1 00:00:06,080 --> 00:00:10,880 If we have not met before, my name is John Whitaker and Tucker 2 00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:16,480 is out of town and so I am going to kick off our summer series 3 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:18,720 today. We wrapped up First Timothy a 4 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:20,760 couple weeks ago. Last week we had the pleasure of 5 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:26,320 hearing from Brent, who is in town from Italy, and we are 6 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:31,360 kicking off a summer series today from Luke Chapter 6 called 7 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:35,960 The Way of Jesus. And if any of you've ever been 8 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:43,480 driving around town and seen a sign like this one, I'm assuming 9 00:00:43,480 --> 00:00:48,120 you know what to do, right? Like, don't go that way. 10 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:54,280 And now apparently it is possible to miss a sign like 11 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:56,000 that and end up going the wrong way. 12 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:59,240 True. When my wife and I were just 13 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:01,640 dating, I was a freshman in college. 14 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:03,280 Louise and I just started dating. 15 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:06,400 I was new to Boise. We were going somewhere. 16 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:10,000 I don't even remember where it was, but it was night, dark 17 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:12,840 outside, and we were heading to downtown Boise. 18 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:17,200 And my wife says, oh, yeah, turn here, turn here, turn here. 19 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:19,720 So I turn. And as soon as I turned, I 20 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:22,360 realized we made a terrible mistake because there's 21 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:25,880 headlights coming at me wrong way, right? 22 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:29,480 And apparently I'm really good at this because then a few years 23 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:31,120 later, now we're married, not dating. 24 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:35,400 We're living in Cincinnati, OH. And I'm somewhere again in 25 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:39,720 downtown Cincinnati. And I turn left. 26 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:42,920 But as I turn left, it's one of those streets that's like the 27 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:46,040 Boulevard streets that's like 3 lanes on each side of a divided 28 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:47,680 median with like trees down the middle. 29 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:50,320 I thought the trees were the other side of the, you know, the 30 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,120 sidewalk. No, I turned left and now I'm on 31 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:57,080 a three lane Rd. heading right towards cars coming directly at 32 00:01:57,080 --> 00:01:59,520 me. What's your reaction in a moment 33 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:02,320 like that? I know what mine is. 34 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:09,120 My reaction is, Oh no, like let's, let's flip a you E real 35 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:10,400 quick. Let's get out of here. 36 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:11,880 Right? Wrong way. 37 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:17,480 Now the early Christians were known when you read the book of 38 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:21,720 Acts as The Way. Why were they called the Way? 39 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:26,760 Well, they were called the Way because Jesus himself described 40 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:30,120 himself as one of the more famous verses from Jesus 41 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:35,440 teaching I am the way. I am the way, the truth and the 42 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:37,880 life, right? That's what Jesus says, I'm the 43 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:40,480 way. And as a result of that, the 44 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:43,960 early Christians began living a certain way. 45 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:49,000 And we're known, therefore, as the way because they were 46 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:54,840 convinced that Jesus taught the right way to live and that word 47 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:56,800 way. I don't know exactly what you 48 00:02:56,800 --> 00:03:00,600 think when you hear that word. Sometimes we think Jesus is the 49 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:03,920 way and we immediately think of the destination. 50 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:07,120 He's the way somewhere. He's the way to heaven, right? 51 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:09,160 Sometimes we immediately think like that. 52 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:12,760 But that's not quite right. The idea of that word way is 53 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:17,080 more like a roadway or a a pathway. 54 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:21,200 If we look at the next picture. And the idea is that you're 55 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:25,120 walking a certain way of life, you're going down a certain 56 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:29,760 path, you encounter Jesus, and now you have a choice to make. 57 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:33,320 Am I going to keep going the way I'm going, or am I going to go a 58 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:37,600 different way? That's the idea of when Jesus 59 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:39,920 says I'm the way. When the early Christians were 60 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:43,560 called the way, the idea is they had a choice to make about the 61 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:46,080 way. Not just the way to somewhere, 62 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:49,160 but but how they were going to get there, the path they were 63 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:53,400 going to take, how were they going to live their lives? 64 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:57,560 And that's the idea of the sermon series, the way of Jesus. 