The Path of Discipleship

My name is Rudy Gray, and I'm the sorriest member of First Baptist Pickings.

I have done four interims since we've been here.

Then we went through COVID, and when we were isolated,

a couple of our grandkids would spend the night with us on Saturday night,

and we would go upstairs and have family worship.

You might call it the variety hour,

because I would have children's sermons that I'd had over the years,

some of them on flannel graph.

They would sit down, and one would pray, and one would read Scripture,

and I'd play the saxophone.

Yeah, that's funny.

It really is because I'm a perpetual beginner.

After we got through with that, we'd give the sermon,

and we'd have prayer, and then they're good to go.

But those were such special times for us

because the family worship like that, it just meant a lot to us,

especially with our grandkids during that time.

Well, this morning I want to talk to you about something

that's especially important to the church, to a Christian.

Forty years I've prepared messages,

and if you've prepared messages for 40 years,

and somebody calls you and says,

hey, would you preach for me?

Then you say, oh, sure, because, you know,

I've got these filing cabinets full of sermons,

and I just pull out a folder and say,

now that's one of my sweet ones.

That's one of my special ones.

I'll pull that out and preach.

But several weeks ago I developed a brand new sermon.

I never preached it before.

First time I preached it was a few weeks ago

at Mount Moriah Baptist,

and I'm going to be there next Sunday.

Their pastor has COVID.

Seven or eight people in their church have it,

and I'm going to preach to an empty auditorium

with just the praise team,

just me and the praise team

and whoever's operating the camera.

So pray with us about that.

But if you have your Bibles,

turn with me to Mark chapter eight.

When I prepared this message,

three words captured my attention.

I want to say that God gave them to me.

I want to say that God moved on my heart,

but if you find that it's no good,

then you'll know it was all my own doing.

But it was the word follow, point one,

the word follower, point two,

and the word followed, point three.

So I want you to look in Mark chapter eight, verse 34.

And he summoned the crowd with his disciples

and said to them,

if anyone wishes to come after me,

he must deny himself,

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 does it profit a man

to gain the whole world

and forfeit his soul?

In an article entitled,

The Disciple Driven Church,

the writer made this observation.

The church growth movement has failed.

The church planning movement has failed.

The decline in attendance

in evangelical churches continues.

He further observed this.

The church has gone from a movement

that required the total commitment

of its members to the point of death

to one that literally begs

for anyone to enter its doors.

The church in America

is not transforming society,

but culture is transforming us.

The great British theologian,

John R. W. Stott said,

God is not pleased

with superficial discipleship.

And Romans 12, 2 says,

don't be conformed to this world,

but be transformed

by the renewing of your mind.

A disciple is a learner,

a follower,

a lifelong person

committed to Jesus Christ.

And when churches do not make disciples,

we invariably end up

proclaiming a cheap grace.

We cannot do discipleship.

We cannot be disciples

unless we're born again

and we continue to focus

and follow Jesus Christ.

He's our leader.

He's the head of the church.

He's the Lord of our lives.

He's our hope.

He's our God.

And he is the greatest servant leader

that ever lived.

Plato, if you remember,

if you're into the Greek philosophers,

Plato had a disciple

whose name was Aristotle.

And when Rome conquered Greece,

the philosophy of Aristotle,

because Aristotle had disciples,

the philosophy of Aristotle,

which goes back to Plato,

permeated the Roman Empire

so much so

that even though Greece was conquered,

then Rome was Hellenized

by the nation they conquered.

Why?

Because Plato had a disciple

and Aristotle had disciples.

Disciples of Jesus Christ

should be making

a more profound difference

in the world

than the philosophy

of Plato and Aristotle

in the Roman Empire.

We follow the King of Kings

and Lord of Lords.

I want you to look first

at this word

that I mentioned before.

The first point is follow.

It's what every disciple of Jesus

is called to do.

