Following Jesus (Part 5)

Pastor Rocklyn E. Clarke - Sunday August 12, 2007

© 2007 Life Church Ministries, Inc.

http://www.LifeChurchMinistries.org/

 
V Introduction
* Bible Reading 8/5 - 8/11: Ezra 1:1 - Neh 3:14; 1Cor 1:18 - 7:24; Psalm 27:7 - 31:24; Prov 20:22 - 21:4
> Review
V New Material
> Preparation
V Following Jesus (continued)
V How do I follow Jesus? (continued)
V Are You a Christian?
V Review Principles:
* God exists
* God loves you and wants a relationship with you
* A relationship with God must be on his terms
V God's terms are: "Follow Jesus" - John 6:29
V The word "Christian"
* In Scripture - Acts 11:26; Acts 26:28; 1Pet 4:16.
V Transliteration
* Greek word cristianos (pronounced christianos) ---> Christ
* Hebrew word "masshiach" ---> messiah
* The Anointed One
* "Christian" means follower of Christ
V Jesus' Own Words
V What does Jesus say about himself?
* He is the Christ - Mat 16:13-20; John 10:22-39
V What does Jesus want us to do?
V Repent and believe the good news - Mark 1:14-15
* Repent - turn, change your mind
* Good News - Luke 2:1-20; Luke 4:14-21; Luke 7:17-23
V Believe in him
* He encouraged it - John 9:35-38
* Believing in him is believing in the Father - John 12:44-50
V Follow him
* If you don't follow you're not worthy - Mat 10:32-42
* Take up your cross - Mark 8:31-38
* His sheep follow him - John 10:27
* Those who want to serve him must follow him - John 12:20-36
* Unite with him and with each other - John 17
* Proclaim the Good News - Mark 16:14-16
V Ordo Salutis - Rom 8:28-39
V Foreknowledge
* Implies relationship
* Predestination
V Calling
V Phases (Repentance, Faith, Baptism, etc.) - Heb 6:1-2
V Repentance
* Godly Sorrow - Psalm 51; 2Sam 11-12; Luke 5:1-11; 2Cor 2:1-11; 7:8-12
V From Our Perspective
* Zacchaeus - Luke 19:1-10
V From The Father's Perspective
* Parables of lost sheep and lost coin - Luke 15:1-10
* Parable of lost son - Luke 15:11-32
V Saving Faith
* Results in eternal life - John 3:1-21
V Expectation - Mat 9:18-26
* you are vulnerable to God disappointing you
* New Birth - John 3:1-8
V Conversion process
V The "cross-fade" metaphor
V old lifestyle loses credibility due to contradictions
* internal contradictions
* external contradictions
* commitment to old lifestyle wanes due to lost credibility
* Kingdom of God becomes more and more credible
V Phase 1
* No effective awareness of Kingdom of God
* Complete commitment to independance from God
V Attitude Examples
* I lie because it works and anyone who has sense does too.
V Phase 2
* Awareness of Kingdom of God
* Commitment to Kingdom growing
* Commitment to old lifestyle exceeds commitment to Kingdom
V Attitude Examples
* I lie because it works for me, but I know there are some people who can get along without lying.
V Phase 3
* Commitment to Kingdom of God matches commitment to old lifestyle
* Candidate may have one or more experiences that are labelled as conversion experiences
* Candidate is "double-minded"
V Attitude Examples
* I lie, but I'm thinking about giving it up.
V Phase 4
* Commitment to Kingdom of God exceeds commitment to old lifestyle
* Candidate settles into practical church membership
V Attitude Examples
* I usually tell the truth, but there are some situations where lying is acceptable.
V Phase 5
* All lingering commitment to old lifestyle is extinguished - this is full repentance
* Candidate is fully committed to those aspects of the Kingdom that he/she knows about
* There is a clear path for future spiritual growth
V Attitude Examples
* Lying is wrong and I rarely do it - if I lie, it's because I was in a sudden jam and fell back on an old habit.
