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06/30/23
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Part 2
of
“Am I A Christian”
The Grave Decision to be a Disciple and Follower of the Master: Jesus Christ (Yeshua the Messiah)
I put my faith and my trust in You.
I put my faith and my trust in the work that you did on the cross.
I believe in you and the power of your blood, and your sacrifice.
“I put my trust in you.”
The Holy Spirit has been stepping on my toes all morning. Since I opened my eyes, the cost of discipleship has been on my mind. My mind has been inundated with truth. The truth of the matter is what I like to say. The truth of the matter, and so the Holy Spirit has been pouring the truth of the Word. Jesus is the Spirit of Truth, and He's been stepping on my toes. Not about the things that I'm practicing now, but about my mindset on certain things, and how westernized my thinking is in comparison to the mind and the ways of the Most High. Right now, I just want to say, Father in heaven, Lord Jesus, please forgive my wrong thinking. Please forgive my erroneous belief system.
Today, I want to take you on a little scriptural journey. Let's see if your toes will be stepped on as well. These things that I'm presenting to you are not from my mind. What I’m presenting are definitions and scriptures. Let's see if you come to the same conclusion as I. As you read today, please read as one who consciously considers what the writer is saying. OK? Please don't read as we do in the western world. Read as one who ponders and considers what the writer may be proposing.
First of all, He took me to this verse.
“The Lord GOD has given Me [His Servant] the tongue of disciples [as One who is taught],
That I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple [as One who is taught].
The Lord GOD has opened My ear, And I have not been rebellious nor have I turned back”
Isaiah 50:4-5
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways
and My thoughts than your thoughts. For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making it bud and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.”
Isaiah 55:8-15
At this point I am realizing,
#1. Yes, I have been saying, trying, and attempting to be a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ and
#2. The Lord is purposing to send His word to me this morning, and to others in regard to the following:
Our Mindset (the way we think) can change everything.
As a Disciple We Must:
Pick up our cross daily and follow the Lord. In other words, decide every day to deny yourself, decide every day to surrender your will. Decide every day, and do: offer yourself as a living sacrifice, which is our reasonable form of worship. Remember a disciple is a taught one. A disciple is a follower of the Master. A disciple learns to apply to his or her heart what he or she is being taught, and a disciple is not rebellious but obedient and yielded to the Master. This is what the above two scriptural references have impressed in my heart.
Follow Christ
Purpose in your heart today to follow Him in every circumstance. Purpose in your heart to listen to and obey His voice in each decision and choice you make. Walk consciously with the Holy Spirit. Remember His Spirit lives in you and dwells with you. As we go throughout our day, many times we tend to forget that the Spirit of the God of the universe literally dwells in us and has sealed us. He knows and realizes our every thought and ponder. Remember to respect Him. Acknowledge Him, and be sensitive to Him and His will. Do not quench the Holy Spirit. He is your Comforter, your Teacher and Counselor. He is so awesome. As the scripture states: ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘ We are His offspring.’ Acts 17:28 KJV For the Holy Spirit is the One who seals us, leads us and teaches us.
Is This His A Weeding Out Process?
You wonder what I mean by that. So, I must be conscious of Him and surrender my wants (and desires of the flesh), and follow after Him. Pick up your cross and follow Me He says. This may be a part of His weeding out process. Hmm, I never thought about that before. This is showing me a little about myself which I don’t like. Thoughts can be self-centered and self-serving. What I’m addressing here are concerns, desires, wants, cares, past habits, flaws, hang ups, and weaknesses. Doesn’t the Lord speak of where our focus and mindset should be? Lord please help us, and thank you for helping us. Holy Spirit, please help us to refocus. Seriously.
A Disciple Lets Go of the Past.
My flesh wants nothing more than to glaze over such a great matter as this. Not only for myself, but for all who read this and would ponder this possibility, do not glaze over this. Is this, letting go of your old self, the weeding out process that the Lord places before each person who believes in Him? Is this the most important part of our walk with the Lord? Our surrender? (Your heart can’t serve two masters: God and mammon (Luke 16:13). It is literally impossible.) Is this the weeding out process for those who say they believe in Jesus, and those who show Him they believe in Him and in His name. Is this the place in every believer’s life where they are weighed by the Lord? Hmm. Something to think about and consider. We read the word daily. Oh, ever so “as a matter of fact” for those of us who have walked this path for so long. This is a very dangerous thing. This could be our greatest flaw and oversight. This weeding out. Look at the following and consider….
