Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction: Brief Review of First 3 Weeks

Let’s start with a brief reminder of what we having been doing up till now.

Week 1 – we started by setting out a definition of discipleship, which we defined as: The intentional encouragement of Christians on the basis of deliberate, loving relationships and training in God’s Word.

Intentional or deliberate is the operative word here.

It doesn’t happen passively.

And we also talked about how you will be a conduit for the truth, passing on to others what God’s has give to you.

Week 2 – We thought about reasons why we should disciple – for your joy and for God’s glory.

We were surprised by the first reason because we would have assumed having joy in this might be selfish, but we saw from Paul’s example that he found great joy in the fruit of discipling that came from his work and the ministry of others.

We also wanted to be careful to not make this about us, but to put the focus in the right place—on God’s glory.

He is the one who will sow the seed in people’s hearts, so also he will reap a harvest.

We simply are privileged to be a means that God uses to help others.

Week 3 – We thought about barriers, excuses, and fears in discipling.

Remember some of the examples: “I don’t want to be in a position of authority” or “I don’t have time.”

In each case, we came to see how the bible dismantles our excuses and fears and redirects us to live without excuses.

For the next few weeks, we’re going to start narrowing our focus a bit as we study specific aspects of discipling, like studying Scripture together, reading a good book together, ministering to hurting people, etc.

Today, though, we want to look at how discipling can engender personal holiness in the lives of both the people in a discipleship relationship.

My goal for our time together is that we understand the place that holiness has in a discipleship relationship and that we think together practically at how we can encourage personal holiness.

THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF DISCIPLING—OBEDIENCE

Let’s start by thinking about the importance of obedience in the Christian life.

Above everything else, discipling finally comes down to obedience to Christ’s words and commands.

That is the great goal of discipling.

A person can read all the Christian books in the world or pray with an older Christian every day, but if there is not a real change in their life marked by growing obedience to Christ then that person is very likely not a disciple.

Discipling is not simply about behavior modification; but about changed hearts that lead to changed lives.

Two reasons why obedience is an important goal of any discipling relationship.

First, obedience is important because God is glorified through the way we live.

God is glorified in our lives as we display his character to the world around us, not only by what we say, but by how we live.

If we call ourselves Christians but live in a way that is clearly contrary to God’s character, then we misrepresent God to those around us.

Another verse, : “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”

Why is Paul so eager for their love for Christ to grow/abound?

Note the connector: “so that” – denotes that the purpose is coming afterwards.

So that they can “discern what is best” (so they can say no to sin) and “be pure and blameless”(that is, they can be holy).

And what is the overarching goal of these things?

“To the glory and praise of God!” Again, what you see is greater love resulting in greater obedience.

The two are inextricably linked.

If the way we live commends the gospel that we profess, then we will bring glory to God and provide a powerful witness to the truth of the gospel.

Regeneration is finally about glorifying God.

Second, obedience is important because it is a mark of true Christians.

Obedience springs forth from those who love God.

Jonathan Edwards spent a great deal of time considering all the marks of conversion that attend the work of the Spirit in the great awakening.

In the end he finally concluded that growth in personal holiness over time was the most universal and most reliable evidence of a true work of the Spirit.

It is the same for us today.

An internal change (e.g., a love for Christ) should manifest itself in an external change of life (e.g., greater obedience).

Think about , “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

There is an inescapable link between our love for Christ and our obedience to Christ.

Our love for Christ births in us a desire to please Him.

If we are truly regenerate and have the Holy Spirit living us, our greatest desire will be to do Christ’s will.

, “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us.

And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

We write this to make our joy complete.

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.”

How do we know we are in Christ?

It is by our obedience!

What does John say about the person who says, “I know Christ,” and yet does not obey His commands?

That person is a liar!

That may sound like a harsh statement, but it is important for us to know that the final test of Christianity is a changed life marked by increasing personal holiness!

This means that one reason we want to help someone else live a life that is characterized by greater obedience is because that obedience will give them an opportunity to show the love they have for God, providing assurance of their salvation.

Obviously, that obedience does not make them a Christian; but it shows us about what resides within their heart.

So does this sound kind of backwards?

If I see a field of flowers and want to make it bigger and brighter, I don’t go about doing that by massaging the leaves and painting them to brighten the colors.

Of course not.

I water and tend the plants, knowing that if the plants are healthy, bright flowers will follow.

Just as nutrients and water are needed to produce bigger and brighter flowers, so also faith is the source of obedience.

And if faith is the source of obedience, why are we talking so much about holiness and obedience?

Shouldn’t we be talking about faith instead?

If someone is a Christian, then they will obey God.

That’s true and yet part of your responsibility as a discipler is to help them grow in their obedience to God. “What’s the point?”

you say.

They are going to do it anyway if they are a Christian.

True, God will cause his true children to produce true fruit, and yet, perhaps God can use you to help bring about that fruit of obedience?

You can be a means by which God uses to help foster greater obedience in their life.

In addition, it’s important for us to realize that we are not aiming merely for external changes, nor mere internal theological knowledge.

We are aiming to encourage an internal growth and knowledge that spills over into more godly living, greater love for Christians and the lost, and a holiness of life that evidences a changed and maturing heart.

Truth is no good if it lives in an ivory tower.

It must evidence itself in the way it changes the way we live, fostering a renewed heart and a redeemed life.

There is a seeming paradox here that is important to get our hands around if we are to be effective and helpful in discipling others.

We recognize that true repentance and obedience is something that God alone can produce.

And yet he calls us to help encourage the holiness of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Remember, you are but the conduit of God’s work in that person’s life.

So it shouldn’t come as any surprise that you are primarily helping to foster something in them that God has already promised to do.

The joy of discipling is seeing God accomplish his promised work through you, not doing something that God could never have accomplished on his own without your help.

But please remember also that your goal is not behavior modification, but maturity in Christ.

If a person makes changes to their behavior simply to please you, then you have neither succeeded in glorifying God, nor have you shown them how to express love for Christ through obedience, nor have you helped them achieve true assurance of their salvation.

But if you can help them identify areas in their life for increased obedience, and if you can provide encouragement and wisdom in that task, then you have helped them in a way that will serve them well.

[PAUSE FOR QUESTIONS]

ENCOURAGING HOLINESS IN THE DISCIPLE

So how is it that we can encourage holiness in the life of someone we’re discipling?

Let’s start by differentiating between what happens immediately and what becomes a gradual process when someone becomes a Christian.

The Bible talks about several things that change immediately upon a person’s conversion.

(have people look these verses up)

, “24"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”

Jesus says that the status of the person changes immediately.

There is a change of outlook on life and a new hope in God’s promise of salvation.

That can make an enormous difference in the way a person handles hardship almost immediately ( see also ; ; ).

, “I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

One of the things that happens immediately upon conversion is that the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us.

As a result, we will be much more convicted about sin; our consciences will be more tender.

(see also ; ; )

, “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

Our sins are immediately forgiven, which is another immediate effect of conversion.