65 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:02,400 It has to do with the pathway, the roadway, the way of life, 66 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:04,760 the way you or I are currently living. 67 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:09,000 What's the way? Are you going the wrong way, or 68 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:12,360 are you living the right way? And those of us who are 69 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:15,560 followers of Jesus are convinced that Jesus himself is the one 70 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:20,160 who teaches the right way. And other ways of doing life are 71 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:24,840 they're like turning down the wrong way, missing the sign and 72 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:27,320 everything starting to get out of control because you're going 73 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:31,000 the wrong way. Jesus way is the right way. 74 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:33,960 That's the idea. And so this summer we're going 75 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:37,920 to walk through Luke's version of the Sermon on the Mount, 76 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:39,880 sometimes called the Sermon on the Plane. 77 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:45,160 It's Luke's version of that where he passes on to us the way 78 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:49,400 of Jesus. And the reality is for you and 79 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:59,920 for me, that Jesus did not come, live, die, rise again simply to 80 00:04:59,920 --> 00:05:03,680 make good church members. He didn't do that. 81 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:07,800 That wasn't his end goal. Going to church is nice, but 82 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:10,880 being a good church member is not simply the sum total of the 83 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:15,640 thing Jesus was after. And here's the thing, you you 84 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:19,600 could actually be a good church member and not be walking the 85 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:23,760 way of Jesus. It's just a reality. 86 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:26,720 Think about a good church member for a second. 87 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:28,640 What's a good church member like? 88 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:32,200 Well, they show up on Sundays. Well done, right? 89 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:34,480 They show up to church on Sundays. 90 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:39,600 A good church member serves, volunteers in their church. 91 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:42,480 They help with the greeting, they help with the kids, they 92 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:45,120 help with worship, right. They serve, they volunteer. 93 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:48,160 All pastors would tell you, I, I, I love church members who 94 00:05:48,280 --> 00:05:52,320 volunteer and serve because we have lots of needs and, and good 95 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:56,600 church members give, right? They tie, they give money to the 96 00:05:56,600 --> 00:06:00,200 ministries of the church. And, and having been a pastor 97 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:03,200 for over 30 years, I can tell you just about every pastor 98 00:06:03,280 --> 00:06:06,720 would be super grateful to have people who show up regularly, 99 00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:09,640 serve regularly and give regularly. 100 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:16,160 And if you do that, you would be a good church member, but you're 101 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:18,640 not necessarily walking the way of Jesus. 102 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:23,920 You could do all those things and not actually be walking 103 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:28,920 Jesus's way the rest of the week in your overall life. 104 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:33,400 You could be still doing your own thing, going your own way. 105 00:06:33,840 --> 00:06:36,720 And how you carry out your business, how you handle your 106 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:40,120 finances, how you relate to your spouse and raise your kids and 107 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:44,360 everything else Jesus comes to offer you. 108 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:50,640 And IA way of doing life that is good for us and better for us, 109 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:54,440 The way of Jesus. You see, what Jesus actually 110 00:06:54,840 --> 00:06:58,360 bled, suffered and died for was not to make good church members, 111 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:05,320 but to make good disciples. That's actually the Commission 112 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:10,120 he gives to his first followers. Go and make disciples. 113 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:12,800 Now the question is, what's a disciple? 114 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:19,800 What's a disciple? Often times in a church service, 115 00:07:20,640 --> 00:07:23,880 the preacher's up here and he does all the talking and you do 116 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:25,640 all the listening. This is the moment where I'm 117 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:27,560 going to let you talk. What's a disciple? 118 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:31,320 That's the reason I asked the question, and I want you to 119 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:34,120 maybe shout out an answer or two is because that's sort of one of 120 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:37,360 those church words, those religious words that we don't 121 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:39,760 use most of the other times in our life. 122 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:43,880 We use it in church context. And so sometimes we have a pause 123 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:46,560 to think about, well, what is actually a disciple? 124 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:48,960 So this is your chance to talk in church. 125 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:53,920 What's a disciple? Shout out an answer, A student, 126 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:57,760 a follower? Anything else we want to throw 127 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:00,920 to the mix? An apprentice. 