The DNA of a disciple
The Gospel According to Luke • Sermon • Submitted
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What does that word disciple mean?
What does that word disciple mean?
A Disciple is someone who follows another person or another way of life and who submits himself to the teaching of that leader or way.
A big part of Jesus’ ministry was teaching
Of the 90 times Jesus was addressed in the gospels 60 times He was called teacher
“You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am
You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.
Jesus was not just any teacher, He was the master Teacher.
This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
Nicodemus said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God”
John 3:2
Jesus did’t teach like the other Rabbis, He taught we authority
He taught a new way of life
Jesus was teaching a new way of life
And anyone who followed Jesus was called and is called a disciple
Not a way as in the OT because through Him there was a New Covenant
Today we call them Christians
The word Christian means “a follower of Christ”
As Christians we are to learn from the teachings of Jesus and follow them
He learns from his teacher
Not only do we learn and do but we strive to live like He did
He lives like his teacher lived
Now at times there were many who followed Jesus
They would follow Him to get a meal
They would follow Him to get healed
And they would follow Him to learn as long as the teaching didn’t get too radical
But when things got a little too comfortable for them they hit the road
This morning I want to look at what it takes to be a disciple
The DNA, the makeup, the characteristics to make sure we are on the right path
It is also helpful to know the marks because do you know what our calling is? To make disciples
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
(Verses 1-3)
Why would anyone follow Jesus?
Because Jesus is the master teacher
By Master I mean master over everything
Jesus specializes in all areas
These men whom Jesus was around had been fishing all of their lives
They knew the ins and outs of fishing
They knew the best places in the lakes
But Jesus comes and with a simple command brings amazing results
Jesus is not just an ordinary teacher but One with all authority
Ch 4:36 “And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another saying, “What message is this? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out”
The obvious lesson in this story is who Jesus is
He is the one who has power over nature
He is the One who gives great gifts to men
He is One who transforms our lives
One of the requirements of a disciple is trust (Verse 4-5)
He follows his master because he trusts
All disciples must learn to trust or he is not truly a disciple
The first identifying mark of a disciple is the willingness to trust Jesus (Verses 1-5)
The first identifying mark of a disciple is the willingness to trust Jesus (Verses 1-5)
A DISCIPLE CANNOT BE A DISCIPLE UNLESS HE TRUSTS HIS MASTER
Here is Peter standing in the boat with Jesus
Jesus finishes His teaching and then turns to Peter and says, “let down your nets”
Now Peter had been out all night
He knew the fish were not biting
Jesus was going to give Peter what he offers to all who decide to follow Him…a chance to trust
Everyone has a chance to trust Jesus
This does not have to be a big thing
And here is this teacher telling the master fisherman how to do his job
He had been listening to Jesus teach, but to Him he was just a teacher
We get many chances to trust the Lord
Peter had a choice
He could either trust his own intellectual thoughts or trust the words of Jesus
As simple as this may sound it was the moment that began a radical change in Peter’s life
They had been fishing all night and caught nothing
Had he not did as Jesus told him nothing else would have followed
I am sure Peter was tired and tired of fishing
Despite all these Peter says AT YOUR WORD I WILL LET DOWN THE NETS
Had he not took the 5 extra minutes and dropped the nets this narrative would be over
Had he not did as Jesus said he may have just continued on fishing for fish rather than changing the world
He may be speaking to you through this sermon right now and it is an opportunity to TRUST HIM
BUT to trust God is to trust Him at His word
BUT he placed his trust in Jesus, “At Your word, I will let down the nets”
Despite all the reasons not to Peter says, “NEVERTHELESS AT YOUR WORD I WILL LET DOWN THE NETS”
A disciple cannot be a disciple unless he willingly trusts the Lord
It may be something simple like Peter
Or it may be something big that changes your life
It will always be a response to an opportunity presented by Jesus.
Trust cannot be based upon the circumstances.
Trust is taking a chance without knowing the outcome
Trust is being willing to take a chance just because the Lord tells us to.
Trust comes with no strings attached
Trust is obedient to thGod despite the circumstances
Trust comes with risks
It’s like a child who who believes every word
Simply a word of guidance and the child does it just because the parent says so
Jesus said, “unless you become like a little child you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Becoming like a little child does not mean the kingdom of heaven is of children
It does not mean you have to be immature
It does not mean you have to be gullible
IT MEANS YOU MUST TRUST LIKE A LITTLE CHILD
A child trusts blindly
A child trusts openly
A child trusts completely
YOUR CHANCE TO TRUST JESUS WILL ALWAYS LEAD TO A PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS
Your chance to trust Jesus will be a personal encounter with Christ
When we let ourselves be vulnerable to the Lord and take Him at His word something will happen in your life that will change you!
