Get In The Game - Making Disciples For Jesus (Part 6)

Pastor Rocklyn Clarke - Sunday July 13, 2008

© 2008 Life Church Ministries, Inc.

http://www.LifeChurchMinistries.org/

Introduction

Bible Reading 7/6 - 7/12: 1Chron 2:18 - 14:17; Acts 24:1 - Rom 1:17; Psalm 4-9; Prov 18:16 - 19:5

OT Timeline:

OT Contemporary Books:

Review

Get In The Game: Introduction

Consumer Christianity

Real Life Illustration

Preoccupation with what you can receive.

Great preaching

Great singing

Great children's ministry

Great youth ministry

Biblical Christianity

Losing your life to save your life

Peter rebukes Jesus - Mark 8:27-38

". . . take up your cross daily . . ." - Luke 9:18-26

Consumer Christians try to "save their lives" and ultimately lose them.

Biblical Illustration

The Church at Sardis (Rev 3:1-7) - Dead despite reputation

The Church at Laodicea (Rev 3:14-22) - Lukewarm

Fine linen = righteous acts of the saints - Rev 19:8

Moving from Consumer Christianity to Biblical Christianity

Our approach to Christianity is producing death rather than life!

There is a way that seems right but leads to death - Prov 14:12; 16:25

Get In The Game: Can These Dry Bones Live?

Passage: Ezek 37:1-14

Exegetical Idea

God speaks through a chosen messenger to resurrect a dead nation.

Analysis

What does this mean?

Begins with God's hand on an anointed messenger.

God takes him to a valley full of dead bones (unclean - Mat 23:27).

The bones are naked, separated, dry, and dead.

Phase 1 - tendons, flesh, and skin

Phase 2 - breath (Spirit)

Phase 3 - a vast army

Resurrection, restoration

Do I believe it?

Yes - God uses his Word to do things - Isa 55:10-11; Heb 4:12

Yes - God uses men to deliver his Word - (Cornelius - Acts 10)

Yes - God has revived his people several times in history

The Reformation - Martin Luther

The Pentecostal Revival of 1905 - William J. Seymour

The Faith Movement

The Cell Ministry Movement

What difference does it make? So What?

Much of the Church is failing to engage this generation.

Insanity - doing the same thing but expecting different results.

To accomplish God's purposes we must change.

Every follower of Jesus has a valley of dry bones tailor-made for him/her. Are you willing to be sent to your valley? Will you speak God's Word to the dry bones there and see them resurrected?

Homiletical Idea

Speak God's Word to restore the dead in your life to God's purposes.

How Do I Obey This Word?

Be a Team Player

Talk to your leaders about this.

Ask for help.

Who (Not What) Are the "Dead Bones" In Your Life?

Where are the believers in your life?

Who in your life knows Jesus but isn't reproducing himself/herself?

What God Is Saying To You About Them?

Are you spending time talking to God?

Are you listening to God?

Are you writing down what you hear?

Pray

Intercede for the "dead bones":

Pray biblically - Eph 1:15-23; Eph 3:14-19; Col 1:9-12

Pray for a Word from God for them

Speak

Speak what God tells you to say.

Speak when God tells you to speak.

Get In The Game: Carry Out The Mission - Luke 4:14-44

What is the mission? - Luke 4:14-21

Initial Message: "Repent, the Kingdom of God is near!" - Mat 4:17

Based on God's Word - not yours: Isa 42:1-8; 49:7-10; 61:1-11

Why are we here?

Christians are followers of "The Christ" - Jesus.

Disciples want to be like their teacher.

Jesus, the Christ and our teacher, had a mission and a message.

His followers embrace both the mission and the message.

Jesus' Mission

Other focused - the mission is directed towards others.

Many so-called believers are focused on themselves

"Insurance Christians" - Following the rules to avoid hell.

"Consumer Christians" - Focused on what they can get from God

Material things

Feeling good

Transcendent experiences

Consider churches in Revelation other than Sardis and Laodicea

Reflect on ways that we reward consumer Christianity

Life at the cusp of reformation

Change is at hand.

"My unbiblical practices are OK because everyone else is doing the same thing."

If we don't embrace this mission how can we be called Christians?

Jesus' Message

It has specific content: good news, freedom, sight, release, favor.

