Defining Discipleship

A couple weeks ago, I gave a message on Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable.

Okay, that was the title. And as part of the message, I expressed what some could consider to be uncomfortable circumstances in following Jesus Christ.

The fact that we are called to be crucified with Christ. You know, that's that term. Crucifixion is something we would not necessarily relate to and join with being comfortable. We talked about the fact that even by following Him, we may be hated for His name's sake. We may be persecuted just as He was persecuted. And so, at this point in my mind, I am recognizing that, you know, the calling from God is not just a walk in the park, it is work. Right? And it is effort each and every day of our lives as we go forward. Now, it's full of tremendous blessing as well. And the blessing of living God's way is immeasurable. You know, to do things right from the start and not have to go back and repair and fix all the damage and consequences that come from walking according to a different path is truly a wonderful blessing as well. But there is work, there is effort that is involved. And that was part of my emphasis in that sermon. As part of today's message, I want to take an aspect of that and sort of jump off from that into today's topic. I want to talk about what it means to be disciples of Jesus Christ. Disciples of Jesus Christ. And the title of the message today is Defining Discipleship. What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? What does that look like? What are the implications of that relationship? And, you know, how are we as God's people to act, to speak, to present ourselves to the world if indeed we do profess to be disciples of His? Discipleship is an incredibly important concept for us to understand because it forms the basis of our relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. So first off, let's understand the term. When we say disciple, let's understand what we're referring to and indeed what that relationship entails. The term disciple literally means a learner, a learner.

It's someone who learns from someone else. We can maybe say a student in that regard, but it's far more complex than simply being a pupil. Because you see, a pupil can sit in the classroom for an hour or two, they can hear the lecture, they can take the notes, okay, I've got the information, I've gleaned what it is that the professor had to present to us today, but understand a learner is actually someone who works not only to acquire the knowledge that is conveyed, but actually works to emulate the teacher, to look like the teacher, to walk like the teacher, and not only to take that knowledge but to become just like the teacher. And so in that sense, they don't just know what the teacher knows, but they walk as the teacher walks. They live as the teacher lives. When somebody looks at them, they might say, oh, you're that one's disciple. I could see the reflection of your teacher in your words and your actions, because you see, the teacher is actually teaching by their own personal example in this special relationship of teacher and disciple. The Vine's New Testament word search defines the Greek word that we have translated as disciple as literally, again, a learner. And it denotes one who follows one's teaching, and it says, "...a disciple was not only a pupil but an adherent, hence they are spoken of as imitators of their teacher." Again, that comes from Vine's New Testament Greek words.

So what this word reveals to us, brethren, is that a disciple of Jesus Christ doesn't just acknowledge what Jesus said and did, but they actually follow his example.

They live as he lived. They walk as he walked. And literally, it is a teacher- learner relationship that is expressed. As in that day, with the twelve that followed him, Jesus taught the way and he showed the way, and they then followed in his footsteps. Let's go to Luke chapter 6 and verse 39 to begin with as we start to unpackage this concept of discipleship, and indeed how it must impact you and I today if we're going to claim that status. We're going to say, I am his disciple. Luke chapter 6 and verse 39 hear the words of Jesus Christ.

And it says, and he spoke a parable to them, saying, can the blind lead the blind?

Will they not both fall into the ditch? And so he starts out with saying, you know, who you follow as your teacher is important because you're actually going to follow in those footsteps if it is the blind leading the blind, the end would be the destruction. But verse 40 Jesus says, a disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. And so again, his disciples didn't just acknowledge what he said. They had to, okay, they had to acquire the knowledge that he had to share with them, but indeed rather they learned to be like him, to think like him, to speak like him, to live like him. And that is truly what it means to be a disciple. One is your rabbi, one is your master, one is your teacher, and you were his students. You learned to emulate him and all that you said and did. And brethren, that's what we have been called to achieve today as well. In our personal relationship with Jesus Christ, even today, we look at him as our master, as our teacher, as our rabbi, and we as his students, and we seek to study and learn of him for the purpose of walking as he walked each and every day. Let's notice 1 Peter chapter 2 because this takes us beyond just the 12 or it takes us beyond those who were there right at the time of Jesus' life. This now moves forward to the early New Testament Church and even includes those that didn't walk and talk and see him. Understand this this modeling of behavior was taught to carry forward. 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 20 says, For what credit is it when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? He says, But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. Verse 21, For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his steps. And so for us, this calling is about living daily according to Jesus' example as well as his words. Okay, it's reading what is written here for us to receive. It is looking at all the interactions, the illustrations we have in God's Word, and then seeing how do I inculcate that into my education knowledge base, but also into my life, in a way of living and in a way of actions.