And the word follow,

when we look at the meaning

of the word

and we get into it,

the word follow

means to chase

or pursue.

So we are to chase

and pursue after

Jesus and His truth.

It's something

that requires commitment

and focus

in order to do.

Jesus said,

here's how you do it.

It's not like He said,

do this,

love me,

follow me,

and He didn't tell us how.

He specifically said,

this is what you have to do

to be a follower of mine.

I want you to look in the text.

In Mark 8 and verse 34,

the first one is self-denial.

Absolute and complete commitment.

A life of self-centeredness,

a life of selfishness,

a life of self-focus,

self-fulfillment,

self-interest

is ruled out

in order that we might have a life

that is Christ-focused

and Christ-centric.

Matthew 7 and verse 21,

Jesus said,

not everyone who says to me,

Lord, Lord,

will enter the kingdom of heaven,

but he who does the will of my Father

who is in heaven.

Self-denial.

He said,

you must deny yourself,

but what does that look like?

I mean,

in today's world,

how do we translate that?

What does it look like

to deny ourselves?

I came across a poem

by Bill Britton,

and I want to read it to you.

You got it on the screen?

You got it, okay.

It's a little long.

Can you bear with me?

Maybe.

Okay, here we go.

When you are forgotten

or neglected

or purposely set at naught

and you don't sting

or hurt

with the insult

of the oversight,

but your heart is happy

being counted

worthy to suffer for Christ,

that is,

dying to self.

When your good

is evil spoken of,

when your wishes are crossed,

your advice disregarded,

or your opinions ridiculed,

and you refuse to let anger

rise in your heart

or even to defend yourself,

but take it all in patient,

loving silence,

this is dying to self.

When you lovingly,

patiently bear any disorder,

any regularity,

and impunctuality,

or any annoyance,

when you come face to face

with waste,

folly,

extravagance,

spiritual insensibility,

and endure it

as Jesus endured it,

that's dying to self.

When you are content

with any food,

any offering,

any raiment,

any climate,

any society,

any solitude,

any interruption

by the will of God,

that is dying to self.

When you never refer

to yourself in conversation

or to record

your own good works

or itch after commendation,

when you can truly love

to go unknown,

that is dying to self.

When you can see

your brother or sister

have his or her needs met

and can honestly rejoice

in spirit

and can feel no envy,

no question God,

while your own needs

are far greater

and in more desperate

circumstances,

that is dying to self.

When you can receive

correction and reproof

for one of less stature

than yourself

and can humbly submit

inwardly as well as outwardly,

finding no rebellion

or resentment

rising up within your heart,

that is dying to self.

Jesus said

that we are

to deny

ourselves.

That's what

we do

when we follow Jesus.

We deny ourselves.

The second thing is

to bear the cross.

Notice what he says

in the text.

If anyone wishes

to come after me,

let him deny himself

and take up

his cross.

That's been

misinterpreted a lot.

Some people

will talk about this,

oh, that's my cross

I have to bear.

And they talk about

an illness they have,

a condition they have,

someone they have

to care for

or circumstances

they're in.

That's not the cross.

And then other people say

I'm going to carry

the cross of Jesus.

No, you can't.

That one's already taken

and there was only one person

that could carry that cross.

But what it says,

let him take up

his cross.

And there's no question,

there's no doubt

that in the

New Testament world

when they said cross,

what they meant

was an instrument

of execution.

In other words,

when you take up

your cross,

you are committed

to something

to the point

of death.

And that's what

Jesus meant.

The cross

was an instrument

of capital punishment.

The new

Greek international

commentary

said the phrase

is used literally

of carrying

one's cross

to the place

of execution.

and it's a daily

experience.

Not a one-time

experience,

but every day

we pick up

our cross,

our commitment

to Christ

to the point

of death

and we walk.

Deny ourselves,

take up

our cross

and then follow

Christ.

I'm not a

Greek grammarian

or a Greek scholar

but I own

shelves of books

by people who are.