The Cost of Discipleship
“And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26 KJV
The Definition of Forsake
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
transitive verb To give up (something formerly held dear); renounce.
transitive verb To leave altogether; abandon.
To give up; renounce; reject.
To refuse (a request); deny (a statement).
To quit or leave entirely; desert; abandon; depart or withdraw from: as, friends and flatterers forsake us in adversity; fortune forsook him.
From: https://www.wordnik.com/words/forsake
So take a long hard look. See if you are willing to pay the price. Will you forsake those things that so easily beset you? Are you willing to pay this price. Are you ready? Are you willing to die to self-daily? Consider and think about and maybe list the pros and the cons of forsaking yourself and others for Christ. What are the benefits of deciding to become His disciple, and following Him? List them and decide.
The parables below precedes Jesus’ call to followers to become his disciples:
Matthew 21:33-45
Parable of the Evil Farmers
“Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same. “Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’ “But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him. “When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?” The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.” Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’ I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit. Anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.” (my thought on verse 44: yes we stumble over the stone and even fall on it, which is not bad for it will break us, but if we reject the stone it will fall on us and crush us. So to be broken far outweighs being crushed. Just a thought.)
When the leading priests and Pharisees heard this parable, they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, who considered Jesus to be a prophet.
And
Matthew 22:1-14
Parable of the Great Feast
Jesus also told them other parables. He said, “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come!
“So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them.
“The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests.
“But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
“For many are called, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:1-14
So, first of all Jesus in Matthew 21 discusses a farmer who plants, hires workers and leaves. He sends for payment, but the workers killed those he sent including his son. Ultimately, he kills them and gives the work to others. I.e.: Jesus at this point of course, knows why He is here, and He will die at the hands of those in charge just as the other sent ones were treated so will He also be mistreated and crucified. So he tells them beforehand what the result of their conspiracy will be on the whole nation; which was, the field will be given to another. This angered them.
In the next parable Jesus expounds further to show what will happen to them because of their rejection of the son. He then also shows that even those that are guest who do show up, if they do not get out of their street clothes and dress in the proper apparel they will be bound and cast out to punishment.
This shows me that even the gentiles can’t come into the kingdom any way they so choose because they say they have excepted him and his ways. They too must change, and wear wedding clothes to attend the wedding. For many are called, but few are chosen.
To be a chosen one we must wear the clothes provided by the bridegroom for the feast lest we be bound and cast out (He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying).
What Must I Cast Off
We must cast off the things of the flesh. Romans 8:12
“So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For example(these are a few things I’m listing just off the top of my head: lying, bearing false witness, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, inordinate affection, immodest apparel (this is not something that is addressed often from the pulpit, yet if you were to do a study on the subject you may conclude that it projects an image that is not of who you truly are and could be even deemed as deception and a luring tool toward the opposite sex. A study worth investigating.) uncleanness, smoking, alcoholism, drug abuse, putting one person against another, hatred towards each other, thinking more highly of yourself than you should, having a dismissive attitude about the needs or concerns of others (especially of the household of faith), judging one another (not in judging the fruit of a person in cruelty, which is noteworthy) in whether you favor them or not because of their wealth or status (other than loving them as commanded), complaining, murmuring etc. **Now we all know that the above list is not all conclusive, but they are pronounced, and by the grace of the Holy Spirit, He will lead us into all truth, and He will teach us all righteousness, for this is our inheritance.
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;” Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness. — Galatians 5:19 Please click on the link to read this article for clarity of each definition in the Greek.
There are many works of the flesh that we wear proudly as garments, but Jesus knocked that school of thought out of the ball court, when He explicitly pronounced those attempting to attend the wedding feast in their (sin) clothes will be thrown out, and not just thrown out but severely punished for attempting to do such. He knows if you’re not, and you’ll get tossed out.
