8 Steps to Becoming A Powerful Disciple, Pt. 2 -- Derek Grier
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00:00 (whooshing)
00:02 So what he's saying is it doesn't matter
00:04 how rich you are in your wallet,
00:05 how poor you are in your wallet,
00:07 how many followers you have on Instagram
00:09 or on X Facebook or whatever else,
00:12 you know, what's the other one, TikTok, et cetera.
00:14 Doesn't matter the school you graduated from
00:17 or the friends you have, the celebrities you know,
00:20 only the need you acknowledge in your heart.
00:26 Entering the kingdom starts on this first rung.
00:30 And every other step depends on this first step.
00:36 But the problem is many stop here.
00:40 They say, well, when I die, I'm gonna go to heaven,
00:42 I recognize my poverty.
00:45 But being a disciple is different than being a convert
00:50 because a convert, you know, they get saved
00:52 and they die and go to heaven,
00:53 but a disciple makes their life of use.
00:57 (upbeat music)
01:00 Last week, we talked about the fact
01:08 that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.
01:13 And if the masses swarm to hear Jesus yesterday,
01:19 we should not be surprised that a lot of people
01:22 tend to show up wherever he's glorified today.
01:26 And I said that to say, as I said last week,
01:29 we should never ever apologize for being a large church.
01:33 Because when Jonathan attacked the Philistines,
01:37 he said this to his armor bearer
01:39 in 1 Samuel 14 and verse six, he said,
01:43 "Nothing restrains the Lord from saving,
01:48 "by many or by few, in a small church or a big church."
01:53 You see, one thing I know about Jesus
01:58 is he's allergic to being put in a box.
02:01 And he breaks out every single time.
02:05 God still saves by many or by few.
02:10 Whether we think there's a lot of us
02:14 or just a handful of us,
02:16 because everything is small compared to him.
02:20 So he went up on a mountain,
02:24 and when he was seated, his disciples came to him.
02:29 Now every word that is written here is telling.
02:34 His target audience was his disciples.
02:40 And fortunately, we don't really have to guess
02:43 what a disciple is.
02:44 We don't even have to really even dig into the Greek,
02:46 because Jesus tells us in Luke chapter six and verse 40,
02:49 he says, "A disciple is not above his," what?
02:53 "Teacher," which implies a disciple is a taught one.
02:58 A disciple is a learner.
03:00 But then he also says,
03:01 "But everyone perfectly trained will be like,"
03:04 will be what like?
03:05 "Will be what like his teacher."
03:09 So being a disciple is different than just being a convert.
03:14 A convert has a level of confidence
03:16 that when he or she dies, they will go to heaven.
03:20 But the goal of a disciple is much, much more
03:23 than just dying and going to heaven.
03:25 It's becoming like him while on earth.
03:28 "Everyone perfectly trained shall become," what?
03:31 "Like him."
03:32 So the goal of a disciple is to become what?
03:35 Like him.
03:37 You see, a church will never change the world
03:40 by just filling seats.
03:44 A church will change the world by making disciples.
03:48 (congregation applauding)
03:51 Matter of fact, the Bible, Jesus said this, he said,
03:55 "If you continue in my word, then you are my disciples."
04:00 So what makes us disciples is our attention to his word.
04:10 Then he opened his mouth and he taught them.
04:15 Now, Jesus taught through both word and action.
04:19 And if he never opened his mouth,
04:20 he would still be saying a whole lot.
04:22 But Jesus not only talked the talk, but he walked the walk,
04:27 even to the Gathas Hill.
04:30 You see, God is called holy.
04:32 We call God holy because his words
04:37 and his actions always agree.
04:39 They always match.
04:42 And when you discover God's word,
04:45 you've discovered what God will do in your life.
04:49 So he opened his mouth and he taught them saying.
04:54 Now, if God never spoke and only acted as I said,
04:59 we might not understand him so well.
05:04 So God in his wisdom sent his word
05:07 to help make sense of his actions.
