The Heart of the Disciple

Intro

Good morning everyone. It is good to see you. Since I will not see you guys this Wednesday, let me just say happy Independence Day. I thank God that we have freedom to worship. That is truly a blessing.

Also, let me just say to all of you to just be careful this holiday. I know that we are on the Westside but I would hate for anyone to lose any fingers from a “Hold my sweet tea” moment with fireworks.

If you have your Bibles, go ahead and grab those and turn with me to Luke chapter six.

This morning, we are picking up in our Sunday Sermon series through the Gospel of Luke. We are seeing the Master’s school of discipleship with the aim that we will become better disciples.

Several times through this series, we’ve discussed this dichotomy that our culture has made up. Essentially, that you can be a Christian without being a disciple. American Christianity has come to view it as okay to be a regular church goer and be a Christian but the super spiritual Christians, they are the ones that go through discipleship.

What we have been seeing in this study is that Jesus had a very different idea of discipleship and he had very specific expectations for the lives and character of his disciples.

To Jesus, there are only disciples. And Jesus said a lot about how he expected his followers to live especially in relation to people around us. Jesus is not content with just being our Rabbi on Sunday morning. To really be his disciples, we must spend time with him every single day until we begin to think and say and do the things he did.

This morning we are picking up right where we left off last week in Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain. Now, I am of the opinion that this is a separate sermon than the one that was recorded in Matthew chapter 5 but both of these sermons share the same themes. It’s almost like Jesus preached this on the mount and then on another occasion, he preaches a very similar message from another location.

Jesus’ aim with this message and in the one found in Matthew 5-7 is Spiritual Formation, Kingdom Ethics. Because as Kingdom citizens, there are certain characteristics that we should be displaying as a natural outworking of the gospel in our lives.

In other words, the lives of his disciples is important to him. The way in which we live our day to day lives is important to Jesus because as his students, our lives should reflect our belief in our teacher’s teachings. Because if we are not reflecting Jesus Monday through Saturday, there is a disconnect somewhere.

This is what today’s text is all about. The way in which we live in relationship with others around us. Anyone that we come in contact with regardless of how ungodly or sinful or different they may be… they need to see Jesus in us.

So, let’s take a look at what the Jesus says about how we are to love others, really this is just Jesus elaborating on what he said last week about how Christians love. So if you would, please stand with me in honor and reverence to God’s Holy Word. And we will begin in verse 37…

Luke 6:37–42 ESV

“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

*Discipleship school in the first century*

It’s important to understand the world in which Jesus lived and ministered. Because, interestingly, Jesus did not invent discipleship. Discipleship was something that Rabbis had been doing for hundreds of years by the time of Jesus’ ministry. To the first century Jew, this was not a new concept.

In first century Judaism, children would begin their discipleship in the Torah when they turned 5 years old. By the time they turn 12 years old, they would be able to recite the first five books of the Old Testament, the Torah, from memory.

Once a student graduates from Torah school, they would normally go home to learn the family trade. But there were some students who would go on to the second level of education where they would memorize the entire Old Testament. Can you imagine that?

Once this schooling was complete, the best of these students would have the opportunity to apply to be an apprentice to a Rabbi. Apprenticeship to a Rabbi means that the student would place themselves under the yoke (or teaching) of the Rabbi for the purpose of being like them one day as a Rabbi themselves.

And when a Rabbi would take notice of a student and he calls them to come and follow him, to the student, they are hearing an invitation to come and be like this Rabbi.

This understanding gives the calling of the 12 a new meaning when you read those accounts. You remember when Jesus calls Peter and Andrew to come and follow him so that he can make them fishers of men, what did they do? They dropped their nets to go and follow Jesus. Why? Because they wanted to be like him. They wanted to learn from him.

We have to remember that Jesus is a Rabbi and he calls us to be apprentices of his. And the point of our apprenticeship with Jesus is to be made like him in every way possible. Our lives must reflect what we believe.

This is the point of both the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain in Luke 6.

You see, when we become disciples of Jesus, we are made citizens of the Kingdom and as citizens, we are expected to live as Kingdom People.

There have been many people all throughout Church History that have looked at these sermons of Jesus and all they see are laws and rules to follow but the truth is, these are not necessarily rules to follow, they are primarily characteristics you should be displaying as a student of Jesus.

