and to glorify Him. And He does condescend to us. And sometimes as we think of the children of last song, God has been great and gives us great opportunities. We have been in a study. I think I'm working, right? Yes. All right. Super. We've been in a study entitled Grow. And this study is the work that God is doing in the life of a believer. And it's been important to me that we think of what God does and how he builds us. And we've been over several things already. We'll splash them up on the screen here. We've noticed that a growing Christian worships God. A growing Christian is holy. A growing Christian serves. To grow is to gather, to love, to be humble, to give, to thank last week and the week prior to tell. And so these are all the marks of a Christian who is growing, a disciple that is growing. And all of this is the goal of Christlikeness, to be more like Christ each and every day. And that is a goal that all of us who follow Christ, who name the name of Christ, is a goal that we aspire to. It's a goal that is so important for us to be more like Christ. Would you turn to Mark chapter 8, verse 27. Mark 8, verse 27. As we come to this, our next part in our series of Grow, Mark 8 sets the stage for us in this next concept. Now understand what Mark is doing. In fact, if you remember, some of you are here about seven or eight years ago, we studied through the gospel of Mark and Mark in chapter 8, chapter 9, and chapter 10 details that Jesus is talking about his death and his burial. And so he details that. You'll see a bit of this here. But in chapter 8, look at who he talks to and how he talks to them. So verse 27 of Mark chapter 8, Jesus went out along with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way, he questioned his disciples, saying to them, who do people say that I am? Now Caesarea Philippi, if you remember from this time period and from the time we study Acts, was probably the most pagan area in the land. And so the temples of the goddess of Pan, if you go there even now, you'll see statues that have been unearthed and you'll see this worship there. And so in that context of on this way to the most pagan area in the land of Palestine there, he asked this question, who do people say that I am? And they told him saying, John the Baptist and others say Elijah, but others, one of their prophets. And he continued by questioning them, but who do you say that I am? And Peter answered and said to him, you are the Christ. And he warned them to tell no one about him. And he began to teach them that the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed and after three days rise again. And he was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. by turning around and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, get behind me, Satan, for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's. And he summoned the crowd with his disciples. So now it's not just the 12, it's the crowd that some have followed him there and some, because he was such the importance teacher as he walked through and full of notoriety, they follow him and so he summoned them to come close. He said to them, if anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospels will save it. For what is a profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of Him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels. Let's bow and ask God's help and understand His Word today. Gracious God, You are mighty and high and lifted up above all else. And yet You condescended to us to come Very God in the form of Jesus. Fully God. Fully man. To live among us. To suffer pain. To be hungry. To be tempted, yet without sin. To bring us salvation. To bring us freedom from sin. And O God, You have called men and women and boys and girls to follow You. and to be your disciples. This morning as we look into your word, would you open our hearts to understand? May we see your word, may we see the principles from within, and may we apply them to our hearts and may we live as a disciple. May we be those that not only follow in the crowd, May we be disciples who make disciples. It's in Christ's name I pray. Amen. During his earthly ministry, many followed Jesus for the notoriety that he was. I mean, after all, where else in Israel could you find someone who would heal the sick, give sight to the blind, even raise someone from the dead? And by the way, you might get a free meal if you're one of the thousands. And so, it was the best, and I say this reverently, show in town. To follow Jesus. To see what He was going to do. But there were followers, and then there were followers. Some, like the crowd that we read in Mark, were those who just followed to see what was going on. What would happen next? What would Jesus do next? And others followed because they were disciples. They came to learn of Him. Their following was not a casual following. It was indeed the following of disciples. Now, we think automatically of the twelve. But there were others who came around that may not have been the inner circle, as it were, but others who did dedicate their lives to following Jesus. A disciple. This next characteristic of a growing believer is that of being a disciple but also making disciples. we're gonna get to the point where we see this as a verb instead of as a noun. But first of all, I think it's helpful for us to understand what a noun is and what the noun is of disciple. The Greek, the two words here, means to be a pupil or a learner. Someone that comes along and follows one. Now Jesus was remarkable in this because of the time All the other rabbis, they taught and they spoke. And men would come to them and say, please rabbi, teach me. Oh, great teacher, let me be your student. But you remember, Jesus