TITLE: HIS DISCIPLES CAME UNTO HIM
SCRIPTURE: ST. MATTHEW 5:1-3
We have embarked upon another new year together as a Church family. We celebrate this morning on the first Sunday of a new year and it’s appropriate that we should forge a new beginning as a congregation. For the last nine years we have adopted various themes and have watched God work. We examined the theme “LET’S GO FISHING” for two years. Last year we transitioned to the theme - “THE YEAR OF UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS.” It was a great year, and the Lord was very good to us. But with the dawning of 2025, it’s time to put the party hats away.
For the past several weeks, I have been praying and seeking God’s voice as to our direction for this new year. One thought has continuously stayed in my spirit. For the last few days of last year, one word kept coming back to my mind. For a week or more, I wrestled with many ideas for 2025, but that word wouldn’t leave me alone. As I pondered the matter, I came to the conviction that this word was God’s word for us in the new year. I believe that God wants this congregation to learn the real value of what this word means and to discover its power, and it make it a reality in our daily lives.
The word itself is not new. In fact, it is at least 2000 years old and the idea behind the word is much older than that.
• It is the word that Jesus used more than any other to describe his followers
• That word – the word that God has given us for 2025 – is the word DISCIPLE
Disciple or Discipleship -- It’s a word we often hear in Christian circles, but what does it truly mean?
• Discipleship is more than attending church services or simply believing in Jesus
• It is a lifelong journey of growing in our relationship with Christ, surrendering our lives to Him, and becoming more like Him
• It is about walking closely with our Savior
• It is about learning from Him
• It is about allowing His transformative power to shape us from the inside out
True disciples live in such a way that everyone knows they belong to Jesus Christ. This is the THE YEAR OF DISCIPLESHIP. Our theme verse for the year is ST. JOHN 15:8 “THIS IS TO MY FATHER’S GLORY, THAT YOU BEAR MUCH FRUIT, SHOWING YOURSELVES TO BE MY DISCIPLES.” We will hear this text and theme throughout the year 2025. This verse emphasizes that disciples bear fruit.
• When fruit trees bear fruit, everyone who passes by knows it
• You don’t have to put up a sign that says “Harvest time”
• You can see it for yourself, and you can even smell the fruit as you pass by
True disciples live in such a way that everyone knows they belong to Jesus Christ. They bear “much fruit” as a result of their relationship to Him.
• This year God wants us as a congregation to move beyond church attendance and religious activity to discipleship
• He wants us to bear “MUCH FRUIT” for Him
The word “DISCIPLE” comes from the classroom and literally means “STUDENT” or “LEARNER.” In Jesus’ day, young people didn’t go to college because there weren’t any colleges back then. If you wanted to be a shepherd, you signed on as an apprentice and learned from the chief shepherd. By learning from him, you eventually became a shepherd in your own right. If you wanted to become a lawyer, you studied under an experienced lawyer. You worked for him and with him and listened to every word he said, learned to argue by listening to him argue, learned to bargain by watching him bargain. You became his disciple and learned from him.
So it isn’t unusual that the men who followed Christ were called his disciples. The first disciples were students and Jesus was their teacher. For three and a half years they followed up and down Galilee, watching - listening - observing - asking questions, taking in everything their Master did and said.
Jesus had a three-fold plan for training his disciples --
• FIRST - learning by Watching
• SECOND - learning by Doing
• THIRD - learning by Teaching Others
For years, I believe many churches missed one of the most important things they were to be doing -- DISCIPLESHIP. Growing up and working in ministry our goal was to see people saved.
• It is great that we lead people to Christ but many times that is where it stopped
• We brought them to Christ and then expected them to figure out everything else on their own!
That’s why the Great Commission says, “GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS … TEACHING THEM EVERYTHING I HAVE COMMANDED YOU.” He phrased it exactly as a teacher would in the first century. “I made you my disciples, i taught you everything you need to know, now go and make other disciples, and teach them everything i taught you.”
