I am an ambassador for Christ. I am God’s masterpiece. I am an overcomer through Christ.
• I am the salt of the earth and light of the world.
• I have an identity that cannot be ignored, an influence that cannot be neglected.
• This is a calling, not an option. The Lord expects us to be good salt and shining light for Him.
Today we are going to wrap up this series, Who Do You Think You Are.
• Let me start with this question: What do you think of when you hear the word Christian?
• What kind of impression people have of what a Christian is?
• It depends on who you ask, right? For some, Christians are known for what they are against – they are against having fun, they don’t drink, they don’t smoke, they don’t gamble. They are narrow-minded, legalistic and maybe judgmental.
• Some would say what they are for – Christian are loving people, they are kind-hearted, generous people.
What’s interesting is that Jesus did not call people to be Christians.
• Believers were first called Christians in Antioch (according to Acts 11:26), and that was likely given by the pagan population in the city, more out of scorn.
• Jesus uses the word DISCIPLE - Luke 14:27 “And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”
• The word “disciple” means learner or student.
So what is expected of a DISCIPLE? The disciples started their journey in response to Jesus’ call to FOLLOW ME.
• He made that simple call to Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew.
• Let’s take a closer look at His call to Matthew, the tax-collector, in Matt 9:9-15.
Jesus simply called Matthew to FOLLOW ME and he got up and followed Him.
• It was not complicated. No interview was involved. No form to fill.
• Jesus did not say: “Do you want to be a Christian? You’ve got to believe what I believe. Or you need to go to church. And abide by the rules and be good. Going by the way you are living, that won’t do. You’ve got to change your ways.”
• That would sound religious. This would be religion. But that’s not what Jesus was asking for.
Matthew was not taken into a classroom, to listen to some lectures.
• He was led into Jesus’ life, to walk and live with Him for 3 years.
• Matthew saw Jesus in action, close-up. He saw a man who is willing to talk and eat with them, who heal the sick, show mercy to the undeserving, and befriend the sinners.
• Matthew saw a different life. In fact, it’s the new life, a life that’s in sync with God.
It wasn’t a new religion that he saw. It wasn’t about a new set of belief. It wasn’t even about following a moral code of conduct.
• It was about Jesus. It was about His life that Matthew was asked to see and emulate. He was called to learn HOW TO LIVE.
• His faith in Jesus transformed him to do just that – to live like Christ.
• Zaccheaus was transformed in the same way when he met Christ. No education changed him. He did not go through a one-month training course.
(1) AS A DISCIPLE, YOU ARE CALL TO SEE CHRIST AND EMULATE HIM
We are called to live like Jesus – to care for the sick, to desire mercy, to call sinners back to God. Life change is His goal.
• People are concerned about keeping rules; Jesus was concerned about changing lives.
• Jesus did not come primarily to increase our knowledge but to change our lives. He says, “I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)
• We are not asked to follow a set of beliefs, but to follow Him. There is a fine line here – one is to impart knowledge, the other imparts life.
• D. L. Moody said it right: "The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives."
It is nice to say, I believe what Jesus believe. I am taught the truth about God; that’s good (the devil too has knowledge about God).
• Knowing the right stuff doesn’t make you a DISCIPLE.
• Christianity is not about doctrines, although they are important. It is not about a list of do’s and don’ts, although these do matter.
• It has to do with Jesus Christ. As a disciple, we are called to live like Christ.
Many in Jesus’ times (and our times) were too caught up by traditions and rules.
• You shouldn’t be eating with tax-collectors and sinners; disciples must wash their hands before they eat (Matt 15:2), John’s disciples fast, you ought to fast.
• Keep to the rules of the game. Religion will change you and make you good.
• Religion won’t make you good; it only tells you that you are NOT good enough; you will fail if you aim at religion.
• Only Jesus Christ can change your life. It is our encounter with Jesus that will transform us.
As disciples, we must constantly see Christ (close up) and emulate Him.
• We don’t just proclaim a belief, we proclaim Him. We don’t just know the right stuff, we know Him.
• You can have Christian knowledge and not live a Christlike life.
• We are to think of Christ and experience Him in every area of our lives.
• As disciples, we are always learning and growing to be like Him.
This is not easy, because we face many competing concerns. We are preoccupied and often distracted. Our minds are filled with many other things.
• Jesus isn’t who we think about all the time. For some, He may not even be in their thoughts at all.
