Let’s Goooooo! Week 4

Calling

CAPTURE (Why should students pay attention to and care about your message?)

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We are in the fourth and final week of a series where we’re looking at different people in the Bible who were called by God, and in response, they said, “Let’s goooooo!”

I’ve also been telling pieces of the story of Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, because I see a lot of lessons in his decision to throw everything he had (and then some) into launching Nike. He said “Let’s goooooo!” long before it became the battle cry of YouTube gamers everywhere.

I think I may have found the greatest Nike commercials to ever air, directed by the action film director Michael Mann:

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VIDEO CLIP: Michael Mann's NIKE commercial, 1:00

https://youtu.be/iDwH6j3NAiI?si=zd8wKZQyauZdQ6si

Ok excuse me I need to go run through a BRICK WALL!

“Leave Nothing.” We get what that means, right? The entire commercial communicates the idea that these players are giving every single drop of their being to making the play.

I love it.

As you may remember, Phil Knight’s story began in 1962 when he first traveled the world looking for a company with shoes he could sell, and he landed on the Onitsuka Tiger. But then, fast-forward to 1971, and Knight’s company changed its name to Nike and started making and selling its own shoes under the Nike name.

In less than a year, Onitsuka realized that Nike was becoming a serious competitor, and they were furious. They wanted Nike to just go away. So, they began launching lawsuit after lawsuit against Knight and his company, trying to get them shut down.

It didn’t look good. Onitsuka had all the resources they needed to fight a long and drawn out legal battle. Meanwhile, Phil Knight and Nike were barely scraping by, and his team felt like giving up. This is when he gave the speech of his life:

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“I cleared my throat again, pushed aside my yellow legal pad. “What I’m trying to say is, we’ve got them right where we want them.” Everyone around the table lifted their eyes. They sat up straighter. ‘This is—the moment,’ I said. ‘This is the moment we’ve been waiting for. Our moment … We posted two million in sales last year… none of which had anything to do with Onitsuka… Let’s not look at this as a crisis. Let’s look at this as our liberation. Our Independence Day.’” – Phil Knight (Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike)

I love it. He’s basically saying that everything Nike was headed toward would be better than where it had been. As hard as it was, as scary as it was, as impossible as it seemed, where they were headed was so much bigger than where they were coming from.

The rest is history. They ultimately won in court, and they definitely won in the shoe market.

Something similar happened two thousand years ago for a group of young men, the disciples. What Jesus called them TO was bigger than what He called them FROM.

SCRIPTURE (What does God’s Word say?)

Matthew lists the twelve disciples (eleven of whom became apostles) in chapter ten of the Gospel of Matthew. It’s a pretty unique group of young guys. Seriously. Most of them were as young or even younger than most of you. Many believe that Peter might have been in his twenties, but the rest were most likely teenagers when Jesus called them to follow Him.

Matthew specifically highlights the call of five of the disciples. This first moment takes place after Jesus had spent forty days in the wilderness fasting and in prayer as He prepared to begin His ministry.

For a little more context, at this point, Jesus was thirty years old, which was the point at which a teacher could become a Rabbi—or a teacher that students would try to pattern their own lives after.

In Matthew 4:18-20, we find the account of Jesus first calling Peter and his brother Andrew to be His disciples:

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18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him. (Matthew 4:18-20 – NLT)

When a Rabbi said, “Follow me,” it meant, “Become my students, live with me, travel with me, and learn to become as much like me as possible.”

That being said, there were two strange things about this encounter: the first is that Jesus invited them to follow Him. Normally, young people would request the privilege of following a Rabbi, and the Rabbi would choose whether or not to grant their request.

The second strange thing? Jesus is inviting two fishermen to become His disciples. One of the top career choices was that of being the disciple of a Rabbi. As young people went through school, they would gradually be weeded out and sent into various trades. Only the very best students would make it all the way through schooling, and usually, these would be the students a Rabbi might consider accepting as disciples. Peter and Andrew were fishermen, because they had not made the cut academically. No other Rabbi would have even given them a second thought, but Jesus saw them and invited them to be His disciples.

What a gift! The power of Jesus’ voice in this moment must have been incredible for Peter and Andrew to hear. There was no hesitation; both Peter and Andrew dropped their nets, their careers, their livelihood, even their property. They left it all behind.

Then Matthew describes how Jesus called James and John, another set of brothers:

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21 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. 22 They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind. (Matthew 4:21-22 – NLT)

It happened again! Jesus saw two brothers, James and John, and said, “Let’s goooooo!” And they went! Immediately! No hesitation.