We hear much conversation today about the lack of attendance and lack of growth in our churches today and our young people no longer attending like they did in past years. We must ask ourselves the question -- “WHAT IS IT THAT PEOPLE SEE TODAY WHEN THEY LOOK AT THE CHURCH?” Many have concluded that the church, far from being countercultural, does not look much different from the unchurched population. The fact that the proportion of Christians who affirm Christian values is equivalent to the proportion of non-Christians who hold similar views indicates how meaningless Christianity has been in the lives of millions of professed believers. In other words the average Christian does not live out the true values of their Christian Beliefs of “Bearing Fruit.”
The entire history of the Christian church for 2000 years has been nothing more than that - Going and making disciples and teaching them what Jesus has taught us. Let’s look at a familiar passage of scripture as I lay the foundation for us that we will build upon throughout this new year. The scripture for examination comes from a portion of Scripture called the BEATITUDES. If you are familiar with the life of Christ, you know that his most famous sermon is called the SERMON ON THE MOUNT, found in our opening text. The beatitudes comprise the first paragraph of that sermon.
• If the Sermon on the Mount is the Constitution of the Christian faith, then Beatitudes are the Preamble
• These eight statements of Christ offer the best definition of a disciple in the New Testament
• This is the Job Description for a disciple of Christ
• Our focus will be only upon the first beatitude
Let me make sure we fully understand this. Every Christian is not necessarily a disciple. Yes, you are saved, and God is well pleased with you. But it is a different mandate and calling on your life to be a disciple and all that it entails.
The premise I want to stand on as we lay this foundation for the year, is most Christians don't make disciples, we must be on the same page as to what is meant by "MAKE DISCIPLES." Otherwise, you may misunderstand these reasons. Making disciples –
• Helping unbelievers come to saving faith in Jesus
• Helping believers grow in their faith, grow in becoming more like Jesus
• Helping believers grow in sharing Jesus
• Helping believers know how to make more disciples of Jesus
Let me be clear here as I lay the groundwork and focus for our year. Discipleship should not be so much a program in the local church that some sign up for, but rather the culture of the church, where every member aims at helping others become more like Christ.
• It begins in our homes, with parents evangelizing and discipling their children
• It carries forward with evangelizing and discipling our grandchildren, nieces, nephews
• It should ripple out through the entire church, where we all are helping one another grow in godliness
Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount with eight statements that we call the Beatitudes, from the Latin word for “BLESSED.” These eight statements serve important functions.
They describe the inner qualities of a true disciple. There are many answers to the question, “What is a Christian?” Most of us would say that Christian is a person who has trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. By that we mean that a Christian is a person who has a deep and real relationship with Jesus Christ.
But there is another way to answer this question. A Christian is a person who lives out the principles of the Beatitudes.
• He is poor in spirit
• He mourns over his sins
• He is meek
• He hungers and thirsts for righteousness
• He is merciful
• He is pure in heart
• He is a peacemaker
• He is persecuted
In that sense the Beatitudes tell us what a true Christian looks like. This is how you spot one in a crowd. If you look long enough, you will see these eight qualities on display. They challenge us to inquire as to the state of our soul. Since this is the first of the year, we’re seeing a great deal of information regarding losing weight - getting in shape - maintaining your health. But it’s even more important to inquire as to the health of your soul.
Earlier this week, right out of the blue, one of my relatives asked me, “Are you happy?” I stumbled and fumbled and hesitated and hemmed and hawed because that’s not an easy question to answer.
• My happiness tends to go up or down depending on how things are going in my life
The root idea of blessed is “APPROVED BY GOD.” But there is something more important than happiness for the disciple. That’s the word “BLESSED.” Although some translators used the word “Happy,” that’s doesn’t do justice to the Greek word, MAKARIOS. The word itself doesn’t even apply to human emotions. It’s a statement of how God views people who live a certain way. The root idea of blessed is “approved by God.” Max Lucado catches the idea beautifully in his book on the Beatitudes called THE APPLAUSE OF HEAVEN.
• God applauds the poor in spirit
• He cheers the mourners
• He favors the meek
• He smiles upon the hungry
• He honors the merciful
• He welcomes the pure in heart
• He claps for the peacemakers
• He rises to greet the persecuted
If we want God’s approval more than anything in the world, then these words have the power to change us dramatically. So the real question this morning is, how much do you want God’s approval?
