Discipleship: Hearing Jesus and Pointing Others to Him

Devotional

Day 1: Hearing Jesus as a Community

In our journey of faith, hearing Jesus is not just an individual task but a collective endeavor. As a community, we are called to listen to His voice, which often comes as a still, small whisper rather than a loud proclamation. This requires intentionality and a shared commitment to discern what Jesus is saying to us as a body of believers. By doing so, we can align our actions and decisions with His will, fostering unity and purpose within our community. [00:53]

1 Kings 19:11-12 (ESV): "And he said, 'Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.' And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper."

Reflection: How can you contribute to creating a space in your community where the still, small voice of Jesus can be heard and discerned collectively?

Day 2: Embracing the Adventure of Discipleship

Discipleship is a dynamic journey that begins with recognizing who Jesus is and continues until we meet Him in glory. It is both a personal experience and a communal teaching, requiring active participation in Jesus' mission. This adventure is not about passive observation but about engaging with the challenges and opportunities that come our way, knowing that God is with us through every step. [04:05]

Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV): "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

Reflection: What is one specific way you can actively participate in Jesus' mission this week, rather than just observing from the sidelines?

Day 3: Pointing Others to Jesus

The call to "come and see" is an invitation to engage with Jesus and to point others to Him. Our role is not to direct people to a church or a pastor but to Jesus Himself, ensuring that He remains the focus of our discipleship efforts. By doing so, we help others encounter the transformative power of Jesus, who is the ultimate goal of our faith. [08:42]

John 1:45-46 (ESV): "Philip found Nathanael and said to him, 'We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.' Nathanael said to him, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?' Philip said to him, 'Come and see.'"

Reflection: Who is one person in your life that you can invite to "come and see" Jesus this week, and how will you do it?

Day 4: Discerning the Journey of Others

As disciples, we are called to discern where others are in their faith journey and help them take the next step. This involves recognizing Jesus as a teacher, the Lamb of God, and ultimately the Messiah, and guiding others to do the same. By understanding where someone is in their journey, we can offer the right support and encouragement to help them grow in their relationship with Jesus. [23:31]

Acts 8:30-31 (ESV): "So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, 'Do you understand what you are reading?' And he said, 'How can I, unless someone guides me?' And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him."

Reflection: Think of someone in your life who is on a faith journey. How can you discern where they are and help them take their next step toward Jesus?

Day 5: Responding to Jesus' Call

We are encouraged to listen to what Jesus is calling us to do, whether it's starting a new ministry or inviting someone to church. The goal is to make disciples who make disciples, fulfilling the Great Commission and glorifying Jesus. By responding to His call, we participate in His mission and contribute to the growth of His kingdom. [25:34]

Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV): "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Reflection: What is one specific action Jesus is calling you to take this week to make disciples, and how will you commit to doing it?

Sermon Summary

In this new series on discipleship, the focus is on hearing Jesus and understanding what He is saying to us collectively, not just individually. The journey of discipleship is an adventure that begins with recognizing who Jesus is and continues until we meet Him face to face. Discipleship is not merely a personal experience or teaching; it is both. It involves actively participating in Jesus' mission and pointing others to Him. The call to "come and see" is an invitation to engage with Jesus, not just to spectate.

The journey of discipleship is likened to navigating a road full of potholes, symbolizing the challenges we face. Even as we walk through difficult times, God is with us. The goal is to make disciples who make disciples, emphasizing the importance of replication in our faith journey. This involves discerning where others are in their journey and helping them take the next step, whether it's recognizing Jesus as a teacher, the Lamb of God, or the Messiah.

The sermon encourages us to be like Andrew, who consistently brought others to Jesus. We are challenged to think about who we can bring to Jesus, especially as Easter approaches. The role of a disciple is to invite others to see Jesus, not just to bring them to church. The emphasis is on pointing people to Jesus, as He is the ultimate goal of our faith.

The message concludes with a call to action, urging us to consider what Jesus is calling us to do. Whether it's starting a new ministry or simply inviting someone to church, we are encouraged to listen to Jesus' voice and respond. The ultimate aim is to fulfill the Great Commission by making disciples who make disciples, thereby glorifying Jesus.