So when I studied

this passage,

I realized

that this is

a present

tense verb

that's in the

imperative

which means

it is a commandment

to keep on doing,

keep on doing,

keep on doing.

We sing

wherever he leads,

I'll go.

But far too often

we don't mean

a word of it

when we sing it.

We're called

to live the life

of love.

Not a feeling

that rises up

inside of us

not something

the culture

has defined

for us

but love

as exhibited

and explained

in Jesus Christ

and his word.

in fact,

1 John 4, 19

says we love

because he first

loved us.

Follow.

That's what we're

called to do.

Deny ourselves.

Take up our cross

and follow him.

The second thing

is follower.

It is who a disciple is.

If you are a Christian,

if you are born again,

you are a follower

follower of Jesus

and part of that word

disciple means to follow,

means to learn

and follow.

If you and I

and we do

and we for many,

many years

across centuries,

when we have a relationship

with Christ,

we call ourselves what?

Christian.

Thank you.

Christian.

Christian.

Do you know

the word Christian

is only mentioned

three times in the Bible?

Three times

and in every situation

it seems that it's used

as a term of derision,

little Christ.

Used to put them down.

But the term follower

or disciple

is used nearly 300 times

in the New Testament.

Imagine if you and I

are talking to someone

and they say,

well,

tell me something

about yourself

and you say,

well,

I'm a follower of Jesus.

What do you think

they're going to think?

That you're a nut?

Maybe.

But if you say,

I'm a follower of Jesus

and they have enough

respect for you,

they'll say,

what does that mean?

Then you get to share

the gospel with them.

If you say,

I'm a Christian,

they just kind of like

water off a duck's back.

It just rolls off.

We are followers

of Jesus Christ

and that means four things.

A follower of Jesus Christ

is a person

who is more than a crowd.

More than a crowd.

In Matthew chapter 8

Matthew 8 · chapter mention

and verse 1,

when he came down

from the mountain,

great multitudes

followed him.

But here's the question.

Were they all disciples?

When he came down

from the mountain,

great multitudes

followed him

and even in Mark 8 here,

he said with the crowd

and his disciples,

once Jesus got his momentum

on this earth,

there was always

a crowd around him.

Were they disciples?

And the answer is no,

they weren't

because they didn't

follow him.

In fact,

they even turned on him.

In Matthew 27

and verse 22,

Pilate said to them,

that is the crowd

of the multitude,

what shall I do

with Jesus

who is called the Christ?

And they all said,

crucify him.

You remember

what many days

removed from that

when he came

into Jerusalem

and the crowds

lined the street

and they praised him

and now

some of the same people

are saying,

crucify him.

A disciple is more

than part of a crowd

and crowd mentality

is a dangerous thing.

Do you remember

1977, 1978,

there was a man

named Jim Jones.

Does anybody

remember that?

He started out

in either Indiana

or Illinois

and he moved

to California

and he started

something called

a People's Temple

and he gained

the support

of local politicians

and even state politicians

and even

some in Congress

and he had

followers,

lots of followers

and they were

brainwashed

and the man

became so enamored

with his own power

that he began

to ask people

to call him

Father.

He implied to them

that he was

God.

He performed

phony miracles.

One that is

noted,

is certified,

is he

purportedly

removed

a cancerous tumor

from somebody's side

behind this sheet

and he had

his assistants

helping him

and what they

found out later

was he took

a bloody chicken

liver

and put it

on the side

of the person

and pulled it

out

and the person

said,

I'm healed

and he held

up the chicken

liver

and threw it

away.

False prophet.

When things

got hot in

California,

he moved

down to

South America

and created

a place

in Guyana

called

Jonestown.

Congressman

Leo Ryan

and some

other people

on the

delegation,

they heard

so many

reports of

abuse,

they flew

down there

to see

what was

going on

and the

result of

that is

the congressman

was killed,

many other

people and

by the end

of the time,

918 people

either were

shot or

committed suicide

including Jones

himself.

