06 March, 2023
Post By : Admin
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DIGGING DEEP NO. 975 – March 7th, 2023 Isaiah 43:10-12 |
10 “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord,
“And My servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and believe Me,
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
Nor shall there be after Me.
11 I, even I, am the Lord,
And besides Me there is no savior.
12 I have declared and saved,
I have proclaimed,
And there was no foreign god among you;
Therefore you are My witnesses,”
Says the Lord, “that I am God.
We will reflect on the purpose of being disciples and the significance of making disciples this evening. It is one of Christ’s commands.
Question 1: Stages of Carnal Development
For those that have attended a university or have children who have graduated, what are the FOUR-degree levels of college education that result in a diploma?
Answer: College degrees generally fall into four categories: associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral. Each college degree level varies in length, requirements, and outcomes.
Just as the scholastic systems worldwide have overarching requirements for every level of cognitive development before being granted a diploma, the same stages of spiritual development can be said for the Christian Believer. However, there are some key differences between the world’s system and God’s School of the Spirit.
Being a believer, follower, or disciple, in Jesus is a decision we make for ourselves. Each level is a significant step toward the full life that Christ provides for us. Being a believer entails accepting the Bible’s teachings, accepting the way of life that Jesus led while on earth, and joining with others in worshiping God, His Son, and His Holy Spirit—the God-head Trinity that created and maintains the cosmos and seeks a personal relationship with each of His human creations in order to bring us all to the fullness of life that we were intended to experience.
Question 2: What does it mean to be a “Believer in Christ Jesus”?
Answer: Believing in Jesus Christ is the most important choice we’ll make and is the first step toward the life He offers us. In life, there are many decisions we have no control over; we do not decide our birthdate, parents, gender*, nationality, genealogy, physical traits, relatives, etc. and yet we’re given arguable the power to make the most important decision of all… the choice to believe or not believe in Jesus Christ. To believe means to confess & accept salvation*
Jesus Christ illustrates the challenges & progression of the new believers’ journey in The Parable of the Sower. The parable of the sower is a parable of Jesus found in Matthew 13:1–23, Mark 4:1–20 & Luke 8:4–15. The parable of the sower is an ‘allegory’ about the Kingdom of God. In other words, it can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning; everything in the story represents something else. It is a believer’s growth parable.
| Parable | Meaning | Significance for today |
| A man went out to sow grain. | The man represents God and the seed is His message. | Just as a planted seed starts to grow, the word of God starts to deepen and grow within a person. These are Believers. |
| Some seed fell on the path and the birds ate it. | The birds represent Satan. The seed on the path represents people who hear the message, but it is immediately lost. | There are people who don’t live a good Christian life because they are focused on other things. These are Non-Believers. |
| Some seed fell on rocky ground where there was little soil. The seed soon sprouted, but when the sun came up it burnt the young plants. | The seed on the rocky ground represents people who respond with initial enthusiasm, but the word of God does not sink in deep. When persecution or hard times (represented by the sun) come along they give up at once. | People cannot commit to the Christian lifestyle. They are initially attracted but give up when the going gets tough. |
| Some seed fell among thorn bushes which grew up and choked the plants. | The thorn bushes choke the message of God. It is heard, but people’s concern for riches and their worries about life cause the plants to die. | Some people are too concerned with what others think and they worry too much. They may be jealous, angry or concerned with materialism. |
| Some seed fell on good soil and the plants produced corn. | Good soil represents people who hear the message and live it in their lives. | Some people have strong faith and remain dedicated to a Christian lifestyle, even when things are difficult. These are Followers. |
Paul said in Romans 10:8-13 NKJV
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
John said in John 3:16 NKJV
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten* Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
To believe means to confess with our mouths & accept in our hearts, for as long as we live, that Jesus Christ came and died for my sins, was raised from the dead by the Holy Spirit, and still lives seated at the Right Hand of God interceding on our behalf.
Question 3: What does it mean to be a “Follower of Jesus”?
Answer: This step necessitates a life-long dedication to walking/traveling with Christ through life’s circumstances in everything we do. Some refer to this as rebirth or exchange. Now, some theologians like to teach, when we believe and decide to follow Christ, we are a new creature, the old has passed away, and the new has come (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). I’m here to tell you that an academic understanding of that verse suggests that following Christ is automatic; plus that isn’t what that verse means in its original context.
Jesus said in Matthew 16:24-25 NKJV
21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, [i]“Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are [j]an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me*, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
What does it mean to “take up his cross”?
Let’s begin with what Jesus didn’t mean in this verse. Many people interpret the “cross” to be taken up as some burden they must carry in their lives: a strained relationship, a thankless job, a physical illness, etc. They look at their challenge with self-pitying pride and say, “That’s my cross I have to carry.” Jesus wasn’t referring to this when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.” Nobody in Jesus’ day considered carrying a cross as a constant annoyance or a heavy burden. In the first century, a person’s only understanding of the cross was: death-sentence by crucifixion. Carrying a cross meant accepting the most torturous and shameful method of death humans could devise.
Two thousand years later, Christians view the cross as a cherished symbol of atonement, forgiveness, grace, and love. But in Jesus’ day, the cross represented a torturous death. The Romans forced convicted criminals to carry their own crosses to the place of crucifixion (see John 19:17). Bearing a cross meant a grueling death sentence, a slow and painful death, ushered with ridicule and disgrace along the way.
