Know When to Fold ‘Em
Introduction:
A little boy constantly fell out of bed. No matter what his parents did, the boy couldn’t sleep without rolling out of bed. An uncle came to visit and in the middle of the night the usual thump and cry was heard. In the morning the uncle teased the boy and asked him why he fell out so often. The little fellow thought for a moment and then said, “I don’t know, unless its because I stay too close to the place where I get in.”
I wonder if sometimes we do not run the risk of falling spiritually because we stay too close to the place we got in. We are called to be growing up and maturing in Christ. We call this process of growing, learning and becoming more like Christ discipleship. So often though people stay right where they were when they got in, and they are not growing. Hopefully, we all will not remain so close to the place we began and we will become more like Jesus each day.
During Jesus time, from age 6 until age ten Jewish students attended school for the first time probably in the synagogue and studied under a Rabbi. Students would begin memorizing the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament). There was no printing press so the people learned the Word through word of mouth. It has been said that by age ten the children would have memorized the Torah. The best students would continue their education and that would last until age 14, the others would learn the family trade. By age 14 the students would have the entire Old Testament that is thirty-nine books, memorized most likely. Following that, at around age 14 or 15 only the best of the best would continue education. Most were learning the family business. The best would apply to a rabbi to become one of his disciples. The goal of a disciple wasn’t just to learn what the rabbi knew, but rather to be just like the rabbi. The student would come and say, “Rabbi, I want to become on of your disciple”. In effect, the student was asking, "Do I have what it takes to be like you?" The rabbi would either accept the student as a disciple or would encourage him to pursue a trade. The rabbi had to consider does this kid have what it takes to be like me? If he did not believe he had what it takes the kid was rejected, but if he did the rabbi would say, “Come, follow me”. The student would probably leave everything and follow him, the way that Jesus’ disciples left everything to follow him.
We have been called to follow the rabbi. We have been called to be his disciples. In essence, Jesus is saying he think we have what it takes to become like him, and that should be our goal. Far too many Christians are content with a life where they are not fully committed, where they are not disciples of Jesus. The word “disciple” comes from the Greek word “mathetes”, which means a “witnessing learner”. That is exactly what we are. Jesus’ call to us is for us to be his disciples and for us to follow him. Many people want to be Christians, but few want to be disciples. Many people want to claim Jesus’ promises, but few want to obey His commandments, but Jesus said if you love me you will obey my commandments.
This morning I want to talk about three words, which I believe, are not talked about enough. These three words add up to discipleship. I believe the key to discipleship is folding. I do not know much about card games like Poker, but I do know that when you are playing Poker and you have a bad hand it is a good idea to fold before you loose even more. The great theologian Kenny Rogers said, “you gotta know when to hold ‘em and you gotta know when to fold ‘em”. That is exactly the way it is for us. We have to fold our old self. We have to lay ourselves down. This is exactly what Jesus taught.
The problem that exists is that many people are content with a halfway committed life. They see that they want to be Christians, but not disciples. The problem with that logic is that you cannot be a Christian without being a disciple of Jesus’. Are you a disciple or just a casual acquaintance? It really is all about discipleship, and discipleship begins by knowing when to fold ‘em, when to lay ourselves down and let him have control of our lives.
Text: Luke 9:23-27
I. Followership
There is a lot of talk in the world today about leadership. There are countless volumes published trying to teach people to be good leaders and to lead effectively. It is a funny thing that so many leadership books are published because the majority of people are not in leadership positions. I would be willing to bet that far less volumes have been published teaching how to be a good follower. I believe that we need to understand that we are all followers of Jesus. Sometimes, however, the notion of followership does not sound quite as appealing as that of leadership. If we are a follower that means we aren’t in charge, we aren’t in control, and we don’t dictate the rules. If we are followers than we have to submit to whoever is the leader, and the idea of submission doesn’t fair too well with us. We all are called to be followers of Jesus, regardless of who we are. We are called to be followers of Jesus and not just admirers. It is much easier to be an admirer of Jesus than a follower. We are called to be followers, and as we follow him we will become more like Him. The problem is that we really are not good followers.