When we take a chance for God just because He said so something
This is exactly what Peter experienced and it is always first
Christ is not known apart from trust
Understanding is impossible without trust
And the power of God comes by way of trust!
Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves
There are things about me that I don’t even know, but my Master knows them
There are things that I am capable of that I have no idea i can do, but my Master knows them
We trust Jesus because He knows!
A mark of a disciple is the fact that he trusts his teacher (Verse 4-5)
He follows his master because he trusts
He obeys the teachings of the teacher because he trusts him
A man of unclean lips ()
WHEN WE LEARN TO TRUST LOOK WHAT FOLLOWS:
He is willing to take chances because of his great trust in his master
VERSE 6-7
Because Peter placed his trust in Christ he experienced the power of God
Because Peter took Him at His word God became as real as you and I in here this morning.
How real is Jesus to you?
Do you want God to be as real as your neighbor sitting next to you?
TRUST HIM
One thing you will never hear, “I wish I had not trusted the Lord”
When hard times comes get exci
Not man will ever say, “I wish I had not trusted God”
No man will ever say, “I wish God would not have called me into that place”
What you will hear a disciple say is, “I AM SO GLAD I PLACED MY TRUST IN GOD AND TOOK A CHANCE”
#2: A disciple has a right understanding of his position in Christ
(Verses 8)
#2: A disciple has a right understanding of his position in Christ
(Verses 8)
OR he must truly understand who Jesus is OR that he us unworthy
“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master”
He will always KNOW it is Christ who leads an
Before Peter decided to trust, before Peter experienced the power of God, Jesus was just a great teacher
And like any other man, Jesus was just a great teacher to Peter
Jesus was nothing more than another man.
Jesus was just someone who was a great teacher
Jesus just spoke in a powerful way
But after Peter’s experience he became aware of the true nature of Jesus.
Peter knew his correct place with Jesus
Peter therefore positions himself correctly to be a disciple
This caused Peter to do two things:
he humbled himself: “Peter fell at the knees of Jesus”
A disciple must possess a certain level of humility to remain.
7 things that the Lord hates and #1 on the list is “a proud look”
humility
“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master”
Peter knew his position in Jesus was at his feet because he was not worthy
There is a certain level of humility a disciple must possess
7 things the Lord hates and #1 is a proud look
A true disciple understands he is a sinner saved by grace
A true disciple he understands he is not worthy of being saved
A true disciple finds his most comfort at the feet of Jesus.
he exalted Jesus: “Depart from me, O Lord”
This is the right response of a disciple
It is at this moment that Peter recognizes Jesus’ great authority
He realizes that Jesus is not from this world
He understands the place where Jesus belongs is on the throne… “O Lord!”
He is not controlled by the laws of nature He controls them
He is the very manifestation of God in human flesh!!
For one to be correctly positioned in Christ he must come to the realization of who Jesus is
Peter had been fishing all of his life
He knew the lake like the back of his hand
He had the best tactics
He knew when the fish would bite and what they would bite on
BUT JESUS CAME AND DID FOR PETER IN TWO MINUTES WHAT PETER COULDN’T DO FOR HIMSELF
“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master”
A disciple must never allow himself to be elevated in the place of Christ.
A disciple must always remain the humble servant
No matter how sanctified we become we will never be greater than the One we are following
In fact it is quite the opposite
“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man”
Jesus said a servant is never above his master
JESUS SHOWED PETER THAT HE WAS NOT JUST A MAN BUT THE GOD-MAN
Elevation of Christ “Go away from me Lord”
The closer we get to Jesus, the more evident our sin becomes
Isaiah had a similar experience
As we grow and mature as believers we realize sin in our life we didn’t recognize before
He was give a vision into the throne room of heaven
He saw the creatures, the train of the Lord that filled the temple
A man of unclean lips ()
AND ISAIAH CRIED OUT, “Woe is me, for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips”
The closer we get to Jesus, the more we can recognize the sin in our own life
Peter said, away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man
When we begin to understand who Jesus is, we immediately understand who we are
We not only understand who we are, but we understand our great need of Him.
There is not a moment of the day when we don’t need the Lord watching over us
Sinfulness “for I am a sinful man”
There is not a second of the day that this world does not need Him
IT IS CHRIST THAT IS HOLDING ALL THINGS TOGETHER
Isaiah knew this very well
Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on His throne in a vision
It was a vision similar to what John saw in Revelation
And the train of his robe filled the temple (signifying his holiness)
And the creatures were praising God, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts”
And Isaiah cried out “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips” ()
As we grow closer to Jesus Christ our sin becomes more evident to us
A man of unclean lips ()
Just as Peter, and Isaiah didn’t realize their true nature until they understood God’s
Trust
The closer you get to Jesus, the more you will understand your desperate situation
Jesus
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
experience
Sanctification is not only positional, but it is progressive
humility and exaltation
Anyone in Christ will be continuously made like Jesus.
