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Slap Yo Mama
Slap Yo Mama
You may have seen hot sauce called “Slap Yo Mama.” It conveys this idea that the flavor is so good or so hot that it’s gonna make you do something crazy like slap your mother.
Tim Hawkins is a Christian comedian and he has a diddy where he talks about this phenomenon where food makes you do crazy things. He describes a scene where he’s eating at Cracker Barrel and he asks the waitress about the biscuits and gravy. To witch she replies, “There so good they make you wanna slap yo mama!” Hawkins goes on to act out what it might look like if that was true and his mom was sitting at the table with him while he eats this amazing biscuits and gravy. He’s sitting there chewing and glances over at his mom where it starts happening. The biscuits and gravy are so good they are making him want to slap his mama. So he tells her, “Mama, you might want to wait in the car.”
So I thought what if this started happening at church? Not with food but with the sermon. You know someone asks you how the sermon was and you reply, “ It was so good it made me wanna slap my mama!” Say Pastor Dusty, or Wayne, or Kelly, or Jono, or whoever is preaching is just dropping some truth and it’s hitting you hard. I mean the Holy Spirit is movin’ and you are convicted. You happen to be sitting next to your parents and you look over at your mom and you realize you’re wanting to slap your mom because the preaching is so good. So you lean over and say, “Mama, you better wait in the car and watch the service on Facebook live!”
We’ll see what happens today, but mom’s be on the lookout!
Disciple
Disciple
So last week Kelly talked about the Great Commissions and how we are to live a sent life in the same way Jesus lived a sent life. However, Kelly left it hangin’ so that I can talk about how to live a sent life practically. So we’re gonna talk about being a disciple and what the characteristics are of a disciple. After all, the mission is for disciples to go and make disciples of all nations.
We are gonna look at several texts today where Jesus himself talks about what a disciple is.
Count the Cost
Count the Cost
26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
WARNING! We’re coming in hot! All I can say is, “Mama… you better wait in the car!”
This definitely is a shocking verse, but thankfully Jesus isn’t telling us to literally hate our loved ones. This wouldn’t make sense with all of His other teachings about loving others. After all, He tells us to
love one another, your neighbor
love your enemies
honor your father and mother
We’re given instructions how to love our husbands, wives and children
The 2nd greatest commandment is love your neighbor as you love yourself
Whew! No haters! Instead our love for Jesus is to be so great that when it is compared to our earthly loves, it would appear as hatred, or loving less. And this makes sense because when Jesus asked what the greatest commandment was he answered saying:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
So every person we hold dear, including ourselves, must make way for Jesus. We aren’t to neglect our responsibilities as sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, husbands or wives, but our first love must be Jesus. As we love Him and walk with Him, He will teach us how to love others.
That’s a pretty high cost, but wait there’s more! Right after Jesus tells us we must love Him above ourselves and all our loved ones, He goes on to say:
27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
At the time, the people listening to Jesus would have really understood the imagery of carrying their cross.
Leon Morris and his commentary on Luke, explains it well:
Luke: An Introduction and Commentary 3. Taking up the Cross (9:23–27)
The follower of Jesus must deny himself (not just his sins, himself; he cannot be self-centred). There is nothing self-indulgent about being a Christian. The disciples had probably seen a man take up his cross, and they knew what it meant. When a man from one of their villages took up a cross and went off with a little band of Roman soldiers, he was on a one-way journey. He would not be back. Taking up the cross meant the utmost in self-denial.
So, to be a disciple of Jesus we must take up our cross, deny our self, which is our old self and it’s sinful nature, and put it to death spiritually. We know this isn’t a one time deal and we know our old self won’t go quietly. That’s why we are instructed to do it daily.
The cost keeps going up. Continuing in Luke 14:28 Jesus then uses two parables to help explain:
28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
Jesus makes it clear from these two parables that we have a choice and we need to consider the cost before we decide.
Part of counting the cost is recognizing the structure of the relationship going forward.
The Relationship
The Relationship
24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.
In the same way a disciple is below the teacher, and a servant below the master, we are to remain subservient to the teacher and master. We are to let Jesus, in the words of Carrie Underwood, “Take the Wheel.”
However, I think we often get it reversed.
My plans, my ideas, my best of intentions
My wife, my kids, my family
My career, my name, my reputation
Then we invite Jesus to come along and bless them.
We must keep the orientation of the relationship correct. Our old self wants to get back in the drivers seat, but as disciples, we are to daily take up our cross, and put the old self to death.
There’s another part of the cost that we need to be aware of and that is persecution.
Persecution
Persecution
Continuing on with Matthew 10:25:
It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.
