DID YOU KNOW THAT JESUS SAID--ONLY TRUE DISCIPLES CAN GO TO HEAVEN?

let's open our bibles to uh matthew 28. on the screen you see we're looking at the discipline of disciple making uh the context of where we are is the apostle paul is in prison he knows he's soon going to be off the scene with the lord he's training his true son the faith timothy who is actually a prototype and example of all future pastors that's why first and second timothy and titus are called the pastoral epistles they're the guidelines for the continuity of the church that jesus christ established so right in the middle of that we're going to see in a moment paul looks at timothy through this impassioned right and written set of disciplines and he says i want you to command and teach everyone these things and that's hearkening back to where we are right here in in matthew 28. jesus said teach him all things that i command it you see command and teach everything that i've commanded remind them of and teach them how to do that and paul just reiterates that that's that's what disciple making is commanding people to come to faith in christ the way jesus christ described it and then teach him how that life is to be lived but while we're on that topic it brings us to this this morning if if it wasn't an ambulance it was pac you know outside like it was earlier if it was a tv truck and they had a microphone and they were putting it in our faces and asking us to describe what we are the people that go this church most of us would probably say we're christians right that's probably the most common or people would say that i'm born again or maybe i'm a believer few people would probably say i'm a saint because that isn't in vogue but christians say born again believer but what's interesting is if you do a study of the 27 books of the new testament what does god call us if you do that study you find it's depending on how you divide them there are maybe over a hundred or very close to a hundred different terms to describe christians now most of them are very obscure like pilgrims and strangers now that's either one or two we're called pilgrims and strangers or we're called pilgrims and strangers so it's one or two terms but that's how we're called a kingdom of priests we're called a holy nation believers have many different ascriptions and descriptions in the scriptures but just for our benefit let me just give you uh what i would call the the top seven and let's just think about what god calls us in the scriptures i'm going to do them in reverse order i'm do the seventh place first so seventh place in the scriptures is what we most often use that's christians occurs three times twice in acts one in first peter four so that's seventh place now all the others that make up the hundred are used either three two or one time and so they're all just multiple lists and it's a fascinating study uh that would be fun to do sometime in sixth place in the book of acts christians are called followers of the way uh emphasis on the way uh they would say that they are of the way or whatever and that's in acts nine five times so that's the next uh to the least the fifth place would be witnesses now we're getting into a higher incidence 27 times believers most frequently in the book of luke are called witnesses now the greek word for witness is martirion and that has become synonymous with martyr because those who witnessed to christ heavily in the first century as the roman empire leaned on them harder and harder became real witnesses which were mark to rion's martyrs and so if the television truck was here this morning and they gave a microphone a few of us would say i'm a witness. because we would think of what jehovah's witnesses right actually they're jehovah's false witnesses but you know we would think of that term so witnesses is not a but it's very common 27 times nine times more common than christian so i mean if we're looking at you know five times the way uh followers and three times christians and 27 times witnesses in fourth place is saints that's 62 times now as we go through this list they're almost exponentially increasing in in their frequency in the new testament and and people are called saints more than any other term uh other than the the three that are to follow more than witnesses more than followers of the way more than christians and more than pilgrims and strangers and you know uh abraham's seed and all this stuff it it's it's very much that that people were called saints now can you imagine the truck and the microphone coming out from a local news station they say and what do you call the people here at calvary oh saints you know i mean that is not what that is what we are but it isn't what we are kind of comfortable calling ourselves in third place uh those who are following christ when jesus said uh follow me the people that did were following him and they were described as followers and that term is is very often the followers and following are over a hundred times depending on if every time uh jesus turns and the crowds uh followed him depends on how you measure it but it's around a hundred times that we're called followers and those who are following him in second place is one that we know quite well believers and believing those who were believing in him those who were believing in him are described as believers and that is is very often 266 times we're called believers but as we are going to see in chapter 28 of matthew the most frequent term description of title of those who are going to be forever around the throne worshiping god are called disciples and that interesting that