Sermon Brief
Date Written: April 12, 2013
Date Preached: April 14, 2013
Where Preached: OPBC (AM)
Sermon Details:
Series Title: The Five Functions of the Church
Sermon Title: What Does True Discipleship Look Like?
Sermon Text: Ephesians 6:10-18 [NLT]
Introduction:
This morning we will be continuing the sermon series on the FIVE (5) functions of the church.
Last week we looked at What TRUE worship looks like and we learned that TRUE WORSHIP is our response Christ when we live a godly life!
We looked at six characteristics of worship…
True Worship emphasizes the VICTORY we have in and thru Jesus
True Worship emphasizes our deliverance from the evil of this world
True Worship emphasizes how Jesus has changed us from what we USED to be
True Worship emphasizes God’s intended path for our lives…
True Worship emphasizes God’s love and our calling to love…AND
True Worship emphasizes how our lives MUST be centered on Christ in all things…
True Worship reflects our view of God and Christ through the living of our lives Mon-Sat… We come on Sunday’s to WORSHIP! We come together to worship our Savior!
I told you that, as believers, We don’t come TO church… we ARE the church…Worship happens on Sunday’s BUT it cannot be limited to Sundays… we should be in a worshipful mindset all week!
We also learned that, for the believer, Sundays SHOULD be a celebration of all God has blessed us with and provided and taught us throughout the week!
Sundays are about CELEBRATING Jesus with other believers! TRUE WORSHIP happens when we focus on Christ in our lives!
True Worship should be happening ALL THE TIME in the lives of believers, BUT on Sundays… THIS is a time for us to come together and celebrate our Savior together!
So the 1st element of the church… the 1st FUNCTION of the church is the TRUE WORSHIP of God!
However, this morning I want us to look at what I believe to be the 2nd most vital function of the church and that is the function of Discipleship!
What is discipleship? To know what discipleship is, we must define its root word ‘disciple’. According to the Encarta Dictionary, ‘disciple’ is defined as: somebody who believes in and follows the teachings of a leader, a philosophy, or a religion.
In the realm of Christianity… the term ‘disciple’ would define a person who accepts Jesus as Lord and has chosen to follow Him like Jesus said in Luke 9:23 [ESV]
And He [Jesus] said to all, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
Here in this verse Jesus defined what a disciple of Jesus is supposed to look like… A disciple of Jesus MUST deny himself (turn away from his/her life), take up their cross (accept the calling of Christ on his/her life) and follow Him (live out the calling of Christ in his/her life)!
So…IF a disciple is one who gives up his life to follow Christ and His calling on their lives… THEN what does the term ‘discipleship’ mean?
Discipleship is a term used to describe the action or actions needed to take place for the follower of Jesus to grow from spiritual newborns into mature followers of Christ… into mature DISCIPLES!
When we get saved & Christ enters our heart, we become His disciple, but it is only a beginning! We start out as newborn believers and we are not all productive or contributing disciples at that time BUT we ARE a disciple, we are just not mature!
A new believer in Christ can be compared to a newborn baby… A newborn is a person but they cannot contribute in any significant way to their community!
Likewise new believers are celebrated like a newborn child is celebrated, but then the task of teaching them begins! ALL new believers grow at different rates, but if there is going to be ANY growth, it is going to be the direct result of other believers teaching them what God’s Word says!
Discipleship is the method that enables new believers to grow in their walk with Christ and to help them to know His will for their lives and how they fit into God’s community of faith… how they fit into their church fellowship!
Let me ask you a question… “Do you want to truly KNOW what God wants for your life?” I know many believers feel they do NOT know what Jesus wants them to do… they can feel a calling from God but are confused because they can’t make sense of the calling!
Let me try to illustrate this point… I have a new grandson. He sees me & hears my voice & he smiles, but I can talk my head off & he doesn’t understand what I am trying to say to him!
He has not learned, but I can tell that he is beginning to pick up things we do and say. SUCH AS he knows his name… we call his name and he turns to look!
That is learning! That is growing! That is what I am talking about here this morning but I am talking about it from a spiritual perspective!
So we can you see how important it is for new believers… for ALL believers to learn and grow! As believer we must allow ourselves to be taught!
We must seek to be discipled in God’s word! Discipleship is the act of learning & growing in the teachings of Jesus! In Matt 28:19-20 [ESV] says:
19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Here Jesus commands those who follow Him to practice discipleship! It was who they were to be, and this was NOT a request by Jesus. His words are imperative and clear! This calling is a command! This is a directive given by Jesus to ALL His disciples!
People, spiritual discipleship is mandatory and is a direct command from Jesus! But let me put it this way… what happens to us physically when we stop growing and learning? When we stop growing and learning… we begin to die!
Jesus has called us to both to learn, to willing to BE discipled AND also for us to stand up & go forth and make other disciples! Jesus is calling us to become the one who disciples others! We are called 1ST to learn, THEN to know & teach other believers!
