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    Aug 04, 2013

    Discipleship and its Rewards

    Series: Disciple Making Disciples

    Category: Discipleship

    Keywords: gentle, enable, empower, encourage

    Summary:

    There are rich rewards awaiting the committed life. We must all have a master and in discipleship there can be none more gentle then Jesus Christ. When we commit to a life of discipleship the demands are great, however, God never requires anything which He does not enable us to do.

    Detail:

    1. We must all have a master, but none is more gentle then Christ.

    Although the demands of discipleship are great, He never requires anything which He does not enable us to do Review Last Week

    “If anyone wishes to be counted as my adherent, he must once and for all say farewell to self, decisively accept pain, shame, and persecution for my sake and in my cause – day in, day out – and must then keep on following me as my disciple (student) and must subject himself to my discipline.” (Hendriksen)

    What did we learn?

    Discipleship is more than just “following”!

    A Disciple weighs the cost

                    -Weighs His love

                    -Weighs his life

                    -Weighs his decisions

    A Disciple plans to finish the race well

                    -Looks before he leaps

                    -Leaps in the right direction

                    -Knows “discipleship” isn’t a bed or roses

    A Disciple makes a decision and sticks with it

                    -Says NO to neutrality

                    -Says NO to the lies of the enemy

    -Says NO to NO decision

    “If anyone wishes to be counted as my adherent (disciple), he must once and for all say farewell to self, decisively accept pain, shame, and persecution for my sake and in my cause – day in, day out – and must then keep on following me as my disciple (student) and must subject himself to my discipline.” (Hendriksen)

    LET’S JUST SIT ON THIS FOR A FEW MINUTES!!

    Where did that leave us? What went through our minds? What fears flooded our minds and hearts? (Open floor for thoughts) How many here went out and told people of a decision in your life? Care to share?

     

    I had to look deeper! I had to know that this God had my best interests in mind if I bought in. I had to know that He really knows me and accepts me before I sign on the dotted line. I had to know that if I lay down everything, He will fill up the holes with something much better. I had to know that He understands my fears in taking this step… I was not let down!!

    In a short article, Bob Deffinbaugh, pastor at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas suggests that there are (6) Rewards of Discipleship.  I decided to expand on these for our edification for the next two weeks.

     

    Here are the (6):

     

    1. We must all have a master, but none is more gentle then Christ.
    2. Although the demands of discipleship are great, He never requires anything which He does not enable us to do.
    3. It is only to His disciples that our Lord reveals His innermost thoughts and most intimate secrets.
    4. Our rewards as disciples are not based on the magnitude of our actions, but on their motive
    5. Our greatest reward is Jesus, Himself!
    6. There is nothing which the Lord denies His disciple which is for his ultimate good, and nothing which He takes away which He does not replace with something better.

     

    Let’s take a few minutes this morning and consider the first (2):

     

     

    1. I.              We must all have a master, but none is more gentle then Christ.

     

    “Come unto Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden (of religion, systems, rites), 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

     

    1. Consider the contrast of this passage with others… (Listen!)

     

    9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (John 14:9)

     

    30 I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)

     

    Then consider His pronouncements… (His I AM’s)

     

    I am the way, the truth and the life…. (John 14:6)

    I am the Light of the world… (Matthew 5:13-16 cf. John 8:12)

    I am the salt of the earth

    I am the, I AM… (John 8:58)

    I am the good shepherd… (John 10:14)

     

     

     

    1. Listen to this quote:

    “Actually, nobody really chooses to be “meek and lowly.” Do you remember how it was in school for you as a child? As you looked around at the other children, it likely never crossed your mind that “meek and lowly” or “gentle and humble” were goals to seek. On the contrary, the ones in school that seemed to be doing the best were the ones that could be considered “strong and assertive.”

    Early on, we “got it” that the “meek and lowly” didn’t have a chance. We had to seem to be strong, or others who seemed strong and assertive wouldn’t associate with us, and that was a great fear – secretly or openly, we wanted to be somebody; part of the “in” crowd.

    1. Jesus took the risk of being considered an outsider, a loser! (Ron Beckham, Friday Study Ministries)

     

    1. Listen to Isaiah 53:3

     He was despised and rejected by mankind,
        a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
    Like one from whom people hide their faces
        he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

    1. Listen to Philippians 2:7-8

    “…rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature[a] of a servant,
    being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!

    1. He choose this, He desired it, willed it… gave it all up….. WOW, for us!
    2. Listen to this:

     

    “To be “humble,” by the way, may not be precisely the way you think about it. When you hear words like “meek and lowly in heart,” you might picture someone with slumped shoulders and a head that hangs low. It sounds unhappy, but that’s not what “humble” is all about.

     

    Humility is just being who we really are. No pretense. Jesus is exactly as He is portrayed in Scripture, and He expects that YOU will finally relax and be just who you are, as well. He IS our Friend, and the heavens rejoice when we start to become like Him.

     

    Paul writes: (our growth begins…) “Being confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

     

    He accepts us just as we are… he works with the clay, carefully and methodically hones away our rough exteriors and presents us to God as those “ready to serve”.

     

     

    1. 5.       Could you COMMIT to a SAVIOR like this?

     

    This blows my mind! God is looking NOT FOR power hungry, NOT FOR thrill seeking, but for simple, obedient, real, vulnerable, open, confessing (honest), pliable and usable saints of God.

     

    We do not have time, but consider his handling of His Disciples at the Last Supper… Peter, and even his betrayer…. Judas… gentleness, humble and loving…

    First Reward! 

     WE MUST ALL HAVE A MASTER, BUT NONE IS MORE GENTLE THEN JESUS CHRIST!!

    Instead of taking on the yoke of a religious system, a set of laws, legalism… (Acts 15:10) that holds you down making you “weary and heavy laden”… He simply asks you to “come to me”.

