THE FAILURE OF DISCIPLESHIP

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LUKE 9:37-62
Lesson #29
THE FAILURE OF DISCIPLESHIP

• Memory Verse: Luk 9:62
• Through this section of the book of Luke, Jesus has been training and preparing His disciples for ministry. We are going to see more details about discipleship in this part of Luke 9.
• Read Luk 9:37-43 (Mat 17:14-21) Healing the man with a demon
  • While Jesus, Peter, James, and John were experiencing the glorious transfiguration of Jesus, the rest of the disciples were left at the bottom of the mountain ministering to people.
  • When the three disciples returned to the group, a man complained that the other disciples could not cast out a demon from his only son. Jesus had to do what His disciples could not do.
    • Why did the disciples fail to cast out the demon from the man even though Jesus had given them power and authority, and even though they had tried? (40)
    • Jesus gives us two reasons for their failure: (41)
      • =1= They lacked faith.
        • Jesus rebukes the disciples for their lack of faith.
        • Jesus’ time is short with the disciples before the crucifixion of Christ is upon them. (44) They do not have much time to learn how to minister effectively.
      • =2= They were part of a perverse (unfaithful) generation. (41)
        • What did that mean?

Instead of being totally committed to Christ in singleness of purpose and unified in their identity with Christ, they were double minded with thinking, at times like the world and at other times in the spirit.

Read Jam 1:5-8

The power of God flows when there is faith.

The power of God flows when there is unity of purpose.