So if you are following along in your notes, this is the first point this morning,

The life of the disciple: the call to mercy

Of all the verses in the Bible, verse 37 is probably the verse that I have heard used against Christians the most. RC Sproul commented that this verse is the verse that God-hating pagans love to use the most.

Luke 6:37 ESV

“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;

I’ve seen T-Shirts, bumper stickers, and even tattoos that say things like “Only God can judge me.” This is such a prideful statement that someone can make and I don’t think they understand what exactly it means for God to judge you.

In other words, it’s not good and the thought of God acting as our judge should terrify us, unless we are in Christ.

So Jesus says, Judge not, but what exactly does that mean? Does it mean that we have to keep our opinions to ourselves? Does it mean that we are not allowed to call out sin when we see it? Does it mean that we cannot stand against injustice and wickedness in our world? No, I don’t think Jesus meant that at all.

We are to call out sin when we see it and we are to stand against injustices in our world.

In my summation, there are at least two different kinds of judgements that the Scriptures talk about. The first kind is a type of judgement that comes out of a spirit of self-righteousness. This kind of judgement only condemns because to the self-righteous person, no one can ever measure up.

The other kind of judgement would simply be a type of evaluation or a discernment. This is what the world assumes Jesus is talking about but he is actually talking about the type of judgement that condemns, or consigns somebody to hell.

The type of judgement that he will do at the end of the age.

And to the church’s embarrassment, we have been guilty of being judgmental in this way at different times in history. And we must fight against being judgmental and condemning because this isn’t how Jesus was when he was here on earth.

I’m reminded of the story of the sinful woman who interrupts a dinner party to anoint Jesus’ feet. I love this about Jesus, his preaching was consistent with his life. There is a lesson to learn right there for the church in the 21st century.

But this story is recorded just one page to the right in your Bibles, Luke 7, but you remember when Jesus was invited to a religious leader’s house for a dinner party and this woman who was a notoriously sinful woman barged in and in front of everyone, anointed Jesus’ feet with an expensive perfume and her tears. And she used her hair as a towel.

The whole room was looking down on this woman and they were looking down on Jesus for not scolding her.

Luke 7:39 says that the religious leader who had invited Jesus to the dinner party said to himself that “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”

That is the kind of judging that Jesus says that we must avoid. Instead, we must look at those around us with the eyes of Jesus. Regardless of how different or sinful we perceive them to be.

To be a disciple means that we live lives marked by mercy. If we go back one verse in chapter 6 verse 36, Jesus says,

Luke 6:36 ESV

Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

In verse 37-42, Jesus is expounding upon that idea, that the Kingdom of God is turning the world totally upside down and things that you think were right are actually counter-cultural to the Kingdom of God.

He is describing what a student of his will look like.

They will be merciful just like God the Father is merciful. They will love because they were loved. They will not judge because they were not the judge. They will not condemn because they did not face condemnation through the blood of Jesus. They will forgive because they were forgiven.

And it can be difficult to break the habit of selfishness in our life but I think to do this, you just need to reflect on one thing. And it is this: God saved you. God loved you and called you out of your brokenness. And guess what? You didn’t deserve it and I didn’t deserve it. It was all grace!

Ephesians 2:8-9 says,

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

It was all grace. And because this grace was undeserving, we should be the most humble. With this in view, we can do all of those things that Jesus said in verse 37. We will be a loving community that invites anyone and everyone in through the proclamation of the gospel and discipleship.

Mercy and love is how we are to view people and when we do, there are so many blessings that come with it.

Which leads to the second thing in your notes and it is this :

Mercy overflowed: the principle of generosity

Really, this is kind of like a part two from Mike’s sermon from last week. Which makes sense because these verses are a part of the same sermon from Jesus.

If you remember from last week, in verse 27, Jesus says,

Luke 6:27–28 ESV

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

Love is so important in the life of a disciple of Jesus. We ought to be driven by love because this is how Jesus was driven.

And this love will show itself in very tangible ways.

Back in verse 30, Jesus said,

Luke 6:30 “Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.”

When we love people, we will show it with generosity. This doesn’t always mean that we give money, although that is certainly a big part of it. This can include giving things like your time and your talents to help people in need.

