The Big Deal of Being a Follower
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Pastor Troy, OPENDOOR CHURCH, Burleson, TX

Psalm 139:5-6 (NKJV)  – You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.Psalm 139:5-6 (NKJV)  – You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.
EVERY LEADER IN THE KINGDOM IS A FOLLOWER 
dis·ci·plenoun:(1) a personal follower of Jesus during his life, especially one of the twelve Apostles.(2) a follower or student of a teacher, leader, or philosopher.
FAN: AN ENTHUSIASTIC ADMIRER
Fans are fair weather friends 
Being a fan will cost you nothing. 
Fans often confuse their admiration for devotion. 
A fan has no responsibility in the relation and puts all the responsibility of performance upon WHOM they enthusiastically admire. 
When he offers you forgiveness you have to offer him repentance. 
When he offers you salvation you have to offer him surrender. 
When he offers you happiness, you offer him brokenness.
When he offers you life you offer to lay down your life. 

KYLE IDEMAN, In his extraordinary book called NOT A FAN, has a whole chapter dedicated to the importance of what he calls the DTR moment of every relationship.
DETERMINE THE RELATIONSHIP Is it casual or committed Is it exclusive?Is it something we want everyone to know about 
It starts off with a decision then it moves into commitment
Is it exclusive: are you separated unto me? 
Song of Solomon says, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” Is that they way it is? We will let Jesus call us a way? Fans don’t do that, but followers do. 
⦁ Justification, Sanctification and Consecration ⦁ Justification means that Jesus took care of every legal thing that needed to be taken care of. ⦁ Sanctification  is about how we God  has set us apart for His Kingdom, for His use and for made us to be his.  There is an ongoing partnership between you and I in not letting the world have what God has set apart as his. our minds, our want life, our thought life, our marriages, our finances, our hope, our children our legacy.⦁ Consecration is about how seriously we respond to the invitation for something much more powerful ⦁ Consecration means dedicated to a sacred purpose 
Leviticus 20:7 – “You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the Lord your God”

⦁ Consecration is about an intentional posture toward God’s presence. Setting yourself apart in a specific way for God to bless you in a specific way. ⦁ Consecration is about how we are willing to respond to God when he calls us away and into a different environment.⦁ Consecration is what we do and the level of dedication we have toward having something very special and powerful going on between us and God. ⦁ Justification is what God does to officially make us right in every way. ⦁ Sanctification is how we partner with God to live as his family in a very messed up world. 

We only comprehend the goodness of God through personal encounter. Psalm 34:8 – O taste and see that the LORD is good
Psalms 84:5 – Blessed is the man whose …Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
Luke 6:38 – …For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Exodus 32:29 – For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD,… that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.
Times of consecration lead to a consecrated life. A life of consecration leads to power and victory and overcoming everything that is thrown at you because you are overwhelmed by God’s goodness