Our Purpose: Discipleship Series

Our Purpose: Discipleship

Text: Matthew 28:18-20

Introduction

1. Read Matthew 28:18-20

2. Illustration: At the close of life, the question will not be,

"How much have you gotten?" but "How much have you given?"

Not "How much have you won?" but "How much have you done?"

Not "How much have you saved?" but "How much have you sacrificed?"

It will be "How much have you loved and served," not "How much were you honored?"

3. Several weeks ago, we began looking at our purpose as a church. We said our purpose is to:

a. Witness

b. Worship

c. Fellowship

d. Discipleship

e. Ministry

4. Today we are going to talk about discipleship.

Proposition: Christ has called us to make disciples of all nations.

Transition: Jesus told us to...

I. Make Disciples, Not Converts (18-19a)

A. Make Disciples

1. Jesus said "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations..."

a. Teach: to cause someone to become a disciple or follower of —Louw & Nida: NT Greek-English Lexicon

b. What we are to teach the nations is to be a follower of Christ.

2. As I pointed out when we talked about witness, the imperative or command in this verse is not the going but the "teaching" or "making disciples."

3. What does our Lord mean by "make disciples"? Does it not mean that we are to do what He did: make disciples and do things with them as He did.

a. When Christ found a person who was willing to commit his life, Christ attached Himself to that person.

b. Christ began to mold and make that person into His image.

4. "Making disciples" means instructing new believers on how to follow Jesus, to submit to Jesus’ lordship, and to take up his mission of compassionate service.

5. Col. 1:28-29 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.

a. The word "perfect" that Paul uses here means "whole, complete, mature."

b. The warning and teaching always had one goal in mind: we want to present the believers to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.

c. Believers are not to remain like babies in the faith, easily led away by something new.

d. Instead, they are to grow up into spiritual maturity so that they cannot be enticed by false teachings.

B. More Than Converts

1. Illustration: Daniel Webster offered excellent advice, saying, "If we work on marble it will perish. If we work on brass, time will efface it. If we rear temples, they will crumble to dust. But if we work on men’s immortal minds, if we imbue them with high principles, with just fear of God and love of their fellow-men, we engrave on those tablets something which time cannot efface, and which will brighten and brighten to all eternity.

2. Making disciples is more than making converts.

a. It’s more than telling them about Jesus.

b. It’s more than inviting them to church.

c. It’s more than quoting the Bible to them

d. It’s more than praying the sinners prayer with them.

3. Leading someone to Christ is only the first step.

a. It’s an important and vital step, but it’s not the end of the journey.

b. Our job does not end there.

4. We must teach them to:

a. Follow Christ daily

b. Pray without ceasing

c. Trust in the Lord with all their heart

d. Stand on the Word of God

5. Making disciples is more than seeing them become Christians, but seeing them become mature believers.

Transition: One of the things that Jesus told us to do is to...

II. Teach Them Commitment (19b)

A. Baptism

1. One of the things that Christ commands us to do as we are discipling people is "baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

2. Baptizing is important because it unites a believer with Jesus Christ in his or her death to sin and resurrection to new life.

a. Baptism changes your decision to follow Christ to an commitment to follow Christ.

b. Just as applying for a loan to buy a new car shows a decision to buy a new car, but signing the paper show a financial commitment to buy the car.

3. Baptism symbolizes submission to Christ, a willingness to live God’s way, and identification with God’s covenant people.

4. Christ is definitely teaching that baptism is to be the immediate sign and the identifying sign that a person is now stepping out of the unbelieving ranks and taking his stand with Christ.

5. Baptism "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" means more than just saying a formula as one is baptized, much more. It means...