He was a

false prophet.

Jonestown

was a false

coalition of

people.

They found

themselves not

following Jesus

but following a

man and they

found themselves

following a

man that was

not only

deluded but

was himself

evil.

But it was

a crowd

and crowd

mentality is

dangerous.

J.

Vernon

McGee and

what I'm

going to read

to you,

he wrote

about 25

or 30

years ago.

He said,

freedom is

not following

a multitude

to do evil.

If we were

to follow

God's precept,

it would put

us out of

the marching,

protesting,

and rioting

business.

Because it's

not the

crowd,

it's

disciples,

it's people

who follow

Jesus and

it's one

by one,

a change

of heart,

a change

of heart,

a change

of heart

that continues

to deny

self and

take up the

cross and

follow him.

It's a

person that's

more than a

crowd.

But a

disciple is

someone who

believes,

not just

reacts.

I've

seen it

in my

ministry

through the

years.

There are

people that

will come

to a

service,

maybe the

music is

just right,

maybe the

preaching is

real strong,

maybe there's

an emotional

appeal,

and somebody

will respond,

and they'll

get all

excited,

and they

burn out

quickly,

and you

don't see

them again.

Matthew

8 and

verse 19,

Scripture

says,

a certain

scribe came

to him and

said,

Teacher,

I will

follow you

wherever you

go.

Now,

if you'll

notice something

in that,

this is a

guy,

Jesus is

walking along

the road,

and there's

a crowd,

and he

comes by

this guy,

and he

says,

Teacher,

I'll follow

you wherever

you go.

Jesus

didn't even

call him.

He

volunteered.

I'll

follow you

wherever you

go.

He reacted.

He wasn't

committed to,

but he was

reacting to

something inside

of himself.

In fact,

Jesus would

tell that

man,

in verse

20,

the foxes

have holes

and the

birds of

the air

have nests,

but the

Son of

Man has

nowhere to

lay his

head.

It was

like Jesus

was saying,

look,

you don't

know what

you're getting

into.

You don't

know what

it means to

follow me.

You've just

volunteered for

something that

you have no

idea what

it's about.

And you

notice something

else about

this when

this person

volunteered.

Jesus didn't

jump up and

down and say,

oh,

goody,

I've got

another one

in my

group.

He didn't

say that.

He said,

you better

watch it.

Do you

know what

you're getting

in for?

I don't

even have a

place to

sleep tonight.

Disciple is

someone who

believes,

not just

reacts.

And then it's

a witness who

realizes dangers

occur.

It's dangerous

to be a

follower of

Jesus.

You will get

your feelings

hurt.

You will be

misunderstood.

You will

be persecuted

for something

that you

didn't even

know you

did.

You will

be lied

about if

you follow

Jesus.

The

disciples

learned this.

They learned

their dangers

in following

Jesus.

Here's one of

the ways they

learned it.

Back in

Matthew chapter

Matthew 8 · chapter mention

8 and verse

23,

he got into

the boat and

the disciples

followed him.

they did

not know

what was

coming but

a sea

quake

occurred.

A lay

lapse and

it says

and they

were very

afraid.

Here they

are sailing

out on the

sea of

Galilee.

Everything's

going good.

Jesus is

asleep in

the stern

of the

boat.

This

terrible storm

comes up and

some of these

experienced

fishermen are

afraid.

They said

Lord we

perish unless

you help

them.

So they

woke them

up.

Jesus woke

up.

You know

I often

wonder how

could he

sleep through

a storm like

that?

Because he's

God.

He is the

embodiment of

perfect peace.

So he gets

up and he

says to the

wind stop and

he says to the

sea be still and

now they're

sailing on

mirror water and

there's no wind.

It was a

miracle but then

he turned and

he looked to his

disciples and he

said why are

you timid ye

men of little

faith?

