OBaD: How Do I Live as a Disciple of Jesus?

  • Jeremy Erb
  • Aug 3, 2008
  • Series: OBaD: On Being a Disciple

We’ve been asking ourselves some important questions over the last few weeks about what it means to be a Christian, a follower of Christ, a disciple. We started by asking “Why should we be disciples of Christ?” The answer: because of who we are and who He is. We then asked “What is the cost of being a disciple of Christ?” The answer: everything and nothing! There is no cost that we pay in order to earn being Christ’s disciple. It is with great joy that we sacrifice everything in order to gain the pearl of great price. Finally, we asked “What would it mean for Christ to say that I am His disciple?” The answer: love and obedience.

The staggering reality of this answer leads us to today’s question. After setting the bar beyond our reach in saying that the sign of our discipleship is love and obedience, Jesus provides an interesting solution that shows us much about God’s approach to us. The question becomes “HOW do live as a disciple of Christ?” or “How do I grow as a disciple of Christ?”

The question grows out of a deeper question: “How CAN I be a disciple of Jesus?” The first disciples lived with Him, walked with Him, ate with Him. The learned from Him. They learned to know what He knew and do what He did with Him and from Him. How can we do that when Christ is not physically present with us?

Fortunately, Christ foresaw this question and answered it even before we could ask it. His answer: He would give us “another Counselor.” The Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is to be for us all that Jesus was for the disciples.
I. HE IS PROMISED (16)
II. HE IS PERMANENT (16-19)

EPHESIANS 1:13-14: “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation – having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

III. HE IS PERSONAL (20-24)

A. IN HIS NAME

MATTHEW 28:19: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

II CORINTHIANS 13:14: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”

B. IN HIS APPEARANCES

MATTHEW 3:16-17: “And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’”

ACTS 2:1-4: “And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and if filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.”

C. IN HIS QUALITIES
1. UNDERSTANDING

I CORINTHIANS 2:10-12: “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God.”

2. WILL

I CORINTHIANS 12:7-11: “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom…But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”

3. FEELINGS

ISAIAH 63:10: “But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit…”

EPHESIANS 4:30: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

IV. HE HAS A PURPOSE (25-26)
A. ABIDE IN BELIEVERS
B. TEACH
C. REMIND
V. HE BRINGS PEACE (27-31)

ATHANASIAN CREED

There is one person of the Father and another of the Son and another of the Holy Ghost, but the Godhead of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost is but one. The glory is equal and the majesty co-eternal such as the Father is, such is the Son, such is the Holy Ghost.

The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, and the Holy Ghost is uncreated. The Father is infinite, the Son is infinite, and the Holy Ghost is infinite. The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, the Holy Ghost is eternal, and yet there are not three eternals, but one eternal. So there are not three uncreated nor three infinite but one uncreated and one infinite.

So also the Father is almighty and the Son almighty and the Holy Spirit almighty. But there are not three almighties but one. The Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Ghost is God, yet there are not three Gods but one God. The Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Ghost is Lord, yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord. So the Father is God and the Son is God and so the Father is Lord and the Son is Lord and the Holy Ghost is also these things. The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten, the Son is of the Father alone, not made nor created, and the Holy Ghost is of the Father and the Son, not made nor created nor begotten but proceeding