05:10 And this is why I'm so careful week after week
05:14 to go line upon line,
05:16 because it's not enough to know what the preacher says.
05:18 You gotta know what the word of God says
05:21 about your situation and your life.
05:25 Proverbs 4 and 7 tells us this.
05:28 It says, "Wisdom is the principal thing.
05:33 "Therefore get wisdom, and in all your getting,
05:37 "get what, understanding."
05:40 So Jesus is about to teach eight principles.
05:43 This is the first sermon Jesus has ever preached.
05:47 This is his longest sermon in all of scripture.
05:50 And he begins this sermon teaching us
05:53 about how discipleship works.
05:57 He starts with, "Blessed are the poor in spirit."
06:02 We talked about this last week.
06:05 This blessing is first because anyone
06:08 and everyone can start here.
06:10 It's the first rung, if you will, of Jacob's ladder.
06:13 And if a ladder is to be of any use,
06:16 it must have its first step near to the ground,
06:20 accessible to everyone.
06:22 If that step is too high, no one can use the ladder.
06:25 Even though every other rung is accurate, fixed,
06:28 and in place, if the first rung is not low enough
06:32 for everyone to reach, the ladder cannot be used.
06:37 So imagine if Jesus started with,
06:41 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
06:45 How many of y'all know y'all be in trouble
06:47 right out the gate, right out the gate?
06:50 Yeah.
06:50 And in this first statement, he's not saying
06:52 that we're not valued.
06:53 That's not what he's saying.
06:55 God values us.
06:56 God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son.
06:58 Whoever believes but shall not perish
06:59 by heaven's everlasting light.
07:00 God loves us and values us so much
07:03 that he sacrificed Jesus.
07:05 But what he is saying is we have no spiritual assets
07:10 adequate to impress God.
07:13 That there's no spiritual assets
07:16 we bring into the relationship.
07:19 There's nothing about who we were
07:23 that makes God feel that he ought to love us.
07:27 While we were dead in our trespasses and sins,
07:31 Christ died for us.
07:32 We had nothing to offer, but he loved us nonetheless.
07:37 So the first step into the kingdom
07:40 is a recognition and a revelation of the fact
07:43 you bring nothing to the marriage,
07:44 nothing to the relationship.
07:46 You can't boast, you can't brag,
07:48 and you certainly can't push God around.
07:51 But then notice the location of the poverty.
07:55 "Blessed are the poor in spirit."
07:58 So what he's saying is it doesn't matter
08:00 how rich you are in your wallet,
08:01 how poor you are in your wallet,
08:03 how many followers you have on Instagram
08:05 or on X Facebook or whatever else,
08:08 you know, what's the other one, TikTok, et cetera.
08:11 Doesn't matter the school you graduated from
08:13 or the friends you have, the celebrities you know,
08:17 only the need you acknowledge in your heart.
08:22 Entering the kingdom starts on this first rung.
08:26 And every other step depends on this first step.
08:33 But the problem is many stop here.
08:37 They say, "Well, when I die, I'm gonna go to heaven.
08:39 "I recognize my poverty."
08:42 But being a disciple is different than being a convert
08:46 because a convert, you know, they get saved
08:48 and they die and go to heaven,
08:49 but a disciple makes their life of use.
08:53 And God wants us to start again on that first step,
08:58 but he doesn't want anyone listening or in this room
09:01 to stop climbing until you get to the top.
09:04 He said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit."
09:07 But here's the promise, "For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
09:11 Again, the only thing required to enter God's kingdom
09:16 is to acknowledge your spiritual bankruptcy
09:18 and accept the king's supply of grace.
09:20 But again, don't stay at the door once you enter.
09:24 Talking about how poor you are, keep growing into his image.
09:29 Now, each trait that we are learning about today
09:34 begins with a singular word, it's the word blessed.
09:39 And let's move to verse four, it says again, blessed.
09:44 Now, the reason that this section has been called
09:47 the Beatitudes for centuries
09:50 is because the Latin translation, the Latin Vulgate,
09:54 uses the word beate for blessed.