Because you see, our association with Jesus Christ isn't intended to just be that of him as our Savior alone. As in, okay, he died as the sacrifice for my sins. I acknowledge that at my baptism. Covenant with God is made through sacrifice of Jesus Christ now and move on from him. No, it's not just the relationship of Savior. Remember, he is high priest, he's mediator, he's judge, he's all these other things, but also what we have to understand is that he is our master. As the Bible shows us, the teacher, the rabbi, the one from which we continue to learn as an education throughout our lives, and we're called to be imitators of him. And that's the working relationship by which we are continually learning and growing in this likeness. And the question becomes, how do we do that? You know, how do we walk as he walked and live as he lived? Because that's the example that was set. How do we grow towards the stature of the fullness of Jesus Christ, which is the goal? Because we can't look around and say, well, I'm good because I compare myself to that person. No, the mark, the comparison, is the one that came and set the example, Jesus Christ. So it's always a work growing towards that goal. How do we do that? Well, it's given to us here in verse 21 in a very simple yet important word, follow. Again, leaving us an example that you should follow his steps. That word follow is very important. You'll notice in your studies of the gospel accounts that Jesus actually used that word specifically in his calling of the original disciples. He said, follow me. And whatever it was they were occupied with at the time they left, and they followed after him. So notice Matthew chapter 4 verse 18. We'll go back to hear the calling of his earliest of disciples. Matthew chapter 4 and verse 18. It says, And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon, called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting nets into the sea, for they were fishermen. They're out working their job. This is their livelihood, right? This is how they paid the mortgage, put the roof over their head, you know, paid the boat payment, paid the donkey payment, whatever, you know, whatever your month-to-month commitment was. I mean, this was their livelihood, and they were at it when Jesus came along. Verse 19, And he said to them, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. It says, They immediately left their nets, and they followed him. Now, the way it's written in this account, it sounds like they were just minding his own business, and Jesus came by and said, follow me, and they just, for no reason, dropped everything and went out. But when you read the other gospel accounts as well, you find that actually he had interacted with them a little bit. He had just performed an incredible miracle, filled their boats with fish, and it's like, oh, this isn't your typical rabbi, is it? You know, performed this incredible miracle. So he says, follow me, this must be the calling of a man of God. And so it says, again, verse 20, They immediately left their nets, and they followed him.

Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, in the boat, with Zebedee, their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Well, what do you suppose he said? It's going to take a little liberty here, and okay, this is speculation, but fill in the blank. I think he said, follow me. Follow me, verse 22, And immediately they left the boat and their father, and they followed him. Okay, so we have this calling. We have it going out to these humble fishermen, and they responded by leaving their careers, leaving their boats, leaving their nets, whatever it is that was occupying their focus primarily at that time. Some cases, leaving family. Okay, it appeared this, for the sons of Zebedee, was a family business that they actually walked away from in order to follow Jesus Christ.

The parallel passage to this, we won't turn there, but Luke chapter 5, verse 1 through 11, encourage you to read through that later. Luke chapter 5, verse 1 through 11, says, They forsook all, and followed him. They forsook all, which was a bold step to make.

In other words, we would say they were all in. Okay, this wasn't just a temporary decision. We'll give you 30 days, right? We'll give it a shot, and if this doesn't work, we can always just come back to fishing. The season will still have a little time left to it. That wasn't what this was. This was simply a recognition, at least in part, not fully, but in part, of who it was that called to them, and the importance and the significance of him. And they left all, and they followed, and became his disciples. Understand, following Jesus Christ was then, on their part, submitting to a relationship whereby he became their teacher, their rabbi, and they became his students. And from there they went out, and they followed him everywhere. And that might seem kind of odd to us. You know, we don't tend to pull the front drapes in the living room and look out and see a group of 10, 12, 15, 20 men walking down the street with a teacher and students following along. But if you were to be in the region of Judea around that time, this was a common practice to have rabbis and disciples which followed along. Except, obviously, in this case, this was very specific and unique, but they followed him everywhere. Verse 23, And he healed them. And great multitudes followed him from Galilee and from the capitalists in Jerusalem, Judea and beyond the Jordan. And seeing the multitudes, he went up on a mountain, and when he was seated his disciples came to him, he opened his mouth, and he taught them. And then it then takes us into the Sermon on the Mount. And the 12 were there. 12 were there. They were following.

