Defining Discipleship: Distinctive Qualities

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Luke: God on Display

May 17, 2015 Defining Discipleship: Distinctive Qualities Luke 6:43-49

Introduction: This past week a study came out from the Pew Center that was carried by major newspapers, creating buzz among the Christian world. The basic conclusion of a study that tracked different responses of people from 2007 to 2014: those that claim a part of organized religion, particularly “Christianity” in all its forms, is going down. The one area that is on the rise is those claiming “none” or “no religious affiliation”. Some have viewed this as an indictment on the church, while others have responded like Chicken Little when the sky was perceived as falling. Russell Moore, the president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, had a different take, one which gives perspective and hope: Christianity is dying. At least, that’s what major newspapers are telling us today, culling research from a new Pew Center study on what almost all sociologists are observing these days—the number of Americans who identify as Christians has reached an all-time low, and is falling. I think this is perhaps bad news for America, but it is good news for the church This is precisely what several of us have been saying for years. Bible Belt near-Christianity is teetering. I say let it fall. For much of the twentieth century, especially in the South and parts of the Midwest, one had to at least claim to be a Christian to be “normal.” During the Cold War, that meant distinguishing oneself from atheistic Communism. At other times, it has meant seeing churchgoing as a way to be seen as a good parent, a good neighbor, and a regular person. It took courage to be an atheist, because explicit unbelief meant social marginalization. Rising rates of secularization, along with individualism, means that those days are over—and good riddance to them. 1 People who don’t want Christianity, don’t want almost-Christianity.

What Moore hits on is EXACTLY what Jesus preached about in the Sermon on the Mount. He spoke to three groups of people: false teachers, true disciples, and the majority who were intrigued, but not in. They were the almost-disciples, those that wanted some, but not all, of what Jesus was giving. They liked miracles, bread, and good teaching, but definitely not denial, conflict, and suffering, especially if it changed their day to day life. This is why Jesus concluded His sermon in a way that clarified the distinctive qualities of discipleship vs. those who simply were in it for themselves. Fruit produced distinguishes true change (6:43-45) Luke 6:43-45 "For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. The Illustration: Fruit Trees  The picture is obvious – Jesus does not insult our intelligence, but neither does He intentionally obscure. The parable or story that He tells is of normative agricultural practice that people living in an agrarian society would readily understand and resonate with  The picture is meant to distinguish – As Jesus concludes His sermon, He leaves no doubt as to the purpose of this discourse. Fruit clarifies the quality and type of plant something is, and the same is true of disciples. What are the areas that Jesus distinguishes between by using this picture?

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Russell Moore, http://www.russellmoore.com/2015/05/12/is-christianity-dying/

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Luke: God on Display

May 17, 2015

o Distinguishes between true and false teachers Who we follow is just as important as who we listen to. With so many voices in our world, with so much information, and with our propensity to follow celebrity, who influences us matters. We are swayed easily by news reports, celebrity reports, or lists of ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ on Facebook. Being a disciple means we must listen and follow those who guide us in the truth: Hebrews 13:7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. In Matthew’s account of this same sermon, he spoke about false teachers and fruit directly. “Beware of false prophet, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:15-16). In our culture and through social media, everyone has a voice and can put out their version of the truth, and speak at the same volume as everyone else. That is why education and discipleship is more than just a transmission of information but a transformation of character. We are looking to imitate those who not only speak the truth but live that truth out in everyday life. Remember, Satan is an angel of light and a smooth talker, and will try to convince us of everything, except what is truth. We are looking to follow those who know they are sinful and deal with their sin properly. We want to follow those who are humble, who are gentle, and who quick to admit their own failure/sin. Those who are who they are in public and private, and do not put on a show for the masses. We must be aware that we are easily influenced and place ourselves under the direction of godly men and women of whom we can imitate their way of life. o Distinguishes between true and false disciples This is the crux of what Jesus was getting at in Luke’s account. Looking at the masses who were following Him and intrigued, He knew that there were some/many who were only interested but who had not yielded their life in faith. So He spoke in terms of a tree and fruit. Notice a few things about the picture: o Quality of fruit – A good tree will inevitably produce good fruit. A diseased tree cannot produce that type of quality. The quality of the tree determines the quality of the fruit (I think that’s straightforward enough) o Type of fruit – The pomegranate tree in our yard will not all of a sudden produce apples (although that would be amazing). Thorn bushes will produce…wait for it…thorns! Grape vines will produce….grapes! True disciples will produce…Good fruit! What’s the point: Every true believer in Jesus, who has been transformed by the work of the Spirit, will PRODUCE GOOD FRUIT! We will be known by it, and it will be obvious. And we were saved for this, to not just be the type that produces a little, but a lot! John 15:5, 8 - I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing… By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. Notice that when we abide in Christ, it is inevitable that we not only will be fruitful, but will be abundantly fruitful. This not only glorifies God, but also is proof of our salvation. That means that bearing fruit for a believer is not an option, but also cannot be faked.

