Are You A Disciple?

ARE YOU A DISCIPLE?

Matthew 16:13-27

This week I was in my storage room looking for something. I reached to the top shelf and felt fur and claws.

A flying squirrel jumped up on a box and stared at me. I yelled for Lana to come.

Why? Because I needed a sermon illustration.

She got there with a camera just as it hid. I told her I was going to make it move and she should take a picture.

But it jumped instead and landed on her neck. She started jumping and screaming and it ran from shoulder to shoulder. It finally jumped off and the dog chased it up a tree. Funny, Lana and the squirrel were fine from a distance of 4 feet, but when they got really close to each other they didn’t like it at all.

Similarly, many people like Jesus just fine from a distance, but true discipleship scares most people and because of that, they never get really close to Jesus Christ.

1. THE PERSON OF DISCIPLESHIP.

Mt 16:13-17 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” 15 He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

* Jesus had become quite famous in the land and people flocked around Him.

They wondered Who He was. John? Elijah? Jeremiah? They really didn’t know for sure.

* His disciples, though, knew Him to Be “the Christ, the Son of the Living God!”

** Many today know a lot about Jesus. They’ve been to VBS, to church, maybe even read the Bible.

But many people really don’t understand the message of Who Jesus really is.

** Many only know Him in a superficial way, but to be saved, one must become His disciple.

But, what does this mean?

Disciple of Christ- a convinced adherent of Jesus Christ that commits his life to emulate Him and serve Him.

* Too many of us are getting stirred up spiritually and we come to the altar telling God all the things we're willing to do for Him. True discipleship, though, is the opposite. A true disciple bows at the altar and says to God, "God I am willing to do whatever you ask me to do for you." Why is that important? Because God always has bigger plans for you than you have for yourself.

* Now, If we going to become a disciple, we need someone to show us what one is. We need a pattern.

2. THE PROTOTYPE OF DISCIPLESHIP.

Mt 26:21 From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.

* When it comes to discipleship, Jesus is the Prototype!

Prototype- the pattern. Master copy from which others come. The first model. It is the one that all who come after it are to emulate or be like.

A. His Revealed Mission.

From before Creation began, the mission of Jesus had always been that He would be the Sacrifice for sin. Privately, He told His disciples that He would soon be arrested, tortured and killed, but that He would be raised up on the 3rd day.

B. His Determined Commitment.

Mt 26:22 Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.”

Peter could not imagine letting this happen. He was strong and brave and basically told Jesus, “God forbid it! As long as I’m around I won’t let it happen to You!”

Peter did not understand that it had to be this way. Sin had brought a curse upon man and an eternal damnation that only the blood of Christ could remedy. The mission of Christ was to destroy sin’s hold on those who would repent/believe.

1 Pet 2:24 He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness;

He died to transform us from a filthy sinner into a holy child of God.

Mt 26:23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

* Jesus told Peter to shut his mouth and back off. He would not allow His own comfort dictate whether or not He would follow God’s will.