They were listening. They heard the sermons. They saw the miracles. They were probably fascinated just as many in the multitudes were fascinated by the healings, by the demons that were cast out, by those who rose up and walked. And they were watching, and they were hearing, and they were learning, and they were seeing how Jesus interacted with the multitudes. And they were asking him questions along the way. Imagine what a journey this was for those individuals.

Again, he was the teacher. They were the students. So their emphasis was to learn from him, to learn to be like him. So you're hanging on his words. You're seeing the example. You saw how he responded to various circumstances, and it was a learning opportunity. And in my mind, I imagined very much, maybe late in the evening, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, sitting around the campfire, after the multitudes have left. Maybe this is late at night because, you know, you're performing miracles. You're doing, you're healing the sick. That's going to attract a crowd. But eventually it gets dark. People need to go home. They need to tend to life. And finally, you know, late in the evening, 10, 11, midnight, it settles down. It's quiet, and the 12 are sitting around the fire, and Jesus is there. And you know what happens as you're around a campfire? You just kind of gaze into the flame. It's maybe even a little mesmerizing, and you're just, you think. And maybe even you, have you ever had campfire conversations out camping? I mean, they can get pretty deep. And I can sort of just imagine they're sitting around with Jesus Christ, processing everything they'd seen and heard in recent times, and maybe they started to ask questions. Maybe they say, you know, Master, why did you heal that sick man today? You know, this specific one with that problem, I mean, you know that was, that was self-inflicted, his issue. And wants to say he's not gonna go turn right around and fall right back into the same circumstance. And you can imagine perhaps Jesus Christ saying, well, let me tell you about the mercy of God, and the blessing of God. And let me tell you about the mercy we all, or you all, Jesus would have said, were received by things that are self-inflicted in your life, by the grace of God. It was a learning opportunity. Maybe somebody else spoke up around the fire and said, Master, why did you speak to that individual, you know, of questionable reputation this afternoon? Don't you, don't you know what she does for a living? And maybe Jesus said, well, okay, true, but it is the sick who need a physician, not those who are well. And I came to heal those who truly seek to be healed. And he talks about repentance, he talks about forgiveness. Master, why didn't you strike the Pharisees with leprosy, or blindness, or whatever? Those who came out to discredit you in front of the people. Those who said you're defiling the Sabbath day.

Those who say, oh, your power is not of God, you cast out by the ruler of the demons. What about those people that said, actually, your power is from the adversary himself? Why didn't you just silence them dramatically? Everybody would have known. Master, why did you choose to resurrect the dead man, the one with the widowed mother, and not just clear out the cemetery? Why did you choose that one?

You know, they were thinking, they were processing, and he was there. And they could ask questions, and they could gain insight, and they could hear the answers, and they could learn and grow. Master, why did you tell that particular parable to those people? I mean, I get the point, but why that story to them specifically?

