WEBVTT 00:00:12.839 --> 00:00:20.440 singing bunch tonight. Bless your heart. Maybe 00:00:20.440 --> 00:00:38.340 you left it in the truck. John chapter 13. John 00:00:38.340 --> 00:00:43.710 chapter 13. I expect you guys probably could 00:00:43.710 --> 00:00:46.310 know that. There's a couple things you can probably 00:00:46.310 --> 00:00:50.109 count on. And that is, the Wednesday before Christmas, 00:00:50.229 --> 00:00:51.909 we're probably going to do Linus and Charlie 00:00:51.909 --> 00:00:54.090 Brown. And the Wednesday before Easter, we're 00:00:54.090 --> 00:00:57.070 probably going to do Jesus Washes the Disciples' 00:00:57.149 --> 00:00:59.929 Feet. This event would have actually happened 00:00:59.929 --> 00:01:04.010 on a Thursday, is when Jesus washed the disciples' 00:01:04.370 --> 00:01:08.540 feet. And I guess really... This message will 00:01:08.540 --> 00:01:11.519 be quite similar to the one we had last Wednesday 00:01:11.519 --> 00:01:14.000 night. Just coincidentally, last Wednesday night 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:18.459 we were in Psalm 100 and we really focused on 00:01:18.459 --> 00:01:22.239 the idea of serving the Lord. We talked about 00:01:22.239 --> 00:01:24.840 the verse that said, serve the Lord with gladness. 00:01:24.900 --> 00:01:27.980 We even sung the hymn that we are familiar with, 00:01:28.120 --> 00:01:30.620 serve the Lord with gladness. And that's really 00:01:30.620 --> 00:01:33.620 the point of this passage tonight is following 00:01:33.620 --> 00:01:38.319 Jesus' example of service. really say much. There's 00:01:38.319 --> 00:01:40.840 not much I don't think I can add to this passage. 00:01:41.099 --> 00:01:44.019 It's pretty self -explanatory and it's quite 00:01:44.019 --> 00:01:48.000 beautiful and a beautiful example for us to reflect 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:51.760 on even if we look at it every year and usually 00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:54.879 multiple times a year because I think this is 00:01:54.879 --> 00:02:00.099 just a powerful passage. So we'll pray and then 00:02:00.099 --> 00:02:03.680 we'll jump in. God, we come to you. We thank 00:02:03.680 --> 00:02:06.099 you for a good day. We thank you for this beautiful 00:02:06.099 --> 00:02:08.500 weather you've given us, and we thank you for 00:02:08.500 --> 00:02:11.460 the freedom we have to be able to come and to 00:02:11.460 --> 00:02:15.419 look at these words. And I pray, dear Lord, that 00:02:15.419 --> 00:02:17.659 your Holy Spirit would help us to be focused 00:02:17.659 --> 00:02:21.560 on you in these few minutes, that we've got distractions 00:02:21.560 --> 00:02:24.080 and worries and just things of the world, dear 00:02:24.080 --> 00:02:27.039 Lord, that compete for our minds and our hearts. 00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:30.080 But I pray that in these few minutes, dear Lord, 00:02:30.219 --> 00:02:33.639 that our heart would tune in to your word, that 00:02:33.639 --> 00:02:36.259 our hearts would be hearts that are willing and 00:02:36.259 --> 00:02:39.780 ready to serve, dear Lord. Not just at Easter, 00:02:39.900 --> 00:02:43.000 but every day of our life that we seek and we 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:46.879 see opportunities and we take part in those opportunities 00:02:46.879 --> 00:02:49.360 you give us to be able to serve. So help us to 00:02:49.360 --> 00:02:52.139 see the heart of Jesus in this scripture. And 00:02:52.139 --> 00:02:55.590 God, I pray that we would learn from this. And 00:02:55.590 --> 00:02:58.129 follow his example. In Jesus' name I pray it. 00:02:58.189 --> 00:03:05.370 Amen. John chapter 13, verse 1. Before the Passover 00:03:05.370 --> 00:03:08.870 festival, Jesus knew that his hour had come to 00:03:08.870 --> 00:03:12.270 depart from this world to the Father. He loved 00:03:12.270 --> 00:03:15.370 his own who were in the world. He loved them 00:03:15.370 --> 00:03:18.689 to the end. Now Jesus knew exactly what was about 00:03:18.689 --> 00:03:21.750 to take place. He knew that his hour had come. 00:03:22.330 --> 00:03:24.710 that there was coming a point in his