* Warning about treatment of unsaved family members
* Justification
V Follow him
* If you don't follow you're not worthy - Mat 10:32-42
* Take up your cross - Mark 8:31-38
* His sheep follow him - John 10:27
* Those who want to serve him must follow him - John 12:20-36
V Glorification
* kabod / doxa
* Parable of the Sower - Mat 13:1-23; Luke 8:4-15
V Some neglect and ultimately abandon the relationship with God.
V No one can snatch them out of my hand - John 10:27-30
* It is impossible to be lost when you still genuinely want a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
* If your hand offends you - Mat 5:27-30
* Disqualified - 1Cor 9:24 - 1Cor 10:13 (ref. Luke 12:35-48)
* Impossible for the enlightened to return - Heb 6:1-12
V Can you lose your salvation?
* Can you divorce your husband/wife?
* Can you abandon your children?
* Can you turn your back on your parents?
* Can you reject your friends?
V Spiritual Maturity - Heb 6:1-12
V Following Jesus Leads to Spiritual Maturity
* Accountability
* Stability
* Taking Responsibility For Your Own Growth
* Taking Responsibility for Ministry
* Reproducing Yourself
V Obstacles to Spiritual Maturity
* Focusing on life's worries, riches, and pleasures - Luke 8:4-15
* Failure to focus on the things of the Spirit - 1Cor 2:6-12; Col 3:1-10
V Misunderstanding what spiritual maturity is
* Spiritual maturity is not sinlessness
* Spiritual maturity is a lifestyle of effective engagement (i.e. engagement that produces real results).
* Spiritual Consumerism
V Accountability / Holiness
* To God - Blamelessness (not sinlessness) - Gen 6:9; Gen 17:1
V To other believers
V Walking in the light - 1John 1:5 - 2:6
* Exposing your actions
* Exposing your thoughts
* Exposing your motives
V Consistent availability - Heb 13:7, 17
* Sunday service PLUS life group
* Not - one church for Sunday and another for life group
* You should develop intimate friendships and accountability with the same people you fellowship with on Sunday.
* Stability - Eph 4:10-17; James 1:2-4
V Taking Responsibility For Your Own Growth - Philip 3:1-15; Heb 5:11-14
* Learning lifestyle vs. Entertainment lifestyle
* Fight until the fight becomes automatic. Wounded people are not always able to fight, but once they experience healing they must learn to do the fighting that they’ve been avoiding and keep fighting until they automatically hold their ground.
* Dramatize the “impossible switch” (ref Staples Easy Button)
* Sabbath discipline - prioritizing the Lord
V Taking responsibility for ministry - Mat 6:33; Luke 9:23-25; Rom 12:3-8
V Pleasing God must be more important than pleasing ourselves
* Luke 22:42; John 4:27-38; John 6:38;
V Your actions and words should build up others - Eph 4:29; 1Pet 4:11
V The New Testament writers weren't trying to write "scripture".
* They were trying to serve other believers.
* In doing so they produced scripture - 2Pet 3:15-16
V Your life should produce "scripture"
* Charles's recollection at the retreat
V My own frequent sharing of things Bishop said to me
* "I trust you with souls"
V Taking Responsibility For Reproducing yourself
* Fruitfulness - Mat 7:15-20; Luke 13:6-9; John 15:1-8
* God has promised you spiritual offspring
* Pray - Father I want to lead others to spiritual maturity.
* Define evangelism, followup, discipleship
* Work in the vineyard
* Require maturity from individuals in the congregation.
V Three Phases
* Developing godly habits
* Turning godly habits into skills
* Combining godly habits and skills into your ministry
* Have you made the “maturity decision” yet?
V Godly Habits Of Highly Effective Believers
V Relating to God - Prayer
* Talking with God - Jer 29:11-14; 2Cor 3; 1Pet 1:17
* Hearing from God boosts assurance of salvation
V Get started
* God wants to speak to you.
* God is able to speak to you.
* God is able to make you confident that you've heard from him.
* Trust him to do this as you approach him.
* Say "Speak Lord - your servant is listening" - 1Sam 3:1-18
* Start with praise and thanksgiving (use Psalms as a guide).