Understand, they followed him, and they were all in. And we can read very quickly over, you know, he went about Galilee, he taught in the synagogues, he healed, these came to him, he preaches the sermon on the Mount. But understand, these were all teaching moments for the disciples, as they were those who were there experiencing what it was that Jesus said and did. And for us today who read these interactions, it's a learning opportunity as well. If we're going to be his disciples, if we're going to follow in his footsteps and take on the nature that he lived by. So understand, indeed, discipleship very much involves an active and an ongoing relationship of hearing, of seeing, of asking questions, of analyzing and learning from the Master, and then turning and doing likewise through your own words, through your own actions. And people say, oh, you're one of his, one of his disciples. And indeed, this was the education that would equip, you know, the 11 that went forward. Let's take, you know, Judas out of the equation. But these, then 11 that went forward, would equip them long after Jesus Christ was gone. These lessons they had learned that impacted their lives, indeed, would impact their teaching and their actions. By following Jesus, his disciples saw and learned so many things. They saw how he responded when he was accused or when he was reviled against and he didn't revile in return. Well, that's not the normal human reaction. They saw how he responded when he was hungry, right? When he was thirsty, when he's tired, when he was mourning. His cousin John the Baptist beheaded in prison, and in the news came to Jesus, John is dead. And the account says that he went off to mourn his cousin. He looked for a quiet place to mourn and to pray, and yet he even didn't have an opportunity to do that because the multitude somehow knew where he went. And the people wanted him, they needed him, and they thronged him. And you read through that account. It says, Jesus had compassion on the multitudes and even had to set aside his own personal need to take time and to grieve in order to help serve and provide for what it was the people needed. This was all learning experiences for the Twelve. They saw his compassion when the crowds were as sheep without a shepherd. They saw his zeal for his father's house as he drove out the money changers, overturned the tables, drove out the animals, and says, you're not gonna make my father's house a house of merchandise. They saw what righteous indignation from a truly righteous individual looks like. They saw when and why Jesus Christ would leave the 99 and go after the one. They saw the manifestation of his mercy towards sinners. They learned from him how to pray to the Father, right? They saw his example and they said, Lord, teach us to pray. And he gave them an example. He gave them a model by which they could follow.

This is a manner in which you can pray to the Father. And again, we read that.

We study that. We learn how is it we connect with our Father in heaven through prayer? Well, Jesus Christ set in an example. And as disciples of his, we do the same. They learned what it meant to be a servant, to lay your life down as a sacrifice for others in selfless giving. By observing him, they learned what it meant to suffer wrong for righteousness' sake and to take it patiently. They learned what it meant to rely on the strength and the wisdom which God's Spirit provides because they saw him full of grace and truth and full of the Spirit of God. What does that look like in action? They saw it in his words or heard it in his words. They saw it in his actions. They learned more about the Father by observing and hearing Jesus. You remember, Philip said, show us the Father. And it's enough. And Jesus said, well, you've been with me so long. How can you say, show me the Father? He who has seen me has seen the Father. And the point was, through all these interactions, you understand what the character of God is like. What sort of a being he is. Jesus was the Son of God, was full of the Spirit of God. And again, they come to understand, actually, with this relationship with Jesus Christ more fully the Father. And when they looked at him, he pointed them to the Father. And all that he did. Those 12 experienced discipleship through a very direct and interactive relationship with Jesus. And the lessons they learned through all of that served them again as they carry forward after his crucifixion, after he had sent it back to the right hand of the Father. And now they were carrying forward this work. They fell back and relied very much on that foundation. When Judas was discredited and removed, and now they said, we have to select another, you'll remember the criteria of who they select. It has to be somebody that was there with us all along, watching and hearing and observing, and part of this discipleship. And so, brethren, our master-disciple relationship with Jesus Christ manifests itself, actually for us, a bit differently, right, than it did for them. Because they were walking and talking and eating and sleeping, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. That was the kind of education they had with him personally.

Ours is a little different than that, but it is still a master-student relationship. And when we open the Bible on our laps, and we study the gospel accounts, we are in a very real sense learning at the feet of our rabbi, of our teacher. How do we be a disciple of Jesus Christ? Again, in the same way, we read his words, okay, because those are the actual words he spoke that are recorded for us today. We read about the real-life examples of forgiveness he extended, and the compassion and the mercy he extended, and the willingness he had to pour out everything in service to others. The obedience to his father, the submission to the will of God and the plan of God. He says, these aren't my words, these are the words my father has given me. This isn't my will, this is his will. And as he lived that, he expressed it clearly and openly, and it's recorded in the pages of the Scriptures for you and I to glean and to grow from as well. It's all there for our learning, it's for our edification, and just as those fishermen left all to follow him, he said, you follow me. And they dropped what they were doing, and they followed him, and they were all in, brethren, you and I have been called as well to follow him. Luke chapter 14 verse 25. Just as those disciples were all in, indeed you and I must be all in as well if we're going to follow him. Luke chapter 14 and verse 25. Now great multitudes went with him and he turned and he said to them, if anyone comes to me and does not hate his father his mother, his wife and children, brothers and sisters, and yes, his own life also, he cannot be my disciples. Hate's kind of a strong word, and it's a challenge in the English because what you're bringing over from the Greek isn't exactly perfectly transferable words, so we get hate, but understand the intent of the word is actually, it's a comparative word. And it means to love less by comparison. Doesn't mean you're gonna hate your father and mother and brother and sister, but compared to him you're going to to love less because you're all in. You put him first. You know, I love blue. Blue's my favorite color. I have more blue suits than any other color suit, more blue ties, more blue polo shirts. I love blue, okay? Compared to blue, I hate red, but if there's no blue around, I like red just well enough, and I'll wear red as well. So again, we understand this is a comparison, and Jesus is saying that you are to love him more than anything else. If you're to be his disciple, anything you might chase after on this earth, any relationships we may have, okay? Those are great, but he comes first, and you are all in. If you're going to be my disciple. Verse 27, whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Again, I covered this a couple of weeks ago. The cross, the stake, it was a symbol, it was the Roman instrument of execution, right? A very torturous death, and Jesus said, you must pick it up, and you must carry it if you're gonna follow after me, because you see, that's exactly what he did, and he set the example for us. It means that you and I will have burdens that we bear in this Christian life. It means there will be consequences, indeed, for following him, just as the Twelve had consequences they experienced for following him. And you just read out the read out the New Testament from the Gospels to the end, and you see the consequences that came actually to many who were truly disciples of his.

