Our study now is on discipleship. We will have four studies on it. The first one, section one, discipleship defined. One, disciple is from the word mafetes. M-A-T-H-E-T-E-S with the long A. You can see beta. in the Greek language. Masete really means a learner. A, it is from the root word math, M-A-T-H, meaning, quote, thought with endeavor, unquote. Now, it's not enough to study. It's not enough to get facts. you are not a disciple because you listen to a person. B, it is one who follows the teachings of another. I think it's very important that we get hold of this right at the outset. The disciples were those who learned and who did what they learned. This is what James speaks about as Be not a forgetful hearer of the word, but a doer also. Number two, the word is used of the followers of a John. Matthew nine, fourteen speaks about the disciples of John. Be the Pharisees. Wasn't used in a very good sense there because the Pharisees were concern simply with making other people like themselves. In fact, the Lord went so far as to say, you make him twofold more child of hell than yourselves. This is pretty strong language. See, Moses. John nine, twenty-eight, the people said, We're Moses' disciples. They said to the blind man, You're his disciple. We're Moses' disciples. and D of the Lord Jesus. So being a disciple is not enough. We want to identify the person whom we believe and trust and whose teachings we listen to and follow. Number three, the disciple of the Lord Jesus. Now this is used in a number of ways also. Some were merely adherents, just hangers-on, from among the Jews, John six and sixty-six. And the Lord Jesus recognized that they were not genuine, and he said, There are some of you who believe not. And after he had given them some pretty severe teaching, it says from that time many went back. followed him no more. Then he turned to the disciples and said, Will you also go away? And Peter answering for them said, To whom shall we go? Thou hast the word of eternal life. Now these were just merely adherents. And D of the twelve who were made apostles. In Matthew ten and one he said when he had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples. And in Luke twenty-two, he sent some to say, Where shall we eat the Passover? Where shall the Son of Man eat the Passover with his disciples? And then it says, when he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. So it's used interchangeably as those twelve disciples. They were disciples before they became apostles. And see... the proven ones who continue and that's the word that's used to continue in John eight thirty one he says if you continue in my word then are you disciples indeed and in John thirteen and thirty five he said this is the way that others will know that you are my disciples when you have loved one to another and in the fifteen chapter When he was talking about fruit bearing, he said, if you do this, you will bring forth much fruit, so shall you be my disciples. So true disciples then are those who continue and who love their fellow Christians and who bear much fruit to God. And D of confessed believers in the book of the Acts. Now the Acts no longer says anything about Jewish disciples, no longer distinguishes between those who are proven to be real and not, because by this time, if it had gotten too hot for the false ones, and they soon fell by the wayside, anybody who took a stand for the Lord during the days of the Acts could be pretty sure to end up as a martyr. And so through the Acts of the Apostles, The word disciple is used uniformly to refer to confess believers. In fact, it says the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch, so they acquired a new name during that time. He, no group, can claim the title exclusively. First Corinthians one and twelve. says very distinctly that it is not only carnal to say, I am of Paul, and I have Apollos, and I have Cetus, but it's just as carnal to say, I have Christ. Because in so saying, they were saying the others are not of Christ. Now, as you know, there are some religious groups, some churches, organized religion, that have taken this title to themselves, but they have no right to it. And finally, if it is an individual relationship, so is not used in the epistles. In writing to the churches, and the epistles are all written to the churches or to individuals who were responsible to carry the word to the churches. The word is not used because there could be no such thing as a church full of disciples. You wouldn't even find the whole family that were disciples all at the same time. It's an individual matter. So each of us will have to think this through for ourselves and decide whether or not we're going to be true disciples of the Lord Jesus or not. Now section two, privileges of discipleship. One, they begin with settling the matter of sin. No use for you to think of being a disciple of the Lord Jesus until the sin question is settled. Your sins have got to be put away. You've got to be in the right relationship with God. Only justified believers, only born-again believers, can be true disciples of the Lord Jesus. A, he shed his blood to cleanse us. You're not ready to listen to the teaching of the Lord Jesus until you have accepted his sacrifice in your place. In these he provided daily cleansing through the Word. He gave a picture of this in John thirteen when he washed the disciples' feet. And in Ephesians five he tells us that he is cleansing us now by the washing of water by the Word. He provided daily cleansing through the Word. See, the ungrieved Holy Spirit empowers us. Now in the fourth chapter of Ephesians, there are many sins named which grieve the Holy Spirit of God. And finally he says to us, Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed under the day of redemption. Because the Lord has gone back to heaven and has sent his Holy Spirit down to be our present teacher, we have to be most careful that we do not grieve him, because we're not going to learn anything of the Lord in his ways when the Holy Spirit has grieved. All he can do is tell you about