Chosen to Be Like Jesus

Sunday School

3 classes (Kaitlyn, Tommy and David, Shannon) (Kaitlyn’s class will meet in FBCA parking lot.)

Same lessons: Discovering your Spiritual Gifts

regular classes will resume in the Fall

Starts next Sunday.

Masks will be optional for those who are fully vaccinated. (Starting June 6)

Sermon

INTRODUCTION:

Consider what comes to mind when you think about a politician, a CrossFit fanatic, or a millennial. What about when I say “Star Wars?” Do you automatically think of the first trilogy, the one that starts with Luke and Leiah, and Han Solo? Or do you think of the more recent movies? What idea comes to mind when I say, UNC fan, or NC State fan, or Duke fan? Odds are you have certain mental associations with each. Now, what comes to mind when you hear the word Christian? Odds are you associate that word with certain characteristics as well. The broader culture also forms impressions of what a Christian is and whether or not they are one. People in our culture have all kinds of ideas about what a Christian is. One popular view in our culture is that Christians are judgmental, homophobic, people who think they’re better than others, and think they’re the only ones going to heaven and that they’re actually glad everyone else is going to hell. Believe it or not, I actually had someone that was a lot like that stereotype tell me once, “I love justice, I hate mercy.” In his mind he was morally superior to those “lost people” out there living their sinful lives, and he deserved to go to heaven. He didn’t realize that he was just as needy of God’s mercy, and that he should fear God’s justice just as much as the worst sinner he could think of. But even among people who use the label “Christian” for themselves, there are different ideas of what that means. If you ask them if they’re a Christian, they might answer with a “Yes, but...”and they qualify the limits of their Christianity, or explain what they mean by that so they’re not associated with others who also call themselves Christians. “Yes, but not like those other people over there.”

The first followers of Jesus didn’t call themselves Christians. It was a derogatory term used by people outside of the faith. In Acts 11:26, we see that the first Christians were known as disciples. The word Christian is used three times in the whole Bible; the word disciple is used 281 times. Disciple is a far more accurate and compelling description of what it means to follow Jesus. And, as we will see, the concept of a disciple exposes the fact that many who claim to be Christians are not actually disciples of Jesus. Today, I want us to look at what a disciple really was and is. If you turn to Matthew 4 we will look at the calling of the first disciples, and maybe get some ideas of how disciples actually viewed themselves.

MAIN TEXT:

Matthew 4:18–22 CSB

18 As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter), and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 19 “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish for people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, preparing their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Let’s Pray...

Okay… I want to be honest with you about something. When I was a kid, and even as a younger adult, I always read this passage by itself and without understanding it in the context of all four Gospels together. In the book of Matthew, it seems like Jesus just came up to some strangers and invited them to follow Him with no idea who He was, and they just did it. However, if you read the Gospel of John, in chapter 1 of that Gospel John tells us that Andrew and Peter had already met Jesus before, and they had been told by John the Baptist that Jesus was the Messiah. They even spent some time with Him and saw Him do some miracles. I don’t think that they had a full understanding of who Jesus was, but they knew that Jesus was someone special. Here is where a little more historical background might be helpful.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:

• All Hebrew boys went to Torah school starting at age 5. Over the next five years, they would spend a large amount of time memorizing huge sections of the first five books of the Bible.

• By age 10, all young boys knew the Torah and the best students went on to study the remainder of the Old Testament. The rest returned home to work in their families’ businesses.

• At about age 17, if you wanted to go on and make a career out of religious studies, your next step was to find a rabbi you admired and apply to become one of his disciples (talmidim).

• When you found one, you would go and sit at his feet. That was your request to learn. And the rabbi would examine you with questions and put you through a series of tests to see if you were worthy to be his disciple.

• The rabbis could choose the smartest, most talented boys to be their disciples.

• Another reason the rabbis were so picky is that when they chose a disciple, they were choosing someone whom they believed could become just like them—to not just know what they knew, but to do what they did. Disciples learned their rabbi’s mannerisms, how they answered certain questions, how they handled different situations, etc.

