Discipleship and Growth

All right.

Last time I was up here, I was talking about Samson and Delilah

and interracial relationships, and that was a lot of fun.

Jason remembers.

My name is Jeremy.

It's a pleasure to speak with you guys this morning.

And as I've been preparing and thinking about discipleship,

it's just been a reminder for me, too,

because it's not so much me teaching you and talking at you,

but, wow, it's been a reflection time for me to think about,

what is God teaching me?

Because I don't want to be a hypocrite.

I don't think anyone here wants to be a hypocrite.

And even thinking about, God, what are you teaching me

as I look at this amazing passage about being a disciple and abiding in you?

So we're continuing a series, if you've been around the last couple weeks,

a series on a healthy church and what does that actually look like.

And Eric spoke about membership and community a couple weeks ago.

Last week, Chris spoke about prayer.

And today we're going to look at discipleship and growth,

which is really something central to the family of God.

Because if you are a Christian here today, you're also a disciple.

If you're not a Christian today, well,

Jesus is actually calling you to follow him and also be a disciple.

So this is a central aspect of what it means to be a church.

And when I say the word discipleship,

I think each of you may have different thoughts about what it means.

If you're not a Christian,

I don't know how often you actually think about that word disciple.

I don't think we think about that too often in the workplace and outside.

And if you're raised in a church like me,

the first thing that came to my mind was some kind of discipleship course

that you take, you learn about the Bible

and what it means to live as a Christian.

Now, a class about the subject of discipleship can be a really good thing.

It can obviously be useful,

but I want to stress from the very beginning today

that when we look at what Jesus said in that passage we read together,

it's clear that it has something to do with abiding in him.

It's something to do about bearing fruit for God.

So while there must be some aspect of knowledge,

obviously, in this process of discipleship,

I think it's really clear from this abiding and this bearing fruit

that it's so much more than just going through a discipleship course

that you can just sit through in a few lectures or something like that.

So we start with the basics.

And I think discipleship is simply this process,

this journey that we talk about in Watermark all the time

of being a disciple.

And I think by definition, a disciple is relational.

You can't be a disciple kind of just on your own in a room by yourself.

Because a disciple, what, he always has a teacher.

A disciple has a teacher, and there's a relational concept there.

In Luke 6, Jesus says this,

A disciple is not above his teacher,

but everyone, when he is fully trained,

will be like his teacher.

So in a nutshell, we can see that discipleship

is the process in which a disciple

becomes like the one who is teaching him.

When I was a kid, maybe around grade one,

primary school, elementary school,

depending on where you're from, or year one,

we lived in the U.S.

And my dad became the interim pastor

of the church that we were a part of.

And being a little more of a, I guess,

more of a traditional conservative culture,

he had to wear a suit when he preached,

and he went up to the pulpit,

and obviously as a little kid I saw him do that.

And I guess for the story, if I remember correctly,

the details are like one day I think I just decided

I wanted to put on this little suit that I had

for whatever reason.

And I presume at grade one I asked my mom

if I could wear it.

And obviously I dressed up in this little suit

and I went to service.

And after the service had ended and my dad had preached,

I remember I ran up to the pulpit,

and it was a proper pulpit,

not just like a music stand here.

And I think being in that culture,

it was a little more of a big deal

because what is this kid doing running up to the stage?

And I think at that age I was probably more like this.

So people were asking me,

what are you doing?

And I think I really quite calmly said,

like chill.

Well, maybe not literally chill,

but like I just want to see what it's like to be my dad

at this pulpit,

talking and kind of looking out.

And that story came to mind

because I think when I was a child,

my dad was my teacher.

I saw him that way.

He was my role model.

I followed him.

I looked up to him.

I wanted to be like him, even.

And so what does a disciple look like?

Inevitably, the disciple looks like the teacher

that he or she is following.

I think this is where it gets really interesting

because I guarantee you,

guarantee you that every single one of us here

is a disciple.

Every single one of us.

And why do I know that?

Well, you may not consider yourself as a disciple.

You may not kind of describe or style yourself as a disciple.

But your thoughts and your actions

will always speak more clearly

than the titles you give yourself.

And I think the reality is this.