Some people get the message wrong.

The Four Corners drunk and Caesar Augustus

You need to get the message right:

Good news for people who have been facing bad news.

Freedom for those who don't have it.

Healing - especially sight for those who know they are blind.

Release for those enduring oppression.

Incorporate examples from your own life.

If you don't know what God is offering you won't value it.

If you don't value what God is offering you won't seek it.

If you don't seek what God is offering you won't get it.

It has a time frame: the "year" of God's favor.

For a limited time only - 2Cor 5:1 - 6:2

How can I align myself with Jesus' mission? - Luke 4:1-21

Recognize your current degree of alignment or lack thereof.

Help for "Insurance Christians"

Help for "Consumer Christians"

May view the Kingdom as more of a restaurant or supermarket rather than as a farm.

Help for "Cultural Christians"

Identify with him.

Be other-focused

Proclaim his message.

Initial Message: "Repent, the Kingdom of God is near!" - Mat 4:17

Some people get the message wrong.

The Four Corners drunk and Caesar Augustus - Luke 2:1-7

You need to get the message right:

Good news for people who have been facing bad news.

Freedom for those who don't have it.

Healing - especially sight for those who know they are blind.

Release for those enduring oppression.

Use this passage as a template - reread it and meditate on it.

Be reconciled to God - 2Cor 5:1 - 6:2

What is the message?

Everyone should be able to share the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ in a way that's easy for others to understand.

Disadvantages of traditional evangelical approaches.

Romans Road Map

A B C

Impressions we inadvertently convey

The Bible is a jig-saw puzzle that only skilled people can handle.

The Bible is a collection of "magic" verses.

It's Simple

Salvation Principles:

God exists!

God loves you and wants to have a relationship with you.

A relationship with God has to be on his terms.

God's terms are: follow Jesus!

Salvation Stages

Meet Jesus and hear his message

Repent, embrace the message and follow Jesus

Jesus reveals the Father to you and you join his family

Take your place in the family business

Participate in bigger and bigger corporate takeovers

Survive the final takeover and get a company of your own

Following Jesus With Your Whole Body

Head (brain, eyes, ears, nose, mouth)

Hands (serving and giving)

Heart (repenting, believing)

Reproductive Organs

Feet

Simple Salvation Passages

Parable Of The Sower - Luke 8:4-15

Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, Lost Son - Luke 15

Zacchaeus - Luke 19:1-10

"For God so loved the world . . ." - John 2:23 - 3:21

Jesus heals a man born blind - John 9:1 - 10:42

Cornelius' Household - John 10:1 - 11:18

Day Of Pentecost - Acts 2:1-47

Good illustration of "closing the deal"

Paul in Pamphylia - Acts 13:13-52

Paul's gospel - 1Cor 15:1-11

Paul in Athens - Acts 17:16-34

Rom 10

Key Illustrations

Faith - Heb 11

Grace - Luke 15:11-32 (lost son)

Repentance - Luke 3:1-14; Luke 15:11-32 (lost son)

Don't Lose Your Reward - 1Cor 3:10-15

God's Family Business - Where do you fit in?

Front office vs. factory floor

MacDonald's: Counter vs. Kitchen

Toyota: Vehicle Showroom vs. Factory

Understand its implications.

What happens when I share the message? - Luke 4:22-44

What happened when Jesus shared the message?

People who knew Jesus growing up didn't take his ministry seriously. - Luke 4:22-30

They knew Jesus in a "worldly" way - 2Cor 5:16-17

Prophets sometimes bypass the chosen in favor of the open.

Elijah and the widow at Zarephath - 1Kings 17:1-16

Israel under Ahab was not receptive to Elijah.

Elisha and Naaman the Syrian - 2Kings 5:1-14

Israel under Joram (Ahab's son) was not receptive to Elisha.

The Nazarenes had only themselves to blame for their failure to experience what Jesus had to offer.

We have only ourselves to blame for our lack of growth

Spiritual maturity doesn't come easily.

Trained themselves to distinguish good from evil - Heb 5:7-14

train - gumnazw (gymnazo)

More than classroom instruction:

Learning to play basketball

Learning to drive

Making your muscles sore

Don't be like the servant with the 1 mina - Luke 19:11-27

Spiritual maturity doesn't come by trying to feel good all the time.