• For several years, these young disciples (talmidim) would follow their rabbis, imitating them in every way. The goal of a disciple was to be like the rabbi.

I want to chase a rabbit trail for a second here. It doesn’t have to do with today’s passage, but it does have to do with what we’re studying today. As I learned about how the students used to go sit at the rabbi’s feet and in that way declare, “I want to be your disciple, I want to learn to be like you and do the things you do,” I was reminded of the passage in Luke 10 where Jesus is at the home of Mary and Martha. Do you remember what happened in that story? Martha was busy being a hostess, and working around the house, and what was Mary doing? She was sitting at Jesus’s feet. When Martha complained and asked Jesus to tell her to get up and help, Jesus told her that Mary had chosen what was better, and it would not be taken from her. I think Mary was a trailblazer in that passage. Culturally, we read those words and we think maybe she was being lazy or just wanted to learn from Jesus, but a Jewish person from Jesus’s days would have understood that Mary was behaving somewhat scandalously, sitting at the feet of the rabbi with the disciples instead of being busy with the work of being a good hostess, the role her culture told her she should play. I’ve said before that Jesus’s ministry greatly elevated the role of women in a culture where they were ignored and neglected, and I think this is a clear example of that. I’m so glad the Bible shows us that women were disciples of Jesus as well as men. Keep that in mind as we look at what this passage tells us about discipleship.

PASSAGE OUTLINE:

Matthew 4:18 CSB

18 As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter), and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen.

In Matthew chapter four, Jesus, this new rabbi, chooses Peter and Andrew, who are fishermen. The fact that they are fishermen shows you what? They were part of the B-team. They weren’t the best of the best.

Ladies and gentlemen, let that sink in: When Jesus chose His squad to build His movement, He chose the B-team! So, of course, they went to follow Him. This rabbi had chosen them—guys without much potential or personal power—to follow Him and to become like Him, to know God like He knew God, to know what He knew, to do what He did and be filled with His power!

John MacArthur: “God skipped all the wise of the day! The great scholars were in Egypt; the great library was in Alexandria; the great philosophers were in Athens; the powerful were in Rome. He passed over Herodotus the historian and Socrates the great thinker and Julius Caesar. He chose men so ordinary it was comical. No Rabbis, no teachers, no religious experts...”

Jesus chose the B-team because His work in the world wouldn’t come from their abilities for Him, but from what He would do through them.

People with a lot of talent and ability would only get in the way because they would never learn to lean on His power. Jesus taught that His power in the weakest vessel was infinitely greater than the greatest talent without Him.

I. JESUS DOESN’T CHOOSE THE BEST, HE CHOOSES THE WILLING.

God wants to use you in your family, at your workplace. Stop making excuses that you are not able. He doesn’t need your ability; He requires only your availability. There is a saying that goes, “He doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.” Have you made yourself available? It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a theology degree, or that you might not come from a strong Christian family, or that you aren’t good speaking in front of others, it matters that you are available to God. Several chapters later, Jesus tells His disciples that the way the Kingdom of God works is different than the world works, even different from how the Jewish religious world worked.

Matthew 11:9–11 CSB

9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written: See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you. 11 “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared, but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Wow, this is John the Baptist Jesus is talking about, the prophet who announced the arrival of God’s Messiah, of God’s Savior, and Jesus is saying that the least in God’s kingdom is greater than him? How can that be? It’s because disciples of Jesus have something that even John the Baptist didn’t have, the Holy Spirit living in us. And when we have the Spirit of God in us, it’s no longer about our abilities, and our talents, and what we bring to the table, it’s about what God brings to the table. So the question is no longer, “How able are you?” It is, “How available are you?”

NUMBER TWO… God chose us, not we Him.

II. HE CHOSE US, NOT WE HIM.

Jesus tells the people in Matthew 4, “Follow me.”

