Randall Caselman Bella Vista Church of Christ June 24, 2001 p.m.
Marks Of Discipleship
Reading - John 20.19-31
Christianity is an exclusive religion... Only certain people are to be forgiven and saved. This attribute of Christianity is evident even to the causal Bible reader. -Jesus plainly said... I am the way... The truth... and the Life... No one comes to the Father... Except by Me... Through Me. -In John 8.24, He said... Unless you believe I am He... Messiah... The Son of God... You will die in your sins. -Peter stood before the Jewish Council and said of Jesus... There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. -The Hebrews’ writer plainly states... Without faith we cannot be pleasing to God. It is plain that the Bible teaches we must become disciples... followers... of Christ in order to receive the blessings available in Him.
Our lesson tonight is about DISCIPLESHIP... What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus?
Webster says, a disciple is... -A follower, -An imitator, -One who adheres to the philosophies of another. A Moslem is a follower of Mohammed. A Buddhist is a follower, an adherer to the religious philosophy of Buddha. A Christian is a follower... An imitator... An adherer to the philosophies of Christ.
Christian Discipleship Is About A Cross
Jesus made this connection when He said... Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. What is this cross we are to carry? Sometimes we think that some hardship or handicap we have is just our cross to bear. But that’s not the kind of thing Jesus had in mind at all. The cross we are to carry is not about our personal problems. A cross is an instrument of death... A cross is something we die on... Crosses are for execution... Crosses are for dying! Here it is... Jesus wants us to put our will to death and live for Him. Listen to me folk... Christianity is not about cheap discipleship... TRUE DISCIPLESHIP will cost us our life... A DYING TO SELF!!.
Christian Discipleship Is About Living a Crucified Life
We better understand what this means when we examine the life of Jesus. Jesus said... I came to do the will of the Father. The life He lived was not based on His own will... but on the will of God. Jesus’ life was so much about doing the will of God that He once said... My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. Crucifying His own will in favor of the will of the Father was such a big deal to Jesus that He said it was His food... That which was necessary to sustain Him -Jesus wants us DIE for Him... -He wants us to echo Paul’s words... I am crucified with Christ. He wants us to truthfully say... I am dead with Christ to the extent that... It is no longer I who live... But Christ living in me. This is what it means to live a crucified life. Discipleship is not only about dying... It is about living a crucified life.
You see church... True discipleship leaves marks... The marks of the cross. In our text... Thomas demanded to see the marks of the cross in the resurrected Jesus.
I believe God is looking for the marks of the cross in the lives of His people. For instance... If we truly conform to the IMAGE OF JESUS... We will have the marks of the cross in us. Paul wrote... I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. Do we... Do we?... Interesting question... RIGHT?
Those around us are also looking for The Marks of Discipleship
Just as Thomas demanded to see marks of the cross before he would believe... The unbelieving world is looking for the marks of the cross in those who claim to have died to sin by crucifying the old man. Church... What does the world see in us?.. I hope they see the MARKS OF JESUS.
OK... Let us consider some marks of True Discipleship...
First... There is the Burden of the Cross
Jesus said... Whoever comes after Me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me... Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. Too many of us have misunderstood the concept of the burden of the cross. As we noted previously.... Some people have a problem... A handicap... And they consider that to be their cross. But... you see... all people have problems... not just Christians. The burden of the cross is carried ONLY... ONLY... by the disciples of Jesus Christ. Christianity is a burden-bearing religion. I suggest tonight that the BURDEN OF THE CROSS... IS... Christian Duty.
Christian duties like... -Sick that need to be visited. -Shut-ins that need to be cared for. -Bible classes to be taught. -Sermons to be preached. -Visitors to be welcomed and made to feel at home. -A brother’s burden to carry... A good deed to be done?
I want you to think about the prayer of Jesus in Gethsemane... Father... If You are willing... Remove this cup of suffering from Me... Not My will... But Yours be done. Jesus was talking about... (WHAT)... The burden of His cross! What kind of shape would we be in today... If He had been unwilling to carry the burden of the cross? Yes... I know we are saved by grace through faith... But the next sentence says... We are God’s workmanship to do good works. Who can deny that the Bible teaches that there is such a thing as Christian duty.
QUESTIONS!! -Have any of us been saying... God... I’d rather not... Regarding the burden of the cross? -Do we skip worship services or Bible Class because we’d rather not? -Have we failed to be cheerful and friendly to a visitor because we’d rather not? -Have we failed to find our place in the church and go to work because we’d rather not? In Christianity... There is duty... There is a burden... There is a cross to die on.
The second mark of discipleship is the Reproach of the Cross
The Hebrews’ writer speaks of the crucifixion of Christ when he wrote in 13.13... Let us go to Him outside the camp... bearing His reproach. The Amplified Bible says... We must bear the contempt... And abuse... And shame with Him.