life that 00:03:24.710 --> 00:03:28.150 he would depart from this world. Jesus knew what 00:03:28.150 --> 00:03:31.330 his mission was, and each of us, while we may 00:03:31.330 --> 00:03:34.370 not know our mission maybe in the same way that 00:03:34.370 --> 00:03:38.169 Jesus did, nonetheless, God puts us here, and 00:03:38.169 --> 00:03:41.750 he desires for us to serve him and be obedient 00:03:41.750 --> 00:03:44.750 to him, and there's coming an hour when we will 00:03:44.750 --> 00:03:47.629 depart from this world. And sometimes we don't 00:03:47.629 --> 00:03:50.050 know, but... But many times, I believe people 00:03:50.050 --> 00:03:52.030 know. They have a pretty good idea, especially 00:03:52.030 --> 00:03:55.030 as people begin to get sick. You kind of can 00:03:55.030 --> 00:03:57.449 sense, I think. I don't know. I've never been 00:03:57.449 --> 00:04:00.030 there before. But in visiting a lot of people 00:04:00.030 --> 00:04:02.930 at the end of their life, I think there's a sense 00:04:02.930 --> 00:04:05.370 and a feeling when you know that that time is 00:04:05.370 --> 00:04:09.810 drawing near. And Jesus... knew his time was 00:04:09.810 --> 00:04:13.169 drawing near, and he was getting ready to depart 00:04:13.169 --> 00:04:16.670 from this world, but he had done everything he 00:04:16.670 --> 00:04:19.610 had come to do from beginning to end. He had 00:04:19.610 --> 00:04:22.649 loved those that God had put in his care. He 00:04:22.649 --> 00:04:24.709 loved the people that he had come to minister 00:04:24.709 --> 00:04:27.569 to. He loved the people that he had come to save, 00:04:27.670 --> 00:04:30.670 and Jesus carried out his mission to the end. 00:04:30.769 --> 00:04:33.870 He did not give up. He continued to love those 00:04:33.870 --> 00:04:37.269 that God had put into his path. And that's a 00:04:37.269 --> 00:04:40.089 good thing for us to think about today. There's 00:04:40.089 --> 00:04:42.310 coming a day when we will depart from this world. 00:04:42.449 --> 00:04:45.149 We don't know when it's going to be. For some, 00:04:45.189 --> 00:04:47.269 maybe it's tomorrow. Maybe it's next week. Maybe 00:04:47.269 --> 00:04:50.110 it's next year. Maybe it's 50 years. We don't 00:04:50.110 --> 00:04:53.009 know when our time will come. But when our time 00:04:53.009 --> 00:04:55.910 comes that we realize that we are drawing near 00:04:55.910 --> 00:05:00.250 to the end and our time to depart is close, Can 00:05:00.250 --> 00:05:02.930 it be said of us that we have loved to the end, 00:05:03.050 --> 00:05:06.629 that we have done God's will to the end, that 00:05:06.629 --> 00:05:08.529 those that we have encountered, that those that 00:05:08.529 --> 00:05:11.029 God has put into our path, that our children 00:05:11.029 --> 00:05:13.430 that God has given us to raise and our grandchildren 00:05:13.430 --> 00:05:17.110 and our parents and all of those around us, can 00:05:17.110 --> 00:05:19.730 we be able to say at the end of our life that 00:05:19.730 --> 00:05:23.569 my time to depart is drawing near, but I have 00:05:23.569 --> 00:05:28.430 loved and served God and those around me. Till 00:05:28.430 --> 00:05:31.970 the very end. That's a good goal for us to shoot 00:05:31.970 --> 00:05:35.430 for. Verse 2. Now by the time of supper, the 00:05:35.430 --> 00:05:38.050 devil had already put it into the heart of Judas, 00:05:38.269 --> 00:05:42.910 Simon Iscariot's son, to betray him. Jesus knew 00:05:42.910 --> 00:05:45.209 that the Father had given everything into his 00:05:45.209 --> 00:05:48.589 hands, that he had come from God, and that he 00:05:48.589 --> 00:05:52.300 was going back to God. Now this is important. 