As I explained, the normal way this all went down is that if you were among the best of your class, you applied to a rabbi, and if he liked what he saw, he’d choose you back. Now, his selection gave them a great deal of confidence. If they were struggling, they could say, “Ah, but my rabbi believed in me! He chose me.” But Jesus started the process back even further. They didn’t even come to sit at His feet. He came seeking them when they weren’t even looking for Him.

Some of you are struggling now—marriage, career, parenting. Believe this, friend: If you are Jesus’ disciple, then He chose you!

John 15:16 CSB

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.

It’s not about predestination versus free will, the point Jesus is making is that He has a plan and a purpose for us that He won’t let fail, so when we lack confidence in ourselves, we need to put our confidence in Jesus and in His purposes and plans for us. Even if we stumble, God’s purpose and plan does not fail.

III. OUR PRIMARY CALLING IS TO BE WITH HIM.

“Follow me,” he told them ...

He didn’t tell them where they were going or what assignment He had for them. His primary call is not to do something; it is to become like Him. And to become like Him, you have to know Him. To know Him, you have to know His Word.

You have so many outlets here for this—weekly messages, Sunday School classes are starting next week, I think it’s almost been a year since our church signed up for a Christian Bible Study “Netflix” style subscription called RightNow Media. Our men’s and women’s Bible studies have used their video resources sometimes, and so have the Youth and Children’s ministries. FBC Academy across the street even made it available for their families. They have Adult Bible Studies, Youth Studies, Kids’ shows based on the Bible, tens of thousands of videos. If you lost your invitation email or didn’t get one, you can just go to our church’s website and scroll down a little on the home page and you will see a small rectangular banner that you can click on and it will take you straight to an online form for you to get access to this great resource, and it’s completely free because our church has already paid the fee so that all our people can use it. And of course, you don’t have to limit yourself to the opportunities our church offers, you can go online and order a Bible study resource or find reading plans that will take you through the Bible in a year, or two years, or focus on different topics or books of the Bible. There are tons of options out there. If you are really serious about being His disciple, you’ll take advantage of a lot of these. Get His Word inside of you until it dominates all your thinking and all your behavior. Until you know it and think it and talk it and quote it.

IV. TO FOLLOW HIM, WE HAVE TO LEAVE ALL.

Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Why identify these two things? Because these are usually the two most significant things in our lives:

• Boat: Our careers (the way we take care of ourselves)

• Father: Our most significant relationships

To follow Jesus, He has to take precedence over both. Most of you won’t literally lose your father and mother over Jesus ... Some might. For some, God may tell you to change careers. Maybe God will tell you transfer your job or leave your job and carry the gospel overseas. For many of you, it probably won’t be that dramatic. But you’ll have moments where you decide which holds greater sway over your life. God might call you at some point in your life to go on a short or medium term mission trip, and there might be challenges to obeying. Will you follow God or let the things that get in the way win? God may call you to approach your job differently than your non-christian co-workers do, will you honor God or give in to the peer pressure so you don’t stand out? God may call you to live a life of sexual purity that those around you think is outdated and just plain dumb. Will you do what God says is right or what the world says is right? Are you willing to leave it all in order to follow Jesus?

V. HE COMMANDS US TO SPIRITUALLY REPRODUCE.

“Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish for people.”

Following Jesus means you subject everything in your life to His lordship. You forsake all that He has forbidden and pursue all that He has prescribed. Just like He was a fisher of men, His followers would become fishers of men. This is an essential part of being a disciple. It’s not something that only a few of us do; it’s something that each of us does. There is no such thing as a non-reproducing Christian.

How do you prove you are a disciple? By bearing fruit. And if you are not bearing fruit, you have reason to question whether you are a disciple at all.

John 15:8 CSB

8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples.

Jesus tells His disciples how to bear fruit in His famous Great Commission:

Matthew 28:19–20 CSB

19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

In Greek, the words go, baptize and teach are all participles that derive their force from the one controlling verb, make disciples. Which means that everything we do grows out of the call to make disciples. Jesus summarized His ministry, Luke 19, by saying,

Luke 19:10 CSB

10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

If we are His disciples, that’s how we’ll summarize our lives, too.