I remember as a kid when we would play follow the leader, I always wanted to be the leader. I hated being one of the followers. I didn’t like it because I wasn’t in control of the situation. I didn’t know where we were headed. I had to trust in where someone else was leading. When you are the leader it is a little easier because you know where you are going, but when you are the follower you have to trust that the leader knows where they are going.
Jesus gave a simple call to his would be disciples. He simply said, “Come, follow me”. Twenty-one times Jesus gave that call in the Gospel accounts. The call is the same for us today. He calls us to come and follow him. Can you imagine what it was like for that band of twelve men to leave everything and follow after Jesus? They left their homes, their jobs and their families to follow Jesus. They didn’t know where he would lead them, they didn’t know what he would teach them, and they didn’t know what would happen as they followed Jesus, but nevertheless they followed him. As followers of Jesus we do not always know what the future will hold. As willing followers we do not always know what will be expected of us, but nevertheless we are following Jesus wherever He leads us. Now, a disciple did not follow a rabbi simply to be a student. They desired to gain the rabbi’s knowledge, but for a greater goal they wanted to become like the rabbi himself. In Jesus’ day, gifted students would listen to various rabbis and then approach their chosen rabbi and ask, "May I follow you?" Basically, the student was asking, "Do I have what it takes to become like you?" The rabbi would either accept the student or would encourage him to pursue a trade. That is our goal in following Jesus. Our goal is to be like Jesus as we follow him. The longer we follow him the more we will be like him, the more we will think like him, and the more we will act like him. The goal of the Christian is not just to learn more things about Jesus or the Bible, but it is to become more like Jesus as we follow him. Surely, along the way we will learn some things, but ultimately the goal of a disciple of Christ’s is to follow Jesus and be like him.
Jesus as a Rabbi did it differently than the other Rabbis of his day. He didn’t wait for people to come to him, but rather he sought out his disciples. He approached various people and asked them to be his disciples. He handpicked his disciples. Now, if I were Jesus the twelve that he chose would not be the ones I would have chosen. One has to wonder why these men were doing various trades, and the most likely explanation was that they were not thought to have what it took to be any other rabbi’s disciples. Jesus came and chose people who most likely were rejected by others and he called them to follow him and to be like him. Why did he choose those twelve? These guys were not your ideal students. They were from different trades and different walks of life, yet they were united in their goal of becoming like Jesus is every way. What was it about these guys that made them good followers? I believe there were a few traits which made them good followers, and they are the same traits which makes one a good follower today.
a. Faithful
We are called to be faithful to the best of our ability. In order for us to be a good follower we must be faithful to the master.
b. Available
Again, those that Jesus called were probably not the most intellectual, they probably were not the most ideal candidates for the job of a disciple, but they were available.
Mark 1:16-20
I believe that availability is one of the most important traits that a disciple of Jesus can possess. That availability makes it possible for us to be used. That is exactly the case with Paul after his conversion. He was able to be so successful, not because he was a skilled orator, but rather because he made himself available to God to be used by Him. The prophet Isaiah was the same way when he declared himself available to be used by God in Isaiah 6. However, there are many people today that want some of the benefits of being a disciple of Jesus, but they do not make themselves available.
Luke 9:57-62
These instances show people that wanted to follow Jesus on their terms and not his. They wanted the benefits of following him, but they were not really available. They had other things that took precedence over being available. Many people are not available to follow Jesus on his terms because of different cares and worries they have.
Luke 14:16-20
A lack of availability is really a priority problem. I the world in which we live in there are so many thing which compete for our time and attention. The reality is that we cannot always do everything we would like to do because of a lack of time. In the midst of all of the things we feel we would like to do, we must remain available to God. We do not need to be the most skilled, intellectual or talented, but if we make ourselves available to God and if we are willing to follow him, He can use us to do amazing things in the Kingdom.
c. Submissive
A good follower is also submissive to their leader. We are called to be in submission to our leader, Jesus. The idea of submission is not too popular in today’s world. When people are called to submit they think it is degrading. Submitting means that we put ourselves under someone. When we submit to Christ it means that we are willing to submit ourselves to what he says. A good follower is willing to be submissive to Christ.
