The Test of Discipleship | Ep30

Transcript

Do you know if you’re a child of God or not? Do you know if you really are a disciple or not? There are many ways we can find that out, but it is interesting that in the Gospel of John, Jesus gave three tests to prove one is a disciple.

First off, we’re going to start with John 8 and verse 31 and 32. In that passage, he’s dealing with the Jewish people there, and he comes down to finally saying, so Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed him, if you continue in my Word, then you’re truly disciples of mine, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. Notice what Jesus said, if you continue in my Word, then you are truly disciples of mine.

The first test is, are you abiding in the Word? To abide in the Word means that we study the Word. We put it into our minds, we put it into actions, we’re abiding in that Word. First off, he says in the next verse, verse 32, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.

How do you know you’re a child of God? It is unfortunate that so many people trust their feelings rather than the Word of God. They feel like they’re a Christian. They feel like they have God in them.

They feel like they’re doing what God wants them to do. Feelings can be wrong. Solomon said long ago that a man may feel like he’s right, and he says it leads to death.

Feelings are unsure. Feelings are determined quite often by circumstances around us, and so I feel good this morning because I’m a child of God, but in the morning I don’t feel so well. Maybe I’m not a child of God, but if we trust in our feelings, they may be wrong.

But notice what he said. He didn’t say trust in your feelings. He didn’t say trust in anybody.

Notice what he did say in verse 31. If you continue in my Word, then are you truly disciples of mine, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. When we want to know that we are children of God, we have to examine what the Bible teaches about how to become a child of God, and we have to be obedient to that.

There are lots of people who believe, well, I’ve just accepted Jesus as my Savior, and I know that I’m saved. Did you know that that is not found in the Bible anywhere? There’s nothing in the Bible about the sinner’s prayer. There’s nothing in the Bible that says you can trust your feelings.

There’s nothing in the Bible that says just accept Jesus as your Savior, and you are saved. Those are man-made traditions that go contrary to the Word of God. But he said you can know that you’re a child of man if you’re bad in the Word of God.

The Word of God tells us how to become a disciple. Jesus said, except you believe that I’m he who’s going to die in your sins, John 8, 24. So we must believe that he is the Son of God, but belief alone is not enough.

There are people in John 12 who believed in him but would not confess him. They weren’t his children, so we may believe in Jesus without being saved. Belief must lead to a change in our actions, and that’s what the Bible calls repentance.

He said, except you repent, you’ll all likewise perish, Luke 13.3. Repentance is that which comes from godly sorrow. 2 Corinthians 7.10 explains it that godly sorrow produces repentance that will not be repented of. How wonderful to know my godly sorrow leads me to change my life.

That’s what God expects of us. And abiding in the Word says, I’m going to see what the Word tells me to do to be saved. I’m going to believe in Jesus.

I’m going to repent of my sins. I’m going to make the confession that Jesus Christ is the Lord. That was the confession that Peter made in Matthew 16.

Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God. You and I have to make that kind of confession, which is a declaration of our loyalty to him. And then, of course, he simply says, he that believes and is baptized shall be saved, Mark 16.16. It is so sad that so many people denied the position of baptism or the importance of baptism.

Even those who practice it, many of them do not practice it for the right reason. They believe that baptism is just an outward sound of an inward grace, that you are baptized because you are already saved. No, that’s not what Jesus said.

Notice in Mark 16.16, he that believes and is baptized shall be saved. Baptism is to receive salvation, not to declare salvation. And so Jesus said, if you want to be my disciple, if you want to know that you are a disciple, abide in the Word.

In other words, that says, I can only be saved. I can only become a disciple by doing what the Word tells me to do. And when I do that, he says in verse 32, that truth will set you free, free from guilt, free from the penalty of the wrath of God, free from traditions of men, free from the binding of faults of man, we have simply truth to abide by.

As we stop and look at that, that’s the first test that Jesus gives for discipleship, if you abide in the Word. In John 13, he gives another test. In John 13, 35, he says that you are my disciples if you have love, one for another.

By this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love, one for another. Here’s a test. Are you a disciple? Do you love Christian people? He said, by this, all men will know that you are my disciple if you have love for one another.

God’s people ought to be people who are loving. As when it’s saved and according to and abiding in the Word, you become a part of a family. Other people who abide in the Word of God, who are children of God, they’re your brothers and sisters, and you manifest that love to them.

They manifest their love to you. And John 8, that we looked at momentarily ago, is the test for you. You can know you are a child of God by abiding in the Word.

Notice this test. This test proves to the world that you’re children of God. Notice again that he said, by this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love, one for another.

God expects his children to love one another. And when that love is manifested in that family, it declares to the world, you are a child of God. You are a disciple.

This is one of the most powerful ways we can evangelize the world, is by manifesting the love that we have for one another in the church. As the world sees us and the love we have for each other, they want to be part of it. And that’s the reason Peter said that they’ll ask of you a reason of the hope within you.

