The Benefits of Being a Modern Day Disciple
Pastor Glenn Newton August 1, 2004
PS 1:1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.PS 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.PS 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers. Ps. 1:1-3
Illustration:
Living dangerously. That was one of many themes in Brennan Manning’s superb book The Signature of Jesus. Manning presents a radical alternative to the normal everyday, ho-hum, “comfort zone” mentality lived out by so many “so-called Christians.” His final statement in the book:
The Signature of Jesus is offered to Christians who want to live by faith and not by mere “religion,” for those who recognize that many of the burning theological issues in the church today are neither burning nor theological, [for those] who see Christianity neither as a moral code or a belief system but a love affair, who have not forgotten that they are followers of a crucified Christ, who know that following Him means living dangerously, who want to live the gospel without compromise, who have no greater desire than to have His signature written on the pages of their lives.
SOURCE: Dru Ashwell. CITATION: Brennan Manning in "The Signature of Jesus."
This morning I want to talk to you about the Benefits of Living as a Modern Day Disciple…. Or as this illustration suggests, Living Dangerously. God has called us to Live… Live Life to the fullest… Live Life as He designed.. not so much as we have tried to plan it.
I want to share 3 Huge Benefits to those of you who have decided to Live as Modern Day Disciples. There are so many blessings or benefits to living your life for God that I couldn’t possibly cover them all.. but I have picked 3 to share with you this morning.
Before I share those 3 Benefits, let’s answer our Question that we have been working on for the whole month of July….. What is the difference between a Christian and a Disciple? Have you come to any conclusions?
A. A Christian is someone who has been saved from their sins, they are trusting in God for their salvation, and they are in the beginning stages of this journey. (A baby disciple if you will)
B. A Disciple is a Christian who has made a choice to live their life 100% sold out for Jesus, they have been Sanctified Holy, they have counted the cost, they have picked up their Cross and are walking in His steps everyday… willing to be nothing in the eyes of the world, so that God can be glorified through their life.
The true mark of the Disciple is consistent growth, a heart that seeks God, that Loves the Word, that Loves to Worship, that is committed to the church, His Body. Does that describe you this morning?
One thing I know is that God wants to raise up a church here in Clarksville, AR. that is calling men and women to Holiness and making Modern Day Disciples… and I intend to be apart of that great church, don’t you? It’s your choice… which road will you take?
Our passage this morning is found in Psalms 1:1-3, Listen to what our writer says about this man who has decided to be a Disciple, listen to the things He does as a matter of living for God, and also listen to what God does for Him.
PS 1:1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.PS 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.PS 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers. Ps. 1:1-3
God’s Word is awesome about teaching us everything we need to know to live this Blessed life, or this life with all these benefits. Let’s investigate and see what it instructs us to do and not do.
First, the writer describes a couple things that a true disciple will not allow to be apart of his life.
If you’re a Christian this morning and you are truly seeking God in your life, you are truly wanting God’s direction and will for you life, then I can guarantee you that God has talked to you about avoiding certain things in your life… right? As a Christian there are things that I used to do before I gave my heart to Christ, that I just won’t do anymore… Amen? Are you with me? When you give your heart to Christ, your life changes from the inside out…. Can I say this to you this morning…. If nothing has changed in your life… then I suggest nothing has changed in your heart.
If we know anything about Christ and His transforming power, when you are saved, your life is changed for the better, God begins a transformation of heart and mind… the things I used to think were important don’t seem very important anymore.
I think there’s a lot of people today who fall into this category, they just want $3.00 of God. Listen to this illustration I found,
“I would like to buy $3.00 worth of God, please. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don’t want enough of Him to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant. I want ecstasy, not transformation; I want the warmth of the womb, not a new birth. I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack. I would like to buy $3.00 worth of God, please.”
Wilbur Rees, from When I Relax I Feel Guilty by Tim Hansel
Friends if there is anything we have learned through this study of being His disciple, we hopefully come to understand that to be a true disciple you cannot just pick and choose what areas you are going to give Him…. He demands everything. It’s all or nothing with Him.. He says you have to die, pick up the Cross and follow Him to a death of self, and when you will do that… He will give you real life… a life that will make a difference.
PS 1:1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.”