is i doubt if if all of us had a microphone brought to us if any of us would claim if the correspondent from the news station said what are you this morning few people would say i'm one of christ's disciples because it would seem like we're saying we're what one of the twelve you know and that is a just a tragedy that we have so equated the apostles with the term although it's true the 11 at the mount and and look at chapter 28 we're going to be in verse 16 in a moment but those who were commissioned by christ jesus christ commissioned his church right where we're going in chapter 28 verses 16 to 20 to make disciples but it wasn't to make apostles with capital a all of us are little apostles that means we're sent apostello means a sent one one who is sent with a message and so in the sense we're all a little letter you know small case a we're all set go into all the world and preach the gospel few of us only those 12 were the capital a z apostles but all of us if we're going to be in heaven are disciples and anyone who is not a disciple jesus said will have a very bad ending and will not end up in the place that he's prepared for them so we we really need to understand the term disciple if we're going to do what jesus did he he commissioned us to make disciples and if you don't know what you're making you're going to have a problem with the output and i think that confusion has caused the church of the 21st century to not be exceptionally good at making disciples because there's just kind of like a confusion about what are we doing does that mean get people into a class no making disciples is evangelizing pagan lost doomed sinners to become followers saints christians believers witnesses who are disciples of jesus christ the instant in the new testament someone called on the name of the lord they were considered a disciple of christ it wasn't a two-stage deal that's a real tragedy too we have in christendom today kind of like epoxy you know you have the two you got to get them together there and and you can squirt one or the other but when they get together you have something really strong a lot of people look at a two-part salvation you kind of pray this prayer sometime in your life and you just go forward something happens and then you can live like the devil if you want and you know be in drugs and drinking immorality and then sometime you surrender to the lord but you've been saved the whole time and you surrender and all of a sudden and i hear this all the time because after 35 years i've baptized so many people that prayed a prayer when they were four and when they were about 21 they had this radical transformation in their life and they repented of their sins and their eyes were opened and all of a sudden they understood the bible and they loved the lord and tears streamed on their face and they wanted to love and serve and follow him all their life and everybody in the church says well we're so glad you came back to the lord the question we need to look at is did they ever begin because jesus said you are not my disciple if you aren't doing my will now we don't do it perfectly that's why if we confess our sins he's faithful and just forgive us but at the core see we're defining here we're not looking at individuals we're defining terms people who respond to the gospel at the instant of their response are called a hundred different things most frequently and clearly they're called disciples and a disciple of jesus christ jesus defines and that's what we're going to look at but chapter 28 jesus himself sums up all these various ways of naming and describing us into one overarching term which is disciples that is why the most frequent term for us in the new testament and the clearest target for all of our lives is to be focused upon making disciples and all the promises of the old testament may be seen as finding their fulfillment in and through the crucified and risen lord jesus christ who stood on this mountain in matthew 28 16 in galilee and commissioned his apostles so the summation of everything up until matthew 28 all the 39 books of the old testament are totally pointing at jesus christ and jesus christ now the fulfillment of all the promises of god stands there and said now i am telling you your marching orders your job description your higher letter i want you to spend the rest of your life focusing as much of your time and your energy and your resources and your desires on making more like you more disciples followers witnesses christians saints believers make more of them but i'm calling them disciples so jesus all of his teachings in all four gospels of our lord jesus christ may be seen as distilled and crystallized in these powerful words jesus says everything all my three and a half years of public ministry that's what i want you to teach those who become my followers i want you to teach them how to be disciples and all the truths by the way of god taught through the new testament scriptures which happen to be either through apostles or associates of apostles except for the two brothers of our lord who happen to get books in there but all the rest are tightly associated with apostles and they're extensions of those apostles and so everything we have all the truths of god taught in the new testament scriptures inspired by god from acts through revelation are merely an outflow of this amazing declaration by god the son in matthew 28 it's it's really such a crucial central juncture in the bible and let's listen to what jesus says and actually invite him to teach us this morning about the wonder of what he's called us to do so matthew 28 16 