"A
CLOSER WALK WITH GOD!"
Are You A Disciple of Jesus?
"And Jesus came and spoke to
them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on
earth. [19] Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20]
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I
am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
1.
The above statement was made by
Jesus to His apostles shortly before He
ascended to heaven. –
Matthew 28:18-20.
2.
Commonly called “The Great
Commission,” notice the main thought of
Jesus' command….
a.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations….”
b. To “make
disciples,” therefore, is the GOAL of evangelizing the
world for Christ.
3.
Are you a disciple of
Jesus?
a. More than likely
you believe in Jesus….
b. You might even be
one to attends church services regularly
-- But is that what it means
to be His disciple?
4.
The purpose in this study is to
make clear what is involved in being a true
disciple of Jesus Christ.
I. THE DEFINITION OF A
DISCIPLE.
A. The Word
“Disciple”….
1. The word “disciple”
literally means a LEARNER.
2. According to Vine's
Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, it
denotes “one who follows another's
teaching”.
3. But a disciple was not
only a learner, he was also AN ADHERENT.
4. For this reason
disciples were spoken of as IMITATORS of their
teachers.
B. The Goal in Being
A Disciple…..
1. Stated by Jesus
himself: to be like the teacher – Luke
6:40.
"A disciple is not above his
teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his
teacher."
2.
To be Christ's disciple, then, is
to strive to be like Him!
3. According to the
apostle Paul, this coincides with God's goal in the
redemption of mankind, that they be
conformed to the image of His Son –
Romans
8:29.
[Do you have a strong desire to follow
Jesus and become like Him? Unless you do, it cannot be said that you are
truly His disciple!
There are also some “identifying
marks” of discipleship given by Jesus which can help us to
further identify a true disciple of Jesus….]
II. THE MARKS OF A
DISCIPLE.
A. A disciple is “one
who abides in Jesus' WORDS” –
John8:31.
1. This would imply being
a diligent student of the teaching of Christ.
2. It also requires one
to be a “doer” of the Word –
Matthew 7:21-27;
John 1:21-25.
3. In view of this, a
true disciple would not….
a. Fail to study the Bible
diligently.
b. Willingly refrain
from opportunities to study with others ( bible classes, church
services, gospel meetings).
B. A Disciple is Also
“one Who Loves the Brethren” –
John 13:34-35.
1.
With a love patterned after the
love of Jesus (“as I have loved you”).
2. With a love that is
visible to the world (“by this all will
know”).
3. Therefore, a true
disciple would…..
a. Make every effort
to get to know his brethren.
b. Take advantage of occasions
to encourage and grow closer to them
(attending services on Sunday and
Wednesday nights).
4.
Remember, a disciple is one who
wants to become like his teacher.
a. Was Jesus willing
to sacrifice time and effort for His brethren?
b. Of course, and so will we….
If we are truly HIS disciples!
C. A Disciple is
“One Who Bears Much Fruit” -
John 15:8.
1. Notice the word “much”
(also found in verse 5).
a. Jesus is not
talking about an occasional good deed.
b. But a lifestyle
which prompts people to glorify God! –
Matthew 5:16.
2. This is so important,
that failure to bear much fruit will result in being
severed from Christ –
John 15:1-2.
3. How can one be a
disciple if he or she is cut off from Christ?
[The point should be clear: to be a
disciple of Jesus Christ means more than just a casual church member. It
requires COMMITMENT, especially in regards to:
•
The teachings of Christ
•
Bearing fruit to the glory of God.
The kind of commitment involved is seen
further when we consider the “high cost” of
discipleship demanded by Jesus in Luke
14:25-33 ….]
III. THE COST OF BEING
A DISCIPLE.
A. Jesus Must Come First
– Luke 14:26.
1.
Before anyone else, including
members of our own family – Matthew
10:34-37.
2. Even before one's own
self – Luke 9:23-25.
B. We must be willing to
Suffer for Christ – Luke 14:27.
1. Trying to live godly
lives in an ungodly world, we may find that following
Christ sometimes involves ridicule and
persecution – 2 Timothy 3:12.
2. Even if we are blessed
to escape such things, we must still be willing to
expend time and effort in promoting the
cause of Christ in positive ways.