128 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:04,920 All right, now think about follower, student, apprentice. 129 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:08,800 When you think of a student, what picture comes to your mind? 130 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:12,960 Learning, right? And usually in our context, 131 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:18,400 where do you find students school in a classroom, right? 132 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:22,040 Sitting in a classroom. They got tables or desks there. 133 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:24,560 There's a teacher up front and there's a white board behind, 134 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:25,880 right. And the students have their 135 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:28,720 their pens out and their paper out or their laptop out if 136 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:29,960 they're allowed in the classroom. 137 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:32,559 And what are they doing? They're taking notes. 138 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:36,039 Why are they taking notes? Because there's going to be an 139 00:08:36,039 --> 00:08:39,280 exam and they want to pass the exam. 140 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:41,640 Why do they want to pass I? I know because I taught full 141 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:43,200 time for 19 years. I know how this works. 142 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:45,600 Is that going to be on the test? I got that question all the 143 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:47,280 time. Why do they want to know what's 144 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:50,080 going to be on the test? Why are they writing notes and 145 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:51,520 why do they want to pass the test? 146 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:53,000 Because they want to pass the class. 147 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:54,360 Why do they want to pass the class? 148 00:08:55,080 --> 00:08:57,880 So they can get their degree and they can be done, right? 149 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:01,640 That's the way students work in our cultural context. 150 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:06,720 So while while we could we could translate the word disciple as a 151 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:10,400 student, the picture that comes to our mind is not necessarily 152 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:13,240 the same picture that Jesus had in mind when he used the word 153 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:18,320 the You know, like you're sitting in your biology class, 154 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:21,360 freshman biology class, in high school or college. 155 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:25,360 How many of you were so enamoured with your biology 156 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:28,800 teacher that you wanted to someday just be just exactly 157 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:32,840 like your biology teacher? I can't wait to become like my 158 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:36,440 biology teacher someday. Guessing for most of you, 159 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:41,520 probably not, right? Our idea of a student is 160 00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:45,080 somebody who learns the information so they can pass the 161 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:47,680 course so they can get their degree and be done with school. 162 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:50,760 That's what we think of as a student, right? 163 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:54,600 When we think of a follower or an apprentice, well, that moves 164 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:58,880 us, I think, closer to the idea of the picture that Jesus had in 165 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:02,240 mind when he said make disciples live as a disciple. 166 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:04,680 If you're going to walk my way, you're going to be a disciple. 167 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:09,040 What's a disciple? Well, here's the way Jesus puts 168 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:12,720 it in Luke chapter 6 verse 40, which is going to be our our 169 00:10:12,720 --> 00:10:15,280 kind of main text. Luke 6 is our main text for the 170 00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:18,360 summer. In Luke chapter 6 verse 40, he 171 00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:22,200 says this. He says no one or a student is 172 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:25,600 not above the teacher. And the word translated student 173 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:28,440 there is ma, they taste it's disciple. 174 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:30,600 It's the same word translated disciple elsewhere in the 175 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:34,600 Gospels. A disciple is not above the 176 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:39,120 teacher, but everyone. Every disciple, when he or she 177 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:45,160 is fully trained, will be, what's the word like, will be 178 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:49,240 like the teacher. So every disciple, when he's 179 00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:53,560 fully trained, ends up becoming like the teacher that they've 180 00:10:53,560 --> 00:10:55,400 attached themselves to learn from. 181 00:10:55,640 --> 00:10:58,120 That's the image. That's the understanding Jesus 182 00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:00,520 had in mind of what it meant to be a disciple. 183 00:11:01,760 --> 00:11:06,440 It's not just learning what the the teacher knew, right? 184 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:09,280 It's not just mastering the information that's passed on so 185 00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:13,240 I can pass the test. The goal is to become like the 186 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:17,560 rabbi, like the teacher. That is simply what it meant to 187 00:11:17,560 --> 00:11:23,000 be a a mathe taste, a Tao need a disciple in Jesus world. 