DWJD: The Applause of Heaven

Elder Dorai Manikam

20-10-2019

If you want to hear heaven clap, do what Jesus did.

Obedience and disobedience appear to be attitudes of the heart.

He who believes in Jesus will do the works that He did.

Matthew 4:23 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Heals the Sick

23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Matthew 9:25 New International Version (NIV)

25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.

John 19:28-30 New International Version (NIV)

The Death of Jesus

28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

John 17:1-4 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Prays to Be Glorified

17 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.

Before He died, He said, "It is finished."

Jesus spent all His time teaching, preaching and healing.

And He made disciples of the twelve.

The key is making disciples. And when you make disciples, it gets heaven to applaud. It brings glory to God. 

John 17:6-19 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Prays for His Disciples

6 “I have revealed you[a] to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of[b] your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by[c] that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by[d] the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

It is the work of making disciples that He said "I have completed it and brought glory to Your name." (v12, 18)

You bring glory when you make disciples.

Start with one disciple. One at a time.

Disciple your children first.

It is not about the numbers.

He didn't finish teaching. He didn't finish preaching. He didn't finish healing. But He completed disciple-making.

Making disciples means teach, preach and heal. Be a disciple where ever you go.

What do we further see in John 17:4?

1) Making disciples is work!

The Great Commission and disciple-making has to be personal. It is not a programme or a project.

The key word is work. Work is good. Work brings glory to God.

2) Making disciples brings glory to God.

3) The completion process - Believers, then Disciples, then Disciplers and finally Multipliers.

Believers come to church.

A disciple is someone whom you (the discipler) establish certain fundamentals in their lives. You teach them.

You disciple three and then another three.

Something else must happen. You must move from disciples to disciplers. You must become a multiplier.

Teach them the Word of God. Teach them how to study the Word of God. How to pray. And how to preach.

Matthew 28:19-20 New International Version (NIV)

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus gave this command to the disciples after having trained them.

First, you need a road map.

In the context of disciple-making, you are the vehicle. The small groups is the vehicle.

But the vehicle must have a driver. When you find the driver, he knows the direction.

Jesus was the driver of the twelve. Later on, Peter became the driver.

Jesus instilled into them certain fundamentals.

Get them into the Word of God.

He taught them how to pray.

Fellowship is important because we have fellowship with God.

Good works.

Witness. Proclaiming the gospel.

Jesus taught them. Then He demonstrated. And He coached them in small groups. He corrected and He guided. He trained them to be multipliers.

Disciple-making is personal. It is very relational and transformational. It takes time. It also takes sacrifice. But it only works if you have compassion. Disciple-making needs compassion.

What is the hindrance? It is found in Matthew 28:17. Some doubted. Doubt simply means unbelief.

"It is not for everyone."

"It is not for me."

"I tried it. It didn't work."

Unbelief stands as a hindrance.

We know the Word of God. We know how to pray. We know how to do good works.

But we do not know how to witness.

The next hindrance is inaction. Faith is not grounded in action. We can believe. But if you don't act...

The most satisfying thing in life is disciplining people one by one. The goal is making disciples.

How do we overcome unbelief and inaction?

There is no lack of a road map, vehicle and fundamentals. It is whether we want to do it or not.

It is to the Father's glory.

It starts with the first step. Start with one. Go with one. And you bring glory to God.

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