to 20 let's stand together and with your bibles open i just want you to notice a couple of things as i'm reading in verse 17 at the end the men that are standing there are not perfect some of them are doubting doubting i mean they walked with him for three and a half years they've touched him they saw him risen i mean they've held on to him and they're still doubting so that's very comforting after three and a half years and actually touching him that you still have doubts and then in verse 19 one of the fantastic things is verse 19 is the single most trinitarian verse in the bible anybody who is going to be around the throne of god all of us who are part of the the redeemed are to be those who declare that we are saved in the name of the father who is the author the the one who sent the son the father sent the son to be the savior of the world the son who was the atoning sacrifice and the spirit who is the one who applies how much more so the blood of christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself to god purge you so all three members this believers are to be baptized as a as a mark that they agree with the father son and holy spirit the triunity of god it's this is a phenomenal passage but let's let's listen to it starting verse 16. then the 11 disciples went away into galilee to the mountain which jesus had appointed for them when they saw him they worshipped him but some doubted 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 the nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit teaching them to observe all things that i have commanded you and lo i am with you always even to the end of the age amen let's bow together father i pray that we would hear and respond that the eyes of our understanding would be opened by your spirit that from this day forward there'd be no doubt in our minds who disciples are and what disciples are and what disciples do and that we would have that settled assurance that we are your disciples we are following you and we are choosing to make adjustments in our life so that our life truly accomplishes what you left us here to do and that is to be making disciples help us to to really lay hold on this truth and to guard it and to start getting rid of whatever stands in the way of us being disciple making followers of you oh christ and we ask that in the name of jesus and for his glory amen you may be seated and as you're seated what we can say is for us on this side of the cross there is no doubt what we're here on earth to do jesus christ said this he said disciples are those who follow christ and disciples are those who know why they're here they're here to make disciples so this morning we need to define disciples who is a disciple what is a disciple and then we need to look at and we'll just touch on this what a disciple learns to do i mean in your mind you should be doing a little checklist have i been trained do i know and understand have i been taught to observe what jesus taught all disciples are to observe and and it's written down you don't have to buy a manual you don't need a video you don't need tape you don't need a course you don't need to go somewhere it's completely written down you understand that the people that that heard this did this they didn't have the internet and they didn't have they didn't have smartphones they heard jesus say what i just trained you in for three and a half years take to the ends of the earth and amplify it and multiply it and deepen it but do it and they did and it's amazing so we as disciples are to follow christ and make disciples and that's it everything else is tied to that simple statement worshiping god biblical ministry glorifying god everything flows from god's purpose to show the world he is a savior a savior who so loved the world that he sent his beloved son as john says for the father sent the son to be the savior of the world and that's what glorifies him the more people understand and respond and become those who are his followers well this is a study of the central theme of our earthly lives we glorify please and serve god to the degree we're part of what he has so clearly asked us to do i mean if if you know how after you're at a job for so many months they do a review and tell you how you're doing or you get a bonus or something like that did you know that that god has a job description and he regularly looks to see whether or not we're doing what he called us to do did you know what revelation 2 and 3 are about jesus coming to the church seven of them and saying you're not doing what i left you do you're not doing what i left you you're not doing what i left you you're not you're not you're not only one was clearly doing what they were left to do and the other one was commanded for suffering for being the witness part at least they were marturion there's no no negative things said to to them smyrna but to the other five negative things are said and only one only only the philadelphia church does jesus command why because they were going everywhere making disciples see that he doesn't care about the size of the building or the size of the ministry he's looking at the output the product are we following christ that's vital and if we're following him truly we're doing what he left us to do and that's making other followers of christ which is evangelism i mean you don't have to have the gift of evangelism we have the command to evangelize some people do it kind of like hearing natalie sing you know what i mean it just looks like it's easy those are the gifted ones the rest of us labor kind of like some of the people i was sitting around uh in