Discipleship: Making Jesus' Final Words Our Top Priority
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Good morning! I hope everyone is doing great this morning! Let me first thank you all for the opportunity to go and be poured into at the pastors conference last week, I can assure you every time I am able to go God speaks fresh and new into my heart and it kind of refocuses me and gets me back on track so I thank you. Let’s go to the Lord in prayer and then we will get started. (pray)
We are in our 4th week on the six things every Christians needs to start, and master during there time here on Earth, if they want to feel the excitement and the joy that comes from following the Lord Jesus during their time here on Earth. This morning were going to look at Discipleship: making Jesus’ final words our top priority. Jesus called a meeting, that meeting is recorded for us in . We know it as the great commission it is the only meeting Jesus ever called between His resurrection and His ascension to Heaven, He only called one meeting. He had a number of meetings but He only scheduled one. 3 groups attend this meeting that He called:
Matthew 28:16
But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated.
So the 11 disciples are at the meeting. That is minus Judas.
So
says that more than 500 brethren attended the meeting, the 11 are part of the 500 so about 489 that attended this meeting on the mountain. Theres a third group that attends the meeting because
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Well the age has not yet ended so you and I are at the meeting, so since weve been invited to the meeting why don’t we mosey on up the mountain and find out what all this meeting is about and how it applies to you and me. Were told in verses 17 of
When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.
Some had questions, questions about Him, questions about the resurrection, questions about thier new responsibility, questions about the establishment of the church. THEY HAD QUESTIONS, and wouldnt you if you had seen someone die a horrific death and now He is standing on a mountain top speaking to you? But their questions didn’t keep em home, their questions brought them out. Because it says that they came and worshipped with questions, with doubts. Perhaps your here today and youve got questions, questions about our world, questions about your family, questions about your faith. But your questions didn’t keep you home they brought you out. So did theirs. After this mountaintop worship service was over after the prayers were prayed and the songs were sung. Jesus steps to the podium and this is what He says in verse 18.
Matthew 28:18
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Translation: “I’m in charge now” I’m not only in charge up there “Heaven” I’m in charge down here Earth. I’m not only in charge in Heaven I’m also in charge History. I’m not only in charge in eternity, I’m also in charge in time. ALL AUTHORITY so there is nothing that sits outside of my Kingdom Rule NOTHING NO ONE. The word authority is an interesting word because there are a number of Greek words that can be translated authority, the main one in the NT is the word sunamis which is where we get our word for dynamite. IT means explosive power. But thats not the word used here the word that is used here is the word:
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 76.12 ἐξουσία, ας
ἐξουσίαf, ας f: the power to do something,
It means authorized use of power. It means not only does he have the strength to do anything, He also has the right to use that power in anyway He so chooses. He says to them I am in charge and with that He issues a commission there are 5 commissions in the NT (Matt, Mark, Luke,John, and Acts) but this one is called the great one. Because this is the only one that uses this command, “MAKE DISCIPLES” that’s the command its an imperative its not a request its a command. Don’t just make converts, dont just make Christians, MAKE DICIPLES. So that raises a question:
What is a Disciple?
What is a Disciple?
A Disciple is a man or a woman, who is consistently operating under the rule of Jesus Christ in his or her life.
A Disciple is a man or a woman, who is consistently operating under the rule of Jesus Christ in his or her life.
A Disciple is not merely a person who has accepted Christ to go to Heaven, a disciple is also one that get’s to experience Heaven coming to them on Earth. A disciple is a man or woman who is consistently living under Christ’s rule in thier decision making. It means I don’t just come and sing about Jesus on Sunday, it means when my feet hit the floor I realize that my plans are subject to His plans. MY life is not my own, I was bought with a price and I have a relationship to cultivate because I have a God who wants to meet with me and because He is my Lord and my master HE GETS DIBBS ON ME. Discipleship is to come under the rule of God in your decision making. To consistently apply that across every area of your life. As you increasingly make decisions through the filter of what the Lord says about issues you face, you are increasingly becoming a disciple.
