The Cost of Discipleship At Jesus’ Feet

Discipleship First Century Background Greek = mathetes Definition: learner & follower

Discipleship First Century Background Rabbi Desire & Submission Emulation & Imitation Community Transparency Rabbis & Discipleship – were certainly in vogue in the first century

Discipleship First Century Background A disciple was one who followed and learned from his rabbi and his ways of seeing and doing things.

Discipleship First Century Background Disciples of… John the Baptist (Mark 2:18) Pharisees (Mark 2:18) Moses (John 9:28) Jesus (>200 times) We have rabbis and disciples today as well….. We call them… Life Coaches Counselors Mentors Parents Teachers Professors Pastors There are Gurus of all kinds…..whether they be the Dali Llama or L. Ron Hubbard Whether Donald Trump or Warren Buffet. Whether the gurus be expert in law, business, spirituality, philosophy, medicine, fashion, decorating, physical fitness…..disciples will change their lives to sit at their feet and learn from them There are gurus in basketball…they call them coaching trees (he’s from the Dean Smith tree…..he’s a John Wooden disciple.) Football has it’s coaching trees as well…..Bill Parcells, Bill Walsh, just to name a few There are gurus in baseball…some promote small ball, others big ball, others money ball. Football has seen experts in offensive philosophies over the years: the single wing, wing T, split T, wishbone, veer, run and shoot, power I, the spread, the west coast offense. Defensive schools are just as many: the 4-3, 3-4, 4-2-5, zone blitz, man coverage, zone coverage. We are surrounded by Rabbis and Disciples!!

Discipleship First Century Background John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they came and said to Him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” (Mark 2:18) Disciple CONVENTION Mark 2:18

The Great Commission Make Disciples! Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

The Great Commission Make Disciples! Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

The Great Commission Make Disciples! How? Note: it’s a process Going Baptizing Teaching to observe ALL Note: it’s a process

The Great Commission Make Disciples! Thus, a disciple of Jesus is one who is following and learning from Jesus, as revealed in Scripture, about God’s ways of seeing and doing things.

The Cost of Discipleship Discipleship is a process Discipleship has a cost Theological misunderstanding Justification Sanctification The essence of the misunderstanding is a blurring between Justification and Sanctification when in fact they are technically (and biblically) two distinct things. Glasses illustration: some see only one continual line…..closer focus reveals two separate things

The Cost of Discipleship Justification Declared “righteous” before God Delivered from the penalty of sin Result of faith in Christ

The Cost of Discipleship Justification For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works… (Romans 3:28)

The Cost of Discipleship Sanctification Process of spiritual growth On-going deliverance from the power of sin in the life of a believer Result of a believer’s diligent commitment in following the Lord. Notice the “present tense” aspect of sanctification. Herein is the misunderstanding: Result of a believer’s diligent commitment in following the Lord

The Cost of Discipleship Sanctification …so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. (Romans 6:19)

The Cost of Discipleship The Tension… The normal Christian life begins with faith in Christ and should continue in an ever-growing commitment to the Lord. Tragically, sometimes believers do not grow. Illustration of baby born but does not grow…..SOMETHING IS WRONG!!! But never would we question the existence of the baby.

The Cost of Discipleship The Tension Predicted The Four Soils (Luke 8:5-15) Seed taken – no belief Seed received – poor root Seed received – choked Seed received - fruit held fast persevere The POINT of the parable is to stress the best scenario – the fruit filled life… But it does explain the sad reality of different growth patterns in the life of believers.

The Cost of Discipleship The Tension… The normal Christian life begins with faith in Christ and should continue in an ever-growing commitment to the Lord. Tragically, sometimes believers do not grow. Far too often the tragic reality of the stunted lives of believers has moved folks to non-biblical positions…i.e., that the non-growing believer was never a believer in the first place. That is an easy and convenient way to deal with the problem, but just not biblical. Paul warns us in both of his letters to Timothy of the dangers of shipwrecked or overthrown faith. Jude and Peter warn believers of the devastating effects of false teachers on the spiritual lives of believers. Jesus himself predicted various growth patterns (all but one less than ideal) in believers in the parable of the soils in Luke 8. John 6:66 reports that even some of Jesus disciples “withdrew and were not walking with Him any more”. This blurring of justification and sanctification has stirred up a hornets nest because in essence, it redefines the gospel from a grace-based offer to one which includes works for validation. Because the very essence of the gospel is at stake, is a fight worth fighting. I have fought this battle since 1985. Your pastor has fought it longer than that. This church has been at the tip of the spear in this battle……..standing for the gospel of grace throughout the years. Indeed, Fighting for the purity of the gospel of grace is a good fight in which to engage. It is a wonderful reality that faith alone in Jesus Christ alone is the way through which a human being can be rightly related to the Lord. Likewise, it is a wonderful reality that the believer can be fully assured in his/her eternal relationship with the Lord….in fact, it is the certainly of that assurance (the firmness of our relationship with Him) that the Lord uses a platform to call us into a deeper commitment to Him and His ways of seeing and doing things. But today, we are going to fight another fight on another front. We are not going to focus on the tragic reality that sometimes believers do not grow but instead be drawn to the higher calling of an ever-growing commitment to the Lord.

The Cost of Discipleship The normal Christian life begins with faith in Christ and should continue in an ever-growing commitment to the Lord.

The Cost of Discipleship The normal Christian life begins with faith in Christ. For God so loved the world…that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but has everlasting life. (John 3:16)

The Cost of Discipleship The normal Christian life begins with faith in Christ. …he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. (John 5:24) John 5:24 Hears, believes, has, does not come == present tense verbs BUT = alla (strong constrastive) Has passed = perfect tense (action in past; results continue in the present) “crossed over”

The Cost of Discipleship The normal Christian life begins with faith in Christ. …these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. (John 20:35)

The Cost of Discipleship The normal Christian life begins with faith in Christ and should continue in an ever-growing commitment to the Lord.

The Cost of Discipleship Priority of Sustenance “Abide” If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and prove (lit. = become) to be My disciples. (John 15:7-8) What well am I taking my bucket to? Where do I arrive my existence…..what is the source of my life?

The Cost of Discipleship Priority of Relationship “Hate father & mother” If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:26) In the Bible, hate and love are terms of choice….Jacob I loved; Esau I hated….revealed God’s choice of Jacob through whom He wished to continue Abraham’s lineage. Around who is my life arranged?

The Cost of Discipleship Priority of Purpose “Carry cross…follow Me” Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:27) Bearing the cross (symbol of my death) and coming after Jesus is the essence of discipleship. His ways, not mine. Learning Jesus includes learning His rejection, His suffering. To follow Jesus is to rely on Him and His purposes Maybe my purpose is different than His. Cross purpose: Going to Heaven = my purpose (like parents saying that the birth of their child is the end…..no, it’s just the beginning of the journey!) My career My family My Way – Frank SInatra

The Cost of Discipleship Priority of Resources “Count the cost” For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? (Luke 14:28)

The Cost of Discipleship Priority of Sustenance Priority of Relationship Priority of Purpose Priority of Resources

The Cost of Discipleship The normal Christian life begins with faith in Christ and should continue in an ever-growing commitment to the Lord.

Final Thoughts & Application Discipleship is serious business. Jesus must be first of all. There is a cost to become a disciple of Jesus. What is preventing me from fully following Jesus?

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)