was totally different than this. He went to boats. He said to fishermen, come, follow me. He went to tax collectors and said, come, follow me. And the fishermen left their nets and the tax collectors left the money. Some even brought brothers, friends to come to be disciples. But Jesus called men to be his disciples. And they came and they spent his earthly ministry approximately three, three and a half years as a pupil, as a learner. Now, there were times that he sent them out. Remember the times he sent them out and said, don't take anything with you. God will provide it. You ask and they'll provide it. And so they got field work as it were, but they were constantly in a stage of learning of what it was to be a disciple. Jesus the rabbi, the teacher, had disciples. But that didn't stop there, because after the resurrection, That phrase kept with them in Acts 6, 1. It says, now at this time, while the disciples were increasing in number. So in Jerusalem, after Christ ascended to heaven, and after he has taught his disciples, he ascended to heaven, and now the day of Pentecost has come, 3,000 were added, and the church is growing in Israel, they were still called, they still called themselves disciples. They were learning of Christ. They were disciples. In fact, as we see this, as disobedience came, this is Ephesus, as Luke writes in Acts, but when some were becoming hardened in disobedience, speaking evil of the way, they also called themselves that, the way, before the people, He withdrew from them and took away the disciples, and they went to the school of Tyrannus, and they reasoned there, and they learned. They still called themselves disciples, but there was a shift, because while they called themselves disciples for the very first time in Antioch, they were called Christians. Antioch, Syria. And so that was what they were called, the outsiders called them Christians, or maybe Little Christ, but they consider themselves disciples. They considered themselves those who came and learned. And this number was growing and increasing and abounding as evidently here in Antioch as the persecution came in Jerusalem they spread out and Antioch would become probably one of the largest centers of gospel work as they sent missionaries out. They sent Paul and Silas out later on. Paul would come back and report to Antioch the church. They're in Antioch, but they were disciples. They were learners of Christ. But there is another word, and we think of this word, turn to Matthew 28. Matthew 28, in the very last portion, we think of this word as the idea of using this concept of disciple as a verb. It's used a few times in the New Testament, but a very familiar passage if you understand Jesus' last days here before He sends. He says in verse 18, "...and Jesus came up and spoke to them, and saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." teaching them to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age." And so you begin to see that this word of disciple used as a verb is to make or teach another to be a pupil or a learner. These were those who would come alongside The command of Jesus was to go, and as you're going, make disciples. Come alongside others who are now, who have come to faith in Christ and teach them how to be a pupil or a learner of Jesus Christ. And so you begin to see this. We see this being borne out and evident through the New Testament. Acts 14.21 is the closest to this use of Matthew 28. After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. Strengthened the souls of the disciples, encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. They preach the gospel and they begin to make many disciples. This act, this use of the word as a verb to teach them how to be learners, to be pupils of Christ. So we see this in the New Testament. Joseph of Arimathea in Matthew 27 is called a disciple of Jesus Christ. If you look at this time of the early church, they all began to not only be learners themselves, but to impart and come alongside others to teach them how to be learners. So how is it that you and I make disciples? How does this process happen? God did not give us a three-point plan in a certain specific passage, but he gives us He gives us the record of what Jesus did and what the apostles did to make disciples. How is it? Now, there's the command very firmly in Matthew 28, the command to make disciples. To be the verb part of it. To do the verb part of it. To call men and women and boys and girls to learn of Jesus. I would submit to you first that the number one job of a discipler, which is not really a word, but it is kind of, is to point the disciple to Jesus. You'll notice that in all of this, so say Paul, they were arguing, you know, I'm of a Paul, I'm of a Paulist, I'm of somebody, I'm of Christ. He says, I have planted Paul's water, but God gives the increase. And you see the record of the Apostle Paul, that every indication is that Paul does not point to himself as the primary example, but he points through himself to Jesus. He points to Jesus by his life, by his words. And so our number one job is to point to Jesus there. So what is it? How did Jesus make disciples? How did Paul make disciples? Well, first of all, by personal example. Personal example. Jesus was the master of this. Jesus is God. He's teaching the disciples, the twelve and others that hung around, how to follow Himself. And so what would He do? He would say things like this. He would model obedience to the Father's will. He says, when you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. Understand that God the Son was submissive to God the Father's will of redemption. It did not make Jesus any lesser God, but He followed the Father's plan. He taught them how to