The dictionary defines a “DISCIPLE” as “one who accepts and follows a teacher or a doctrine.”
A disciple of Jesus Christ is one who accepts Him and follows His teachings.
EVERY TRUE CHRISTIAN IS A DISCIPLE.
Acts 11:26—“The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.”
A disciple is a Christian and a Christian is a disciple.
When Jesus sent the apostles out into the world, He commanded them, “Go ye . . . and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. . . .” (Matthew 28:19-20).
The phrase “TEACH ALL NATIONS” means “MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS.”
HOW DOES A PERSON BECOME A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST?
Matthew 7:13-14—“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
Tonight you are on one of two roads: the BROAD ROAD or the NARROW ROAD.
The broad road is paved with SIN; the narrow road is covered with the BLOOD OF CHRIST.
The broad road leads to DESTRUCTION; the narrow road leads to LIFE.
How does a person switch roads? By REPENTANCE and FAITH.
A person is never SO GOOD that he or she DOESN’T NEED to be saved.
A person is never SO BAD that he or she CAN’T be saved.
Three characteristics of a true disciple of Jesus Christ:
Message Text: Matthew 10:32-39
I. A DISCIPLE IS ONE WHO CONFESSES CHRIST BEFORE OTHERS.
Matthew 10:32-33—“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”
To confess Christ means TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU BELONG TO HIM.
A disciple confesses Christ by his LIFE and his LIPS.
Titus 1:16—“They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him.”
“Whosoever shall deny me” is in the aorist tense, referring not to one moment of denial (such as Peter’s), but to AN ENTIRE LIFELONG RESISTENCE TO CHRIST.
Romans 10:9-10—“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
If the HEART truly believes, the MOUTH will be eager to confess.
Those whose lives say, in effect, “I NEVER KNEW YOU, JESUS” will hear Him say in the end, “I NEVER KNEW YOU.”
2 Timothy 2:12—“. . . if WE deny him, HE also will deny us.”
II. A DISCIPLE IS ONE WHO LOVES CHRIST MORE THAN ALL OTHERS.
Matthew 10:34-36—“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
The point here is that sometimes when individuals became His followers, their families turn against them. So a choice must often be made between CHRIST and FAMILY.
Matthew 10:37—“He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
Family ties cannot be allowed to deflect a disciple from utter allegiance to the Lord.
If you think this passage is forceful, listen to Luke 14:26—“If any man come to me, and HATE not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sister, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”
To be a disciple, must we literally hate our families? No!
Love for Christ must be such that all other loves are, BY COMPARISON, hatred.
III. A DISCIPLE IS ONE WHO IS WILLING TO LOSE EVERYTHING FOR CHRIST.
Matthew 10:38—“And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.”
The cross was an instrument of death and here symbolizes the necessity of TOTAL COMMITMENT.
To take the cross and follow Christ means to live in such devoted abandonment to Him that EVEN DEATH ITSELF IS NOT TOO HIGH A PRICE TO PAY.
Love of Christ must overmaster the instinct of self-preservation.
The world encourages you to PAMPER yourself, but the Lord calls you to DENY yourself.
To deny yourself means to CEASE TO MAKE YOURSELF THE OBJECT OF YOUR LIFE AND ACTIONS.
It means to LIVE FOR ANOTHER, and that person is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Instead of living SELF-CENTERED LIVES, we must live CHRIST-CENTERED LIVES.
Instead of asking how every action will affect OURSELVES, we must be careful to assess how it will affect CHRIST AND HIS GLORY.
Matthew 10:39—“He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”
This verse is probably one of the most unpopular verses in the entire Bible.
I discovered that this statement is found seven times in the Gospels. For a statement to be made seven times in Scripture means it is extremely important.
Matthew Henry wrote, “Though many have been losers for Christ, even of life itself, yet never anyone was, or will be, a loser by Him IN THE END.”
I would rather be a complete LOSER for Christ (and find life) than be a WINNER in the world’s eyes (and lose life).
Philippians 1:20-21—“According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, SO NOW ALSO CHRIST SHALL BE MAGNIFIED IN MY BODY, WHETHER IT BE BY LIFE, OR BY DEATH. FOR TO ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST, AND TO DIE IS GAIN.”
Paul’s life was consumed by Christ. The motto of his life was, “For to me to live is Christ.”
How many of us can say that tonight? Or would we have to say, “For to me to live is my family”; or “For me to live is my job”; or “For me to live is accumulating possessions.”
For to me to live is. . . . You can fill in the blank yourself.
Paul’s supreme desire was that Christ be magnified through him, “whether it be by life, or [even] by death.”
