“Disciple: Following the Path of Jesus”
Part 1 - Disciple
NewSong Church – 09/02/07
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**NOTE: THIS IS A CONCEPT OUTLINE FOR THIS MESSAGE, NOT THE FULL MANUSCRIPT. GRAPHICS AND MULTIMEDIA ARE AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT THIS SERIES.
Wake-up Call
This morning we are beginning our new series, “Disciple: Following the Path of Jesus.” Throughout this series we will be looking at how we define a disciple, what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, how our faith interacts with our commitment to discipleship, and how our lives are changed by following Jesus and his teachings. Last week we finished our series that looked at who Jesus was. Jesus was an amazing individual, dynamic and engaging, and huge crowds of people would travel with him for days on end, listening to his teachings and watching him perform miracles. The Gospels tell us that many followed him and believed in him.
But they also tell us that Jesus chose from among the hundreds that traveled with him, he selected from the thousands who came to see him a certain group of men to become what he termed disciples.
• These men had answered a call from Jesus earlier: “Leave what you are doing, and set aside the life that you are living, and follow Me.” And the Bible tells us that these men left what they were doing and followed Jesus.
• What made them different? What made them special? What separated them from the crowd and gave them the distinction of being a disciple?
The word disciple is defined as “a person who becomes a student of or participant in the teachings of another.”
Searching for an Experience
I get a few teenagers in my music lessons who sign up to learn to play guitar, and more often than not they come with a list of songs that they want to learn to play. Each one has visions of being a mini rock-god and jammin’ with friends, and singing their favorite songs.
But there is a noticeable difference between those who are only interested in their song list, and the students who come and actually want to learn how to play a guitar, to build techniques and skills, and develop an understanding of music.
There is a line between those who want a music experience and those who want to become musicians. And the same applies to spiritual life – there are many people who are satisfied having a spiritual experience every now and then, but have not stepped up to that next level of developing a spiritual life and living in a spiritual way.
In this case, when we talk about our spiritual lives, we are talking about our relationship and interaction with Jesus Christ. For many, an occasional moment with Jesus is enough. They are the people who come to Jesus with their list – “I’m in need now – I’m lonely now – I’m in trouble now.” They come to Jesus when they perceive that they need him for something that they can not do. They treat Jesus as if he was their butler – push a button, ring a bell, and there he is, ready to meet your every wish and whim.
The Easy Button
Have you ever seen the commercial from Staples with the “Easy Button”?
• In their ads, they usually depict a scenario in which an office employee or manager type person is given a difficult task to achieve, or a deadline that is near impossible to meet, or has a question and can not find the answer
• While the rest of the office runs around in chaotic panic, out of the paperwork there arises – a hero.
• This person rises above the clamor and with an air of confidence reaches out and presses – the Easy Button.With one push of the button, all problems are solved, all things sort themselves out, and life is stress and worry free.
Easy Jesus
I recently saw a shirt though, that had the picture of the button, but instead of having the word “Easy” on it, the word “Jesus” had been substituted. The caption next to the logo read, “Life’s Problems – One Solution - It’s Just That Easy.” While I’m sure the people who came up with the shirt idea were trying to simply present a humorous parody with a religious slant, at the same time they hit on a portrayal of a Jesus-relationship that many people have and are content with – that Jesus is someone to experience when needed on our own terms and conditions.
Disciples
Matthew 16:24-25
Disciples are different. “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”
Their commitment exceeds the momentary encounter and it drives them to an experience that is constant and never-ending. Their dedication motivates them to live and breathe their passion, and to spend as much time as possible with their teachers, constantly learning and applying the teachings. This is more than just a spiritual experience or “Jesus moment.” The life of a disciple is a life that is given up in order to molded and shaped, to be trained and taught, to be transformed and conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
Luke 14:25-28, 33
“A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, “If you want to be my disciple, you must love me more than your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. But don’t begin until you count the cost. You cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.
Life Got in the Way
Matthew tells us of two disciples who came to Jesus, and I want to look at the first of two this morning. He was a religious teacher who had decided to follow Jesus. Jesus had been teaching and he is preparing to leave when this man rushes forward, eager and full of passion. Matthew says it like this, in chapter 8, verse 18:
“When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake. Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
You would think that Jesus would be excited for him, would reach out and give him a hug, welcome him to the team. After all, here is a guy who willingly volunteered to join the cause, who is ready to give up his status and position in the religious circles that he ran, and who makes a great statement of personal faith and commitment to Jesus – “Teacher, wherever you go, I will go.”
But it would seem that his statement was lacking something. Maybe Jesus had spent time with him before and knew that this man’s commitment was not as strong as his words. Maybe Jesus was trying to emphasize that believing in him was easy, but that actually living for him was much more challenging and costly.
Whatever the reason, Jesus gives an interesting reply to the man; verse 20 continues: “But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”
The theologian Matthew Henry commentated on this response:
“It is strange that such a declaration should be made on this occasion. When a scribe offered to follow Christ, one would think he would have encouraged him, and said, “Come, and I will take care of you”; one scribe might be capable of doing him more credit and service than twelve fishermen: but Christ saw his heart, and answered to the thoughts of that, and therein teaches us all how to come to Christ. The scribe’s resolve seems to have been sudden; and Christ would have us, when we take upon us a profession of faith, to sit down and count the cost, to do it intelligently, and with consideration, and choose the way of godliness, not because we know no other, but because we know no better.
We’ve all committed to something that seemed like a great idea at the time, but along the way we discovered that what we committed to was not what we thought it was, or required more than we realized, or we simply lost interest. From this look at this man’s commitment, we can learn that Jesus is not just looking for “quick converts” – he is looking for lifelong followers to his ways and to his cause. Faith is not built on an emotional foundation, but on the revelation of who Jesus Christ is.
Disciples… Have Chosen to Follow Christ
After Jesus had explained the kind of commitment he required from those who would follow him, many turned away and were offended. He turned to his disciples and asked, “Will you leave me as well?” Peter steps forward and says, “Where would we go? Only you have the words of eternal life.”
Disciples… Are Driven by the Cause of Christ
Col 1:9-14
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Disciples… Have Accepted the Cost of Christ
Phil 3:7-11
“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
Disciples… Experience Communion with Christ
Most importantly, disciples stay in close contact with their teacher. They seek to become like him, to model their lives after the pattern and way of the master. Through Communion, Jesus invited us into discipleship and meets with us so that we can experience his presence and power to be transformed.
Communion
