Christian: What Kind Of Disciple Are You? Series

Christian: What Kind of Disciple Are You?

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 20:17-28

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared December 6, 2022)

BACKGROUND:

*Please open your Bibles to Matthew 20:17. In this verse of Scripture, Jesus has started His trip to Jerusalem to die on the cross for our sins. And by the beginning of the next chapter, the Lord will be on the outskirts of the city less than a week before the cross.

*Of course, the cross was on our Savior's mind, and last time we studied vs. 17-19 where God's Word says:

17. Then Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them,

18. "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death,

19. and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.''

*As Jesus focused on the cross here, He was speaking to His 12 disciples. But we must understand that the word "disciple" means "student," "learner," "follower," "imitator." And in the bigger sense, every Christian, every true believer in Jesus Christ, is also called to be a disciple of the Lord. (1)

*Yes, we are citizens of Heaven, children of God, friends of God, and much, much more. But we are also called to be disciples of Jesus Christ. And the same standards that Jesus gave to the twelve, apply to all of us today. Please think about this truth as we read Matthew 20:17-28.

MESSAGE:

*I was saved over 47 years ago. It's hard for me to believe that it's been that long. But it has! And I praise the Lord that I was saved by God's grace through faith in the cross of Jesus Christ. But what about my walk with the Lord?

*Remember that Ephesians 2:8-9 tells all Christians, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." But then vs. 10 goes on to say that "we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

*Christians: The question for me and you is: "How's my walk going? What kind of disciple am I?" This is true whether you have been a Christian for 47 years or 47 days: "What kind of disciple am I?"

*I know I need to be more focused on following the Lord. I know I need to be a better disciple. And if you feel the same way, today's Scripture can help us.

1. FIRST: WE MUST STRIVE TO AVOID DISTRACTIONS.

*We must try our best to avoid the many things that can distract our walk with the Lord. We don't want to be like the Lord's first disciples in vs. 17-21:

17. Then Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them,

18. "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death,

19. and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.''

20. Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.

21. And He said to her, "What do you wish?'' She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.''

*There they were, just days before the death of our Lord. Jesus was focused like a laser on His great mission to die on the cross for our sins. He knew full-well the agony that was racing toward Him. Jesus also saw the glory of His resurrection on the other side. And nothing could have gotten in the way of Jesus making that great sacrifice for us. Nothing could have kept Him away from the cross.

*Jesus was focused like a laser, but His twelve disciples were not. Mark 10:32 tells us that "they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him."

*The disciples were amazed and afraid of what was coming. But at the same time, they were still jockeying for first position in the kingdom of God. When it came to Heaven, everybody wanted to get the best seats in the house.