Rabbi: Basic Training

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-Bible Reading Plan

Luke 9:57–62 ESV

57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Prayer

What is the Rabbi teaching here?

Luke 9:57–62 ESV

0 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

This was a hard teaching because the request seems reasonable doesnt it? i mean, if anything this is something you would think Jesus would be accomodating of in life…

ofcourse you need to take care of your family

ofcourse if there are pressing matters you can neatly tie off before setting off on your jourey please go and take care of those and come on back.

no!

This is Jesus teaching.

He is teaching his disciples something about the life they now have in him. They are spiritually ALIVE.

This is what the Apostle paul was continually appealiong to the chrch to understand. You are now, because of the gospel you have been hidden in Christ. there is a new nature to behold.

2 Corinthians 6 ESV

14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

The discipleship opportunity comes to us as a free imvitation.

Discipleship is a free invitation (it costs nothing)

Jesus walking along your seashore and calling you is not because you and i did anything at all?

What happened was, God ordained through his marvelous grace that we would be called into his marvelous light.

Have you been saved?

Have you believed?

Have you had a revelation of Jesus for your own life?

Have you experienced the forgiveness of an all loving, all gracious God?

THIS IS THE FREE PART. THIS IS THE MOMENT AT THE CROSS

The invitation that lies open to you today then is that now you have the opportynity to become a disciple of the master.

of the rabbi.

To follow now. To become, who you already are: Disciple

to Go on in your journey in LIFE>.. to become a disciple.

DISCIPLESHIP IS A LIFELONG ENDEAVOR

DISCIPLESHIP IS NOT SOMETHING WE GRADUATE FROM, BUT RATHER SOMETHING WE GROW IN

WE DONT GRADUATE FROM DISCIPLESHIP, WE GROW IN OUR DISCIPLESHIP

We can become effective deeper and significantly MORE used by the master, but we never stop being a disciple.

But what you may not understand, is that it desnt cost a single thing the invitation comes as a free gift.

Jesus said, come…. follow me.

All one needs to be a disciple is have a revelation of Jesus for themelves

But to become one… its goiong to take the next step: True Discipleship comes as a free invitation but really costs you everything

However, make no mistake: The Cost is significant

Unless you leave it all behind, a disciple cannot go on / Is not fit for the work of the kingdom because theyre not besotted by the revelation of His grace to be an effective disciple.

in other words: it doesn’t work.

There is no such thing as a part time disciple of Jesus. You are either all in, or you not in

Thats why for some God is trying to show you this today, through his word, that the reason your frustrated as a believer is that you havent taken serioulsy this whole discipleship thing but youve convinced yourselef you are still one even tho you arent. Your not certain about it.

Jesus addresses indifference not only in the Gospels, but also through John in Revelation where he charges one particular church that its neither hot nor cold.

There is no inbetween here.

If its not now Jesus says, it wont be at all. ANyone who decides to take the hand OFF the plow and go back is not fit for the kingdom.

unless given everything, discipleship wont happen. There is no second hand disciplesgip

There is no passive discipleship

There is no indifferent discipleship.

If not now, when? Here is the crux of the teaching from the master:

Leave the spiritually DEAD here to bury the phsyically dead when the time comes… but as for you.. GO

Procialim the kingdom

share the gospel

make a difference

…. and do not LOOK BACK.

THREE D’s THAT COME WITH DISCIPLESHIP:

I wanted to give you what am calling the three D’s of discipleship and ts my prayer you will remmeber them and think about these as you think of your own following: no matter who or where we are in the process of being a good Talmid of the master rabbi - a christian - we all can revist these and recommit in some way to the process itself.

Are you ready?

What are the three D’s

Paul uses the analogy of a disciple in three distinct ways:

2 Timothy 2:1–7 ESV

1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. 3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

1.Devotion: “A devoted Soldier”

2 Timothy 2:3 ESV

3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

Like a devoted soldier. Discipleship begins with devotion, Adoration, worship. A commitment to the devotion of following along.