But here’s the best thing about living a life of Generosity, God loves it so much when you live sacrificially that he promises to bless you for it.

In verse 36, Jesus says,

Luke 6:38 “give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.””

The image here is someone that is giving someone else grain. He is saying that you will want to be so generous that when someone asks you for something, like grain, you put it into a container, shake it around and press it down so that there is no empty space in the container. Really, the idea is you are giving as much as will possibly fit.

And then he says running over, after the grain is shaken and pressed down, add some more on top. And the grain that spills out because you are giving so much out of a generous heart, will fall back into your lap. Think of this as blessing.

When we give to those in need, the more sacrificial we give, the more God will bless us. Don’t hear any kind of prosperity gospel nonsense in this. This doesn’t mean that you will receive your money back, although that does sometimes happen. Remember, we are to give without expecting anything in return but at the same time God will bless you. And that blessing can take many different forms.

It could be that you meet someone in need and you go out of your way to really take care of them.

Maybe God will bless you with a gospel opportunity and that person repents and believes the gospel and themselves become disciples of Jesus.

Generosity is a metric to who we are being discipled by. And really, all Jesus is doing is he is providing commentary on his Golden Rule. When you see someone in need, instead of responding out of a self-righteous judgemental heart, respond how you would if the roles were reversed.

Jesus said “just as you want people to treat you, treat them the same way.” He also said, you reap what you sow.

John Calvin, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, summarized the Christian life with one word “Self-Denial” which is exactly what Paul had in mind when he said in Philippians 2:3-5

Philippians 2:3–5 ESV

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

This is what we are after in our discipleship to Jesus. We want to have the mind of Christ. And he is the most generous and gracious of anyone.

So generous that he gave his life for us when we only deserved judgement. I was reading David Garland’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 5. Probably my favorite verse in the Bible in 2 Corinthians 5:21 which says

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Garland says,

The righteousness that we become through Christ’s sacrificial death (5:21) works itself out in our sacrificial generosity to others. A lack of generosity calls into question whether or not we have truly received the righteousness of God.

David E. Garland

But here’s the kicker, we cannot have the mind of Christ unless he is the one that is discipling us. And this is the third point in your notes,

A student is like his teacher: who is discipling you?

Verse 39,

Luke 6:39–40 ESV

He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

John Mark Comer and Dallas Willard have great books on Spiritual Formation. I just finished the Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard and he talks about this ad naseum in this book.

The question is not are you a disciple. The question is who are you being discipled by. Who is your master, your teacher. Because, as a student, you will become just like your teacher. You are somebody’s disciple.

So let me ask you this: who are you being discipled by?

A lot of people in my generation and in the up and coming generation are being discipled by their phones and different influencers on social media. Some people are being discipled by a political party or their favorite conspiracy theorist on YouTube.

We can be discipled by peer groups, social circles, secular philosophies and ideologies, educational systems. None of these things are wrong necessarily but we can have only one Master. If we are led by blind teachers, Jesus is saying that we ourselves will be blind because a student can only be as good as who they are learning from.

This is why we need to be disciples of Jesus.

This question of, who am I a disciple of, should really cause us to spend some time just examining our lives.

In Jesus day, he was directing his attention directly at the Pharisees who were also taking disciples. The issue was that these religious leaders were nothing but blind guides. What did the Pharisees do? They looked down on everyone else’s sin when they were guilty of worse things.

Jesus said in verses 41 and 42,

Luke 6:41–42 ESV

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

We are to address sin in the lives of people around us. We are to have a discerning spirit but we have no business addressing anyone else’s sin until we deal with our own sin.

Christians are constantly being accused of hypocrisy and sometimes this is totally warranted. This is a part of our spiritual formation.

I heard a funny story this week about,

The need for regular self-examination

300 Illustrations for Preachers Wife Going Deaf?

A man thinks his wife is losing her hearing. A doctor suggests that he try a simple at-home test: Stand behind her, ask her a question from different distances, and see when she can hear it. The man goes home, sees his wife in the kitchen facing the stove, and asks from the door, “What’s for dinner tonight?” No answer. Ten feet behind her, he repeats, “What’s for dinner tonight?” Still no answer. Finally, right behind her he says, “What’s for dinner tonight?” His wife turns around and says, “For the third time—chicken.”

