Discipleship - Discovering Hidden Treasure

Thank you music team. Well done this morning.

Well, good morning Church!

Introduction

Well we are in the midst of a series we are simply calling “Disciple” where we are looking into just exactly what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and how to engage in the disciple making process. We think this is important because it is the last command Jesus gave before leaving His earthly ministry.

Last week I said we would begin to look into some practical things we can begin to practice that will position s as apprentices of Jesus and help us to realize and experience the Kingdom of God right here and right now.

Dallas Willard said that you should...

“Arrange your days so that you are living in deep contentment and joy and confidence in your everyday life with God”

This morning I want to talk with you about discovering Hidden treasure and I hope to provide you with some thoughts and some tangible things you can put into practice that will help you do what is advised here by Dallas Willard.

I said last week that when discipleship is woven into the very fabric of the life you are already living, your normal life, you will soon see that knowledge, and faith and practice are all three totally connected. The best part, as we have been saying, the Kingdom of God becomes tangible- here and now!

This is exactly how Jesus made disciples,

So this morning I want to begin to examine what might look like and I think, like me, you will see that discipleship and the disciple-making that Jesus has called each of us to is absolutely within the reach of every person here this morning.

But as I have already mentioned, becoming a disciple and and discipling others will not happen by sitting in rows once a week and listening to a 40 minute message. Hopefully the message will provide you with some knowledge and some tools you can use in your own journey, but whether or not you actually become a disciple or ever help others to become disciples, will depend on your effort to make it a regular and consistent part of your daily living. It cannot be part time. It cannot be only when you feel like you need Jesus to make you feel better about yourself and your circumstances. And it cannot be just one more thing you attempt to add to your already overloaded schedule.

Discipleship, as I said, must be woven into the very fabric of your life. And in fact, that is what makes it possible for everyone in the room to do. You don’t add it, you replace and adjust some things you are already doing, with the practices needed to live and traffic in the kingdom of God.

And it will require you to let go of some things. Remember what we said a few weeks ago. For every Yes there will be numerous no’s required because you simply cannot keep adding things.

So get ready to turn loose of some stuff. Some will be easy, some will prove to be very very difficult, but oh so worth it!

And I want to point out one more thing. In case anyone is getting the ides that this is something you can do independently and isolated from one another. Some things you will do in private, but discipleship, by its very nature is done in community. In community with our triune God, and in community with each other.

One of the things I hear about LFB over and over again is how welcoming and inclusive our community is. So this should be easy for us right?!

Now, I am going to start this morning with 3 very practical things we can do. One is sort of a mindset, and the other two are things you can begin to practice in the daily rhythms of your life.

So here we go. Three things becoming an apprentice of Jesus will require.

First, the mindset. and here is a truth you need to lean into.

1. Becoming an Apprentice of Jesus Christ is not too difficult for YOU.

And what would lead you to that belief? We said it last week. Jesus promised it wouldn’t be!

Mat 11:28-30 NLT - 28 Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens (Does that apply to ANYONE in the room this morning?), and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."

Next...Becoming an apprentice of Jesus will require that you...

2. Intentionally Invite His Presence.

In order to weave your apprenticeship into the fabric of your everyday life, there are a couple habits you will need to employ. Habits come from practice. Practice something long enough, it becomes a habit. It becomes second nature.

And the third thing is, and certainly the most important thing is...

Becoming an apprentice of Jesus means...

3. We must be obedient to the teachings of Jesus. And here is the key. Not all at once! Try to do too many things and you will accomplish nothing. I will say more about that in a minute.

So once again.

1. Becoming an Apprentice of Jesus Christ is not too difficult for YOU.

You must...

2. Intentionally Invite His Presence.

And three

3. You must be obedient to the teachings of Jesus.

So lets take these one at a time and have a closer look.

MAIN MESSAGE

Becoming an apprentice is not Too difficult.

That is not to say it won’t challenge us, but Jesus promised it is in within everyone’s reach.

Following Jesus is not rocket science and it's not brain surgery and it is not complex. It doesn’t require that we master huge amounts of information that we don’t yet have. Most of us know all that we need to know. Lack of information is not really our problem.

That is not to say that there are not always opportunities to learn, but I think most of us know what we need to know to be able to follow Jesus.