C. Putting it Simply,
We must forsake all to follow Christ. –
Luke 14:33.
1. In other words, Jesus
must be KING and LORD of our lives.
2.
Nothing can take precedent over Him
and His Will for us.
[This kind of “high cost”
of discipleship demanded by Jesus caused many people to turn away from
following Him. But Jesus wasn't trying to attract large crowds, He
wanted disciples!]
IV. THE REWARDS OF BEING A
DISCIPLE.
A. There is the
Promise of “Future Blessings”…
1. We shall be saved from
the wrath of God which is yet to come upon the
World for its sins –
Romans 5:9.
2. We can look forward
with joyful anticipation of eternity with God, free from
sorrow, pain and death –
Revelation 21:1-8.
B. There are also
“Present Blessings”…..
1. Jesus offers a
PEACE the world cannot give to calm the troubled heart –
John
14:27.
2. His words inspire Joy
to lift our spirits out of any depression –
John 15:11.
3. He also offers to
those who follow Him the ABIDING LOVE OF GOD, which
can cast out fear –
John 15:9; 1
John 4:18.
4. And he makes it
possible for us to be members of THE FAMILY OF GOD,
which is able, if need be, to replace our
physical family – Mark 10:28-30.
[There are many other blessings we could
mention that are enjoyed by disciples of Jesus; but these suffice to
demonstrate that though discipleship is costly, the rewards far exceed
the costs!
Now that we understand the nature of
discipleship, its cost and rewards, I hope that we want to be true
disciples of Jesus Christ. But how does one begin?
For the answer we return to our
beginning text – Matthew 28:19-20 …..]
IV. THE BEGINNING OF A DISCIPLE.
A. According to
Jesus, It Involves Baptism –
Matthew 28:19.
1.
Why baptism?
a. Remember the goal
of discipleship: to be like Jesus.
b. He was holy and
sinless, yet we are to be like Him.
c. Fortunately,
baptism is described as an act of faith which puts us in
contact with the cleansing blood of
Jesus Christ so we can be forgiven –
Acts
2:38; 22:16;
Romans 6:3-4.
d. It is also the
means by which one “puts on Christ” -
Galatians 3:27.
-- So Baptism is the Logical Starting
Place for true DISCIPLESHIP!
2.
But what is baptism?
a. It is an act of
submission which must be preceded by faith in Jesus and repentance
for our sins – Acts 2:36-38;
8:36-37.
1) This precludes infant
baptism.
2) For infants are
incapable of believing and repenting.
b. It is also an act
of submission which involves a burial in water, in which one then
rises to walk in newness of life through the power of God –
Acts
8:38;
Romans 6:3-4;
Colossians 2:12.
1) This precludes
sprinkling or pouring as a mode of baptism.
2) For neither of these
involve a “burial” nor an immersion (which is the
meaning of the Greek word
“baptidzo”).
c. When done
according to the Word of God, baptism then becomes an act of faith
on our part which results in a wonderful working of God in our
lives!
1) Our sins are washed
away by the blood of Jesus – Acts
22:16;
Ephesians 5:25-27.
2) We are
“regenerated ” and “ renewed” by the Spirit of
God so we can
Now live for God! -
Titus 3:5-6.
3) It is truly a
“rebirth ” involving both water and the Spirit –
John 3:5.
B. But Baptism is
only the Beginning, Teaching and Obedience Must Follow –
Matthew 28:20.
1. This brings us back to
the very definition of discipleship.
2. For Jesus clearly
states:
a. We are to be
TAUGHT (that is, to be LEARNERS).
b. We are to
OBSERVE (that is, to be ADHERENTS or DOERS).
3. In this way we embark
on a life devoted to learning and doing all that Jesus
has commanded us to do.
1. Only those
scripturally baptized and demonstrating the “marks” of
discipleship, despite the “costs,”
can truly be called disciples of Jesus!
2. Only they can
realistically look forward to the “rewards ” of
discipleship, and
take consolation in the promise of Jesus:
“and lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age”
Matthew 28:20
If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ,
then the prospects of “ A Closer Walk With God” and
more fruitful service as a disciple should be of great interest to you!