Be aware. Take note of yourself. If you have decided to become a disciple of Christ (a taught one), take care that during your prayers in the mornings, remember to pick up your cross daily. Forsake those things that must be forsaken. Walk with confidence that you know you love and are following Him. Are you denying yourself? Are you casting down every high thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ. Do you love the LORD in the capacity that He has commanded? Do you love your neighbor as yourself? Do you love your brothers and sisters in Christ as commanded? Don’t deceive yourself. It is a must do daily kind of action. Judge yourself. Judge your thought life. Judge you behavior. Judge your heart’s intentions, so that you, yourself are not judged; then bound and cast out. Count the cost, and then count the benefits of choosing Christ. Remember He called us. Now let us pray that we are counted worthy. It would be ashamed to do all we believe we should do to enter into eternal life yet fall short, because we did not do one simple thing; which is to change our clothing (behavior), and wear what He has asked of us.
When Jesus returns, he will be bringing with Him, his reward. He said that he's coming back, and His reward will be with Him. How will he find us? How will he find me? How will He find you? Will He find you smoking, drinking, carousing? Or will He find you working and bringing in the harvest, and doing his will? It's the same with everyone. How will he find you? Will he find you as a dedicated disciple at work, and believer in His name? Will he find you as someone found in Him and in His name; using His name, believing in His name, and believing in Him? Or will He find you as one who has not changed into your wedding clothes, for you have received an invitation to the wedding banquet? Think about it.
The Holy Spirit has gone very deep with me today, and I pray that my words have affected you, because none of us want to stand before him and say, well, Lord, I prophesied in your name, I cast out demons. In your name, I did this and I did the other. I even fasted…. Yet to hear him say, get away from me, you worker up iniquity. Iniquity is. Sin, lawlessness. Isaiah says. That he was wounded for our transgressions, and he was bruised for our iniquity. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him and by his stripes we are healed. It is just ashamed, and blasphemous behavior to continue in such debauchery.
Once we have declared ourselves a believer in Christ, in the Lord and his righteousness, we must change our clothes and wear righteousness (the Righteousness given to us by the Father. Not our righteousness, but His. For He has given us His righteousness, and it’s up to each and every one of us whether we will yield to His will and wear the clothing the Father has so lovingly provided.
Jer. 23:16 & Romans 1:17, Romans 3:22). Brothers and Sisters, it is imperative that we do so, or we shall be most surely lost.
We all have spots, wrinkles, and blemishes. The Savior is returning for a bride without spot or blemish or wrinkles. We are very good at disguising and hiding those blemishes from the world yet forgetting that the very Holy Spirit of Jesus dwells in us, and He knows, and decerns our thoughts and heart’s intentions.
Why Don't You Pray?
Humble yourself for Jesus as the Deliverer, and He is the one that loves your souls so deeply. The Lord is the one who clothes you in His Righteousness if you truly believe. If you seek His face and pray, He will take away those spots. He will take away those blemishes; and He will take away those wrinkles, and clothe you in the wedding apparel prepared for you.
Lord, I pray. I'm not only praying for myself, but I pray for the Bride of Christ. I pray for those who read this article. I pray that these words have touched them and has shined a light on places that You would have him or her address. I pray in the name of Jesus. Give them strength after seeing the things that they need to correct. Give them strength. Today I see and acknowledge those old habits and old ways that are not the proper clothing to wear to Your wedding feast. Give us all strength to forsake and walk away from the things that we should not be involved in. I pray this Father in your name. I pray this in the name that is above every name. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Give us the desire and the strength to be Your disciples, Your taught ones. In Jesus Name. Amen
And now….
‘May the LORD bless you
and keep you;
may the LORD cause His face to shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
may the LORD lift up His countenance toward you
and give you peace.’
Amen
Numbers 6:24-26 KJV
Please read the concluding article Part 3 of Am I A Christian?: “Walking With A Limp…..I’ll Finish the Course
In the upcoming article I will be putting all three lessons together in summation of how we must walk as a believer in Christ and His disciples.
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