A Transformed Disciple II
By: Pastor Donny Granberry
This past Sunday we looked into two questions.
1. Are you a disciple or follower of Christ.
2. What distinguishes followers of Christ from others.
What do people in the world think about Christians?
• They do not understand where they come from.
• They think Christians are produced through the will of the flesh. (Saved through works)
• They think you become a Christian through the will or plan of man. (Salvation through generational Christianity)
This morning we want to take a look at what it means to be a Transformed disciple or follower of Christ.
You see, there are many people in America, and around the world who are very religious, yet are also spiritually dead.
When the Lord sat down with Nicodemus, He knew that He was talking to someone who was a religious person, yet spiritually dead.
Jesus did not begin by beating up on Nicodemus; instead, He made the new birth so appealing it became Good News, a free offer of eternal life.
The news of the gospel is so good that when people believe it in their heart, they gladly repent of their old life of sin that has been dominated by the devil and enter the kingdom of God.
Romans 12:1-2 NIV
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.
So, what does it mean to be a Transformed disciple of Christ?
1. To be a Transformed disciple of Jesus Christ means
submitting to Him as the final authority in
everything.
In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed, “Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." Jesus, or model, submitted to the Father.
In other words, Jesus is not only Savior but also Lord.
• The unquestioned teacher
• The unchallenged boss
• The undisputed father of life
True disciples joyfully die to self because they have found true life and purpose in Christ.
The Sermon on the Mount could be called the Constitution and By-laws of the kingdom of God because of this statement, “No one can serve two masters.” (Matthew 6:24)
Jesus continues with an example, “You cannot serve both God and money. (This could have said “both God and people, or self, or family, or the world, or sin, or anything else)
Anything that usurps God’s position in our lives violates the constitutional principle.
The disciples left all to follow Christ, and the same requirement is true today.
The best way to simplify your life and ministry is to remember Christ’s words, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
It is ridiculous for people to claim they are disciples, and yet they choose not to obey Christ.
• They want the benefits of eternal life but not the responsibilities of citizenship.
• They want Jesus as Savior but not as Lord.
• They want the gift, but not the giver.
Luke 6:46
Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?
Jesus spent his time making disciples, not rebels.
Rebel’s say to God:
• I love your words, but not your will.
• I need you, but I love me.
• I’ll praise you, but I will not obey you.
Rebels resent authority, discipline, and scream legalism when challenged to live a holy life.
Christ, our example, submitted to the Father, “He prayed, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, not my will but yours be done.”
To be a disciple, a follower of Jesus, we must submit to Him, and ..
2. To be a transformed disciple of Jesus Christ means
to make Him the ultimate model for living.
When Jesus chose his disciples, He challenged them, from day one, to follow Him.
To the disciple, Jesus is everything.
SONG
Jesus you’re everything to me, Jesus you’re everything to me,
I lift my hands, and I raise my voice to sing this song of praise,
Jesus you’re everything to me.
If He is our model, and He is our everything, then;
• Our evangelism must say, come to Him
• Our discipleship must say, learn about Him
• Our worship must say, love Him
• Pentecost must say, serve Him
Everything we say and do must be centered on Him.
Far too much Christianity today says;
• Come to our church, its all about us
• Build our kingdom, its all about us
• Invest in our works, its all about us
• Sing to our music, its all about us
We are not called to be disciples of someone’s ministry, but disciples of Christ.
Jesus told his disciples, “Follow me and I will make you…”
Paul told the church, “Follow my example (not me), as I follow the example of Christ.”
To be a follower of Christ we must submit to Him, we must make Him our model in life, and …
3. To be a transformed disciple of Jesus Christ means
to love and respect His church.
To the disciple of Christ, the church is a spiritual safety net of a wonderful family of brothers and sisters in Christ.
When you see a child who does not have a good family life it makes you feel sad and want to do something to help.
There are thousands of people all around us that need the love, acceptance, relationship, security, nourishment of a good church family.
There is nothing more beautiful in the kingdom of God than a spirit-filled church whose members love and honor their pastor and obviously love and respect each other.
When you show love, honor, and respect to your pastor and each other, you build unity within the body of Christ.
A divided, dysfunctional church will reproduce dysfunctional disciples who are confused about their own identity in Christ.
The church is the resource God has provided to model the right kind of relationships to build up one another in the Lord.
There are some Christians who decide they no longer need the church.
That my friend is foolish.
1. The church was established by the Lord himself to be a university of higher learning with teachers and curriculum.
2. When Christians decide they can get along without something the Lord mandated, they are saying that they are smarter than God.
3. There are lessons learned through corporate experience that cannot be learned any other way.
(e.g. praise, worship, prayer, intercessory prayer instruction ministry, missions, the list goes on and on)
Serving the Lord is not a solo act; it is becoming a part of something greater than oneself.
Illustration
Middle C is the most important note on the piano and is used more than any other key, but its value is not in and of itself.
Its value is in how it is related to all the other keys on the piano.
Can you imagine how awful a concert of middle C alone would sound?
People who do not need the church are like a middle C key with a mind of its own.
They want all the attention and applause, or they will not play.
A church is like a symphony of heaven played by the master musician using every note.
To be a disciple of Christ we must submit to Him, make Him our model in life, and we must love and respect His church.
