“The Duty of a Disciple”

God didn’t call anyone to be a Christian.

He has called us to be disciples.

Matthew 4:19 (NASB)

19 And He said to them, “Follow Me...”

Matthew 8:22 (NASB)

22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me…”

Matthew 9:9 (NASB)

9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!”…

John 1:43 (NASB)

43 The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.”

Matthew 19:21 (NASB)

21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

John 10:27 (NASB)

27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me…

A disciple is someone who follows Jesus and teaches others to do the same.

What does it look like to follow Jesus?

It means we l trust Him and love Him and prove it by walking in obedient to His commands.

Matthew 22:36–40 (NASB)

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 “This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 28:18–20 (NASB)

18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Disciples love God, love others and make more disciples.

Love God.

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 “This is the great and foremost commandment.

Love Others.

39 “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Make Disciples.

18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Next week we are going to talk about what it means to love God the way God defines it and how loving God is an essential part of being a disciple of Jesus.

The following week we are going to explore it idea of loving others the way God does and the way God wants to do through us.

Today we are focusing on our duty to make disciples.

It requires…

Inspiration.

18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

This was God’s big idea. Discipleship is His idea. Discipleship is the work Jesus came to do!

We need the inspiration because we don’t have the ability to make disciples of Jesus Christ without the Holy Spirit working in our lives.

John 15:4–5 (NASB)

4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

John 15:8 (NASB)

8 “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

John 21:15–17 (NASB)

15 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.

20 …and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Intentionality.

19 “Go therefore and make disciples…

Matthew 4:19 (NASB)

19 And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Luke 9:23 (NASB)

23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

19 “Go therefore and make disciples…

This could be better translated, “as you go”.

In other words, as we do other things, as we live life, as we work, as we play, as we do whatever we do, we are to intentionally look for ways to make disciples.

Matthew 5:16 (NASB)

16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Colossians 3:17 (ESV)

17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NASB)

31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Peter 2:12 (NASB)

12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Instruction.

20 …teaching them to observe all that I commanded you…

1 John 2:4–6 (NASB)

4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

Acts 2:42 (NASB)

42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NASB)

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Memory Verse of the Week:

Matthew 28:19–20 (NASB)

19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”