“Who is a Disciple of Jesus?”
Matthew 28:19-20/
Luke 9:23-24
Jesus gave the command to all His followers, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”Matthew 28:19
Making disciples is a process, “Going” reaching out to others with the love of Jesus and telling the good news about Jesus. “Baptizing, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Those who receive Jesus and confess their sins and become Christians take a public stand by being baptized. “Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 As new Christians we are to learn the teachings of the Bible and obey the teachings.
Jesus is our model and example in disciple making. Jesus spent 30 years in preparation. At the age of 12 Jesus was ready to launch his public ministry. Luke 2:51-51 Jesus traveled to Jerusalem with his parents to participate in the Feast of the Passover. After the feast while his parents started back home Jesus stayed behind and for three days asked questions and listened to the teachers in the temple. The teaches of the law were amazed at the comments Jesus made during their time of discussion.
His parents thought Jesus was traveling with friends, but when they looked for him he was not found traveling with other people in their caravan. The parents became extremely worried and traveled back to Jerusalem and found Jesus in the temple talking to the teachers of the law. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” Jesus answered his parents: “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”
Then Luke the Gospel writer made the comment about Jesus that every parent would be ecstatic to have said about their children: “Then he/Jesus went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them… And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Luke 2:51-52
At the age of 30 Jesus began his public ministry and served for 3 ½ hears before his arrest and crucifixion. Jesus began his public ministry by being baptized.
Jesus set an example for all who would follow Him. Jesus was not baptized as a confession of sin. He was baptized to consecrate himself to his Messianic task. All priests were inducted into office by baptism.
For all people other than Jesus, baptism was linked to repentance. On the Day of Pentecost Peter preached the good news about Jesus and the people called out, “What shall we do?” Peter said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” Acts 2:37-38
Repentance always proceeds baptism. Repentance means a change of heart and a change of direction. It is a turning, turning around. Repentance is the basic condition needed for a person to enter heaven and the Kingdom of God. The Apostle Paul “Declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.” Acts 20:21 Repentance is “Godly sorrow that leads to the forsaking and turning away from sin.”
Baptism follows repentance and baptism is an outward sign of an inward work of God. Our Free Methodist Church recognizes three modes of baptism, sprinkling, pouring or immersion. I always encourage youth and adult baptisms by immersion. The Greek word Baptiso means to dip or plunge.
Jesus gave the command, “Go make disciples.” A “disciple” is a person in training or following someone. John the Baptist had his disciples and when Jesus began his public ministry he called people to follow him and become his disciples.
Luke 5:1-9 Jesus was teaching the people by the Lake of Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee). The crush of the crowd pushed him closer to the Lake. There were two boats there with fishermen washing their nets. Jesus got into one of the boats and sat down and continued to teach the people from the boat.
When he finished speaking he said to Simon/Peter, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they let down their nets they caught so many fish their nets began to break. The fishermen including Simon and his brother Andrew, James and his brother John were astonished at the amazing catch of fish.
Jesus said to Simon and the other fishing partners: “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”
The fisherman responded to Jesus by becoming a disciple of Jesus, Luke 5:11 “And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.”
Jesus gave additional teaching on what it means to be a disciple in Luke 9:23, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
We see several conditions for discipleship in the teaching of Jesus.
I. Jesus gives us the freedom to choose to follow Him.
Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me…” Christ followers are not drafted. All Christ followers are volunteers.
One of the most precious gifts God has given you is the freedom to choose. God doesn’t grab you by the throat and hold you up and say, “Follow me or else.” No, God created you to choose your own destiny. “If anyone would come after me”…the coming is up to you.
Take note that becoming a disciple of Jesus is not separation from life. The call of Jesus is a call to enjoy an abundant life. John 10:10 Jesus said, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” Following Jesus is not a giant minus sign it is always a plus sign.
Some early Christians went to the extreme of separating from life. At the age of twenty Anthony sold all his possessions, gave his money to the poor, retired to a solitary cave and spent the rest of his life in prayer and meditation. Jesus made it clear that his followers were to remain in the world as salt and light but not be conformed to the attitudes and ways of the world.
Another monk know as Saint Simon Stylites lived buried up to his neck in the ground for several months. Then he decided to become an ecclesiastical “pole sitter.” He spent thirty years upon the top of a sixty foot pillar near Antioch. Another Monk gained the reputation for his peculiar sanctity because he never undressed or bathed.
Discipleship does not mean fanaticism. Being a follower and disciple of Jesus means we follow Jesus and pattern our life after Him. Jesus lived a balanced life. He grew in wisdom, in stature, in favor with God and in favor with man. Luke 2:52 As we pattern our life after Jesus we want to grow mentally, physically, spiritually and socially.