In the first century, Jews believed Jesus would free them from the oppressive rule of their Roman occupiers. Some hoped He would continue to provide free lunches for everyone (John 6:26). Jesus’ statement that following Him requires taking up a cross made people think twice about their motivations and level of commitment.
For a cultural context, Passion of the Christ, as great of a movie as it was, did get a key aspect of Jesus’ Passion (His crucifixion) incorrect, it had Him still clothed from the waist down. Jesus and anybody else being crucified would have been completely naked! A true crucifixion was the ultimate display of disgrace because after a Jewish child has passed through their bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah; they’re considered an adult, and from that day onward, they are allowed to marry another Jew (the responsibility of spiritual knowledge was the responsibility of the parents not the Pharisees); otherwise, they can only marry a gentile, have children, and nobody, including their earthly parents, is allowed to look upon their nakedness. Jesus earned this right at 12 years old when rather than reciting the laws of the Torah and answering questions by the Pharisees, Jesus was instead asking THEM questions and answering questions and teaching them deep knowledge of the laws of the Torah. This same Jesus, was afforded the right to be called a man at 12 and his nakedness was no longer permitted to be seen by anybody except His spouse.
Hence why… what Ham did to Noah, his father, by seeing his father’s nakedness and then telling his brother rather than covering it was considered an abomination and earned him a curse). Jesus was completely naked, with the shame and disgrace of a person not worth any form of decency, and the world too look upon His nakedness.
Therefore, Jesus’ command to “take up your cross and follow Me” is a clarion call to self-abasement and self-sacrifice. One must be willing to die in order to follow Jesus. Dying to self is absolute surrender to God.
To follow means to count the cost, access the challenges, and accept the slow, painful process of dying to your personal desires (flesh), earthly desires (vain aspirations), and demonic influences (temptation) daily in order to become more and more and more like Jesus Christ. (Length, requirements, and outcomes.)
Jesus said in Luke 9:57-62 ESV
The Cost of Following Jesus
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus told him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
60 And Jesus[g] said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 6
1 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”
62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Jesus also said in John 6:63-69 ESV
63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”
Question 4: What does it mean to be a “Disciple of Jesus”?
Answer: A disciple is, by definition, someone who accepts and helps spread another person’s doctrines. A person who accepts and helps spread the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ is a Christian disciple. Christian discipleship is the process by which believers mature in their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and receive the Holy Spirit’s assistance in overcoming the pressures and tribulations of this world so that they can increasingly resemble Christ. In order to complete this process, Christians must heed the Holy Spirit’s nudge to examine their words, deeds, and attitudes in light of God’s Word. This calls for us to spend time in the Bible daily—studying, praying, and obeying it. Additionally, according to 1 Peter 3:15, we should always be prepared to teach others how to follow Jesus’ example and testify to the source of the hope that dwells within us. Being a Christian disciple involves personal growth that is indicated by the following, according to Scripture:
1. Placing Christ first in everything (Mark 8:34–38). Christ’s disciple must be distinguished from the world. Our main concern should be how to live a life that pleases our Lord in every way. We must put off our own interests and put on Christ’s.
2. Adhering to Jesus’ instructions (John 8:31–32). We must be obedient followers of the Word and His children (James 1:22). The ultimate test of one’s faith in God is obedience (1 Samuel 28:18). Whoever has my commands and obeys them is the one who loves me, according to Jesus (John 14:21). Jesus is also the best example of submission because He lived a life of total submission to the Father while He was on earth, even to the point of death (Philippians 2:6–8).
3. Produce fruit (John 15:5–8). Christians should lead productive lives that reflect the fruit of the Spirit, good deeds, and “the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Hebrews 12:11). Technically, it is not our responsibility to bear fruit; rather, our duty is to abide in Christ, and the fruit will come (John 15:1–8). God wants us to bear “much fruit” so that He can use us to bring about blessed change in a broken, fallen world (v. 8).
4. Compassion for other followers (John 13:34–35). Our love for other Christians signifies that we belong to God’s family (1 John 3:10; & John 15:18* ). 1 Corinthians 13:1–13 gives an explanation of love. These verses demonstrate that love is an action rather than an emotion. We need to be engaged in something in order to be able to love. Thinking more highly of others than of ourselves and protecting their interests is one way to demonstrate love (Philippians 2:3–4). To be patient and not take offense at every slight is another way to demonstrate love (1 Peter 4:8).
5. Making others into disciples (Matthew 28:18–20). Multiplying disciples. The instruction to “go and make disciples of all nations” was one of the final things Jesus uttered to His followers before ascending into heaven (Matthew 28:19). Both evangelism and discipleship are involved in this, as people are encouraged to repent and believe in Christ while hearing the gospel. Christians should take a proactive role in mentoring those who will mentor others. The pattern of Jesus’ ministry follows this: He trained eleven men who went on to spend the rest of their lives making disciples, who in turn trained others to make disciples, and so on. This pattern is also present in 2 Timothy 2:2
A Christian disciple is someone who always prioritizes following Jesus, submits to the Lord, bears fruit that is pleasing to the Lord, demonstrates love for others, and multiplies the number of disciples. Such a person will undoubtedly have an impact on this corrupt world to God’s glory. (Length, requirements, and outcomes.)