09:58 And in Latin, beate means blessed.
10:01 And then it adds, we add a suffix -tude, so beatitude.
10:06 You ever been around someone with a -tude?
10:09 Okay, all right, so this is self-explanatory.
10:12 -tude speaks of the condition of the mind,
10:17 the quality of the heart.
10:19 So Jesus here is speaking about eight attitudes
10:25 that make us beautiful before God.
10:29 He's giving us eight beauty tips
10:33 for the inner person or man.
10:37 He said, "Blessed are those who mourn."
10:41 Again, on the first rung of the ladder,
10:44 God shows us our spiritual poverty.
10:47 But once we get on the ladder
10:51 and start to move to the second step, we gotta hold on.
10:55 Now, you can casually put your foot up on a ladder
10:58 and not really put your full weight on it,
11:01 but I'll tell you, to get to the second step,
11:03 you got to grab the sides.
11:05 And when it comes to this progression, this second step,
11:09 you got to hold on
11:12 because you're about to experience reality.
11:14 You're about to experience emotions
11:16 that without God's help could absolutely crush you.
11:21 Again, the main audience of this message
11:26 was not curiosity seekers, but disciples.
11:32 And for this reason, some of this message
11:34 may go over some of our heads
11:36 because we've settled to be converts
11:39 and we're okay with that first rung of the ladder,
11:42 but we haven't made the decision yet to climb
11:46 and truly become disciples.
11:49 And all a disciple is is anyone
11:52 who combines learning with action, learning with action,
11:57 not just hearers, but doers of God's word.
12:01 He said, "Blessed are those who mourn."
12:06 Not those who moan.
12:11 Those who mourn.
12:14 A writer wrote, "Self-pity is easily the most destructive
12:20 "of non-pharmaceutical narcotics.
12:23 "It is addictive, gives momentary pleasure,
12:29 "and separates the victim from reality."
12:33 And what Jesus is saying is as you grow with him
12:37 and you enter the kingdom, you're excited
12:39 and you're delighted and you're happy,
12:41 you're on a honeymoon.
12:42 But over time, God begins to show you stuff.
12:47 He's saying, "Blessed are those who when shown their stuff,
12:53 "own their stuff."
12:55 People who could face their own failings
13:00 and feel it without deflecting, without denying,
13:03 without self-medicating, without justifying.
13:08 He said, "Blessed are those who mourn."
13:13 So after we grasp our spiritual poverty,
13:16 we begin to realize how the deficits in our lives
13:22 have not only impacted ourselves, but those we love.
13:27 We begin to realize that now our kids don't worship
13:32 because we didn't really worship.
13:35 We realize, you know, I didn't obey,
13:39 that's why my spouse doesn't now obey.
13:42 It's when you realize, you know what?
13:45 I wasn't forgiving and that's why I'm so lonely.
13:49 You see, God lets us feel the weight of our sin
13:55 so we can feel the true power of his grace.
14:00 And I don't trust Christians that never go through nothing.
14:05 (congregation applauding)
14:10 I don't trust people that always, now listen,
14:15 you wanna, you know, rejoice in the Lord and be joyful,
14:18 but I don't trust people that always have a smile.
14:23 Because if you're really walking with Jesus,
14:26 he gonna tell you some stuff
14:27 you ain't gonna be able to smile about.
14:29 (congregation laughing)
14:31 In fact, do you really think when Jesus
14:33 flipped over the tables, he had a smile on his face?
14:36 There'll be moments, now listen,
14:40 don't walk around frowning and say,
14:41 well, Bishop told me, no, that's not what I'm saying.
14:44 Not what I'm saying.
14:45 But there will be season, if you're really growing,
14:48 I'm not talking about someone that got saved
14:50 and say, well, listen, I got fire insurance,
14:51 I'm not going to hell, I'm good.
14:53 I'm talking about people who are really trying to get
14:59 to know the Lord, there will be season,
15:02 he will show you your stuff.
