The Call of a Disciple

INTRODUCTION

Good Morning, Release Kids

Thank you to Justin for preaching

NEW SERIES

Topic of Discipleship

Typical we go through books of the Bible and after Labor Day we will journey through together the greatest sermon ever - Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew.

For the next four weeks though - we will talk about Discipleship

This is IMPORTANT b/c

God’s Mission for his church - began with follow me and continued to

We say this in our church’s mission statement as “Becoming Disciples Who Make Disciples.”

Question is: WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

End of last year the elders began to define what this means. During the beginning of the year the elder met weekly over several months to continue our conversations around our convictions.

This summer we invited a group of leaders from the church to expand this conversations.

This 4 week series is meant to create a unified goal for how we pursue following Jesus together.

It doesn’t have all the answers

We aren’t laying out a step by step plan because we don’t believe that discipleship can be broken down into steps 1 - 2 - and 3.

Our desire is that this brings clarity, understanding, and corporation as we follow after Jesus.

READ MATTEW 4:18-22

PRAY

READ MATTEW 4:18-22

JESUS CALLS THE FIRST DISCIPLES

1 | The Power of God’s Call

Unconditional Command

Jesus doesn’t give them a polite, well-reasoned invitation to join him for a brief lesson.

Rather, HE SAYS...

Follow Me

I will make you

This demonstrates the power of God’s sovereign command when he calls us to himself.

Follow Me

This expression means a physical response. It doesn’t just mean listen to my teachings, remember what I say, but rather, get up, leave what you were doing and follow me.

I will make you

The invitation was not based on the skills and gifts these men brought to ‘Team Jesus.’

Rather, Jesus promised to shape them into the men he desired them to be for task he was about to give them.

Unconditional Response

Three Responses

Repentance (, Jesus first message as he started his ministry)

Turn away, turn toward Jesus, trust in Jesus

Following - physically following Jesus

Faith - beyond actions, beyond mimicking the words and works off Jesus but act of surrendering.

Remember Judas, fell short

Remember Peter, he fell, stumbled, but remained

Questions

Is Jesus Lord?

If so, is he Lord over your life? So much so that in his presence you recognize the spiritual difference of his perfection and your own imperfections?

Do you embrace more than just an understanding of repentance?

Do you turn from your sin, and more than just repenting of sin - do you also repent from following anyone or anything else more than Jesus?

What is first and most important in your life?

The disciples had fish, nets, boats, families, career, income.

Are you willing to step away from occupations, friends, family, previous loyalties - in order to wholeheartedly follow Jesus?

DISCIPLE DEFINED

We want to be a people, a church family that Follows Jesus Together

Repent of our sins before Jesus and confess our sins to one another

Follow Jesus personally but not in isolation because God has called us into a family when he called us to himself.

Walk by faith as we cling to Christ in every aspect of our lives with ongoing surrender

As we talk about ‘Becoming Disciples Who make Disciples’ we want to establish a clear definition for what we mean by ‘Disciple.’ This is important, because if we don’t establish a clear goal then we will each define this word in our own way.

DEFINITION

A disciple is someone who worship Jesus through ongoing surrender, with obedience to God in everyday life, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

DIAGRAM - I like pictures and diagrams. For some this will be helpful but for others it may not and that is OK. I’ve drawn shapes and diagrams all over my whiteboards and scrap paper trying to communicate

Definition of Disciple

3 Characteristics of a Disciple

How we live this out as a church

WORSHIPS JESUS...

God First

Discipleship is About God’s Glory

Not to become a better person or the best version of our selves - NOT about self-improvement

Not so we can rise in leadership of the church

Not so we can become a bigger church

These are good things but they are only a byproduct of what must be first and essentially first

Discipleship is About God Glory () before it is about our development

Jesus created created everything - in heaven and on earth - things both visible and invisible

It was THROUGH Jesus

It is FOR Jesus that he created everything

Jesus is BEFORE all things

In Jesus, all things HOLD TOGETHER

Through Jesus he has reconciled all things to himself

John Piper

Worship is ultimate because God is ultimate

Worship is first, because God is first

At the end of time, one aspect of the church will remain forever - worship.