188 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:28,320 So when Jesus says calls you and I to be disciples or calls us to 189 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:31,640 go and make disciples, that's the image he said. 190 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:35,280 I want you to make people who are learning from me how to 191 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:39,920 become like me. And since Jesus is our teacher, 192 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:43,280 he's our expert. To be a disciple of Jesus means 193 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:47,200 the aim, the objective, the outcome we're pursuing is 194 00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:52,800 becoming just like Jesus. And that's why, like the word 195 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:56,960 apprentice actually maybe fits a little bit better with the idea 196 00:11:56,960 --> 00:12:00,640 of being a disciple than just the word student, because an 197 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:03,800 apprentice might actually sit in an occasional course, watch some 198 00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:06,400 video lectures, but then The Apprentice immediately goes and 199 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:09,320 puts it into practice and learns how to do it. 200 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:13,520 And they may not be very good yet, but they know what the 201 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:16,160 objective is. They're going to become like 202 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:19,720 this particular teacher, right? That's the goal. 203 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:24,960 I, I had a friend who when he was around 50, you know, early 204 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:28,800 50s, fifty something years old, decided he, it was time in his 205 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:32,080 life to to pick a new career. He was going to become an 206 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:36,040 electrician at 50 something years old. 207 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:40,080 He wasn't particularly handy with anything in life. 208 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:44,000 I don't know why he thought this would be a good option for him, 209 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:45,880 but that was going to be the choice he made. 210 00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:51,240 And so, you know, first week on the job, what's he doing? 211 00:12:51,240 --> 00:12:54,200 Is he stringing wiring and and putting in outlets? 212 00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:57,320 Not quite yet. He's early in his apprenticeship 213 00:12:57,520 --> 00:13:00,440 and he really doesn't know anything about outlets or wiring 214 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:03,360 anyhow, because that's just not how he thought. 215 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:06,760 And so his first job you're going to dig trench and you're 216 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:11,240 going to big a bend pipe. So he's 50 something years old 217 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:16,720 with a shovel, digging trench and bending pipe conduit so they 218 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:21,720 could run the wires through. He did not last very long as an 219 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:25,440 apprentice electrician. His back was hurting, his knees 220 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:27,800 were hurting, it just wasn't working for him. 50 plus and he 221 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:30,520 quickly realized I have made a bad choice right? 222 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:32,280 I shouldn't be an apprentice electrician. 223 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:37,560 On the other hand had another friend who on this particular 224 00:13:37,560 --> 00:13:40,800 occasion I walk out into my garage and I smell something 225 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:43,440 funny and our lights were flickering. 226 00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:46,720 Like this is not a good combination. 227 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:50,760 So I text this other friend of mine who I knew had been an 228 00:13:50,760 --> 00:13:54,360 apprentice electrician for a while and I text him and said 229 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:58,280 hey Anthony I smell something funny and my lights are 230 00:13:58,280 --> 00:14:02,040 flickering. I think maybe I need someone to 231 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:04,680 check it out and Anthony is like as soon as I'm off work I will 232 00:14:04,680 --> 00:14:08,960 come over. Anthony shows up at my house and 233 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:10,280 he doesn't have his journeyman's license yet. 234 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:12,120 He's still an apprentice. He shows up at my house, but 235 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:15,560 he's been an apprentice for long enough that he actually can do 236 00:14:15,560 --> 00:14:20,760 some electrical stuff now. And and he quickly diagnosed a 237 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:23,320 unique experience that had happened in my circuit breaker 238 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:29,960 box the the entire bus for the circuit Breakers in my boss. 239 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:36,480 It cracked in half and it was arcing inside my circuit panel. 240 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:41,960 Anthony was so amazed by this that he actually called his 241 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:45,320 boss, the journeyman he was apprenticing to, and said, I've 242 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:47,520 never seen this, have you? And his boss was like, I've 243 00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:50,560 never seen that either. So he had to drive over just to 244 00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:53,120 witness the phenomenon of my arcing circuit panel. 245 00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:57,680 And then when all was said and done, his boss said to Anthony, 246 00:14:57,880 --> 00:14:59,840 do you need me to stick around and help you? 247 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:04,120 Or do you got this? And Anthony said, no, I got 248 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:06,680 this, I got this. Why? 249 00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:12,560 Because an apprentice goal is to become like the journeyman, like 250 00:15:12,560 --> 00:15:15,080 his teacher. And so Anthony did a complete 251 00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:17,720 changeover in my circuit panel on me as an apprentice 252 00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:21,400 electrician because he had been trained enough that he was 253 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:26,640 becoming like his teacher. And that's the idea of what it 254 00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:31,400 means to be a disciple. Every disciple, when he's fully 255 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:34,880 trained, will be like his teacher. 