Messy Discipleship

Who Is Jesus?

Why follow Jesus?

How To Follow Jesus?

How are we following Jesus?

Am I really following Jesus? Do I really understand who Jesus and what my relationship should be to Him?

I think it is real easy for us to sit back and listen to lessons on Jesus and following him, and discipleship and for us to check out. after all we already are following Him right, after all we have already committed our lives to Him right?

Usually we have to responses: 1) we check out and think this lesson is for so & so 2) we feel like are failing as a follower of jesus.

I think by following the 12 through the gospel of Mark we can see that they were just like us. they had their ups and downs and even though they saw and heard Jesus almost everyday for 3 years, they still didn’t get it.

as an example think about what they say in

Mark 14:27–29 NASB95

And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, because it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.’ “But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.”

pretty much all of the 12 end up fleeing after Jesus arrest and CH. 14 ends with Peter weeping over what he has done.

for people who gave up everything to follow Jesus 1:16-20

Mark 10:28–30 NASB95

Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.

they are still incredible dense concerning the things of God

for people who chosen for special service (3:13-19)of preaching repentance & they were even given authority over clean spirits & able to heal people (Mk. 6:12-13) —> they still were not the followers they should be.

for people who who had the inside tract with Jesus explaining the parables to them MK. 4:10-13, 34 yet they understand very little of His teaching.

Mark 4:13 NASB95

And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?

Mark 7:17 NASB95

When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable.

Mark 8:14–16 NASB95

And they had forgotten to take bread, and did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them. And He was giving orders to them, saying, “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” They began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread.

We are just like the twelve. We hear His teaching but we don’t hear his teachings, we say we give up everything for Jesu but we don’t. for people who are given a special mission we still don’t take it seriously. We say I’m going to follow you wherever you go but we don’t.

and Jesus reprimands them with the very words he uses for those outside.

Mark 4:40–41 NASB95

And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? How is it that you have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

Mark 6:52 NASB95

for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.

Mark 8:17–21 NASB95

And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? “Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” “When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” And they said to Him, “Seven.” And He was saying to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

Mark 9:19 NASB95

And He answered them and said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!”

Mark 8:33 NASB95

But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

Mark 16:14 NASB95

Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.

I think the example that we have before us in the 12 apostles is that we can say all the right things, we can even do some really incredible things for Jesus but still not really understand jesus, and still not follow Jesus like we should. We can still be full of unbelief, distrust and have hard hearts. we still don’t

Mark 8:34 NASB95

And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.

whole-heartily, fully commited and devoted to His cause and are really willing to follow him anywhere.

Anywhere with jesus I will safely go. Will we?

I think it really all goes back to the parable of the sower, what kind of soil are we

hard soil - satan takes the word immediately

rocky soil, receive the word with joy, and when persecution or affliction we immediately fall away.

thorny soil - who allow the worries of the world & the deceitfulness of riches and the desire for other things to enter and choke the word and we become unfruitful

good soil - fruitful

Thank goodness there is the rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say. The 12 finally do get it.

the Gospel of Mark closes with Jesus giving the great commission

Mark 16:15–16 NASB95

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.

Mark 16:19–20 NASB95

So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed. And they promptly reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions. And after that, Jesus Himself sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.

We find the In the book of Acts the disciples waiting in Jerusalem just like Jesus told them to and they begin preaching and fulfilling the mission jesus gave them even to the point of giving their lives for jesus.

That can be us as well if we repent make a change in our heart and lives to be true to jesus. we need to have soft mold-able hearts and we need to allow Jesus to touch our hearts every single day.

Will you come to jesus today with tender, sincere, open heart and allow him to mold and shape you in to a true disciple? If we can help you please come while we stand and sing.