The cost of discipleship
Matthew 10:1-42 (NIV)
Question: What is the cost of discipleship? What is it that we are really supposed to do? Where do we say ok Jesus that is asking too much? What part of ourselves can we keep and still have God in our lives. What are the rules to the contract?
Illustration: we enter into a covenant with Christ when we give our lives to him. I say give our lives to him rather than invite him into our hearts for a reason and I hope you see why when I am done. But we are in a covenant. This is like a contract.
This day and age when one reads a contract before they sign it they are looking to see what are the obligations of both parties.
Particularly their obligations. What do I have to do to live up to my end of the bargain and what are the consequences for not living up to this contract.
I would like to submit that this covenant is an all inclusive on. One where Jesus says “I will give you my life” and then signs it with his blood and then its only reasonable reason for us to say the same. "I give you my life" and then we sign it with the blood of our discipleship.
Run the story
- Jesus has given his twelve’s disciples a mission to spread the good news of his kingdom.
- He also gives them powers to heal and cast out demons to demonstrate or to prove their insertion that the kingdom of heaven is at hand
- This is an all important mission.
- Jesus picks twelve people for what reason?
- Why did he have disciples?
- Well so that he could teach them everything they needed to know and that they would tell others and so on and so on so after Jesus would die his kingdom will still live on.
If he didn’t it was possible for Christianity to die out
- It’s still possible now
- If we don’t preach the good news of the kingdom then it dies out
We already lost a generation of people
30 % of bible believers
4% in 20 years
That is our grandchildren
Why is this?
Because we won’t tell anyone, we are lazy
Because we are to busy arguing over things like music and the color of the rugs.
But that’s not how its suppose to be
I. Jesus sends His disciples
a. To proclaim the coming of the Kingdom
i. It’s what everyone was waiting for
ii. God’s kingdom on earth
iii. Where he would rule and reign
iv. Forgiveness of sins
v. Redemption
b. Proved by signs and wonders
i. Heals the sick
ii. Cast out demons
iii. Freely you received grace freely give this grace, it’s for everyone
iv. Boy it must have been "Exciting times"
II. He gives them a warning
a. Not everyone will accept you
14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. 15 I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
16 I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.
b. Why not? Why won’t people accept such good news?
i. Gods kingdom is coming isnt that good?
1. He is ruler everything is subject to Him
2. Why wouldn’t they want this?
3. In order for His kingdom to reign we have to give up our own kingdom
a. We must get off the throne of our lives
i. We don’t want to do this
ii. We want to call the shots in our lives
iii. Don’t tell me what to do
iv. We would have to submit
v. We would have to admit we are sinners
vi. We would have to admit we have to change some things in our lives
vii. We love sin that’s why we do it.
Window: John the Baptist was beheaded for it. Repent for the kingdom is at hand. Told herod to repent. His wife Herodius was mad. She was the wife of Herods brother. He Had him beheaded because of his message.
ii. The outcome
17 they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues.
21"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22 All men will hate you because of me,
35 For I have come to turn "’a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- 36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household
1. They will be flogged because of it
2. Families will be split apart
3. Your life is going to get rough
III. Seems Jesus is asking a lot
a. Hey Jesus this is too much to ask
Window: It’s funny how we want to nail Jesus to the cross for our own redemption but we don’t want to carry our own cross for Jesus
b. We want Jesus to die for us, but we won’t die for him
c. We won’t tithe
d. We won’t serve
e. We put stipulations on everything
i. The truth be told, we have our own kingdom going and we don’t want to lose it
IV. The cost of discipleship
a. Everything
24 "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.
b. He says "If it’s going to happen to me it will happen to you."
38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
a. To expect the cross to count we must take up our own cross
b. Die to self
a. Life should become about him
b. How can we expect to be his disciple and live for ourselves?
c. The concept of disciple means imitating Christ
d. Sometime sharing him is hard
e. Sometimes people won’t listen
f. We will be called names
g. We will be ostracized
h. People won’t understand
i. But that’s ok
Window: You know one reason why small churches never grow. Because they are full of people who don¡¦t care. They have become comfortable with the way things are. They say they care but they act like they don¡¦t. To busy with their own kingdom to work for God kingdom
a. We risk our eternal life
I have good news for you
V. He has a reward for those that are faithful
a. He will tell us what to say
19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
b. We will be saved in the end when we stand firm
22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved
c. We will find true life
38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
d. He will acknowledge us before the father
32 "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