For the believer, discipleship is vital to our life & growth in Christ… this is true in any congregation! Without spiritual growth in a fellowship there can be NO sustainable growth in the pews…
Let me put it this way… if you want to grow in the pew, the church MUST grow in Christ thru good solid discipleship!
Without good, solid spiritual growth, we are not able to discern truth from deception! Without it we can be swayed by deceptive arguments regardless of how crazy they may sound…
Let me give you an example of what I mean:
He began to serve in the ministry in 1950… He saw religion as a means to promote his desire to see equality among all people! He believed that there were those in our world who were not treated right…
So, he started a church in Indiana and it attracted people from all walks of life… He got involved in local politics and spread his message of equality into society.
Over the years his message began to change, but the people kept coming… His message stopped being from the Bible and he began to preach his own gospel!
Finally in November of 1978, Jim Jones led over 900 people to commit suicide and murder on behalf of his ‘message’…
People came to Jim Jones and the People’s Temple under the guise that they were going to church and learning of God’s TRUE plan for humanity…
But in reality these people were NOT following a man of God, but they were following a warped, deranged and severely paranoid man to their death!
Why would over 900 people follow Jim Jones to their death? Why would the buy into what he was saying and DO what he was asking?
The answer lies in their lack of knowledge about Scripture and what God truly does desire from his followers!
IF they had been seriously seeking God and what God wanted then they would have seen how Jim Jones changed Scripture… twisted realities… and invented his own truth of what God desired!
Now preacher that is such a harsh illustration… I would NEVER fall for such a thing! I would NEVER be misled by such an obvious hoax!
Well I can bet that there were MANY who died on that day who had felt and expressed that same sentiment…
I will admit that this illustration is a bit over the top, but what I want to do here is make it abundantly clear on how important discipleship is for the church! It is a command from Jesus for a reason…
Believers who do NOT partake in discipleship are not only disobedient to the calling of Christ BUT they also place themselves and other believers in a spiritually dangerous position… where they can fall for any message that appeal to their heart and emotions…
In Matthew 28:18-20 we know that Jesus calls all of those who follow him to become disciplers!
Discipleship is crucial for the believer! We can also see that Paul illustrates the importance of growing and knowing God’s word… (which is discipleship) turn to
Eph 6:10-18 [NLT]
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…
Thru Paul’s letter to the Ephesians we can see that discipleship was a calling from God to get His people prepared for spiritual warfare!
People we are facing an enemy that is NOT of this world… and what I mean by that is that he is NOT flesh and blood, but is a spirit of evil and lies! BUT his message WILL appeal to our heart and emotion if we are NOT prepared!
Satan is out to conquer our soul and we are in a spiritual WAR whether we believe it or not… whether we want to accept it or not…
Paul understood this and he was telling the believers at Ephesus that we face an enemy far more powerful than we can handle on our own.
In this passage, Paul reveals that it is God’s desire to give us the help we need to combat our common enemy! To give us the help we need in fighting the spiritual battles that we ALL face!
We can be ready for the attacks of the enemy, but we must be prepared! So God provides us with every weapon we need to fight the fight!
God does this so we will experience victory AND when we have experienced that victory and the defeat of our enemies that we will glorify HIM for His provision!
In this passage Paul speaks about truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation and tells us that these things are FAR more than just words.
Paul shares that these things are actually spiritual weapons at our disposal for the spiritual battles we will face! Paul tells us that we must be able to apply these weapons & use them in our walk with Christ.
We will need every one of these spiritual weapons throughout our life as a believer! They are indispensible in the life of a believer!
Likewise, Paul tells us that prayer is essential in this area as well... Paul calls on us to pray hard and long and to pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ.
He calls on all believers to keep our eyes open and to keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.
Discipleship is about growing and learning, but discipleship’s purpose in our lives is about us being prepared for the enemy that WILL come against us as followers of Christ!
IF you are not prepared, you will fall prey to his attack! BUT the encouraging part of this warning from Paul is that ALL we need is provided by Jesus…we don’t have to come up with anything…God provides it thru His word!
True Discipleship is understanding it’s NOT about what we can learn, but what God can do thru us when we learn… (v.10-11)
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
When we submit to learning and knowing the word of God we must FIRST submit to the fact that what we learn is NOT the important thing… it is NOT simply about gaining knowledge ABOUT God!
Now don’t get me wrong… gaining knowledge about God is a GOOD thing, but gaining knowledge just for knowledge sake is useless in our Christian walk.
The knowledge we gain thru the discipleship process is for God’s purpose and a plan, not just so that we can say we KNOW more about God! Or to impress others…
This knowledge is specifically for us to use in carrying out His plan and purpose here in this world. But it is NOT meant to be used on its own… God does not give us knowledge and then leave us to ourselves to try to use what He has given us! NO, God equips & then God EMPOWERS us through His strength and might!
A great example of this is the original disciples immediately after the resurrection. We read in Luke 24:45 (ESV) “Then he [Jesus] opened their minds to understand the Scriptures…”
Jesus taught them & opened their minds to the knowledge they would need after He ascended. He 1st filled them with all this knowledge, but then look what He told them just 4 verses later just before he ascended!
