Discipleship 201
Notes
Transcript
Follow Me As I Follow Jesus
Last week we started our Journey
Christian or Disciple? Fan or Follower
You are being followed by somebody
Becoming more than a “enthusiastic admirer”
We talked about Customized Christianity
I will serve Him BUT....
The word Christian = relates to what we believe
The word disciple = speaks of how we live
Its all about transformation not more information
If it was all about information you can just use your Iphone and google it.
If you want transformation you have to follow Jesus - AMEN
We talked about Elijah and Elisha - Elijah went and found Elisha
What did he do? - He imparted his authority on Elisha’s life
He thru his cloak – his authority – his
representation of his authority on Elisha –
Question - What does a Disciple look like?
Defining "Do-s" of a Disciple:
1. Disciples respond to a personal invitation. (That invitation initiates a journey.)
2. Disciples make inevitable lifestyle adjustments.
Plan B was eliminated – Lets see I can always go back if this doesn’t pan out I will go back – quit the ministry and open up a plowing company.
3. Disciples stay committed regardless of delay, resistance or personal loss.
Elisha would not be distracted –
4. Disciples do not think short term
It is the race to the end
It is the final round in a boxing match
It is mile 500 – of the Indianapolis 500
5. In the life of a disciple, resilience is required.
Posses a question : Is God working for you or are you working for him
Christians quit when the going gets tough disciples don’t
Christians quit when there prayers don’t get answered – disciples don’t’-
Christians quit when they run out of money disciples don’t.
Christians quit when they get stoned outside he city gates – diciples get prayed for get back up and go back in the city for round two-
Christians carry another burdens 1 mile – disciples go 2
Christians get slapped ounce – disciples turn the other cheek and say hit me again
Christians forgive the first 7 times disciples forgive 70x7 times.
Today I want to add a few more pieces
Disciples find a “Battle Buddy”
Trip to LA
This might be pretty easy to figure out.
It also could be one of our biggest challenges
Most men don’t like asking for directions or for help
Remember the days before SIRI We used something called road maps
Grand McNally - the size of a newspaper.
Men always think they know what they are doing.
We can tear apart a motor and have bolts left over
The problem is our independence overshadows our dependence
This goes all the way back to Genesis
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”
Probably because Adm never asked for help
Did Adam ever ask Eve for help naming the animals > No he did it himself.
Did he ask eve to help him in the garden - NO
He thought he was responsible But he let his wife go off in the garden with a serpent.
What was Adam thinking?
But God knew he needed help. God said Adam needed a suitable helper.
Eve - when you think about it she needed a battle buddy in the garden. If Adam would of jumped in things would have been different. At least for a period of time. This Independence left them open for attack
There was a movie called Blindside with Sandra Bullock and it was the value of a left tackle.
Quarterbacks need protection - they need he left tackle
Marriage is life with a “battle buddy” not a buddy to battle
We have many examples in scripture of people needing the help of other people.
Peter and John in Acts 4: 1-23 “1
Acts 4:1–4 (NASB95)
1 As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,
2 being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
3 And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening.
4 But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
Acts 4:16-20 (NASB95)
16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.
17 “But so that it will not spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name.”
18 And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge;
20 for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
23 When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
No where in these passages do you get a sense it is an individual effort.
John the Baptist needed Jesus
Matthew 11 “1 When Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities. 2 Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” 4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 “And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”
John was struggling - He wanted to confirm again in his heart Jesus was the messiah.
Prison was messing with his mind. The enemy was speaking into his ear. Your not worthy, God has forgotten you. Your nothing.
David need Joab and Jonathan
Joab was a skilled and highly successful army commander who was fiercely loyal to David. And David trusted him to act in the best interests of both David and the kingdom.
Jonathan
1 Samual 20 speaks of David trusting Jonathan to what the King was thinking about him. The 2nd to last verse David creates a covenant with Jonathan that would last generations.
We are dependent on each other
1 Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
We can speak truth one to another, we can encourage one another
Paul and Silas
22 The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods.
23 When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely;
24 and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;
We are in the battle together
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
The illustration is a Roman soldier
No Romans soldier would be caught alone on the battle field.
They would advance together - They connected themselves together to form an impenetrable line.
You go it alone because you don't trust people or because of your pride.
Question - Who is your Battle Buddy?
2. Disciples Center Around God Not Themselves
Jesus is Lord or Jesus is Nothing - Think about that for a second. What does that mean?
No Lord = No Savior
Back to David
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Paul - a very smart guy, well respected as a rabbi,
But this is what he said and it is worth meditating on.
8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,
We call this “Christocentric”
We talk about him, we think about him, we pray to him, we spend much time with him.
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;
Even to the point of dying like him (early church)
Why?
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
3. Disciples Give Their All
25 Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them,
26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.
27 “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
28 “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?
29 “Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him,
30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’
31 “Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
32 “Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.
33 “So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.
We count the cost and give it our all
Personal illustration- We sold everything three times - everything. Homes Savings, cars, nearness to our grandchildren, friends and family.
It is not easy.
4. Disciples Live By Faith
When you live by faith, you will do things you would not normally do and you will get things you don’t normally get.
29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “It shall be done to you according to your faith.”
Faith has substance
It has Rhema - (a personal direct word from God)
Peter got out of the Boat by a Rhema word.
29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
I want you to think about this miracle for a second
Jesus said you can move mountains, he also made it clear you could walk on water - Which one is harder?
You live by the word of God.
It has substance. You can obey it because it has the power to sustain you.
Many of our prayers are unanswered because there is no substance in the faith.
33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
We need his word on it before we can act on it.
When you pray you have to pray in the Spirit. ( in other words be directed by it) or else you might not receive an answer or blessing on it.
Conclusion
Who is your battle buddy?
Where is your life focused?
What Rhema word have you heard from Jesus?