They were his

chosen disciples.

They would

grow.

They would

change.

They would

continue being

disciples and

growing and

growing.

until as far

as we know

all of them

died, were

martyred for

their faith, for

following Jesus.

A witness who

realizes this

danger.

But then the

fourth thing is a

believer who is

growing in faith.

You look at the

life of Jesus and

he finally comes to

that place where

he's arrested,

goes to the

mockery of a

trial.

They find him

guilty.

They sentence

him to

execution.

He dies on

the cross.

They thought

they killed

him but it

was a

predetermined

plan of

God that he

died in our

place for our

sins.

Put him in a

grave and he

rose from the

dead and then

he appeared to

the disciples and

then move forward

in the scene and

Peter and some of

the others go out

fishing one morning

and they look just

on the shore and

they see a figure

and Peter realizes

it's Jesus.

And he said it's

the master and he

jumps in the water

and goes to Jesus

and sits there.

Jesus made

breakfast for them

and after breakfast

Jesus asked Simon

Peter three

questions.

I think it makes

a difference in

the Greek because

there are two

different Greek

words in play

here.

Jesus said Simon

do you love me?

And he used that

word agape.

Simon do you love

me?

Simon Peter answered

and said Lord you

know I have great

affection for you.

Jesus said then

take care of my

sheep.

Second time Jesus

said do you love me?

Do you agape me?

Simon Peter said

Lord you know I

have a great

affection for you.

He said well take

care of my sheep.

The third time Jesus

said Peter do you

have a great

affection for me?

And Peter said

Lord you know.

He said then

tend my sheep.

Now after that

Jesus has some

tough news for

Peter.

He told him

Peter this is how

you're going to die.

You're going to die

following me.

This is what they're

going to do to you.

They're going to

crucify you.

You're going to die

following me.

That's hard news.

That's tough news to

get.

What was his future

like?

He knew he was going

to die for Jesus.

He just got some

really bad news.

And then Jesus said

to Peter follow me.

And Peter still

hasn't grown to the

point that he would

grow one day.

He says looking at

John Lord what about

that man?

Doesn't that sound

like us?

There's some bad

things happen to us

and we may pray to

God and say what

about him?

He's worse than I am.

Jesus' answer is

well it's perfect.

Jesus said to Peter

if I want him to

remain until I come

what is that to you?

Follow me.

It's not what's

happening to somebody

else that determines

our relationship with

God.

It's the quality of

our following him

ourselves.

Followers of Jesus.

That's what we're

called to be.

And the last thing I

want you to see is

followed.

If I weren't a

Baptist I'd get

excited about this

verse.

The most forgotten

verse is the

probably in the

whole book of

Psalms.

Certainly in

Psalm 23

Psalms 23:6

verse 6.

Surely or only

goodness and

loving kindness

mercy will follow

me all the days of

my life and I

will dwell in the

house of the Lord

forever.

The older

theologians used

to call this

loving kindness

or goodness and

mercy.

They used to call

that the hounds

of heaven.

And he says

will follow me.

Same emphasis

of the word.

Will chase after

me.

Will hunt me

down.

That's for us who

follow Jesus.

Something's following

us.

And God's put on

our trail

goodness and

mercy.

We don't usually

see it until we

look back but it's

always following

us.

It's a promise we

can believe.

Goodness supplies our

needs.

And loving kindness

or mercy blots out

our sins.

They follow us.

That's comforting.

That's encouraging.

That's helpful to

know that whatever

I'm going through or

whatever I'm facing

whatever turn the

road takes in life

that I'm traveling

behind me following

on my trail pursuing

me chasing after me

is goodness and

mercy.

I asked Brian if he

would sing that song

Angels from the

Realm of Glory this

morning.

You might wonder

why are we singing

a Christmas song and

it's not even

December?

Well I asked him

to.

And the reason I

did is because I

think there's a

story that illustrates

Psalm 23 6 very

good.

