“Game Time…”

September 8, 2013

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

“Cruising Sacred Waters with Jesus”

Sermon 8 of Summer Series

Worship Theme: Discipleship

Philippians 3:12-14 the Message Bible

Mark 8:34-38 the Message Bible

Let us pray… (Pray for the Spirit’s illumination of the scriptures and its leading…)

A reading from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 8 and we will be looking at verses 3-38 from the Message Bible this morning. Listen for a word from God to you and me the people of God…

Have you ever noticed the trends that are around us? There are trends in clothing, trends in dieting, trends in how we speak, even trends on the type of cell phone we use. There always seems to be trends but most of them end up going back to some trend that was changed long ago. Why do we need to change something if we are only going to go back to it? Seems like a lot of headache to me.

I just can’t keep up with them. Take clothing…I decided long ago that I would dress the way I want to instead of the latest fashion trend. I want to be who I am and not try to be someone I am not. Beside…eventually the fashion trend comes back around and then everyone is dressing like me…

But there is one trend that started a long time ago that has stayed pretty much the same. Humanity has tried to change it but if we…as people of God…follow the root of this trend we will be on the “cutting edge” of this phenomenal trend...this craze. You see the Root of this trend is Jesus Christ and the trend is Discipleship.

Today we are going to stop into another port as we “Cruise Sacred Waters with Jesus”…the port of Discipleship. Now before we begin our tour let’s take a look at the definition of discipleship. By definition, a disciple is a follower, one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another. A Christian disciple is a person who accepts and assists in the spreading of the good news of Jesus Christ. Christian discipleship is the process by which disciples grow in the Lord Jesus Christ and are equipped by the Holy Spirit, who resides in our hearts, to overcome the pressures and trials of this present life and as we become more and more Christ like.

Now how do we do this? Paul stated in the Philippians scripture that he kept his eye on the goal…reaching out for Christ and Paul never turned back to where he came from. We need to examine their thoughts, words and actions and compare them with the Word of God. In order to do that we need to be in the Word daily—studying it, praying over it, and obeying it… We need to refocus on the Root of the trend in which we have our being.

Now we need to realize one thing…As we focus and follow the leader of this wondrous trend…there will be a cost. Jesus laid His life down so that we can be made free but we need to lay our lives…ourselves aside and follow Him. The scripture from Mark I read this morning sums it up. In order to save ourselves we need to lose ourselves. In order to help saves lives we need to give our lives for others.                                   

Now how can we tell that we are getting our “game on”? We begin to:

1. Put Jesus first in all things®a disciple of Christ needs to be set apart from the world. Our focus changes to our Lord and pleasing Him in every area of our lives. We begin to put off self-centeredness and put on Christ-centeredness. How often do we put Christ first or should I say not put Christ first? Have we lost our focus or are we right on target letting Him lead us…captaining our ship? Are we self-centered or Christ-centered in our lives? It is important to put Christ first if we want to be “mirror images” of who we claim.

2. Follow Jesus' teachings ® we begin to be more obedient children and doers of the Word. Obedience is the supreme test of faith in God and Jesus is the perfect example of obedience as He lived a life on earth of complete obedience to the Father even to the point of death.

3. Become Fruitful ® Now our job is not producing fruit. Our job is to abide in Christ, and if we do, the Holy Spirit will produce the fruit, and this fruit is the result of our obedience. As we become more obedient to the Lord and learn to walk in His ways, our lives will change. The biggest change happens in our hearts. The change is done from the inside out, through the power of the Holy Spirit. It isn’t something we can conjure up on our own. Are we allowing the Holy Spirit to produce fruit in us or are we still sowing our own seeds…seeds of the world…in our garden of our Spirit? The Holy Spirit is what helps us grow but how can it begin to germinate love, joy, peace and mercy if we are still living in our past lives?

4. Show love for other disciples ® we are told that love of other believers is the evidence of our being a member of God's family. Love is defined and elaborated on in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. These verses show us that love is not an emotion; it is action. We must be doing something and be involved in the process. Our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.

5. Make disciples of others ® we share our faith and tell nonbelievers about the wonderful changes Jesus Christ has made in our lives. No matter where you are on your faith journey, you have something to offer. Too often, we believe the lie from Satan that we don't really know enough or haven't been a Christian long enough to make a difference. Not true! Some of the most enthusiastic representatives of the Christian life are new believers who have just discovered the awesome love of God. They may not know a lot of Bible verses or the "accepted" way of saying things, but they have experienced the love of the living God, and that is exactly what we are to share.

Wow…this port has much to tell us…it is kind of like the “rules and regulations” of being a disciple of Christ. But how well to we play by the rules? Being a disciple of Christ is hard but God never said it would be easy. The only thing God promises is that He will be with us, guiding us in the way we should be.

This is one port that can’t be ignored. This port is essential to the Good News of Christ. If we ignore this port…well then I guess it’s all for nothing because how can God’s kingdom come if people know nothing about the kingdom? We need to get into the game and refocus our Spirits and our minds.

It is Game Time church. It is important that we get our game on and become part of Team Jesus. Every day we should put on the armor of God and our game faces so that we can be in the game of life…eternal life that is. We need to be out there inviting others to join in the game. Let us go forth and play follow the leader with the perfecter of our Faith our Risen Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus depending on you and He’s depending on me to win the game. Come…join in the game and become a child again…a child of God who loves to play with abandon the game of life.

Amen