00:05:52.740 --> 00:05:56.180 Jesus knew that his time was drawing close. Jesus 00:05:56.180 --> 00:05:59.379 also knew that the devil was doing a work here 00:05:59.379 --> 00:06:04.259 in Judas. But Jesus was not going to let the 00:06:04.259 --> 00:06:08.000 work of the devil stop him. Why? He says because 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:10.980 he had come from God and he knew he was going 00:06:10.980 --> 00:06:15.160 back to God. Jesus was not concerned about the 00:06:15.160 --> 00:06:19.279 attacks of the devil because he knew... God, 00:06:19.279 --> 00:06:22.240 the Father that he had come to serve, was stronger 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:25.639 than the devil. And that's important for us to 00:06:25.639 --> 00:06:27.980 remember, too, because the devil is at work. 00:06:28.620 --> 00:06:32.000 He is at work with our temptations. He may be 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:35.439 at work in the lives of those around us to just 00:06:35.439 --> 00:06:38.660 give us a hard time, to get us off track, but 00:06:38.660 --> 00:06:41.740 we have to realize that even when the tactics 00:06:41.740 --> 00:06:44.839 of the devil are working against us, that we 00:06:44.839 --> 00:06:47.819 are of God, and when this old world is over, 00:06:47.879 --> 00:06:51.000 we will return to God. So whatever we go through, 00:06:51.180 --> 00:06:54.879 we can rejoice and we can stand firm knowing 00:06:54.879 --> 00:06:58.620 the end. And the end is possible through what 00:06:58.620 --> 00:07:02.220 Jesus is about to do. And the end for us who 00:07:02.220 --> 00:07:05.740 have trusted in Jesus Christ is we, when we leave 00:07:05.740 --> 00:07:08.839 this world, when we go away, when we depart, 00:07:09.079 --> 00:07:13.899 we will go to the presence of God. Verse 4. So 00:07:13.899 --> 00:07:16.279 he got up from supper, laid aside his robe, took 00:07:16.279 --> 00:07:20.180 a towel, and tied it around himself. Next, he 00:07:20.180 --> 00:07:23.600 poured water into a basin and began to wash his 00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:27.060 disciples' feet and to dry them with the towel 00:07:27.060 --> 00:07:31.589 tied around him. Jesus, knowing that his time 00:07:31.589 --> 00:07:34.290 was short, Jesus, knowing that the devil was 00:07:34.290 --> 00:07:37.550 at work, Jesus, knowing that he would soon go 00:07:37.550 --> 00:07:40.910 back to be with the Father, Jesus says, my time 00:07:40.910 --> 00:07:44.149 is short, so I must make the most of these last 00:07:44.149 --> 00:07:47.430 few hours I have, and here is what I'm going 00:07:47.430 --> 00:07:50.889 to do. And Jesus proceeded to do something that 00:07:50.889 --> 00:07:53.649 even now, as many times as I've read it or preached 00:07:53.649 --> 00:07:57.529 this passage, it is just phenomenal to me. that 00:07:57.529 --> 00:08:01.529 Jesus Christ, the Son of God, got a bowl with 00:08:01.529 --> 00:08:06.709 some water, got a towel, and Jesus began to wash 00:08:06.709 --> 00:08:10.910 the nasty, dirty feet. Of his followers. Of all 00:08:10.910 --> 00:08:13.790 the things that Jesus could do. He imparted all 00:08:13.790 --> 00:08:16.730 kind of wisdom. They had seen miracles. And this 00:08:16.730 --> 00:08:20.009 last lesson right here at the end that he really 00:08:20.009 --> 00:08:23.610 wanted them to grasp was so powerful. He said, 00:08:23.629 --> 00:08:27.470 I know my time is short. What is there left for 00:08:27.470 --> 00:08:30.750 me to pour into my disciples? What can I do in 00:08:30.750 --> 00:08:34.389 these last few hours? What can I impart on them? 00:08:34.889 --> 00:08:38.549 And Jesus chooses something that we probably 00:08:38.549 --> 00:08:42.029 would never even imagine or think about. But 00:08:42.029 --> 00:08:46.210 that's the beauty of Jesus. Jesus gets the towel 00:08:46.210 --> 00:08:49.409 and he gets the water and he begins to do the 00:08:49.409 --> 00:08:53.070 job of a servant. He begins to do a job that 00:08:53.070 --> 00:08:56.090 is a nasty and a dirty job. People's feet today 00:08:56.090 --> 00:08:58.149 are relatively clean, maybe a little stinky, 00:08:58.350 --> 00:09:01.149 but relatively clean. We wear socks and we wear 00:09:01.149 --> 00:09:04.669 shoes. Our feet are pretty clean compared to 00:09:04.669 --> 00:09:06.529 those days. Now, you know what it's like even 00:09:06.529 --> 00:09:08.769 now when you wear flip -flops and sandals. Your 00:09:08.769 --> 00:09:10.970 feet are pretty dirty at the end of those days. 00:09:11.029 --> 00:09:13.649 Or you walk around barefoot. And these people 00:09:13.649 --> 00:09:15.330 that were walking around in those days, they 