In Luke 24:49 Jesus said: “…and behold, I [Jesus] am sending the promise of my Father upon you [disciples]. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high...”
Jesus had opened their minds & taught them, but here He is very specific that this knowledge they have is NOT for them to use in their own wisdom or power! It is to be used with the power of God that He was going to provide to them…
People we come together to study the word of God in our discipleship classes and to learn about God… these are very good things!
BUT the 1st thing we must know about what we learn is that what God is giving us this knowledge for HIS use THRU us… not for OUR use for OUR purpose! God equips us to be used for His glory and plan & it only happens thru HIS power!
Paul tells the believers in Ephesus that they must be strong in the Lord and to rest in the strength of God’s power… but he also tells them to, “…put on the WHOLE armor of God…”
This is very important! We are not to pick & choose what we learn, but should immerse ourselves into all of God’s Word, learning all we can! We are called to put on ALL of God’s armor so that we are ready to do spiritual battle when it comes our way!
Discipleship is about knowing that what we learn is NOT about us, but it is all about God being able to work THRU us to complete His plan!
TRUE Discipleship is understanding our true enemy (v12)
12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
We must KNOW our enemy… we may think that our enemy is this world, our society that it spiraling away from God day to day, or any group that is against the church…
We hear people talk about Christians in derogatory manners all the time… but I want to share with you that NONE of these people are the enemy! We have an enemy that is USING these people to accomplish HIS plan and purpose!
Our enemy is Satan… and we cannot lose sight that it is against Satan that we must battle! We are NOT fighting against any of these people that are being used by Satan…
We are actually fighting FOR them and for their souls! Our battle is with the Dark Lord of this world… and we are helpless against him by ourselves!
I believe as the church we lose sight of this… and TRUE discipleship helps us to remain focused on our TRUE enemy and focused on what God’s plan is for those who are lost and being used by Satan…
His desire is to see them redeemed and saved! True discipleship understand WHO the enemy truly is…
TRUE Discipleship is about equipping ourselves for battle but still understanding that regardless of circumstance, God will be victorious thru us… so stand firm: (v13-17)
13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
TRUE discipleship is about equipping ourselves with what Paul calls the Amour Of God:
The belt of truth… what is the function of a belt… the TRUE function of a belt is to hold things tightly! The belt of truth represents that truth holds all things tightly and together…without TRUTH all things fall apart and down! We must hold firm to the TRUTH of God’s Word!
The breastplate of righteousness…a breastplate was used by warriors to deflect blows from the enemy. A righteous life lived by believers will deflect blows and attacks by the enemy!
The shoes of the Gospel of Peace… shoes are used to protect our feet so that we can walk. The shoes of the Gospel of Peace is a purpose and a focus for the believer to guide them in their walk… this focus provides direction and guidance and protects us as we serve God!
The shield of faith… a shield is used to protect against direct attack AND incoming arrows. The shield of faith gained thru TRUE discipleship will enable the believer to deflect the attacks and deceptions of the enemy.
The fiery darts of accusation and confusion bounce off and we are protected by the faith God has instilled in our hearts!
The helmet of salvation… the helmet was a key element to the warrior’s armor. It allowed the warrior to fight with confidence and removed fear because he was protected by the helmet.
Our helmet of salvation is given to us to allow us to serve God without fear… to serve Him with confidence because it will protect us from falling to the enemy! When God saves us… that salvation is eternal!
Finally the sword of the Spirit… which is the Word of God! The sword was the warriors way to attack and to defend… the Word of God is what we can use to defend, but also to attack our TRUE enemy! We must KNOW Scripture and know God’s word… so that we can use it when we enter into battle!
We must PUT ON the WHOLE ARMOR of God… we cannot leave ANY of these things out! True discipleship understands the importance of putting on ALL of God’s armor!
TRUE Discipleship is about knowing our power source and using it (v18)
18praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…
Finally TRUE discipleship is about knowing our power source… AND our link to that power source! Our power source is NOT our knowledge about God or about God’s word…
Our true power source is God and God alone AND our link to that power source is our prayer life! We must learn to pray and use that prayer to allow us to serve God to the fullest!
Prayer keeps us focused on God and keeps us alert to the enemy! We must learn to pray in all situation and in every circumstance!
True discipleship is understanding that knowledge is useless unless God is working through that knowledge for His purposes!
True discipleship is understanding our TRUE enemy and that those who follow that enemy are those we are called to save!
True discipleship is knowing how to equip ourselves and that God can and will use us in the battle…
Finally, True discipleship is knowing our TRUE power source and how to access that power! Prayer is how we tap into the power source of God for our spiritual battles!
True discipleship is FAR more than just learning ABOUT God… it is knowing God and allowing God to use us for His kingdom plans and purposes!
Are you a TRUE DISCIPLE today? [Give evangelistic invitation here]