Luke 5:4-5
Can you imagine experienced fishermen listening to the advice of someone who was not a fisherman? Jesus instructed them to out down their nets. I am not an expert fisherman, but from the times I have fished it seems that the reality is that some days the fish seem to be biting and others they don’t. Sometimes on the days they aren’t biting the best thing to do is to save the time and trouble and come back another day. Peter thought, we haven’t caught anything all day, and now he tells me to drop the net and we will bring in a catch. Realistically he was probably thinking that there was no way, but nevertheless he showed an attitude of submission. He said, “Because you said so I will do it.” To an experienced fisherman there was no logic behind Jesus’ instruction, but Peter was willing to do it because Jesus said so. We need more people with that type of willing submission to what the master says. In the end we see that Jesus knew what he was talking about. They caught so many fish that the nets began to break, and two boat were filled to the point of beginning to sink because of the large catch. We might not always understand the why of what Jesus commands or expects, but we don’t need to understand, we do not need a justification from Him. We simply need to willingly submit ourselves to what he says. A good follower is willing to submit. Do you have a spirit of willing submission to what Jesus says? Are you willing to do what he says to do because he said so? The opposite of submission is rebellion. I think often times there are people who claim to be followers of Jesus who live in rebellion to him. They don’t like the idea of doing what he says. They think they can do things their way and that their way is better. We need to realize that when we made a commitment to follow Jesus we made a commitment to submit to His commands. We cannot be a good follower and we cannot become like Jesus unless we are willing to be submissive.
d. Teachable
Have you ever tried to teach someone something that was unwilling to be taught or to listen? Those are the hardest people to work with. In fact, a unteachable person cannot be a good follower. Perhaps the problem goes back to a lack of submission. An unteachable person is not worth the effort. That is why Jesus called us not to cast our pearl before swine.
Proverbs 18:2
An unteachable person cannot be a good follower. Jesus’ disciples were by no means the sharpest tools in the shed, they weren’t the brightest crowns in the box, but they were teachable. They were sometimes slow to learn. Sometimes it took them a while to understand some of the things that Jesus was teaching. Sometimes it had to be frustrating that they failed to understand some things, however, they were teachable. We don’t have to understand everything right away, but we do need to be teachable. We do need to have a desire to be taught the Truth and willingness to accept that truth over our own idea. We do need to be willing to conform ourselves to the Word and not conform the Word to us. Jesus’ disciples were teachable.
Luke 11:1
Do you have a spirit that is teachable? Are you willing to accept new truths? Are you willing to change your mind when it comes in conflict with what the Word teaches? Do you have a desire and a passion to learn more? Are you moldable and fashionable? Being teachable is a necessary prerequisite to being a good follower. I would rather have a few teachable people to work with than a multitude of the world’s smartest people who are not willing to be taught.
Will you commit to following Jesus as one of his disciples and in so doing become more like him? The longer and more closely you follow him the more like him you will become. The more you are around people the more you become like Him. The closer we follow to Jesus the more like him we will become.
II. Ownership
We learn very plainly in the Scriptures that God is to have ownership not only of all the things that we possess, but also of our very selves. Perhaps we have a difficult time letting him take ownership at times because we feel that we are our own person, but that is not what the Scriptures teach.
I Corinthians 6:19-20
His ownership should be evident in our lives and not just a verbal acknowledgment. His ownership is shown by the way we act. There are certain marks that should be evident that he has ownership in our lives. We should be like him in the way we act and in the way we think. Do you show in your life that Christ has ownership over you, or are you still living as if you have ownership?
Galatians 2:20
In Christ we have crucified our old selves with it’s passions and desires and have put on Christ so that he might have ownership in our lives. It is common for a shepherd to mark his sheep. Many times this mark is done by putting a unique brand or mark in the ear, thus it becomes obvious who owns the sheep. Each shepherd has his own unique mark on his sheep. Christ likewise as our Shepherd puts his mark on us.
Exodus 21:1-6
From what I understand it was not uncommon for a slave to willingly submit himself to his master. In doing so he would be marked by this piercing in the ear with an awl. This mark symbolized that the servant had willingly given up his freedom in order to serve the master for life. It was a lifelong commitment that was marked by a painful symbolism. We too make a lifelong commitment. In doing so we willing give up our own freedoms and submit ourselves to the master for life. It is a willingness of allowing Him to have ownership over us.
