What does it mean to be a Disciple of Jesus
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Introduction
Introduction
The word disciple was not used until the gospels. However, disciple was not a word that Jesus originated when He stepped into ministry. John the Baptist actually had disciples before Jesus did. So where did the term begin and why did Jesus choose to use this word to describe His close followers.
Discipleship was a term used for people who followed someone who was an advisor or spiritual guide. This was not a student/teacher relationship to help educate young people. The idea was for the disciple to become a “carbon copy” of the spiritual advisor or instructor. So, when Jesus and John the Baptist used the term they were using a word that was used during the culture of that time period.
The term disciple would only be used in the gospels and also in the book of acts. The term Christian would be used by rulers to describe follower of Christ, however at first the term was used as a derrogatory statement against people who believed in Jesus as the Son of God. Later the term Christian would be adopted as an acceptable term for followers of Christ.
However, throughout the Gospel Paul, Peter, John, James, and Jude would all refer to follower of Christ as Sons or children of God. talks about the privledge that we have to not just be called Children of God, but to actually be children of God.
See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.
In
Isn’t it incredible that Jesus not only asked us to learn and be like him, but because of His sacrifice he placed us in the position of sonship. The Bible says that we seated next to Jesus in Heavenly places. Jesus is our elder brother!
For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.
When Jesus left instructions to His disciples he told them to go into ALL the world and make disciples of all nations. To be a disciple of Jesus is to make a choice to become a carbon copy of Jesus. This is a process that will last a lifetime. So during this season we will learn what it means to be a disciple and we will also learn how to make other disciples.
Submitting our Lives to Jesus
Submitting our Lives to Jesus
Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.
Jesus was making a call to the crowd for people to join His disciples and become disciples themselves. However, He did not just welcome everyone to join, but He told them what would be required of them. Jesus told them that to be his disciple then we must “give up our way” we must “pick up our Cross” and follow him.
What do you believe that Jesus was saying to the crowd when he said “give up your way?” __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What does it mean to “pick up our cross?” __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The price to being a disciple of Jesus meant that we would have to confront our habits, we would have to confront our thoughts, we would have to confront our personal theology, we would have to confront our behavior towards people, we would have to confront our feelings, and we would have to confront our attitude. Jesus was not making suggestions, but He was telling the crowd the price.
The same price for the crowd to be a disciple is the same price that for everyone still today. In order to be a carbon copy of Jesus then we must give up our way. Jesus was not asking for a half you and half him commitment, Jesus was asking for full commitment.
Jesus knows Best
Jesus knows Best
If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.
The Kingdom of God is in conflict with the world. The world says that if I am going to grow and prosper then I need to fight for myself. I need to keep what is mine, after all it is my life! However, the Kingdom says if you are going to gain true life then you are going to give up your life.
5590 psyxḗ (from psyxō, "to breathe, blow" which is the root of the English words "psyche," "psychology") – soul (psyche); a person's distinct identity (unique personhood), i.e. individual personality.
5590 (psyxē) corresponds exactly to the OT 5315 /phágō("soul"). The soul is the direct aftermath of God breathing (blowing) His gift of life into a person, making them an ensouled being.
Jesus said we have a life, but if we want to have the life that He gave us then we have to give up the one we have. This almost seems to confusing, but Jesus is giving us a choice. God did not make us to be robots who are forced to follow him, we are all given a choice. We can choose our way or we can give up our way. Either way it is our choice.
However, the life that he gives us is really who we are. The word life comes from the greek word psyxo, it is the word that we use for psyche and means soul. It is the place where we get our personality, our identity. So we do not find our true identity until we give up our life and pick up our cross. Jesus knew that in order to have life we have to give up ours. He knows what is best for us.
Jesus not only asked, but he also followed his own requirements. Jesus gave us the example of how to give up His life when He prayed in the garden of Gethsemene.
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Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.”
He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed.
He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Jesus prayed and said “not my will be done, but yours.” Jesus did not have to die on the cross, but he chose to. He submitted himself to the will of the Father. Jesus fulfilled his Life, by denying His life. His example is our process that we follow in order to deny our life. We submit to the Father, but denying our will and choosing His.