15:05 And it's almost like you feel like
15:08 you can't do anything right.
15:10 Like, God, how can I be that bad?
15:13 And you go through seasons like that.
15:17 But watch the promise though.
15:19 For those that commit to the process in such a season,
15:23 they shall be comforted.
15:27 (congregation cheering)
15:29 But notice, notice, the only folks that are comforted
15:34 are the folks that first feel the pain.
15:37 So stop pushing it away, stop saying it's somebody else's
15:42 fault, it's, you know, if they raised me different,
15:44 if I had what they had, and all these excuses.
15:52 He only comforts those who first feel the pain.
15:57 And what I've noticed in my young life
16:04 is the pain will leave you only after
16:11 it's finished teaching you.
16:12 David says this in Psalm 34 and 18.
16:19 He said, "The Lord is near the brokenhearted,
16:23 "not the person that deflects, rationalizes,
16:28 "not my fault, their fault, and you don't know
16:31 "what happened to me back when I was little."
16:34 And da da da da da da da da da da da da da.
16:38 The Lord is near the brokenhearted,
16:42 and saves such as have a contrite spirit.
16:48 The New Testament says it this way.
16:52 If we would just confess our sins,
16:55 he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins
17:00 and can cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
17:05 Are you ready to take another step in the journey?
17:09 All right, step three.
17:14 He says, "Blessed again," or happy.
17:18 But the way the term happy is used here,
17:25 this is the type of happiness
17:28 that has an eye toward the benefits.
17:31 I'll explain that in a second.
17:34 This could be read enviable or fortunate.
17:41 I'd say the Beatitudes are a lot like an expectant mother
17:45 that's really happy about the pregnancy,
17:48 but knows that it's gonna come eventually
17:51 with some discomfort and some pain.
17:54 So this blessedness and this happiness
17:59 is not based on what you feel at the moment,
18:02 but on the outcome you know
18:05 that's gonna come from this moment.
18:10 You see, the blessed person is that person
18:13 with a slight smile on the side of their face
18:17 because they know no matter what happens in the end,
18:20 it's gonna be worth it,
18:22 that God's gonna work all things together for good.
18:27 It's the person that remembers what Jesus said,
18:29 wisdom is justified of our children,
18:31 meaning the fruit will justify the investment.
18:36 Habakkuk said in the end,
18:39 it will speak and not lie.
18:41 The psalmist said joy comes in the morning.
18:44 When you really understand these things,
18:46 no matter what your face, whatever season you're in,
18:50 there's a sense of blessedness
18:52 because you know God's only working out of you
18:55 what needs to be worked out of you
18:57 and working in you what needs to be worked into you.
19:00 You understand?
19:01 You believe God is in control
19:03 and if God puts you on this potter wheel
19:05 and decided to stick his thumb
19:07 into that sore spot in your life,
19:10 it's all for your good.
19:11 Is anybody with me in this room?
19:13 (audience applauding)
19:17 Jesus said blessed are the meek.
19:22 In Roman culture,
19:26 meekness was not a trait that they admired.
19:28 In fact, it was something of an insult
19:32 to call a Roman citizen meek.
19:37 Meekness was an attribute of a slave.
19:42 But how many of you know Jesus' kingdom
19:45 is not like this world?
19:48 And God has a way of turning things upside down,
19:50 or better, right side up.
19:52 The idea of meekness is not weakness.
19:56 It's actually strength under control.
20:00 It's the image of this incredibly powerful
20:04 and beautiful stallion
20:07 that does what it's trained to do
20:09 instead of using its strength to run wild.
20:12 You know, the first of the two beatitudes
20:16 was somewhat introspective.
20:17 But here, meekness is very practical and relational.
20:24 Jesus said blessed are the meek.
20:29 What is a meek person?
20:32 A meek person is someone that could suffer wrong
20:36 without bitterness.
20:37 A meek person is someone that can suffer wrong
20:43 without wanting revenge.