When people see our lives and they are longing for love, they want to become a part of us. People want and need love. It’s unfortunate that the world has such a confused view of what love is.

True love is abiding in Jesus Christ. True love is the attitude we have one for another. True love is keeping the commandments of God and walking in his way.

And as we deal with one another, we declare to the world, we are children of God. We are his disciples. The last test that Jesus mentioned about proving that we’re disciples, is found in John 15 and verse 8. My father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.

If we’re going to truly be a disciple of Christ, we have to bear fruit. In this context, he does not tell us what the fruit is. There are all kinds of fruits spoken of in Scripture.

And as a child of God, we need to be bearing that fruit. We could start with Galatians 5, the fruit of the Spirit. There are nine characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit.

God’s children need to be manifesting those characteristics in their lives, love, joy, peace, long suffering, and so on. And he says, I want you to bear that fruit. The Bible also speaks of us bearing fruit and converting people.

Paul said, I want to come to you that I may have some fruit in you, speaking to the church in Rome. And so converting people is a fruit that we can bear. The money we give to the church for the work of the church is spoken of as being a fruit that has been born in Romans 15.

They’re fruit of knowledge. They’re fruit of understanding. And so Jesus said, if you truly are going to be my disciple, you’ve got to bear that fruit.

We have three commands of Jesus, three tests by Jesus, to prove whether or not we are really a disciple of Christ. The first, as we talked about, was John 8, 31. We must abide by the Word.

By abiding in that Word, we do what the Word tells us in order to be saved. And then we must continue to abide in that Word to know how we are to live the Christian life. We are to abide in that Word to know what the church should look like, and that we ought to be a part of that church and bearing fruit through that church.

And so he says the first test, and it’s test for your benefit, for my benefit. It’s test to prove to us. Once we pass that test, nobody can shake our faith.

Because we know we’re abiding in the Word. It doesn’t matter what you think or what you feel. I can prove by the Bible that I am a disciple of Christ, and nobody can take that away from me.

And then he said the second great test is a test for the world to see. And that test is, how do you treat other Christians? How do you treat members of the spiritual family of God? He says by loving one another. And he said this will declare to the world that you are my disciple.

If the world sees Christians who can’t get along with Christians, who fuss and fight and argue, they’re not going to believe that you are a disciple of Christ, and rightly so. And that’s the reason Jesus said, you have got to treat one another with love. And then the third test that we’ve looked at is, if we’re going to be a disciple of Christ, we must bear fruit.

In that context in John 15, he talks about people who don’t bear fruit, people who bear fruit, people who bear more fruit, and people who bear much fruit. If we’re going to prove that we really are a disciple, he says you prove it to God that you are a disciple by bearing much fruit. Now, it is interesting that in a sense, it is a test to prove to God.

Now, God knows everything, but God wants us to prove to Him that we really are His disciple. And we prove that by bearing fruit in our life. When we’re born into God’s family by being baptized and having obeyed that word, God expects us to bear fruit.

He said in that same context in John 15, if you don’t bear fruit, that branch is going to be cut off. But he said, if you bear that fruit, you’ll be pruned, disciplined, and you can bear more fruit. And ultimately, you can bear much fruit so that you can truly be a disciple of Christ, and that you can prove to God, as it were, that I am a disciple.

Here’s the proof of it in the fruit that I have born. Are you a disciple of Christ? You only know that for sure if you’ve done what the Bible says to do, to be born into God’s family. Are you manifesting the right attitude toward your brethren? Do you really love your brethren? Do you show it by meeting their needs and taking care of those who are needy? That says a lot to prove to the world that you’re a disciple.

And third, have you proven it to God that you are a disciple? Are you bearing fruit to give Him glory? Thereby, He knows from the evidence that you have if you’re a disciple or not. Study these passages. Let’s become disciples by passing these three tests.

Thanks for joining us this week and spending time in God’s Word. Special thanks to Mac Graham, John Kachelman, and LightWay Media for recording, producing, and making this podcast possible. If you’re ever in the Littleton, New Hampshire area, we’d love to have you join us for worship and Bible study on Sunday afternoons at 4 at the Senior Center.

You’re always welcome. For more information about this podcast, visit lightwaymedia.com/meditating-on-the-Word and find the link there to email me to subscribe to my free weekly newsletter with more information you can use in your personal Bible study. Be sure to like, subscribe, and follow us on your favorite podcast app so that you never miss an episode.

And if today’s message encouraged you, share it with someone else and consider leaving a review. It helps others find us too. Until next week, keep meditating on the Word.

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“Meditating On The Word” is hosted by Wayne Burger, recorded by Mac Graham, and produced by John Kachelman III and LightWay Media. Follow us on social media to get updates and information when available.

If you’re ever in the Littleton, New Hampshire area, please join Wayne and Mac for worship and Bible study on Sundays at 4 PM at the Senior Center. You’re always welcome! You can get more information on their work online at www.littletonnhchurchofchrist.org.

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