Disciple

Are you someone who googles things a lot or just doesn’t care about knowing?

opt 2 - where do you to find out how to live?

start of a new series, we’re going to call Practice - that will make more sense later

so many problems in our world. one I see in the church, in the South, is that we’ve made it possible to be a Christian and not be a disciple of Jesus.

it’s acceptable for anyone to identify as a believer in Jesus without really doing anything

most everyone knows Jesus is a savior, king, teacher

and most people are happy to accept Jesus as their savior

but few take Him seriously as the person who can teach them the most about life.

disciple - 261 times

Christian - 3 times

Jesus was a teacher, a Rabbi - that was his primary identity on earth

he invited people to be his disciples

or apprentices

some examples of this:

Matthew 4:18–22 ESV

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Matthew 9:9 ESV

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

Matthew 8:18–22 ESV

Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 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.” Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

some follow immediately, some make excuses

know this for your friends

Jesus is a gentlemen, he didn’t force anyone to do anything. he didnt’ force his disciples to follow Him - he even let Judas stick around even tho He knew what was coming

the hope today is for you guys to be more than a believer, and to enter into the status of an apprentice of Jesus

main goals of an Apprentice:

be with Jesus

become like Him

Do as He did

Be with Jesus

when He told Peter “follow me,” Peter was with Him for the next three years...

today we can’t do this. but Jesus gave His disciples instructions on how they would be wtih HIM:

right before Jesus was arrested on the weekend he was crucified, he told his disciples:

John 14:16–19 ESV

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

be with you forever. dwells with you and will be in you

Jesus is saying God is going to give the disciples of Jesus another like Jesus — this is the Holy Spirit (v. 26)

John 15:4 ESV

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

set apart time (quiet time) and a constant abiding, awareness of God

you can’t spend too much time with Jesus

Become like Jesus

Luke 6:40 ESV

A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

disciples of Jesus are becoming like Jesus - not just on the outside, but who we are on the inside is changing to look more like Him

get this - you are being formed to look more like something/someone.

your school, your friends, the culture, your favorite show, movie, anime, artist

if you pick up your feet, you just look more like the world: built to consume a lot of entertainment, maybe make a lot of money, get cool clothes, have an attractive bf/gf

you can’t escape the is

look at old people -

nice grandma vs. mean grandma

the question is who do you want to be?

it might not be a sin to scroll forever on your phone, or sink into a netflix black hole - but who is it turning you into?

2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Do what He did

Matthew 10:1 ESV

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.

now some of you might get uncomfortable thinking about doing what Jesus did.. I mean He’s God right??

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Close —

where are you tonight?

becoming a disciple is not as easy as slipping your hand up at the end of the sermon:

Matthew 7:13–14 ESV

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Rejected Jesus

Crowds

Disciples & Apostles

Mark 8:34 ESV

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.