the service i could tell that they shouldn't be in the choir you know what i mean uh you know what i mean but uh that's what we we we have some that are gifted and it just seems easy but all of us are commanded to make disciples so this morning we're looking at the fifth of the biblical exercises for spiritual health and fitness and turn back with me to first timothy 4. because i always want to center your attention on how we got here because paul is just doing what christ left us all to do now he was a capital a apostle sent one and he was writing inspired word but everything paul is teaching is thinking it's completely congruent with what jesus left all of us to do paul isn't launching off on his own version you know kind of starting his own thing paul is just continuing and perpetuating and reinforcing and and explaining and enlarging upon under the inspiration god's spirit what christ left all of us to do now look at verse 11 because we've gone through the the other disciplines or training or exercises truth and devotion and time and integrity but in verse 11 we come to the discipline of disciple making where we explain to others what knowing jesus is all about and what following jesus is all about and note how short and sweet and to the point verse 11 is these things command and teach now wait a minute you just read it go into all the world and make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the father son and holy spirit teaching them to observe all things i have commanded okay now let's i'll give you a quiz okay first like they're doing nowadays in school you know how the teachers tell you what's going to be on the test so you can do better i'm going to tell you what's going to be on the test we're going to do a quiz right now jesus says teaching them to observe all things that i commanded what were the two components that jesus said the ongoing ministry was to be first of all the component of what teaching everything that he commanded now look down at verse 11 these things command and teach do you see do you see paul is just in sync with the great commission of disciple making basically our purpose as believers disciples who follow christ is to continue reaffirming christ's commands that's the command part of verse 11. we're to reaffirm i don't tell you to do this christ commands you i don't tell you this christ commands you i don't say that marriage is between a man and woman christ does you understand i mean isn't it nice you know that that a christian organization this week made a bad decision and flipped to make a retraction of their bad decision when there's no question what christ said you understand see do you know why we're in such a mess in the world and not making disciples because billion dollar christian organizations don't even know what christ said but they get a billion dollars from christians amazing where we're living nowadays and they form doctrine on public opinion not on scriptures jesus said get people re-affirm to them what christ taught his commands and then follow up with explaining to them how to do what he said that's the teaching part of verse 11. it isn't just enough say do it it's teach them how and why and where and and how to make this possible what it looks like in your life command and teach that's the discipline of disciple making command people everywhere to repent and turn in faith to jesus christ command them what christ said and then teach him how to live that way and how to follow him what are the commands that christ taught and how are we to continue in his steps making disciples and teaching them what he wants to teach them is what what we're looking at and to understand the elements of making disciples we have to first look at what jesus did and what his disciples taught so i mean to understand what's going on new testament what we do is we look at this text these things command and teach we understand that we're supposed to be exercising ourself in making disciples and then the most powerful effect on our life is when we go back and look at what jesus taught himself and what the apostles heard see that's why i want to go through with you i want you to be reminded jesus is the ultimate one that frames what a disciple is and the disciples who heard him who were apostles how did they describe it those elements are fundamental who is a disciple what does the disciple do so turn back with me to matthew chapter four we're going to start on a jet tour of the gospels we'll go through all four gospels and then the book of acts this morning and what we're looking for is how did jesus describe who a disciple is and in chapter four we're coming to christ's first public words in ministry uh he's already gone through the baptism and the temptation but now he's ministering he's baptized and and finished and conquered into temptation now he's out with public people and he's proclaiming the gospel so chapter 4 verse 17 and by the way what i'm going to do with you is is fascinating some people have spent their whole life taking the gospels and putting them in chronological order and and lining up everything jesus said that's mentioned by all four of the gospel writers and only three and only two and only one and it's called a harmony and what they do is they they put all the events in chronological order we know how long jesus ministered if you look at the passovers that's how we get three plus years and so they know the the time frame and then we look at where he's going and what happens and where the passover is in relationship and we can chart year one of his ministry year two of his ministry in year three of