“What have you been doing this whole time?” It was a question I either dreaded or anticipated when I was a teenager. If I did all my chores before dad got home, I anticipated his approval. But, if I had neglected all or some of my chores, I dreaded the disappointment and discipline that came as a result of my negligence. There is coming a day when we will stand before Jesus and He will “settle accounts” (Matt 25:19) with us. Are you dreading or anticipating that day? Depends on whether or not you are doing what He told you to do. Jesus told us to make disciples. Discipleship is the process of following Jesus and growing in spiritual maturity. We begin this sermon series with A Heart to Make Disciples.
God Intentionally Designed the Church
The Church is not Man-Made (Church is for Him, not Us)
When we think about the church we must remember that this is not “my church” or “your church”; this is Jesus’ Church. What is the Church? The Church is not a building or a Worship Service. According to Gregg Allison, the Church is “the people of God who have been saved through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and have been incorporated into His body through baptism with the Holy Spirit.” The Church is important to Jesus. He died for the Church (Acts 20:28). The Church is Jesus’ Plan (Matt 16:18), Jesus’ Bride (Eph 5:25–27), Jesus’ Body (1 Cor 12:27), and “God’s household…the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Tim 3:15).
The Church is God-Designed (Church is Built by Jesus)
The Church is not a haphazard assembly, but a vital part of Jesus’ intentional plan to advance the kingdom of God. Jesus declared that He “will build” (Matt 16:18) His Church on the confession that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt 16:16). The Church is the primary means by which the Kingdom of God expands.
The Mission of the Church is to Make Disciples
The Church’s Mission is Simple (Church has simple commands)
Thankfully Jesus did not leave us in the dark about the mission of the Church. Of all the good things the Church could be doing, the mission is to make disciples of all nations. Before His ascension into heaven, Jesus declared to His disciples their mission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19).
The Church’s Mission is Sacrificial (Christ gave Himself for the Church)
The Church is commissioned with the advancement of the kingdom of God, but this kingdom is not advanced like other kingdoms of the world. Other kingdoms advance through physical warfare and overwhelming use of missiles, bombs, and armaments. The kingdom of God advances through spiritual warfare, not physical warfare (Eph 6:12). The Church advances through the proclamation of the Gospel and heart transformation as the gates of hell give way before them (Matt 16:18); just as Jesus intended.
Jesus’ Disciples are Jesus’ Messengers
Jesus’ Message is Redemptive (Enemies become Heirs)
The reason Jesus allowed Himself to die was to provide a sacrifice that satisfies the demands of the Law so that you and I could be reconciled to God. The Church has been entrusted with a ministry of reconciliation “that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them” (2 Cor 5:19). The Gospel is redemptive in that our relationship with God is restored. We have peace with God and we are adopted into His family (Rom 8:15). We are “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (Rom 8:17).
Jesus’ Message is Transformative (Old Passes Away; All Things New )
The Gospel redeems us back to God and it also works to transform us. While God accepts us just as we are, He never intends to leave us where He found us. Paul wrote, “Christ died for all so that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor 5:15). When Lazarus was resurrected by Jesus, he became alive again but he also came out of the tomb with graveclothes on. Jesus said, “Loose him, and let him go” (John 11:44). Jesus transforms us to be like Him. We put off the old and put on the new.
Every Messenger is Gifted, Empowered and Accountable
Jesus designed the Church to love Him and carry out His mission to make disciples. We carry the Gospel to others and, in order to do so, every Christian receives the Holy Spirit.
Every Messenger is Gifted (Gifted for the Common Good)
The Holy Spirit indwells, produces fruit, and provides gifts. Jesus made sure that He would not only save sinners, but give them eternal life through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the down payment (Eph 1:14); the guarantee of eternal life. The Spirit within us produces visible fruit in us (Gal 5:22-23) and gives us gifts for the common good (1 Cor 12:7).
Every Messenger is Empowered (Spirit Empowered to Glorify God)
The Spirit also empowers the believer to live a life pleasing to God. The Spirit works with us in our weakness (Rom 8:26) and convicts us of sin (John 16:8). The Apostle Peter was a coward when Jesus was on trial, but quickly became a bold proclaimer of the Gospel. How did this happen? He received the Holy Spirit (Acts 2).
Every Messenger is Accountable (Good, Faithful Servant)
Every messenger is gifted and empowered by God. Every messenger is also accountable to God. Every good and perfect gift (James 1:17) comes from God and we will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10) to give an account of our life. If we are not a Christian we will hear Jesus say, “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt 25:41). If we are a Christian we will hear Jesus say, “Well done good and faithful servant” (Matt 25:23). Paul exhorts us by saying, “Let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Phil 1:27). Let us worship Him and make disciples who worship Him!
Note: The theme of this sermon and the sermon series is based on Real Life Discipleship By Jim Putman. You can purchase his book here.
First Baptist Scott City, MO 
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