It begins with a vision for the kind of life that Jesus himself described. One that is unhurried, and it starts with the understanding that life with God is available to us, right here and right now. And then, as I choose to enter into that life, which I do by surrendering my own will, my own day to God, its then and only then that God will show me what I need to know to be able to do next thing. And by stringing enough of those moments together I simply become a follower of Jesus.

I said last week, the true test of religious life is not doctrinal correctness, its actually life itself. Jesus is most interested in our lives, not our correct doctrinal positions.

As we follow Jesus we will run into doctrinal truths that must be understood and dealt with, but that comes later, not first.

It is the idea that I make it my settled intent, to choose to do what Jesus would do if he were in my place. If he were in my body. If he were living out my life.

And in this way, I come to abide IN Him and with Him. And that is how I live in the kingdom here and now. It is really simpler than we make it. It is more easily available than we know.

The kingdom of God is all around us beloved, inviting us to step in, and live and move within it. And the way we do that is through some really pretty simple things that we can start to practice right now.

That brings me to the second point.

Becoming an apprentice of Jesus will require that you...

2. Intentionally Invite His Presence

There are a number of habits to develop that will help us as apprentices of Jesus but this one will make all the difference and is a great starting place that may provide the most traction of any.

It sounds too simple but trust me, it makes a huge difference. Now before I give you the steps, let me provide a little background.

First thing is we need to remember there has been an invitation issued to us. We are called to be His students. I reckon the greatest opportunity in life is to become a student or apprentice of Jesus. You and I will never get a better invitation that that.

He has made that opportunity available to us. When Jesus said the kingdom of Heaven is at hand, He was talking about the new accessibility to the kingdom that came in His person. Because Jesus came, you and I have access to the Kingdom of God. And this invitation to the kingdom comes by way of becoming His student.

We become good people and we become kingdom dwellers by signing on to being an apprentice of Jesus.

Now to do that, of course you have to have some knowledge of Him and the kingdom that He makes available. This is often where we mess up and over-complicate the idea of evangelism. And it doesn’t need to be that way.

Evangelism simply means that we supply people with some knowledge about Jesus so that they can make an informed decision about whether or not they want to follow Him. That’s it. Everything beyond that is completely up to the Holy Spirit working in that person’s heart.

But we really have to take to heart the idea that the kingdom of God is right here and it is available.

So, here is the first thing I want you to start to practice until it becomes a normal and natural habit. It will take a bit of time before it comes natural and until you start to do it without thinking but it will be time well spent. Here it is....

When you are going through your day, at every juncture, as you move from one thing to another in your day, no matter how minor you think it is, invite God into it and expect Him to work in that next section of your day.

see here’s the thing. We assume God will get involved in our circumstances without being invited and maybe that is where we get it wrong. I am not saying He never does, but what would your day look like if you actually took a moment to invite him into your day. Invite Him into the things you are doing.

What would happen to your day if you intentionally invite Him into the moment and EXPECT He will respond?

Now, here is how that might look. You get up in the morning and maybe you already have a habit of spending time in the Word and in prayer. (If you don’t, that is a REALLY good habit to establish) So right before you read say Colossians 3:1-17, specifically invite God to be a part of that time and expect Him to work in that time with you.

But don’t stop there. Whatever is next in your day, spending a few minutes with your family before you head off to work? Invite God to be a part of that. As you walk out the door to drive to work, Invite God along for the ride and expect His presence.

When you arrive to work, before you step out of the car, invite God into your workspace and expect Him to show up.

All through your day, as you move from one task to another, as you go from one meeting or appointment with someone, pause and invite God to be a part of it and expect Him to work. At every transition throughout your day, don’t assume God will be there, invite Him!

Now you might be thinking, man Hutch, that’s gonna take way too much time and effort. No it won’t. I am not talking about some long wordy prayer at each transition. Simply, Jesus, I am about to _____, would come be part of it” That’s it. And expect him to show up because HE WILL!

James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”

There’s the invitation AND the promise. A really good way to draw near to God is to intentionally invite Him into every part of your day.

Now here is what I know some of you will be tempted to do. First thing in the morning, “Dear God, I am inviting you to be preset with me all day long, Amen”

Please don’t do that. You may think that is a very efficient and time saving move, but it misses the point. Because stopping for a moment throughout the day, to invite God into your day and your circumstance, well it has a way of drawing you closer to Him. it reminds you that He IS near and that He WANTS to be involved in everything you do. Can you see that?