Do you follow yet?

Do you show up for Jesus like a soldier would for formation.

are you a good solider?

It takes some time to become a good solider. no one is immediatly a good solder inteh army im sure of it because ive had people tell me that the rate in which people drop our and or are made soliders in the army proves my point.

Basic training has to happen.

You have to be taught what it means to follow our Lord.

This is why we have dinner parties in our church

This is why pastor Chris Aussem, amongst other things, is a phenemonal resource for anyone wanting to become a disciple.

soldiers get told what to do and they dont really get a say in it.

You know if you think you know how to be a disciple without actally being helped you probably arent being a good solider.

Allow God to use someone near you in our church to help you become a good soldier in christ. A disciple.

2 Timothy 2:4 “4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.”

what is our aim? its real simple. dont get caught up in civilian pursuits, or worry about the things…. Do what he said to do

Are you doing what Jesus said to do? are you following his words, his instructions, his commands: its how we love him? its how we show the world we love Jesus: the fact that we are obedient devoted soliders:

John 14:15 “15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

2.Discipline: A disciplined athlete

2 Timothy 2:5 “5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”

No one goes and competes in the games with the aim of just losing horribly. The aim is to win? how do you win, you are the fastest, the most accurate and the best

but upon what measurement?

the rules

Do you follow the rules?

What are the rules? what is clearly defined in the word. The bible. To be a christian disciple you have to live according to the word of God - There is no way around it - Thats the ONLY WAY.

No i have some experience in this because from teh age of about 12-16 My life was about athletics specifically swmiiming.

I would get myself up at 4.35am every weekday morning and every Saturday morning and I would grab my bag with all my stuff in the dark and I would walk down the stairs of my house and sit on the terracotta tiles of the hallway step outside of my parents bedroom and I would wait in the dark…. And a few minutes later my dad would come out. And we would go get in his car and he would take me to swim practice. Every day.

It became a discipline. It became a hallmark of my life. My ability to get up everyday and keep going I directly connect to that season in my life where God allowed me to experience that daily routine and discipline.

It was through my time swimming did i fully understand and appreciate what discipline in sport will equate to: fast times and sometimes if things go well - Gold medals.

here is the truth about the Christian life: it takes discipline. Thats why Jesus came and lived in a time when Rabbi’s had disciples

Don’t despise the small things. It’s the little things in life that make life so good. The everyday getting up, showing up, being counted in the meeting. Not missing it.

Luke 9:62 “Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.””

Now I can’t remember the last time I actually went out and used a plow…… But I’ve done outside work plenty of times it’s not my preference, but I’ve done it

This is what I do it’s a bit of a slog

Being a disciple isn’t exactly all the time a highlight reel of your greatest moments in worship. It can be, and were grateful for those moments.

You know what it often looks like: getting out there, hand on the plow and making it happen. Getting the work done.

Jesus says.. as for you: GO.

It looks like going.

Going to that prayer meeting someone invited you to go to, you don’t know why you were invited but you know you gotta go.

Going for that coffee to meet that lost person and praying ahead of time

It looks like going to church when you might not feel like it

It looks like going to the dinner party or bible study and sitting there because your a disciple not a

3.Diligence: The Diligence of a Farmer

2 Timothy 2:6 “It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.”

The diligence of discipleship

There are toils

There are tears

And there are great joys to witness this in the instance of Paul this is true.

We are laborers in the field of almighty god. What a privilege it is to be counted as one of them.

Do you see it?

The diligence of the farmer is that we get to be in the field seeing what God does.

The spingtime growing is happening.

Have you noticed it yet?

The green shoots appearing on the plants all around.

The diligent farmer is still working above the ground when there is nothing happening…. Because he knows that God is working beneath the ground and at the right time, the ordained time: here comes the growth>

Matthew 9:35–38 ESV

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”