Discipleship 101

Introduction

If you were to interview people who used to attend church but no longer attend, what do you think would be the #1 reason they give for no longer coming to church? It’s not that they have been offended by the pastor or another member. It’s not that they don’t like the music that is sung. It’s not even that the service goes too long. Rather, the number one reason these individuals give that they no longer attend church is that the church is full of hypocrites who fail to walk the walk and practice what they preach. Hypocrisy is an issue in our world and it can become an issue in the church if we’re not careful! It is a real temptation that Jesus addresses in depth in Matthew 6.

While there is no such thing as a perfect pastor or a perfect church, we can all become more like Jesus as we grow in our discipleship journey. There is always more for us to learn and there are always ways that we can look more like Jesus in our daily lives. This is ultimately what Christian discipleship is all about. Dying to sin and taking up our cross day after day. Growing in our knowledge and understanding of the Word and applying it to our lives. Worshipping in Spirit and Truth. Maybe you’re here this morning and you’re on the fence about church membership or you’re a member and you’re not actively involved in a discipleship group on Sunday morning or Wednesday night - if that is you this morning please hear me, friend: Jesus wants you to grow! One of the ways that we grow the deepest as Christians is by joining a local church and becoming actively involved and serving. This is the picture of the New Testament church as presented by Jesus and others.

As we continue to look at the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives His listeners practical instruction on things to do and things that they are not supposed to do as His disciples. As He does this, we must first ask ourselves: Am I a disciple of Jesus Christ? If I am not then my first obligation is to get that right! If I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, am I growing alongside my brothers and sisters to be more like Jesus? Am I serving in the local church? Am I worshipping God as He deserves?

Matthew 6:1–15 CSB

1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward with your Father in heaven. 2 So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. 3 But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 “Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. 8 Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him. 9 “Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 14 “For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. 15 But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.

As we read in Matthew 6, we need to simply ask ourselves this: Why am I here? Am I here because church is something of a weekly obligation that I do because I’ve always done it? Am I here to look good in the eyes of others? Am I here to check a box? Or, am I here because I long to worship God and praise Him for who He is and what He has done? Am I here because I’ve been changed or because I want to be changed? I pray that’s the case for each one of us today - that our motive for gathering is to worship Jesus and to encourage one another. Let’s give Him thanks this morning as we study His Word (pray)

As a Disciple, I Must Give (1-4)

How many of you have Facebook or have a family member who does? Just about every single hand goes up, right? As of 2021, Facebook claimed that there were 2.91 billion Facebook accounts. This means that if Facebook were a country, not only would it be the largest country on the earth, it would include nearly 40% of the earth’s population! Facebook and social media in general can be a wonderful thing. You can be encouraged by reading a story or seeing a picture of a loved one or friend on social media and share a positive comment and hope with someone else. This is a good thing… But we all know that social media can also be a difficult thing. It can distract us from other things. It can suck up vast amounts of time. It can lead to anger and frustration with others. It can lead us to do the right thing for the wrong reasons - to be praised by others and get dozens and dozens of likes.

Look at Matthew 6:1 at what Jesus says about our actions. He says to be careful about practicing our righteousness in front of others. Why should we be careful about this? In the Greek, the verb for be careful is a present, active, imperative. Because the verb is an imperative it is a command - not merely a suggestion. Because it is present and active, this is something that we must do constantly instead of just one time in the past. Each and every day, we as Christians must ask ourselves, “Why am I doing what I’m doing?” What is the motivation behind my actions of righteousness? Is it to get a couple of pats on the back from others or a dozen or hundred likes on Facebook, or is it to glorify God and for the good of others? Am I serving myself or am I serving God?

One of the ways that we serve God is by giving. Whenever I was in high school we learned about the French Revolution and part of learning about that subject was talking about the French clergy or church leaders and how they were able to live and support themselves. This was only possible through the tithing of the church members. The actual word tithe was brought up and in this class the vast majority were not regular churchgoers… But nearly everyone knew what a tithe was: giving 10% of one’s income to the church. We see this as a principle throughout Scripture

Malachi 3:8 CSB

8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me!” “How do we rob you?” you ask. “By not making the payments of the tenth and the contributions.