his ministry and then the run-up to the cross which is at passover of the three and a half year mark of his ministry so with that if you look at a harmony of the gospel this one is in year one and why i'm telling you that is i want to show you that jesus not only didn't diminish the call the wider he gave it the stronger and harder he described it it's interesting year one from that time on this is christ's first publicly recorded words in matthew repent for the kingdom of heaven his hand by the way what does repent mean it's a change of mind that leads to a change of behavior change begins in the mind you you begin by changing your mind about what god says but what god expects what god demands and that believing that causes if it's a genuine belief a change in behavior now i mean kind of the the sportsman way of saying it is god catches fish then he cleans them a lot of people think they've got to clean their life up to get saved god saves you and instantly he's the best cleaner-upper by the way we're not very good at it he cleans us repenting as we believe that's when he catches us and we that belief leads to a change in behavior that's him cleaning us that sanctification so he says he says you need to believe me and have a belief that's genuine that i come in and grant repentance and i change your behavior and then look what he says in verse 18 and jesus now is going to apply this he walks by the sea of galilee he sees two brothers simon called peter and andrew's brother castornet and they were fishermen and he said to them follow me so jesus is saying to them as disciples by the way he's already they've already gotten saved in john chapter 1 verse 43 but we're not doing john right now and so now they're learning that a disciple is one who not only believes in him but is one who follows jesus christ and they begin following jesus through life right here so that's that's year one that kind of sounds pretty good now go to mark chapter eight a whole year has gone by jesus has preached up and down and he's had these preaching campaigns and people are mushrooming we're talking about uh into the tens of thousands of people are hanging on christ's words and he is preaching and healing and feeding and doing astounding signs now year two when he had called the people to himself so all these people that were associated with him and his disciples also everyone who truly and faith had embraced him and were following him he said to them if anybody else wants to come after me that's whoever desires to come after me this is what a disciple is let him deny himself take up his cross and follow me you know what a tragedy is if you read the commentators and i have hundreds of commentaries and i read and read and read it's tragic that what they say is this is a second level salvation is two part you just believe something and pray something and you believe the facts about the gospel and then you just kind of live in this whatever state until finally you decide you're going to follow jesus christ it's interesting jesus didn't know his message had two parts look at him he said to his disciples whoever desires to come after me if you want to be one of my disciples you've got to deny yourself you've got to take up your cross you've got to follow me what is what is this denying self is my way is not right my way is going the wrong way god's way is right so it's renouncing my way for god's way that's that's the repent a change of mind that leads to a change of behavior you've got to deny your way of mind that that is according to the god of this world the principle there the spirit that now works and the sons of disobedience as paul amplifies on this and take up your cross what is what is that you know some people think you know it's their car doesn't work and that's my cross to bear i have an old car you know you know i'm not very healthy that's my cross to bear no a cross was a pla paul said i'm crucified with christ i mean he had a bad car or health no it meant i am denying my flesh i am i want to deny the way i am because i want to be christ-like and my flesh is is so driven for its own desires and self-centered and selfish and i want to die to that i die daily paul said i am crucified with christ nevertheless i live i'm going to live christ's life not my own that's what crucifixion is about that's the self-denial and taking up his cross and the following me is the evidence if i really deny myself and don't want my own way i turn i am turned god does all of this but what he's describing is what genuine salvation is all about so that's year two and i don't want to go too long on it now go to luke 14. and what what i'm showing you is jesus doesn't lighten up he heavies up uh in fact really what's happening is we aren't hearing everything he's saying i think he was heavy all the time it's just it appears that this this message seems to get more confrontive to the crowds and now in luke 14 year 3 this is just for lazarus by the way i mean we're we can almost see the cross from luke 14 uh in the chronological harmony of the gospels and jesus says if anyone comes to me so if you want to be one of of if you want to be a saint a believer a follower of the way a christian if you want to be a witness if you want to come to me if you want salvation and you don't love me more than your father and mother and children and wife and brothers and sisters even your own life that's what what hate is talking about comparing the love for christ with the love for everything else the love for everything else gets so low and the love for christ is so high the gulf between them makes the love look like