20:45 Meekness is that powerful bulldog
20:50 that a little baby boy or girl puts his hand in his food
20:54 and it chooses not to bite.
20:57 This is the picture.
21:00 Meekness is that man or that woman
21:03 who doesn't get everything they want
21:05 but still keeps going home to their family
21:08 each and every night.
21:09 Meekness is that single person
21:13 that doesn't have everything they want
21:16 but they still come to church to worship in God's family,
21:19 to serve God's family.
21:22 Meekness is that child who has that absent daddy
21:26 but won't let that become his excuse or her excuse
21:30 in life.
21:31 Meek are the people who say whatever God deposited in me
21:36 is strong enough to endure whatever the devil dishes at me.
21:42 He said blessed are the meek.
21:47 People that got their passions
21:51 and their strength under control.
21:55 Meekness is at work in your life.
22:00 When you feel like giving up but you don't.
22:03 Times you feel like getting even but you don't.
22:09 The times you feel like telling someone
22:12 exactly how you feel but you don't.
22:16 The times you feel like walking away
22:21 and never coming back again but you don't.
22:25 Meekness is when it costs more than you want to pay
22:28 but you pay anyway.
22:31 Meekness is when it takes longer than you thought
22:34 but you still wait.
22:36 Meekness is simply our ability to control our passions.
22:42 Some of us have a wrong image of Jesus.
22:47 He was a full-blooded man.
22:49 100% God, 100% man.
22:51 The Bible says he was tempted on all points
22:55 as we are yet without sin.
22:58 And we see something of his humanity at Gethsemane.
23:01 And there was nothing wrong.
23:03 He never sinned in his life but at Gethsemane,
23:06 he looked at the cross and his nakedness and his shame
23:10 and how they were gonna beat him
23:11 and how they were gonna mock him and all the rest.
23:13 And he also reflected on how the sin of the world
23:17 was gonna be placed on him and he had never sinned before.
23:20 So he never had an experience with sin.
23:22 He was never separated from the Father before.
23:24 And that's why from the cross he said,
23:26 my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
23:28 But because he's always lived in communion with the Father
23:31 but when he took on our sin, it was just him.
23:34 And as a human, he said, look, Father,
23:40 you're a big God, smart God, wise God.
23:46 If there's any way that you could take this cup from me.
23:52 Jesus was a real man and he wasn't just in the pain.
23:56 And he said, Father, if it's possible, take this cup.
24:03 God said no three times.
24:09 Here's where meekness comes in.
24:14 I don't like it.
24:20 I've never been down this road before.
24:22 It's not gonna feel good.
24:26 It's really gonna be bad.
24:28 But not my will, thy will be done.
24:36 So meekness is when you as that beautiful stallion
24:44 wanna go that way but the writer says go this way
24:50 and you trot in the direction the Lord leads you.
24:54 He said, blessed are the meek.
24:59 Here's the promise for the meek.
25:01 For they shall inherit the earth.
25:06 When you get a revelation of this,
25:10 you become those who say, listen,
25:16 I have a spiritual inheritance.
25:21 And I'm not gonna give up what God has for me
25:24 to get even with you.
25:25 I know that's kind of hard to clap for sometimes.
25:34 I'm gonna give this to God.
25:37 Vengeance is the Lord's.
25:42 And if I do it, it'd be too much or too little.
25:44 God knows exactly how to do it.
25:46 And beyond that, God will not go to jail.
25:48 No one can arrest him.
25:50 (congregation laughing)
25:54 And I gotta be frank with you.
25:55 When I watch things and see the things people do,
25:58 sometimes it's like, ooh.
25:59 You don't realize.
26:03 Right now it might seem like you're getting away
26:05 but we're all gonna give an account.
26:08 What's done in secret will be exposed in the lights
26:12 and what you said and what you say and what you do matters.
26:18 Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.
26:23 If you want the blessings God has on this planet,
26:26 you need to go where God wants you to go.
26:27 Say what God wants you to say.
26:29 Do what God wants you to do.