I don't think a person can live in society

and live in a place

without being a disciple of someone or something.

Think about this for a second.

Think about the people,

the trends,

the ideas that have shaped your worldview,

that have shaped your values,

that have shaped your goals,

whether it's throughout your upbringing

or today.

As a disciple,

your teacher may be your parents,

like I alluded to in that story with my dad,

or it could be your professors and your teachers

if you're in school.

It could be your colleagues,

your friends,

BuzzFeed,

if you're an internet junkie,

you know,

you're always on that,

looking at those lists,

and it's kind of discipling you.

The people you follow on Twitter,

Instagram,

if you're social media savvy.

Celebrities.

Who doesn't love a good celebrity?

Who is a celebrity that they follow?

You can just throw out a name.

No one will judge you.

Come on.

Just one person.

Tom Cruise.

Excellence.

Bastion of Scientology.

Actually, I'll be honest,

the first person,

I don't know why,

don't judge me,

the first person I thought about

was Miley Cyrus.

And I don't know why,

because I think I just kind of saw her

growing up in like,

I think it's the Disney Club

or whatever it is,

and then she kind of

went off the rails or whatnot.

And there's also,

okay, going back to this,

this endless,

I think this will really hit home.

There's an endless list of experts

in Hong Kong and the world

that are always vying for our attention.

You have experts from,

I don't know,

astrology and aerobics

to parenting

all the way to zoology.

And these experts,

we look to them

and we look to their advice

and their wisdom.

Now, let me be clear,

I'm not saying

that we should disregard these people.

We're not saying

we can't learn from these sources,

but these things,

these things can be very practical

and very beneficial.

So don't get me wrong there.

I think we can really learn

from these people.

Absolutely.

Well, I don't know about Miley Cyrus.

I don't know what I can learn

from her.

Actually, I think we can,

honestly,

even her.

And here's an aside.

If you're following a celebrity,

I was just thinking about this

the other day,

do you,

do you actually think about

their personal life,

like Tom Cruise

or Miley Cyrus or whoever?

Like when I'm listening

to that music,

when I'm enjoying that movie,

am I also praying

for this person

that I'm following,

that I'm following,

that I'm appreciating?

Or are they just

some kind of commodity?

So that was just,

that was just an aside,

but think about that.

And I think even Miley Cyrus,

we can learn from her

and we can pray for her.

So all these things

are good things.

We can learn from them,

we can appreciate them,

we can get wisdom from them,

but if we're disciples

of these things,

of these people,

we're actually modeling

our lives after them.

We're actually

kind of developing

these identities

to become more like them.

And I think if we're honest

with ourselves,

every single one of us

here is yearning

and searching

for a teacher

to show us how to live

in the way

that we're meant to live.

And guys,

the scary thing for me

is I've realized

over the years

that I think subconsciously

I've been a disciple

of many different things,

many different trends

and people,

people that I thought

would teach me,

things that I thought

would teach me

the right way to live.

But Jesus comes

into the picture here

and he says now,

he says,

I am the way,

I am the truth,

and I am the life.

No one comes

to the Father

but through me.

And I think

for the first time

and maybe the only time

in history,

the teacher isn't

just offering you

a set of principles

to live by

or a nice product

that you put on

before you go to bed

or 20 minutes

of activity

that you need to do

to get right.

The teacher

is offering himself,

his own life

as a substitute

for mine and yours.

We don't need

a better way to live.

We're actually helpless.

We need,

we need this relationship.

We need this Savior,

Jesus,

who can bring us back

into a relationship

with our Creator.

We were created

to love God

and to glorify Him

and Jesus

is the only teacher

who can empower us

to do that.

He's actually

the only teacher

worth being a disciple of.

Friends,

that's the gospel,

basically.

That's the good news

that allows us

to be disciples

of Jesus.

Jesus.

And so a disciple

of Jesus,

a disciple of Jesus,

not just any disciple,

a disciple of Jesus

is actually

someone whose

entire life,

every detail,

every minutia,

every aspect

of your life

is being

radically transformed

by the gospel.

The disciple's

relationship

with God

and this

unconditional love

that this

Heavenly Father gives,

that is what shapes

the entire

disciple's life.

