women's Court where the treasury is and then next to it is the temple area it's called The Holy place where the actual sacrifices and things are brought in and then there's the holy of holies and so Jesus after the Feast of lights and uh if you remember that in this area this Courtyard is quite large there were like four candleabras that were like 75 to 10 and some feet that were just huge with this light and it would remind them of remember when the PE children of Israel the light the fire above and it would move then they would move in the cloud by day and so Jesus has said you know the water out of the rock that's me and now he says literally grammatically he he says I am in the emphatic position the light of the world not a light I am the light of the world if any man if anyone follows me You'll Never Walk in darkness but you will have or possess the light of life I mean it's radical so they've been thinking about all of God's history it's in the very place where all these big candal labras were with the lights it's all over and he comes out at dawn we we've already seen the scene with the woman caught in adultery and then he makes this outrageous statement it's a declaration I am you want to follow someone I am the light of the world promise if you follow me and by the words it's in the it's the present participle if you continue to follow me you will never walk in darkness but instead you'll have the light of life now in about six months he's going to go go to the cross a lot of times he's done lots of ministry in rural areas and a lot of times he heals someone or does a miracle and he says please don't tell anybody I mean would you just please just like go to the priest and get this Tak care of because every time you tell someone thousands of people make my life impossible to continue my Ministry but he's done with sort of the secret messiahship he is now in Jerusalem at the place of the Tabernacle he's going public and he's declared I'm the light of the world now the Pharisees are like going nuts and the religious leaders now are going to say wait a second the Jewish law says that the testimony of one person is invalid we need the testimony of two so now they're going to go into this big debate about why in fact what he's saying can't be true you'll notice on your notes after his declaration the Pharisees challenged Jesus credibility in verses 13- 20 follow along here you are appearing verse 13 the Pharisees challenged him witnessing a testimony is not valid the witness of one Jesus answered even if I testify on my own behalf my testimony is valid for I know where I came from and where I'm going but you have no idea where I came from or where I'm going you judge by human standards I passed judgment on no one but if I do judge my judgments are right because I am not alone I stand with the father who sent me in your own law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid I am one who testifies for myself my other witness is the one who sent me the father he's speaking of God the Father then they ask him where's your father and by the way this is probably a dig um there was many rumors about Jesus by now they're trying to cut him down every way possible and the rumors are he's the bastard son of Mary who got pregnant by someone else before she married Joseph where's your father I mean your real Father and Jesus responds you do not know my father if you knew me you would know my father also he spoke these words while teaching in the temple area in the place where the offerings were put where we just described yet no one seized him because his time had not yet come now verse 21 there's a shift in verse 21 he said look I have credibility I have two witnesses there's me there's the father you you guys we've been through a lot you you don't have a clue of who I really am and that's why you have no spiritual perception and now he's going to take it to the next level and notice in your notes the next section he warns of the consequences of unbelief I mean he's going to be very direct and say to them the consequences of your continued unbelief you won't even look at the facts he said earlier he said if you don't believe my words at leasts believe the works of the Miracles that I've done he's going to say in this section that because of their unbelief they'll die in their sin he's going to say that the only time they'll ever realize who he really was is after the cross and the resurrection and then you're going to notice in the very last verse there's one group of people who actually believe because there's about 15 of these steps that lead up and the Levites they would come and they would say a Psalm on each step and it was you know a lot of pageantry in those feasts well now it was Dawn and so you got a crowd of people listening to him and then you have this group who's really wanting to kill him and get rid of him and so you've got this mixed group and now he's talking to the religious leaders but a lot of people are listening in going whoa I mean this would be heated don't don't think like a presidential debate with the senator from Illinois as you have 2.4 minutes would you like to make a statement and thank you very much but you know and now I mean and now the next question goes to this is Vin popping if you've ever been to Israel or downtown New York right and you watch culturally Jewish people talk to one another when they're kind of ticked off and pretty animated I mean when they're not ticked off and not animated hey can I get that cab sure man it's all yours you know right and this is what's going on I mean this is this is intensity with a capital I so here's what happens notice verse 21 Once More Jesus said to them I'm going away and you will look for me and you will die in your sin I mean that's pretty radical where I go you cannot come this made the Jews ask will he kill himself is that why he says where he goes we can't come but he continued now he's trying to help them see you are from below I am from above you are of this world I'm not of this world I told you he's just reminding him he's being direct he's being clear I told you that you would die in your sins if you will not believe that I am the