Four Qualities of a Committed Follower of Christ

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Four Qualities of a Committed Follower of Christ</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id85.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Following Christ Now and Then"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id98.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Rising to the Challenge of Following Chr"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Ministry Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Mark 9.14-50, “Four Qualities of a Committed Follower of Christ,” Berean Bible Church, October 29, 2000</B></div> <bR> <div>      The Roman Christians who first read Mark’s gospel were facing a time of great persecution. Jesus said in Mark 8.34, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” That was a real experience for those persecuted saints. Mark 9.14-50 gets specific about being wholeheartedly committed to him, especially in dealing with the difficulties and suffering related to following Christ. Here are four qualities of a committed follower of Christ.</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. Faith, vss. 14-29</B>.</div> <div> A. The object of faith must be Jesus. The father and the disciples both needed to learn this. The father trusted in the <I>disciples</I>, who let him down. The disciples seemed to have been trusting in their own strength.</div> <div> B. The exercise of faith must be through prayer. Faith demands asking God to act.</div> <div> <B>II. Servanthood, vss. 30-37</B>.</div> <div> A. Jesus values servanthood in His kingdom. This was confirmed in his willingness to die (vss. 30-32). He said that the first and greatest in his kingdom will be those who take last place, who serve others.</div> <div> B. How you treat the “insignificant” people demonstrates the presence or lack of servanthood. Little children were not regarded as significant in that society. A person’s attitude toward them says something about whether or not he is a servant.</div> <div> <B>III. Unity, vss. 38-42</B>.</div> <div> A. The key to unity is one’s view of who Jesus is (“the name of Christ”), vs. 39.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>Ephesians 4.3-6 says, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >4</FONT> There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >5</FONT> one Lord, one faith, one baptism; <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >6</FONT> one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”</div> <div> B. Unite involves welcoming new people into the family of God, vs. 42. Unity demands that we set exclusivity aside.</div> <div> <B>IV. Holiness, vss. 43-50</B>.</div> <div> A  Holiness demands dealing seriously with sin, vss. 43-48. Jesus wants the hearer to realize that it is a matter of the heart.<I> </I>It isn’t body parts that cause one to sin (as the Pharisees may have thought), it is the heart! So don’t chop body parts, let God renew your heart!</div> <div> B. Holiness results from trials if we respond to them properly, vss. 49-50a. Salt refers to trials and difficulties, and we are challenged to stay sensitive to what God is trying to do (let the salt stay useful).</div> <div> C. Holiness results in peaceful relationships with other believers, vs. 50b.</div> <bR> <div>      A professor once said of someone, “He may have attended my lectures, but he was not one of my students.” Don’t just attend the lectures, but be a real student of Jesus Christ. Let him walk with you and teach you along the way.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>Commit to developing as a follower of Christ; focus on these four areas.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>