ONGOING SURRENDER...

HOW - How do we worship God in this life as a disciple? - ONGOING SURRENDER

We humble ourselves before God

Repent - see previous verse in Matthew

Surrendering our lives under the sovereign Lordship, care, and discipline of God.

Yield, submit, crumble, relinquish, forfeit, concede,

Ongoing

This is more than a one-time decision to obtain a get out of hell pass

Surrender is something we continue to pursue and experience throughout life as a disciple of Jesus.

Ongoing vs Increasing

Ongoing is not the same as increasing because we understand that growth happens in seasons

As we see in nature - there are seasons of growth, and then their are seasons when growth is not visible to us or others. It is often during these times that our roots are digging deeper into the knowledge of God, though we may feel a sense of walking through a spiritual desert.

OBEDIENCE TO GOD...

Obedience is a result of Surrender - “with…”

Obedience separated surrender is a godless morality and does not glory God.

Obedience is important but it MUST follow surrender

JESUS - “If you love me, obey my commands.” ()

Love precedes obedience

Obedience follows loves (both of these statements are equally true).

IN EVERYDAY LIFE...

As we pursue discipleship together - we want to increase in surrendering every aspects of our lives to Jesus.

We aren’t just talking about how you spent your Sunday

Everything mean everything

Marriage

Money

Work & Ethics

Book you read

the movies you watch

the jokes you tell

the way you parent

how you intereact with other disciples sand people who don’t yet follow Jesus

the way you eat

the way you drink

how you see youself

how you see other

NOT A PROGRAM

This is why discipleship will not be a program of the church

you don’t attend, learn, and graduate

NO Discipleship 101, 201, 301

Discipleship is about transformation, not just information

There are plenty of pastors, seminary students, and Christians who are knowledgable ABOUT God yet have given in to deep sins because they lacked the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Discipleship is a lifestyle, the culture of the church

We are continuing to talk with our ministry leaders so that we are intentional striving to be a community of people who are following after Jesus together.

Discipleship is about transformation, not just information

POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT...

God is first and he is last

God is our only MEANS of transformation

Jesus says, “I will make you…”

Paul told the Galatins, “Don’t be foolish. You began by the Spirit (repentance) but are you now going to be perfected (transformed) by your efforts? NO! ()

”For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.” ()

ONLY BY THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT...

Repent and Surrender

Leading to Obedience in every aspect of our lives

GOD IS CENTRAL

FROM him

TO Him

THROUGH him

FOR him

WHY A HEXAGON

Nature

The scripture talks about growing as disciples in very natural terms

ie. - “I am vine, you are the branches, if a man remain in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.”

Psalms talks about being rooted and planted.

This is one of the reasons I like this shape.

The Hexagon - It is a shape found throughout nature - in fact, site call it: 1) Nature’s perfect shape, 2) strongest shape

Places: Dragonfly eye (30,000 hexagons), snowflakes to salt rocks, bubbles next to each other and honeycombs.

There is both a scientific and mathematical reason for this - but I won’t bore you with the details

BIG IDEA: Is not just the individual shape but how the shape perfectly connects together.

Community

This is something we will continue to build on in the coming weeks.

When you see this shape - I hope two thoughts come to mind

(1) Discipleship - Growing understanding of what is means to become disciples who make disciples

(2) Discipleship is Meant to be Done Together - Following Jesus Together.

CONCLUSION

Are you following Jesus? (more than a yes or no)

Not just listening - observing - mimicking - but are you truly following Jesus

Walking in repentance - truly following with surrender and faith

If not, why not?

Ask God for help!

Are you following Jesus with others?

Repentance - Confessing Sin

Following - Not just learning about God or the Bible but being transformed as you walk with him?

Faith - Living by faith, seeking to become disciples who make disciples

GOWING