Here's The Deal (Part 1) Series

Sunday Morning September 30, 2001 Bel Aire Baptist Church, Hobbs, New Mexico

Series: Discipleship #2

HERE’S THE DEAL (PART 1)

Luke 9:18-25

Introduction:

1. “Here’s the deal” is a statement I have heard many times. This statement is simply saying, “Here is the requirement for this particular situation.”

2. The next three sermons in this series are about the requirements of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

3. We first must understand what a disciple is. A disciple is someone who studies under another person in order to learn their belief system and tries to pattern his or her actions after that person.

4. This brings up the question, “Then who will be our teacher?”

5. This is the question that Jesus is asking the disciples.

6. Turn with me to Luke 9:18-25.

I. Who Is Jesus? (Luke 9:18-20)

A. What does the world say?

1. Good teacher.

2. Prophet.

3. Revolutionary.

B. What did Peter say?

1. God’s only begotten Son.

2. The Savior.

C. What do you say?

1. Jesus is either God’s only begotten Son or He is not.

2. Jesus is either Savior of your life or He is not.

II. What Happened To Jesus? (Luke 9:22)

A. He was rejected.

1. By the elders, the chief priests, and teachers of the law.

2. The “religious” experts had no idea who Jesus really was.

B. He was killed.

1. Jesus was mocked, spit on, beaten, and then in the most humiliating way, was nailed to a cross between thieves.

2. Jesus was the “Spotless Lamb” that was sacrificed for the sins of the world (John 3:16-17).

C. He was raised from the dead.

1. Jesus defeated death, sin, and the devil.

2. On the third day He arose. He is alive!!!

III. Here’s The Deal (Luke 9:23-25)

A. Deny Self

1. To be a disciple of someone else your opinions, your ideas, your plans, your actions, and your will don’t matter.

2. If you think about it, you didn’t have any say so about what color your skin is, or the color of your eyes. Who your parents are. How rich your family was. What talents and gifts you have. God determined all of that.

3. Your only decision is your will. You can surrender that to God or you cannot surrender that to God. There is your option.

B. Take up your cross daily.

1. As we heard last Saturday, your cross is a not thing like church attendance, prayer, Bible study. Those are things that you should be doing.

2. What many of us consider our cross to bear should not be a burden. It is like asking most children to give up the spinach off of their plate. That is not usually very burdensome upon a child.

3. The cross it is talking about is a thing that demand sacrifice upon your life. Those things that “knock” you out of your comfort zone.

C. Follow me.

1. Here is the “catch”. You must follow Christ.

2. You can believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

3. You can believe that Jesus is the Savior of the world.

4. But, if you do not follow Jesus, are you a disciple of His?

Conclusion:

1) The Bible says that even Satan and his demons believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

2) Belief without repentance of your sins and surrendering your life to Christ is worthless.

3) We are a people that are very well trained in leadership. There are always leadership conferences of some sort going on, but what we need is to learn to follow.

4) Who are you following? If you are a true disciple of Christ, then that is whom you are following.