Discipleship Part 3: Character Traits
Scriptures: 1 Samuel 15:22; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6;
Introduction:
This morning we will begin our exploration of character traits of a good disciple. A character trait is defined as that behavior that is typical of an individual or group. These behaviors for the most part are learned behaviors and that is why although we are all different, we can learn the traits necessary to be a good disciple. We can learn those behaviors patterns to situations that will enable us to always walk in a Christ-like manner.
Last week I spoke about the process that Jesus used to develop His disciples. I shared with you that there were disciples who had walked with Jesus and performed miracles just as Jesus had, but when they got offended and chose to no longer walk with Him. The twelve disciples that we are most familiar with made a different choice. They chose to stay with Jesus after the others departed. This morning we will begin looking at what made these disciples who they were. What were some of their character traits that we should also develop as disciples?
There were hundreds of people that followed Jesus as He traveled, but He chose twelve to be His apostles (authorized representatives). Jesus did not choose them because of their standing in society because when you examine their lives, you will discover that most did not have a “positive” standing in society. He did not choose them because of their faith because many times their faith failed them. He did not choose them because of their talents and abilities as none of them stood out as having anything special about them. The twelve that He chose had a diversity of backgrounds and life experiences but apparently they did not have any more leadership potential than those who were not chosen. The one characteristic that they all shared was their willingness to obey Jesus. So let’s come forward some 2000 years. We have also been given the Holy Spirit to enable us to carry out a specific role in the growth of the Church today. We should not disqualify ourselves from service to Christ because we do not have someone’s expected credentials or life experiences. Being a good disciple of Christ is simply a matter of following Jesus with a willing heart and being obedient to Him. This is the first character trait of a good disciple that we will examine this morning.
I. Obedient
Obedience is the one character trait that separated the twelve disciples who stayed with Jesus from those who left Him. The twelve were willing to follow Him even though they did not understand everything that He was teaching them. These twelve men, after Jesus ascended into heaven, were filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered to carry out specific roles in the growth of the early Church because they were obedient. Remember when Jesus ascended He told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the fulfillment of the promise which God had promised them? Jesus told them where they were supposed to stay and that is what they did – they obeyed. Through their obedience, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to go out and evangelize the world. Their efforts led to us being right here this morning.
The bible is full of stories of individuals who had nothing special about them except their willingness to obey God. One for the most memorable stories about obedience in the Bible for me is found in First Samuel the fifteenth chapter. In this chapter Samuel talked with Saul about his disobedience. God had given Saul some very specific instructions relating to the Amalekites and Saul chose to do otherwise. Saul made the decision to alter God’s direction, to change what God had told him to do. God had directed him to kill everything, cattle included, but Saul chose not to. Saul justified his actions by telling Samuel that he had saved the best of the animals to sacrifice to God. Now here is something I want you to think about. Have you ever done something you knew you were not supposed to do but defended your actions by trying to put a positive spin on it? I mean really think about it. “I know you did not mean to steal the candy bar but you did it because you were hungry.” “I know you did not mean to take the car out joy riding and that you did go to the store and get the milk I asked you to get two weeks, but …” When I was disobedient, none of my excuses were ever good enough to justify the not obeying the rules. I mean do you really think stealing $50 is okay because you took $5 dollars of it and gave it in Church? Absolutely not and this is what Samuel told Saul.
Samuel told Saul: “Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to heed than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22) Samuel speaks to the heart of the matter. Our obeying God is more important to God that anything else we can do. Our obedience is more important than our praise. Do you understand what I just said? Our obedience is more important to God than the praises we give Him. I can stand before you and praise God all day long with my mouth, but as long as my heart if still in a state of disobedience, it will not mean anything to God – it just becomes noise. We try to purchase our way into God’s favor by doing everything other than obeying. We will give money; our time; our resources; and our gifts in an attempt to please God. But with all of this giving, we continue to walk the way we want to walk; talk the way we want to talk; and do whatever it is we want to do. This mentality was part of the reason some of Jesus disciples left Him. But for the twelve who stayed, they chose to be obedient. Let me share this Scripture with you. Paul made this statement in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.”
