The Cost Of Discipleship
Personal Commitment
Introduction
"If you thought that living the Christian life is easy, then you haven’t lived it!" (Quotes & Things, by D. Collins).
With A View To Becoming A Christian
There are many people under the illusion that the Christian life is not very different from their current lifestyle. One lady said, "If I become a Christian, it just means I’ll have to start going to church every week." Is this really the only difference between the lifestyle of a sinner and a Christian?
A Rude Awakening
There are some, no doubt,who have been Christians for many years and have never been taught the kind of commitment that Jesus asks of those who want to follow Him. The consequences can be disastrous:
"When a class of twenty four Christian men and women were shown how their lifestyles were not in conformity with Jesus’ teaching, eighteen stopped attending the classes! Of these, ten fell away from the faith. One of the men said, ’I’m sorry, but I thought being a Christian was about attending church and loving one another; I didn’t realise it meant making personal sacrifices.’"
It is essential, then, that we all have clear understanding of what Jesus demands of us if we wish to be one of His disciples.
The Men From The Boys
"There were two brother, Tom and Harry, and they both had a very strong desire to join the British army. They were now eighteen and eligible to enlist, so they went along to the recruitment center. Only Tom actually enlisted. Harry had changed his mind when he discovered that it would mean getting a hair cut, rising at 4 am every morning, etc. He preferred the comforts that civilian life afforded."
Having considered the demands of being a soldier in the British Army, they each made their choice. It is these demands that put their "very strong desire" to the test, or, as the expression goes, "It separated the men from the boys."
As we consider the demands of discipleship in this lesson, our own desire to be a disciple of Jesus will be put to the test, and we will have to make a choice about whom we are going to serve - God or the Devil?
[Note: this lesson assumes that the student has already come to believe that Jesus is the Son of God.]
I. The Initial Steps
A. Jesus demands that our love for Him surpass that of our love for all others.
"He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." (Matthew 10:37)
1. It is easy to say and think that we love Jesus more than all others but do we? Perhaps some further elaboration and practical examples will help us decide.
a. In the previous verses Jesus says:
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household" (Matthew 10:34-36)
b. In many cases, becoming a Christian can result in an ongoing conflict with unbelieving relatives, friends, and work colleagues, and there may be occasions when we are tempted to compromise our faith. Here are a couple practical examples:
1) Your unbelieving spouse says, "Hey, it’s a beautiful Sunday morning, let’s take a picnic to the park. It won’t hurt if you miss just one service will it?" Before you make your decision, consider this scripture:
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25)
2) The following example demonstrates, not only an unwillingness to forsake the assembly, but a willingness to die for Jesus if necessary. The account is a little dramatic but, allegedly, true:
"A Christian woman attended worship at her local church every Sunday without fail. However, her unbelieving husband didn’t like it one bit, and he often asked her to stay at home, and sometimes even threatened her. One Sunday morning, the woman got ready to go to services as usual and the husband said, ’Your not going, your staying home today.’ When she insisted that she was going, the husband pulled out a gun, held it to her head and said, ’Where are you going now?’ The wife replied, ’If you pull the trigger, I’m going to heaven. If you don’t, I’m going to church.’"
This woman was willing to die if necessary, and this is the kind of faithfulness that Jesus demands:
"If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26)
2. Our love for Jesus is demonstrated in our obedience to His teaching:
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)
"If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15)
"And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;" (Hebrews 5:9)
[Are you ready to commit yourself to obedience to Jesus, even if it means giving up your life?]
B. Having established that Jesus demands obedience to His commands as proof of our love, we will now examine what Jesus commands.
1. The first command to the sinner is to repent.
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:38)
a. The word repent is from the Greek word metanoeo, and it means, "To change one’s mind or purpose" (Vine’s).
b. But merely saying, "I repent," is insufficient, we must bear the fruit of repentance. The following scriptures show that repentance was a fundamental requirement of the gospel.
"When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Mark 2:17)
"And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:46-47)
"Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." (Luke 3:8)
"But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance." (Acts 26:20)
c. This begs the question, "What are the fruits of repentance?" After John had said, "Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance" (Luke 3:8), they asked, "What shall we do then?" (Luke 3:10). Here is John’s answer:
"He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages" (Luke 3:11-14)
d. Repentance involves turning from or abandonment of sin to a lifestyle that conforms to the teachings of Jesus. This is affirmed and expressed in a variety of terms in the New Testament.
"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God" (Romans 6:12-13)
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8:1)
"And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." (Galatians 5:24)
"Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries" (1 Peter 4:1-3)
[Are you prepared to repent, to abandon sinful practices, to live a lifestyle in conformity with the teachings of Jesus?]
2. The second command of Jesus is to be baptised (Mark 16:16). This was the message preached to thousands of Jew at Jerusalem:
"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:36-38)
a. The word baptised is a transliteration of the Greek word baptizo, "An immersion in water" (Strong’s).
b. In the New Testament, those who heard and believed the gospel were baptised for the remission of sins immediately. Today, however, many people seem reluctant to be baptized? This demonstrates an unwillingness to commit themselves to Jesus.
[Are ready to obey the Lord’s command and be baptised for the remission of sins?]
II. Continuing In A Life Of Faithfulness
A. Having repented and been baptised for the remission of sins, we must continue to live faithful lives in obedience to Jesus.
1. Christians are exhorted walk in newness of life:
"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:4)
2. To walk after the Spirit:
"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25)
a. Walking in the Spirit is essential to prevent us falling:
"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16)
3. To walk worthily of our calling:
"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called," (Ephesians 4:1)
"That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory." (1 Thessalonians 2:12)
4. To walk worthily and faithfully, even unto death:
"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;" (Colossians 1:10)
"Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." (Revelation 2:10)
5. Those who do not continue to live faithfully ought not to delude themselves that they are in fellowship with God:
"If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:6-7)
"He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked." (1 John 2:6)
"And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it." (2 John 1:6)
B. Our lives may be divided into three main categories: religious, family, and civil. A faithful Christian will strive to obey all of Jesus’ commands that relate to each of these spheres.
1. Remaining faithful in our religious lives. A Christian has numerous religious responsibilities that must be must be fulfilled, some in the assembly and others in our day to day lives.
a. A Christian will not forsake the assemblies of the saints (Hebrews 10:25). There numerous responsibilities that we have toward God and each other.
1) Worship. The Lord desires that we "come together" to partake of the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34), sing (1 Corinthians 14:26a), pray (1 Corinthians 14:15), give of our means for the work of the church (1 Corinthians 16:1-2), and edify one another (1 Corinthians 14:4, 26b, 31; Ephesians 4:11-12).
2) Mutual care. Another reason we come together is that we might bear one another burdens and provide for each others needs (1 Corinthians 12:26; Galatians 6:2; James 2:2 > 15-17).
b. There are other responsibilities that we must fulfill in our day to day lives.
1) Worship. We have a responsibility to worship God on an individual basis. Praying (1 Thessalonians 5:17 > Matthew 6:6; James 5:16); singing (James 5:13); study (Philippians 1:9; 2 Peter 1:5; 3:18).
2) "Remember the poor." We each have a responsibility to help those in need, whether needy saints or needy neighbors (Galatians 2:10; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 6:18; 1 John 3:17; see Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:14; 3:8).
[Are you ready to commit yourself to living a faithful Christian life?]
Conclusion
If you are contemplating becoming a Christian, then you need to realise that Jesus demands a full commitment: we are called to love and obey Him above all others, even if it means losing our lives.
This may all sound rather gloomy and even discouraging but there is a "bright side." This will be discussed in the next lesson, The Christian’s Motivation.
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