00:09:15.330 --> 00:09:17.269 were walking around through all kind of junk. 00:09:17.509 --> 00:09:20.929 And here Jesus, at the end of the day, when everybody's 00:09:20.929 --> 00:09:26.470 feet was absolutely nasty, Jesus himself does 00:09:26.470 --> 00:09:31.659 the job of a lowly... servant. Continuing on 00:09:31.659 --> 00:09:35.799 in verse 6, he came to Simon Peter who asked 00:09:35.799 --> 00:09:40.220 him, Lord, are you going to wash my feet? Jesus 00:09:40.220 --> 00:09:43.460 answered him, what I'm doing you don't understand 00:09:43.460 --> 00:09:47.080 now, but afterward you will know. You will never 00:09:47.080 --> 00:09:51.100 wash my feet ever, Peter said. Jesus replied, 00:09:51.320 --> 00:09:54.519 if I don't wash you, you have no part with me. 00:09:55.829 --> 00:09:58.450 Simon Peter said to him, Lord, not only my feet, 00:09:58.470 --> 00:10:03.070 but also my hands and my head. One who is bathed, 00:10:03.070 --> 00:10:06.169 Jesus told him, doesn't need to wash anything 00:10:06.169 --> 00:10:09.769 except his feet. But he is completely clean. 00:10:10.429 --> 00:10:14.610 You are clean, but not all of you. For he knew 00:10:14.610 --> 00:10:18.210 who would betray him. That is why he said, you 00:10:18.210 --> 00:10:21.889 are not. all clean. Now, Peter speaks up here 00:10:21.889 --> 00:10:24.309 pretty boldly as he usually does. And obviously 00:10:24.309 --> 00:10:27.370 he takes some issue to this, recognizing who 00:10:27.370 --> 00:10:29.850 Jesus is and knowing that this is not the job 00:10:29.850 --> 00:10:33.509 for the Messiah, for the son of God. Peter says, 00:10:33.629 --> 00:10:36.169 no, you're not going to wash my feet. But Jesus 00:10:36.169 --> 00:10:40.370 was using this illustration, not just from a 00:10:40.370 --> 00:10:42.490 physical standpoint of, oh, you need to be clean. 00:10:42.610 --> 00:10:44.309 Your feet stink, Peter. Come on, you got to let 00:10:44.309 --> 00:10:47.710 me do it. But Jesus is making a bigger point. 00:10:48.299 --> 00:10:50.919 He's saying, look, you have to be washed. Now, 00:10:51.019 --> 00:10:54.379 throughout these few verses I've read, You see 00:10:54.379 --> 00:10:56.279 the word wash a lot, and some of your translation 00:10:56.279 --> 00:10:59.940 uses wash all the way through, but my translation 00:10:59.940 --> 00:11:03.240 in verse 10 says, one who has bathed. Now, it's 00:11:03.240 --> 00:11:05.240 important to notice that there's a distinction 00:11:05.240 --> 00:11:07.980 there, that not all of the washing that's taking 00:11:07.980 --> 00:11:10.879 place is the same. If you look in the Greek, 00:11:11.100 --> 00:11:13.440 there's different words there from where it says 00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:16.539 wash earlier in those verses and where it says 00:11:16.539 --> 00:11:19.039 bathed in my translation, and yours may still 00:11:19.039 --> 00:11:22.320 stay wash there, but it's a different word. When 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:24.789 it's talking about wash, Washing is talking about 00:11:24.789 --> 00:11:27.230 a basic wash, like you wash your hands, okay? 00:11:27.389 --> 00:11:29.549 So we get ready to eat. When we go home to eat 00:11:29.549 --> 00:11:32.110 tonight, we're going to wash our hands. That's 00:11:32.110 --> 00:11:34.070 the kind of washing that's implied with the first 00:11:34.070 --> 00:11:36.909 Greek word when we talk about washing. But Jesus 00:11:36.909 --> 00:11:39.649 changes to a different Greek word here in verse 00:11:39.649 --> 00:11:42.850 10. One who has washed, that is to say, one who 00:11:42.850 --> 00:11:45.850 has bathed is fully clean. Now, you know as well 00:11:45.850 --> 00:11:48.789 as I do, there's a difference between washing 00:11:48.789 --> 00:11:53.299 our hands or washing our face and bathing. When 00:11:53.299 --> 00:11:56.659 we bathe, we are completely clean. Now, once 00:11:56.659 --> 00:11:59.159 we are completely clean, at night, maybe you 00:11:59.159 --> 00:12:01.539 get out of the shower, you walk back in the kitchen, 00:12:01.639 --> 00:12:03.740 you get your little ice cream before bed, you're 00:12:03.740 --> 00:12:06.299 barefoot, and