• We need to tune in to Him. To watch what He is saying and doing, just like the first disciples. We need to STAY CONNECTED.
Pastor Edmund Chan said it in an interesting way – believers can be in these 3 modes:
• (1) You TUNE OUT on God. No appetite for spiritual things. We are like the “attention deficit” person who takes note of something for a while and then suddenly dreams about other things.
• (2) You TUNE OUT BUT LOOKING TUNED IN. We may look attentive, even copying notes, but are spiritually tuned out because the heart is not inclined to do anything God says.
• They are not serious with God, or do not intend to be. They are missing out on what God has in store for them. God is not fooled. They are only fooling themselves.
• (3) You TUNE IN AND TUNE OUT. These are those who are not fully obedient to God. They pick and choose what they like, and drop what they do not like. I want the blessings, but not the trials. I want desserts but not discipline. I love Him when the sky is blue, and question Him if it rains.
A true disciple trusts Christ and live like Him, rain or shine, through thick and thin.
• Keep falling in love with Jesus, again and again. You’ll be SEEING Christ often and close up, and you will begin to EMULATE Him.
• Give Him a thought and live like Him. Give Him no thought, and you’ll live like the world.
(2) AS A DISCIPLE, YOU ARE TO SEE A NEED AND MEET IT
Jesus says, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: `I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matt 9:12-13)
You see Jesus’ concern here? It is not what you know, but who you are becoming that’s important.
This is the thrust of the parable of the Samaritan man that Jesus shared (Lk 10:33-37).
• You can be as religious as a Pharisee or a Levite, and yet not do the most Christ-like thing.
• You can be as learned and law-abiding as a Pharisee or a Levite, and yet not behave like Christ.
• Only the Samaritan man acted like Jesus would, to care for the sick and show mercy.
• Jesus urges us to GO AND DO LIKEWISE. That defines a true DISCIPLE of Christ.
People do not care how much we know, until they know how much we care.
• As disciples, we are not called to be religious; we are called to serve like Christ would serve.
• I like the way Mother Teresa puts it: “It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.”
If we see a need, we meet it, because that's what Jesus would do.
• Jesus saw a hungry crowd and say, “Let’s give them something to eat.” He saw a need and met it.
• When he saw the crowd like sheep without a shepherd, He said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (Matt 9:36-38).
• Jesus saw unwashed feet at the Last Supper and got down with a basin and towel and washed His disciples’ feet. He saw a need and met it.
• Jesus saw the disciples by the beach after His resurrection, and knowing they had not eaten, He started a charcoal fire and prepared breakfast for them. He saw a need and met it.
That’s why Jesus hung out with the tax collectors and sinners. The sick needs a doctor. The sinners need a Saviour.
• “I did not come to be served, but to serve…” Jesus says in Matt 20:28.
• As a disciple of Christ, we find a need and meet it.
James says, “Faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:26) True faith touches lives.
• James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
• Paul says in 1 Tim 5:3-4 “Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. 4But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.”
So let’s do this.
(1) Meet needs in your home. We live with people we love the most, but these may be the very people that we often fail to serve often; we take them for granted. We missed out on their needs, which can be very obvious at times.
(2) Meet needs in your workplace. Don’t see your colleagues just as workers. See them as God’s beloved ones, in need of His love, hope and joy. At the workplace, don’t just wait for the weekend to come, open our eyes and see the opportunities God has placed before us, to make an impact in a meaningful way.
(3) Meet needs in your church. Whatever ministry God has placed in your heart, that may be the very things God wants you to take care of. Don’t wait to be asked or told what needs to be done. Share the idea and get it done.
See a need and meet it! And be surprised at what the Lord can do through you!
CONCLUSION:
A well-dressed European woman was on a safari in Africa. The group stopped briefly at a hospital for lepers. The heat was intense, the flies buzzing.
She noticed a nurse bending down in the dirt, tending to the pus-filled sores of a leper. With disdain the woman remarked, "Why, I wouldn't do that for a million dollars!"
The nurse quietly replied, "Neither would I."
“I would do that for Christ, who gave His life for me!”
Your life is not your own. You are called to live like He lived, and to love like He loved.
PRAYER
Lord, make me a disciple that truly reflects You and Your goodness. Help us live like You did, love the way You loved, and serve as You served. Make me a blessing to others.
Thank you Lord for leading us through this series and helping us see who we are in You. Help us truly BE who You’ve made us to be. Make us instruments for Your glory. In Jesus’ Name.