Of course,

the natural

follow-up question

you might have

to this,

well,

then what does it

actually look like

to be a disciple

of Christ?

What are these marks

or the mark

of being

a disciple?

That's what Jesus

is talking about

in verse 5

when He says,

I am the vine,

you are the branches.

He who abides

in me

and I in him,

he bears much fruit

for apart from me

you can do nothing.

And in verse 8,

my Father is glorified

by this

that you bear

much fruit

and so prove

to be my disciples.

There it is.

The evidence

of being

a disciple

of Jesus

is to bear

fruit

for God's glory.

And I've been

studying this

and as I've been

looking at this

imagery of fruit,

it's really helped me

to honestly

appreciate fruit more

because I mean,

I enjoy fruit generally.

It's generally sweet

and juicy

and stuff

but I'm really more

of like a meat guy

and beef,

chicken,

pork,

lamb,

yeah,

those are all meat

so whatever kind

of meat you want

and pasta,

noodles,

carbs,

you know,

good,

good Asian there,

I love my rice.

And fruit's okay.

I like it

but it's kind of

almost more

on the vegetable category.

It's more just like,

okay,

I'll eat it

because I know

it's healthy

unless it's mixed

into like frozen yogurt

or ice cream

and that's wonderful

but as I've been looking

at this fruit analogy

a bit more,

I think we can actually

see that it really

teaches us

a lot of things

and I don't think

it's a mistake

that God used

fruitfulness

as this image.

Have you ever thought

about the fact

that bearing fruit,

if you're a branch,

you bear fruit,

it's actually

exclusively

to feed other people?

Because if you're

a branch right here,

you don't eat

your own fruit,

right?

You don't bear fruit

because you just

want to look nice

or whatever.

The fruit's for eating.

Ask a farmer.

Ask someone

who loves fruit.

Not me,

but ask someone

who loves fruit.

fruit.

And then,

have you ever thought

about the fact

that fruit is also

inherently about

reproduction

in a botanical sense?

Inside every fruit

or connected to every fruit

is a seed

or seeds.

So in that fruit itself

is the beginning

of new life,

new disciples

and that is how

we're also called

to make new disciples

of Christ.

It's always

outward focused.

The fruit's not

about the branch.

The fruit doesn't need

to be eaten

by the branch.

The branch just bears it

for others.

It's outward focused.

And if we survey

the New Testament,

you'll actually come across

all these different examples

of spiritual fruit.

So I hope this gives you

a little bit

of a practical look

at what we see

in Scripture.

Romans 1,

we bear fruit

when we win others

to Christ.

When we share

the gospel with them

and God brings them

into the family of God.

John 4,

there's this idea

that we are all

as Christians

part of this harvest.

The entire church

is part of this harvest.

We are actually

living fruit.

Romans 15,

Paul actually considers

financial giving.

He calls that as fruit

when he's being supported

by these Christians

who are dedicated

to Christ.

And obviously we know

Galatians 5,

the fruit of the Spirit.

It's this kind of

Christian character

that reflects God's glory

and makes Christ

real to others.

Colossians 1,

even our good works

are considered

to be fruit

that grows out

of our life.

And lastly,

Hebrews 13,

the praise that comes

from your lips,

the songs that we

were just singing,

the Scripture,

the prayers,

the praise that come

from our lips,

the Scripture says

that that is fruit

for God's glory.

So let's summarize.

We see that actually

Jesus comes into our life

to restore our relationship

with our Heavenly Father.

And as we follow Him,

the mark of a disciple

is to bear fruit

for God's glory.

And we see these examples

in Scripture.

But today,

I'm not too concerned

about kind of really

unpacking those

specific examples.

I mean,

those are important,

and if you want to talk

about it more,

I would love to.

But I think there's

a deeper issue here

than those examples

of fruit,

because the more

foundational issue

is this.

On the one hand,

we're brought into

this loving relationship

with God.

On the other hand,

we have this purpose,

this calling,

this command

to bear fruit.

So how do we get

from one to another,

from A to B?

How do we actually

bear that fruit?

You know,

does the branch

simply say to itself,

grow, you know?

Apples,

grow from my branch.