The Restaurant Test

Do you treat God's Kingdom like:

a restaurant?

a supermaket?

a shopping mall?

a farm?

Restaurants and supermarkets don't grow anything. Only farms grow food.

People who received Jesus as a prophet experienced his blessing - Luke 4:31-44

If it happened to Jesus, it will happen to you. - Mat 10:24-42

Neither unpopularity nor popularity hindered Jesus from his mission.

If you're sitting down waiting to be trained you're not following Jesus.

Sometimes we put ourselves in settings that force us to grow in ways we don't expect.

When we don't share the message we risk not producing the fruit that God expects - Isa 5:11-30

Discipleship - Definition and Stages

Definition of Discipleship

Training believers to carry out their assigned roles in the work of God's Kingdom.

Don't be afraid; from now on you'll catch men - Luke 5:1-11

Stages of Discipleship

Evangelism

Recipe for rabbit stew: First catch the rabbit

Evangelism is essential to discipleship

Implied at the beginning of the process - Mat 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11

Explicit in Jesus' final instructions: Mat 28:18-20; Mark 16:14-20; Acts 1:1-9

If you're not involved in evangelism you're not a disciple!

If you can't explain the gospel to the people you know you won't be effective in evangelism.

The gospel is easy to present if we're willing to let scripture shape our thinking.

Many of us approach scripture the wrong way:

We don't expect to understand God's Word.

We expect "professionals" to understand God's Word for us.

We don't interact with God's Word.

Develop Godly Habits

Turn Godly Habits Into Skills

Turn Skills Into Ministries

You can do it

Don't be afraid; from now on you'll catch men - Luke 5:1-11

The apostles were unschooled ordinary men - Acts 4:13

Don't worry about what to say - Mat 10:17-20

Don't bury your mina - Luke 19:11-27

The ability comes from God - not us!

New Material

Preparation

Expository Preaching

Expository preaching is the communication of a biblical concept, derived from and transmitted through a historical, grammatical, and literary study of a passage in its context, which the Holy Spirit first applies to the personality and experience of the preacher, then through the preacher, applies to the hearers.

Select the Passage

Study the Passage

NIV

Hebrew Study Bible

KJV

The Message

NASB

RSV

Discover the Exegetical Idea

Subject

Tools: How, Who, What, When, Where, Why

Complement

Analyze the Exegetical Idea

Explain It: What does this mean?

Prove It: Is it True? Do I believe it?

Apply It: What difference does it make? So What?

Formulate the Homiletical Idea

Determine the Purpose of the Sermon

Make it plain

Use accessible language and modern parables.

Make sure people do something with God's message.

Decide How to Accomplish This Purpose

Outline the Sermon

Get In The Game: Discipleship Determines Destiny

Preparation

Select The Passage: Elijah and Elisha - 2Kings 2:1-18

Background - 1Kings 19:1-21

Elijah and Elisha

Gilgal - covenant of circumcision renewed - Josh 4:19

Bethel - covenant of Canaan renewed - Gen 28:10-22

Jericho - where Israel began to experience it's inheritance.

Jordan -

Discover the Exegetical Idea

Elisha received his spiritual inheritance by keeping his eyes on Elijah.

Analyze the Exegetical Idea

Explain It: What does this mean?

Elisha was intentional about sticking with Elijah.

Elisha had to stick close in order to see Elijah when God took him.

Prove It: Is it True? Do I believe it?

It fits into a larger pattern found in Scripture

The way up is down

Be faithful with someone else's property to get property of your own

Work for the honor of the one who sent you - John 7:14-18

This has worked in my own experience

My knowledge of the Word and ministry came from sticking close to Bishop.

Apply It: What difference does it make? So What?

Many people are seeking success and greatness. The Bible reveals God's formula for achieving these things.

Most people pursue success and greatness the wrong way.

Formulate the Homiletical Idea

Discipleship Determines Destiny

Determine the Purpose of the Sermon

Make it plain

Use accessible language and modern parables

Make sure people do something with God's message.

See discipleship (being discipled and discipling) as the key to achieving your destiny.

Find someone to disciple you.

Prepare to start sharing the gospel.

Prepare to disciple someone else.