Following him has its challenges, and following him didn't always end well for people in the flesh, so to speak, but ultimately following him will lead to where he ended up being in glorification. That's where the end result will be if we truly follow him. But there will be challenges along the way. It means we will live a life that is crucified with Christ. If you lived in really anywhere that was under the Roman rule, and you saw somebody dragging that cross beam of the cross, you knew that they were marked for death, and you knew it wasn't going to end well for them in the flesh. They were going to die on that shortly. And the takeaway for us is that this is a calling that is a one-way trip.

There is no turning back. There's no going back. The disciples forsook all and followed him. Give us a minute. We'll put the nets in storage. We'll put the boats in dry dock, and then we'll be along. No, they just went, and they were all in. And they didn't have this option, and we don't have this option if we are bearing our cross daily to say, maybe I'll just put it down and go home.

You know, maybe this isn't quite what I signed up for. Maybe another day. Because the illustration is, if you were marked for execution, right? That's the illustration. Who doesn't bear his cross? And follow me. Can't be my disciple. The point was, you didn't have an option of saying, no thank you, I think I'll go back.

You bore the cross until the end, and you carry forward with the consequences of living this way of life. And we do today in a world that's going completely the opposite direction.

Jesus said, you follow me. Indeed, if we do so, our life will be very much similar in terms of the things we experience. Maybe not unto death, but as Paul said, I am crucified with Christ. There's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And that indeed is the directory we're all on. So carrying on here in Luke 14 verse 28 says, for which of you intending to build a tower does not sit down first and count the cost? Whether he has enough to finish it? We all read this before our baptism, I hope.

Lest after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it began to mock him, saying, this man began to build and was not able to finish. Or what king going to make war against another king does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with 10,000 to meet him who comes against him with 20,000, or else while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.

The point is, before you even pick it up, you make sure you're going to be able to see this through to the end. And that's the covenant commitment we all made with God at baptism. Verse 30, so likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple. And again, there's a cost. There's a price that's associated with being a disciple of Jesus Christ. We all had to consider that carefully before committing to this way, because we don't get to say, hey, this isn't what I signed out for.

I'd like to kind of head back now and put my feet up, maybe pick up fishing again. Nothing wrong with fishing. Recall, after Jesus was crucified and maybe for a very short period of time, the disciples, at least a few of them, were trying to figure out, where do we go from here? And I believe it was Peter that said, hey, I go fishing. Well, we'll go with you. That didn't work out so well. They fished all night and caught nothing, because that's not what they had been called to. Eventually, you remember the story of Jesus came along and said, guys, cast the net on that side of the boat.

And it was such a catch, they couldn't even pull it in. And so, the point is, we can put our best effort into what it is we think we ought to be chasing after. They were professional fishermen and they caught nothing. But if it's not what God would have us direct our lives toward, why would it be fruitful? Not if we've dedicated ourselves to Him. Fruitfulness is in following His lead. Jesus said, you follow Me.

