A young minister, fresh out of seminary, was conduction his first baptismal service. In his nervousness, he got his Scriptures confused concerning baptism and the Lord’s Supper: “I now baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” As he lowered the convert into the water, he added, “And now drink ye all of it” (Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations & Quotes, p. 44).
TEXT: Matthew 10:32-39
Baptism is our way of announcing to the world that we are disciples of Jesus Christ. It is a public declaration that we have committed ourselves to follow Him.
TITLE: What Is a Disciple of Jesus Christ?
The dictionary defines a “disciple” as “one who accepts and follows a teacher or a doctrine.” We could use that definition to define what a disciple of Jesus Christ is. A disciple of Jesus Christ is a person who follows Jesus Christ and His teachings.
Every true Christian is a disciple. We are told in Acts 11:26 that “the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” The disciples of Christ came to be known as Christians. I don’t see a distinction between a Christian and a disciple. Every Christian is a disciple; every Christian is a follower of Christ.
In this passage, Jesus gives us three characteristics that should be true of all of His disciples.
I. A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST IS A PERSON WHO ACKNOWLEDGES CHRIST BEFORE OTHERS.
“Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven” (vv. 32-33).
The phrase “whoever disowns me” does not refer to a moment of denial. Instead, it refers to a lifelong denial of Christ. Peter denied Christ three times one night, but he never denied Him again. We present-day followers of Christ might have had our moments of denial, but we have repented of our sin and proudly announce today that Jesus Christ is our Lord.
A disciple of Jesus Christ is not ashamed of the One he or she follows.
II. A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST IS A PERSON WHO LOVES CHRIST MORE THAN ALL OTHERS.
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn
“ ‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law ---
a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (vv. 34-37).
Sometimes when a person becomes a Christian, his family turns against him. Therefore, a choice must be made between Christ and family. Family ties cannot be allowed to pull a disciple from complete allegiance to his Lord.
A college student once walked into a photo studio with a framed picture of his girlfriend. He wanted the picture duplicated which, of course, involved removing it from the frame. In doing this, the studio owner noticed the inscription on the back of the picture which said, “Dear Tom, I love you with all my heart. I love you more and more each day. I will love you forever and ever. I am yours for all eternity.” It was signed “Mary,” and it contained a P.S.: “If we ever break up, I want this picture back.”
There can be no P.S. in a life given to Christ. We can never break up with Him. His indescribable love for us demands that we love Him for than all others (adapted from Illustrations Unlimited, pp. 97-98).
III. A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST IS A PERSON WHO IS WILLING TO LOSE EVERYTHING FOR CHRIST.
“And anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (vv. 38-39).
In the first century if anyone was seen carrying his cross, it was clear that he was on his way to die. Jesus uses this word picture to describe dying to our own personal pursuits and, instead, following Him completely.
Matthew Henry wrote, “Though many have been losers for Christ, even of life itself, yet never anyone has, or will be, a loser by Him in the end.”
I would rather be a complete loser for Christ (and find eternal life) than be a winner in the world’s eyes (and lose eternal life).
In Luke’s account we are told that before Jesus spoke these words, “Large crowds were traveling with Jesus” (Luke 14:25). But the crowds gradually disappeared. And we know the reason why. It was because Jesus demanded total commitment from His followers. He made sure people knew that the cost of discipleship was great.
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:28-33).
Christ has already counted the cost of discipleship for us. The cost is everything we have. Jesus once declared, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matt. 13:44). What the man in the story received was so much more valuable than what he gave up --- though it was everything he had. The cost of discipleship is great; but compared to what we receive from Christ, the price is a bargain.
We read in John 6 that “many of [Christ’s] disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God’” (John 6:66-68). The twelve disciples had given up everything to follow Christ, but, with the exception of Judas, they never regretted it because, as Peter declared, Christ has “the words of eternal life.”
The apostle Paul wrote, “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Phil. 3:8).
Jesus didn’t say, “Follow Me, and you will be happy, healthy, and wealthy.” He said, “Know this: Discipleship is going to cost you whatever you have. Don’t expect comfort and ease.”
Listen to what Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 16: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Matt. 16:24-26).
It is said that Charlemagne gave instructions to be buried in the royal posture of a king upon his throne, with the Gospels opened on his knees, his sword beside him, and his crown upon his head.
When his tomb was later uncovered, there he was. The crown was still perched on his skull, and a bony finger rested on these words: “What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
“The whole world” refers to all the things that could possibly be achieved or acquired in this life. Gaining the whole world looks more appealing than losing everything for Christ. But the reward for following Christ is eternal life, while the final result of gaining the whole world is the losing of one’s soul.
APPLICATION
Do you call yourself a Christian, a follower of Christ? Are you willing to acknowledge Christ before others? Are you willing to love Christ more than all others? Are you willing to lose everything for Christ? If you answered, “No,” are you sure you really are a Christian?
A. W. Tozer was a man of God who was troubled with the idea that Christian profession does not demand obedience to Christ. Tozer said,
[Years ago] no one would ever dare to rise in a meeting and say, “I am a Christian” if he had not surrendered his whole being to God and had taken Jesus Christ as his Lord as well as his Saviour, and had brought himself under obedience to the will of the Lord. It was only then that he could say, “I am saved!”
Today, we let them say they are saved no matter how imperfect and incomplete the transaction, with the [stipulation] that the deeper Christian life can be tacked on at some time in the future.
Can it be that we really think that we do not owe Jesus Christ our obedience?
We have owed Him our obedience ever since the second we cried out to Him for salvation, and if we do not give Him that obedience, I have reason to wonder if we are really converted!
I see things and I hear of things that Christian people are doing, and as I watch them operate within the profession of Christianity I do raise the question of whether they have been truly converted.
Brethren, I believe it is the result of faulty teaching to begin with. They though of the Lord as a hospital and Jesus as the chief of staff to fix up poor sinners that hat gotten into trouble!
“Fix me up, Lord,” they have insisted, “so that I can go my own way!”
That is bad teaching, brethren (quoted in John MacArthur, The Gospel according to Jesus, pp. 271-272).
The person who says, “Save me, Jesus, but stay out of my life!” is not a Christian. To that person, Christ says, “Why do you call we, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).
INVITATION
Would you like to become a disciple of Jesus Christ today?
The cost of discipleship is great, but it’s benefits are far greater!