the other one is hate even though it is it is an affection and a love but it is so less than the supremacy of love for christ that's that's what he's calling him to he's not calling him to you know beat him up and starve him you know and thrash him he's saying you love me supremely if you want to come after me i've got to be most in your life or look at the end of verse 26 you can't be my disciple do you see now why there's this two-step program i mean if you want to go out and have great results to your ministry you can't tell people what jesus said because people don't like it they say it's too hard that's who would want to do that i want to live my life my own way and i don't want to be one of those i mean it's dull and there's so many things that that that god says are wrong i don't want that jesus says if you're not willing to do my will you're not my disciple if you don't love me more than anything else you can't be my disciple i'm glad he said it look at verse 27 and whoever does not there's the cross thing bear his cross and come after me and what that means is the continuous life of self-sacrifice you can't be my disciple look at verse 33 likewise whoever doesn't forsake all that he has see that's another thing disciples surrendered the ownership of their time of their material treasures of of all of their everything they were given in life their time their talents their treasures everything was laid at christ's feet that's you say that's impossible yeah salvation is impossible did you know when when the disciples heard jesus present the gospel he said how hardly uh you know i mean who can be saved how is that possible and jesus said with men it's impossible but this is the supernatural work god does if you get saved christ becomes the core of your life he becomes to each of us who know him more important and more beloved and supreme over all else now we don't always act like that that's what we struggle with through life but it doesn't change the operating system see see what we're having people they're talking about the packaging they're not talking about the operating system god establishes the operating system and this is what it is and he says if you don't forsake all if you don't bear your cross and if you don't come to me with the supreme love you cannot cannot cannot be my disciple hence we have the two-part system nowadays which is producing a lot of people they're gonna someday do what matthew seven says they're gonna say lord here i am i i was in and he says now i didn't ever know you depart from me because of their two-part imperfect inaccurate understanding of what salvation was that it was a miracle only god could do well by the way let's go to john 6 because jesus had quite a fallout um because he did preach like this all the time and look at john chapter 6 in verse 66 there's a 666 you know people get excited on that there's a 666 okay john 6 66. from that time many of his disciples went back and walked with him no more wow then jesus said to 12 do you want to also go away and peter said lord whom shall we go you have the words of eternal life and there's that great confession this was the turning point of christ's ministry by the way in john 6 66 the crowds crescendoed until this moment and then they diminished why because jesus laid it out jesus taught them that who are disciples disciples are true believers disciples are those who truly know and follow jesus christ jesus explains to them the gospel of salvation and jesus tells them that in fact keep going in in john chapter 8 and look at verse 32. i'll just show you a few more because we could spend all day on this we'll go back to 31 john 8 31 and jesus said to those jews who believed on him if you abide in my word then are you my disciples it doesn't matter that you say you want to follow me it doesn't matter that you tell people you follow me it's only if you abide if you continue in what theologically we call this the perseverance of the saints true believers never stop believing they they struggle they they doubt like the apostles did at the mount of commissioning but they abide and they're kept actually the scriptures tell us if you abide in my words you're my disciples indeed and you know the truth verse 32 and the truth makes you free keep going to chapter 13. he he keeps laying it on he says that a true believer has supernatural love that's another evidence he says it's a love that humans can't generate themselves um a new commandment verse 34 i give to you that you love one another as i have loved you love one another and verse 35 by this by the way this is the 11th commandment we hear people all you know worried about the 10 commandments there's actually 11. jesus said i give you a new one right this is the 11th commandment and and he says by this we'll all know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another it's a divine supernatural love keep going to chapter 15 look at verse 8. jesus says something else that clarifies salvation by this my father is glorified john 15 8 that you bear much fruit so you'll be my disciples disciples bear fruit so if you're not bearing fruit if you don't have the fruit of repentance if you don't have the fruit of faith if you don't have the fruit of the new heart and operating system you're not my disciple he said fruit is produced by the work of god within us it's divine it isn't something we conjure up it isn't something i'm going to make fruit no god through his spirit produces it but only when we're connected to him okay so the question is what about people that got saved after the gospels what are they called so let's