Jesus taught us to look at our own shortcomings before we blame others.

—Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

A disciple of Jesus will address the sins of other. They will see how people around them are heading for a train wreck, and because they love them, they will want to do anything within their power to help them out of that sin.

But here’s the thing, we have to deal with our own sins before we can help anyone else. I was just on a plane a couple of weeks ago and they always tell you right before lift off, if the need for oxygen masks arrives, put your’s on before you help others.

Why? Because you won’t be of much help if you are passed out due to lack of oxygen.

In the same way, be a Disciple of Jesus who takes their own sin more seriously than they do the sins of others. Yes, call people to faith and repentance but not out of a judgemental heart of self-righteousness. Instead, call people to faith and repentance because you know that you were exactly where they are now and we would probably be worse off if it weren’t for Jesus and his grace.

Conclusion and Application

I know that this is a lot but let me see if I can land this plane in a coherent way.

Right now, I am reading a history of the Free Will Baptist and I just finished this chapter about a missionary in Cuba by the name of Thomas Willey. Willey served in Cuba during the Cuban Revolution and he attended the trial for war criminals who were accused of murdering Cuban peasants. 11 men and their captain all condemned to die by firing squad.

Amazingly, Willey addressed the Military Tribunal and said,

“May I commend you men for the just way you have conducted this trial,” Willey said. “Now that you have condemned them to die to pay for their crimes against the people, your sense of justice will be complete if you will allow me to tell them how they can take care of their sins against God.”

Thomas Willey had compassion on these men condemned to die. He listened. He counseled. He prayed, and before they went out into eternity, he was able to lead a number to faith in Christ.

This is the kind of compassion that we must show everyone. The things that these men did were terrible. They murdered innocent people for the cause of a dictator. How easy would it have been to judge and condemn these people?

We were the condemned men. We were condemned to die for our crimes but Jesus stepped in and out of compassion for us, he took on our condemnation to make us innocent and to purchase our freedom. Let this drive your life.

Let me encourage you to take your discipleship with Jesus seriously and to see people the way that he did when he was here on earth.

All throughout the ministry of Jesus, we see that there are two paths. The path of life and the path of death. This is exactly how the early church thought too. The path of life is the school of discipleship of Jesus. The path of death is being discipled by anything else.

Don’t buy into what American Christian culture teaches about what it means to be a Christian because, quite frankly, that way will lead to death.

Just a couple of weeks ago, in our Wednesday night study, we talked about the Sheep/Goat judgement in Matthew 25. In this passage, Jesus says at the end before the judgement, he will separate what he calls the Sheep and the Goats. The Sheep being his disciples and the Goats being lost people.

Jesus says this to the Sheep,

English Standard Version Chapter 25

‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’

Do you remember, they said, Lord when did we do these things to you. Jesus’ answer to that question is every time you help someone in need, you where doing to me.

These people in Matthew 25 are the same people that Jesus is describing in Luke 6.

But the reverse is true for the Goats. Jesus says to them Depart from me. Why? He says,

English Standard Version Chapter 25

‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’

How we treat people shows what and who is in our hearts. If it is Jesus, then we will love the least of these because that’s exactly who we were before Jesus. But if we have self-righteous, judegemental hearts that condemn, then we do not know Jesus and we are not his disciple.

Don’t be a goat. Let me just say that if you are not in Jesus, you are on a path that will only lead to heartache and death. There is coming a day when Jesus will come as Judge and you do not have to be counted with the goats on the left.

The gospel is available to all people and all who believe that the Lord Jesus came to earth, lived the perfect life that we were supposed to live, and then died the death that was meant for us, will be saved. All you have to do is confess and repent of your sins and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and he will come into your life.

The Bible says that whosoever believes will be saved. Just remember, he doesn’t pick the best of the best. Instead, he choses people like fishermen and tax collectors to be his disciples and to change the world. He chooses people like you and me. And praise God for that.

The Apostle Paul says “Today is the day of salvation.” Do not harden your hearts.

I’m going to pray and then we are going to worship through song. Let me encourage you to spend some time with the Lord during this time. Really examine your life and your discipleship. If there is anything to address, then now is the time to do it.

Let’s pray.