your feet may get dirty, and you 00:12:06.299 --> 00:12:08.940 may even wipe your feet off where you get in 00:12:08.940 --> 00:12:11.299 the bed because they're dirty again. But your 00:12:11.299 --> 00:12:14.659 whole self is not dirty. Just a part of you is 00:12:14.659 --> 00:12:18.019 dirty. And Jesus is making an illustration here. 00:12:18.179 --> 00:12:21.419 He's saying, look. Peter, you're clean, but maybe 00:12:21.419 --> 00:12:23.340 there's a little part of you that's dirty. Even 00:12:23.340 --> 00:12:25.659 when we are clean through Jesus Christ, that's 00:12:25.659 --> 00:12:27.860 not to say that there is not some sin there that 00:12:27.860 --> 00:12:30.720 does not need to be cleaned up or washed from 00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:33.879 time to time. But once our sins are forgiven 00:12:33.879 --> 00:12:37.320 in Jesus Christ, we are bathed, so to speak. 00:12:37.679 --> 00:12:39.980 Sometimes we need those little spot washes here 00:12:39.980 --> 00:12:41.480 and there. There's a little spot here and there 00:12:41.480 --> 00:12:44.860 of sin, and we need those continual cleanings. 00:12:45.559 --> 00:12:50.779 But what Jesus says here is he says, Jesus told 00:12:50.779 --> 00:12:55.559 him, one who has bathed doesn't need to wash 00:12:55.559 --> 00:12:57.820 anything except his feet, but he is completely 00:12:57.820 --> 00:13:03.299 clean. You are clean, but not all of you. So 00:13:03.299 --> 00:13:06.000 there was one there that had not bathed, so to 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:07.980 speak. There was one there that had not been 00:13:07.980 --> 00:13:12.059 washed. Judas' feet were soon to be cleaned by 00:13:12.059 --> 00:13:15.000 Jesus, but it was not going to be sufficient. 00:13:15.220 --> 00:13:18.539 It doesn't have the same meaning as what it does 00:13:18.539 --> 00:13:21.220 for the rest of the apostles, because the rest 00:13:21.220 --> 00:13:23.500 of the apostles have been bathed. That is, they 00:13:23.500 --> 00:13:26.159 have trusted Jesus Christ, and Jesus is saying, 00:13:26.259 --> 00:13:29.789 you guys have nothing to worry about. Because 00:13:29.789 --> 00:13:31.690 you have put your faith and your trust in me. 00:13:31.750 --> 00:13:34.149 And you don't understand these things. You don't 00:13:34.149 --> 00:13:36.490 understand necessarily everything I've said and 00:13:36.490 --> 00:13:38.570 done. But soon you're going to know what's going 00:13:38.570 --> 00:13:41.129 on. And you're going to be okay because you've 00:13:41.129 --> 00:13:43.789 been bathed. And for those of you who have been 00:13:43.789 --> 00:13:47.210 bathed, this act of washing your feet is going 00:13:47.210 --> 00:13:50.330 to prove to be a great example for you moving 00:13:50.330 --> 00:13:54.190 forward. But, Jesus says, I'm washing all of 00:13:54.190 --> 00:13:57.970 your feet, but not all of you are clean. Not 00:13:57.970 --> 00:14:01.090 all of you have been bathed. There is one who 00:14:01.090 --> 00:14:04.909 is not, and that one was Judas, who the devil 00:14:04.909 --> 00:14:07.610 had already began to work in his heart. I said 00:14:07.610 --> 00:14:09.590 I wasn't going to talk long tonight. I apologize. 00:14:09.710 --> 00:14:12.049 I lied. We're going all in tonight. I thought 00:14:12.049 --> 00:14:14.309 this was going to be brief, but it's okay. We 00:14:14.309 --> 00:14:17.909 don't have nothing but time. When Jesus had washed 00:14:17.909 --> 00:14:21.110 their feet and put on his robe, he reclined again 00:14:21.110 --> 00:14:24.389 and said to them, Do you know what I have done 00:14:24.389 --> 00:14:27.659 for you? You call me teacher and Lord, this is 00:14:27.659 --> 00:14:31.840 well said, for I am. So if I, your Lord and teacher, 00:14:31.960 --> 00:14:35.159 have washed your feet, you also ought to wash 00:14:35.159 --> 00:14:38.659 one another's feet. For I have given you an example 00:14:38.659 --> 00:14:42.539 that you also should do this just as I have done 00:14:42.539 --> 00:14:46.980 for you. I assure you, a slave is not greater 00:14:46.980 --> 00:14:49.500 than his master, and a messenger is not greater 00:14:49.500 --> 00:14:52.659 than