256 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:38,680 And So what does that mean for you and for me as disciples of 257 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:40,240 Jesus? We're not electricians, we're 258 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:41,960 not plumbers, we're not cabinet makers. 259 00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:47,360 We're disciples of Jesus who knows the way of life, who knows 260 00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:50,440 the proper way for us to live, who knows what leads to human 261 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:52,200 flourishing. So we're going to become 262 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:55,320 disciples of Jesus. Here's what that means. 263 00:15:55,680 --> 00:16:00,280 Simple definition of a disciple is a disciple arranges their 264 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:07,000 life to be with Jesus in order to become like Jesus. 265 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:09,080 Both parts of that are important. 266 00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:12,320 They arrange their life, they rearrange what they're how they 267 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:16,040 spend their time, what they how they approach the activities of 268 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:18,880 their day. They rearrange their whole life 269 00:16:19,080 --> 00:16:23,360 with the expressed intent, the express objective of becoming 270 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:26,720 like Jesus because they're a disciple of his and that's the 271 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:29,400 goal. They want to become like Jesus 272 00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:31,400 and not just like him externally. 273 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:33,320 They don't want to hang, you know, Christmas ornaments on a 274 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:35,760 that's going to be dead in three weeks and you're going to throw 275 00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:37,480 away. They want to become good trees. 276 00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:40,400 So they're going to become like Jesus from the inside out. 277 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:43,880 They're going to have his life flowing in them and out of them, 278 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:47,200 and they're going to become like him from the inside out. 279 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:50,400 That's what a disciple is. A disciple is somebody who 280 00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:55,880 arranges their life to be with Jesus in order to become like 281 00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:58,880 Jesus in the character of their life and in the mission of their 282 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:00,880 life. Their life will be like him in 283 00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:02,680 their character. They'll love the things Jesus 284 00:17:02,680 --> 00:17:04,160 loves. They'll want the thing Jesus 285 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:07,480 wants so that they'll routinely and naturally and by second 286 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:09,160 nature do the things Jesus would do. 287 00:17:09,599 --> 00:17:12,880 And they're going to actually pursue the the same sort of aims 288 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:14,520 and objectives Jesus would pursue in his life. 289 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:17,599 Both in their character and in the ambitions of their life, 290 00:17:17,599 --> 00:17:22,240 they will be like Jesus. That's what it means to be a 291 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:25,240 disciple. And I hope you can see the 292 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:29,880 difference between being a good church member and being a 293 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:33,560 disciple. You could be a good church 294 00:17:33,560 --> 00:17:37,360 member, you could show up on Sundays, you you could serve 295 00:17:37,360 --> 00:17:42,200 regularly, you could tithe and by most metrics be a good church 296 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:44,680 member. But in the inner character of 297 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:47,880 your inner being, you're not being transformed into Christ 298 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:52,520 likeness. And sadly, that's why you hear 299 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:57,320 reports of people who were maybe even leadership in the church. 300 00:17:57,480 --> 00:17:58,920 They were known as good volunteers. 301 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:00,520 They were known as good church members. 302 00:18:00,600 --> 00:18:02,240 But then all of a sudden it comes out they were living a 303 00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:05,160 double life all along. They weren't really becoming 304 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:08,160 like Jesus from the inside. It was all a show on the 305 00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:10,760 outside. But that's not who we are. 306 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:14,920 That's not what we're about. We're about learning the way of 307 00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:18,640 Jesus because we're disciples of Jesus. 308 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:22,360 That's what Jesus wants for us, and that's what Jesus calls us 309 00:18:22,360 --> 00:18:24,440 into. So this summer we're going to 310 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:28,880 walk through this passage in Luke chapter 6 exploring, all 311 00:18:28,880 --> 00:18:31,520 right, at least, what are some of the things if we are living 312 00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:34,760 as a disciple and learning to become like Jesus, what are some 313 00:18:34,760 --> 00:18:36,600 of the things we're going to do differently? 314 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:39,640 What are the some of the things we're going to believe in 315 00:18:39,640 --> 00:18:40,720 differently? What are some of the things 316 00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:43,160 we're going to want differently if we're learning the way of 317 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:46,040 Jesus? Handful years ago, I was 318 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:48,360 preaching on some of these same themes at a different church. 