Key Takeaways

1. Hearing Jesus Collectively: The call to hear Jesus is not just an individual endeavor but a collective one. We must ask ourselves what Jesus is saying to us as a community and be intentional about listening to His voice, which often comes as a still, small voice rather than a loud proclamation. [00:53]
2. The Adventure of Discipleship: Discipleship is a journey that begins with recognizing who Jesus is and continues until we meet Him in glory. It involves both personal experience and teaching, and it requires us to actively participate in Jesus' mission rather than merely spectate. [04:05]
3. Pointing Others to Jesus: The call to "come and see" is an invitation to engage with Jesus and point others to Him. Our role is not to point people to a church or a pastor but to Jesus Himself, ensuring that He remains the focus of our discipleship efforts. [08:42]
4. Discerning the Journey of Others: As disciples, we must discern where others are in their faith journey and help them take the next step. This involves recognizing Jesus as a teacher, the Lamb of God, and ultimately the Messiah, and guiding others to do the same. [23:31]
5. Responding to Jesus' Call: We are encouraged to listen to what Jesus is calling us to do, whether it's starting a new ministry or inviting someone to church. The goal is to make disciples who make disciples, fulfilling the Great Commission and glorifying Jesus. [25:34]
** [25:34]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:21] - Introduction to Discipleship Series
[00:53] - Hearing Jesus Collectively
[02:37] - Intentional Discipleship Goals
[04:05] - The Adventure of Discipleship
[05:39] - Navigating Life's Challenges
[06:27] - The Call to Make Disciples
[07:12] - Invitation to "Come and See"
[08:42] - Pointing Others to Jesus
[11:36] - The Role of John the Baptist
[13:06] - Andrew's Example
[15:53] - Describing Jesus as the Lamb of God
[18:10] - Learning from Jesus
[20:06] - Recognizing Jesus as the Messiah
[23:31] - Discerning the Journey of Others
[25:34] - Responding to Jesus' Call
[30:33] - Closing Prayer and Commitment

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- John 1:35-42
- Matthew 28:18-20
- Isaiah 53:7

Observation Questions:

In John 1:35-42, what was John the Baptist's role in pointing others to Jesus, and how did Andrew respond to this? [11:36]
What does the phrase "come and see" signify in the context of Jesus' invitation to the disciples in John 1:39? [07:32]
How does the sermon describe the journey of discipleship, and what metaphor is used to illustrate its challenges? [05:09]
According to the sermon, what is the ultimate goal of discipleship, and how is it related to the Great Commission? [06:27]

Interpretation Questions:

How does the concept of hearing Jesus collectively, as mentioned in the sermon, challenge the idea of an individualistic faith? [01:09]
What does it mean to actively participate in Jesus' mission rather than merely spectate, as discussed in the sermon? [08:13]
How can the example of Andrew bringing others to Jesus inspire us in our own faith journey, especially as Easter approaches? [13:47]
In what ways does the sermon suggest we discern where others are in their faith journey, and how can we help them take the next step? [23:31]

Application Questions:

Reflect on the idea of hearing Jesus collectively. How can you be more intentional about listening to what Jesus is saying to your community? [01:27]
The sermon describes discipleship as an adventure. What steps can you take to actively participate in Jesus' mission this week rather than just observing? [04:05]
Consider someone in your life who you can invite to "come and see" Jesus. What practical steps can you take to engage them in a conversation about faith? [14:00]
The sermon emphasizes the importance of pointing others to Jesus rather than a church or pastor. How can you ensure that your interactions with others focus on Jesus as the ultimate goal? [08:42]
As Easter approaches, who is someone you can bring to church or introduce to Jesus? What specific actions will you take to make this happen? [13:47]
Reflect on the challenges you face in your discipleship journey. How can you rely on God's presence to navigate these "potholes" in your life? [05:09]
What is one new ministry or initiative you feel Jesus is calling you to start or participate in? How will you respond to this call? [25:34]

Sermon Clips

What is Jesus saying to you now I don't necessarily mean this in a very individualistic way that it's just you and Jesus or me and Jesus and you don't matter no one else matters I think that's a lie we have bought into over the years as American Christian but what is Jesus saying to you and this is like uh you plural or as Joyce and I might say y'all all right right Joyce you know uh y'all what is Jesus saying to us are we listen listening for his voice [00:00:55]