As you decrease in your decision making without asking Christ what He would have you do, you are decreasing in your ability to be a disciple, even though you may be a Christian, because Discipleship is consistently operating under the rule of God. Being a disciple is first knowing Christ let’s talk for a brief moment about that.
“Do you know Christ?”
gnosis- to know by experience
gnosis- to know by experience
So the better way to ask is this: ARE YOU EXPERIENCING CHRIST? This type of knowledge is the same type of knowledge to people who grew up together might have but its deeper than that. It describes a deep inner knowledge that comes through deep meaningful time spent with one another. You see this type of relationship when you witness two men who fought with one another overseas and they havent seen each other in years and they see each other after a long time and they rejoice even unto tears because of the deep bond they share through thier time spent with one another.
(two older men)
“He lives, He lives....”
Listen to me when you get to Heaven there not going to be any BIBLE TRIVIA because being a disciple hasn’t got to do with how many odd facts you know about the Bible or how many sermons you heard. Jesus either knows you or He doesnt know you. Either you are experiencing Him or you are robbing yourself of the Joy and power that comes from being His disciple. Some of you in this room if I were to ask you if you were a CHjristian you would tell me yes and you would probably be telling the truth. But if I asked you if you were a disciple of Jesus what would your answer be? ARE YOU EXPERIENCING THE PRESENCE OF KING JESUS? ARE YOU CONSISTENTLY COMING UNDER THE RULE OF CHRIST IN YOUR DECISION MAKING?
The idea of Discipleship is to have transferred to your mindset, and to your life the thought process of Jesus applied on the fiedl of play, as it has been recieved from the Kingdom above. As we do that in EVERY decision we make, we reflect Jesus’ thoughts decisions and actions in our everday life and experience. The problem today is not that we don’t have enough Christians the probelm today is that Christ doesn’t have enough disciples. He has people who will go to church, but not people who will make consitently their decisions underneath His rule.
“All authority under Heaven and Earth has been given under me and I want you to MAKE DISCIPLES”
When I was a young believer I used to order Cd’s of preachers who did series on different subjects. A CD ministry, or even a youtbue ministry, or facebook live ministry is a vital way to reach people who may never step foot in a church but they can be reached by the truth of God’s word reaching them where they are. Our church used to do Cd’s for our shutins Gene Kirkland started that before I even got here, but over the years and two cd burners burnt up. We havent done it in awhile. Heres how this cd burner works. I get up Sunday morning at our church and I preach a sermon and its recorded on the master CD, then we take that master Cd and place it in a master duplicater, and this machine has 10 drives called slave units these slave units make copies of the master. So 10 can be run off at a time in a few minutes and then they are mailed to people who need them.
I
WHAT PEOPLE GET IN THE MAIL IS A COPY OF THE MASTER, THEY DONT GET THE MASTER, BUT THEY GET A COPY OF THE MASTER IS SO MUCH LIKE THE MASTER THAT IT MIGHT AS WELL BE THE MASTER EVEN THOUGH ITS NOT THE MASTER BECAUSE IT REFLECTS THE MASTER.
What God is looking for is copies of the master, were not the master. All authority has been given to Jesus Christ but He wants to spill out on us, and make us copies of Him so that our decision making will reflect His decision making. WE ARE MADE TO REFLECT JESUS CHRIST!!
He said make disciples, why is it important that you and I not merely accepting Jesus as Savior to go to Heaven, but also following Jesus Christ as Lord?
Because ONLY disciples get to share His authority… remember?
ALL AUTHORITY HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME NOW MAKE DISCIPLES
HE wants us to make disiples so that we can share in His authority with Him.
I remember years ago I was working security for Florida State football games, I worked down on the field level for one game. I remember the officer who I was coupled with taking through doors I never knew existed in the football stadium, we didnt have to fight through crowds to get down to the feild we rode an elevator and then out next to the locker room closer than any fan could get. I met Bobby Bowden and we had a nice exchange and I remember thinking man this is awesome! Now I was a security guard but if I had walked down there by myself I wouldnt have even been listened to, but since I was with the officer who carried the clearance into those levels of the stadium we were able to enter areas unseen by most common fans, not because of who I was but because of who He was.