* Take time to listen.
* Write down the thoughts that come to you.
V God wants to meet your needs
* Children use their parents' resources.
* We get to use God's resources.
* Keep borrowing God's car and he'll give you one of your own.
* Life is God's training program for you.
* God wants to share the universe with you.
* Apostles make plans with God's resources in mind.
* Sometimes God wants us to narrow down the possibilities before we come to him for guidance. Make a list of alternatives with pros and cons. Propose the best solutions to God while allowing him to completely override your selection. God requires that we avoid laziness and inertia in the process of hearing from him.
* Warn about saying "I hope" during prayer.
V Relating to God - Worship
* Gratitude - Luke 7:36-50
* Love for God - 1Pet 1:8-9;
V Giving
* Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift - 1Cor 9:15
* Prayer releases revelation; giving releases resources (Tudor Bismarck). Service releases leadership.
V Relating to God - Learning and Doing His Word
* No flying "by the seat of your pants"
* Discipline your though life according to God's Word - Rom 12:2
V The Bible
* Discuss origins, translation, etc.
* Discuss inspiration - plenary, verbal, etc.
* Discuss versions, translations, paraphrases, etc.
* Don't use the Bible just to prove a point.
V Relating to Believers - Fellowship
* Love for others - Mat 25:31-46; John 13:34-35; 1John 3:18
* Sunday service is like Thanksgiving - we should all be together.
* Holiness
V Relating to Believers - Discipleship
* Relational Evangelism Quiz - grade yourself
- inviting people to church
- inviting people to your life group
- winning people on your own
- connecting believers you know to an unbeliever you know
V Followup
* CPR - seconds count - Followup
* The Life Church way is one on one
* Illustrate demonic opposition to followup / discipleship and how prayer counteracts this opposition.
* Discipleship is not a curriculum - it’s a lifestyle.
* How many people wish they had someone to disciple them? Provide a solution.
* Have I been discipled? How do I know when the job is done? What does discipleship look like?
* Relating to Believers - Service
* Relating to Unbelievers - Caring
* Relating to Unbelievers - Service
V Relating to Unbelievers - Evangelism
V 4 P's
* Purpose
* Position
* Plan
* Partner
* Relating to My Community - Service
V Service
* Increase your capacity to serve
V Discussion Questions / Topics (based on the indicated scriptures)
VGroup A: Mark 1:14-15; Luke 2:8-20; Luke 4:14-21
* What's the best non-spiritual news you remember receiving?
* When you first learned about Jesus did he seem like good news to you?
* When you tell other people about salvation through Jesus Christ do you present it as good news? Do they receive it as good news?
* Now that you've read these verses do you need to change the way that you tell people about Jesus or do anything else differently?
VGroup B: 2Cor 7:8-12; 2Sam 12:1-14; Psalm 51
* Describe a time when you experienced worldly sorrow (e.g. sorrow because you got in trouble).
* Describe the first time that you experienced godly sorrow (e.g. sorrow because you offended God).
* What did you do as a result of feeling godly sorrow? Did you repent?
* Now that you've read these passages, is there anything that God is telling you to do differently?
VGroup C: Mat 18:1-6 (from last week)
* What kind of status did the disciples want?
* Whom did Jesus offer to them as an example to copy? What kind of status did this person have?
* Describe a time in your life when you were focused on your own status.
* In what ways have you changed and humbled yourself?
* What role does status play in your life now?
VGroup D: Acts 11:26 (from last week)
* Does the term "Christian" (i.e. follower of Christ) apply to you?
* What does it mean to be a "follower" of someone?
* Have you ever been a "follower" of someone else? How so?
* Assuming that someone is worth following, what do you need to know about him/her in order to follow effectively?
* What have you done this past week to follow Jesus more effectively?
* What will you do this coming week to follow Jesus more effectively?
V Witnessing Activities For This Week's Life Group Meetings
* Make sure everyone in your life group has a prayer partner.
* Make plans for praying with your prayer partners on a weekly basis.
* Plan a social event for your group to which you can invite some of the unbelievers you've been praying for.