So what is it we avoid? We do not walk, stand or sit in the counsel of the wicked… what’s that mean? The people that I am going to spend my time with, the people that I’m going to go to for counsel, for wisdom… those people will be fellow believes, and the person I will go to first and foremost is God himself… He is my number one counsel.
Happy is the man or women who avoids and don’t associate with their “old” life, but who instead seeks God and Godly people in their new life.
PS 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.PS 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers. Ps. 1:1-3
Do you love to get into the Word? Sunday School, Sunday Night, In our weekday life groups, this is what we do… We get into God’s Word, we study, we apply His word to our everyday lives… were encouraged, we are challenged.. We delight in His Word. If your not participating in these activities, if your not studying God’s Word I would suggest that it’s going to be impossible for you to grow as a Christian…. His Word is the meat in your spiritual diet… some of you are starving to death.
When you get into God’s Word and allow the Holy Spirit to teach you, something dramatic happens…. “Like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields it’s fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.” That what your life becomes… Fruitful.
The First Great Benefit of Being a Modern Day Disciple…. You are a Fruit Producer
When your in the Word, walking in the Spirit, allowing God to have His place in your life, He will begin to produce fruit in your life… so what is this fruit?
GAL 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
As you keep in step with His spirit, He will produce these good fruit in your life, and as a result guess what happens? People notice. People who are watching you and wondering if what you have found is real…. They will begin so see love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control… and when they see that in you, they are going to know, something has changed, because you didn’t have those things before.
One of the greatest benefits of living for God is how He transforms us from what we were to what He wants for us… it’s not overnight this happens, but it is dramatic in how fast God can change our lives. Are you allowing God to produce this Fruit in your life? It can only happen through a daily discipline of prayer and getting into His word.
The Second awesome Benefit of being a Disciple is Knowing that you are a Difference Maker.
With the power of the Holy Spirit in my life, I know as a Christian that God can do miracles in my life, and not only in my life, but in the lives of the people that I am witnessing too.
I want to know that my life counts for something, Don’t You?
A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.
Martin Luther
A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.
-- William Shedd
We were created for a purpose and with a plan, how can a person not want to know what that plan is for them? How could a person know that God has a plan for their lives but not want to find that plan and carry it out? That doesn’t register with me.
One of the great benefits of being a disciple of Christ is knowing that He wants to use my life to make a difference in the lives of others. God want’s to use you to make a difference in the lives of the people that your around everyday…. Do you think He can do it? I know He can. The question is will you allow Him to use you for that purpose?
This morning, the 3rd Benefit of being a Modern Day Disciple is Knowing that you are on the Winning Team.
Winning Teams don’t just show up… They train, they discipline themselves, they follow the proven plan…. God calls us to follow His plan… and we can know that no matter what we go through in this life…. We win.
Rob Frazier, a contemporary Christian artist wrote a song titled, "He doesn’t want you better, He wants you deader"
Dead people don’t mind the pain, Don’t get offended so they never complain
They’re not concerned about personal gain, Does that sound like me or you?
The truth is rising from the mist And the word is this;
That when Jesus calls a man He calls him to come and die!
He doesn’t want you better, He wants you deader.
I was reminded this week about the life of Jeremiah, a man who after he accepted the call from God to be His prophet, things didn’t seem to go all that well for him. For 40 years Jeremiah called for repentance, for 40 years he tried to get his people to come back to God. When the world looks at a man like Jeremiah they might think he was unsuccessful because he didn’t get so called results. But Jeremiah was a great success, do you know why? Because he was Faithful and he did what God asked him to do. We leave the results to God.
Not everyone is going to have a Billy Graham kind of life as far as being well known and well respected when you’re a Christian, but everyone here this morning can decide today to be obedient to God’s call on your life and be the man or woman that He has created you to be.
Let me remind you that the rewards far outweigh any sacrifice you might have to make in this life. Your reward is eternal life in heaven, In the presence of God…. And you also will get to be there with the ones that you bring along…. Who are you bringing along with you? Let’s not leave anyone behind if we can help it… Let’s make our choice, let’s make our move, and let’s make a difference for Christ.
Maybe someone here this morning would like to make that decision, that decision that can change your life for eternity. Do you know Christ as your personal Savior? Are you living for Him everyday? Have you seen the Change that comes when Christ is on the throne of your heart? Today, you can come and pray and ask God to save you, to change you into the person that He created you to be….. Will you come?