    1. II.            Although the demands of discipleship are great, He never requires anything which He does not enable us to do.

     

    He will not leave us to our own strength, our own enablement, our own power or our own encouragement!

     

    1. A.   He Enables us

     

    A quote once written in the back of my Bible, as I started this Christian journey says this: “God doesn’t want our ability, He wants our availability, and when we makes ourselves available, He’ll give us the ability.”

     

    “Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.” Ephesians 3:20 NASB

     

    The work of the Holy Spirit!! This is a must to know!! He doesn’t give a command without a promise of HELP!!!

     

    1. W. Tozer writes, “We may as well face it: the whole level of spirituality among us is low. We have measured ourselves by ourselves until the incentive to seek higher plateaus in the things of the Spirit is all but gone…. [We] have imitated the world, sought popular favor, manufactured delights to substitute for the joy of the Lord and produced a cheap and synthetic power to substitute for the power of the Holy Ghost.”

     

    BUT

     

     

    26 But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you. (John 14:26 Amplified)

     

    What will He do in our lives? What?

     

    Something Extra: (11 Beneficial Enabling Powers of the Holy Spirit)

     

    1. 1.    The Holy Spirit seeks to bring greater glory to the Lord through every believer. Jesus said, "He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you." (John 16:14)
      2. The Holy Spirit intercedes for believers in ways that He pleads our concerns to the heavenly Father. (Rom. 8:26)
      3. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of guilt. (John 16:8,9)
      4. The Holy Spirit guides believers into truth. (John 16:13)
      5. The Holy Spirit comforts us in times of affliction and hardship (2 Cor. 1:4)
      6. The Holy Spirit cleanses, sanctifies and justifies us. (I Cor. 6:11)
      7. The Holy Spirit restrains evil. (Gen. 6:3,5)
      8. The Holy Spirit refreshes us daily with hope and love. (Rom. 5:5)
      9. The Holy Spirit regenerates. (John 3:3-5)
      10. The Holy Spirit reminds us of important truths we forget. (John 14:26)
      11. The Holy Spirit helps us prioritize. (Acts 1:8)

     

     

    Francis Chan, in his book, Forgotten God writes, “…if I told you I had an encounter with God where He entered my body and gave me a supernatural ability to play basketball, wouldn’t you expect  to see an amazing improvement in my jump shot, my defense, and my speed on the court? After all, this is God we’re talking about. And if you saw no change in my athleticism, wouldn’t you question the validity of my encounter?

     

    Chan continues…” Churchgoers all across the nation say the Holy Spirit has entered them. They claim that God has given them a supernatural ability to follow Christ, put their sin to death, and serve the church. Christians talk about being born again and say that they were dead but now have come to life. We have become hardened to those words, but they are powerful words that have significant meaning.

     

    Yet when those outside the church see no significant difference in our lives, they begin to question our integrity, our sanity, or even worse, our God. And can you blame them?” Forgotten God, Francis Chan, pgs. 32-33

     

    YET

     

    1. B.   He Empowers us  (The Promise is Still here!!)

     

    He doesn’t give a command without a promise of WORDS to change lives (even ours)

     

    The Words have Power to Save

     

    For I am not ashamed of the Gospel (good news) of Christ, for it is God’s power working unto salvation [for deliverance from eternal death] to everyone who believes with a personal trust and a confident surrender and firm reliance, to the Jew first and also to the Greek,” Romans 1:16

     

    The Words Have the Ability to Touch Souls!

     

    For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

     

    The Words have the Formula to Change our Lives! (Transforming)

    (Romans 12:1-2; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)

     

    Transition: Not only does He Empower Us and Enable US but He also….

     

    1. C.   He Encourages us

     

    Angela Doreen (In Christ Image) writes, “My Saviour is the one who truly understand my heart, and freely forgives me of all sins. He came on earth not to judge me or condemn me but to bring me life and peace. Unless you get to know him how could you begin to understand the compassion He displayed to the women caught in adultery or the kindness shown to the man lying sick on his back.”

     

    "Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ." 2 Corinthians 1:2-5

     

    How many times do you see the word, “comfort” in this passage? (10 times) Same word as “encouragement”…

    1. 1.     He is Our Source of Encouragement
    2. 2.     He is Our Subject of Encouragement

     

    “Martin Luther, the Protestant Reformer, was often discouraged. In fact, his wife thought the only way to help him was to shock him out of it. She put on a black dress and veil as if she was going to a funeral. When he asked her who had died, she said, "Martin, haven't your heard? God has died." He declared, "That is blasphemy!" His wife said, "Aye Husband, and it is blasphemy for you to be living as if God is dead." Needless to say Martin snapped out of it!”

     

    1. The Stewardship of Encouragement

    As He fills us, we fill others

    To some people, tribulation is a prison. For others, tribulation is a hospital from which they get well. But friend, tribulation is to be a seminary where we learn to become stewards of the comfort we receive, so that we can pass on our encouragement to others.

    Although the demands of discipleship are great, He never requires anything which He does not enable us to do

     

    Conclusion for Today!

    1. 1.     We are again challenged to enter a new sphere of our faith in Christ.
    2. 2.     We are challenged to take Christ at his Word… to let the Holy Spirit free to mold us, change us, teach us, love us and oh yes, to use us… He lies within each of us if we have given our lives to Christ… he awaits us to let go…
    3. 3.     We again face the question… a Follower or a Disciple?

     

     

    “If anyone wishes to be counted as my adherent, he must once and for all say farewell to self, decisively accept pain, shame, and persecution for my sake and in my cause – day in, day out – and must then keep on following me as my disciple (student) and must subject himself to my discipline.” (Hendriksen)

    Who ya Gonna Tell?