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Luke: God on Display

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What’s the fruit: What will be produced? How do we know if this is being produced in us and those we are following? Follow the character of a person everywhere. Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. The “fruit” or works produced out of the flesh are those things that are not produced by Christ through His Spirit. This type of fruit is inevitable in someone not truly saved (thus they do not inherit the kingdom of God), or by a believer who is not filled with the Spirit. The difference is the true disciple will have a hatred for his sin, will confess it, and will repent of it, turning from the flesh to walk in the Spirit. But notice what is being produced is both action and attitude, and thus makes up someone’s character, who they are. Galatians 5:22-24 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. On the flipside of this, the one who is truly born again has been filled with the Spirit, and thus the Spirit is producing fruit out of him. Again these are both actions and attitudes, and make up his character. As believers walk by the Spirit, being yielded to Him in truth and obedience, the Spirit produces more and more of this fruit. When believers are transformed this way, all kinds of good works are possible and probable. BEWARE OF FRUIT STAPLING: Though this fruit can only be produced by the Spirit by one who actually has the Spirit, fruit can be faked, but only for a time. In other words, only a true, living, and growing grape vine can produce grapes, but I could go out in my yard, find a piece of ivy, put it in the ground, wind it up a fence, and staple some grapes on it. I can then bring you over and tell you that I have grape vines in my yard, impressing you with my horticultural expertise. We can do the same thing. Whenever we act a certain way apart from our transformed character, or whenever we live a certain way in front of one group of people and differently than another, we are simply trying to staple fruit for others to see. That is why how we act in public is important, but only when it is verified with how we live in private, at home, or when no one else is watching. The problem with stapling fruit is obvious: grapes stapled to a vine will only produce raisins, not grapes. Stapled fruit will dry up, be good for nothing, and eventually reveal the nature of the vine. Distinguishes between regret and repentance Jesus was very clear that out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, including what comes out of our mouth (the great revealer of our heart!). How does our heart change? How do we move from a heart of stone that only produces bad fruit to a heart of flesh that produces good fruit? The answer: repentance rather than regret. When we realize that we are not who we ought to be, or want to be, but don’t really want to change, we regret which leads to stapling fruit. But when we realize that what needs to change is the core of who we are, when we realize there is a fundamental flaw in us, we are ready to understand what is needed in repentance. Repentance means a change…a change of mind that leads to a change of life, heart, and direction. Here is what it looks like: 3

Luke: God on Display

May 17, 2015

1. Change of mind about yourself – I realize that I am not fundamentally a good person, but a sinful one, who has offended a holy God by my actions and attitudes 2. Change of mind about sin – I am responsible for my actions, that I have sinned of my own volition and choice. My past hurts are real, but they do not excuse my present failures in falling short of glorifying God 3. Change of mind about God – He is trustworthy and His Word is sure. He is able to forgive and to save. I believe in His Son Jesus Christ, and I give Him my life and allegiance. He is my King and Lord, and I will follow Him no matter the cost 4. Then you can change as God works in you – For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure – Philippians 2:13. Repentance is something that God brings about in us, and when we repent, it is clear that He is at work in and through us. 2 This means a few things for all of us who claim to follow Christ as disciples: o

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We have true choice for the first time – Before Christ transformed us, we had limited choice, and we could not glorify Him. Now that we have new hearts, we can make choices consistent with our new condition. We have a choice NOT TO SIN now. We have choices to honor Christ, deny our fleshly desires, and turn toward Him and away from the cultural flow around us. We have choices each day at work, at home, and in private to live for our own glory or for the One for whom we were created. This choice means that we should live a life that majors on introspection. Introspection should be the norm – We know that the condition of our heart is pivotal to an effective life in Christ. We should be ready examiners, willing to test our hearts to see what we truly love and value. This means that when we look at our heart, our desires, what we want to do and who we are in silence, we are typically found wanting. We are more selfish than we thought. We are more prideful than we hoped. We love entertainment or comfort or pleasure apart from Christ than we’d like to admit. We get angry way to easily. We spew hurtful words, tearing people down or building ourselves up way too often. Yes, people around here think we are pretty good, but what about our wife? Kids? Neighbors? Co-workers? The guy who cut us off?