God blesses us with everything that we have and He expects us to give back to Him. Here’s a principle to live by as a Christian: If the Bible says something, it’s right. If the Bible says that we are supposed to give, we’re supposed to do it and you can expect that truth to be taught, preached, and lived out at FBC Salem! But that message won’t be preached on every single week because the Bible doesn’t talk about giving in every verse - the center of Scripture isn’t Benjamin Franklin, it’s Jesus Christ. But, when and where the Bible talks about giving and money, we’re going to talk about it because it mattered to Jesus! Why did giving matter so much to Jesus? Because giving is a spiritual indicator of where your heart is. Because giving is an act of worship!

Think of worship: yes, worship includes songs, prayer, fellowship, and the preaching of the Word, but giving very much is a part of the New Testament worship time. [Ask yourself this question: If every member of FBC Salem gave the same proportion that I give financially, would FBC Salem be able to keep its doors open?] Jesus expects us to give back to Him - and He expects us to be careful as we do this!

As we go about giving, we have to be careful again to understand why we give. Do we give out of a sense of compulsion or tradition? That shouldn’t be the reason why - because at the end of the day, God doesn’t need our money. If you’re a guest this morning in no way should you feel compelled or guilted into giving to the ministry at FBC Salem. No pressure, and in fact, we don’t want your money - bet you’ve never heard a pastor say that! If you’re a member of FBC Salem, this is our responsibility and it’s our privilege to support the ministries of this church. How do we go about this? Do we advertise how much we give and this and that? Jesus condemns that practice in verses 2-3. He shares to not publicize that information but to keep it between ourselves and God.

2 Corinthians 9:7 CSB

7 Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver.

So, what is our motive for giving? Is it selfish gain? While Joel from Houston might tell you to give in order to get more money from God, that can’t be our motivation… Our motivation for giving is to worship God and give Him thanks. This is a part of faithful discipleship!

As a Disciple, I Must Pray (5-8)

By God’s grace, First Baptist Salem is full of members who are generous to support the needs of this church and things like missions and ministries! While we all can grow in our stewardship and sacrificial giving, maybe this is a strength in your walk and if this is you, praise the Lord! Verses 5-8 hit close to home for many of us as Jesus calls us to prioritize private prayer. Just as giving is an act of worship, prayer is as well! Not only do we pray whenever we’re at church, Jesus expects us to pray regularly. Don Whitney shares this sobering truth, “Statistical surveys and experience seem to agree that a large percentage of professing Christians spend little time in sustained pryer. While they may offer a sentence of prayer here and there throughout their day, they rarely spend more than a very few minutes - if that - alone in conversation with God.” Consider, how much time do you spend daily in prayer? Per the Washington Post, the average Missourian spends less than 5 minutes a day in prayer. Now this doesn’t mean that we need to quadruple that by praying elaborate and repetitive prayers, Jesus cautions against that in these verses, but we need to spend time with Jesus on a consistent basis.

Whenever we pray, though, how should we go about praying? Jesus gives us some clear cut instructions in these verses. Don’t pray like the hypocrites. Don’t babble like the Gentiles. Instead, pray in secret. Does this mean that we shouldn’t ever pray in groups or in public? That’s not what Jesus is getting at. In Jesus’ day, the religious elites were often hypocritical in their prayer life and Jesus didn’t pull back any punches, He called them out accordingly - look at Matthew 23 as we find this

Matthew 23:1–2 CSB

1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses.

Matthew 23:5–6 CSB

5 They do everything to be seen by others: They enlarge their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. 6 They love the place of honor at banquets, the front seats in the synagogues,

What is Jesus calling them out for? Verse 5- they do everything to be seen by others. Jesus commands us to pray but our motivation for praying shouldn’t be to get a pat on the back by someone else or to be thought of as extra spiritual because of a word we use whenever we pray. Whenever we water down prayer to be about us and our image or fame, we take the spotlight off of the One whom we are praying to! Jesus warns His listeners to not be hypocrites whenever we pray - this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t pray, it means that we have to pray the right way.