And that is the calling that's extended to us all. Matthew chapter 16 verse 25, He states, for whoever desires to save his life will lose it. Like, okay, I've got this nice life I've built for myself and maybe I don't want to give this up or give that up in order to follow Him. I'll try to bring that along as well. He who desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Again, it is an all-in proposition crucified with Christ. And it's no longer I who live, but okay, I've taken on this illustration from my Master as the way I will live. And I follow Him. You know, Peter came to understand that point very clearly about the cost, about what it meant to be all in. You know, Peter who denied Jesus three times, you recall, eventually came to understand his commitment as a disciple that indeed it would come at a high cost.

John chapter 21 in verse 17. John chapter 21 in verse 17. He's having this dialogue back and forth with Jesus Christ. And in verse 17, Jesus says to him a third time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? And Peter was grieved because he said to him a third time, do you love me? And he said to him, Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you. Jesus said to him, feed my sheep. Most assuredly I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself, you walked where you wished, but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.

This he spoke signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he said to him, follow me. Jesus said, Peter, you're gonna die in this specific way. Tradition states that Peter was crucified upside down. Okay, you're gonna give your life for this calling. And through that, actually you're gonna bring glory to God. But this is what your life is going to be. You, follow me.

That was the calling unto discipleship. Brethren, don't ever think that being a disciple of Jesus is not without a price. We do pay a price one way or another, but it's a price that we must be willing to pay, because we are all in, because we see the blessing, the benefit of following God. We know that God works out all things for the good in the end. But we do know there are times when there is a price that comes with this. Jesus said, don't be surprised if the world hates you. It hated me first. And just as he was persecuted, indeed there are many who have come along and been persecuted as well, but Jesus said, be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. So the reward of our steadfast service is going to greatly outweigh any obstacle we may face along the way. It will be well worth the cost, well worth what it is we have invested. Again, Jesus is the master, and we are the students. And in this working relationship, we learn from him. We learn what this way of life looks like. We learn how it functions, and we emulate his example to the best of our ability unto the end, because that is what a disciple is and does. They are a learner, they are a follower, they are a student of the master. Let's take a look at some more scriptures that are containing identifying characteristics of discipleship, because disciples will be noticed, they will be notable, they will stand out in a world that is going in a completely different direction. And even as those that call themselves Christians in this world, again, where does the rubber meet the road? It is, are you truly a follower of the master? John chapter 8. What does a disciple of Jesus Christ look like? John chapter 8 and verse 30. He spoke these words, and many believed in him. And Jesus said to those Jews who believed him, if you abide in my word, you are my disciple indeed. He says, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. And so a disciple is someone who abides in Jesus' words. To abide literally means to live. As in, this is where I live. This is what motivates my life. This is how I function. I live in these words. Again, these words of his aren't just to be a nice set of head knowledge. We actually do need to be able to, to some level, memorize the words of Jesus Christ and to quote those. It's important we have that head knowledge, but it cannot stop with being academic only. It has to be instituted in our life in a way that is actionable in how we live on a daily basis, and we do follow him. If we're going to call ourselves his disciples, we must be found so doing according to the words that he spoke. Abide in my words. Live in my words. Make this actionable in your life. I'm the Son of God, Jesus said. You look like the Son of God as well. Follow me. 1 John chapter 2 verse 3.

1 John chapter 2 and verse 3. What will those who are all in be doing? 1 John chapter 2 and verse 3. By this we know that we know him. If we keep his commandments, he who says, I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. Okay, so a disciple of Jesus Christ will be keeping the commandments of God, will be keeping the commandments of Jesus taught. By my estimation, they're not going to be saying, the law's done away, it was nailed to the cross, and I'm a disciple of Christ. No, you walk as he walked. You live as he lived. And if you say, I know him, but you don't keep his commandments, it says that person is a liar, the truth is not in him. They're not a disciple, truly.

Verse 5. But whoever keeps his word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in him. He who says he abides in him ought himself also to walk, just as he walked. Do we say we know Jesus Christ? Do we say we abide in him? Do we say we abide in his words and our actions? It must be evident, indeed, in the way that we live, continuing to keep his commandments, walking as he walked. And outside of that focus, there's simply no option for being his disciple. To say that the law, again, was done away. That's not what the teacher taught. So why would those who say, I recognize, I'm a teacher, you know, that is representing the teacher. For somebody to say that and then to say, it's done away, that old law, you know, after keep it anymore, it's not a follower of his.