Durian,

grow from my,

if you like durian,

grow from my branch.

No.

Why?

Because in the passage,

what does Jesus say?

The branch is lifeless

without the vine.

Verse 5,

we need to abide

in Jesus,

who is the true vine.

So abide

is that key word,

and it's not a word

we commonly use.

I don't know

when's the last time

you said,

hey, let's abide here.

I mean,

if you're kind of like

in law or something,

you might think,

oh, I'm abiding

by these terms

and rules or whatever,

but this is not

abiding by something.

This word,

abide,

actually means,

it's a little more archaic.

It means to remain,

to stay,

to wait,

to wait for,

to continue

in a state

that you've already been.

As some of you

may be thinking,

well,

that doesn't seem

very hard to remain.

You know,

if we all sat here

for the next five hours

and just kind of

went limp,

that would very much

be abiding

in these chairs,

right?

But then,

after a few hours,

the cyber port staff

might start coming in,

and they'll be like,

hey,

we want to pack up

these chairs.

And then,

some of you might

start getting bored

and hungry.

Some of your kids

might be wondering,

where the heck are you?

And they'll be calling you.

Maybe a more

realistic example.

A lot of you

have come here

to Hong Kong

from overseas,

or you've traveled.

I'm sure there's many

compelling and interesting

reasons

why God has moved you

from place to place.

I'm not trying to say

that sitting in this room

is the same

as being a disciple

or moving around

is bad,

but I want to say

that it's actually

not that easy,

if you think about it,

to really abide.

Because in this world,

in this society,

there's always

forces

and influences

that are trying

to shape your attention,

that are trying

to draw you

and pull you

from one place

to another.

They might be good things,

but they're still

drawing you

and pulling you.

It's not actually

that easy

to stand firm

in this society

today.

All those teachers

that we discussed before,

those experts

or whatever,

celebrities,

the people,

the things

that you might be

disciples of,

they're always there.

They're always calling,

always beckoning,

whether consciously

or subconsciously,

with promises

of happiness

and contentment.

And if you think about it,

abiding in Christ

isn't just like a chair

that you plop into

and you just like,

it's not just like a,

it's not a place per se,

it's actually

a relationship

we have with Jesus

and our Heavenly Father.

And as a teacher,

Jesus actually

has something to say

about what it means

to abide

in this relationship.

Verse 10,

he says,

if you keep

my commandments,

you will abide

in my love

just as I have kept

my Father's commandments

and abide in his love.

I just want to be

really clear

with this verse here.

Jesus is saying that,

he's not saying

that we earn his love

by keeping his commandments.

Actually,

in chapter 14,

the previous chapter,

Jesus actually says

that if we love him,

we will obey his commandments.

That's just very natural.

When you love somebody,

you want to obey them.

God's love for us

is what inspires us

to move back to him,

to be moved

to obey him.

The obedience

is simply a result

of that love

and as we keep

his commandments,

that obedience

will very naturally

express itself

and it will help us

to remain

in his love.

So what kind of commandments

are we talking about here?

Let's go to verse 12.

Jesus says,

this is my commandment

that you love one another

just as I have loved you.

And there are so many

fruits of the spirit

and different examples

of the fruit

that we've looked at

but I think it really

boils down to this.

When you look at your life,

is it marked

by a supernatural,

unconditional love

for the people around you,

for the other people?

I'm not talking about

the people that you

naturally get along with

or people that you're

going to benefit from.

I think you don't need

Jesus to tell you

that everyone

will naturally love people

that love them

and are lovable.

I'm talking about people

that you don't

really get along with

that aren't like you at all.

I'm talking about people

whose personalities

rub you in the wrong way,

who are different from you.

I'm talking about strangers

and maybe even people

who dislike you.

People that are just

inherently different from you.

When you look at the people

in your community groups,

when you look at the people

in your church,

in Watermark Church,

do you see all the people

whom God has called you to love

just like Jesus loves you?

I think sometimes

we get caught up

in trying to be good Christians

by thinking

and saying the right things.

I know I do.

Having the right doctrines,

trying to navigate our work

in a godly manner,

and I'm saying

all those things

are really good things,

but if we look at this passage,

what ultimately defines us

as disciples of Jesus

is love.