turn to the book of acts real quickly i told you we'd cover all the gospels and acts and i just want to show you the most common term for what we call christians in the book of acts are disciples acts 1 15 and in those days peter stood up in the midst of the disciples and the number of the names were about 120 and he said so what was he standing he was standing in the assembled gathered group of believers now there were more than this we know from first corinthians 15 that there were 500 individual believers jesus had met with after the resurrection but here's a fourth of them in one place in jerusalem now keep going to chapter 6 because this group is going to mushroom in size acts chapter 6 in those days the number of the disciples was multiplying so it's starting to go up look at verse 7 of chapter 6 and the word of god spread and the number of disciples multiplied greatly so i mean it's just exponentially growing but everyone who repents and in faith alone comes to christ is called a disciple the instant that happens not when they make some surrender move later in life they are disciples from birth the new birth in christ now look at chapter nine because who does paul take our soul take off after in chapter nine verse one saul was still breathing threats and murders against the disciples now some who who don't like believers we call disciples you know would say oh that's the 11 or in matthias 12. no no that's talking about all the believers are disciples because look at verse 10 there was this certain disciple at damascus named ananias he's not one of the 12 if you know your apostles okay so there you go there is a a person outside of jerusalem that believes that's called a disciple and if you keep going look at verse 19 when he that's paul had received food he was strengthened and saul spent some days with the disciples at damascus that doesn't mean that the 12 went up to damascus that meant the believers the christians they're called disciples and you can see the same thing in verse 26 he tried to join the disciples in jerusalem and they were afraid of him that wasn't the 12 because we know that that he met with them and and they did instruct and listen to him look at verse 36 same chapter there was a certain disciple named tabitha and then in verse 38 the disciples so who are disciples disciples are people that believe in the lord jesus christ now let me show you one more as long as you're in acts chapter 14 then we'll wind up because it's almost time to go look at chapter 14 verse 21. paul starting in verse 19 is out in pagan roman empire he's between lystra and derby he escapes from lystra 2 derby and verse 19 they they stone him and drag him out so he gets out in verse 20 and goes to derby and starts preaching again in verse 21 and look at this and when they had preached the gospel to that city now look up and think about it here's the great commission go into all the world and preach the gospel and as you go and preach the gospel that's the evangelism what do you call people that are evangelized we'll look at the next part of verse 21 and made many disciples pagans who believe in the lord jesus christ and are saved are called at that moment disciples god makes them disciples when we tell them what he commands and we're supposed to teach them once they become a disciple what god expects from a disciple and real quickly what did jesus i mean this is where it gets all fuzzy people oh our discipleship method is this water discipleship manual is that did you know that these people didn't have the benefit of the internet to look up and the christian bookstores and everything else what exactly do you think they went out teaching well what it says everything jesus taught them to teach so this is where we're going to pick up next week but i'll get you started go with me to matthew chapter 5. because i want to actually 4 17. i want to show you what would have been lodged in the minds of the disciples when jesus told them to go and do what he had done with them what came to their mind because that's the primary interpretation of all scripture if you want to know what it means to make disciples it's not to look up what's the newest and greatest and latest and most whatever discipleship method it's what did it mean then to the first recipients of the great commission what immediately would have come to their mind and we know because of what they do if you look at everything in the epistles it all connects back so clearly to what jesus taught starting in chapter four what jesus does basic number one is salvation the sermon on the mount is all about salvation it starts in chapter four verse 17 with repent but then what jesus says is in verses 1 through 5 what the repenters look like and what do they look like in in matthew 5 1-5 well verse 3 they're poor in spirit that means they're beggars they're totally unable to save themselves and their mourning verse 4 they're they're very aware they're sinners and they don't like their sin they hate their sin they want to turn from their sin by god's grace and verse 5 they're meek that means they're humbly willing to follow christ jesus actually opens the sermon on the mount with a beautiful description of what a believer is like and he continues and he says they begin to hunger and thirst for righteousness verse six don't you hear echoes of that and peter as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that's what a truly born-again person is they become hungry and thirsty for christ's righteousness and he fills them and they're merciful all of a sudden their whole paradigm for life changes and they're pure in