• Do you want it more than the approval of your family and friends?
• More than the approval of the people where you work?
• More than the approval of your colleagues?
• More even than the approval of your closest loved one?
If you want God’s approval that badly, you can have it. That’s what the beatitudes are all about. They show us what a disciple looks like, and they tell us how we can have the applause of Heaven. If that’s what you want in 2025, then the place to begin is within the Beatitudes.
What does it mean to be poor in spirit? In some ways this is a mysterious way to begin the Beatitudes. When you read, “BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT,” you aren’t immediately certain what Jesus means.
• The words themselves are not difficult
• We know what the word “poor” means
• We know what “spirit” means
• But what does it mean to be “poor in spirit”?
Perhaps the best way to answer that question is to say what it doesn’t mean. It’s not a reference to actual poverty. Jesus didn’t say, “Blessed are the poor,” but “BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT,” which is something else entirely.
• Very few poor people would call their poverty a blessing from God
• As proof, we may consider how hard people work to stay out of poverty
Well, then, what does “poor in spirit” mean? It may help to know that there are two primary Greek words for “Poor.”
• One means you have just enough to get by
• The other means you have nothing at all
• It’s the difference between being down to your last dollar and being flat broke
In the verb form, the word means “TO CROUCH” or “TO BEG.” It describes a person who is utterly helpless and completely dependent on others. That’s the Greek word used here. To be poor in spirit means to recognize your true condition before God. It is the exact opposite of being rich in pride. You might say that it means to recognize your spiritual bankruptcy in the eyes of God.
• That simple truth explains the end of the first Beatitude - “FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN”
• Heaven belongs to the poor in spirit
• Because they don’t deserve it, God gives it to them as a gift
That is the starting point to DISCIPLESHIP. In giving this simple truth, Jesus has shown us the way of salvation. Blessed as the poor in the spirit, for they shall be saved. But cursed are the proud, for they shall be condemned. the world says –
• Blessed are the strong - for they shall rule the earth
• Blessed are the mighty - for they shall rise to power
• Blessed are the rich - for they shall inherit the earth
• Blessed are the influential - for they shall be favored
• Blessed are the popular - for they shall be loved
• Blessed are the gifted - for they shall be followed
• Blessed are the beautiful - for they shall be admired
• Jesus says, “BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT, FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN”
It is no mistake that “POOR IN SPIRIT” comes first.
• This is the first and fundamental quality of the spiritual life
• This is where discipleship begins
• This is the key that unlocks the door of heaven
A Disciple is someone called to -
• Live “in” Christ
• Equipped to live “like” Christ
• Sent to live “for” Christ
• Called to “share” Christ
To be a disciple of Christ’s you must study His textbook, the Bible. It’s like enlisting a man in the Army and issuing him a rifle that he never learns how to clean and shoot. The risk when we don’t “fully” disciple new believers is that they will almost always become --
• Lukewarm in faith
• Worldly in behavior
• Hypocritical in witness
Discipleship is --
• Modeling and teaching Christians the precepts of the Bible
• How to pray
• Essential doctrines
• Christian living, and worship
• To live like Jesus lived
• Love like Jesus loved
• Pray like Jesus prayed
Discipleship is not a theoretical concept confined to church walls; it is a lived experience that permeates every aspect of our lives. In the practical application of discipleship principles, we truly reflect Christ to the world around us. In our daily lives and relationships, discipleship calls us to live out the values and teachings of Jesus.
• It means demonstrating Love - Forgiveness - Humility -- Grace -- in our interactions with others
• By living as Christ’s representatives, we become living testimonies of His transformative power and draw others closer to Him
My brothers and sisters, as we embark on this “YEAR OF DISCIPLESHIP” it is not merely an abstract concept but a practical outworking of our relationship with Christ.
--Jesus emphasizes that a disciple will bear much fruit
--This fruitfulness manifests in our Actions
--In our Attitudes
--In our Character
--Bringing Glory to God and serving as evidence of our discipleship
--Through our fruitfulness, the world witnesses Christ’s transformative power in our lives