26:31 Don't just go your own way and ask God to bless it.
26:35 Take the path.
26:37 He's assigned for you.
26:39 And Jesus, if he's really your hero,
26:42 we have to follow his pattern, Lord, not my will.
26:46 I'll stay in this situation if you want me to.
26:48 Thine be done.
26:50 You ready for the last rung on the ladder
26:52 before we quit today?
26:53 Verse six.
26:56 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst.
27:01 Real hunger will make you do what you would not do.
27:07 If you're thirsty enough, hungry enough,
27:12 even if there's a lion outside,
27:15 you'll brave the lion to try to catch a deer or whatever
27:18 because hunger is even more important than safety.
27:22 And when you hunger and thirst for righteousness,
27:27 you'll push aside your fake friends.
27:29 You'll swallow your pride.
27:32 You'll put even your life on the line
27:37 because hunger, and Jesus had to use hunger and thirst
27:41 because hunger is primal.
27:44 Hunger is very real.
27:47 Hunger is natural.
27:49 Even Jesus got tired and he was hungry at times.
27:53 Hunger is intense.
27:56 Hunger is driving.
27:58 It made the nomads move from place to place
28:01 as they followed the various animals, et cetera.
28:06 But also, hunger is a sign of health.
28:09 When you lose your appetite for spiritual things,
28:14 you're dealing with a spiritual sickness.
28:17 Hunger is a sign of health.
28:22 Three minutes without air, we no longer,
28:26 we exist, but we're dead, let's put it that way.
28:30 Three days without water, dead.
28:32 30 days without food, dead.
28:37 And as strong as our instinct is for survival,
28:42 is as strongly God wants to put a divine instinct in you
28:47 for righteousness.
28:50 He said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst
28:55 "for righteousness, not just for houses and cars and lands,
29:00 "but blessed are those who have a primal cry
29:09 "to be right with God, to be right with the people
29:14 "that let you be right with them in this life.
29:18 "Blessed are those who," now listen,
29:22 hunger is something you feel until you're full.
29:28 So hunger, again, it's painful.
29:33 And sometimes, as you watch what's going on in the world,
29:37 as we watch the news feeds, there's pain in our hearts
29:42 because there's a hunger and a thirst
29:45 for true righteousness.
29:47 But a lot of us, what we do is we just,
29:50 we don't care anymore, and that is a sign
29:54 you are in poor spiritual health.
29:56 When you begin to hear all the crazy things
30:00 that are happening, but girls aren't girls,
30:02 boys aren't boys, and it doesn't bother you,
30:05 and you're like, ah, no, there's something wrong
30:07 spiritually, when that type of darkness is acceptable.
30:12 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst
30:20 for what's the promise, for it's those who go
30:24 through the pain of wanting more.
30:27 Those who look at situations and say,
30:29 baby, you weren't made for that.
30:31 Baby, you could do better than that.
30:33 God loves you right where you are,
30:35 and he'll meet you right where you are,
30:37 but God got better for you, daughter.
30:39 God got better for you, son.
30:41 It's those that have a cry that what you're doing's
30:44 not right, I love you, God loves you,
30:47 and he can fix it.
30:48 It's those that look at the stuff going on,
30:51 but cry out to God for his hand to move.
30:54 In the folks' lives we love,
30:58 it's those who take righteousness seriously
31:04 that shall be filled.
31:07 You see, the self-righteous are already filled,
31:11 and they have no room for God's righteousness.
31:15 No thirst, no hunger for it,
31:18 and I don't wanna be in that number.
31:21 I wanna be hungry for God's righteousness.
31:26 Lord, before you mess, start with me.
31:29 I wanna be right.
31:33 Help me be right in my relationships.
31:36 And Lord, help me help others get right.
31:40 It said, "Blessed are those who hunger
31:45 "and thirst for righteousness,
31:48 "for they shall be filled."
31:53 Does anyone wanna be filled today?
31:55 Yeah, lift your hand and give God some honor and glory.
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32:27 [WHOOSH]