Sermon # 35 - The Marks Of A Disciple Series

The great commission of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 28:18-20, “When Jesus came near, he spoke to them. He said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. So wherever you go, make disciples of all nations: Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to do everything I have commanded you. "And remember that I am always with you until the end of time.” (GW)

This was the commission that Jesus gave to His disciples before He ascended into heaven. In verse 18 Jesus explained to them that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him, and in verse 20 He encouraged them with these beautiful words which holds true for us today as well, that He will always be with us even until the end of the age. We are a blessed people because the one who is with us until the very end is the Lord Almighty Himself, who is endowed with all power and authority, one that supersedes all human authority. But what we need to understand is that the foremost reason the Lord is with us is so that we should go and make disciples of all nations, baptize them, and teach them all that He has commanded us.

We studied in the previous message that the huge crowds who followed Jesus did so for several reasons, many to have their sickness healed, some to see the wonders He performed, others for the miraculous food Jesus provided and the some with the intention to make Jesus king, so as to be freed from the Roman rule. The majority who followed Jesus did so to have their personal needs met by Him. This was the fan following that went after Jesus. There was a minority who followed Jesus most sincerely, and they were His disciples.

We too may have begun our journey with Jesus for our personal needs and benefits, but as we grow in our walk with Jesus, we must follow Him for who He is to us, and not for what we can gain from Him. One person told me that the ones who need Jesus are those who have nothing and are in want. He said, ‘I have everything in this world and I don’t see the necessity to have God in my life.’ Sadly, there will come a day when he will realize that his life is meaningless and worthless without God. Even today there are great number of people who are content with being fan followers, who only seek Jesus for their own personal gain. The call of the Lord today is for us to be His disciples, who will acknowledge Him as Lord and ruler of our lives. His desire for us as His disciples, is that we go out and make others disciples of Jesus.

Who is a disciple of Jesus?

We read in Mark 3:14-15, “And he chose twelve to be with him, whom he would send out to preach, and who would have power to heal the sick, and to cast out demons.” (Murdock)

1. A disciple is one who is with Jesus

The reason Jesus chose the twelve disciples primarily was that they would be with Him. It was essential for the disciples to be with Jesus, so that they could see all the miracle He performed, hear all that He taught, and then put them into practice.

If we want to get to know someone really well, we can do so if we spend a day or few days with them. Our true witness is not what people see of us on Sunday, but what we are all through the week, and what those closest to us perceive of us.

The question is how can we be with Jesus today just as the disciples were when Jesus was here on earth?

• Firstly we must discipline ourselves to read the word of God daily

• Secondly, we must understand and meditate on God’s word

• Thirdly, we must obey the word of God, and put it into practice

Unfortunately we live in a day when many have no time to read the word of God. A lot of people find social media so entertaining, but consider the Bible to be boring. If we are disciples of Jesus, and desire to be with Him, then we will spend time with the word of God, for only then we can understand who He really is. Many people read the word, but are unable to understand or comprehend its meaning.

If our child got home from school, and informed us that he or she did not understand Mathematics, as parents we will never ignore it, but rather go out of the way to get them tutored so they can understand and pass in Math. That’s exactly the kind of effort we should take, if for some reason we cannot understand the word of God. It is only when we read the word of God, understand and put it into practise can we become true disciples of Jesus.