¹⁹ They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again.

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1 Daily Discipleship Daily Discipleship John Cole / General The Journey, Becoming a Disciple / Discipleship; Commitment; Team / Luke 9:18 25 Jesus deserves daily disciples. The only way to find the life Jesus has for us is to follow Him daily. Look at three commitments of daily discipleship. TEXT Luke 9:18 25 KJV 1900 ¹⁸ And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am? ¹⁹ They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again. ²⁰ He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God. ²¹ And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing; ²² Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. ²³ And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. ²⁴ For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. ²⁵ For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? SUMMARY 1

2 Daily discipleship is a daily call to: 1. Disciplined Devotion: deny yourself 2. Gospel Ministry: take up your cross 3. Church Community: follow me INTRO Daily character and devotion eventually meets unexpected opportunity, and such was the case one day for the renowned black educator, Booker T. Washington. 10,000 Sermon Illustrations Booker T. Washington Booker T. Washington A truly humble man is hard to find, yet God delights to honor such selfless people. Booker T. Washington, the renowned black educator, was an outstanding example of this truth. Shortly after he took over the presidency of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, he was walking in an exclusive section of town when he was stopped by a wealthy white woman. Not knowing the famous Mr. Washington by sight, she asked if he would like to earn a few dollars by chopping wood for her. Because he had no pressing business at the moment, Professor Washington smiled, rolled up his sleeves, and proceeded to do the humble chore she had requested. When he was finished, he carried the logs into the house and stacked them by the fireplace. A little girl recognized him and later revealed his identity to the lady. The next morning the embarrassed woman went to see Mr. Washington in his office at the Institute and apologized profusely. It s perfectly all right, Madam, he replied. Occasionally I enjoy a little manual labor. Besides, it s always a delight to do something for a friend. She shook his hand warmly and assured him that his meek and gracious attitude had endeared him and his work to her heart. Not long afterward she showed her admiration by persuading some wealthy acquaintances to join her in donating thousands of dollars to the Tuskegee Institute. Our Daily Brea If Mr. Washington had not remained true to his character that day, he would have missed out on a great blessing that helped his endeavors. 2

3 How many blessings and opportunities could we capture if we remain consistent daily? Even more, as followers of Jesus, what all might we experience if we are faithful to follow Jesus ever day? Consider our primary verse from today s text: Luke 9:23 KJV 1900 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. In a conversation with His disciples about their understanding of Who Jesus is, Jesus shares this strong, declarative statement. Jesus asks who the crowds say He is and who the disciples think He is. When Peter declares Jesus to be the Christ of God, Jesus immediately instructs His disciples to remain quite about that due to the fact that He must first suffer on the cross. Jesus then goes on to declare that to follow Him is to embrace his suffering. To lose their life for His sake To find life by losing it. To deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him. What does that verse mean for us? What does it mean to lose my life? How do I know when I find it? What exactly am I to deny? 3

4 What is my cross? Where do I follow Jesus? PROP The only way to discover the answers to those questions is to follow Jesus daily. These answers rarely come all at once. They present themselves on your daily journey. EVERY DAY MATTERS. SUPPORT PROP Our problem is that we like to think it doesn t. We like to think we can be on and off disciples: And still find the life Jesus is talking about And still be called followers And still discover the cross He wants us to bear Or, we want follow Jesus daily, but we just can t get past that step: deny yourself. 4

5 We hope Jesus is okay with weekly, or occasional, follow ship. Put time in at church when we can get around to it Give for conscience sake, without much thought or commitment Ministry is for occupational disciples Much of the world demands the same: daily commitment. Our jobs Corporate world Military Consider a similar message from a navy admiral: [WATCH VIDEO] Now, why shouldn t Jesus receive greater commitment than the military does from soldiers or that our jobs do from us? TRANS Consider with me three daily commitments we should make as disciples of Jesus. THREE COMMITMENTS OF DAILY DISCIPLESHIP: #1 DISCIPLINED DEVOTION DENY YOURSELF Consider with me quickly these four verses: 5

6 Matthew 6:11 KJV 1900 Give us this day our daily bread. 1 Corinthians 15:31 KJV 1900 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. Psalm 61:8 KJV 1900 So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, That I may daily perform my vows. Psalm 86:3 KJV 1900 Be merciful unto me, O Lord: For I cry unto thee daily. ILL: Bertoldo dramatically exclaims, Michelangelo, talent is cheap; dedication is costly. Reference below: 10,000 Sermon Illustrations Talent Is Cheap Dedication Is Costly Talent Is Cheap Dedication Is Costly Bertoldo de Giovanni is a name even the most enthusiastic lover of art is unlikely to recognize. He was the pupil of Donatello, the greatest sculptor of his time, and he was the teacher of Michelangelo, the greatest sculptor of all time. Michelangelo was only 14 years old when he came to Bertoldo, but it was already obvious that he was enormously gifted. Bertoldo was wise enough to realize that gifted people are often tempted to coast rather than to grow, and therefore he kept trying to pressure his young prodigy to work seriously at his art. One day he came into the studio to find Michelangelo toying with a piece of sculpture far beneath his abilities. Bertoldo grabbed a hammer, stomped across the room, and smashed the work into tiny pieces, shouting this unforgettable message, Michelangelo, talent is cheap; dedication is costly! Gary Inrig, A Call to Excellence So, the first daily commitment is disciplined devotion, the second is: #2 GOSPEL MINISTRY 6

7 TAKE UP YOUR CROSS Acts 2:47 KJV 1900 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. Acts 5:42 KJV 1900 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. Acts 16:5 KJV 1900 And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily. ILL: Adoniram Judson 10,000 Sermon Illustrations Discouragement Adoniram Judson sweated out Burma s heat for 18 years without a furlough, six years without a convert. Enduring torture and imprisonment, he admitted that he never saw a ship sail without wanting to jump on board and go home. When his wife s health broke and he put her on a homebound vessel in the knowledge he would not see her for two full years, he confided to his diary: If we could find some quiet resting place on earth where we could spend the rest of our days in peace... But he steadied himself with this remarkable postscript: Life is short. Millions of Burmese are perishing. I am almost the only person on earth who has attained their language to communicate salvation... Regions Beyond, Vol 37, #1, p. 2. So, the first daily commitment is disciplined devotion, the second is Gospel Ministry, and the third is: #3 CHURCH COMMUNITY FOLLOW ME 7

8 Acts 2:46 KJV 1900 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Acts 6:1 KJV 1900 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Acts 17:11 KJV 1900 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Paul met daily in Tyrannus lecture hall for two year, teaching. No wonder the church of Ephesus was so strong! Acts 19:9 KJV 1900 But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus. Hebrews 3:13 KJV 1900 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. What we see hear is the importance for disciples to have daily community with their church. It s not enough to have daily disciplined devotions and Gospel ministry, we need daily church! 8

9 I ve got a couple short, serious videos to illustrate the importance of community: [WATCH VIDEO] CONCLUSION Jesus deserves daily disciples. The only way to find the life Jesus has for us is to follow Jesus daily. Daily discipleship is a daily call to: 1. Disciplined Devotion: deny yourself, worship Him 2. Gospel Ministry: take up your cross, share salvation with others 3. Church Collaboration: follow me, don t do it alone Daily Discipleship can start today. It begins with Jesus gift of salvation. It continues with Jesus call to follow. Will you follow Jesus today? How will you respond to today s message? 9