Folks, I have been doing this for a while now and I am telling you it is INCREDIBLE the difference this is making in my days! I am more focused on each moment instead of worrying about the past or the future. I have more calm and peace throughout the day. It is incredible. And it is such a simple thing to do. And once you do it for a while it becomes second nature. Inviting god to be a part of what you are doing.

So, remember that

Becoming an apprentice is not Too difficult.

2. get into the habit of Intentionally inviting His presence.

Next and this one is critical.

Becoming an apprentice of Jesus means...

3. We must be obedient to the teachings of Jesus.

And here is the key. Not all at once! It is a proven fact that if you try to do too many things you end up accomplishing nothing. I know all you multi-taskers out there are taking that statement as a challenge right now. Oh yeah, Hutch, you just watch me multitask!

It is a known fact that the human brain can only concentrate on one thing at a time. When you multi-task, you are just rapidly shifting the brains focus from one thing to another. And it is over-tasking your brain and making you dumber so stop it!

Stay in the moment. one thing at a time until it is completed or until you have have taken it as far as you can given the information you have. I will say more about that in a minute. Turn with me to John the 8th chapter.

John Chapter 8 and verse 31.

Jhn 8:31-32 ESV - 31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Again, we have an invitation and a promise. The invitation is...

“IF you abide in my word, (then the promise is threefold and it is HUGE!) IF you abide in my word THEN you are my disciples indeed, AND you will know the truth AND the truth will set you free.

Now this is important to understand. Abiding in His word is not a non-stop Bible study. It is not seeing how much Bible reading time you can log in a day.

It is putting His words into real life practice. I think the NLT is the best one here…here is how it reads.

Jhn 8:31-32 NLT - 31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, "You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. There it is. It is not just knowing what He taught. It is doing what He taught. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

NOW you are His disciple.

So it is not simply KNOWING His teachings but living your life according to His teachings, that is, DOING what He said. And beloved, this is where true discipleship really begins to happen.

It is a lot easier to talk about it than it is to do it but that is the only way you will experience Kingdom living.

Obedience is the main part of learning. When you obey, that is when you come into contact with reality. THAT is the Kingdom of God.

Spiritual disciplines are not an issue of righteousness, they are an issue of wisdom on our part. We know what Jesus says to do. Wisdom dictates that we just do that.

I said a moment ago that it is ill advised that we try to be obedient to everything at once. Jesus took His time with His disciples. Teaching them as they went and putting them in positions to practice what they learned. That is what ANY good teacher will do.

One of the big mistakes we make with this is we bite off more than we can chew. This is not an excuse to go on in disobedience, but it has to do with reality and human nature.

If you were to Google something like “ all the commands of Jesus in the Bible” you will get a variety of lists that number in range from 10 to 300. They include things like, repent, follow me, rejoice, forgive, let your light shine, remain in Me, be generous, be kind, and of course 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and Love your neighbor as yourself.

Now human nature tempts us to try and pull all of this off at once so we can make the claim that we are model Christians. And of course this is impossible. Certainly if we rely on our own will power. It is hard enough when we allow God’s Spirit to help us!

So let me give you a better plan and one that you will have a greater chance at being successful when it comes to your obedience to Christ.

Now, going back to the second thing we talked about, Intentionally inviting His Presence. One of the things that will happen is, as we invite Him to our day, He will inevitably lead us to respond to certain situations and people we encounter throughout our day in certain ways, And when that happens we have to make a decision. In those moments, we will have to decide whether we are going to do it his way or our way.

So, for example, Whenever you come into a situation where you are tempted to do what you know is wrong, instead, do what is right and then expect God to bail you out!

Why do I say that, Do what is right and expect God to bail you out?

See we have this tendency to hedge our bets. We say something like well I know the Word of God says to do this, but I am not certain that will work in MY situation so I am going to do something else. That is the mistake.

Just Do what Jesus said, and watch the truth of His words be proven out in your life. In other words, trust Him. The critical learning comes from obeying then seeing if life is workable that way.

