Tell me if this sounds familiar. Buzzzzz, buzzzzz, buzzzzz, buzzzzz. Just 5 more minutes. Buzzzzz, buzzzzz, buzzzzzz, buzzzzzz. "Aaaaahhhhhh, another 5 and I can still make it. Oh no! Did I hit the snooze too many times again?"Get the kids up, dressed, fed, and to school. Get the e-mail sent and the memo out and schedule a meeting for tomorrow afternoon right after you get back from the meeting that was scheduled over your lunch break. "The boss came in right at 4 PM and now I’m going to be late picking the kids up from practice and we have to get to the other side of town for a game. Oh and what about supper, better grab that on the way." You finally get home and have to finish working on the proposal that you didn’t get to today, but the kids have questions about their homework. You finally get to put your head down on the pillow and before you know it, you have hit the snooze too many times again.
What does it mean to be a disciple in today's world?
So the question I have to ask is this, does this example reflect lives of discipleship? In the hectic pace of the world we live in, what does it mean to be a disciple? Are our lives pleasing acts of worship to God?
Romans 12:1 (NIV) talks about what it means to become livingsacrifices. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship." Today we are going to dig into what it means to live life like Christ did. We should be disciples who choose to be a living sacrifice. Turn with me in your Bibles to Luke10. We are talking about being a disciple. The first part of being a disciple is truly listening to Christ's voice.
A disciple truly listens to Christ’s voice.
This passage takes place atthe home of Martha and Mary. Luke 10:38-42 says,"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening towhat hesaid. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!' 'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things,but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.'"Who do you relate to more, Mary or Martha? At different times in my life I have probably been like Martha more than I have been like Mary.
In this passage there is a contrast between what is good and what is better. In our lives we have the same choice to make. Who will we choose to be like, Mary or Martha? This very conflict is something we face day in and day out. We busy our lives with all these activities for our families, friends, our jobs, and even church. Nearly every person here has a busy schedule. We have bills to pay, groceries to buy, errands to run, and jobs to get done. Our whole lives can be filled with and consumed by all the stuff that must get done.
Discipleship consists of a balance of listening and serving.
This story of Mary and Martha is at the heart of being a disciple of Christ. Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus portrays a person willing to learn from him, while Martha’s busyness pictures someone serving him. Disciples need to be both. Discipleship is a balanced combination of two things, service and reflection. Both are vital if our lives are to be pleasing acts of worship. Mary shows the importance of reflecting on what Jesus teaches. It may involve moments of silence before God in prayer, listening for his voice.
It is a great temptation to serve at the expense of being fed spiritually. That is what Jesus’ remark to Martha means. Some activities can wait. There is a time to work and a time to listen. We must learn to create time in our schedule when we are in tune and listening to God. It is important that we take time for God and see what his plan is for us. What do we miss when we are doing our own thing? We must take the time to listen for God and we must desire to be molded and shaped by him.
Mary understood the importance of listening to God. She put herself at his feet to listen to what he had to say to her. We must also understand the importance of listening and be intentional about putting ourselves at his feet in order to listen. Martha essentially asks Jesus, "Don’t you agree with me?" (Like a bratty sibling.) Jesus does not criticize Martha for what she is doing, but for being concerned about others' activities. Making the decision to follow Christ and to become his disciple means understanding that we must live balanced lives.
A disciple surrenders to Christ’s will in prayer.
The next thing we must recognizeabout becoming a better disciple is that a disciple surrenders to Christ's will. Jesus' did powerful teaching on prayer. Have you ever asked God to forgive you when you haven’t forgiven someone else? Have you ever tried to deal with a very difficult situation or a tempting situation without asking God for guidance? Have you ever prayed for something that you know God would not approve of? Have you ever struggled with how you, as a disciple of Christ, is supposed to pray?
Jesus teaching on prayer is in Luke 11:1-5 (NIV)."One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.'He said to them, 'When you pray, say:Father,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come.Give us each day our daily bread.Forgive us our sins,for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.' "
A similar teaching is in Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV)."This, then, is how you should pray:Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be doneon earth as it is in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our debts,as we also have forgiven our debtors.And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from the evil one."
A disciple truly surrenders his will to God's will.
As we look at this prayer and we figure out how this prayer is important to a life of discipleship, there are several things that stand out as we surrender to Christ’s will. This second step of discipleship goes from just understanding and spending time with God, to allowing his heart to become our heart. In a sense, we need to begin to will as God wills. To pray this prayer, we must truly surrender to God. The recognition of God’s power and his authority in our lives does no good without surrendering to him to shape us.
The prayer as a whole reflects a disciple’s total reliance on God and his care. Whether it be in the circumstances that lead to his control of history, the provision ofbasic needs like food, or his spiritual protection, the disciple knows that God’s presence in his life is an absolute necessity. That recognition is at the heart of this prayer. Thus, the prayer bonds the disciple to God, recognizing that the affairs of life are often a matter in which we either walk alone or walk hand in hand with God. The disciple's prayer acknowledges thathis hand needs to be inGod's hand.
We need more of a commitment to prayer. We need to be moretrusting of God's work and his will for our lives. We need less of our own actions trying to control everything in our lives. God’s wisdom and power reach far beyond our ability to comprehend his wisdom and power, even when it deals with our personal lives.
Will you make this commitment? Will you pray this prayer from the heart and desire to share God’s will for your life? Will you relinquish the control that you hold so dear and allow God to drive your life? If you will make this commitment, you are surrendering to Christ’s will for your life and will begin to see things through the eyes of Jesus.
What happens when you begin to see things through the eyes of Jesus? Will you respond like he would, or will you turn your head and ignore what he is asking you to see?
A disciple truly lives out Christ's life.
The parable of thegood Samaritan shows the end result ofbeing in tune and obedient to God's promptings.This parable is found in Luke 10:25-37 (NIV)."On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. 'Teacher,' he asked, 'what must I do to inherit eternal life?' 'What is written in the Law?' he replied. 'How do you read it?'He answered: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself.' 'You have answered correctly,' Jesus replied. 'Do this and you will live.'"
"But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?' In reply Jesus said: 'A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' 'Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?' The expert in the law replied, 'The one who had mercy on him.'Jesus told him, 'Go and do likewise.' "
Are you serving others as Christ would have you do?
This is an example of a fruitful life lived in tune to God's will. Over these last few weeks as I have worked on this sermon, I have personally struggled with all three areas we have talked about today.However, the first two parts of being a disciple tend to be easier than the last. As I drive home from the church I usually pass by several homeless people near the downtown area. There are times that I don’t even see them anymore and I can’t help but think, in the light of the words God has spoken today, that I amnot living out Christ’s life as he would if he were here.
Most every person here today has been impacted by the storm last Sunday evening. One night this past week I found myself sitting in my apartment, with electricity, eating a bowl of ice cream on the couch in front of the television as if I had no idea about theloss and struggle that others were dealing with at that very moment. This is another example in my own life when I may have missed living out my life the way Christ would have if he were physically present here.
Does God have to take away all of the comforts in my life just so I can see the people he is calling me to help? The true struggle in being a disciple is taking this knowledge we have, and the commitments we have made, and putting them into action in our lives. How can you live out Christ’s love in practical ways this week?