• • • • • Jesus spends the rest of the chapter to illustrate to the disciples, and to us, the truth of what is a perverse generation.
• Read Luk 9:44-50 The human failure of discipleship
  • Jesus had given the disciples training and ordained them with power and authority to minister to people.
    • Even with this foundation of spiritual authority, the disciples were weak and subject to human failures. Why?
    • Because we grow up in a world system and because we possess a sin nature, we sometimes slip back into functioning on a worldly level instead of a spiritual level. That was the case with the disciples.
  • The characteristics of the worldly thinking of the “perverse generation”: The Enemies of Discipleship:
    • =1= Ambition: (46, 49, 50)
      • The disciples were human. After having some success in healing the sick and casting out demons, the element of a prideful spirit takes over.
      • The disciples began to argue who would be the most important in the kingdom when Jesus set up His earthly reign of 1000 years?
      • Read Gal 5:26
    • =2= A lack of unity of spirit: (47-50)
      • Jesus places a child in their midst as an object lesson. (47-48)
      • A child is accepting of others and expects to be accepted by them.
        • The child represents the unity of spirit between God the Father and Jesus the Son. (47-48)
        • You cannot serve one without serving the other.
      • A sectarian spirit (49-50)
        • When the disciples saw others casting out demons in Jesus’ name but were not part of their exclusive group, they complained to Jesus.
        • A unity of spirit is broken by pride restricting one’s power and spiritual authority.
      • Prayer and fasting (Mat 17:21)
        • Prayer with fasting places in unity a person’s body, soul, and spirit.
        • (Jam 1:5-8)
    • =3= Pride and a lack of humility in service through love for others: (48)
      • To serve as a disciple means you must have a humble spirit for the one who is least will be the greatest. (48)
      • Love for others means you are ministering to them with the motive of serving God and others instead of serving your own ambition or position.
• Read Luk 9:51-56 Samaritan rejection
  • Jesus made several trips to Jerusalem through Samaritan territory, but the Gospel of Luke jumps forward in time to the time of the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. (51) Why?
    • They had just experienced the transfiguration that pointed to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
    • The disciples had heard Jesus predict his coming crucifixion.
    • Luke is pointing out the failures of discipleship in this chapter.
  • Jesus’ intention was to go to Jerusalem, but He was on a pre-determined schedule that corresponded with the Jewish calendar of feast days.
    • God had His perfect timing for the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.
    • Those events would occur on the Jewish holidays of Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of First Fruits which occurred back to back.
    • Usually when Jews travelled from northern Israel to Jerusalem, they went way out of their way to walk around the territory that belonged to the Samaritans.
      • The Jews hated the Samaritans because they were a mixed blood people that were brought to that area during the time of the captivity in Babylon.
      • The Samaritans hated the Jews in turn.
  • Jesus did not avoid Samaritan territory. He sent messengers ahead to make preparations for the group.
    • However, the Samaritans would not receive Jesus because He was going on to Jerusalem. (53)
    • Luke is pointing out that both the Jews and the Samaritans rejected Him.
  • The disciples’ reaction to rejection: (54)
    • Remember that James and John had been with Jesus on the Mt. of Transfiguration.
      • They knew who Jesus was.
      • They knew that Jesus gave them spiritual power and authority.
    • They ask permission to call fire down from heaven to destroy the Samaritans that rejected Jesus. (54)
      • The disciples recall a similar event in the Old Testament.
      • In the Old Testament Elijah had called fire down from heaven on the Samaritans. (2Kin 1:9-10)
    • Jesus’ rebuked James and John. Why? What was different now?
      • In the Old Testament God was judging the Samaritans. What the disciples did not understand was God’s timing.
      • In Christ’s first coming, He came to save the people by dying on the cross.
      • In the second coming of Christ, He would come to judge and set up his earthly kingdom.
  • What did the disciples need to learn to make their discipleship successful?
    • All disciples of Jesus Christ must follow not only the will of God but the timing of God.
    • We might think we know the timing but unless the disciple waits on the Lord, he will get it wrong. ‘
• Read Luk 9:57-62 A test of discipleship
  • Through this chapter we have seen some of the problems in discipleship that caused weakness and loss of ability of the disciples to do their job. Now Jesus gives us a test for discipleship.
  • This is not the only test for discipleship that Jesus gave. There are others sprinkled through the gospels.
    • Test #1 Obedience to follow when things get personally, physically uncomfortable. (57-58)
      • Jesus lived in poverty to relate to the poor.
      • At times God calls believers to put aside their own comfort to preach the gospel to the poor.
      • This is the test of the body.
    • Test #2 Obedience to follow ahead of emotional, family relationships. (59-60)
      • This point is often misunderstood thinking the young man wanted to attend his father’s funeral.
      • In reality, the young man is saying he wants to take care of his father until the father’s death.
      • This is the test of the soul.
    • Test #3 Obedience to follow ahead of social pressures. (61-62)
      • The test reveals a half-hearted approach to discipleship with an unwillingness to sacrifice anything for the Lord.
        • The mission is not of sufficient importance for him to serve the Lord now.
        • The timing is not urgent enough for him to serve.
      • This is the test of the spirit of man.
• Application:
  • As followers of Jesus Christ, we must continually be confronted with an examination of our priorities in life against the call to be disciples of Jesus Christ.
    • Many people followed Jesus during His years of earthly ministry, but not all attained the level of a disciple.
    • The same is true today. Many people follow Jesus for a while, but they do not attain the level of a disciple dedicated to obedience and service that discipleship requires.
  • As followers of Jesus Christ, we must continually examine our inner motives and character qualities that serving God and others requires.
    • We discussed the enemies of discipleship:
    • They are ambition, disunity, pride or a lack of humility.
  • As followers of Jesus Christ, we must continually determine our direction.
    • Jesus said not to look back but keep going forward. To look back reminds us of Lot’s wife.
    • As we see with the test of discipleship at the end of the chapter, the cost of discipleship is high but well worth the cost!
  • Read Phil 3:13-14 Paul’s testimony

Homework
Luke 10:1-24

• Application of Luk 9:37-62
  • As you think about your own walk with the Lord, would Jesus call you a disciple or a follower?
  • What would it take for you to be a disciple?
  • Are you willing to pay the price of discipleship?
• Preparation of Luk 10:1-24
  • Read Luk 10:1-24
    • What did Jesus mean by the “harvest” in verse 2? (Here’s a clue: keep your answer in context with verse 12)
• Memory Verse: 1Cor 2:7