So then... If we are true disciples of Christ, we cannot expect to get through life without bearing the reproach of the cross... Just as He did. I think that... We must expect the world’s contempt for Christ... To manifest itself as contempt toward us. If we are true to Jesus... Our culture’s contempt of Christian values... Will be translated into contempt for us. Jesus said... Blessed are you when men hate you... And ostracize you... And insult you... And scorn your name as evil... For the sake of the Son of Man. You see... Jesus anticipated reproach for His people. He wants us to be prepared for it. And... AND!!... He wants us to consider ourselves blessed when we bear this mark of discipleship.
Notice something else here... This reproach is (WHERE church??)... Outside the camp. Jesus was crucified outside the city... Outside the camp. I think that tells us that the cross makes us outsiders to the world. Are we willing to bear this REPROACH in our world... I pray that we are. I pray that we are!!
The third mark of discipleship is the Affliction of the Cross
The Old Testament prophet Isaiah wrote this concerning Christ... Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
The New Testament records the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy... INDEED... Jesus was... -Mocked... -Beaten... -Treated with contempt... -Spat upon... -Had his life traded for the life of a common criminal... -And was cruelly executed on a Roman cross.
We, too, must bear the affliction of the cross. Listen to these scriptures which affirm this idea. From James... Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
From Paul... Do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel... In fact, everyone who lives a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
From Peter... Do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you... If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.
These scriptures are saying that affliction is a natural part of Christianity. You see... As disciples of Jesus... We should not consider the affliction of the cross as something to be AVOIDED... But as a mark of discipleship.
Our fourth mark is The Discipline of the Cross. Jesus lived a disciplined life and was able to go to the cross because of it. Luke tells us that ... When the days were approaching for His ascension... That JESUS resolutely set His face to go to Jerusalem. We must understand tonight that... The cross was not an accident. Jesus was determined to carry out God’s plan no matter how painful it might be. Even though He knew that the cross awaited Him in Jerusalem... He headed in that direction! We must strive to have this kind of discipline... dedication... and conviction.
Listen to me closely for a moment... Our culture has made quitting fashionable. You see... When the road gets rough... When the walk becomes difficult... We give up... We quit. -Teenage boys quit football when two a day practices get too tough. -We adults quit jobs... College students drop classes... -We put off or miss difficult appointments....We quit our diet...Give up on our exercise program.
Then... We move this... I’ll just quit mentality... Into areas where it is much more serious... -We give up on marriage. -We give up on the responsibilities of parenthood. -We stop working down at church when things don’t go our way. -Sometimes we even quit the church... Give up on God completely.
You see... Today... In our world... In our culture.. -Conviction is viewed as a neurotic tendency. -Discipline is considered somewhat sadistic. -Determination is viewed as foolish. -Keeping-on-keeping-on... Perseverance is thought to be only for today’s real losers. But all these... Are traits of genuine discipleship.
Paul used a comparison to sports when he wrote about the subject of discipline... Listen to what he says... Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified If Paul needed consistent... committed... self-discipline... How much more do we? We have no choice... But to be disciplined people... It is a mark of discipleship.
Mark number five... The Humility of the Cross
For Jesus... Going to the cross meant humility... Humility we cannot even begin to imagine. We catch a glimpse of His humility in Philippians chapter two... Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! Here was Jesus... God in the flesh... God with skin on... The omnipotent sovereign creator of the universe... Submitting to death on the cross... That’s humility!
Peter admonishes each of us with these words... Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another... For God is opposed to the proud... But gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time. Indeed... HUMILITY is a mark of discipleship.
Our final mark is the mark of Obedience. Jesus’ death on the cross was... Above all... An act of obedience. As Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane... He asked God to let the cup of crucifixion pass if He was willing... The important words of Jesus there were... Yet not My will... but Yours be done. In Philippians... Paul says... He become obedient to the point of death... Even death on a cross. The Hebrews’ writer said... Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation. The obedience exhibited by Jesus in His death on the cross is to be in us as well.
In fact... We must be obedient to every form of authority God has placed over us. We have a responsibility to obey... -God... -His Son Jesus Christ... -The inspired apostles and writers of the New Testament... -The elders of our local congregation... -Our parents... -Even governmental authorities.
The term disobedient Christian is an oxymoron... It can’t be... It is impossible!! The true disciple says... Lord... What would you have me do?... Speak Lord... Your servant heareth. You see... Obedience is a Christian trademark... Our trademark.
Genuine discipleship bears... The marks of JESUS... The marks of the cross. The question this evening is this... Do you and your teacher have any such marks? I pray that we do!!
QUESTION... In light of the lesson tonight... Will you mark yourself as a disciple... as a Christian... become a follower of Jesus... A child of God by faith... Repentance... and New Testament baptism for the forgiveness of sins?
Perhaps we have failed to submit to one or more of the MARKS OF DISCIPLESHIP which we have talked about tonight... Come confess your fault... Ask the church family to help you become the follower that Jesus wants us to be.
The invitation is yours as we stand and sing together... Will you come!!
