Be A Disciple

Are you a disciple of the Lord? In martial arts, there are many different disciplines. There are some that are grappling, or wrestling, while others are striking. To be trained in a discipline of that martial art, you follow the teaching. You do not create your own, and you do not train Brazillian Jiu Jitsu by learning how to kick. You don’t learn boxing by learning submission holds. You don’t learn wrestling by throwing punches. Yet many times we try to be a disciple of Jesus without doing what He said. Do you follow the Lord? Ephesians 5:1 “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;”

Jesus at the beginning of this chapter showed mercy on a woman who was caught in adultery. He says He is the light of the world and disputed with the Pharisees, and sayid that He is from above and He is sent from the Father, the Pharisees do not like this, but it says in v. 30 many people believed. So Jesus is out preaching and people are getting saved. He being God, and knowing everything tells these people to “Continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.” He tells them how to be his disciples, and tells us what it means to be a disciple. Yet many Christians are not disciples. They are not following the Lord. Our theme is simple:BE A DISCIPLE. Starting next week, we will be walking through the Sermon on the Mount.

What do you learn about being a disciple?

Distinction of a disciple

Notice how the Jews believed, and He is talking to them. He is saying to these BELIEVERS how to be a disciple. Meaning that there is a difference between being saved and being a disciple.

The moment you trust Christ as Savior, you become a believer and saved. But you are not yet a disciple.

The issue today is that there are many believers, few disciples.

Now once you are saved, you need to follow after Christ.

Too many people confuse the Gospel by putting a discipleship verse with a salvation verse. Salvation is by grace through faith. Being a disciple will take work.

Romans 11:6 “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”

Path of a Disciple

Jesus talking to these people, tells them how they become His disciples. It is by continuing in His word.

You continue in Jesus’s Word. It means to stay and abide. It means to have your focus on what He taught. It means to live out His teaching, and not just know what they say but live it.

It means to deny what your flesh wants,

Matthew 16:24-26 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Your flesh is diametrically opposed to His teaching. So you need to crucify your flesh, and desires and live out what He taught. There are guys who are extremely disciplined. They get up at 4:30 am. Workout. Work, they don’t eat fried or sugary foods. The reason they do those things is not because of doing those things but the result.

1 Corinthians 9:26-27 “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

It means when He says be meek, or love your enemies, or give, or fast. You do it.

Do you follow what the Lord says

Reward of discipleship

He says those who will be a disciple will be made free. A couple verses later shows that it is freedom from sin. Made free from the power of sin in your life.

He that follows Jesus’s word will be made free. He that knows not just academically but in your heart

You no longer have to live in the sin you are

Romans 6:6 “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”

Romans 6:11 “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 6:13 “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”

Back in end of June, we had a huge storm on a Sunday. It said there was a tornado warning, also severe hail. So my mother-in-law was there, because Liam was born the week before. So Ms. Gabi, her mom, Liam, Mushu and I went to the basement. I put Mushu in his cat carrier, to bring him down, because you cannot just bring him without it, because he refuses to go down in our basement. I brought him back up, and opened up the door of the carrier, expecting him to go out. But he stayed there. So I thought, maybe he will come out soon. I went and did some other things, I saw he was still there. It took him a while to come out. And both doors to the carrier were open. That describes many believers who could if they wanted to, live a free life, but because they are not growing as a disciple.

Are you a disciple?