Beezlebul is the name of a demon. This name is also referenced in Matthew 12:24 when the Pharisees accuse Jesus of performing His miracles by the power of Beezlebul.
But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.”
So Jesus, in full disclosure, lets them know that if He’s been accused of operating under the power of demons, then expect the same treatment. Following Jesus will not be a walk in the park and we should expect persecution along the way .
So we’ve got a good picture of the cost of following Jesus.
Verse 33 of Luke 14 sums it up:
33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
I don’t know about you but looking at all of this, what the cost is, is overwhelming. There’s no getting pumped up on emotion and adrenaline, and making the decision and seeing it through. We can’t drink a spiritual On the “Rock Star” energy drink, that will get us through. It’s not a decision to take lightly.
The cost is too great! We cannot pay it. Or, in our sinfulness, we don’t want to pay it.
But consider the alternative. Can we afford not to follow Jesus? The answer is obviously “no” because we are dead in our transgressions without Him. So on the one hand, the cost is so high, how can we ever pay it. And on the other had, we know we can’t afford to NOT pay it.
This is where our Lord and Savior comes in! Jesus talked about receiving power in Acts 1:8
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
When we count the cost and say “yes” to Jesus then we receive the power through the Holy Spirit to pay the cost! Hallelujah!!!!! We’ll talk more about this later.
So real quick, let’s take a minute and count the cost.
Count the Cost
Count the Cost
Are there loved ones that you love more than Jesus?
What things are you holding onto?
What plans, ideas, dreams do you need to surrender?
Are you being persecuted? If not why?
Are there sins you really don’t want to give up?
My examples: Kelly, kids, career, what people think, tree house, dreams, etc.
This is so important to admit! Not for guilt and shame and trying to motivate, but for being completely honest with ourselves and God. We’ve heard the phrase “The truth will set you free!” well it’s true and we’ll talk more about that later.
We often try to pay some of the cost and consider it good. But this isn’t something we can do halfway. We cannot fully be disciples after Jesus, follow where He leads and do what He tells us if we are holding on to other stuff more dearly.
So I want you to take a minute to consider those things you may be holding on too dearly. And think practically. What can be your next step? Find an accountability partner so you can work on overcoming this sin in your life? Is there this thing you’ve been holding on to that you need to let go? Use your notebooks if you want to jot some of these things down.
Love
Love
The next aspect of being a disciple is love.
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
We already established that Jesus is to be the #1 love of our lives. Now we are commanded to love others, but not just love them as best we can, but love them as Jesus has loved us. Again this is consistent with Jesus’ teachings. In the second part of Jesus’ answer to the question about which commandment is the greatest, Jesus mentions what the 2nd greatest command is:
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
We often hear it put simply:
Love God and love others.
There are two things I want to point out here:
The measure
Just as I have loved you
The outcome
People will know you are my disciples
How did Jesus love?
13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
The greatest level of love. He laid his life down and we are to do the same. I think there could be rare times where we lay our life down literally, but I think it comes back to taking up our cross and putting to death our old self. The old self that wants our way. We are to love each other sacrificially with a love that puts each others needs above our own.
Remember we are on mission to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. It’s not one, or a couple people, but every believer. If we love in this way, it will catch the eye of ALL people. ALL people will see a unity, in Christ, that has never been. They won’t see a group full of greed, gossip, lying, cheating, stealing, harshness, envy, etc. Instead, people would see a group full of forgiveness, gentleness, patience, compassion, accountability, kindness, self-control, peace, joy, faithfulness, etc. This group would be unstoppable! This would be the Church, capital C, that Jesus is called for!
Can we actually do this? That’s not a joke, can we?
Peter gets pumped up, and so can each one of us, and he declares that he will lay his life down for Jesus. Jesus burst his bubble with the truth about our ability!
37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.
Just as we saw with counting the cost, we do not have the ability in our own strength, motivation and best of intentions. Again we need the help of the Holy Spirit. We make the decision to be a disciple of Jesus and we receive the Helper.
Love
Love
So again let’s take a few minutes now to consider love. Feel free to write down your thoughts while I continue rambling on.
Who do you need to love?
Person or group?
Forgiveness?
Bitterness?
Prejudice?
Indifference?
What actions can you take to reflect your choice?
My examples: marginalized people, haters, people that have hurt me, myself, authorities, etc.
Abide
Abide
The next aspect, and last one, brings it all together and it’s abiding.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
Jesus uses the word “abide” 10 times in this passage. Much fruit will come from abiding in Jesus and His word and love. And in verse 8, it says:
John 15:8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”
When we bear fruit, the Father is glorified, and we prove to be disciples.
What’s the fruit? I think part of the fruit is the Fruits of the Spirit that we read about in Galatians:
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.
We will see these characteristics growing in our lives.
