Discipleship: Rooted

Last weekend, several of the guys in our church came out to our house to help me with the yard and the main reason for that is in the past two years we had for white pine trees to fall in the yard of the first one fell 2 years ago parallel to the house in a thunderstorm.

A few months later another one failed this time it fell on the house in a snowstorm I got little concern. I said something is not right nominal arborist on the tree expert, so I called the state to send someone who can help us and this guy came in. He looked around the exam and the reason is they look this tree is not indigenous to this soil. I made can grow, but this is not the best place for as a what needs to happen is this a matter of time. These two trees because we had two more at the south side of the house they're coming down to so I asked him as him tell me why is this happening. He said the street is white pine tree does have a taproot system.

It goes deep in the soil, but because of the other conditions, it has a lateral root system as well and that system is really growing lateral means is cut up horizontal is is on the surface you can see those roots are sometimes ago maybe an inch or two below the surface. The tree seems wrong but it doesn't have any hold real hold on the soil. What happens when storms come here they go. So I did the next thing that I needed to do, which is bring down those two trees before they fell on the house no mama sharing this with you. Just like those white pines. Many Christians never develop a deep taproot system in their Christian lives there just on the surface there surface Christians, lower lateral roots. I go to church. I help out in charge. I serve in the church, but there is no deep root system and then when problems begin to come, family problems, marital problems, financial problems, physical problems become down in the fall in the do a lot of damage. True Christians true disciples need to be rooted in the word of God in this series on discipleship today become to this part about being rooted in the word of God and if you have your Bibles with you, turn to Colossians chapter 2 verse four Paul says not this I say, lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. If you are not grounded in this book is easy for you to get blown away by every wind of doctrine. Paul says, for though I am absent in the flesh, yet I'm rejoicing with you in the spirit to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. Translation is saying. I'm so happy to see your good order and your steadfastness. That's another way of saying that you are being a disciple of Jesus Christ and then as you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, and here's where we get this idea of being rooted rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, as you have been taught that replay the tape backwards.

If you have not been taught true biblical doctrine. You cannot be rooted in the faith boat is not enough just to go to church. You have to go to church with the word of God is being preached and taught, and this is not the only one. Are you rooted are you grounded in the word of God saw the biblical teaching is a must for every disciple. Do you have solid biblical teaching. Are you saved it, unless you know Christ as your Savior and you not even a disciple and today need to give your life to him.

But we've been going through a series on discipleship and the acronym that we have come up with this water.

Every letter represents a factor of discipleship and disciple should be a witness W's witnesses. A disciple should be accountable.

A disciple should be to gather a disciple should be establish in the word and are is a disciple should reproduce other disciples there obstacles in this path towards water but then you need disciplines, discipline, evangelism, confession, weekly church attendance daily Bible intake and the discipline of discipling all this needs to happen now, couple weekends ago.

People asked me what you do next. What why do I get it. I get all this and I know that is difficult and I'm willing to put the disciplines then what I need to do next to last weekend I preached a message called pathways. I explain how discipleship does not happen in isolation.

If you walk away from here and say I'm just gonna do my own thing.

I'm glad for you. But that's not discipleship. Jesus modeled this.

How did he make disciples. He moved people from the crowd to the congregation to the community into the inner circle.

He had three men. You all know the names Peter James and John.

He poured his life into them. That's where discipleship really begins to happen. You can have plenty of Bible studies, but has not discipleship. This is information so it is important to get into an inner circle and a clear view. I'm so grateful last week I heard from so many of you that you start an inner circle you found one or two men who are meeting with men and women meeting with women starting these inner circles of discipleship money given the definition of inner circle and inner circle is a 3 to 5 member gender specific group which means this men only, or women, only 3 to 5 members is a close group which means there is once you start you don't keep adding people to send this goal. Anybody can go Bible study. Anybody can go. But once this group begins it is closed and it exists by invitation only to believers a lost person cannot be discipled.

You got a come to Christ first and then you can begin your discipleship so it's for believers only and then it is for every week you say man I got so much going on I understand because when Jesus called people to be disciples. They made excuses to what to say. I got so much going on is Buck weekly for a determined period of time, which means this, you may meet for 10 months, 12 months, 18 months and then it's all over now every person in the group moves from being a student to being a teacher, you go start more groups you reproduce disciples. That's what it means to be in this inner circle now this morning. What time say, to focus on the idea of the word of God and how critical it is in this inner circle when you meet in this 325 member group listen carefully you not meeting just to chitchat. You can always do that on your own time when you meeting in the inner circle is not to gossip hello is not to share what so-and-so's doing and who so-and-so is and who is cheating on so-and-so this is not the time for that and inner circle is not a time just to, you know, share prayer request on so-and-so got sick and this person got surgery coming that's wonderful. We need to pray but inner circle is a time where four things happen number one you study the Bible number two you memorize the Bible number three you hold each other accountable you ask questions not invasive questions but tough questions and number four is you pray for each other. But the major part of this time is, this book, the word of God. Now when you say this to people. People often say something like this. I don't understand the Bible.