one I claim to be you will indeed die in your sins who are you they ask just what I've been claiming to be all along Jesus replied I have much to say in Judgment of you but he who sent me is reliable and what I've heard from him I tell the world they didn't understand that he was telling them about his father so Jesus said when you've lifted up John always uses this phrase for the cross and the resurrection later when you you've lifted up the son of man then you will know who I am and I do nothing on my own but speak just what the father has taught me the one who sent me is with me he has not left me alone for I always do what pleases him and then this little sidebar even as he spoke many people put their faith in him you're listening to living on the edge with Chip Ingram and he'll be back to continue the second volume of his Jesus unfiltered series titled follow in just a minute but let me quickly tell you we are more than a broadcast Ministry we're passionate about supporting pastors globally developing helpful resources and sharing the gospel with this next Generation so if you'd like to partner with us in these areas go to livingontheedge.org today well with that let's get back to chips message now it's interesting CU you if you can imagine this crowd it seems now he takes his attention and speaks to those people who believed in him and we're not sure whether they have partial belief or they have full belief or whether he's the Messiah but he's going to just he's going to now say look let me give you the AET test of discipleship if you really want to be a follower this isn't just an intellectual belief and so there's this mixed group of you know there's a hostility and debate going over here there's people that have believed over here and so verse 31 almost through the end of the chapter I want to tell you in advance what he's going to say cuz as I read it I want you to catch it first thing he's going to say is that if you obey my word it will result in Freedom he's going to talk about the acid test of discipleship is you have to obey my word this isn't intellectually believing something about me this is about relational and obedience second he's going to say if you love me and by the way don't think of love as just a ooey gooey feeling but if you love me have very personal alignment if I am your light and the alignment of of your life then the result is you'll hear God's voice you able to hear God speaking to you and the third thing he's going to teach him is that if you keep my word you'll never die if you keep my word and so he's going to say the AET test of discipleship hasn't to do with just an intellectual belief but it will be a belief that leads to a following where the focus of your life centers around this man who now claims to be the Messiah the Son of God and later one with the father see see if you don't see it pick it up at verse 31 imagine the picture in your mind to the Jews who had believed him Jesus said if you hold or literally abide in my teaching you are really my disciples then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free and so he's speaking to this group well that last line kind of got the what do you mean set us free who do you think you are they answered him we are Abraham's descendants and we have never been slaves of anyone they have a very short memory Egypt Persians Rome okay but you know what they're saying basically is they're a pretty independent group and how can you say that we shall be set free Jesus said I tell you the truth everyone who sins is a slave to sin now A Slave has no permanent place in the family but a son belongs to it forever so if the sun sets you free you'll be free indeed I know you're a Abraham's descendants yet you're ready to kill me because you have no room for my word in your heart I am telling you what listen to this phrase I am telling you what I've seen in the father's presence and you do what you have heard from your father I mean I mean there's no holes bar there's not like I wonder who he really is Abraham is our father they answered well if Abraham is your father or your children of Abraham Jesus said then you would do the things Abraham did did as it is you're determined to kill me a man who's told you the truth that I heard from God Abraham didn't do such things you were doing the things your own father does we are not illegitimate children they protested the only father we have is God himself Jesus said to them if God were your father you would love me for I came from God and now I'm here I've not come on my own but he sent me why is my language not clear to you because you are unable able to hear what I say you belong to your father now I mean imagine this in their face the devil and you want to carry out your father's desire he was a murderer from the beginning not holding to the truth for there is no truth in him when he lies he speaks his native language for he is a liar and the father of Lies yet I tell you the truth you do not believe me can any of you prove me guilty of sin now I mean this is just like I mean this is you can't say these people are the stewards of God's word these are the religious leaders these are the people that know more of their Bible of their day than anyone these are the people that keep all the rules these are the people in authority and Jesus has said your father is a devil you're trying to kill me because you're a murderer and you're liars and by the way test case all right can any of you I've been around 3 years I've done all this in public can any one of you have one person that has one testimony that I've SE I mean it's it's an amazing confrontation and they can't if I'm telling the truth why don't you believe me he who belongs listen to this to God here's what God says the reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God can I just interject this the most dangerous place to be spiritually in all the world is to be blind but think you can see see blind people that think they're blind are looking for light blind people that think they can see think they've already got the light the reason you can't hear is because you do not belong to God they're religious they're knowledgeable they're