In his book, The Master Plan of Evangelism, Robert Coleman said:

“When will the church learn this lesson? Preaching to the masses, although necessary, will never suffice in the work of preparing leaders for evangelism. Nor can occasional prayer meetings and training classes for Christian workers do this job... Individual women and men are God’s method. God’s plan for discipleship is not something, but someone.”

YOU are God’s plan to reach this community, this state, this nation and the world with the Gospel of Jesus.

CONCLUSION:

You are God’s method. We want to see you become this, this year. We want you to commit to it. And don’t let it intimidate you. Disciple making is simply teaching someone to follow Jesus as you follow Jesus with the help of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus has promised to help you. Today we are launching the “Who’s Your One” campaign. I’m gonna challenge you to have one person this year that, with the help of God, you’re gonna introduce to faith in Jesus Christ. I know you can’t control the outcome, so I’m not asking you to put it on you, but I’m saying, will you commit to God and say, “God, will you show me one person this year that I am supposed to reproduce myself in spiritually?” If we all did this as a church, and we all committed to spending this next year focusing on just ONE person that we can introduce to faith in Jesus, do you realize what could happen? If just the deacons and the staff here at church committed to faithfully praying for, investing in our friendship with, and witnessing to just one person for a year, and they put their faith in Jesus, we would have fifteen new believers in church in a year. If our leaders of different committees and people in charge of other ministries joined us, that would be another ten new believers, at least. What if we all did it together?

If all of us saw one person come to Jesus, this year, our church would double in size! If even forty or thirty of us saw ONE person come to faith in Jesus this year, it would be incredible! (When was the last time First Baptist baptized forty people in a year?) So, identify your one. Ask God to help you identify one person you can, with the help of the Holy Spirit, bring to faith in Christ this year. Next week we will give you a bookmark where you can write the name of your “One” so that you remember to pray for them and look for opportunities to share with them. This week, be praying and asking God who He wants your “One” to be.

INVITATION:

So let me finish with two questions for you. First of all, are YOU a disciple? I’m not asking if you’ve identified yourself as a Christian, I’m asking if you are a disciple. Maybe today is the first time you’ve understood that Jesus isn’t looking for people that only identify with a label or with a group, He is looking for people who have committed to obey Him and become like Him. Have you committed to follow Jesus? Jesus is more than just a famous rabbi, and a good philosopher of his day, He is the one who created the universe, and who keeps it running by His active will. He is the one who gave His life for us to be saved because He paid the price for our sins. He is the one who healed people, and raised people from the dead, and forgave people, and loved them. He deserves our total commitment and obedience, and he deserves our worship. So, maybe some of us need to go from being Christians to being His Disciples. Maybe it’s time to leave everything to follow Him.

Let me tell you the gospel. Here it is. The gospel is that you couldn’t save yourself. Nothing you could do could save yourself, so Jesus came to die the death in your place that you’ve been condemned to die. He offered to save you, and He offers that freely as a free gift to whoever will receive it. But the one condition is that you become His disciple and that you surrender everything to Him. I don’t care what kind of prayer you pray, I don’t care what kind of family you grew up in. Have you become His disciple? Have you received Him and surrendered to Him? And the part B to that question is, are you engaging in the mission? Are you reproducing yourself? Because what I’ve been showing you is that if you’re not, you’re not actually a full disciple. The call to follow Jesus, and the call to make disciples are one and the same.

If you feel that God is leading you to take that step to become His disciple, then I encourage you to respond today. You can stay behind as the others leave and we can talk about what God is doing in your life. Maybe you have been a disciple but have been less committed recently and you need to recommit to following Him with all your heart. I would love to talk with you and pray with you after the service. Maybe you want to be baptized, or you have been coming to our church and want to join our church and become a member, I’d love to talk to you after the service.

Let’s pray...

Hebrews 13:20–21 CSB

20 Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.