I think the other part is disciple-making. We will see people coming to Christ as the Spirit works in and through us.
So who’s the proof for? I can’t imagine it’s for God. He’s all knowing. It’s got to be for us.
Do you ever question if you’re really saved? Is the Holy Spirit at work in you?
Spiritual fruit is spiritual feedback. The evidence of fruit proves the Spirit is alive in you and at work. The lack of fruit serves as a check engine light, and says somethings not right. Both situations are an act of God’s grace.
In John 8 Jesus is talking to a crowd and teaching. He’s teaching truth as He always did, and as usual the Pharisees are there getting worked up over the teaching. During the interaction with the crowd we’re told that many believed. Let’s pick it up in verse 30.
30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
I really like the picture of abidiling, or is it abidilance? To abide means to stick with it, don’t leave, no quitting. It’s a strong word though. It’s not a simple show up, check the boxes, go through the motions. There’s an intensity and intimacy to it. There’s no superficial/fake abiding. To be a disciple means you believe in Jesus and His word, you obey it, and there’s no turning back.
Jesus further explains our abiding when He describes a disciple as a “scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven.”
51 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
So what is a Scribe?
Professional teacher of Jewish law
Jesus has trained them to be “scribes” for the kingdom of heaven. They will be able to teach from the old treasure, truth found in the old testament, and they will also be able to teach new truth as Jesus teaches and then sends the Helper, the Holy Spirit.
So to be a professional teacher of Jesus’ word, we have to know it. We have to be experts. We have to abide in it.
Let’s go back to John 8:31-32
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
The reward for abiding is amazing!
There’s an enemy that wants to take us off mission. We know the end, Satan has been defeated and will be destroyed, so He can’t touch our salvation. But for a time, God has allowed his kingdom of darkness to operate. Kind of like how God allowed Pharaoh and Egypt to become a power so God can demonstrate His power over them and get the glory. Satan is described as the “father of lies.” He produces counterfeit truth in an effort to discourage, disrupt and distract us from being on mission with God.
Did you know that experts in identifying counterfeit money focus on knowing the real thing rather than knowing the possible counterfeits? They don’t focus on trying to know all the possible counterfeits there are, but instead they focus on knowing the real thing so well that they can identify a fake. So when we abide in Jesus and work toward being scribes for His kingdom, we will know the truth and be able to identify the counterfeit truths that the enemy attacks with.
Abiding in Jesus results in us knowing the truth and being set free by it. We are set free from:
Sin and it’s eternal consequences
The heavy yoke, or burden of the rules, guilt and shame imposed by the religious systems and leaders
False teaching
The false accusations and lies of the enemy
Confusion surrounding our purpose and mission
Abide
Abide
I remember during the Perspectives class, every session they would encourage us to write down a couple takeaways, action items. Almost every week we wrote down know our Bible better. We needed to do better at abiding in His word.
I don’t think this should be too difficult to take a few minutes to think of practical ways to abide more in Jesus.
Are you studying His word as a scribe would?
How ifs your prayer life?
What lies have you bought into? The counterfeit is subtly different
For me: Father, husband are my purpose, all good things, but not the purpose
Identity
What people think
Closing
So we know the mission! We are sent on a mission: to bless all the nations by proclaiming Jesus Christ to all the nations. Blessed to be a blessing.
We know the purpose! We are sent for a purpose: God’s glory in the worship of a people from every tribe, nation and language. The picture in Revelation 5 where all of creation is worshiping. God gets the glory!
Now we work to figure out how to accomplish the mission together. I hope you have written down a few next steps you can take in living a sent life. We have to do this together!
I want to leave you with a final word of encouragement. Matthew 28:18-20 is the most familiar passage with regards to the Great Commission.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Jesus uses the word “All” four times in this passage.
First he says ALL authority. Jesus has the authority to send us on this mission. We have the backing of the almighty God behind us to accomplish this mission.
Jesus tells us to make disciple of ALL nations. The mission is vast but God doesn’t want anyone left behind. The Story of His Glory involves peoples of all backgrounds, wonderfully diverse. We need not fear what is different for us. Jesus has a place for it all, each with a story of His glory.
Jesus reminds us of the importance of abiding in His word. We need to know him intimately if we are to teach others ALL he has commanded us.
But here’s the icing on the cake. No matter the difficulty or the sacrifice. It’s all on the table. All that we are and have is His. No matter how much we mess up and fall short. No matter our deficiencies and inconsistencies. His grace is sufficient and He promises to be with us Always, to the end of the age. He’s Immanuel.
Let’s love one another as He loves us, let’s abide in Him, and let’s allow Him to work through us to pour out His blessing of salvation to the ends of the earth!
Amen