Jesus said in Matthew 5.19, whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men to do so shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches, okay, it's that relationship again. You don't just know it and parrot it off, you live it. Whoever does and teaches shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. And so when he walked the earth, Jesus taught and demonstrated total obedience to God's commandments. Okay, that was his commitment. You want to know what it looks like to be a follower of my Father in heaven? Jesus essentially said, look how I lived. Hear my words, see my actions, and then you do the same. 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 19. Again, what are identifying characteristics of those who would be disciples? 2nd Timothy chapter 2 and verse 19. Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God's stands, having this seal, the Lord knows those who are His, and let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. So here we see another proof of discipleship, and that is if you declare the name of Jesus Christ as your rabbi, as your teacher, if you say, I am one of His, then you must be someone who departs from sin. Because He was without sin, wasn't He? Doesn't mean He was not tempted like we are. He was in all points tempted as we are. The opportunity for sin was always before Him, yet He responded perfectly to that, and that is the lead we're called to follow. But we fall short. We understand we struggle in this process, and disciples of Jesus do at times sin. If we're honest with ourselves, we would acknowledge that we do, but the point is we must not be doing so willingly. That must not be where we live. It must not be where we abide. We abide in His words, and we follow His actions. And again, the mark and the standard that He set is what we are reaching for day by day by day. Additionally, a disciple of Jesus will be someone who is found bearing godly fruit.

Bearing godly fruit. John chapter 15, verse 1. Again, this is the result of learning from Him and then walking as He walked. John chapter 15 in verse 1, Jesus said, I am the vine, my Father is the vine dresser. Every branch and mean that does not bear fruit He takes away. Every branch that bears fruit He prunes that it may bear more fruit. He says, you are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me and I in you as a branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine. Neither can you unless you abide in me.

Well, that sounds very much like a relationship to me. And it is. It is. It's bearing fruit. And bearing fruit in our lives, brethren, requires abiding in Jesus Christ, living as He lived, worshiping as He worshiped, doing the will of God, speaking the words of God. That's what it means to be a follower of His and to bear fruit. Verse 5, He says, I am the vine, you are the branches. He abides in me and I in Him bears much fruit. For without me, you can do nothing.

If anyone does not abide in me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered, and they gather them and throw them in the fire, and they are burned. Judgment is what He is talking about, ultimately, as a result of a refusal to abide in Him.

Verse 7, if you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you. By this my father is glorified that you bear much fruit, and so you will be my disciples. So again, this way of life is not a sit-around sort of life, right? We're not just sitting around doing nothing, waiting for the kingdom to come, burning time away until, you know, we just get this all over with and we can be out of the flesh. That's not the life we've been called to. Life we've been called to is one of bearing fruits, working, producing, growing, becoming like our Father in Heaven, our elder brother, Jesus Christ.

Our teacher set the example for how this is done and we must go about our lives, living according to the standard that He set. We follow Him. Again, who did Jesus Christ say that He was? Jason referenced it in the sermonette, right? You're the Christ, the Son of the Living God they acknowledge. This is the Son of God and He set the example how to be a child of God perfectly. Those who are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. This is what you and I have been called to as well. So we follow Him. So as the Son of God, He set the perfect example of what it means and how we would have this relationship with our Father in Heaven.

And we follow His lead each and every day. Another one of the Godly fruits, that Jesus' disciples will be known by. Again, an identifying characteristic is love. It's love. John chapter 13 verse 33. John chapter 13 and verse 33, Jesus said, Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. It says, You will seek me, and as I said to the Jews where I'm going, you cannot come. So now I say to you, a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Okay, He says, I set the standard, I set the example, and you follow me. You love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. This is going to be an identifying characteristic of the disciples of Christ. Verse 35, by this all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. And so again, that's that distinguishing mark of Him as our master, as our teacher, as our rabbi, and we as His students. It's the ones that not only hear the words but live the actions as well. We will have a deep and sincere love for our fellow brethren. And when others look at us, they will know whether we are true disciples or not. Again, by our relationships, by how we reach out to one another. I'll just say in the history of the Church of God, we've not always done this well. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