morally you know pretty upright the Jews answered him aren't we right now now and saying you're a Samaritan and demon-possessed you're accusing us the religious leaders of the day I'm Not demon-possessed Jesus said but I honor my father and you dishonor me I'm not seeking glory for myself but there is one who seeks it and he is the judge I tell you the truth if any man keeps my word he will never die I mean another H what you've never sinned If any man keeps my word he'll never die at this the Jews exclaimed now we know that you're demon possessed Abraham died and so did the prophets that you say if a man keeps your word he will never die are you greater than our Father Abraham he died and so did the prophets who do you think you are Jesus replied if I glorify myself my glory means nothing my father whom you claim as your God is the one who glorifies me though you do not know him I know him if I said I didn't know him I would be a liar like you but I do know him and I keep his word notice he he's modeling how he follows I do what pleases him I keep his word I do his will your father Abraham rejoiced notice past tense at the thought of seeing my day and he saw it and was glad you know they're just I mean they're baffled you're not yet 50 years old the Jews said and you have seen Abraham 50 years old if you were a levite a priest a rabbi at age 50 it was automatic retirement and so they're basically saying you're not even retired you're like 30 years old or so and you're saying you've already seen Abraham I tell you the truth Jesus answered before Abraham was born I am not I was I am this is living on the edge with Chip Ingram and you've been listening to part one of Chip's message what's it mean to follow Jesus which is from the second volume of his Jesus unfiltered series follow chip will be back shortly to share some helpful application for us to think about when Jesus called his disciples he used two simple words follow me so what does it look like to follow Jesus today well join us as we uncover the answer as chip opens his Bible to a section in the Gospel of John learn what chapters 6-10 tell us about being content humble bold and in awe of Christ's power and how all of those ideas tie into our decision de ision to follow Jesus you're not going to want to miss a single program well before we go any further here's chip with a quick word thanks so much Dave I want to take just a moment to talk directly to those of you that are seeking a way to be more connected to the ministry of living on the edge we're in need of Partners who will take a step of faith and make a monthly Financial commitment to the ministry you may be thinking that because we reach millions of people through radio and broadcast and online and Ministry resources that we probably don't need the money or that we're supported by all these people the fact is it's a very small percentage of all the people who listen or do small group resources that actually give to the ministry we depend on and we deeply appreciate those Partners who make the decision to walk with us especially with a monthly commitment doesn't have to be a large amount so let me ask you would you please pray about becoming a monthly partner thanks so much in advance for whatever God leads you to do you thanks chip well if joining the living on theedge team is an idea that makes sense to you let me encourage you to become a monthly partner now you can do that today by visiting livingontheedge.org or by calling 8333 6003 take a few minutes to help others benefit from the work of this ministry call 8333 6003 or go to livingontheedge.org app listeners tap donate well with that chip let's get to your application for today thanks Dave you know as I started the teaching out today I said that everyone whether we're conscious of it or not we follow something or someone I mean the the wisest man in the world said there is a way literally there is a path that every person is on that seems right to them you know I think when Jesus was speaking to these Pharisees and was telling them the truth and who he was and sharing the opportunity and what they could have I think some of them I I think they thought wow could all of my thinking about God be wrong I think others probably just said you know this this young Rabbi what's he know and you know we went to the official schools and you know we're the people that had the truth and you know there's some people that after that Encounter With Jesus their life changed not just for the better but eternally they responded to the truth they came to the point and they said you know this path of how I'm living how I'm working in my singleness how I'm treating my wife this path of how I'm treating my kids this path of what I'm putting into my mind what I'm putting into my body this path is bringing me death and you know it takes a lot of Courage takes a lot of courage to admit the path you're on is wrong and what I want you to know today there's a path and the path is Jesus and you don't have to live the same way could I encourage you to just read the book of John with eyes open and heart open and say Lord reveal yourself to me in a fresh way there's a new path and it's the path of Life take it amen chip well if you're really serious about walking with Jesus down this life-giving path we have some resources that can help go to True spirituality online.org there you can order Chip's popular book true spirituality get the small group materials or watch countless insightful videos all of these tools were designed to show you the clear path to becoming a genuine follower of Christ so check him out today that website again is true spirituality online all one word.org well thanks for listening to this edition of living on the edge with Chip Ingram next time we'll continue the second volume of Chip's Jesus unfiltered series follow I'm Dave drwy and I hope you'll join us [Music] then thanks so much for watching this video if you'd like to watch more content like this click and subscribe here to our Channel and by the way if you'd like to know more about living on the edge find out about more resources maybe get on the mailing list go to livingontheedge.org see you next time