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Being A Disciple Of Christ
INTRODUCTION
1. In our previous study we
considered our Lord’s call to fulfill the Great Commission.
2. We are commanded
"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."
3. Those of us who have
been baptized and claim to follow Christ, should be living the life of a disciple.
Are You A Disciple Of
Jesus?
4. To "make disciples," is
the GOAL of evangelizing the world for Christ
- More than
likely you believe in Jesus...
- You might even
be one to attend church services regularly
--- But is that what it
means to be His disciple?
---The purpose in this
study is to make clear what is involved in being a true disciple of Jesus Christ
[To begin, let's define the word "disciple"...]
I. THE
DEFINITION OF A DISCIPLE
A. THE WORD
"DISCIPLE"...
1. The
word "disciple" literally means A LEARNER
2.
According to Vine's Expository Dictionary Of New Testament Words, it denotes "one who follows another's
teaching"
3. But
a disciple was not only a learner, he was also AN ADHERENT
4. For
this reason disciples were spoken of as IMITATORS of their teachers.
B. THE GOAL IN
BEING A DISCIPLE...
1.
Stated by Jesus himself: to be like the teacher - Luke
6:40
2. To
be Christ's disciple, then, is to strive to be like Him!
3.
According to the apostle Paul, this coincides with God's goal in the redemption
of mankind, that they be conformed to the image of
His Son - Romans 8:29
---[Do you have a strong
desire to follow Jesus and become like Him? Unless you do, it cannot be said that you are truly His disciple!
---There are also some
"identifying marks" of discipleship given by Jesus which can help us to
further identify a true disciple of Jesus...
II. THE MARKS
OF A DISCIPLE
A. A DISCIPLE IS
"ONE WHO ABIDES IN JESUS' WORDS"
- John 8:31
1. This
would imply being a diligent student of the teachings of Christ
2. It
also requires one to be a "doer" of the Word -Matthew
7:21-27;James 1:21-25
3. In
view of this, a true disciple would not...
a. Fail to study the Bible diligently; and apply what one has learned
b. Willingly refrain from opportunities to study with others (e.g.,
Bible classes, church services, gospel
meetings).
B. A DISCIPLE IS
ALSO "ONE WHO LOVES THE BRETHREN" - John 13:34-35
1. With
a love patterned after the love of Jesus ("as I have loved you")
2. With
a love that is visible to the world ("by this all will know")
3.
Therefore, a true disciple would...
a. Make every effort to get to know his brethren
b. Take advantage of occasions to encourage and grow closer to them
(e.g., attending services on Sunday and
Wednesday nights)
4.
Remember, a disciple is one who wants to become like his teacher
a. Was Jesus willing to sacrifice time and effort for His brethren?
b. Of course, and so will we... IF we are
truly HIS disciples!
C. A DISCIPLE IS
"ONE WHO BEARS MUCH FRUIT" -
John 15:8
1.
Notice the word "much" (also found in verse 5)
a. Jesus is not talking about an occasional good deed
b. But a lifestyle which prompts people to glorify God! -
Matthew 5:16
2. This
is so important, that failure to bear much fruit will result in being severed
from Christ - John
15:1-2
3. How
can one be a disciple if he or she is cut off from Christ?
---[The point should be
clear: to be a disciple of Jesus Christ means more that just a casual church member.
---It requires COMMITMENT,
especially in regards to:
-The teachings of
Christ
-The love of
brethren
-Bearing fruit to
the glory of God
---The kind of commitment
involved is seen further when we consider the "high cost" of discipleship demanded by Jesus in Luke 14:25-33...]
III. THE COST
OF BEING A DISCIPLE
A. JESUS MUST
COME FIRST - Luke 14:26
1.
Before anyone else, including members of our own family -
Matthew 10:34-37
2. Even
before one's own self - Luke 9:23-25
B. WE MUST BE
WILLING TO SUFFER FOR CHRIST - Luke 14:27
1.
Trying to live godly lives in an ungodly world, we may find that following Christ sometimes involves ridicule and persecution
- 2 Timothy 3:12
2. Even
if we are blessed to escape such things, we must still be willing to expend
time and effort in promoting the cause of
Christ in positive ways
C. PUTTING IT
SIMPLY, WE MUST FORSAKE ALL TO FOLLOW CHRIST-
Luke 14:33
1. In
other words, Jesus must be KING and LORD of our lives
2.