There was a man who

lived in the 1800s.

He died in 1864.

His name is a

British journalist

named James

Montgomery.

His parents were

Moravian missionaries.

They died on the

mission field and as a

result he ended up

going from house to

house sometimes

living on the street

sometimes homeless.

At 21 he was a

failure at school.

He kept trying to

keep failing.

At 21 he got a job

at a radical

newspaper.

I think that's what

happened to people

that can't get a job

anywhere else.

They get a job with

the Baptist Courier

or newspaper or

something.

But he got a job at

a radical newspaper

called the Sheffield

Register.

Under pressure the

editor sold the

paper to Montgomery.

He somehow got

enough money together

and bought the

paper.

At 23 he was

fined $100 and

sentenced to three

months in jail for

his writings.

Radical writings.

And they were

radical because they

were so Christian.

At age 25 he was

fined $150 and

sentenced to six

months in prison.

And during those

six months in prison

he started writing a

book.

He called it,

he called his book

Prison Amusements

and had it published.

And when he got

out of prison to

his surprise the

book was a

bestseller.

The newspaper

circulation was the

highest it had ever

been and he had

become a celebrity.

He said I almost

wrote the judge who

sentenced me a

thank you note for

sending me to prison.

He grew stronger and

stronger in his

Christian faith.

By the age of 40

it's written of him

that he was the

leading citizen in

Sheffield.

He was recognized

even though he was

not a preacher.

He was recognized as

a careful student of

the word of God.

And at 45 he wrote

something that was

in 1816 that continues

to live today.

Angels from the

realm of glory.

He wrote that on the

Christmas Eve edition

of the Sheffield

Register.

in James Montgomery's

life as he followed

Jesus and all the

bad things that

happened to him

there were hounds

from heaven that

kept on his trail

and he was blessed.

And he gave us a

song that lives on

until today.

Well the last part of

followed the reality

of hope.

I will dwell in the

house of the Lord

forever.

Or I will dwell in the

family of the Lord

forever.

It's confident assurance.

The reality of hope.

Goodness and mercy will

follow me all the days

of my life.

That's encouraging

enough.

And then I will dwell in

the house of the Lord

forever.

forever.

Can I tell you

something?

It doesn't get any

better than that.

That's good.

That's encouraging.

That gives us

confidence.

Charles Spurgeon is my

pastor of history.

And I've been going

through Spurgeon for the

last two years reading

in my devotions.

But Spurgeon said

this.

Question.

When we die.

Then he said.

While I'm here I will

be a child of God at

home with my God.

The whole world will

be his house to me.

And when I ascend into

the upper chamber I

shall not change my

company nor even change

the house.

I'll only go to dwell in

the upper story of the

house of the Lord

forever.

Boy that blessed me when

I read that.

It says I'm in the

house of God now.

I'm in the family of

God now.

And then when I die I'm

just going to go

upstairs.

What a thought.

What a God.

What a great opportunity

to be a follower of

Jesus Christ.

That's the path of

discipleship.

Something follows us.

Goodness and mercy.

Someone has called us

Jesus Christ.

Something has been

explained very vividly

to us.

Deny yourself.

Take up your cross.

Follow him.

Simple isn't it?

But we can't do it

without the power of

his Holy Spirit.

Not just one day.

But every single day.

I want you to bow your

heads with me.

Our musicians are going

to play something for us.

And Roger Smith is going

to come and lead us in

prayer.

But I want you to think

about this.

Think about these words.

Deny myself.

Take up my cross.

Be committed to the point

of death.

And follow Jesus.

Deny myself.

Take up the cross.

Follow Jesus.

Think about those words.

Ask yourself,

am I doing it?

Lord, help me

to do it.

Father, take your word.

Apply it to our heart.

Move us

to see and do

what you want us to be.

help us truly

to be disciples of yours

who deny ourselves

and take up our cross

and follow you.