319 00:18:48,360 --> 00:18:51,840 I actually put on the screen a little pathway for disciples 320 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:55,000 that kind of marked out a course towards becoming like Jesus. 321 00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:59,200 And after service, I was standing out in the lobby at 322 00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:02,640 this particular church and visiting with people, you know, 323 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:04,280 and talking with people. And it was clear there was 324 00:19:04,280 --> 00:19:07,440 someone who wanted to talk to me, but he wanted to wait till 325 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:10,120 there was less people around in the lobby was, you know, a 326 00:19:10,120 --> 00:19:12,720 little more empty. And so it was in between 1st and 327 00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:14,680 2nd service. And finally the lobby emptied 328 00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:17,560 out. And this guy approaches me and 329 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:21,040 he says, hey, hey, John, can I, can I ask you something? 330 00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:23,880 I said, yeah, sure. And he, he's like, well, you 331 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:26,840 know, when you put that what a disciple is, that there's 332 00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:29,000 someone becoming like Jesus. And you put that path on the 333 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:32,000 screen about how to how to live like Jesus, to become like 334 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:32,720 Jesus. I said, yeah. 335 00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:35,760 He said, well, I've been a Christian for over 10 years. 336 00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:38,920 And I think I would put myself clear back at the beginning of 337 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:42,840 that path, like way back in, like the new disciple stage, 338 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:46,080 clear back at the beginning, even after 10 years. 339 00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:49,440 And I asked him, why is that? This was his answer. 340 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:54,720 His answer was because no one actually told me where to go and 341 00:19:54,720 --> 00:20:00,040 how to get there. Going to church for 10 years, 342 00:20:00,680 --> 00:20:04,400 never even knew he was supposed to be pursuing Christ likeness. 343 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:08,440 I said, what did they tell you? And he said, well they told me I 344 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:11,720 should go to church, I should serve and I should give. 345 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:14,600 That's exactly what he said. And he said I've been doing all 346 00:20:14,600 --> 00:20:18,160 those things for over a decade and I haven't really become like 347 00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:23,240 Jesus from the inside out yet. We were making good church 348 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:30,080 members, not good disciples. But Jesus's aim for you and for 349 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:33,040 me is not just for you to be a good church member. 350 00:20:33,160 --> 00:20:37,640 His aim is for you to become a good disciple who loves like 351 00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:41,920 Jesus loves and lives like Jesus lives and does the kinds of 352 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:44,640 things that Jesus wants you to do. 353 00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:48,960 And that's where passages like Luke chapter 6 come into play. 354 00:20:49,440 --> 00:20:53,760 They help us understand what it looks like to be and to live as 355 00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:57,080 a good disciple of Jesus. And So what I want to do is I 356 00:20:57,080 --> 00:21:02,840 want to read you just a handful of verses that make up Luke's 357 00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:05,160 account of Jesus Sermon on the Mount. 358 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:09,440 It may be the same sermon just boiled down a little bit more 359 00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:12,640 from Matthew 5-6 and seven. It may be that you just preached 360 00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:14,920 it on a different occasion because as a traveling preacher, 361 00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:17,760 you might preach the same sort of content in slightly different 362 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:20,640 ways at different times, right? I just want to read it to you so 363 00:21:20,640 --> 00:21:22,840 you can hear it and listen to it. 364 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:25,160 And then this summer, what we're going to do here as a church is 365 00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:28,720 we're going to walk through this chunk of Scripture kind of line 366 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:31,040 by line, verse by verse, and think about what does it look 367 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:34,120 like to live as good disciples learning the way of Jesus. 368 00:21:34,120 --> 00:21:37,800 So listen to what Jesus teaches us in Luke chapter 6. 369 00:21:38,120 --> 00:21:41,240 He raised his eyes towards his disciples. 370 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:44,720 That's that's us, right? He raised his eyes towards his 371 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:49,000 disciples and began saying, blessed are you who are poor, 372 00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:53,800 for yours is the Kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry 373 00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:57,120 right now, for you will be satisfied. 374 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:01,360 Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 375 00:22:02,080 --> 00:22:05,840 Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you or 376 00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:08,240 insult you or scorn. Your name is evil on account of 377 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:10,200 the Son of man, that's Jesus himself. 378 00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:14,360 Rejoice on that day. Jump for joy, for behold, your 379 00:22:14,360 --> 00:22:18,000 reward is great in heaven. For their fathers used to treat 380 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:24,640 the prophets the same way. But woe to you who are rich for 381 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:26,560 your receiving your comfort in full. 382 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:30,920 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will be hungry. 