The way I understand the concept of ownership is that the one who owns something has authority over the object owned. If I own something I can do what I want with it. For example, I own my car; I can do what I want with it. No one else has the authority to control what I do with it. I can choose who drives my car. I can choose what music to play on my radio. When I started driving, I was somewhat expected to drive my brothers around some. The number one rule I had was that they were not to touch my radio. The reason why was because it was my car and I had the say of what we listened to. If Christ has complete ownership in our lives than no one else does. No one else has a say in how we live or act. No one else has the right to take control because Christ is the owner. Does he have ownership in your life, or are you still holding on to something. We cannot experience the full blessings of being a follower of Jesus until He has total ownership and we willingly lay down our ownership and turn it over to him.
III. Lordship
I believe that one of the most important things that a follower of Jesus can understand is the importance of Him being Lord of our lives. There are countless people that love the idea of a Savior, but the idea of a Lord, ruling over your life does not sound too appealing. Jesus indeed should be the Lord of our lives and we should willingly be in submission to Him. If Jesus is Lord of our lives it is going to mean something in the way we act and live our lives.
Luke 6:46
Is Jesus really Lord of your life? The reality is that we can only have one Lord of our lives. We cannot be Lord of our own lives and at the same time allow Jesus to be Lord. There is bound to be conflicts of interest.
We understand that calling Jesus, “Lord” does not make Him Lord. Matthew 7 teaches us that many will come to him at judgment and say “Lord, Lord, did we not do all these things in your name, but in the end he will declare depart from me, for I never knew you.” Him being Lord is more than just a black and white, objective truth that we understand in our minds, it should be actualized by how we speak, what we choose to do, how we treat others, and what we spend our time and energy consumed by. Is Jesus Lord of your life? Have you laid down yourself as Lord and allowed Him to take over? Are you still holding on to something and refusing to let go? He must be totally in charge.
We have been called to carry our cross daily. Sometimes it is not easy, but Jesus offers a way to lighten the load.
The army of Alexander the Great was advancing on Persia. At one critical point, it appeared that his troops might be defeated. The soldiers had taken so much plunder from their previous campaigns that they had become weighted down and were losing their effectiveness in combat. Alexander commanded that all the spoils be thrown into a heap and burned. The men complained bitterly but soon saw the wisdom of the order. Someone wrote, "It was as if wings had been given to them—they walked lightly again."
Perhaps there are some things that we need to let go of and allow him to take control. Perhaps there are some beliefs, practices, habits, or things that we still want to maintain control of, and have not yielded fully to Him. He needs to be Lord of all our lives, and we cannot simply pick and choose which areas he controls. We must allow Him to be Lord of what we do, how we speak, what we allow into our minds, our relationships, our jobs, our marriages, our worship, our thoughts, our times when we are alone, our families, our finances, and our service in the Church. Is Jesus Lord of all or is He just Lord of some? If so, then today may be the day to submit, to fold em’, to allow him to take charge, to lay yourself down and let him lead. Maybe today is the day to be the follower.
God demands 100% commitment on our behalf and that cannot be done withour Him being Lord. He wants a total commitment. Many however see most of the way committed as good enough, however, how many of you husbands would be okay with your wife being 85 or 90% faithful and committed to you? None! You expect 100% commitment. Why? Because you love your spouse and don’t want to share her. Because you made a promise before God to be faithful. The same is true of our lives. God wants a total commitment, have you given it to Him or are you holding back in some area?
Not only should we give 100%, but we are in it for the long haul. We are in this for life, and we cannot look back.
When the Spanish conquistador Cortez landed at Vera Cruz in 1519 to begin his conquest of Mexico with a small force of 700 men, he purposefully set fire to his fleet of 11 ships. His men on shore sat and watched as their only means of retreat were destroyed. With no means to retreat there was only one way to go.
Jesus made it clear also, that no one who puts his hands to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God. We are to press forward towards maturity in Christ with no thought of retreat.
The Australian coat of arms pictures two creatures--the emu, a flightless bird, and the kangaroo. The animals were chosen because they share a characteristic that appealed to the Australian citizens. Both the emu and kangaroo can move only forward, not back. The emu’s three-toed foot causes it to fall if it tries to go backwards, and the kangaroo is prevented from moving in reverse by its large tail.
Those who truly choose to follow Jesus become like the emu and kangaroo, moving only forward, never back
Followership
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Ownership
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Lordship
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Discipleship