your own errors, your own sins, until these are settled. Number two, the privilege of the best teacher. This is a marvelous privilege. We're not dependent on Dr. Poubaugh or somebody else. We don't have to count on finding a good preacher to take the place of the last one. We have a constant teacher. Job thirty-six and twenty-two. Does anybody know what that verse says? Who teaches like thee? That's what Job said. for the Lord, of the Lord. Who teacheth like him? There is no one who can teach us like the Lord himself. A. He is the source of all wisdom and knowledge. Not a channel. He's the source. Colossians two, make a change there in your notations. And if you have a one, it was a typographical error. Colossians two and three tells us that the Lord Jesus, in him, are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And in the book of Colossians, by the way, the word for knowledge is superknowledge, epigenosis, the highest of knowledge, the best of knowledge. So the Lord Jesus is the very source of this. And B, he is the infallible teacher. I despise this teaching of the infallibility of the Pope because it robs the Lord Jesus of the only one who has any right to the title infallibility. He said in Mark thirteen and thirty-one what no human being would ever dare to say He said, heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall never pass away. So we know we're defending on infallibility. And see, he is, and underline the word is, he is exactly what he says. John eight and verse twenty-five. They said to him, who art thou? And he said, even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. Now the revised version says, I am exactly what I say or what I teach. The Lord Jesus is the only one who is exactly what he teaches. He said to the disciples concerning the scribes and the Pharisees, he said, they sit in Moses' seat. So you listen to what they teach, but don't do like they do. And sometimes you hear people say in a kind of a facetious way, do as I say, not as I do. But the Lord Jesus said, I do exactly as I say. So when we learn from him, we learn from his acts as well as from his word. Now, D, he is still available daily. In Matthew, verse fifty-five, he said, I was daily with you in the temple. That's what he said when they came out to arrest him. It was a rebuke to those people. Why did you have to come out here to the Garden of Gethsemane at night with swords and staves and spears? Why did you come out to attack me like this when I was with you daily in the temple? I was always available. Incidentally, in the Gospel of John, I was noticing that almost every hour of the day is mentioned in connection with the Lord's teachings. Nicodemus came to him in the middle of the night. In the next chapter, a woman came to him at the sixth hour, which is noon. And you'll find people who came to him early in the morning and people who came to him at four o'clock in the afternoon in the first chapter, John. And the Lord said, stay with me tonight. This is rather interesting because the Gospel of John sets him forth as the one who is so near to us now as believers. It's really the Gospel for the believers. And he is available at all hours. If you can't sleep, he'd be glad to hear you talk to him, and he'd be glad to talk to you. And E, he still has time for one needy person. I've given John four as an example of this. She certainly was a needy one, if anyone was. A poor Samaritan woman, whom others despised, who had to come and gather water at the heat of noon so that she wouldn't encounter other women that came at a decent time of the day. Yet the Lord Jesus had time to sit and talk to her and meet her needs, and he still does. And finally, F, he gives opportunity to do, and underline that word, do what we learn. The thing that is wrong with so much Bible study, Bible teaching methods today, is that there is so little opportunity to put handles on what you're learning, to get the thing to use. The Lord Jesus never taught anything and he didn't give his disciples a chance to use. In John six you have the feeding of the five thousand. While the Lord was teaching them lessons, he was giving them jobs to do. They had a share in the work that he was doing. I will pass on to the third section, first lessons of discipleship. I'm indebted to G. Campbell Morgan for this thought that the Sermon on the Mount was really the first steps of discipleship for the believers. One, the Sermon on the Mount was to his disciples. Matthew five, one and two. No, one to twelve, excuse me. Matthew five, one to twelve. Now this section contains the nine Beatitudes. Oh, I was right in the first place. It is one and two. One to twelve comes a little later down. Number one, the Sermon on the Mount was to his disciples, seeing the multitudes. He went up on the mountain, and when he was set, His disciples came to him and he taught them. A reason I stress this is because many preachers teach the sermon on the mouth as a means of salvation. They teach unconverted people that if you follow the golden rule or if you do the things that the Lord has said, you'll be a happy Christian. And they're not even born again. The Lord didn't say these things to any exception, his disciples. Number two, It has been called pages from our Lord's diary. This is exactly the way the Lord Jesus lived. Now, if you read the sermon on the mouth and you're uncomfortable, don't pass it off by saying, well, the Lord could live like that and the Lord taught that for the kingdom age and try to pass it off as though it isn't intended for you for many years. I was robbed of the good of the Sermon on the Mount until a very able and eminent Bible teacher, Mr. C.F. Hogg, who collaborated with W.E. Vine in England on a number of very excellent books. Mr. C.F. Hogg gave us a series of studies on the Sermon on the Mount and gave it back to me. And while it still makes me uncomfortable, I realize how little I live like the Lord taught, yet it is really for us. Number three, he taught us seven basic lessons. A, the happiness of being righteous. Maybe you'd like to underline the