submit, because they would need to know how to submit to Him. They would need to know how to submit to God, and He modeled that for them by personal example. He came to do the will of the Father. It was an example of service, Jesus washing the disciples' feet. He washed those feet. That would put him a little interesting. It reminds us of the example, I come back, we spoke of service being part of the character traits of a growing believer. And I always come back to that picture, that upper room, right around the time we read in John 13 and 14, a little bit further past that, as he washes the feet of the disciples. He serves. And so Jesus taught them often by personal example. Paul taught by personal example. He says, Brethren, join in following my example and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. Paul said, my life is a pattern. I live as an example of what to do, how to live for Christ. Paul always pointed to Christ, but he lived in such a way that personal example, his example of how he lived was a pattern for those who came behind him to learn. How do you learn how to be like Christ? You learn from someone who is following Christ. And here it is, we become disciple-makers by our personal example. That's a little scary, I think, in some ways. That's a little scary, that this personal example, that we are the ones who show people who Christ is. It causes us to be somber and to reflect on how we live. Because we live not a life for ourselves, but a life for God, a life that God uses as an example for others. Paul tells Timothy, You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Be strong in the grace, the things that you have heard in me, in the presence of many witnesses, and trust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. We are the example for disciples. So the question comes, am I the right example? Am I the example that someone would see my life and say, he is a follower, he is a learner of Jesus, I want to be like him because he's learning who Jesus is. And that's a very sobering thought. Paul reminds the young men in Crete and Titus. He reminds them, he says, "...in all things show yourselves to be an example of good deeds and purity and doctrine, dignified sound in speech which is beyond reproach." So the opponent may be put to shame and having nothing bad to say about us. That personal example He's dealing with the opponent looking at them, and so they won't have any reproach, but he understands in that passage, old men, young men, as he's dealing with that passage, it's a passage of a personal example for us to live. I wonder, do people see in you an example of someone who's continuing to learn about Jesus? Of someone that they can pattern themselves after because you are learning, so they are learning that you're pointing to Jesus at every time. Is your life encouraging others? So you see the personal example was important. And in that, we need to understand that not only a personal example, but for us, it comes to a matter of time. Time is important. Time is important. It goes without saying, as you read the Gospels, that Jesus spent a lot of time with his disciples. Both the twelve, and also those who followed, who were devout, but weren't those twelve, as well as the crowds that came just to see what was going on. He would eat with the disciples. They traveled together. They walked, most often the cases. They walked together. And they sailed together, usually to get to the other side. sometimes would fish together. And Jesus spent time with his disciples. He questioned them, hey, who do men say that I am? He received questions from them. But Jesus spent time. Jesus spent time with his disciples. Do you understand that growing as a disciple is a progressive thing? In theological terms, we talk of progressive sanctification. We're being set apart unto God, but this doesn't happen all at once. We're not perfect all at once. We all understand that. We grow. We grow in our understanding of God's Word. And so often, the factor of time is so important. as we disciple. And time takes patience. Just as someone was patient with us and entertained our questions that may have been foolish or may have been very honest and very transparent. And someone took time with us and did not ridicule our questions but allowed us to ask them. Allowed us to take God's Word. Allowed them to take God's Word and just show us. Time requires not only patience but sacrifice. We sacrifice what we might be wanting to do in that occasion because there's a greater need for someone who's a pupil to see another pupil, us, taking time because we want them to replicate that pattern also as we point them to Christ. We're intentional. We're intentional. It doesn't happen by accident. Usually the accidental discipleship is probably the least favorable. If we leave it to accident, they're gonna see all the things that we don't intend them to see. They're gonna see all the things that don't point to Christ, because we have not taken the time to be with them. You know, it's so easy in this matter of time to make excuses. I am too busy. You know, and we all are. And no matter what we do and whatever life finds us, whatever portion or place, we have this magic ability to fill up that time. And we are given so many great tools to fill up that time. Streaming video or all these things that take up time when we could be discipling. You say, oh, I have a family, I can't do it. I hear you. I understand you have one choice, one chance with your children, but what better way to teach them who God is, how to be a disciple, by discipling others, by caring for others. More is caught than taught. Sometimes we have to be unselfish with the gifts that God gives us, whether it be