Disciples Deal with Their Sinful Nature
Disciples Deal with Their Sinful Nature
In the book of Galatians Paul spoke about what it means to follow Christ:
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
Galatians
Today we are living in a period of time when people are struggling with what is a sin and what is not a sin. God has blessed us with the Bible and it tells us exactly what sin is. However, the church has tried to use reason to say that certain sins are really not sins. On the other hand there are many people who attend church who are declaring something as sin that is not really sin. Lets look at some scriptures in the New Testament that will tell us what sin is.
Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality,
or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.
Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
I Corinthians 6:0
“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’
But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.
Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.
Anger
“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’
But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.
“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,
leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.
“When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison.
And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.
Matthew 5:21-
I Corinthians 6
Adultery
“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’
But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.
“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,
leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.
“When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison.
And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.
“You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’
But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
Matthew 5:
Divorce
“You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’
But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.
Vows
“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’
But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne.
And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King.
Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black.
Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.
Matthew 5:33-
Revenge
“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’
But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.
If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.
If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.
Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.
Matthew 5:
Loving your Enemies
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.
But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.
If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.
If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.
But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 5:43-
Your Conscience and the Conscience of Others
Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality,
I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong.
And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.
Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good.
For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too.
So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble.
It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble.
You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right.
But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.
I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them.
Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. For by God’s grace,
I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit.
So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God.
Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them.
They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum.
My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else.
I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says, “Those who have never been told about him will see, and those who have never heard of him will understand.”
In fact, my visit to you has been delayed so long because I have been preaching in these places.
But now I have finished my work in these regions, and after all these long years of waiting, I am eager to visit you.
Romans 15:14-
So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.
Romans 14:14-
Colossians 3:5-6
The decision to Sin
Pastors example:
I was dealing with a sin that seemed to keep coming up. So I began to pray, “why do I keep seeing this temptation come up?” I sensed the Holy Spirit lead me to realize that I thought that some of the actions that lead to the sin was ok. So the temptation wasn’t the sin, it was actions that lead to the temptation that was sin.
For example, someone who deals with alcoholism knows that there are certain actions they cannot make if they are going to resist the temptation to drink. Like being around others who are drinking, driving by and old hang out, or even attempting to take one sip of alcohol. By making those choices when they know they will lead to drinking they are sinning against themselves.
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
Pauls Writings of Sin
So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.
They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.
That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.
And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.
Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.
Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.
They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.
They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy.
They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.
Romans 1:24-
Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality,
or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.
I Corinthian 6:9-10
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,
idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,
envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Galatians
So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.
And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry,
for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.
Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.
Ephesian
So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.
You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world.
C
You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.
For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.
They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good.
They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.
They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires.
(Such women are forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth.)
II Timothy 3:
Sin goes against the nature of God and it goes against our personal nature. Sin is a destroyer of life, so we must deal with sin.
Scripture said that we must crucify our sins on the cross. The way through the cross is the answer to the sin we have in our life. There is complete forgiveness of sin in Jesus! We just need to deal with sin.
Dealing with Sin
Dealing with Sin
The cross is our place of healing for our sin, the cross is our exit to sin and entrance to the life that Jesus gave us.
We are not alone in our sinful mistakes:
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
The question we must ask ourselves then is “what do I need to do to be free from sin?”
Jesus paid the price for our remission or redemption of our sins. It is up to us to accept the sacrifice that Jesus made and walk in the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus.
But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
Pastors Story
There have been many times in my life that I have committed sins repeatedly and it caused me a lot of guilt. I knew I should not be committing the actions I was committing, but the temptation was pretty strong.
While meditating and listening to my spirit for direction from the Holy Spirit. I could see that I needed to apply the blood.
So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
The cross is our place of healing for our sin, the cross is our exit to sin and entrance to the life that Jesus gave us.
Disciples pursue Holiness
Disciples pursue Holiness
Holiness is living like Jesus and it gives us access to the Heavens.
Zachariah 3:7