the one who sent him. If you know these 00:14:52.659 --> 00:14:58.250 things, you are blessed. If you do them. So when 00:14:58.250 --> 00:15:02.490 Jesus completes this beautiful act, Jesus says, 00:15:02.590 --> 00:15:06.509 and here is why I have done this. I have done 00:15:06.509 --> 00:15:11.169 this to be an example for you. You guys have. 00:15:12.440 --> 00:15:15.399 been chosen by me to follow me. And all of you 00:15:15.399 --> 00:15:18.379 but one have followed me and have been obedient 00:15:18.379 --> 00:15:21.320 to me and have listened to me and are prepared 00:15:21.320 --> 00:15:24.679 to do the work for me. But here is this one thing 00:15:24.679 --> 00:15:28.320 that as my life will soon draw to a close and 00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:31.340 I will soon depart from this world and go to 00:15:31.340 --> 00:15:34.679 the Father, I leave you with this one important 00:15:34.679 --> 00:15:39.820 thing, and that is humility. That you always 00:15:39.820 --> 00:15:43.480 remember that you come to serve the Lord. That 00:15:43.480 --> 00:15:46.679 you remember the humility that I, the Son of 00:15:46.679 --> 00:15:50.519 God, have shown you by washing your feet. And 00:15:50.519 --> 00:15:53.600 know that you are not better than anyone else. 00:15:53.779 --> 00:15:56.500 You are not too good to do the work of the Lord. 00:15:56.720 --> 00:15:59.340 You are never too good even to do the most dirty 00:15:59.340 --> 00:16:02.360 jobs. That when God has called you to follow 00:16:02.360 --> 00:16:05.659 me and when you have chosen to serve me, you 00:16:05.659 --> 00:16:09.399 must serve me in humility. I have shown you through 00:16:09.399 --> 00:16:12.440 this example and soon will show through this 00:16:12.440 --> 00:16:15.700 example on the cross what it means to be a servant 00:16:15.700 --> 00:16:19.279 of God and what it means to be humble. Therefore, 00:16:19.419 --> 00:16:23.820 what you have seen me do, go and do it yourself. 00:16:24.279 --> 00:16:27.480 Now that is a powerful command to the apostles 00:16:27.480 --> 00:16:31.279 and to you and I because that is the same heart 00:16:31.279 --> 00:16:34.279 of service that God desires for us to have today. 00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:38.559 That we never consider ourselves Higher than 00:16:38.559 --> 00:16:41.960 we are. Jesus Christ is the highest that has 00:16:41.960 --> 00:16:44.940 ever walked this earth, and yet he was not too 00:16:44.940 --> 00:16:49.919 high to do the lowliest job. Jesus was the highest 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:52.679 to ever walk on this earth, and he was not too 00:16:52.679 --> 00:16:56.220 high as to not give his life for those whom he 00:16:56.220 --> 00:17:00.620 loved. And Jesus says, here is the example of 00:17:00.620 --> 00:17:05.200 what it means to serve. And so what is our excuse? 00:17:06.750 --> 00:17:09.089 Surely we probably have made some excuses. Maybe 00:17:09.089 --> 00:17:13.009 not. Maybe we've all been perfectly obedient. 00:17:13.349 --> 00:17:16.069 And every opportunity that God has given us to 00:17:16.069 --> 00:17:20.230 serve, we have said, yes, Lord, send me. Or maybe 00:17:20.230 --> 00:17:23.450 we have not. Maybe we have come up with some 00:17:23.450 --> 00:17:26.430 excuses as to why things are too dangerous or 00:17:26.430 --> 00:17:31.369 too painful or too scary or too dirty as to why 00:17:31.369 --> 00:17:34.690 we are not to do that, as to why that job needs 00:17:34.690 --> 00:17:38.569 to fall to somebody else when Jesus says those 00:17:38.569 --> 00:17:42.630 jobs fall to you. Who? Those who follow Jesus 00:17:42.630 --> 00:17:47.319 Christ. What a beautiful command and what a difficult 00:17:47.319 --> 00:17:51.279 command. But Jesus never just tells us what to 00:17:51.279 --> 00:17:54.039 do. That's the sign of a good leader, by the 00:17:54.039 --> 00:17:57.059 way. They don't just tell you what to do. They 00:17:57.059 --> 00:17:59.599 show you what to do. They don't tell you what 00:17:59.599 --> 00:18:02.299 to do. They do what they're calling you to do. 00:18:02.420 --> 00:18:06.460 And that is who Jesus is. That is who Jesus was. 00:18:07.019 --> 00:18:11.480 Jesus did the work. Jesus showed us humility. 