wealth, or family, or time. Be intentional. Don't make excuses for yourself. Redeem the time God has given to you. We think of time, but we also think of not only the personal example of time, but of probably the most important factor of discipleship, and that is God's Word. God's Word. Scripture, as we use Scripture as a tool to disciple. After all, we're not the learned one, helping, condescending to the weak one. We are fellow travelers in this journey in the life of Christ, His life living through us. And we are coming alongside. We're not giving them our wisdom. We're giving them God's wisdom. Notice Jesus. When He was tempted, He goes to Scripture. He answered and said, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. How did that get into the gospels? He told them. He told the gospel writers this. He recounts that they were not with him. He recounts this. Jesus is elevating the supremacy of the Word of God in their hearts and lives. So they understand that as a disciple, they need to be conversant with the Scriptures. To be fluent with it. And the Word of God really is our defense. It's our defense against sin. It's our greatest encouragement when we're discouraged. It's our greatest comforter when sad. And so we must use the Word of God as we disciples, as we make disciples. It's not our words. It's God's Word. See, they don't need my wisdom. You don't need my wisdom. I don't need your wisdom unless it relates to the Word of God. I was reading commentary this week and the author of the commentary, the name sounded familiar. I said, no, it couldn't be from this guy. It turned out it wasn't. But it was the name of someone who actually attended to Bob Jones University and then became an Anglican priest and then converted to Catholicism and now is at a parish here in town. which is quite an odd thing. And so I found him, went to his site, and he happened to be speaking on October 17th of the sacred scripture, the importance of sacred scripture. And so the friar was speaking on this, and he referenced, oddly enough, at the beginning of his message, of being a graduate of Bob Jones, and he actually said it would suit him in being an evangelical upbringing, because he memorized great passages of scripture. And he recorded some from the King James. Not the Latin Vulgate, evidently. But as he does so, as he's speaking about the importance of sacred scripture, he says these words. He says, we are not Bible-only Christians. I replayed that. He says, we are not Bible-only Christians. We choose to let the traditions help us understand God's word. He goes on to explain that we're just not wise enough to understand God's Word. It's too peculiar. It's not to be understood by everyone, so we rely on church traditions. We, the Catholic Church, and he himself. He goes on to condemn the Sola Scriptura, the Reformation, that Scripture alone, things that they fought about from the time of Martin Luther on. that cause Protestants to separate from the Catholic Church. Scripture is sufficient. Scripture is sufficient for us in every way. Apostle Paul told Timothy, preach the Word, be ready in season, out of season. The Word of God is the most important aspect of the wisdom you can impart to a disciple. Don't give them your own stuff. And sometimes people look at me kind of funny when I take them only back to Scripture and I counsel the situation and don't say, I think you should do this, this, and this, and your situation will be magically solved. I'll say instead, what's the role of God's Word in your heart and life this week? How are you filtering what you're experiencing, what your life is, what's happening to you, and what your emotions, how are you filtering that through the Word of God? How is the Holy Spirit using His Word to purify your heart, and to sweeten the temperament, and to give you a perspective that's an eternal perspective? See, we disciple through the Word of God, not through our own wisdom. We are Word-centric, Bible-centric believers. So as we make disciples, it has to be the Word. It has to be the Word of God that creates that wisdom to have the resonance in a heart instead of our own. Last thing, though. You see the example of prayer. So we have the example of how we live in lives, how we point people to Jesus. We are given in the New Testament the importance of time and patience and intentionality and discipleship, the supremacy of the word. And now we come to this last point of prayer. of prayer. One of my favorite passages, and I know I say that a lot because I have a lot of favorite passages, but is John 17. We think of this, and I would encourage you this week to read this at some point in your devotion, but John 17 has been called the high priestly prayer of Jesus. So Jesus is praying for his disciples and he first talks to the Father and how what the Father has done to you And he said, verse 6, I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world. And they were Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your Word. And so he speaks. He says, verse 9, I ask on their behalf. I do not ask on behalf of the world. All things that are mine are Yours, and Yours are mine. I've been glorified in them. But I'm not going to be in the world any longer. And so he says, I don't ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in truth. Your Word is truth. As You have sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves may also be sanctified in truth." He says, I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, even as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they may also be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. It's a beautiful passage of God praying for the disciples, but also praying for those who would hear the