I was able to benefit from the rights and privelages that belonged only to him. I walked to the center of the field for the coin toss, stood there alongside Ernie Sims, Nigel Bradham and other players I thought highly of, I remember standing there as the ABC cameras were swirling over our heads what the heck am I doing here, I probably look like a fool surrounded by all these people. All of those things I will never forget and they all happened because of the person I was walking with.
GUESS WHAT JESUS SAYS:
BE MY DISCIPLE AND YOUR WITH ME, THAT THE RIGHTS AND PRIVELEGES I I POSSESS YOU CAN PIGGY BACK ON. Jesus says “Make Disciples” because disciples get to share in authority and all authority belongs to ME. Then He gives three participles: GO, BAPTIZE AND TEACH. This is the method to use to achive the command.
He says make disciples and then He says heres how:
GO BAPTIZE AND TEACH.
GO
GO
DO you know what the greek word for go is? GO
It dont matter what language you study it in, Go means go.
It means dont stay,
Jesus said GO to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and tell them Messiah has come. To go means to declare your allegiance, Jesus says if you do not confess me before men I will not confess you before my Father. Not just believe in God you must CONFESS JESUS BEFORE MEN! He says if you deny me before men I will deny you before my Father, so when you go to My father and ask Him something and He checks with me to see if I ok it, I am going to wanna know DO YOU CONFESS ARE YOU A PUBLIC DECLARER OF YOUR ASSOCIATION WITH ME OR ARE YOU SECRET AGENT CHRISTIAN, A 007 CHRISTIAN, A COVERT OPERATIVE.
He says I want you to go and I want you to let everyone know of your association with me! This is like a huddle when we get together on Sunday morning. We get together to find out the gameplan our Soverign coach has for us everybody in here basically agrees. Were CHristians your here and theirs no conflict here because were on the same page, the conflict happens when you leave here when you go back to work and schools and all of that. That’s where the conflict will happen because your not surrounded by people who think and believe as you do. NOBODY CARES OUT THERE ABOUT OUR HUDDLE IN HERE, THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS IS IF WE CAN TAKE WHAT WE LEARN IN THE HUDDLE AND PRODUCE FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD OUT THERE!
THEY WANNA KNOW IF THE HUDDLE MAKES ANY DIFFERENCE IN YOUR ABILITY TO SCORE TOUCHDOWNS FOR JESUS CHRIST.
Right now we are huddled in a few minutes you gone break huddle but theres an enemy outside thats gonna try to stop you from scoring touchdowns for the kingdom of God. Jesus says you must be identified with me in enemy territory, not just in the safe place of the huddle where the Christians gather. HE SAYS GO TO A WORLD THAT DOES NOT ACCEPT ME, AND YOU REPRESENT ME!
YOU BE MY DISCIPLES
(9-11) As the planes were about to crash they shouted God is good,
Now if evil men in the name of a false god changed the world not because of thier evil act but because of thier radical commitment , How much more should those of us who name the true God and follow Jesus CHrist should we change those around us by our radical commitment. Because we are disciples of Jesus Christ. Jesus is looking for disciples, men and women who are visible verbal followers of JEsus CHrist. Who have been BAPTIZED now He doesnt mean you just got wet, He says baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, thats the Holy Trinity.
He says trinitize them.
The greek word Baptizo was used of a dye maker in biblical days. If a mother wanted to make her daughter a pink dress she would go buy the cloth and bring it to the dye maker, the dye maker would take the cloth and dip it in pink dye. Take of the extra dye and then hand the mother a pink piece of cloth. So the dye maker, put the cloth in one clolr and brought it out another. Because He immersed it, and it came up looking different. Same cloth different look.
Paul says that you were baptized in His death and raised that you might walk in the newness of life. you looked one way going under but you look a new way coming up why because YOUVE BEEN DIPPED IN THE BLOOD, YOUR PRIMARY COLOR NOW IS RED.
Which means your class you culture you backround , your history and your race must be secondary to your faith.
