Inland Vineyard Church - Sermons

In the opening sermon of the series "DISCIPLE μαθητής," Pastor Travis explores the true meaning of discipleship as apprenticeship to Jesus. Drawing from Luke 14, where large crowds were traveling with Jesus, he explains how Jesus turned to the crowd and delivered a challenging message: anyone who does not prioritize him above family, nation, and even life itself cannot be his disciple. Using hyperbole about hating family and the provocative image of carrying a cross, Jesus made clear that his followers must be willing to lay down their swords and put him first. Travis argues that modern Western Christianity has settled into a "crowd Christianity" where people want Jesus to do something for them rather than becoming apprentices who learn to live as he lived. The sermon emphasizes that apprenticeship is not the point itself—abundant life is the goal, and discipleship is the pathway to that life. Travis shares that he lacks the vision for many pursuits (like competitive swimming) but found a vision to become like Jesus, which gave him the intention to arrange his time, energy, and resources accordingly. He reminds listeners that the narrow road Jesus describes in Matthew 7 is not merely about believing correct doctrines but about entering into apprenticeship to the Rabbi. Jesus is not a motivational speaker; he asks followers to count the cost and make a thoughtful, deliberate choice. Travis concludes by urging the congregation to consider not only the cost of discipleship but also the cost of choosing not to follow Jesus—giving up the very life they seek. He testifies that thirty years after his own decision to leave crowd Christianity and become a full-time apprentice, he has gained everything and lost nothing of true value. Jesus is still calling people out of the crowd and into apprenticeship today, offering abundant life to all who will follow. Chapters 0:00 Mathetes: Understanding Discipleship as Apprenticeship 2:06 Swimming Story: Counting Without Commitment 8:36 Jesus Challenges the Large Crowd 13:00 Cross and Sword: First-Century Discipleship 15:41 Modern Crowd Christianity Problem 20:10 Narrow Road as Apprenticeship to Life 29:02 Steps of Discipleship Recap 34:48 Counting the Cost of Following Jesus

This sermon explores John chapter 6, where Jesus teaches that he is the bread of life and calls his followers to a deeper commitment than simply enjoying miracles and provisions. The preacher draws on the analogy of childhood dreams of becoming a ninja—admiring the skill but unwilling to do the difficult training—to illustrate how many people want the benefits of following Jesus without embracing the hard things discipleship demands. The message examines how the crowds following Jesus were seeking physical bread and earthly satisfaction, but Jesus was offering something far more profound: eternal life through his sacrifice. When his teaching about eating his flesh and drinking his blood became too difficult, many disciples turned away. The sermon challenges believers to ask themselves what hard thing Jesus might be calling them to do—whether forgiving someone, surrendering a habit, having a difficult conversation, or standing for integrity—and to choose to keep following even when obedience is uncomfortable. Ultimately, the sermon points to Peter's response—"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life"—as the heart of true discipleship. The preacher emphasizes that salvation is by grace through faith, not earned by our works, but obedience should be our natural response to Christ. The closing challenge: the question is not whether following Jesus will be hard, but whether we will keep following when it is.