The Gospels in Harmony Sermon #101-12118
Mark 3:13-19 Luke 6:12-16
13 And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.
14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
16 And Simon he surnamed Peter;
17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:
18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,
19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.
Mark 3:13-19
12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;
14 Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, 16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.
Luke 6:12-16
The ordination of the first twelve ministers and evangelists gives us much to come to grips with in our own walk toward and with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Many times I have read through the selection of the Apostles. Their names seemed to be more important than their appointment. However, I have grown to see far more in scripture than I used too.
Since their ministries, thousands and thousands of men have been ordained by God to walk the path of Jesus for His glory. They all were and are disciples. Discipleship is
You may not like this sermon because there is one among the first chosen who describes most disciples of Jesus today.
The word "disciple" as many words in their modern definition have lost their most powerful meanings. They have been softened, generalized and even redefined to mean or give the impression of something different.
A disciple in today’s worldly definition can mean as little as associating ones name with someone or something organized by someone.
Discipleship has been reduced by most to be little more than name claiming without or with little involvement. Claiming to be a Christian makes no one a disciple. Walking toward and with Jesus Christ with the desire to leave all that is behind and strain toward what is ahead in faith and obedience is the definition of the Christian disciple.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14
Being a disciple is being continuously focused on the path laid out by our Lord and Savior. It is being a student with a consuming desire to learn and grow and come closer to our Lord and Savior everyday. It is being a visible child of God with the end purpose of glorifying Him through Jesus Christ.
This brings us to the appointment of discipleship.
Discipleship is not your choice! Discipleship begins at the moment of repentance unto faith and confession unto obedience to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Discipleship begins when you answer the call of the Holy Spirit to be a functioning part of the body of Christ. Discipleship begins at the moment of Justification.
A functioning part of the body of Christ is the difference between the biblical definition and the worldly definition.
The world would have us believe a membership in a religious organization makes you a part of the body and therefore you must be a follower or disciple.
The difference is that God calls us to be disciples; we do not decide we are.
Even when a person is called to be a disciple they may still turn away.
Discipleship is the obedient walk in faith.
Here are three words that cannot be separated or omitted.
Obedient; meaning total commitment to the Word of God.
Walk; meaning the action of rising to learn, grow, go and be a visible and active follower of the Word; and Faith in the Word; not in yourself or the world around you.
When we are called by the Holy Spirit in the Word of God we are called to be these three things. We are called by grace through faith to walk in obedience to the Word of God, Jesus Christ.
Sadly most people would rather just classify themselves as believers. From that number we find a majority who classify attending a local house of worship any number of times in a year as their walk in the Lord. Certainly they had to make an effort to get there!
The last and most abused, rejected and neglected, is commitment. There can be no obedience without commitment. Here again church attendance does not qualify as commitment. Yes it is a great thing to be committed to attendance at your local house of worship, but that should be for your education, strengthening and growth for your walk in faith and obedience. Don't stop there and pretend you have earned your gold star! Your walk in obedience is beyond the church doors! Even the pastor of your church spends most of His time tending and caring for His flock and others outside of the church! His work is not just in a meeting place a couple times a week. It's everyday, every hour, where ever he is called to serve in obedience for the glory of God. And guess what folks? It's no different for every single person that is called to salvation and humbles themselves in repentance unto Faith in Jesus Christ!
So what happens to people who are called to salvation?
What happens to people who hear the Voice of God in and through the Word of God and believe it is the truth but do not rise to walk in obedience in that faith?
Well, no one wants to be another Judas Iscariot.
Now, many will defiantly say, " I believe in Jesus Christ, and that's all the bible says I have to do! So don't try to say I'm like Judas!"
Oh my dear friend you are more like Judas Iscariot than you will ever know until you give yourself to Jesus.
Just believing something is the truth is not a committed walk in faith and obedience. It is not discipleship. You may be called to be a child of God but by your refusal to commit yourself to rise and walk in faith filled obedient discipleship, you are betraying the Love of God in His Son, Jesus Christ.
By claiming fellowship with Jesus and true disciples, yet living by and for the world, in and for yourself, you are exhibiting the very actions of Judas Iscariot.
Discipleship is the offering of oneself as a sacrifice for our Lord and Savior.