Decide How to Accomplish This Purpose

Outline the Sermon

The Right Perspective

It's not about your "credentials" - Jesus recruited "ordinary" men.

Discipleship - The Key To Your Destiny

Elijah and Elisha - 2Kings 2:1-18

Background

Elijah flees from Jezebel in despair - 1Kings 19:1-18

Elijah to appoints Elisha - 1Kings 19:19-21

Locations:

Gilgal - covenant of circumcision renewed - Josh 4:19

Bethel - covenant of Canaan renewed - Gen 28:10-22

Jericho - where Israel began to experience it's inheritance.

Jordan -

Elisha stayed close to Elijah.

Elisha was intentional about this from the beginning.

This becomes Elisha's only guarantee of seeing God take Elijah.

Elisha receives his inheritance by keeping his eyes on Elijah.

Related Patterns in Scripture

The way up is down - Luke 22:14-27

Be faithful with someone else's property first - Luke 16:1-13

Work for the honor of the one who sent you - John 7:14-18

Sticking close to Bishop

Reading books from his study.

Traveling with him.

Assisting him with menial tasks.

What difference does it make? So What?

Many people are seeking success and greatness. The Bible reveals God's formula for achieving these things.

Most people pursue success and greatness the wrong way.

Put God's Kingdom first - Hag 1:1-15; Mat 6:24-34

Discipleship is God's method for building his Kingdom.

We learn to set aside our personal agenda in favor of another's.

Ultimately this helps us put God's agenda first.

Identify Some Potential People To Disciple You

Someone of the same gender.

Someone who is doing something for God that you'd like to do.

Someone who is living a life of integrity and transparency.

Someone who is submitted to the people who pastor you.

Ask your life group leaders

They're looking for disciples (they can't disciple everyone).

They're looking for the best candidates they can find.

They can also suggest some potential people to disciple you.

Ask God to show you the right person.

Prepare To Be A Good Disciple

Be faithful, available, and teachable.

Be ready to serve rather than profile. - Acts 8:5-24 (Simon the Sorcerer)

Be ready to adapt yourself to his/her schedule.

Be ready to assist him/her.

Be ready to share the gospel.

Be ready to disciple someone else. - 2Tim 2:2

Ask Someone To Disciple You.

Discussion Questions / Topics (based on the indicated scriptures)

Scripture References: 2Kings 2:1-18

Describe the best relationship you've had with a spiritual mentor.

How do you feel about allowing someone to disciple you? Whom would you consider asking to do this? What, if anything, is stopping you?

As a disciple Elisha seems to have been FAT: Faithful, Available, and Teachable. Does this describe you? Why or why not?

Describe the best relationship you've had as a spiritual mentor.

How do you feel about discipling someone else? Whom would you consider discipling? What, if anything, is stopping you?

Witnessing Activities For This Week's Life Group Meetings

Choose one of the following activities:

Divide into groups of 2 or 3 and use one of the following passages to explain salvation to your partner.

Parable Of The Sower - Luke 8:4-15

Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, Lost Son - Luke 15

Zacchaeus - Luke 19:1-10

"For God so loved the world . . ." - John 2:23 - 3:21

Jesus heals a man born blind - John 9:1 - 10:42

Cornelius' Household - John 10:1 - 11:18

Day Of Pentecost - Acts 2:1-47

Paul in Pamphylia - Acts 13:13-52

Paul's gospel - 1Cor 15:1-11

Paul in Athens - Acts 17:16-34

Rom 10

Divide into groups of 2 or 3 and identify some potential people who might disciple you. They may or may not be part your life group, but should be at Life Church. Set a time to discuss this list with your life group leaders and also use it as a focus for prayer over the next few weeks. The people on your list should meet all of the following criteria:

They are following Jesus Christ (this should go without saying).

They are of the same gender as you.

The are living lives of integrity and transparency.

They are submitted to the people who pastor you.

Divide into groups of 2 or 3 and identify some people you might disciple. They may or may not be part of your life group, but should be at Life Church. Set a time to discuss this list with your life group leaders and also use it as a focus for prayer over the next few weeks. The people on your list should be faithful, available, teachable, and willing to teach others. If you can't think of anyone you might disciple, then make a list of unsaved people that you are in a position to share the gospel with. Once you win them to the Lord, you should plan to disciple them.