I don't get what the Bible say I have I have so many questions, let me give you three words that will help you get into the Bible for a very simple word starting with the first one. Read the Bible is amazing to me when people tell me they have questions about the Bible or they have issues with the Bible often ask them how often do you read the Bible, all I don't.

I mean, I I watched the YouTube video I saw this article on the on the Internet but that's another same thing is actually reading the Bible reading the Bible systematically and couple weeks him to give you a chart that will help you if you start the inner circle.

Already we have at least four that I know of that already begun due with men to with women.

It's awesome what's happening and more are being talked about today after the men's breakfast.

When you begin this systematically, you have to read the word of God you starting Genesis you missed on the book of John, but your reading the Bible. People asked me what is the best version of the Bible to read here is my answer to you and we did a study on this last summer. Most translations coming out of trusted mainline Christian publishing houses are fine. There are some that have come out of the past two decades that compromise the word if he asked me later on I'll be glad to tell you that most of the ones that y'all are carrying a trust me there fine. The problem is not having the right version of the Bible. The problem is we don't read the Bible read the word of God and you don't have to have a hardback copy. You can open your phone download an app read the Bible is also great about reading a book. Here's something I want you to understand when you read the Bible you begin by reading the Bible was somewhere down the road. The Bible begins to read you is like no other book in the world. My dad was a Muslim in order to try Christianity was a student of philosophy was very smart man very educated came from a very wealthy home did not want to look at the Bible because Bible was made by Westerners to subjugate and suppress the rest of the world you read every religious book. He's tried every philosophy and he walked away empty until someone said it would try.

The Bible is no reluctantly began to read the Bible gives life to Jesus Christ. You see the Bible is the word of God as you read it, it begins a change. I believe there people sitting here this morning. I do not for a moment doubt that you are saved, but you are not in the word and please stop using the excuse all like to read on like this or I am like that is going on there with that. What matters to you.

You do summer of 8386 in North Africa I professor by the name of Augustine.

He was a professor of literature. He was a professor of rhetoric, but he was living a bad lifestyle because his dad was not a good dad. He had a bad temper and he got into a lot of meso Augustine followed in his dad's footsteps and he got into a bad lifestyle and he began to drink and he was in Milan, Italy, teaching, and even fathered a child out of wedlock and at the moment.

He was living with a mistress mean you can just imagine a horrible life. What happens he is at the end of himself. He sitting in his friend's garden, crying, weeping his mother back home was a believer and she tried to raise Augustine in the things of God in the word of God. But you know daddy was more important so he is in not only the Bible. I don't need all this stuff and now the words of his mother kept coming back to him and as he sitting in his garden, crying and weeping.

He hears a little kid singing the words in Latin to lay like a Tulalip gate which means pick up and read pick up and read like to come and reword a pick up and read, and he sees a scroll lying there that his friend was reading and the scroll was for the book of Romans. He picks up the scroll and comes to Romans chapter 13 verse 14 where it says put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its last above that verse did not do anything for me but just like that Augustine was broken gave his life to Jesus Christ and became the pastor of the church and hippo which is Algeria today and his work in his writings. If you know anything about church history has impacted the church for the past 1500 years read the Bible.

Stop hiding behind your wives stop hiding behind your husband start hiding behind your parents or your children start reading the Bible you so I don't have time you cannot afford not to have time to read this book. Read the word of God. What happens next is not enough just to read the Bible. You also have to understand the word the peoples of the Bible is so hard. I can understand.

There's so many big words and big names and I don't get it.

Folks, I don't get it either. I have been studying this book for the past 23 years academically. I grew up in a Christian home I read the Bible my whole life but academically 23 years are still part of the Bible and get but I want you to open years and hear me. Most of the Bible you and I can understand if you have the Holy Spirit listen to what is says in first Corinthians chapter 2 in verse 12 now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God the Holy Spirit that we might know the things that have been really given to us by God. Don't call the word of God a liar if the Bible says I have the Holy Spirit, and I can freely receive those both those understanding or the word of God than don't say I don't get it is not the word of God's fault is not the Holy Spirit's fault, is the fact that you are not reading the word you're not trying you not saved maybe three words very quickly when it comes to understanding the Bible actually forwards, and hopefully you can write it down somewhere and keep that in mind, the first word is the word exegesis is a big word but think about the word exit exit signs. EX EXT XX means out of out of so when you hear the word exegesis. It means coming out it means to lead out.

It means that is when we study the Bible we are to lead the meaning out of the Bible. I exegesis means bringing your meanings, your ideas, your opinion into the Bible. That's where people misinterpret the Bible, did you know that I just gave your seminary education in two minutes.