Indeed, with God's Spirit in us, we can do well. And indeed, we must do well, because this is the calling unto the fruits of God at work in our lives. And Jesus set the example and He says, you follow Me. You follow Me. I read earlier about the cost of being a disciple, that there's things that maybe we have to give up in this life. There may be things that we have to suffer for righteousness' sake when we are all in. He understand the good news is that sacrifice is not all that there is to being a disciple of Jesus Christ. There are indeed great blessings, again, that come from living this way today. So much pain and suffering that is not even experienced if you walk the path that He walked. So much anguish. So many consequences of sin that simply will not impact us if we follow His lead. Indeed, it is truly a blessing. The work may be hard, sometimes holding the line in the world that's going completely the opposite direction may be hard, the persecution may be hard, it will get harder. The challenges of living this way indeed may make us uncomfortable at times. But rather than the blessings that come from living according to this way of life, they cannot be compared. Doing the right things today and the blessing today can't be compared to whatever it is we may struggle through, but recognize the glorification, the kingdom of God, what God has in store. It can't be compared to what it is that we deal with in today's life. Compared to that, Jesus' yoke is easy and His burden is light. He says, you follow Me. Matthew chapter 19 verse 27.

Matthew chapter 19 and verse 27. The reward, again, yet to come. It's well worth the effort. Matthew chapter 19 and verse 27. Peter answered and said to him, See, we have left all and followed you. Right? We dropped our nets and we walked away. We left the family business. We left whatever it is that we had sunk years of our investment into. We walked away from it all and we followed you. Therefore, what shall we have? It's a legitimate question. Right? What's the blessing? What's the reward for this? Verse 28. So Jesus said to him, Assuredly I say to you that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Okay, that would be for the twelve. He says, Then everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands or you fill in the blank, whatever it is personally in your life that you said, Okay, I'm gonna put that on hold or I'm just simply gonna set that aside in order to follow where God is leading. Whoever's left those things for My name's sake shall receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life.

Again, the blessings, the blessings of following Jesus Christ, they cannot compare to the glory and the blessing and the reward that God has set before all who follow Him and follow Him to that ultimate end of glorification as a child of God. Again, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Let's conclude today over in Matthew chapter 28. Matthew 28, because you see this discipleship as well is not to simply be a solo event. In fact, there's something we're instructed to pass on. It's this way of life. It's this calling. It's the illustration of what it looks like to follow Him. We are indeed to inspire, to reach out, to seek, to encourage others in the same. Matthew chapter 28 and verse 16 says, Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee. Okay, we're following His crucifixion and then His resurrection. Now He's appeared again. The eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them, and when they saw Him, they worshiped Him. But some doubted. Okay, so the eleven, they worshiped Him. Others doubted. Others doubted. Verse 18, And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you. Again, this is not just head knowledge. This is living it. Teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Discipleship is not to be a closed-ended opportunity that stops with us. And the Church of God has been commissioned to go forth to make disciples to, as God calls. It is Father who extends the calling. Okay. Jesus said, No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And Christ also said, No one can come to the Father except through me. The calling is initiated by the Father, but there is a church. There's an assembly of people that God has called out of this world to be the home for these people to come to, to teach, to guide, to direct, to help, and to encourage, to show what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and to prepare people for a soon-coming kingdom. It is the responsibility of the Church to carry forward with for as long as God gives us the ability. Part of that commission involves us. It involves us dedicating ourselves to thoroughly studying the teachings of Jesus Christ and living them so that we can more fully emulate Him in our life today so that people would look at us and say, This is the Church of God. These are His disciples. Just going back in my mind, you know, you filter through so much information that doesn't actually end up in your final notes, but I ran across a verse where those who had heard Jesus Christ basically were questioning, Are you Him? And his response to them was, Well, come and see. All right, come and see. Come and listen, come and watch, come and see.

And indeed, that is the Church's invitation to the world. We have an open door policy. Anybody that calls that would like to assemble, hear what it is that we teach, see how it is that we live and act, that's the answer. Come and see.

But what do they need to see? If they're among us, they need to see people who are illustrating by their example, by their words, by how we treat one another the fact that we are disciples of Jesus Christ, and that these words are true, and that they do work because they are working with us. And indeed, we have responded to that call. Brethren, discipleship is a very special relationship whereby we look to Jesus Christ as our rabbi, as our teacher, and we as his students, and we literally respond to those very specific words of his. Follow me.