"A Picture of Discipleship" Part 1
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION: Someone once said, “A picture paints a thousand words.”
WHICH IS MUSIC to the ears of any good, God-fearing PREACHER, because there are at least SEVEN METAPHORS (PICTURES) of what it will take to fulfill the twofold charge of (2:1-2)!
1. Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus – (v.1)
1. Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus – (v.1)
2. Intentional, reproductive discipleship – (v.2)
2. Intentional, reproductive discipleship – (v.2)
(READ TEXT – PRAY)
Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.
Snapshot #1: A GOOD SOLDIER! – (2:3-4)
Snapshot #1: A GOOD SOLDIER! – (2:3-4)
“Good” is from καλος, (noble or excellent)
Two things Paul shares concerning a Soldier:
1. A soldier is expected to endure HARDSHIP - (v.3)
1. A soldier is expected to endure HARDSHIP - (v.3)
“Endure hardship…” is from a single Gr. Word: κακοπάθησιν, which describes a “voluntary, patient endurance of hardship and suffering.”
The POINT: Making disciples of all the nations is going to be difficult! It will most likely involve hardship and suffering!
Why? Because we are in a BATTLE! The Kingdom of God is invading the kingdoms of men, and Satan will not yield ground without a fight!
Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight,
2. A good soldier does not ENTANGLE himself with the affairs of this life - (v.4)
2. A good soldier does not ENTANGLE himself with the affairs of this life - (v.4)
“…gets involved” – Only used twice in the NT (here and 2 Peter 2:20). Lit. to “weave in, entangle, involve.”
Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.
The EMPHASIS is not a renunciation of family, friends, home, education, business, etc., but a caution against a preoccupation with things that entangle—things that ensnare, as well as a CHALLENGE to remember the One who enlisted you!
Snapshot #2: A RULE-ABIDING ATHLETE! – (2:5)
Snapshot #2: A RULE-ABIDING ATHLETE! – (2:5)
NOT JUST ANY ATHLETE, but the one who has won the race—he or she is standing on the victor’s podium about to be crowned!
The trumpets are blaring, the crowd is cheering, his parents are smiling, his agent has the Nike endorsement contract in hand…maybe that is a little too far…
1. With the athlete, we have a single emphasis: obey the rules!
1. With the athlete, we have a single emphasis: obey the rules!
The very use of the word, “athlete” recalls a picture of hard work, discipline, determination, competition—a striving to be the best!
I used to drive by the High School practice field on my way to work every day, and I was always so impressed with those boys out there every day in the heat and humidity endeavoring to improve their skills—ALL FOR TWELVE GAMES (minus any playoff victories)!
How I wish we might bring that kind of dedication, discipline, and commitment to the work of expanding the Kingdom of God!
Imagine what we could do for the Kingdom if we would be willing to commit to three-a-days! Learning plays, improving our skills, increasing our spiritual stamina.
Imagine the impact we would have if we brought the same intensity to church as we do on “game-day” at the local field of play!
Banners flying, cheerleaders cheering, “We’ve got the Spirit, yes we do!”, the band banding…
Nursery workers bursting through a big banner with (1 Corinthians 15:51) – “…We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.”
ALRIGHT! I’ve digressed…back to our original point— (v.5b) “…he (the athlete) does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules.”
How many here remember the heartbreak during the 1988 Olympics when Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson was stripped of his world record & gold medal due to steroid use?Several years ago I saw a cartoon of a baseball game that showed the ‘Bat-boy’ standing next to the ‘Syringe-boy.’ The caption said, “Major League Baseball is not taking the steroid problem seriously enough…”
2. What are the “Rules?”
2. What are the “Rules?”
If I am going to be in the game, then I need to know where the boundary lines are!
In the CONTEXT of our passage, it seems that the rules to intentional discipleship may be found in the verses we have just covered: (vv.1-2, 4)
(v.1) – RULE #1: Everyone is INVITED!
(v.1) – RULE #1: Everyone is INVITED!
Everything we do is to be clothed with “grace!”
The play that scores every time is God’s unmerited, undeserved, un-earnable favor!
The “rules” are not to keep people OUT, but rather to draw them in!
(Luke 14:15-24) – “…that my house may be filled.”
(v.2) – RULE #2: Discipleship is intentional!
(v.2) – RULE #2: Discipleship is intentional!
It will not happen AUTOMATICALLY, nor does it happen IMMEDIATELY.
Since we are dealing with an athlete, think of this as a marathon, not a sprint!
Unfortunately, our culture is geared towards sprinters!
Everything today has to be ‘fast-acting,’ or we go on the next item! I want it, and I want it RIGHT NOW!
A pastor I know once baptized a man who turned (still dripping wet) and asked him, “Hey, what do you have to do to preach around this joint?”
(v.4) – Rule #3: Keep yourself UNTANGLED! – (2 Cor 6:11-7:1)
(v.4) – Rule #3: Keep yourself UNTANGLED! – (2 Cor 6:11-7:1)
If you want to experience the victory, then follow the rules!
Snapshot #3: THE HARDWORKING FARMER! – (2:6)
Snapshot #3: THE HARDWORKING FARMER! – (2:6)
The picture here is of a man whose clothing bears the stains caused by the salt in his sweat.
You see him standing in the field, completing the harvest and his wife hands him a small loaf of bread, fresh from the oven. He pulls out a hanky and wipes off his brow, and then he takes a bite of the bread. Man does that taste “sweet!”
Two considerations about this picture:
1. He is hardworking!
1. He is hardworking!
The Greek verb means, “to labor to the point of exhaustion.”
2. He is first to partake of the crops!
2. He is first to partake of the crops!
For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.”
The POINT: Discipleship is HARD WORK, but it also has GREAT BENEFITS!
Conclusion to Part One
Conclusion to Part One
Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.
Prayer: “Father in Heaven, fulfill your Word and give us understanding in all things as we endeavor to make disciples of all nations!”