Ask yourself this question: Who am I whenever only God is watching? Do I pray differently in that setting than I do whenever I’m in public? Do I speak differently in that setting than when I’m in public? Sure, there will be some differences but our home should be a place where we worship our God just as the church building should be a place where we worship God. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, He expects us to pray. Our prayers aren’t battering rams aiming to tear down the treasury of heaven - our prayers are trash receptacles that allow us to receive God’s blessing that He longs to give to us. He longs to bless His people and we come before Him with confidence as we know that He hears us whenever we cry out to Him - even when we don’t have the words to say.

As a Disciple, I Must Trust in God (9-13)

Prayer is such a weapon that we often fail to realize and take advantage of! Prayer serves as a reminder of our status as God’s children and brings hope into even the darkest of nights! John Piper shares that, “Prayer is primarily a wartime walkie-talkie for the mission of the church as it advances against the powers of darkness and unbelief… Prayer malfunctions when we try to make it a domestic intercom to call upstairs for more comfort.” Prayer is out lifeline to our God and we should use it as often as we can in any and all circumstance, look at what Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 CSB

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray constantly, 18 give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

We’re tempted to only pray to God and trust in Him whenever things are going well or whenever we really really need help. In Luke’s Gospel he shares the model prayer in Luke 11 and before we find it, a disciple says this “Lord, teach us to pray.” Just because we’re on Jesus’ team it doesn’t mean that we have it all figured out immediately - there’s still a whole lot more for us to learn and praying is one of the things that Jesus is passionate about and explains in great detail. 2 Components of prayer:

Prayer Must Start With God

Notice how this prayer begins, not simply God, Savior, Lord, or King… Our Father! Do you realize the honor that we have to call God our Father? We don’t deserve that! Literally in the Aramaic that Jesus spoke in the 1st century world, the word to begin this would have been Abba which is similar to the English word “daddy.” There’s a difference between even Father and Daddy in our world. As we get a little older, we begin to refer to our father either as father or dad but not often daddy. That’s a childlike word that we move on from in American society. Yet, Jesus stresses time and time again that it is a childlike faith that He is after… Not a faith that has it all figured out but one that comes to God and trusts in Him to provide. Jesus stresses our dependence on God in the first half of this prayer.

We pray in God’s name, for God’s Kingdom to come, and God’s will to be done.

Prayer starts with God! Consider, where does this prayer state God is at? Heaven. Yet, we know that as Christians God is present with us each and every day through His Spirit. We know that He has all power, yet He uses us to do His will. What does it look like to pray like Matthew 6:9-10? What does it practically look like to pray for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done? Think about God’s kingdom for a moment - many churchgoers look forward to the day whenever Christ brings His kingdom to earth and rules over it. They long for the eternal kingdom to come… What do we know about God’s Kingdom, though? We know from reading the Gospels that Jesus has already began His Kingdom and we don’t look forward to its start, we look forward to its consummation

Mark 1:15 NASB95

15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Friend, this was Jesus’ message 2000 years ago to His listeners. The Kingdom isn’t a future concept, it’s a present one. Our prayer isn’t that God start doing His work, rather our prayer is that God would grow His church as people submit to Jesus and that He would soon consummate His Kingdom whenever Jesus returns. Our prayer isn’t for ourselves to be happy, healthy, and wealthy. Our prayer is that God would accomplish His good and perfect will as Romans 12:2 shares with us. We pray that God would save souls, change lives, grow His church, and transform us not for our fame but for His glory and our exceeding joy. Prayer must not start with us - it must start with God and His sovereign glory.

2. Prayer Should Involve Petition and Surrender

Whenever we pray we exalt God and praise Him, but we are also called to bring our burdens to Him. Whenever I was in elementary school, my mom planned meals for weeks and weeks at a time and this practice rubbed off on me in some ways as I love to plan things out as well! After she would plan out meals we would go to the grocery store (usually Sam's Club or Aldi) and we always played a game to see who guess the overall cost the closest. This was a lot of fun, not to the bank account, but to stock up on food and to have a schedule of what we’d have and when we’d have it. We often like to have a surplus of supplies. Even if you’re a dangerous person and you like to live on the edge, you likely don’t like simply going day to day with certain things! Yet, we see in Scripture time and time again that we are to completely rely on God each and every day. Think back to the Israelites in the wilderness in Exodus 16 as God sent them manna from above. How much manna were they permitted to gather up? Only enough for a single day.