Nothing can take precedent over Him and His Will for us
---[This kind of "high
cost" of discipleship demanded by Jesus caused many people to turn away from following Him. But Jesus wasn't trying to attract large crowds, He
wanted disciples!
---Is the COST worth it? I
believe so, for consider some of the REWARDS of discipleship...]
IV. THE
REWARDS OF BEING A DISCIPLE
A. THERE IS THE
PROMISE OF "FUTURE BLESSINGS"
1. We
shall be saved from the wrath of God which is yet to come upon the world for its sins - Romans 5:9
2. We
can look forward with joyful anticipation of eternity with God, free from sorrow, pain and death -
Revelation 21:1-8
B. THERE ARE ALSO
"PRESENT BLESSINGS"
1.
Jesus offers a PEACE the world cannot give to calm the troubled heart
- John 14:27
2. His
words inspire JOY to lift our spirits out of any depression -
John 15:11
3. He
also offers to those who follow Him the ABIDING LOVE OF GOD, which
can cast out fear -
John 15:9; 1 John 4:18
4. And
he makes it possible for us to be members of THE FAMILY OF GOD, which is able if need be to replace our physical
family - Mark 10:28-30
---[There are many other
blessings we could mention that are enjoyed by disciples of Jesus; but these suffice to demonstrate that though discipleship is costly, the rewards far
exceed the cost!
---Now that we understand
the nature of discipleship, its cost and rewards, I hope that we want to be
true disciples of Jesus Christ. But how does one begin? For the answer we return
to our beginning text - Matthew 28:19-20...]
V. THE
BEGINNING OF A DISCIPLE
A. ACCORDING TO
JESUS, IT INVOLVES BAPTISM - Matthew 28:19
1. Why
baptism?
a. Remember the goal of discipleship: to be like Jesus
b. He was holy and sinless, yet we are to be like Him
c. Fortunately, baptism is described as an act of faith which puts in contact with the cleansing blood
of Jesus Christ so we can be forgiven - Acts 2:38; 22:16; Romans 6:3-4
d. It is also the means by which one "puts on Christ"
- Galatians 3:27
--- SO BAPTISM IS THE
LOGICAL STARTING PLACE FOR TRUE DISCIPLESHIP!
2. But
what is baptism?
a. It is an act of submission which must be preceded by faith in Jesus and repentance for our sins -
Acts 2:36-38; 8:36-37
b. It is also an act of submission which involves a burial in water,
in which one then rises to walk
in newness of life through the power of God -
Acts 8:38; Romans 6:3-4;
Colossians 2:12
c. When done according to the Word of God, baptism then becomes an act
of faith on our part which results in
a wonderful working of God in our
lives!
1) Our sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus
- Acts 22:16; Ephesians
5:25-27
2) We are "regenerated" and "renewed" by the
Spirit of God so we can now
live for God! - Titus 3:5-6
3) It is truly a "rebirth" involving both water and the
Spirit - John 3:5
B. BUT BAPTISM IS
ONLY THE BEGINNING, TEACHING AND OBEDIENCE MUST FOLLOW
- Matthew 28:20
1. This
brings us back to the very definition of discipleship
2. For
Jesus clearly states:
a. We are to be TAUGHT (that is, to be LEARNERS)
b. We are to OBSERVE (that is, to be ADHERENTS or DOERS)
3. In
this way we embark on a life devoted to learning and doing all that Jesus has commanded us to do
CONCLUSION
1. Only
those scripturally baptized and demonstrating the "marks" of discipleship,
despite the "costs," can truly be called
disciples of Jesus!
2. Only
they can realistically look forward to the "rewards" of discipleship, and
take consolation in the promise of Jesus:
"and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" -
Matthew 28:20
---If you are a disciple of
Jesus Christ, then the prospects of a more fruitful service as a disciple
should be of great interest to you.
---I hope the lessons to
follow will help fulfill that interest, as for the next couple of weeks we
will be looking at the life of a disciple of Christ.
---Are you a disciple of
Christ? Do you see the need in being a true disciple?
---If you have yet to turn
and follow Jesus, let me suggest His teachings on salvation...
1.
HEAR -
John 12:48
2.
BELIEVE -
John 8:24
3.
REPENT -
Luke 13;3, 5
4.
CONFESS -Matthew 10:32-33
5.
BAPTIZED - Mark 16:16
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