The three characteristics of a true disciple of Christ:
1. A DISCIPLE IS ONE WHO CONFESSES CHRIST BEFORE OTHERS;
2. A DISCIPLE IS ONE WHO LOVES CHRIST MORE THAN ALL OTHERS;
3. A DISCIPLE IS ONE WHO IS WILLING TO LOSE EVERYTHING FOR CHRIST.
What do these three characteristics of a true disciple of Jesus Christ tell us? They tell us that the person who is considering discipleship must COUNT THE COST.
Luke 14:28-33—“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether ye have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, WHOSOEVER HE BE OF YOU THAT FORSAKETH NOT ALL THAT HE HATH, HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.”
Jesus did not want a blind, naive commitment that expected only blessings. As a builder estimates costs or a king evaluates military strength, so PEOPLE MUST CONSIDER WHAT JESUS EXPECTS OF HIS FOLLOWERS BEFORE THEY COMMIT THEIR LIVES TO HIM.
Luke 9:57-58—“And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee withersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
Jesus wanted this man to know that it really meant to be His disciple. Jesus did not have a home; following Him meant living a life of denial.
Luke 9:59-60—“And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.”
Notice what this second man said. “Lord, suffer me first to go. . . .” In other words, “Lord . . . me first.” He called Jesus by the name of Lord, but actually he put his own desires and interests first.
The words “Lord” and “me first” are totally opposed to each other; we must choose one or the other.
Luke 9:61-61—“And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, NO MAN, HAVING HIS HAND TO THE PLOUGH, AND LOOKING BACK, IS FIT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD.”
The cost of being a true follower of Jesus is steep. Neither HARDSHIPS, nor BEREAVEMENT, nor FAMILY TIES should keep anyone from following Him (v. 62).
John 6:66-68—“From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, WILL YE ALSO GO AWAY? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? THOU HAST THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE.”
Philippians 3:8—“. . . I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.”
Matthew 13:44—“The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.”
In ancient times it was common to hide treasure in the ground since there were no banks.
What the man received was so much more valuable than what he gave up.
The disciple GIVES UP control of his life to Christ, but he GAINS eternal life.
Matthew 16:24-26—“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. FOR WHAT IS A MAN PROFITED, IF HE SHALL GAIN THE WHOLE WORLD, AND LOSE HIS OWN SOUL?”
“The whole world” refers to all the things that could possibly be achieve or acquired in this life.
As the Savior talked with the twelve, He realized that the desire for material riches might be a powerful deterrent against full surrender. And so He said, in effect, “Suppose you could stockpile all the gold and silver in the whole world, could own all the real estate and property, all the stocks and bonds—everything of material value—and suppose that in your frantic effort to acquire all this you missed the true purpose of life, what good would it do you? You would have it for only a short while; then you would leave it forever. It would be an insane bargain to sell your soul for a few toys of dust.”
No amount of earthly gain can ever make up for the tragic loss of one’s soul.
It may seem to you that Jesus was a bit harsh in these passages. Why was He so severe? He wanted from His disciples TOTAL COMMITMENT.
I’m not saying that Christ expects PERFECTION from His disciples.
I’m not saying that there are CONDITIONS on salvation.
Don’t be deceived by the lie that says you can be Christ’s disciple by believing some facts about Him in your head without totally committing your heart to Him.
A Christian is not one who simply buys “fire insurance,” who “accepts Christ” just to escape hell.
The person who says, “Save me, Jesus, but stay out of my life!” is not truly saved.
A. W. Tozer stated,
[Years ago] no one would ever dare to rise in a meeting and say, “I am a Christian” if he had not surrendered his whole being to God and had taken Jesus Christ as his Lord as well as his Saviour, and had brought himself under obedience to the will of the Lord. It was only then that he could say, “I am saved!”
Today, we let them say they are saved no matter how imperfect and incomplete the transaction, with the [stipulation] that the deeper Christian life can be tacked on at some time in the future.
Can it be that we really think that we do not owe Jesus Christ our obedience?
We have owed Him our obedience ever since the second we cried out to Him for salvation, and if we do not give Him that obedience, I have reason to wonder if we are really converted!
I see things and I hear things that Christian people are doing, and as I watch them operate within the profession of Christianity, I do raise the question of whether they have been truly converted.
Brethren, I believe it is the result of faulty teaching to begin with. They though of the Lord as a hospital and Jesus as chief of staff to fix up poor sinners that had gotten into trouble!
“Fix me up, Lord,” they have insisted, “so that I can go my own way!”
That is bad teaching, brethren.
Christ expects TOTAL COMMITMENT.
If He is not LORD OF ALL, He may not be LORD AT ALL!
