Discipleship

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Today we will look at an overview of the main sections of this course.
We will go into much greater detail, but for now we will just do a survey.
This pattern and principles in this course are all based on a passage in Luke that describes the actions, attitudes and teachings of Jesus.

1: Purposefulness

Luke 9:51 BSB
51 As the day of His ascension approached, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
Note that Jesus was resolute.
He was heading to Jerusalem to suffer, die, and rise; to undertake the great battle and the great mission entrusted to Him.
Everything He did was to be oriented toward this goal.
What about us?
Are we as determined to seek Christ and head for His Kingdom?
Is our direction clear?
Have we set our sights resolutely, or do we meander about?
Our goal is to set our face like flint and pursue the Jerusalem of Heaven, just as Jesus set His face toward the Jerusalem of this earth to accomplish His mission.
Scripture speaks often of developing a firm and unequivocal resolve, of being purposeful and single-hearted in our determination to follow Jesus and set our sights on Heaven.
Philippians 3:13 BSB
13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
James 1:4 BSB
4 Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Are you focused?
Purposeful?
What is the one thing you do?
The first discipline of discipleship is to be purposeful, determined, single-hearted, and focused in our pursuit of the Lord and His kingdom.

2: Perseverance.

Luke 9:52–56 BSB
52 He sent messengers on ahead, who went into a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. 53 But the people there refused to welcome Him, because He was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do You want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 And He and His disciples went on to another village.
James and John are angry at and discouraged by the rejection of Jesus and the values of the Kingdom, but He Jesus rebukes their desire for retaliation.
Notice how Jesus stays focused on His task.
Rejected here, He moves forward.
He does not let the devil distract Him or His disciples from the task of proclaiming the Word whether in season or out of season, popular or unpopular, accepted or rejected.
Keep preaching; keep plowing; keep walking.
Do not give up; do not grow angry; just keep working. Leave judgment to God.
For now, just preach, teach, warn, and admonish.
Scripture says,
Matthew 10:14 BSB
14 And if anyone will not welcome you or heed your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.
Matthew 10:22 BSB
22 You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
Yes, persevere! Remember, we’re called to be faithful, not successful.
We need to persevere not just in the face of rejection, but in the face of trials, temptations, setbacks, sorrows, hurts, hardships, failures, and frustrations. Preach, teach, and be tenacious.
Remember to trust in Jesus. They killed Him, but He rose.
Many have announced the end of faith.
Many have sworn that they will bury the Church, but she has buried every one of her would-be undertakers.
They dug our grave but fell into it themselves.
Yes, we read the funeral rites over them.
We have outlived every opponent.
No weapon waged against us will prevail. Long after the current confusion and pride of the decadent West has gone, the Church will still exist, preaching Christ and Him crucified.

3: Poverty.

Luke 9:57–58 BSB
57 As they were walking along the road, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow You wherever You go.” 58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
Here is another critical discipline of discipleship:
following Jesus even if worldly gain not only eludes us but is outright taken from us.
Let me explain “Poverty” as i mean it here:
Christian poverty is not LACK of material good but FREEDOM from material good.
1 Timothy 6:10 BSB
10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
Do you love the consolations of God or the God of all consolation?
Do you seek the gifts of God or the Giver of every good and perfect gift?
What if following Jesus gives you no earthly gain?
What if, in fact, being a disciple brings you ridicule, loss, prison, or even death?
Would you still follow Him? Would you still be a disciple?
In this verse Jesus’ potential disciple seems to have power, prestige, or worldly gain in mind.
Perhaps he sees Jesus as a political messiah and wants to get on the “inside track.”
Jesus warns him that this is not what discipleship is about.
The Son of Man’s Kingdom is not of this world.
We need to heed Jesus’ warning. Riches are actually a great danger.
Not only can riches not help us in what we really need, they can actually hinder us!
Poverty is the not the worst thing.
There’s a risk in riches, a peril in prosperity, and a worry in wealth.
The Lord Jesus points to poverty and powerlessness (in worldly matters) when it comes to being disciples.
This is not merely a remote possibility or an abstraction.
If we live as true disciples, we are going to find that wealth is seldom our lot.
Why is this?
Well, our lack of wealth comes from the fact that if we are true disciples, we won’t make easy compromises with sin or evil.
We won’t take just any job.
We won’t be ruthless in the workplace or deal with people unscrupulously.
We won’t lie on our resumes, cheat on our taxes, or take easy and sinful short cuts.
We will observe the Sabbath, be generous to the poor, pay a just wage, provide necessary benefits to workers, and observe the tithe.
The world hands out (temporary) rewards if we do these sorts of things, but true disciples refuse such compromises with evil.
In so doing, they reject the temporary rewards of this earth and may thus have a less opulent place to lay their heads.
They may not get every promotion and they may not become powerful.
Yes, poverty is a discipline of discipleship.
What is “poverty”?
It is freedom from the snares of power, popularity, and possessions.
Jesus had nowhere to rest his head.
Now that’s poor!
But it also means freedom from the many duties, obligations, and compromises that come with wealth.
If you’re poor no one can steal from you or threaten take away your things. You’re free; you have nothing to lose.
Most of us have too much to lose and so we are not free; our discipleship is hindered.

4: Promptness (readiness).

Luke 9:59–60 BSB
59 Then He said to another man, “Follow Me.” The man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 But Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
The Lord seems harsh here.
Jesus’ point is that if the man didn’t have this excuse, he’d have some other one.
He does not have a prompt or willing spirit.
We can always find some reason that we can’t follow wholeheartedly today because we have to get a few things resolved first.
It’s the familiar “I’ll do tomorrow.”
There is a peril in procrastination.
Too many people always push things off to tomorrow, but tomorrow is not promised.
In the Scriptures there is one word that jumps out over and over again; it’s the word now.
Isaiah 1:18 BSB
18 “Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.
2 Corinthians 6:2 BSB
2 For He says: “In the time of favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!
Psalm 95:7 BSB
7 For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care. Today, if you hear His voice,
Proverbs 27:1 BSB
1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
That’s right, tomorrow is not promised!
You’d better choose the Lord today because tomorrow might very well be too late.
Now is the day of salvation.
Yes, promptness is a great gift to be sought from God.
It is the gift to run joyfully and without delay to what God promises.

5: Perfection.

Luke 9:61–62 BSB
61 Still another said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first let me bid farewell to my family.” 62 Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
When we accepted Christ, we set our hand to the gospel plow and we left certain things behind. We are not to return to those things, things like harmful habits, ruinous relationships, soul-killing sinfulness, and perilous pleasures.
Yes, there are some things that we used to do that we have no business doing now.
We need to give up our former ways and not look back.
Ok Right: BUT what happenbs when we do look back?
God lovingly corrects and punishes us.
Hebrews 12:6 BSB
6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.”
If you want to be a disciple, then you will be well acquainted to God’s discipline.
God will lovingly speak hard and harsh words to us in rebuke:
Luke 24:25 BSB
25 Then Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, how slow are your hearts to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
John 2:4 BSB
4 “Woman, why does this concern us?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
Matthew 14:31 BSB
31 Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and took hold of Peter. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?”
John 21:22 BSB
22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain until I return, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
Matthew 16:23 BSB
23 But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
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