An obedient love for God

and others

so that all of our life decisions

are actually shaped

by that love.

Your time,

your money,

the jobs and careers

you choose,

the places you move,

they are actually

fundamentally grounded

and shaped

by this love you have

for God and others.

It's about continually

going back to Jesus' love

and then choosing

to love others

even when I don't

feel like it.

I know it's hard

to love like that

and I've been thinking

a lot about

what hinders me

from being

that disciple

that Jesus calls me

to be.

I think I'm relatively

solid in my beliefs

and my understanding

of God.

I think I have a relatively

comfortable

grasp of theology.

Some of you might

beg to differ

and I think I'm

a relatively nice person.

Again, some of you

may beg to differ

but when I think

about this command,

not just fluffy,

I'm nice

and I like to think

positive thoughts

about myself,

when I actually think

about this command

to love people

in the way

that Jesus loves me,

I am amazed

at how lukewarm

my love is.

Sometimes I don't think

I can even call it love

because I feel like

it kind of cheapens

that word.

I struggle with

loving people

that are,

honestly,

I don't find lovable.

It's so easy

to love people

that are cute

and so easy

to pick up

that cute little baby.

You know,

I'd pick up that baby

any day

and give it a big kiss

if Donna lets me.

But what about

the unlovable people?

What about the people

that would never make it

onto the cover

of a magazine,

who aren't good looking,

who aren't charismatic,

who aren't interesting?

Luke 14.

Jesus has this very

well-known passage,

I'm sure you've heard

it before,

about the cost

of being a disciple.

He says,

if anyone comes to me

and doesn't hate

his family

and even his own life,

he cannot be my disciple.

Any one of you

who does not renounce

all that he has

cannot be my disciple.

Now,

is Jesus saying

that we literally

need to hate our families

to be his disciple?

Obviously not,

since that would go

directly against

his command to love.

But I think Jesus

is speaking in hyperbole

and he's being

so sort of drastic

and extreme

because he's saying

that our love for him

needs to be so clear

and so absolute

that everything else

compared to that,

it just pales

in comparison.

It almost seems like

it's hate

when compared to

our love for Jesus.

Relationships,

possessions,

everything,

it all pales

in comparison.

And I think he was

so extreme

in this teaching

because he knows,

Jesus knows

that there are

so many things

that distract us

from him.

He knows

that there are

so many things

that stop us

from resting

in his love.

He knows

that there are

so many things

that we use

and people

we use,

things we use

as excuses

to not obey

our Heavenly Father,

to not trust him.

In this relationship

with our Heavenly Father,

we've been called

to keep his commandments.

Simply stated,

it's like being obedient

to your dad.

If you recall

from last week's sermon,

Chris talked about

Lord's Prayer,

and I think it's really

important to continue

from that,

and it's important

to kind of build

on that,

how we pray

to our Heavenly Father,

how we see

our Heavenly Father.

We're not talking

about a sinful,

imperfect

parent that you might

have

in your life today.

We're talking

about the creator

of the universe.

This is God,

your Heavenly Father,

my Heavenly Father

who loves his children

unconditionally.

So when Jesus tells us

and commands us

to keep his commandments,

we have to think

about it in this context.

Jesus knows

that we tend

to think

that we've got

it all figured out.

Because we're adults

in here, right?

We've got it figured out.

We put on that facade

that we know

what we're doing.

I often say things

that I've no idea

what I'm talking about,

but it just sounds eloquent

and makes me look good.

The truth is,

if you're looking

at your Heavenly Father

and you're trying

to even imagine

what he sees

when he looks at us,

we're not adults.

We're children

in his eyes.

I was talking

to a friend

this past week.

She works

as a waitress.

She's a mother

of a grown man.

I guess her son's

in his 20s.

And she was just

sharing with me

about some

of her struggles.

And she knows

she shouldn't

be doing some things.

She knows she's

wrestling with some things.

But she was saying

that she shouldn't

complain to God.

She's saying,

I don't want

to complain to God

or be going to Him

about these things,

about these struggles.

Because God

has already done

so much for her

and for her son.