That your faith and followership of JEsus CHrist must TRUMP ANY OTHER THING THAT CONFLICTS WITH IT/
NOW YOU ARE DEFINED BY YOUR FAITH AND NOT BY ANYTHING ELSE THAT DEFINES BY YOU, it should be unmistakeable that youve been washed in the blood of JEsus.
That if your a teacher your not just a teacher, that if your a doctor your not just a doctor, that if your a business owner your not just a business owner, YOUR GODS REPRESENTATIVE IN THIS WORLD!
YOU ARE TO REPRESENT HIM HAVING BEEN DIPPED!
TEACH THEM
TEACH THEM
What are you supposed to teach them, to observe everything Ive commanded you.
He didnt say teach them everything I commanded you, He said teach them to observe everything I have commanded you. Now that means you need to know what the rule book says, but more than that He says teach them to act on what Ive commanded you.
INFORMATION WITHOUT APPLICATION, KEEPS YOU FROM EXPERIENCING TRANSFORMATION.
Itis in the observing of the commandments not simply in the knowledge of the commandments that brings the impact into the word and into our lives. IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO COME HEAR THE TRUTH, IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO AGREE WITH THE TRUTH UNTIL YOU ACT ON IT NOTHING CHANGES.
Are you applying what you know God has called you to do?
(BIBLE INTAKE)
(PRAYER)
SHARE YOUR FAITH
LOVE OTHERS
WALK WITH THEM AND TRAIN THEM HOW TO OBEY
(Heart surgery)
2 quesitons
How many times have you done this before
How are them people doing?
Becuase if youve done this thing 10 times and none of them made it I dont care what your grades were I want someone who can practice what he knows.
What our world is in need of is disciples. People who know what God has said in HIs word and follow it.
Who make thier decisions by God word
IF JESUS COMES BACK TOMORROW then we dont have to worry about any of this but if JEsus comes back in 200 years YOU BETTER WORRY ABOUT ALL OF THIS
Because your children, your great grandchildren, have gotta grow up in some kind of world, and it will either be a world affected by Disciples, or it will be a world lulled to sleep by people who decided to play church rather than walk with the living God
Jesus closes in verse
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
LO I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS EVEN UNTIL THE END OF THE AGE
Now you cant see it in the english but the I is written twice its called the eigo-ami construction I EVEN I is what it really says. So the writers that translated the scriptures didnt write twice they just said and lo I.
Lo I just intensifies the one I
Why does JEsus say I twice, I EVEN I because in the previous verse He said baptizing them in the name of the Father the son and the Holy Spirit, JEsus says when baptizing Father Son and the Holy SPirit but when it comes to discipleship I because all authrotiy has been given to me in HEaven and on Earth. ALL THE OK’s belong to Jesus Christ. So it is your representation of JEsus that affects the power of God that you walk in as a disciple. He says I even I because all Christians dont have equal authority. At the end of
John chapter 2 John says “and many believed on Jesus but HE would not commit Himself to them because He knew what was in them.” Many got saved but they didnt get His full commitment WHY?
Because He knew they werent ready to be identified with him yet. They wanted to follow from afar, they didnt want the connection to be made yet, they werent ready to go public. OUR WORLD IS IN NEED OF DISCIPLES WERE WATCHING OUR NATION IMPLODE UPON ITSELF, IN A WHOLE MIRIAD OF WAYS. GOD WANTS TO KNOW DOES HE HAVE SOME VISIBLE, VERBAL, UNASHAMED REPRESENTATIVES WHO WILL MAKE THIER DECISIONS AT HOME AT WORK AT PLAY, IN THIER NEIGHBORHOOD, who will CONSISTENTLY (although imperfectly) enlarge the kingdom of God in a world filled with chaos.
THAT IS WHAT HE IS LOOKING FOR
(Batman)
He brings order to Gotham when things were chaotic, how can this man bring order to the chaos of his community?
The reason he could bring order is because though He was Bruce Wayne He found his true identity in the role he felt called to play.
God is looking for some CHristians willing to understand that thier roles first and foremost are to bring the good news of the gospel to a lost and dying world.
(Saving Private Ryan)