Disciples Of Christ
Sermon # 4 - Faithful Disciples Of Christ
Today is sermon #4 in a series of 5 sermons about Disciples of Christ. 3 weeks ago we examined the life and tragic end of a man named Judas. In his story we saw a picture of “False Disciples” Then we saw the story of a man named Joseph of Arimathaea who was described as a “secret disciple” in a sermon about “Fearful Disciples” Last week we examined the story of Simon Peter and his denial of Christ and preach on the subject of “Fallen Disciples Of Christ” Today we will look at “The Beloved Disciple” John. The Apostle John is one of the greatest characters that we will read about in the Word Of God.
In the past few weeks we have seen several examples of what not to do! We have witnessed the errors of Judas, Joseph & Peter. Today we do not have a perfect example of a disciple of Christ, but we do have a positive one. John along with his brother James were the “Sons of Thunder” John was a fisherman by trade. John was influenced by the ministry of John The Baptist. John was sought out and called by Jesus Christ to be a disciple
I would like to look at some of the highlights from John’s life and consider the thought “Faithful Disciples Of Christ”
The first thought that I would like to consider is:
I. Faithful Disciples Are Surrendered - Matthew 4:21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. 22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
John didn’t just “accept” Jesus as the Messiah. He surrendered his life to Him!
Jesus would later explain the surrender involved in a true disciple’s life “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it”. Matthew 16:24
A. He left his job - He was a fisherman. This was his profession.
B. He left his family - John & his brother James left the family business. They went away and left their daddy with broken nets in his hand.
C. He left his home - Following Jesus brought much uncertainty. It was un-chartered territory for these men. It was a risk that took them out of their comfort zone.
Becoming a faithful disciple begins with SURRENDER! I believe that this is why we see so few “faithful disciples of Christ” You must understand that there is more involved in the Christian walk than simply “accepting Jesus as Savior” You, like John must fully surrender yourself to Jesus!Being a faithful disciple will require you to step out of your comfort zone.
1) It may require you to leave some things behind - “Deny yourself”
2) It may require you to lift some things up - “Take up your cross daily”
3) It may require you to live some things out - “Follow Jesus”
The Christian life is more than a one time decision; it is a daily walk with Jesus Christ. Along with surrender comes sacrifice. As I mentioned, There are some things that you may have to leave behind in order to be a “faithful disciple of Christ”
John addressed this in his later writings - 1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Not loving the world and the things that are in it is something that doesn’t come easy to us!
We find an account in the book of Luke where several people had difficulty leaving certain things behind in order to follow Jesus - Luke 9:57 ¶And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 58 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. 59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 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. 62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
1) People don’t want to sacrifice Personal Aspirations - Those things in life that WE WANT TO ACCOMPLISH FOR OURSELVES.
2) People don’t want to sacrifice Family Obligations - “Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father”
3) People don’t want to sacrifice Close Relations - “Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.” - Jesus makes a very sobering statement in verse 62 “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Jesus is not looking for half-hearted commitment…. HE SEEKS SURRENDERED FAITHFUL DISCIPLES! There are many who have put their hand to the plough and then looked back to the old life. There are some here today who have made a half-hearted commitment to Christ. There are some who have never truly been saved. But there are some who have been saved and have fallen away.
Much like the story of Peter that we witnessed last week, you have fallen. Does this mean that you cannot be a “faithful disciple”? Of course not! If there is hope of restoration (and there is) then there is the possibility of you being a FAITHFUL DISCIPLE!
That brings us to the next thought I would like to consider:
II. Faithful Disciples May Fail At Times - Matthew 26:37 and he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. 40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
For this thought we return to the story of Jesus in The Garden. We have addressed the fact that Peter, James & John were Christ’s inner circle, Jesus chose these men to come with Him during this difficult hour. It was an honor to be with Him at this place,
But, these men were tired, concerned & weary. And sleep came easier than prayer,
John did not betray Christ as Judas did. John did not deny Christ like Peter. But John was not perfect, In this moment, he failed!
Jesus came to them, and found them sleeping. He said “What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”
Your spirit may be willing, but your flesh is weak.
You may be here and you have failed
You have given in to the limits of this flesh
You have been tempted and failed.
You are not without hope! Jesus didn’t write John off after he failed! Jesus didn’t even write Peter off after he betrayed him!
If you have failed, there is still hope for you to be faithful disciple of Christ! In fact, John recovered rather quickly, (in a very difficult time I might add) Consider:
III. Faithful Disciples Remain When Others Leave
John 19:25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! 27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
John went deeper and further in his relationship with God. He was never satisfied just to be a disciple. He was the one leaning on Jesus breast at the Last Supper
Judas betrayed Christ, John was faithful
Peter denied Christ, John was faithful
When others watched from afar, John was at the cross
When the others were hiding for fear, John was at the cross
All who had proclaimed that they would never leave Him left, JOHN REMIANED!
I would like to point out something. Many would point out the fact that John was bold in his faithfulness to be at the cross. There was a great risk involved in being identified as a follower of Christ. But consider also the fact that John had a front row seat to the agony of the Cross. His Master, Savior, Teacher & Friend was being brutally crucified as John watched. Jesus was suffering because of John’s sins and mine and John had to watch.
It would have been easy to turn away, He may have been tempted to leave But John suffered through the pain of watching his friend facing the torture, agony and pain of the crucifixion. Folks, there are times when the Christian life isn’t easy.
There are times when the easiest thing you can do is remain silent. There are times when we would like to be as Joseph and become “secret disciples” But these are the times when “faithful disciples” must be “bold & courageous”
We have seen that “Faithful Disciples Are Surrendered To Christ, they may Fail, They will remain when others leave but finally I would like to see that:
IV. Faithful Disciples Live In The Spirit
Revelation 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia;
There are some great benefits to being a Faithful disciple of Christ. When you live in the spirit, you experience blessings that this world cannot give. You may even experience things that others cannot even understand, We may not receive some first hand divine revelation as John did, but there are some things that happened to John that will happen to you when you live in the spirit.
A. When You Live In The Spirit You Will Hear Christ - I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet…
B.. When You Live In The Spirit You Will See Christ - v12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
C. When You Live In The Spirit You Will Be Used By Christ - {Jesus said} I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
D. When You Live In The Spirit You Will Be Comforted By Christ - v17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
You may not see Christ with your physical eyes, you may not hear Him with an audible voice. But He will speak to your spirit. You can see Him with eyes of faith. He will use you to accomplish a specific task. He will comfort your troubled heart. There are many benefits to being in the SPIRIT! But you cannot be in the spirit, if you are not a faithful disciple.
In fact if you look at this sermon, Points #1 & #4 are book ends. You cannot have one without the other! If you seek to be a faithful disciple you must BE SURRENDERED and you must LIVE IN THE SPIRIT!
When you do these things, Christ will bless you in ways that you cannot imagine
When you do these things you will “remain when others depart”
When you do these things Christ will use you do accomplish great things for His Kingdom
When you do these things you will be in the center of the Father’s will
When you do these things you will bring honor & glory to the Father’s name
When you do these things you WILL BE A FAITHFUL DISCIPLE OF CHRIST!
Can you say that you are faithful today? If not, you can change that right now! I am not asking you if you have prayed a prayer and “asked” Jesus to “come into your heart” I am asking if you have surrendered ALL TO HIM TODAY. If you haven’t… DON”T LEAVE UNTILL YOU DO!