00:18:12.279 --> 00:18:15.980 And service. And Jesus says not just to these 00:18:15.980 --> 00:18:19.960 11. But to every one of us that are sitting here. 00:18:20.059 --> 00:18:22.640 Or listening online tonight. Who have put our 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:25.720 faith and trust in Jesus Christ. And claim to 00:18:25.720 --> 00:18:30.420 be his follower. Jesus says this is your command. 00:18:31.019 --> 00:18:36.359 To do as I have done. And he closes in verse 00:18:36.359 --> 00:18:38.980 12. Or excuse me 17 that we looked at tonight. 00:18:39.099 --> 00:18:43.630 He says. If you know these things, you are blessed 00:18:43.630 --> 00:18:51.009 if you do them. Now, perhaps we are guilty sometimes 00:18:51.009 --> 00:18:55.029 of knowing the things of God's Word, of knowing 00:18:55.029 --> 00:18:58.670 the commands of God, but it's not just enough 00:18:58.670 --> 00:19:02.329 to know them. There is not blessing in knowing 00:19:02.329 --> 00:19:06.289 them. I guess on some level there is. But ultimately, 00:19:06.410 --> 00:19:09.930 true blessing comes not just from knowing what 00:19:09.930 --> 00:19:13.089 God calls us to, but doing what God calls us 00:19:13.089 --> 00:19:16.250 to. There's no blessing in knowing that we should 00:19:16.250 --> 00:19:18.630 serve others. There's no blessing in knowing 00:19:18.630 --> 00:19:21.410 that God has given us an opportunity or put somebody 00:19:21.410 --> 00:19:24.650 or something in our path, a way for us to serve, 00:19:24.789 --> 00:19:28.150 and we say no. There's no blessing in that. We 00:19:28.150 --> 00:19:31.170 may know it's what God calls us to, but Jesus 00:19:31.170 --> 00:19:35.049 says you are blessed if you do these things. 00:19:35.410 --> 00:19:39.750 If you do these things. So the question that 00:19:39.750 --> 00:19:44.329 we must answer today, maybe every day, is are 00:19:44.329 --> 00:19:48.309 we serving the Lord? We know that Jesus calls 00:19:48.309 --> 00:19:52.309 us to serve. Are we seeking opportunities to 00:19:52.309 --> 00:19:55.250 serve? Sometimes those opportunities are right 00:19:55.250 --> 00:19:58.140 in front of us. And sometimes we know they're 00:19:58.140 --> 00:20:00.680 right in front of us, and sometimes we just say 00:20:00.680 --> 00:20:04.720 no. We know the things, but we don't do the things. 00:20:05.140 --> 00:20:07.880 And we don't receive the blessings of God that 00:20:07.880 --> 00:20:10.240 He may want to pour out on us because we know 00:20:10.240 --> 00:20:14.240 and don't do. So what Jesus says is you must 00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:16.940 know and you must do and you'll experience the 00:20:16.940 --> 00:20:21.720 blessing of God. So maybe there are things that 00:20:21.720 --> 00:20:24.940 we know, and maybe today it's time for us to 00:20:24.940 --> 00:20:28.640 do. And maybe there are opportunities and maybe 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:30.720 we don't see them. Sometimes we just kind of 00:20:30.720 --> 00:20:32.599 miss them. We're just, you know, we got our mind 00:20:32.599 --> 00:20:35.019 on things of the world and other stuff. And it's 00:20:35.019 --> 00:20:37.339 not that we're intentionally saying no to God. 00:20:37.420 --> 00:20:39.819 We just maybe don't realize an opportunity to 00:20:39.819 --> 00:20:43.019 serve. And maybe our prayer today needs to be, 00:20:43.119 --> 00:20:48.539 Lord Jesus, would you help me to see opportunities 00:20:48.539 --> 00:20:52.960 to serve like you? Would you open my eyes and 00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:58.259 my ears and my heart? To people that are around 00:20:58.259 --> 00:21:01.079 me. Would you help me to see opportunities to 00:21:01.079 --> 00:21:03.279 serve? Maybe that's a good prayer for us every 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:06.480 morning. God, give me an opportunity to serve 00:21:06.480 --> 00:21:09.940 you today. God, put somebody in my path that 00:21:09.940 --> 00:21:13.279 I can serve you today. And God will do that. 00:21:13.339 --> 00:21:15.779 I