383 00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:35,200 Woe to you who laughed now, for you will mourn and weep. 384 00:22:35,400 --> 00:22:39,080 Woe to you when all the people speak well of you, because their 385 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:41,520 fathers used to treat the false prophets that way. 386 00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:48,960 And I say to you, who here love your enemies, and do good to 387 00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:52,000 those who hate you, Bless those who curse you. 388 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:55,800 Pray for those who speak abusively about you. 389 00:22:56,440 --> 00:22:59,520 Whoever hits you on one cheek, offer him the other. 390 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:03,200 And whoever takes away your cloak, don't withhold your tunic 391 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:07,040 from him either. Give to everyone who asks from 392 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:09,520 you, and whoever takes away what's yours, don't demand it 393 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:12,400 back. Treat people the same way you 394 00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:15,800 want them to treat you. If you love those who love you, 395 00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:20,000 what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love 396 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:22,600 them. If you do good to those who do 397 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:25,080 good things for you, what credit is that to you? 398 00:23:25,360 --> 00:23:28,840 For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom 399 00:23:28,840 --> 00:23:31,240 you expect to receive back, what credit is that to you? 400 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:34,320 Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same 401 00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:38,880 amount. But love your enemies and do 402 00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:42,440 good, and lend without expecting anything in return. 403 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:48,320 And your reward will be great with your Father in heaven, and 404 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:52,040 you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to 405 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:55,200 the ungrateful and evil people. So be merciful, just as your 406 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:58,720 Father is merciful. Don't judge and you won't be 407 00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:01,000 judged. Don't condemn, you won't be 408 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:04,280 condemned. Pardon, forgive, and you will be 409 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:06,560 pardoned. Give, it'll be given to you. 410 00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:10,160 They in fact, will pour into your lap a good measure, pressed 411 00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:13,480 down, shaken together, running over, For by your standard of 412 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:16,440 measure, it will be measured to you in return. 413 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:18,480 Jesus also spoke a parable to them. 414 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:22,120 A person who is blind cannot guide another person who is 415 00:24:22,120 --> 00:24:24,040 blind, can he? Won't they both fall into a pit? 416 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:27,640 The obvious answer of that is yes, indeed, they won't know 417 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:29,200 where they're going since they're both blind. 418 00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:32,960 Then he says the line that we focused on today, a student is 419 00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:36,720 not above the teacher, but everyone when he's fully trained 420 00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:40,160 will be like his teacher. So why do you look at the speck 421 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:43,040 that's in your brother's eye but don't notice the log that's in 422 00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:45,760 your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 423 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:49,480 brother, let me take that speck that's out of your eye when you 424 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:51,240 don't even see the log that's in your own eye? 425 00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:54,720 Hypocrite. First take the log out of your 426 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:56,680 own eye. Then you'll see clearly to take 427 00:24:56,680 --> 00:24:59,160 the speck that is in your brother's eye. 428 00:24:59,800 --> 00:25:03,720 For there's no good tree that bears bad fruit, and on the 429 00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:06,280 other hand, there's no bad tree that actually bears good fruit. 430 00:25:06,560 --> 00:25:09,440 Each tree is known by its own fruit. 431 00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:12,440 For people don't gather figs from thorns, now do they pick 432 00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:16,680 grapes from a briar Bush. The good person out of the good 433 00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:19,280 treasure of his heart, the good character, the Christ like 434 00:25:19,280 --> 00:25:22,640 character in his heart, the good person out of the good character 435 00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:25,000 or the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good. 436 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:28,080 And the evil person out of the evil treasure brings forth what 437 00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:30,720 is evil. For the mouth speaks from that 438 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:34,240 which fills the heart. And why do you call me Lord? 439 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:37,960 Lord, don't do what I say. Everyone who comes to me and 440 00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:41,800 hears my words and puts them into practice acts on them. 441 00:25:42,120 --> 00:25:46,320 I will show you what he's like. He's like a person building a 442 00:25:46,320 --> 00:25:51,040 house who dug deep, laid the foundation on a rock, and when 443 00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:53,960 there was a flood, the river burst against that house, and 444 00:25:53,960 --> 00:25:56,000 yet it couldn't shake it. Why? 445 00:25:56,200 --> 00:25:59,480 Because it had been well built. But the person who hears these 446 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:03,240 words of mine, listens to sermons and teachings and Bible 447 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:06,240 studies, but doesn't put them into practice, doesn't act on 448 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:09,640 them, is like a person who built his house simply on the ground 449 00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:12,320 without a foundation. The river burst against that 450 00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:15,520 house, and that house immediately collapsed, and the 451 00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:22,400 ruin of that house was great. That's the way of Jesus in Luke 452 00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:25,280 chapter 6. That's the passage we're going 453 00:26:25,280 --> 00:26:29,880 to explore in detail step by step this summer as we walk 454 00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:32,440 through it together as a church family. 