word being. That's not the happiness of having. The world says, oh, if I just had more, if I could just get some things, if I could, or perhaps they want to do. They say, well, the only way to be a habit Christian is to get busy and do. But the Lord said, happiness is in being righteous. Matthew five, one to twelve. And here you have the nine Beatitudes. Blessed means happy. Happy is the person who is this, and happy is the one who is that. Be the influence of that kind of life. The next few verses, thirteen to sixteen, deal with two things which the Lord says, typify Christians. Salt and light. Now he said, if salt has lost its savor, what good is it? This is ironical because salt with floss and savor isn't salt anymore, is it? It's just minerals, just dumps, just something to use for a fill. And what is light if you cover it over? It ceases to be light. So a Christian's influence depends upon his being what he ought to be, and see the higher standard of grace. Matthew five, seventeen to forty-eight. He said, Except your righteousness exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees. You haven't anything. And then he took up such topics as murder, anger, adultery, divorce, swearing, revenge. And each of these he gave a higher standard than never had before. He said, The law says I shall not kill, but I say to you that if you hate your brother, you're a murderer, which is a much higher standard. So under grace we have much higher standards. The self-life has no place in disciples. And that's the whole sixth chapter of Matthew that covers that. How many things he says here that would strike hard at the self-life in us takes up the subject of alms and prayers and fasting. And what about hoarding and covetousness? And what about trusting the Lord? And what are you seeking for first? That's the whole sixth chapter. He says, don't waste your time on things that exalt yourself. He, we should judge ourselves and not others. Matthew seven, one, two, five. begins judge not that you be not judged and then he says whatever measure you use it'll be measured to you again and he says never mind the moat in your brother's eyes get the beam out of your own eye first and if all of God's resources are ours Matthew seven seven to fourteen ask seek and knock the first letters of those very happily in the English language, spell ask, ask, seek, and not. The Lord says, I have what you need, come to me for it. Like a father with his son, I'll give you the best. And G, the solemn warnings of pitfall, the close of the Sermon on the Mount. A warning about false prophets, the warning about bad trees, trees that do not produce fruits, a warning against those who say, and do not, you may yet have to say to them, I never knew you. Now, number four, each disciple must learn these lessons and build accordingly. So is the Matthew seven, tells about building on a rock. Now, we often apply this in the gospel, and it's quite right. But really it was said to disciples, you and I, as the Lord's disciples, are the ones who are building. And we're building a house that's good or bad, depending on whether we're building on a good foundation or a bad one. A house is no good if we're not building on a good foundation. Be sure you're trusting the Lord Jesus and be sure that you're building according to His will and not selfishly. Now section four. Discipleship, then and now. I have seven contrasts here. You'll need to study these. We won't have time to go into them in detail. The A will be then and the B will be now in each of these contrasts. Number one, connection with Judaism. A, a part of it. Then. Matthew twenty-three, the disciples were still a part of Judaism. But now they were free from it. Acts fifteen. He said, Why tempt ye God to put a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither we nor our fathers were able to bear? You must make this distinction. If you don't, you'll be confused constantly. The change between the Gospels and the Epistles This change takes place in the Acts. You move out of the Judaism range of things, and the church becomes important, and this means passing out of Judaism. Number two, being sent out two by two. Well, there's some churches today that require this. It was required then, under A, but required. Why was it required? Deuteronomy nineteen and fifteen said, in the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word has to be established. That's why. Now, what do we find in the rest of the New Testament? Thee. It is varied. You may find the person going out alone, Paul did, on some occasions. You may find the old crowd of them going out together. We're not led now, as we were then, to go out two and two. And number three, their mode of being supported. A, by any. Because they were among Jews, professed people of God. They could take support from anybody. What about now? B, only believers. You don't have much room to put that in there, but I guess you can... find room, look up these two references and you'll see how important it is that we be supported entirely by believers now if we're preaching the gospel and not by the world. Number four, they're used to miracles as signs. A, required. Then, those days. And now, B, is a cease. whether there be tongues they shall cease. Paul no longer healed his friends who were sick but told them what to do for their infirmities. Number five, their field of service. A, Jews only. Don't go to any of the cities of the Gentiles or the Samaritans. but go only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, he said. What about now? Be the world. There isn't any place you can't go with the gospel now. Number six, the Holy Spirit's presence. A, promised then, and B, present now. It really should be much easier for us to be. true disciples of the Lord Jesus than it was for them. And yet, we are anything but the kind of disciples that they were. Number seven, the amount of truth available, A, limited. Then, he said, you cannot bear them now. I have many things to say to you. And B, it is unlimited now. He shall guide you into all truth. The Lord wants to teach us all