When we are found wanting, it is actually good news, because we can go back to the Good News. We pray that God would continue to change our heart, to keep it soft toward Him. We reaffirm our desire to walk by the Spirit, to yield our life to Him, to cut out the activities that lead us down a path to sin (which may be different for us than others), and engage in activities that build us up in Him. We remember that we were bought with a price and saved by works, BUT NOT OUR WORKS, but the work of Jesus on the cross alone. We rely on Him to work in and through us to produce the fruit that brings Him glory, both in our action and attitudes. This is the distinguishing mark of a disciple. Storms raging clarify a lasting foundation (6:46-49) Luke 6:46-49 "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? 47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not

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Kevin DeYoung, What does the Bible really teach about homosexuality?, p. 99-100

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Luke: God on Display

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do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great." The Illustration: Flooding a town  The picture clarifies – Notice that when Jesus talks about a storm raging and streams breaking against houses, there are several similarities: the houses were in the same location, built the same way, and were facing the same storm. In other words if one would look at this as a picture, the two houses would have no external distinguishing mark, other than what was below the house. Think of the broken levies in New Orleans, scenes where storms came, wiped out barriers, and inundated communities.  The storm brings clarity – Jesus does not define the storm here, but it is obvious enough to understand. Whether the storm is judgment coming, trials brewing, or suffering/persecution, storms are when structural integrity is tested, and where shallow foundations and cheap materials are ruined. In our day, this would include changing cultural realities where being a Christian is no longer seen as being the status quo, and no longer seen as having inherent upside.  Clarifies when talk is cheap In His final point, Jesus called out those who talk a big game, calling Jesus LORD, but fail to actually live like it. The fact that Jesus is Lord is never in dispute, since He is Lord and never stopped. However, it is the recognition that is important. We know that one day, everyone will recognize His Lordship and bow down accordingly (Phil. 2:9-11), but for most, this will be a kneeling in judgment. We also know that no one can acknowledge truly that Jesus is Lord unless the Spirit is in Him (1 Cor. 12:3). The ones who are awakened to the fact that Jesus is truly Lord are those who act on it, yielding their lives to Him in obedience. In Matthew’s account, the truth is sobering to those who simply state it with their mouth but don’t truly believe it in their heart: Matthew 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' In our day as in Jesus’, talk is cheap. It is easy to SAY we believe in Jesus, or that He died, or that He even lived. It is quite another thing to act on it. This is exactly what we are seeing in our country today. There was a time when saying you were a believer in Jesus had personal upside, whether it affected your life or not. Now, that upside is going away, and so is a percentage of those claiming to know Christ. The issue always is not what we SAY we believe, but what we truly believe. True belief always shows itself in action, change, and worship.  Clarifies that discipleship is costly Luke 9:23-24 And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. Discipleship is costly. It means that we not only hear the words of Jesus, we actually do them. We obey them NOT to gain salvation, but because of salvation. We follow Jesus no matter the cost, we obey Him 5

Luke: God on Display

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even when we don’t feel like it, or it goes against our momentary our desire, or when it changes relationships around us. Following Jesus was never meant to be popular, was never meant to make us MORE acceptable in society (though we should show love and godly character in it), and was never meant to make us love our life in this world. Jesus made it abundantly clear that if one was going to be a true follower, actions would be inevitable.  Clarifies between the unshakable vs. ruined When the storm comes, God will wash away what is artificial, what is simply pre-fabricated edifice, and what is true. That storm is here. We are living in a day when the rising tide of pressure to capitulate to culture, science, or opinion means that individuals and churches alike are changing what they said was true and trying to appease. When we do this, we are no longer walking in the love of Christ but the love of self, the love of popularity. Our life of obedience in Christ is one that believes in what God has said, and seeks to do it. Anything less leads to ruin, and that kind of ruin ends in hell, not in simply rebuilding with insurance settlement. Jesus said the ruin that we face will be great. That is equivalent to Him saying, “Depart from me, I never knew you.” “Christianity isn’t normal anymore, and that’s good news. The Book of Acts, like the Gospels before it, shows us that the Christianity thrives when it is, as Kierkegaard put it, a sign of contradiction. Only a strange gospel can differentiate itself from the worlds we construct. But the strange, freakish, foolish old gospel is what God uses to save people and to resurrect churches (1 Cor. 1:20-22). The future of Christianity is bright. I don’t know that from surveys and polls, but from a word Someone spoke one day back at Caesarea Philippi. The gates of hell haven’t gotten any stronger, and the Light that drives out the 3 darkness is enough to counter every rival gospel, even those gospels that describe themselves as “none.”

Concluding Thoughts and Questions:  Who are you being influenced by? Where do you go to for wisdom, answers to your questions, and encouragement? Do any of these places influence me wrongly? Subtly?  How do you discern fruit production in your own life? How often are you introspective? Are you more prone to personal introspection or fruit inspection in others?  Christ is Lord. In what areas of your life is that still not reflective of how you think and live?  What does it mean for us individually that the storms of social change are coming? As a family? As a church? How are we to be prepared? Why is this such a great opportunity for the gospel?

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Russell Moore, “Is Christianity Dying?”

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