believe he hears those prayers. And I believe 00:21:15.779 --> 00:21:18.000 there's probably more opportunities to serve 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:21.339 than we see. And when we pray, if we pray, and 00:21:21.339 --> 00:21:24.359 ask God for opportunities to serve, then we need 00:21:24.359 --> 00:21:27.670 to be ready. Because God's going to open our 00:21:27.670 --> 00:21:29.309 eyes and He's going to give us opportunities 00:21:29.309 --> 00:21:33.369 to serve and then we have a choice to make. Are 00:21:33.369 --> 00:21:35.529 we going to be those who just know the Word of 00:21:35.529 --> 00:21:38.190 God? That's a good place to start, knowing the 00:21:38.190 --> 00:21:40.990 Word of God. But Jesus calls us to take it one 00:21:40.990 --> 00:21:45.410 step further. To not just know the Word of God, 00:21:45.529 --> 00:21:49.549 but to do the Word of God. And in that, there 00:21:49.549 --> 00:21:53.009 is great blessing. What a beautiful, beautiful 00:21:53.009 --> 00:21:57.140 passage. What a beautiful example we have in 00:21:57.140 --> 00:22:01.240 Jesus Christ tonight. Let's pray. God, we thank 00:22:01.240 --> 00:22:05.819 you for these good words. God, perhaps for some, 00:22:05.839 --> 00:22:07.900 this is the first time they've ever heard this 00:22:07.900 --> 00:22:11.079 passage. Maybe for others, we have heard it and 00:22:11.079 --> 00:22:13.960 read it and even preached it, dear Lord, more 00:22:13.960 --> 00:22:17.359 times than we could possibly count. But God, 00:22:17.460 --> 00:22:22.000 it is just as beautiful today as it was the day 00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:25.839 that it was penned. It was the moment that Jesus 00:22:25.839 --> 00:22:30.680 carried out this act of service. So God, I pray 00:22:30.680 --> 00:22:33.740 that we would follow this example, that we would 00:22:33.740 --> 00:22:36.460 find encouragement, dear Lord, that we would 00:22:36.460 --> 00:22:39.140 be those that would live our life like Jesus 00:22:39.140 --> 00:22:43.220 did, so that when our time to depart comes, we'll 00:22:43.220 --> 00:22:46.539 know that we have loved to the end like Jesus 00:22:46.539 --> 00:22:49.960 did. God, that whatever tactics of the devil 00:22:49.960 --> 00:22:53.049 may come our way, that we would not be... Dismay, 00:22:53.049 --> 00:22:57.009 dear Lord, but that we would trust in you, knowing 00:22:57.009 --> 00:23:01.190 that the devil's tactics will never stand. God, 00:23:01.250 --> 00:23:03.630 let us never think too highly of ourselves, dear 00:23:03.630 --> 00:23:07.390 Lord. Let us never seek to be those who are served, 00:23:07.690 --> 00:23:12.430 but those who seek to serve. And the most basic 00:23:12.430 --> 00:23:16.009 things to even the dirtiest things, dear Lord, 00:23:16.089 --> 00:23:20.730 Jesus has showed us what it means to serve. So 00:23:20.730 --> 00:23:23.250 God, I pray that we follow this example of humility 00:23:23.250 --> 00:23:26.170 tonight. I pray, God, that we would be those 00:23:26.170 --> 00:23:30.049 who are bathed, that we would not be like Judas, 00:23:30.269 --> 00:23:33.630 but that we would be those who, through Jesus 00:23:33.630 --> 00:23:35.970 Christ, God, our sins have been forgiven and 00:23:35.970 --> 00:23:39.369 we have been cleaned. God, maybe there's a little 00:23:39.369 --> 00:23:41.490 sin in our life today that doesn't need to be 00:23:41.490 --> 00:23:44.990 there. I pray that you wash us of that, that 00:23:44.990 --> 00:23:46.569 we would repent, that we would seek you, that 00:23:46.569 --> 00:23:49.599 we would ask forgiveness tonight. And I pray, 00:23:49.640 --> 00:23:51.380 dear Lord, that we would hear your word, that 00:23:51.380 --> 00:23:53.980 we would know your word, and more than anything, 00:23:54.180 --> 00:23:57.220 God, I pray that we would do your word. I pray 00:23:57.220 --> 00:23:58.920 that we would experience your blessing, dear 00:23:58.920 --> 00:24:02.220 Lord. I pray that you give us opportunities to 00:24:02.220 --> 00:24:05.579 serve. I pray that you help us to see those opportunities. 00:24:06.400 --> 00:24:09.680 And I ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.