Fully-Devoted Disciple

Intro:

We began last week with the truth Jesus shared as he sent out 72 others in Luke 10.......

Luke 10:2 (ESV)

2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

This week, before we dive into how we are going to go about moving into the harvest, we need to do a little more heart work this morning.... a little self examination.

Here is a truth I want us to simmer in.... not move past, before we see in the next few weeks what we are planning to do to reach out to our community.... because if we do not understand this, if we do not believe this..... then we will simply be doing actions without a foundation of faith....

Jesus desires all Christians to be fully devoted and sent out disciples.

A. Fully-Devoted Disciple

1. A Follower

a. The first disciples were given the command to follow Jesus… and they did! Literally, wherever he was going, they were now following him as their Rabbi and Teacher.

Matthew 4 and Matthew 9 John 1:43 - Follow me is the command given to the disciples to follow Jesus

b. Jesus also asks his disciples to deny themself and take up their cross.... a life of self-denial and following Jesus.

Matthew 16:24 ESV

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Luke 18:22 ESV

22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

c. Following Jesus also means there is a change from darkness to light. An eternal transformation!

John 8:12 ESV

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

I think of the word repentance being the best example of what it means to be a disciple that follows Jesus....

“repent” (metanoeo) points in this direction. It has two parts: meta and noeo. The second part (noeo) refers to the mind and its thoughts and perceptions and dispositions and purposes. The first part (meta) is a prefix that regularly means movement or change.1 So the basic meaning of repent is to experience a change of the mind’s perceptions and dispositions and purposes. - Piper

A disciple of Jesus must follow Jesus in Faith, trusting in him for the forgiveness of sins. You were walking away from God and in repentance, you have turned 180 towards God and eternal life with Jesus.

Jesus is not looking for someone to follow his facebook, instagram or twitter feed..... He is not looking for the person who will represent his BRAND.... instead he is looking for the follower that has believed in Jesus and is following him from now into eternity in FAITH!

2. A Learner

A Disciple.... literally means that you are a learner. When Jesus called the first disciples to follow him, they knew that they were signing up to learn from a rabbi, teacher.

a. A Disciple is equipped by the church, the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit for the work of the kingdom.

Ephesians 4:12 ESV

12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

2 Timothy 3:15–17 ESV

15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

b. Jesus is the example to Follow… That is who a disciple imitates

1 Peter 2:21 ESV

21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

1 John 2:6 ESV

6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

c. A disciple is always learning..... There will never be a moment this side of heaven that you will not need to learn more about the grace and knowledge of Jesus!

2 Peter 3:18 ESV

18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

3. A Goer - One who is sent

A Disciple is equipped to be sent out into the world!

Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV)

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

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 all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Luke 10:2 ESV

2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

Mark 16:15 ESV

15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

John 20:21 ESV

21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

Acts 1:8 ESV

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Hotwheels track with the engine...... or the Newton’s Cradle tabletop balls that gain momentum

4. A multiplier

A Disciple is a multiplier of the Gospel of Jesus....Every disciples is called to make disciples..... The Church does not grow by addition, but by multiplication!

Romans 10 - How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!

Matthew 28 - Disciples make more disciples!

2 Timothy - Take what you have learned timothy and teach others to be able to teach

Titus 2 - Older Men pour into the younger men, older women pour into the younger women..... so that the gospel is on display!

Romans 10:14–17 ESV

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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 all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

2 Timothy 2:2 ESV

2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

Titus 2:1-10 “1 But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.

The mouth of the Mississippi.... 18 feet wide..... to a huge miles wide basin at the bottom..... The best pyramid scheme in the entire world! ----- Not a scam...... but If i reach one person for Jesus and that person reaches one for Jesus while I reach another.... and that process continues..... There is a multiplication that occurs! And that is the math of the kingdom of God! Disciples are multipliers of the Gospel message!

B. In Focus

The harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few...... If we are to Go as Luke 10:3 “3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” says..... We must be fully devoted disciples.

This mornings, how would you answer that question...... Are you a fully devoted disciple?

Are you a Fully Devoted Disciple?

Here are some things I want to just unpack with us this morning.... because if I just jump into what Luke 10 says to go, pray, invite, and bless others without talking about these truths..... then we are just talking about motivational words and benchmarks to strive for.... but the truth of the matter is that you may be in these categories this morning and I care too much about you not to tell you that Jesus desires you to be a fully devoted disciple....

1. Immature in your faith

There is a danger in being a disciple that is immature

Hotwheels track off.....

Equipped to be equipped to be equipped to be equipped

A disciples is fully devoted when he/she sees that they are to follow Jesus, learn from Jesus, Go for Jesus, and multiply Jesus.

There is an inward focus for an immature Disciple..... what’s in it for me? A mature disciple is equipped and focusses on what is in it for the next disciple to be made!

Country Club or the Local Church

2. Have the heart of a pharisee

Jesus doesn’t want religious leaders….. He uses disciples.

The Pharisees are seen as the villains and bad guys of the Gospels.....

They loved God’s Word and God’s law - It was innerrant!

They Loved the temple and the process of bringing Glory to God

They held traditions so that they could maintain their “holy” life

When a disciple says I am good with just following Jesus and learning about Jesus but refuses to go and multiply the message..... We can easily move into the protection of our tradition rather than the multiplication of our faith!

Holy huddles.... the football team that comes together for the play, talk about all the schemes in place for the offense and the defense, observe the crowd, then goes to the sideline..... The process is of gathering is.... but they would get mad at someone who actually ran the plays!

or

Jesus +..... from Philippians.... you might be leaning towards a pharisee heart when you see that we need Jesus + something else!

3. You never believed in Jesus

A disciples has been radically changed by Jesus from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of light! If you are not following Jesus, not learning how to be like Jesus, Going for Jesus, or multiplying the message of Jesus..... then you may have never come to the point of saving Faith in Jesus.

Jesus said you can do religious things and even seem outwardly to know Jesus.... but there will be some on that day who do not enter into heaven because they truly never came to saving faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins.

Matthew 7:21-23 “21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

4. You are a fully-devoted disciple of Jesus

Our bylaws say it well… As followers of Christ we strive to live by the power of the Holy Spirit to what the Bible calls us to be as disciples!

A fully-devoted disciple is a follower, learner, goer, and a multiplier. We do that by the power of the Holy Spirit at work within us!

A long obedience in the same direction - Eugene Peterson.

Jesus desires all Christians to be fully devoted and sent out disciples.

We are bringing this call of evangelism and discipleship “In Focus”.... to live changed lives and to change lives around us!

Let us not be stuck inwardly focussed.....

Let us not live hypocritical lives as pharisees

Let us not forsake the faith....

Let us be fully-devoted and sent out disciples!

Conclusion

Today is the day to get your relationship right with God.... to be a fully-devoted Disciple! Repent, believe and by baptized!

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Continue to pray at 10:02 AM for Luke 10:2 to be true of as at LCBC!