They are positioned inside the kingdom when salvation takes place and then they are conformed to the image of the Son
In John ch 20 after
#3: A disciple will be involved in the Masters work (Verses 9-10)
#3: A disciple will be involved in the Masters work (Verses 9-10)
“From now on you will be catching men”
One of the purposes of a disciple is to make disciples
And Jesus did not save us to hold onto our faith, He saved us to spread it to others
As in the world today there many Christians who have normal jobs
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
His mission becomes our mission
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
What He came to do we must continue to do
Peter had an occupation
When Peter encountered Christ his calling went from fishing to winning the lost
He had skills that not every man had
It is very likely that he had dreams of his own
He could have been saving for a bigger boat, new nets, or even a crew of his own
When Peter encountered Christ his calling went from fishing to winning the lost
Listen, Peter still fished
After Jesus had been resurrected, Peter was in the boat fishing again
Becoming a fisher of men does not mean you have to quit your job
It does not mean you have to have to quit fishing for fish
It does not mean you cannot make money
What this does mean is anyone who follows Jesus will carry out the task of his teacher
What good is a disciple if he only has knowledge?
What good is teaching if it is not put into action?
Being a disciple is learning and doing.
What this verse is
James said don’t be just hearers of the word, but doers!
Remember what Peter experienced
Learning is good and essential, but there muts asklso be action!
Trust
blessing
Understanding
Commission
If you met a man who filled your nets so full at the speaking of his word would you tell anyone?
When we get as new job we cant wait to tell people
When we have children we cant wait to tell people
When we get $0.50 off a gallon at Kroger for faithful shopping we can’t wait to put a picture on fb
HOW MUCH MORE SO IF WE COME FACE TO FACE WITH THE LORD OF LORD AND KING OF KINGS
HOW MUCH MORE SO IF WE HAVE PLACED TRUST IN JESUS AND SAW THE MIRACULOUS??
HOW MUCH MORE SO IF WE HAVE BEEN BORN AGAIN AND GIVEN NEW LIFE??
A disciple becomes a fisher of men because what he has inside of him is so great he cannot help but share it with others.
He has been delivered from the darkness and brought into the light
His eyes have been opened to sin
His understanding of eternity is so real and clear that every single day he wakes up and thinks of HOW CAN HE WIN MORE PEOPLE TO THE ONE WHO SAVED HIM
That is why we are fishers of men
There must at-least be a desire to see people saved to be a disciple
#4: A disciple is willing to forsake everything to follow Jesus (Verse 11)
#4: A disciple is willing to forsake everything to follow Jesus (Verse 11)
I believe the biggest stumbling block to becoming a disciple is this step right here
Many believe in Jesus
Many want eternal life
Many want to blessed
Many even want to see the hand of God
BUT WHAT SO MANY STUMBLE OVER IS THE WILLINGNESS TO GIVE UP ANYTHING OR EEVERYTHING
“When they brought their boats to land, they left everything”
Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves
They left their boats
There are things about me that I don’t even know, but my Master knows them
They left their occupation
There are things that I am capable of that I have no idea i can do, but my Master knows them
They even left the great bounty of fish that Jesus had just given them
Everything, if that is what it took
Jesus said unless you hate your father, mother
Why in the world would anyone leave everything this world has to offer to follow Jesus?
We trust Jesus because He knows!
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Because to be inside the Kingdom of God is the greatest treasure of all
Because there is no greater pleasure to be a disciple of the Lord
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
Because the greatest accomplishment on earth is being saved and second to that is leading someone else to Christ
Because everything before Jesus is rubbish compared to what we have in Him
Jesus had many followers during His ministry
They followed until things got tough or what He said didn’t set well with them
One day Jesus told them, “Unless you eat the flesh and drink my blood of Jesus you have no life”
When they heard this just about all of them stopped following Him
He turned to Peter and said, “Do you want to go away too?”
And Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life”
To forsake all means to give up anything and everything Jesus asks of you
But what you get in return, does not compare
It is the Spirit that gives life, and the flesh profits nothing.
Jesus has the words of eternal life, and if you want them the first step is trust
That means if Jesus says we are to give then give
That even means to leave our comfort, our security, and even our safety if that is what Jesus is calling us to do
Take the first step of trust and walk down this isle
“Notice it says take up your cross”
The cross is a symbol of salvation for Christians
The cross was a device for torture, shame, and death for Jesus
Come and lay down your
And that is exactly what one must do to be a disciple
He must let his life die that he may live again
Do you have the DNA of a disciple?
Trust
humity
commission
forsaking all
Jesus gives every man a chance
The first step is trust
Trust him enough to step out of the pew today in humility, and come follow Him
He will never turn anyone a
All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
Jesus will not turn you away
~PRAYER~