THE CONDUCT OF A DISCIPLE

INTRODUCTION

2 Peter 3:10–12 NASB95PARA

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!

A day is coming in which Christ will return to the earth in the glory of His Father. When He does so He will establish His kingdom here on earth. In the events just prior to this God will pour out His wrath on mankind, as seen in the seven seal judgments, followed by the seven trumpet judgments, and followed by the seven bowl judgments of Revelation.

Peter tells us that as a result of these coming judgments, we should live godly lives in this present time.

In our passage for today, , Jesus speaks to the twelve about the conduct of a disciple. As we go through our passage we will look at the activity of the disciple, the motivation of the disciple, and the contrast between true and false disciples.

Let’s read our passage together.

THE ACTIVITY OF THE DISCIPLE

THE DISCIPLE COMES AFTER CHRIST

As we consider the activity of the disciple I want to remind you of the context of this passage. Peter has just confessed Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the Living God. And then he rebuked Jesus for stating that He was going to die. Jesus then told Peter to get behind me. To stop being a stumbling block. To stop seeking to deter Him from His appointed mission.

On the heels of this we come to today’s passage. And we find Jesus elaborating on what He had said to Peter. And the first thing He talked about was how a true disciple comes after his Master.

THE DISCIPLE DENIES HIMSELF

Though it is very difficult for a person to deny himself, that is exactly what Jesus did when He left His glory behind to be born as a man.

Philippians 2:5–7 NASB95PARA

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

What is it that the believer is supposed to deny himself of? Writing to Titus, Paul said this:

Titus 2:11–14 CSB

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works.

THE DISCIPLE EMBRACES HIS CROSS

What does it mean for a disciple to “take up his cross?” It might be easier to begin with what it doesn’t mean.

The cross that we have to bear is not our various health issues. Health issues are things that belong to believers and unbelievers alike.

The cross we bear is not our employers since that also belongs to believers and unbelievers alike.

To understand what the bearing of our cross is, we must have an idea of what it meant to the disciples that heard Jesus make this statement. A person who was condemned to die in the Roman world would have to carry the horizontal bar of his cross to the sight of execution. Then it would be fastened to the vertical bar which was already in place. This was an act of extreme humiliation. It was an act that signified condemnation.

The cross was not thought of in glorious terms until after the death and resurrection of Christ. But it is the channel through which all of Christ’s sheep are drawn to Him. As He stated in

John 12:32 CSB

As for me, if I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all people to myself.”

John MacArthur noted:

“To take up one’s cross is simply to be willing to pay any price for Christ’s sake. It is the willingness to endure shame, embarrassment, reproach, rejection, persecution, and even martyrdom for His sake … A man who took up his cross began his death march, carrying the very beam on which he would hang. For a disciple of Christ to take up his cross is for him to be willing to start on a death march.”

The true disciple of Christ embraces both the cross of Christ and his or her own cross as well. Only then can the truly follow Christ.

We have looked so far at the activity of the disciple. Let’s turn our attention to the motivation of the disciple.

THE MOTIVATION OF THE DISCIPLE

WE LIVE AND WE DIE UNTO CHRIST

Paul, writing to the Romans stated this:

Romans 14:7–8 ESV

For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

As I was meditating on these words of Paul came to mind. Understand that they are in a completely different context, and yet the context of both passages refers to not becoming a stumbling block for someone else.

WE LIVE AND WE DIE FOR THAT WHICH IS ETERNAL

Our bodies are not eternal, rather they are temporal. Even for those who live to see the rapture of the Church, their material bodies are still temporal, for a day is coming when believers will receive a new, glorified body. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait! I love the idea of having eyes with perfect vision, ears with perfect hearing, and a body that doesn’t carry around all of this excess weight. A body that will never tire or grow weary. A body without any sort of physical limitation.

Though this tent of our bodies will someday perish, our souls will live on throughout eternity. Jesus asked His disciples “what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” The answer is obviously nothing.

CHRIST WILL REPAY MANKIND FOR THEIR DEEDS

THE TRUE AND THE FALSE DISCIPLES

VIEWS ABOUT WHO WILL SEE CHRIST COMING IN HIS KINGDOM:

PETER, JAMES & JOHN — TRANSFIGURATION

THE ELEVEN WHO SAY CHRIST RESURRECTED

THOSE WHO LIVED LONG ENOUGH TO SEE THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM IN 70 AD

A GENERAL PREDICTION OF CHRIST’S FUTURE GLORY

JUDAS, THE FALSE APOSTLE

This view is preferred by Charles Spurgeon, whom, you probably know by now, I absolutely love! While I do like this view, since I haven’t found anyone else who states anything close to this view, I am hesitant to commit to it. That being said, I think it is worth presenting it to you.

This view is based on what it means to taste death. Spurgeon contends that this is a reference to the second death written about in

Revelation 20:6 NASB95PARA

Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

Revelation 20:13–14 NASB95PARA

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:8 NASB95PARA

But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Revelation 21:18 NASB95PARA

The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.

Of the twelve men whom Jesus addressed in this passage, only Judas would experience the second death. And of course, his eternal soul would wait until the time of the Great White Throne Judgment to truly taste this second death. If we followed this passage with this thought in mind we could draw the following conclusions:

· Judas was not willing to deny himself

· Judas was not willing to take up his cross of suffering

· Judas sought to save his life

· Judas was not willing to lose his life

o Judas ultimately lost his life

· Judas exchanged his soul for thirty pieces of silver

Conclusion

As we conclude I want to ask you the question that Peter asked of his readers:

2 Peter 3:11 NASB95PARA

Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,

For the believer the answer is that we should be the kind of people who come after Christ, who deny ourselves, who take up our cross and follow Him.

For the unbeliever, the answer is that you should be a person who searches for Christ with all of your heart, and then clings to the foot of the cross of Christ for your salvation.

Let’s pray.

THE POWER OF THE CROSS

Oh, to see the dawn Of the darkest day: Christ on the road to Calvary Tried by sinful men Torn and beaten, then Nailed to a cross of wood

This, the pow'r of the cross: Christ became sin for us; Took the blame, bore the wrath We stand forgiven at the cross

Oh, to see the pain Written on Your face Bearing the awesome weight of sin Ev'ry bitter thought Ev'ry evil deed Crowning Your bloodstained brow

This, the pow'r of the cross: Christ became sin for us; Took the blame, bore the wrath We stand forgiven at the cross

Now the daylight flees; Now the ground beneath Quakes as its Maker bows His head Curtain torn in two Dead are raised to life; "Finished!" the vict'ry cry

This, the pow'r of the cross: Christ became sin for us; Took the blame, bore the wrath We stand forgiven at the cross

Christ became sin for us; Took the blame, bore the wrath We stand forgiven at the cross

Oh, to see my name Written in the wounds For through Your suffering I am free Death is crushed to death; Life is mine to live Won through Your selfless love

This, the pow'r of the cross: Son of God - slain for us What a love! What a cost! We stand forgiven at the cross