Mark 3:13-19 and Luke 6:12-16 are the recordings of Jesus calling 12 men from His disciples to be ordained for a greater service, a greater sacrifice in commitment to Him.
13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;
Luke 6:13
Did Jesus know Judas would not commit himself? Yes, God knows the hearts of all men. Does God know who is claiming to be a disciple of Jesus yet will not commit themselves as a living sacrifice to Him? Oh Yes! God knows the hearts of all men! But God also allows the tares to grow with the wheat until the harvest.
When the harvest comes only the wheat is gathered in and the tares are cast off and burned.
24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Matthew 13:24-30
Jesus calls us to be the good, profitable, glorifying harvest unto Him.
Not the look alike, stand alongside, let someone else be what you claim you are, kind of false disciple.
Everyone is called forth in discipleship. God not only calls us to salvation through faith but ordains us to serve in and through our commitment.
Oh there my friend is the dividing line.
Faith and obedience to the Word of God is submission unto death and commitment into life. That is the disciple of Jesus Christ!
Dying to self and living for the Word of God.
Do not soften or diminish the full definition of being a disciple.
When you are saved you die to self and live for Jesus in this world and forever.
Salvation,is not believing a truth it is becoming that truth.
We are called to believe on the Name of Jesus but that means to uphold everything He is. Become Christ like in everyway, in spirit and in life.
That is the ordination of disciples that we are called into.
That is the ordination most will not give themselves to fulfill, but will turn to the world and betray Jesus in doing so.
But the tares shall stand with the wheat claiming to be what they are not.
The Judas's will stomp their feet and toss their heads in the air in defiance to the truth about themselves and will be gathered to destruction when they are called from this world. Too late will they see what they were. Too late will they admit they were unprofitable servants. Too late and forever will they weep and gnash their teeth in self pity and pride.
It is necessary for us to delineate what God has called all of us to be in Christ Jesus. We are all ordained to Good works prepared long before the world was created. He calls us to be disciples. Faith filled and walking in obedience.
He ordains each disciple to good works. Good works are only works that are done by the power and guidance of God. Good works is only the work God does in you and through you for His glory. Not the work you do in your ability.
God qualifies the called, He doesn't call the qualified.
13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;
Luke 6:13
Jesus prayed for the guidance of God to give Him the number of disciples that he should ordain to their chosen service. This does not mean that every other disciple was never called into a glorifying service at another time for another purpose. It means these twelve were called to glorify God the way He had preordained.
These men were called apostles.
There are no apostles after Paul. The singular difference or attribute is, being personally ordained by Jesus. These twelve were personally ordained into special service by Jesus as was Paul on the road to Damascus. An apostle is one who is sent forth as we are all called to do but the difference is they were called personally by Jesus and we are called through His Spirit.
14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
Mark 3:14-15
14----that they should be with Him----
There is the key to the power of the first apostles. Jesus gave them power to preach and heal and cast out devils because they carried His personal authority.
When Jesus ascended into Heaven the Holy Spirit was given to all faith filled, committed servants of God. All true disciples that they may be empowered to fulfill their calling through communion with God through the Holy Spirit.
We are called to pray for the power to preach and pray for healing and pray for the removal of unclean spirits in our lives and in others. We are given the Holy Spirit for guidance and knowledge and strength but we ourselves do not have the authority to heal and cast out devils. We have the authority to Ask in faith in the name of Jesus but we ourselves cannot command anything be done.
Because Jesus Himself appointed these men it was as though He himself were doing the work. In fact He was, but the apostles were known to be His select so Jesus was given the glory through them.
Today, we are called through the Spirit of God to pray in the Spirit that by His Spirit these same things may be done. God gets the glory not men! Because Jesus is not physically present men will give glory to men instead of God in Spirit. But when someone is healed and saved through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving God gets the glory through Jesus Christ in Spirit.
6 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Philippians 4:6
Committing yourself in discipleship is proof of salvation.
Discipleship is the beginning of the greatest of responsibilities. In the life of the disciple each will be ordained to a greater service in faith and obedience for the glory of God. We as confessing Christians are all ordained for that purpose.
It is a life changing, lifelong commitment to Glorifying God through faith and obedience to the Word of God, Jesus Christ, in the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Are you committed to a life for Christ as He gave His life for you?
Or are you committed to just appearing so?
Pastor Steven Freede
Cornerstone Independent Church
1/21/18