ARE YOU A DISCIPLE?
Matthew 16:13-27
This week I was in my storage room looking for something. I reached to the top shelf and felt fur and claws.
A flying squirrel jumped up on a box and stared at me. I yelled for Lana to come.
Why? Because I needed a sermon illustration.
She got there with a camera just as it hid. I told her I was going to make it move and she should take a picture.
But it jumped instead and landed on her neck. She started jumping and screaming and it ran from shoulder to shoulder. It finally jumped off and the dog chased it up a tree. Funny, Lana and the squirrel were fine from a distance of 4 feet, but when they got really close to each other they didn’t like it at all.
Similarly, many people like Jesus just fine from a distance, but true discipleship scares most people and because of that, they never get really close to Jesus Christ.
1. THE PERSON OF DISCIPLESHIP.
Mt 16:13-17 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” 15 He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
* Jesus had become quite famous in the land and people flocked around Him.
They wondered Who He was. John? Elijah? Jeremiah? They really didn’t know for sure.
* His disciples, though, knew Him to Be “the Christ, the Son of the Living God!”
** Many today know a lot about Jesus. They’ve been to VBS, to church, maybe even read the Bible.
But many people really don’t understand the message of Who Jesus really is.
** Many only know Him in a superficial way, but to be saved, one must become His disciple.
But, what does this mean?
Disciple of Christ- a convinced adherent of Jesus Christ that commits his life to emulate Him and serve Him.
* Too many of us are getting stirred up spiritually and we come to the altar telling God all the things we're willing to do for Him. True discipleship, though, is the opposite. A true disciple bows at the altar and says to God, "God I am willing to do whatever you ask me to do for you." Why is that important? Because God always has bigger plans for you than you have for yourself.
* Now, If we going to become a disciple, we need someone to show us what one is. We need a pattern.
2. THE PROTOTYPE OF DISCIPLESHIP.
Mt 26:21 From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.
* When it comes to discipleship, Jesus is the Prototype!
Prototype- the pattern. Master copy from which others come. The first model. It is the one that all who come after it are to emulate or be like.
A. His Revealed Mission.
From before Creation began, the mission of Jesus had always been that He would be the Sacrifice for sin. Privately, He told His disciples that He would soon be arrested, tortured and killed, but that He would be raised up on the 3rd day.
B. His Determined Commitment.
Mt 26:22 Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.”
Peter could not imagine letting this happen. He was strong and brave and basically told Jesus, “God forbid it! As long as I’m around I won’t let it happen to You!”
Peter did not understand that it had to be this way. Sin had brought a curse upon man and an eternal damnation that only the blood of Christ could remedy. The mission of Christ was to destroy sin’s hold on those who would repent/believe.
1 Pet 2:24 He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness;
He died to transform us from a filthy sinner into a holy child of God.
Mt 26:23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
* Jesus told Peter to shut his mouth and back off. He would not allow His own comfort dictate whether or not He would follow God’s will.
3. THE PRICE OF DISCIPLESHIP.
Mt 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
* Remember, a disciple is one a convinced adherent of another person and commits his life to emulate that person.
3 Requirements of a Disciple of Jesus Christ
(1) Deny himself.
Make personal desires and goals secondary in life and make God’s Will his #1 priority.
* When I truly “got it” around 1990, I began to restructure my life around God’s will for me. I was in church regularly. I studied the Bible. I learned to share my faith. My #1 priority became pleasing God and sharing Christ every chance I got.
(2) Take up his cross.
This Brought a vivid image to His hearers. Estimates are over 30,000 people were crucified during Jesus lifetime alone. It was a brutal and shameful way to die.
* Today, taking up your cross is not living with an unsaved spouse.
It is not living with a nagging wife. Living with illness, disease or a physical handicap.
* Taking up your cross has always meant your willingness to endure any hardship for the cause of Christ.
The willingness to endure any shame, embarrassment, persecution, or hardship.
It means that you will sacrifice your life and resources for the cause of Christ just as He sacrificed everything for the cause of YOU!
(3) Follow Me.
Only when a person denies himself and takes up his cross is he ready and able to follow Christ.
* True discipleship is submission to the Lordship of Christ. To follow Christ is to put God’s plan for your life into action. It means that “wherever He leads you will go.”
What I have discovered.......
* If God tells you to go to the mission field, you’ll be following Him because He’s already there!
* If He tells you to teach a class, you'll be following Him because He’s already prepared the lesson.
* If He tells you to preach the Word, you'll be following Him because He’s already prepared the message.
4. THE PRIZE OF DISCIPLESHIP.
(1) The Choice before you.
Mt 16:25 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Jesus is speaking about your worldly life and eternal life.
* Worldly life- sin, selfishness, your own will.
* Eternal life- entering the Kingdom of God.
You will either choose this worldly life over Christ or you will choose Christ over this world. It’s your choice, but you can’t have it both ways.
(2) The Booby Prize.
Mt 16:26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
“Let’s Make a Deal”- Monty Hall, everybody dresses up to play games and win prizes. At the end, 2 of them get to choose whatever is behind door #1, 2, or 3. They have to give up the prize they've already won in order to have the chance to win a better prize. If you chose well, you get an awesome prize, but if you chose poorly you might win a donkey and brokedown cart.
* Spiritually speaking, those that selfishly choose the world, they win the Booby Prize. It is a permanent change of residence when they die to a place called Hell, where darkness is complete and torment is eternal. Where the worm never dies and fires are never quenched.
(3) The Grand Prize.
Mt 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.
Will God ignore the sacrifices of His disciples? NO WAY.
1 Thess 4:16 the Lord will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
All believers will be gathered together with Jesus and taken to our new home in Heaven. But, it’s not just a new place to live. A REWARD.
Rev 22:12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.
What kind of reward will Christ have for you? I don’t know. It’s all according to what kind of disciple you were on earth.
I do know this, though......
Before you can receive His reward, you must give Him your obedience
Before you will wear a crown, you must carry your cross.