From everyone else’s point of view, these four guys made no sense to recruit for religious training, yet Jesus had an incredible plan for them. When He told them He would teach them to fish for people, He wasn’t kidding. These four young men—again, three out of four of whom were most likely teenagers—would help launch the Church in just a few short years.

But Matthew isn’t done telling us about Jesus calling His disciples. A few chapters later, he details one more call to follow Jesus… his own:

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9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. (Matthew 9:9 – NLT)

Let’s pause for a moment and talk about what it meant to be a tax collector two thousand years ago. First off, nobody likes taxes today, but back then, it was so much worse. Tax collectors were viewed as the worst possible type of people. Why? The short version of the story is that the Israelites were a conquered people, under the rule of the Romans.

The Romans would choose tax collectors by giving the job to the highest bidder, meaning the person who promised to collect the most money and send it back to Rome. Then that person, the tax collector, could set the rates of taxes they collected… and they were allowed to keep a portion for themselves.

Basically, the tax collectors would become wealthy by gouging their own people. It was morally corrupt on every level. They were viewed as traitors to their own people, thieves who only cared about themselves. The religious leaders even barred them from going to the synagogues because, at least in the religious leaders’ minds, the tax collectors had chosen money over God.

That’s the type of person who became a tax collector. And Jesus invited one to be one of His disciples, part of His inner circle. As you’ll see, it did not go unnoticed:

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10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. 11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” (Matthew 9:10-11 – NLT)

*Show pic of General Hux Star Wars*

Reminds me of Star Wars when General Hux calls the Resistance “rebel scum!”

Why did Jesus associate “with such scum?”

What a question! But I love Jesus’ answer:

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12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” (Matthew 9:12-13 – NLT)

Jesus’ response is incredible: He essentially said, “I have no interest in trying to pursue people who are pretending to be perfect. I’m here for those who know they need Me.” He is both calling out the religious leaders and affirming His love for these tax collectors and other questionable characters. Why? Because those “scum” wanted to hear His message. Matthew the tax collector’s first act as a follower of Christ was to make sure others heard Jesus!

I’m sure at one point, Matthew thought he had it all. He was wealthy. He had power. But when Jesus walked by and invited him to be a disciple, he realized that what Jesus was calling him to was bigger than what he was being called from.

Following Jesus was bigger than his wealth and power. So, just like Peter, Andrew, James, and John, Matthew walked away from his old life to pursue a life as Jesus’ disciple. He left behind a contract with the Romans—a position of security and power—and traded it for a life with Jesus.

I wonder, what is Jesus calling you from? And have you realized what the disciples realized: that what Jesus is calling to is so much bigger than what you’re coming from?

INSIGHTS (What might this Scripture mean?)

To help us answer the question, I want to point out a few really important ideas that we can learn from the passages we just read. The first is…

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1. You don’t have to be impressive to be called.

The disciples Jesus chose didn’t make sense. Any other Rabbi would have waited for the best of the best to come and ask to be considered. But Jesus went out and called people that everyone else had already written off.

Peter, Andrew, James, and John? None of them had the résumé to deserve being selected as a Rabbi’s disciple, but Jesus called them anyway.

Even more incredibly, Matthew was morally bankrupt. He was a traitor and a sinner. It’s not an exaggeration to say that many would have seen Matthew as one of the worst of the worst. But Jesus called him anyway.

The truth is none of these young men deserved to be called by the world’s standards. But Jesus has a way of making our weakness one of the best parts of our story. Here’s how the Apostle Paul describes it:

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9b He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. (2 Corinthians 12:9b – NLT)

You see, when we recognize we don’t deserve to be called and that all our ability, our potential, and our worthiness come from Jesus, He is able to do incredible things in our lives. I love that Jesus works best in our weakness, because it means He can work through me!

The second thing I want to point out is…

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2. Jesus’ call is compelling.

I wish I had been there to see Jesus call each of the disciples. Something about His presence, the power in those two words, “Follow me,” was greater than anything they had ever experienced before. For the fishermen, they walked away from their careers, their property, their security, their families. For Matthew, he walked away from wealth, power, status. And it seems like they did it without a second thought.

It’s pretty difficult to imagine a scenario where someone could just walk up to me and tell me to drop everything—my work, my position, my family—and follow them. And it’s basically impossible for me imagine me actually considering it!

Yet something about Jesus’ call inspired each of these disciples to drop everything and follow Him. His call, His authority, and His power are greater than anything we have.