And I was listening

and my heart

was just kind of

sinking and breaking

a little bit

because it just

seemed to me

like she didn't

see God

as her Heavenly Daddy.

And she didn't

see herself

as His daughter.

It reminded me

of our tendencies,

I think,

as adults.

And guys,

to be honest,

when it comes

to discipleship,

I think all of us

are actually more

like kids

going through puberty.

Just children

going into that

awkward adolescence.

You know why?

Because we are

experiencing some

of that freedom

and that independence.

You know?

We've learned

a few things,

but then we think

we actually know

everything.

We've learned

maybe 1%,

but somehow

we think that 1%

is everything.

if you have

preteens or teens

in here,

you know what

I'm talking about,

right?

You know that.

We just don't

really trust our parents.

That little boy

who ran up

into that pulpit

to be like his dad,

well, he grew up

and he started

thinking that he

knew better

and he had

gotten past that.

And in this passage,

we're not even

talking about

an imperfect

human parent.

We're talking

about a relationship

with God,

our Heavenly Father.

So how much more

can we trust

our Heavenly Father

and his commandments?

Let's just take

a moment to reflect

here and just ask

God to reveal

and be real with him

because he knows

anyway.

What's an area

in your life today

that you're not

trusting in your

Heavenly Father?

You know,

what's stopping you

from obeying

his commandments?

What's hindering you

from truly loving

the people around you?

Hindering you

from loving

that unlovable person

in your life?

God wants us

to see the cross.

He wants us

to see how much

he loves him.

God wants us

to be a disciple

of Jesus

is actually

pretty simple,

I think.

We need to go back

to that cross

every day,

remembering how much

God loves us.

Remember that

he's already

shown you

and proved

to you

that he loves us

by dying

in our place.

When I started

thinking about

this sermon,

I was imagining

the Great Commission,

you know,

making disciples,

going out

and doing

all these

awesome things

and there's

a place,

there's definitely

a time and place

to talk about that,

about making disciples

and the Great Commission

and training up people.

But then I slowly

realized

the reality.

Every single one

of us in this room

right now,

we're making disciples

all the time.

you've been making

disciples this past week,

this past month,

even this morning.

We've been making

disciples

based on our

obedience

or lack of obedience

to God.

The Apostle Paul

says in Corinthians,

imitate me

as I imitate Christ.

Who are you

imitating today?

The things

you value

and believe,

they inevitably

come out

in your words

and your actions.

Trust me,

I know it.

I've seen that

out of the overflow

of my heart.

And you're consciously

and you're subconsciously

pointing people

towards the most

important things

in your life.

Look at your children.

Look at your students

if you're a teacher.

Look at your employees

and your colleagues.

Look at your friends.

Whether you realize

it or not,

you're making disciples

of some sort.

So as we remember

Jesus' love this week

as a church,

just think intentionally

about loving people

with God's love.

faith.

And it just might be

a really small step

of faith.

It probably should be

for most of us,

I think.

Just take a step

of faith

and start reaching out

to someone new

that you've never

really reached out

to before.

Or make an effort

to love someone

who you've been

finding it difficult

to love.

Whether you're

a Christian today

or not,

I really,

I just want you

to know

and remember.

I think that's what

God wants us to remember.

We were created

to be loved

by God first.

Starts there.

We were created

to love him back.

And we were created

to share that love

with others.

So what's the next step

for you right now

in trusting Jesus

and abiding in him?

What's that next step?

Let's pray.

God, I just declare

that you are

our heavenly father.

God, I pray that

we would not forget

that, not for a minute.

That we won't think

subconsciously,

oh God, we've grown up.

We're your equals now.

Now we know

what we're doing.

But I pray that

this morning

we would come

running back

to love us

and you want

the best for us.

And so even when

obedience doesn't seem

to make sense

to these adults

that we think we are,

we are willing

to step out

in faith

and trust you.

God, help us

to see that.

Help us to see

that we are just

children

in need of a father.

Lord, whether we have

put our faith

in you this morning

already or not,

Lord, I pray that you

would show us

what that next step is.

that you would

remind us, God,

that you are

pursuing us,

you are seeking us,

you are loving us.

In Jesus' name

I pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you.