heart they want to deny ungodliness and the spirit of god begins working and sanctifying them and they become peacemakers that's a description of a believer the the supernatural work of salvation and you know what jesus was quite a good teacher he begins the sermon and ends the sermon with describing who's really a disciple look at chapter 7 starting in verse 13. what jesus says is if you want to know if you're a real disciple make sure you've entered the right gate straight as a gate difficult is the way make sure you're on the right road don't be on the broad road the easy road make sure you've come to obey the right lord by the time we get to verse 21 not everyone that says to me lord lord enters the kingdom of heaven many will say to me 22. lord we we were really involved in verse 23 he declares him i didn't know you what's so important about knowing him because those that know him verse 23 says depart from lawlessness but if you practice lawlessness if you've never had a new operating system if you have not had a new heart and a new spirit put within you if you have never had the holy spirit of god move inside so that from the very center like a nuclear reactor radiating out of the core of our being if there is not the presence and power of god then jesus said i didn't know you you're not real so he opens chapter five and closes in chapter seven with salvation must be genuine and what are most of the epistles about genuine salvation then jesus goes on to say god's word becomes your priority he starts saying this is what god expects from you you don't read the bible to get it over with you read the bible to find out what god expects and that internal operating system responds to the word of god that's how we know and do his will through his word that's the second lesson jesus spends a lot of the sermon amount on that then prayer is right in the middle in chapter six and it's huge prayer becomes vital and christ explains that prayer is central to our lives and even talks about self-examination is a part the lord won't even hear us and we need to persist in prayer and then fourthly jesus rounds out the discipleship in the sermon on the mount talking about seeking first the kingdom of god and you have to have eyes that are pure and seeking his righteousness and you have to have him as your master that's the idea of consecration and surrender and it becomes our goal and then the gospel by john gives that last huge lesson now matthew mark and luke have but not like john does and he records how much jesus says about the holy spirit and you need to stay filled and in step with the holy spirit and the spirit is to energize us and overflow our lives and reveal christ now next week lord willing when we pick up we're going to look at how those simple basics genuine salvation the the role of the word of god the role of prayer the role of surrender and consecration and the role of the holy spirit become the core of everything that paul and peter and john and james and jude write about in their epistles so basically the discipline of disciple making is to say disciples are those who follow christ and once you follow christ you have this internal longing to know how to follow him in such a way that he taught us and that's the teaching them to observe everything that he commanded and so paul reduced it down to this these things that christ commanded command and those things that christ has taught are elements in the life of a believer teach them how to do that and that's our job description if we're truly a disciple of christ let's vow for word of prayer this morning i thank you dear lord for clarifying what you want from us for simplifying it for actually doing it you you discipled your disciples and so we don't have to invent anything we just have to teach everyone to observe the things you commanded and lord how wonderful it is to know why we're here and what we're supposed to be doing and i pray that all of us would rejoice that at the very center of our being is you o god you live within and you want to flow out through our life and you flow everywhere that's surrendered to you so i pray there be much surrender to seek first your rule in our lives and your righteousness and then everything else gets added in after those things are settled thank you for your word i pray that you draw to yourself anyone who this morning doesn't know you or isn't walking the way you want them to walk may they either where they're sitting right now surrender to you cry out to you ask you to begin that good work or to continue and to renew what you have started in each of us and lord if they need someone to talk to how i pray that at the end of the service either one of the elders or one of our tightest two godly women that they will open their needs and and be led in prayer with one of these godly servants because we want to be your disciples for your glory in the name of jesus we pray and all god's people said amen and god bless you as you go you

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Keywords: Bible, God, Jesus, Christian, teaching, biblical, teach, sermon, trinity, church, lesson, traditional, truth, true, divine, theology, freedom, guilt, testament, pure, interpret, spirit, holy, John, Barnett, christ, father, heaven, hell, doctrine, doctrinal, sinful, forgive, forgiveness, history, teachings, chapters, verses, discover, the book, ministries, dtbm, Dr. Barnett, controversial, repent, helpful, sin, the, book, dr, john, doctor, barnett, training, videos, series, resources, savior, god, jesus

Id: H4Psfmi90Ug

Length: 52min 6sec (3126 seconds)

Published: Wed Feb 10 2021