455 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:35,520 The reality is this. Here's the here's the point of 456 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:38,640 all of that. If you are living as a disciple 457 00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:42,840 of Jesus, that means you're seeking to learn the way of 458 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:47,040 Jesus. If you're living as a disciple 459 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:50,160 of Jesus, you're going to be putting into practice the things 460 00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:52,800 that Jesus taught, the things that Jesus did. 461 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:54,680 You're learning the way of Jesus. 462 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:57,400 Why? Because every disciple, when 463 00:26:57,400 --> 00:26:59,720 he's fully trained, will be like his teacher. 464 00:27:00,360 --> 00:27:02,280 That's what it means to live as a disciple. 465 00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:07,240 So if you've been living as a good church member, but not 466 00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:10,440 actually becoming like Jesus from the inside out, that's the 467 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:12,960 challenge, that's the invitation, that's the call from 468 00:27:13,080 --> 00:27:17,240 Jesus. He has a way of life, a way of 469 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:19,840 life. It's not the wrong way, it's the 470 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:22,920 right way. It's good for you and it'll help 471 00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:25,640 you become the kind of human being you were made to be. 472 00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:29,120 If you're like just curious about Jesus and you're here 473 00:27:29,120 --> 00:27:31,640 today, like I'm not even sure I believe in Jesus yet, and I'm 474 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:33,840 not even sure what I think about church and all of that. 475 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:36,720 I just want you to know that what Jesus is offering you is a 476 00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:40,680 way of life. And I believe it's a good, wise, 477 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:45,360 healthy, right kind of way. And, and if you've been living 478 00:27:45,360 --> 00:27:47,440 as a disciple of Jesus, don't stop. 479 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:51,120 Don't stop when you're discouraged and you're tired and 480 00:27:51,120 --> 00:27:53,440 you still find within yourself things that are less than 481 00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:55,920 Christ. Like keep living attached to 482 00:27:56,120 --> 00:27:57,880 Jesus. Arrange your life to be with 483 00:27:57,880 --> 00:28:02,080 him, attach yourself to him. And Jesus will not only teach 484 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:05,320 you his way, he'll give you the grace and the strength and the 485 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:09,360 power of his own Spirit to help you live that kind of way. 486 00:28:10,120 --> 00:28:13,360 See, this isn't like pull yourselves up by your own moral 487 00:28:13,360 --> 00:28:16,480 bootstraps. It's not like, just try harder 488 00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:20,960 to be like Jesus. No, the reality is Jesus came, 489 00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:27,400 lived, taught, and then laid down his life, rose again, 490 00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:29,680 ascended to the right hand of the Father, poured out the 491 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:34,040 Spirit so that he could help you live this kind of life. 492 00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:37,040 That's why you have to arrange your life to be with Him, 493 00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:40,720 because it's by His strength, it's by His presence, it's by 494 00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:43,120 His grace that we actually become like Him. 495 00:28:43,200 --> 00:28:44,960 We don't just try harder on our own. 496 00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:48,280 Jesus has come to us in the person of the Spirit, and He 497 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:52,320 gives us the strength and the grace day by day to actually be 498 00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:56,320 changed from the inside out. And so we rearrange our life to 499 00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:59,320 live in deep connection with Him, deep partnership with Him, 500 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:04,080 and in doing so, by His Spirit now walking with us, we are 501 00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:08,120 changed bit by bit, little by little, and tell the things we 502 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:13,240 love, the things we want, the things we value, actually look a 503 00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:17,240 whole lot more like Jesus so that someday, someday we look 504 00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:20,200 back on who we used to be and who we are now. 505 00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:25,520 We realize by the grace of God, I have learned a new way of 506 00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:29,880 life. That's what it means to live as 507 00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:34,320 a disciple of Jesus. Thanks for joining us today. 508 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:37,320 If you would like to watch the full service, check out the link 509 00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:40,160 in the description. For next steps and to learn 510 00:29:40,160 --> 00:29:42,440 more, visit calvaryboise.com.