disciples' words. That would include us. Christ prayed for us that would hear the word of the disciples through Scripture and would come. You have the example of Paul, not only the High Priestly Prayer, but Paul prayed for the churches over and over and over in his writings. You see, as we disciple, as we teach others to be students, pupils, learners, as we are of God We must pray because without prayer we are powerless with God and with man. It is not me or you that changes a heart in life. It is not by the magic of your conversation with another fellow believer that they suddenly make some great change. And you see the work of progressive sanctification in their heart and life magically. That is not what happened. It is the Word of God, the Holy Spirit. And so you pray that God does a work in their heart to open their eyes to see. Just as He opens your eyes to see His Word daily. Prayer is over and over The heart cry of the disciple maker. Prayer for those with whom they minister. You and I must be in prayer. We must pray daily for those we're involved with and we walk the path to Jesus with. How is your prayer life? Well, I pray for this, for these things that Everybody be healthy and wealthy and wise. I got my formula down. What about the brother and sister that you have coffee with? That you're spending time with? That you together would grow in the knowledge of Jesus. See, what is principally we find through Scripture is that we are called to make disciples in obedience. We're not called until we are like Paul. We don't wait until we are like the grand apostle. He told all of his disciples. It is something that is passed down to all of us to teach others how to be learners of Christ. How to continue in learning Christ. So I guess the question I have is why don't we do so? Why don't we make disciples? And I think there are two things, really. Number one, I think, is because I think we feel as though we are not in the right place spiritually, often. Who am I to call someone to follow Christ and to learn of Christ when I myself am not where I should be? And there is a solution for that one. This is the easy one. Confess. Confess those areas that you're lacking in following Christ. You're lacking of being a disciple of Christ. Confess those. Jesus said, I am merciful. I'm gracious to forgive. To cleanse from all unrighteousness. So we have that. Confession. Sometimes we let the spiritual condition be an excuse. We want to stay there. Let me stay in my semi, I'm not really bad. I'm not a bad Christian, but I'm just not a great Christian, so I can't tell you. And we let that be our excuse. But there is no room for excuses. There's no escape clause from this command of being a disciple maker. And so we're all on a journey of sanctification. Confess, begin to care, spend time, personal example. The second thing, though, I think is the hardest, is that we are selfish with our time and our resources. We are generally selfish people. I know you came and wanted to hear nice things about yourself today. And I may not know you as well as I know myself, but I know myself and I'm a selfish person. I want what I want. I want my own time. I want my own resources used for myself. And that is what the flesh wants. And that is what mostly keeps us from investing in others. I'm just so tired. Sleep when you die. There's only so much tangible time in your life that can be devoted to the work of the gospel. You only have so many days. I only have so many days. What am I going to spend my days on? What are you going to spend your days on? Well, I've got to save for my family. Yes, I want you to be good stewards of your money and your resources. But you know what? God will always take care of those who are expending resources for the sake of others. Always. He'll provide. When we allow selfishness to dictate our lives, we don't disciple. We allow good things to be an excuse for us not to minister to others. So you and I must offer the Savior our wealth, our time, our family, our ambitions, our talents, We're free then to disciple others. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. See, the formula here for believers is that disciples make disciples. Disciples make disciples. That is how God planned this all to happen. If you're a follower of Christ, if you are now a disciple of Christ, He gives you the opportunity to learn of Him, and He commands you to go and to bring people alongside as you go and tell them the gospel and those who receive Christ to come alongside and let me teach you how I learned. Let me teach you how I am learning presently. Disciples, make disciples. May we be obedient to the command of God. May we be growing Christians. Let's bow for prayer. Gracious God, I thank you for who you are. And Father, a very convicting message for myself and for maybe many here. The great blessings you have given to us to be born in this country are but tools to be used for the sake of the gospel and for the sake of disciple making. I know, God, I pray that you would do a work in our hearts that we would see Jesus. We would see his great sacrifice for us. An overwhelming gratitude be called to obedience to make disciples. I know, God, we need your help. By your grace, And by the rebuke of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, may we conform ourselves to the plan that you have developed for us. Oh God, may we have the joy of seeing others become fellow learners along with us. May we invite them to walk the path with us. And we point them to Christ always. May we encourage them in the Word. May we be privileged to spend time with each other, encouraging each other, glorifying our Savior. Father, make us disciple makers. It's in Christ's name I pray. Amen. Heads bowed.