So, as I said on Sunday, when Jesu says something like, Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Then when an opportunity comes up for you to put that in practice, do it without worrying about whether or not anyone believes you. Because if you make a habit of keeping your word, then no one who knows you will ever question it. Folks, that is the very action that will move you into the Kingdom of God. That is Kingdom living. Obedience is kingdom living.

When He tells you to forgive someone who has wronged you, then do it and trust by doing so you are not letting them off the hook as we often think, but you are letting God deal with them. Hard to do? Hard enough that you will be tempted not to. But if you do…you will experience Kingdom living. THIS is how you enter the Kingdom of God Beloved. You Seek AND find the Kingdom by being obedient.

When you have every reason to be depressed and without hope, choose Joy. Why? Because He has commanded us to to be joyful people in every circumstance. You might say well being Joyful is not a choice I have. It is not an option that is avaailbel to me right now. yes it is. He would not ask you to do somthing that was not possible…here it is, with HIS Spirit involved. Have you invited him to be involved? See how all this stuff starts working together?

Listen folks.

God is up to something and he's on to something really big. You can't even imagine how good it is, how big it is. We get to see in glimpses and bits and pieces and hints how big and how vast and how good it is, and that's the blessing of being a disciple of Jesus.

And you know, when you think about it, who else in the universe would you rather be an apprentice of?

The Bible tells us one reality about Jesus that is very compelling to me.

It’s found in Colossians chapter 2 and verse 3. Speaking of Jesus it says...

Col 2:3 ESV - 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

He is the very source of all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. It is all Hidden in Him. And we cannot discover and experience those treasures unless we intentionally follow Him. When we do, when we understand it is not too hard. When we make a habit of inviting Him into our day’s activities, when we obey Him in the little things, we gain access to every bit of wisdom and knowledge that exists in the universe!

So when we obey Him we get to really and truly experience what is real. Reality is not what the world around you tells you, unless what they say comes from the source of reality.

We forget that jesus was there when everything came into existence. So again I ask, who better to follow than Him? Who better to climb into the yoke with?

CLOSING

Here is the thing about ALL that we have talked about this morning. Simply knowing it will be worthless unless you actually DO it. Until you DO it....NOTHING happens. Knowledge without practice is just knowledge. And knowledge alone changes nothing in your life or in the lives of people around you.

Have you ever spent time thinking about doing something but never ACTUALLY doing it? Maybe you have even studied it to the point, watched enough Youtube videos that you COULD do it and be pretty sufficient at it. But you have never actually DONE it. Ever said things to yourself or others like, “One of these days I’m gonna...”

Let me ask you. When it comes to following Jesus as His apprentice, has one of these days showed up yet? You don’t need more knowledge about Him. If you do then come talk to me or one of the Elders and we will be happy to tell you all you need to know to start following Him. But most of us in the room this morning have all the knowledge about Him we need. What we need is to DO.

Let me ask you. Has talking about what you want to do or will do one day had any real impact on your life at all? Of course not, and it never will beloved. Not until you take action and actually DO IT! Until then, all those things are simply hopes and dreams. Hopes and dreams are good but, well you know. Hopes and dreams can never be realized without taking action.

So let me encourage you this morning to take action. Take these things I have shared with you this morning and put them into practice.

Don’t ever doubt that being an apprentice of Christ and living and working in the kingdom of heaven is at hand and fully available to you right now.

Intentionally invite Him into your day’s activities. Weave that invitation into the fabric of your day.

And most importantly, Do what he tells you to do, knowing that will achieve the best possible outcome and that will give you the real experience of living in the kingdom.

I want to close this morning with a version of the Lord’s prayer that I absolutely love and it goes like this. Would you pray with me please?

Dear Father, Always near us.

May your name be treasured and loved.

May your rule be completed in us.

May your will be done here on earth in just the way it is done in heaven.

Give us today the things we need today and forgive us our sins and impositions on you, as we are forgiving all who in any way offend us.

Please don’t put us through trials but deliver us from everything bad because You are the one in charge.

You have all the power, and the glory too is all yours forever. Which is just the way we want it.

And Father, once again I ask that you will bless these words and use the ones that are good to bless where a need is present. Give us a compelling sense of the reality of your life in us.

And Father, if there are any in the room today who have not yet decided to follow Jesus, then may this be the day as the power of your spirit leads. And we ask this in the very strong name of Jesus Christ, Amen.