Now this flies against our human logic. There’s extra food on the ground and I’ll need that food tomorrow - but God commanded them to only get enough for today. What happened whenever they gathered extra food? It went bad. What was God trying to communicate with the people? To depend on Him to meet all of their needs each and every day. This is what He wants from us today as well! To bring our daily needs before Him day after day and to trust that He is capable to answer and that He will answer in the best way possible!

Ask yourself this morning, “Is there an area of my life where I am not wholly trusting in God’s power, timing, and plan?” Maybe we’re good with trusting in God in the future but in the present we are full of worry and stress. Friend, come to your Father this morning knowing that He cares, hears, and loves you as His own. Understand that you need a Savior, not a sidekick. A Hero, not a mere helper. Remember that even in your weakness, He is strong and even whenever things don’t feel like they’re going to work out, God works all things for the good of those who love Him. Trust in Jesus and cry out to Him - He’s there.

As a Disciple, I Must Forgive Others (14-15)

Part of growing in our walk with Jesus is looking more and more like Jesus Christ in our living. Whenever I was in high school there was a family at my church that had a foreign exchange student from Germany. He was a nice guy but whenever he first came to Ozark, Missouri he stood out like a sore thumb because his English wasn’t the best and his clothing wasn’t quite what people wore in Southwest Missouri at the time. As you talked with him at church and school, though, you got to know that he was a great guy who longed to know more about the American way of life. As he spent the school year with this family, I had the opportunity to see how his language improved, how his attire changed to be more American, and how he naturally began to fit in with people who had been in Ozark their entire life. He was a natural, even though he wasn’t originally from the United States.

As humans, we don’t naturally look like Jesus the majority of the time. Jesus was perfect, we sin. Jesus had compassion toward others, we often lack compassion. There are so many times where we, even as Christians, fall short of the mark. But over time, through discipleship, reading the Bible, praying, and growing with one another at church, we begin to look more and more like Jesus Christ.

As a disciple of Jesus Christ, we are expected to do certain things that other humans don’t naturally do. We looked at some of those things last week: love our enemy, pray for those who persecute us, don’t allow anger to control our lives, and go the extra mile. Here we find another command for Christians: forgive others for their offenses.

How many of you have ever been wronged by someone else before?

Is it easier to hold that against the person or to forgive them?

It’s almost always harder for us as humans to forgive - forgiveness is difficult because we naturally harbor grudges and remember flaws and hold things over people’s heads. But Jesus commands a different response from His followers… Look at what we read in the New Testament about forgiveness

Ephesians 4:32 CSB

32 And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

Colossians 3:13 CSB

13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive.

Why do we forgive others, church? Because God has forgiven us. If God forgave you of your sins - what is preventing you from forgiving someone else for their sin against you? God’s holy and perfect, it would be justified for Him to give us justice, yet He gives us mercy. We have no excuse to not do the same. This doesn’t mean that we simply welcome someone all the way back into the fold, Thomas Watson put it well whenever he said, “We are not bound to trust an enemy, but we are bound to forgive him.”

The stakes are high: in Jesus’ words, if you are a disciple you will naturally forgive others because you have been forgiven. What does Jesus say about our defining legacy as Christians? They will know you are My disciples by your awesome worship? Faithful prayers? By the money you give to missions? Those things are important, yes, but Jesus says that the world will know we are Christians by our love. Our love for God and our love for others - are you someone who forgives others? If not, maybe today you need to do a heart checkup because Matthew 6:15 says that if we don’t forgive others then our Father will not forgive us. If you’re not forgiving others then that should be an indicator that there’s a problem in our heart just like a check engine light is an indicator for our cars that there might be a problem going on.

Application

3 points of direct application from the text this morning:

The next time you’re able to help someone out, do it anonymously - don’t promote it on Social Media

The next time you pray, pray for God’s will to be done and for Him to change your circumstances, your attitude, or your heart

The next time someone owes you, forgive the debt

Here at First Baptist Salem, let’s always strive to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ and continue in His discipleship course for our life as individuals and as a church body. Let us be people who give, pray, trust in Him, and forgive others as we have been forgiven!