And one more idea from this passage that I want to make sure you catch is…

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3. Jesus is calling you TO something bigger than what He is calling you FROM.

When Jesus called each of these young men, He was calling them to something so much bigger than what they were already doing. The same is true for each of you! Whatever it is that is happening in your life, God is calling you to something bigger!

Listen to how the Apostle Paul describes what he is capable of because of Jesus:

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13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13 – NLT)

*Show pic of : Jheryl & Levi*

I will never forget when two really sarcastic teens from my first youth group used this verse way out of context:

Levi & Jheryl were at school one day when they did something stupid (which was common for them)

Their teacher told them they couldn’t do whatever they were doing, and they quoted Philippians 4:13 to their teacher “I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.”

That’s not how that verse works… it’s not an excuse to do stupid things. So listen to your youth pastor: DON’T USE THIS VERSE IN THAT WAY!

I can do everything through Christ? To be honest, at first, this might sound like an exaggeration, but think about the disciples for a second. This group of fishermen, a tax collector, and seven other guys just like them managed to change the world for God, didn’t they?

After Jesus died, rose from the grave, and ascended into Heaven, these young men and a handful of other followers built the church. Because of the power of Jesus working in their lives, they reached thousands and ultimately started the Church that has thrived for thousands of years!

Keep in mind, nothing about them suggested they were capable of doing any of those things, but they did. In fact, at one point, the leaders of the day tried to figure out how they were capable of doing such incredible things. Here’s how it’s described in the Book of Acts:

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13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13 – NLT)

That’s right. They had no special training. All they had was Jesus. Like the Nike commercial we watched a few minutes ago, they held nothing back. They gave everything through Jesus’ strength.

ACTION (How could we live this out?)

So, what do we do with everything we have learned today and over these four weeks? We saw with Abraham that following God’s call takes faith. With Esther, we saw that following God’s call takes courage. With the Samaritan woman at the well, we saw that following God’s call takes self-reflection. Today, we learned that God calls each one of us to something bigger than we currently have.

If you’re ready to take a next step, I’ve got two steps I want to challenge you to take.

*Have leaders come up to the front*

The first is…

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1. Drop the excuses:

It’s time to drop the excuses! None of the disciples were qualified for what Jesus called them to, but God still used them in incredible ways. Actually, every person we’ve talked about in this series had plenty of excuses for why they shouldn’t let God use them. But in the end, they all said, “Let’s goooooo!”

So, what is holding you back from following God’s call? What is holding you back from saying, “Let’s goooooo!”? No, seriously, that’s not a rhetorical question.

I want to challenge you to take the next few moments to ask yourself what might be holding you back, and if you come up with something, write down.

And then, here's what I want you to do with those excuses: tear them into as many tiny pieces as you possibly can, so small that you can’t even read them anymore, then drop them in a bucket at the front.

And as you do that, I want to encourage you to choose to give your excuses to God.

Take some time to pray and admit these are excuses that have held you back. Ask God for the strength to drop those excuses! Want to dial it up a notch? Pull out your phone and send a close friend a text or talk to your leader after small group, and tell them you’re ready to drop the excuses and ask for accountability from them!

And if you’re ready to drop the excuses, then the only thing that’s left is for you to respond to God with a loud, clear…

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2. Let’s goooooo!

Do you see that God is calling you to something bigger than He is calling you from? Isn’t it time to live holding nothing back? Just like Abram, Esther, the Samaritan woman at the well, Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew, it’s time for each of us to say, “Let’s goooooo!” and dive in!

If you’re ready, I want to encourage you to use these words of David from Psalm 25 as your prayer:

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1 O Lord, I give my life to you. 2 I trust in you, my God! (Psalm 25:1-2a – NLT)

If you’re ready to answer God’s call on your life with a resounding, “Let’s goooooo!” before we head to our small group conversations, I’m going to ask you to take a bit of a risk. In just a second, I’m going to ask a very simple question. I’m just going to ask, “Are you ready?” and if you are, if you are ready to follow wherever God is leading you, I want you to respond with the loudest “Let’s goooooo!” that you can muster.

And I know what some of you are thinking… “What if I’m the only one that says it?” Yes, that’s a risk… but it’s a risk that I think is worthwhile, because what God is calling you TO is bigger than what He is calling you FROM.

So here we go.

3… 2… 1…

Are you ready?

[Leader note: Motion for students to respond.]

“Let’s Goooooo!”

Amazing. Let’s pray.