Discipleship begins before what we would call Salvation or it is evangelism and it is beyond evangelism and until we get to see Jesus face to face we're on this journey right now if you Journey up and down our street of Plum Street and I do that quite often unfortunately it's like uh playing slalom okay with the PO holes and bless our village they've been out three or four times to uh kind of put something else back in those potholes [00:04:44]

The invitation is not an invitation to spectate Jesus didn't say come and just sit down and watch this come and see was this active participation and who and what he was doing they came to him they spent the rest of the day with him they heard his teaching maybe they saw some of his miracles we do not know but it wasn't just a come sit and do nothing he was putting them on Mission also notice this come and see is a call the call of discipleship is always a call to point people to Jesus [00:08:06]

John the Baptist was willing to lose his followers for the greater good of who Jesus was and it was his followers Andrew and the unnamed disciple I believe it is John the disciple who wrote this that that was there where where they heard what John the Baptist was saying and say look there he is and they go okay see you John and actually Andrew bless Andrew's heart and I mean that in the best way possible [00:11:52]

Andrew though he is one of the first to be a disciple of Jesus is never one of the top disciples that's named like with the little kids downstairs you adults that have the uh the kids I believe they're both doing that they're talking about the Transfiguration this morning okay that's Peter James and John Andrew is like the guy left out he's the last he's not the last one picked by Jesus but he's never one in the Inner Circle okay but if you will notice and and I hope you would if you read through the Gospel of John anytime Andrew is mentioned he's always bringing somebody to Jesus [00:13:24]

The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him we have found the Messiah we have found the Christ we have found the one our faith has always been pointing us to let's go find him again come and see who he is Jesus is the the Messiah the one all of scripture points to do you believe that do you believe he's the Messiah will you allow yourself to go further in your understanding of Jesus [00:19:56]

I want to encourage us as we look at being people who make disciples who make disciples is Discerning where somebody is in their Journey you know uh I'm going to pick on my own cuz I Logan's downstairs helping which I love but I can't pick on him Mona you know and Jack's not here uh his good friend Jack I'm going to so I'm going to pick up my two kids sorry guys you're the only ones left all right I got to discern where they are in this process [00:20:47]

We got to discern where people are we got to discern are you ready to take the next step with Jes Jesus interact with him as a teacher to begin with but don't stay there do you want to know him as Messiah but sometimes we have to start teaching them what Jesus has taught before they're ready to say yes to him disciple isn't just something that happens after the faith it is the journey through because let me be honest with you even though Andrew and the other unnamed disciple says we have found the Messiah [00:23:21]

What is Jesus saying to you I think he's saying something to us we who have ears as John would write and the letter to the churches in Revelation he who has ears let him hear what the spirit says what is it for you and that may mean we as a church gather around you and it may just be you making disciples who make disciples and some of you said I'm too old to do anything oh you can pray and you can still say hey come come and see see Jesus with me in my church [00:27:48]

Sometimes we just say come follow me the only person who ever said come follow me and stopped right there is Jesus we'll get to that in couple weeks you and I say come follow me as I follow Jesus and people will go Chad why are you following Jesus well let me you got a couple minutes let me tell you about Jesus you know and sometimes they're just going to follow you as you follow Jesus and sooner or later they get close enough to Jesus they say not only is he my teacher not only is the Lamb of God he is my Messiah my savior he is the Lord [00:29:20]

I want to challenge you have you taken those steps and are you willing to prayerfully consider how you can make help others you can't ever make them how you can invite others to come and see the Lamb of God who is the greatest teacher that has ever existed and who is more importantly the Messiah the Lord the living one one and friends if we do that we will be people who make disciples who make disciples in 2025 and Beyond and we will then know that Jesus is Alive this day as he always been [00:30:06]

May you come to know Jesus a little deeper this week as you share him with others knowing that when you give him away you also receive and as Paul and others would say blessed it is more blessed to give than to receive so we may we make it a habit of giving Jesus to others this week in word and In Deed so that he and he alone may receive glory honor and praise [00:35:11]

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Discipleship: Hearing Jesus and Pointing Others to Him

Devotional

Day 1: Hearing Jesus as a Community

Day 2: Embracing the Adventure of Discipleship

Day 3: Pointing Others to Jesus

Day 4: Discerning the Journey of Others

Day 5: Responding to Jesus' Call

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Discipleship: Hearing Jesus and Pointing Others to Him

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