I just can give your diploma or anything. Exegesis means, let the meaning come out of the Bible is a what I believe you know what I always believe her daddy said, who cares what daddy said happy Father's Day. Bartlett, who cares what is around it is they that in what I mean is don't don't read stuff into the Bible. Number two. Here's a word context. Have you ever been taken out of context happens to me you said this would amid that's not what I meant. The Bible is one book that is often taken out of context people take one verse in the bill to hold theology or doctrine of the denomination off of verse read the verses prior and read the verses after that verse or that passage and you will know how to take it in context, limiting a couple examples when it comes to exegesis and context. Here's one from the Old Testament not turn your attention towards the screen and second Chronicles 27 it says Jolson was a young man named Jonathan was 25 years old when he became king and he did what was right in the sight of the Lord means he was a good young man. He was a godly young man, according to all that his father use I had done as I was a good man. Most of the time.

John from his son was also a good man just like his daddy but then he says this was a say. Although he did not enter the temple of the Lord.

How sad. Daddy went to the temple but all joking was a good guy just like his daddy but he did not go to the temple. True false is a trick question is false.

All you gotta do is read chapter 26. Know what happened. Daddy was full of pride and he marched into the temple and took the incense from the priest and said I can do just to go to job. As you can, and his sacrifice to the Lord and did what only the priests were supposed to do and God struck him with leprosy folks when it says, although he did not into the temple of the Lord.

That's not a condemnation. That's a compliment but daddy messed up son didn't you see I could priest a great message on why we need to leave our children to go to church from this passage, but I would be misinterpreting it will be taking it out of context is the fact that Jotham had more fear of God, then daddy did and he did not go and violate what God had told him to do. Here's another one. I see this all the time when athletes they got it tattooed all over the place they wear T-shirts with this verse. Your read with me ready. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I can dunk that ball I can hit a homerun I can jump off that horrible all have to remember is I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. True false. Now your little shaking as I don't answer him false. All you have to do is read verse 12 this I know how to be amazed, and I know how to abound everything and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

What Paul is really saying is whether you give me everything were taken away from me. I can do it all through Christ. This passage is not about achieving this passage is about enduring when everything is gone I will walk up to those athletes and say what if you lose the game today. In Jesus name.

Can you do it all through Christ see how easy it is to take things out of context so we need to keep exegesis was taking it out of the word and contents, which is read the rest of the Bible. Years of hard word that I told you harmony.

It means there's the Bible does not contradict itself. If you come up with an interpretation that totally contradicts what most of the Bible is saying then think through your interpretation again.

This book hangs together like no other book in the world is been written over 1600 years plus written over four continents written by men and maybe even women of different backgrounds, occupations, but it is still the word of God without errors and somehow it hangs together.

It is in harmony. Gotta keep that in mind and we need to was Paul saying we need to rightly divide the word of truth. And here's the last one goal exegesis, take it out of the Bible. Context read verses prior and after the more you read, the more accurate you will be harmony. The book hangs together. Here's goal. The goal of this book from Genesis to Revelation is the good news that God sent his son in this world to die for our sins. That's the good news read the word understand the word exegete context, harmony, goal, and here's the last one apply the word. That's it. I know professors right now.

Not here, but in Harvard and Oxford in Princeton. Some of them actually know them their brilliant men folks to know more Bible than all of us combined. They just don't believe it did.

No history, then no linguistics, dental theology, they just don't believe it. What would James say through them. James chapter 1 and verse 22 but be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your cell. There comes a point where you say I see what it's saying I understand what is saying I am now going to obey what it's saying James gives a beautiful illustration. Listen to this verse 23 says a friend of anyone is a hearer of the word and not endure. He is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror for you observes himself, goes away and immediately forgets what kind of man he was sound like my two boys when school is out to get up the going to the restroom to walk out. Nothing is change the University is not school today and at least brush her hair little outlook.

How bad Loucks why before lunchtime. You gotta brush your hair and brush her teeth. I imagine folks this morning when you got up and you walk into your bathrooms's look yourself in the mirror and walked into this church the same way on what would happen. You will scare the kids ride Otto I would all your bed hair everywhere you know what you do.

Some of us what what what did you do while you you you went and fixed up as what you gotta do in the word of God.

You read and understand if you gotta fix up put it into practice. Obey it. Understanding without applying leads to nothing is futility when they close with this and people say things like man I don't understand the Bible believes many times just flat lying there flatlining.

Someone said it this way is that it is not the parts of the Bible that I don't understand that bother me is the part of the Bible that I do understand that bothers me. The Bible is very simple.

All have sin and fallen short of the glory of God. The Bible is very simple for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life Bible is very simple. Call upon the name of the Lord today. You know this, but you've never given your heart to Jesus Christ, the lost receive them today and then if you are a believer. If you are a Christian.

The next step is to be a disciple getting to those inner circles, but even more get into the word get my read it, understand and apply the Holy Spirit 80% of the Bible saying the action