The call of Jesus is a demanding call. If a person says, “I want to become a Christ follower and continue to live my life as I always lived,” is fooling him or herself. The key word to discipleship is “obedience.” Too often we believe we are more capable of running our lives than Jesus.
Have you made a telephone call to someone and they said, “Can you wait, I’ll put you on hold, and get back to you shortly.” You listen to sleep time music and wait.
Jesus calls you; have you put Him on hold? The disciples Jesus called did not put Jesus on hold. They immediately left their nets and followed Jesus.
II. Jesus calls us to a life of self-discipline
Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me he must deny himself…” Luke 9:23
The NLT translates the verse this way, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambitions…”
There are several basic and fundamental disciplines that Christ followers practice to stay in shape spiritually. Christians in the early church in Acts set the pattern for us today. Acts 2:42, “They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, (Bible study), and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Christ followers gathered together for regular worship, they found encouragement in their fellowship times, and prayer. If we get so busy we don’t have time to pray we are too busy.
When we live in Florida I received a call from Richard Dorsh in 1987. Dorsh was President of the PTL club when it went through their money scandal with Rev. Jimmy Baker. I asked him what had happened to cause the PTL Club to fail. He said that the television staff got so busy serving God they forgot to take time for God.
Biblical self discipline is keeping the main thing the main thing.
Jesus gave the challenge, “If you would come after me, you must deny yourself…” Self denial means acknowledging that God deserves all the glory for all that we do. In all we do we are to give God the glory. Self denial means we turn from all self pity, self-centeredness, and live to serve others.
In following Jesus there are some things we put off and some things we put on. Colossians 3:5-7 “So put to death those attitudes that are of the earth…Once you moved among them, when you lived in them; but off with them now, off with anger, rage, malice, slander,…you have stripped off the old nature with its practices…(It’s like taking off old ragged and tattered clothes. Take them off and get rid of them.) We are to put on “the new nature…be clothed with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and good temper, forbear and forgive each other in any case of complaint, as Christ forgave you, so you must forgive. And above all you must be loving, for love is the link of the perfect life.”
Dwight Pentecost writes this in his book, Design for Disciples, “Discipleship involves commitment. It involves identification of oneself, in his shameful death. Discipleship involves renunciation of oneself; it involves setting aside one’s own aims, goals, ambitions, and desires in life. It involves sacrifice for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. It involves setting aside one’s own will and one’s own rights to Christ’s life and acknowledging that Jesus Christ has the right to be obeyed.”
Remember if you are at a point in your life where you are searching and seeking the Lord. God accepts you at whatever point you are at in your spiritual pilgrimage. You may be taking small steps but you are taking steps in the right direction. All Christ followers are not perfect, but they are striving to become more and more like Jesus every day.
The conditions of following Jesus are first of all, choosing to follow Jesus and second denying yourself and
3. Jesus calls us to take up our cross and follow Him. Luke 9:23
Taking up our cross and following Jesus is not something we are to do on a hit or miss basis. Jesus says, “Take up your cross daily and follow Him.”
All of us have different crosses to bear. For some it may be constant criticism from fellow workers or unkind family members. For others it might be taking up the cross of revenge. You choose to not throw back rocks of hurting words. You turn from trying to get even with someone who hurt you or gave you a rough time. You refuse to slam the door and pout and surrender to the grace of God.
Taking up your cross involves the test of love. Jesus gives this test of love, “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” John 13:34-35
We love as Jesus loved by building up one another and bear one another’s burdens. The early church didn’t argue with those who hurled false accusations at them. Christ followers had an impact of love upon both Gentile and Jewish unbelievers. Unbelievers could reject the preaching of the apostle’s simple as another teaching among many; but they found it much more difficult to reject the fellowship of love evident in the relationship among believers in the early church. What their message could not do their demonstration of love could do.
It’s that demonstration of love that we want to overflow from the Willow Vale Church to permeate our community.
A second test of taking up our cross and following Jesus is the test of obedience. Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” John 14:21 Jesus also said in John 8:31, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.”
Jesus gave the invitation, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23
Today let’s make the commitment to follow Jesus and take up our cross and follow Jesus.
Let’s sing in closing a hymn of commitment:
1. Alas and did my Savior bleed? And did my Sovereign die? Would he devote that sacred head for sinners such as I!
Chorus:
At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day!
2. Was it for crimes that I have done He groaned upon the tree? Amazing pity! Grace un-known! And love beyond degree!
Chorus:
3. But drops of grief can never repay the debt of love I owe. Here Lord, I give myself away – Tis all that I can do!
Chorus