Paul uses a military analogy to make this point about obedience. He states that although we walk in the flesh, meaning our earthly bodies, we do not war in our flesh. When we think about military conflicts, we think about armed forces battling against one another. To win the battle, they must have weapons that they can use to defeat their enemy. Along with the weapons, they must have trained soldiers who are able to use those weapons the way they are supposed to be used. Years ago when I was in the Air Force, I was trained to use the M-16 rifle. Before we were allowed to shoot the rifle, we had to learn everything about it. We learned to tear it down and put it back together; how to clean it and inspect it for problems; and most important, how to load it so that when it came time to fire it, it would work the way it was supposed to. We went through this training before we were ever allowed to shoot the gun. Every soldier must past a qualifying test before they are allowed to use whatever weapon they are trained on. Think about what this means spiritually. If you do not know your weapons, you will not know how to use them. It is hard fighting a battle with weapons unknown to you. Remember when David fought against Goliath? Saul offered David his armor but David declined it. David told Saul that he had not used “been trained on” his armor and therefore it would not work for him. Instead he took his sling shot which he was well trained on and very proficient with. We know the outcome which would have been different had David tried to fight Goliath with Saul’s armor.
Paul states that although we walk in this flesh, we are battling a spiritual war. Our enemies are spiritual beings and therefore we must be armed with spiritual weapons that we know how to use. In verse four he states that our weapons are spiritual weapon, designed so that we are able to pull down fortresses. This reference pertains to pulling down walls and/or buildings. Again, he is using a natural description to define a spiritual concept. The spiritual power that we have been given to us to equip us for battle. Now you need to understand this: the first battle we must fight is not with our true enemy, but with ourselves. We must get ourselves ready for battle; just as we send soldiers to basic training to get trained for warfare, we must do the same spiritually. In verses five and six, Paul speaks of the importance of obedience as it relates to our spiritual readiness for battle.
In verse five Paul brings us to the point of first focusing on ourselves. We are encouraged to cast down every imagination, thought and every other thing that exalts itself above the knowledge of God. We are to bring everything, especially our thoughts into the captivity for Christ. This is a major spiritual battle, getting our thoughts in check. Bringing our thoughts into obedience with Christ will enable us to be more obedient in other areas of our lives as we head into battle. Our obedience to God should be such that not only are our actions subject to God, but we bring our thoughts into obedience to Him. Consider this would you fight to change your thoughts if you knew everyone around you could hear what you were thinking? We believe that our thoughts are private, and they are, except as it relates to God. God can clearly hear our thoughts. He knows how we think and He knows when we are doing one thing on the outside and thinking something else on the inside. He can hear those thought we are thinking of someone when we are smiling in their face and tearing them down with our thoughts. All of our thoughts that are unlike Christ must be brought into captivity.
We are to be so obedient that when thoughts that are contrary to God will for our lives try to enter our minds we bind them and cast them out before we entertain and potentially act on them. We get rid of them before they get a hold on us because we are choosing to walk in obedience. A true disciple chooses to be obedient to God. Paul states in verse six that we begin to punish the disobedient after our obedience is complete. This is a key statement. We are frozen to inaction as it relates to sin because we have not gotten ourselves into obedience. We cannot help others reach this state in their walk with Christ if we are not there or at the very least trying to get there. It takes a lot to be obedient and if you are going to call someone else out about their situation, you must be working on yours. For this reason many choose not to ever say anything about how someone else is living. They are not willing to change their ways of living so therefore they cannot tell anyone else. This is not the life Christ has called us to.
We have all heard sermons and participated bible study lessons about the importance of obedience. We have all been taught in our homes the importance of obeying. Some of us struggle with this more than others. Some of us want what we want when we want it and we do not consider the long-term impact of what this does to our relationship with God or with others. There are some rules that we obey, even when others are not around, like stopping at a red light. But there are other rules we violate when it suits us, like driving 65 miles per hours in a 55 mile zone. We believe it is okay as long as we do not get caught. What Christ wants us to understand is that the character that we are to represent to everyone is one that will be obedient even when others are not around. I am obedient on my job and in my home. I am obedient when I am with others and when I am alone. My circumstances do not dictate my level of obedience; but my level of obedience will dictate how I respond to my circumstances. My obedience is not like a water faucet that I turn on and off as I need it; it is like the air I breathe, something I need to be alive and is always flowing within me.
As we move closer to becoming true disciples of Christ and witnessing the evidence of such within our Church, we must start by being obedient. Obedient to what God has called you to do and obedient to the life He has called you to live. Obey the rules that are set before you, in public and in private. Stop looking for opportunities to “get a way with something.” Start obeying the little things in your life and work your way up the ladder to the larger things. Remember, as a disciple, our ultimate goal is to get to the point where we are so obedient that even our thoughts are held captive to our obedience.
Next week we will continue by going back to the book of Matthew chapter five. We will examine the beatitude and gleam from them additional character traits (behaviors) that are important to a good disciple.
May God bless and keep you is my prayer.
