iCHURCH:Disciples are made not born

Goal: Get people to realize the need for making disciples

Introduction:

Illustrations on taking orders, following commands?

Sometimes it can be hard for me to take direction or commands from people. Some may say its a pride thing and others may say it’s a being married thing. Id say it’s a human nature thing. In our world today, everyone has an opinion and everyone thinks there right.

Have you ever encountered a person like that? Maybe you are that person? Well, God bless your spouse! In all seriousness though what makes it so hard for us to simply follow?

Jesus gives us a simple command to love God with all our hearts, minds,body and strength, to love our neighbor as ourself, and go make disciples. Let’s read what he tells his disciples.

(NIV)

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.

17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The New International Version Chapter 28

The Great Commission

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.d 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.e 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,f baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,g 20 and teachingh them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with youi always, to the very end of the age.”j

The Disciple of Christ

Now we see here in the 1st verse that everyone got off to a good start except for Judas of course who wasnt with them. But the “eleven” disciples all went to Galilee to the mountain Jesus told them to go.

Now we see here in the 1st verse that everyone got off to a good start except for Judas of course who wasnt with them.

1.But the “eleven” disciples all went to Galilee to the mountain Jesus told them to go. So what is a “Disciple” anyway?

A disciple can be defined as a close follower, a student who studies under the discipline of a teacher. But it’s so much deeper than that.

Requires a nurturing relationship

Requires a great investment of time and resources

I think of the modern term of apprentice in relation to discipleship because a apprentice is someone who learns and studies a craft and a skilled trade. As a disciples we are apprentices to Christ in kingdom living.

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 1158 Epigram on Discipleship

A Christian is a mind through which Christ thinks; a heart through which Christ loves; a voice through which Christ speaks; a hand through which Christ helps.

At the end of Matthew before Jesus ascends to the Father, Jesus' last words to his followers were not, "Go and find a comfortable church and have covered dish dinners." His last words were not, "Go and sing the songs you like in worship. Jesus didn't say, "Try to do some good every once in a while." Jesus said, "Go and make disciples!" And we can’t go make what we aren’t are. So how to we become a disciple?

Becoming one isn’t about following a list of do’s and donts. We can pray and read the bible all we want but if it’s not changing us then whats the point. To be a disciple means to reorientate our life and postion Christ above all. If Jesus isn’t Lord of all, then He isnt Lord at all in our life. This is what Jesus means when he says that those who do not forsake all cannot be his disciple. ( & 33) There must be nothing held of greater value than Jesus and his kingdom. He must be clearly seen as the most important thing in human life, and being his apprentice as the greatest opportunity any human being ever has. The problem is many would instead of carrying their cross would rather carry their pillow and sleep on their faith and have others carry the load

Doubt

2. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

This is an interesting contrast. Some worshiped Jesus and some doubted. It speaks to us as what true worship is. It’s simply ascribing worth to who or what we are worshiping. You notice though, that Jesus didn’t reject the ones who had doubts because our God is big enough to handle any doubts we may have.

We all have or will have those times i’d call the “Sahara of the heart”. Where we feel forgotten or abandoned my family, friends, and sometimes God. We have questions, doubts, and concerns because we dont really understand what is happening. The bible describes at as being in a desert as it accurately describes how we feel. We fill dry, barren, and parched. Many before us have traveled this mountain. Such as the Psalmist who cried out all day but, got no reply, We have the prophet Elijah who ran in hid in a cave from his enemies and went into a spiritual depression. Other Christians have called it other things such as Saint John of the Cross who said it was “the dark night of the soul”. It is in the silence that we learn to trust God the most.

To really believe in God is to believe that He is who He says he is. That might be the most important question you may ask yourself. Who is God to you? Is he healer or is he the hurter. Is He your salvation or is he your destruction? Is He a liar or is he your truth?

To really believe in God is to believe that He is who He says he is. That might be the most important question you may ask yourself. Who is God to you? Is he healer or is he the hurter. Is He your salvation or is he your destruction? Is He a liar or is he your truth?

3. Then Jesus came to them and said “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”

He tells them He has all authority in heaven and earth. Basically he is telling them that He is the supreme court and holds all the power. You know when we are casted down with cancer and the doctor says we arent going to live. God comes in and says over-ruled, be healed. When we are an addict our whole life and everyone has given up on us, God comes in and says over-ruled. There is freedom in my son. Or when we feel like we cant pay our bills and have been tithing faithfully. Watch God come in and say over-ruled “watch me open the floodgates of heaven and pour down a blessing”.

He has authority to..

Forgive sin

Raise the dead

Heal the sick

Set the captive free and

Give eternal life

He has authority to step into your situation if you would just call upon His name

4.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

We are commanded to go and make disciples of all nations. Notice it says make so disciples are made not born. That means that it takes a lot of hard work and time into making a disciple. So how do you do this? How do you make a disciple? Jesus goes on to say by baptizing and by teaching. Baptizing them into the name of the triune God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the ancient world, to be baptized into the name of somebody meant to come under the allegiance of that person, to surrender ownership to that person. To be baptized into the name of the triune God means that now your supreme loyalty is no longer to your biological family, culture, or country, it is to the triune God. You belong to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. That is where discipleship begins. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward grace and it begins with a death of ourselves and then we are raised to life in Christ.

he goes on to say by baptizing and by teaching. Baptizing them into the name of the triune God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the ancient world, to be baptized into the name of somebody meant to come under the allegiance of that person, to surrender ownership to that person. You became in a sense that person's property. To be baptized into the name of the triune God means that now your supreme loyalty is no longer to your biological family, culture, ethnic group, or your nation's state, it is to the triune God. You belong to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. That is where discipleship begins.

5. and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus also told them in order to make disciples we have to teach people to obbey everything he commanded them to do which is summed up in loving God and loving people. He didnt just reserve that for the pastor or sunday school teacher but, it also includes you. A disciple of Christ. He says as we do this that He will be with us. He will never leave or forsake us and the Holy Spirit will give us words to say when we dont know what to speak.

Application:

WE: What if we took that next step to really seek out God for who he would like us to see to take under our wing and disciple. Can you imagine what our church would look like if you just took one person and prayed with them and taught them the scriptures, and did life with them? It will take time and it will take sacraifice. I can guarantee you, the reward will be worth it. But, you have to remember that Disciples are made not born.