ARE YOU A DISCIPLE?
Nathan Goodin | February 9th, 2020
18 And Jesus came up 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 the Son and the Holy Spirit,20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” —Matthew 28:18-20 NASB
26 ….And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. —Acts 11:26 NASB
1. Disciples
25 Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them,26 “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 14:25-26 NASB
“For at least several decades the churches of the Western world have not made discipleship a condition of being a Christian. (Instead), one is not required to be, or intended to be, a disciple in order to become a Christian, and one may remain a Christian without any signs of progress toward or in discipleship.” —Dr. Dallas Willard
2. Disciples
28 For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ —Luke 14:28-30 NASB
31 Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. —Luke 14:31-33 NASB
Does God have
3. Disciples
16 But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, 17 and you will be hated by all because of My name. —Luke 21:16-19 NASB
20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you —John 15:18-20 NASB
12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. —2 Timothy 3:12 NASB
God blesses and takes to heaven those who try to live good and decent lives (the moralistic belief). The central goal of life is not to sacrifice, or to deny oneself, but to be happy and feel good about yourself (the therapeutic belief). Though God exists and created the world, he does not need to be particularly involved in our lives except when there is a problem (that is deism). This view of God literally makes you master of your fate and captain of your soul. Salvation and happiness is up to you. —Timothy Keller. Counterfeit Gods
4. Disciples
27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. —Luke 14:27 NASB
23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. —Luke 9:23-24 NASB
What does it mean to “carry the cross”? It means daily identification with Christ in shame, suffering, and surrender to God’s will. It means death to self, to our own plans and ambitions, and a willingness to serve Him as He directs. A “cross” is something we willingly accept from God as part of His will for our lives. —Wiersbe. The Bible Exposition Commentary
Jesus challenges the crowd to think carefully about the radical commitment that he demands. Jesus invites all to follow him. Yet, following him is not easy but requires ruthless self-denial…. One must renounce “even his own life” and be willing to follow Jesus in the way of death. Those who are not willing to follow Jesus in such a radical way cannot be his disciples….Before one embarks on the road to discipleship one needs to recognize from the beginning that Jesus demands total and complete commitment. Only those who have such a radical commitment can be Jesus’ disciples. — Schreiner. Evangelical Commentary of the Bible
Jesus requires your
What are you