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Notes on sermon preached 26 July 2009: “The Church – a Community of Disciples”

We are continuing to look at various aspects of the church. Today we consider the church as a community of disciples. The Greek word translated “disciple” literally means “one who learns”. We are therefore defined as a community as a people who are learners from Jesus, our great teacher. That means that he sets the rules – not us! The text we will consider is Luke 14 verses 15-24. We will look at the passage under three headings:

1. Three Encouragements

(1)    There is an invitation.(v. 15-23) We are amongst those who Jesus has invited to a great feast – the wedding feast of the Lamb. All are invited – including those for whom the world has no time. Have you heard and responded to the invitation of Jesus to come and follow him? If you have you are assured of a place at the great feast at the end of history.

(2)    There is security. (Romans 8 v 28-30). For those who are truly born again into God’s kingdom  there is eternal security. They have come into a plan which can not be changed and which God has promised to bring to a conclusion. If you are God’s child you are safe in His hands!

(3)    There are rewards. (1 Corinthians 3 v.10-15;1 Corinthians  9 v.24-27) Given that we are totally secure in him,  there are opportunities for reward!  The fact is that all believers will take part in a judgement at the end of time not to determine their entrance into heaven (which is already decided) but their reward based on the quality or their service for him in this life. Our response to Jesus’ call to discipleship today , then, has eternal implications.

2. Three Challenges

(1)   The Challenge to put Jesus first.(v 26) To be a disciple of Jesus, everything that is held dear to us, family, friends, even our own lives, comes behind Jesus in order of our priority and commitment.

(2)   The Challenge to Carry Our Cross. (v .27) The people of Jesus knew exactly what it meant when someone was carrying their cross. They were the walking dead. To be a disciple of Jesus means that we constantly die to our own wishes, desires and ambitions, Are we prepared for that?

(3)   The Challenge to give up everything (v 33) When we become Christians everything we have belongs to Jesus. We therefore have no possessions and no rights. Have we given everything to Jesus?

3. Three Pictures

(1)   The Man building the Tower. (v 28-30) How foolish to start a project and then not to finish it because we hadn’t planned properly. We need to regularly count the cost of being a disciple to make sure that we are willing and able to pay it.

(2)   The King Going to War (v 31-32) Similarly a king who goes to war needs to do his “homework” first to see if he is able to win. Have you considered the likely cost of following Jesus, and are you prepared to pay it?

(3)   The Salt with No Flavour.(v.33) Jesus concludes this passage with a parable of salt that has lost the very properties that make it of use. It is utterly useless – it is cast out. The comparison is with the believer who will not pay the price required to be a disciples. He looks and sounds like a Christian – but ultimately he is of no value in God’s kingdom.

What  challenge it is to be a disciple of Jesus! We finish with a major encouragement later in Luke 18 v 28-30:

Peter said to him, We have left all we had to follow you!  I tell you the truth, Jesus said to them, no-one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God  will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.

The great paradox of being a disciple of Jesus is that it costs everything – yet it costs nothing! We give up what we have that means nothing and gain what we do not have which means everything.

Sounds like a good deal to me!

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear”

Questions for Discussion:

1. What kind of judgement will a believer be subject to?
2. Is there anything that you find hard to put in its correct place behind Jesus?
3. What does it means to carry your cross and follow Jesus?
4. Consider the picture of the salt that has lost its saltiness. How could it apply to us as believers?

Listen to this sermon (or download – right click here and ‘Save as’):

Reference: 1 Corinthians 11 v 17-26

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Notes on sermon preached 12 July 2009: “The Church – a Healing Community”

Healing occurs throughout the new testament as a significant ministry of Jesus and of the early church. What does the Bible have to say to us about it?

1. What’s the Problem?

“…and it was very good” (Genesis 1 v 31 ) God’s creation of the world, was very good with no disease, sickness or death . So what went wrong?. In God’s command to Adam (“ when you eat of…you shall surely die”) (Genesis 2 v 17) we can clearly see the warning of what would follow an act of disobedience. And following Adam’s sin, those consequences are realised in an awful way. “Sin entered the world and death through sin” (Romans 5 v12). Decay, disease, sin death and judgement all follow as a result of Adam’s sin. That’s why we have sickness today. The fact is, the earth we see today is a corruption of what God created.

2.What’s the solution?

1 John tells us that “God is Love”. (1 John 4 v.16) Following Adam’s sin God could have left us to face forever the consequences of our folly. But he formulated a plan for his Son to come into the world to take on himself the consequences of our sin. (1 Peter 2 v 24; Isaiah 53 v 5). And we have the promise of future glory when Jesus returns and those who have trusted him receive resurrection bodies that will be in heaven forever (Romans 8 v 22-23) In the meantime we live between the “now” and “the not yet” – struggling with the effects of sin, but with a hope of eternal glory. So ..Is there relief for sickness today? – yes, there is:

The Record of Healing

Jesus (Mark 1 v.29-33)

The apostles (Acts 5 v. 12-16)

The church down the ages (John 14 v.11-12)

The Reality of Healing

Out of compassion (Mark 1 v.41)

As a sign of the now and coming kingdom of God

As a “down payment” of future glory

The Restriction on Healing

A “temporary” miracle (you will still die, unless the Lord returns first!)

A limited miracle (Jesus didn’t heal everyone, on every occasion)

Job completed in heaven (Revelation 21 v.3 – 4) – no sickness in heaven!

3. Where do we go from here?

• Ask God for healing (John 14 v.13-14; John 15 v 7)

• Ask Believers to lay hands on you (Mark 16 v 15-18)

• Gifts of Healing within the church (1 Corinthians 12 v.27-28)

• Church Elders (James 5 v. 13-15) – more than any other, this passage tells what believers in the church should do when they are ill.

Possible outcomes of reaching out to God for healing:

Extraordinary Grace (cf Paul and his “thorn)

Delayed healing

Gradual healing

Miraculous healing

Conclusion

The Bible clearly shows that God can and does heal today. As with all God’s mercies it is according to his Sovereign will and our faith. Are we prepared to reach out to God for healing?.

Questions for Discussion

1. Why is there sickness, disease and death in the world?
2. What provision has God made for dealing with disease?
3. What should a believer who is ill do?
4. What is the relationship between evangelism and healing?
5. How do we cope with the situation where someone is not healed?