WEBVTT 00:00:32.750 --> 00:00:37.904 Good morning, everyone. Good morning. Good morning. 00:00:38.219 --> 00:00:47.799 And happy 2 ,568. I think. No, I know. Happy 00:00:47.799 --> 00:00:50.939 New Year and happy Songkran to all of us. I hope 00:00:50.939 --> 00:00:54.240 you get to enjoy some time off. I hope you bought 00:00:54.240 --> 00:00:58.219 your monster guns to make the streets of Bangkok 00:00:58.219 --> 00:01:02.500 unsafe in the coming days. Enjoy it and make 00:01:02.500 --> 00:01:04.760 sure to keep your phones at home because they 00:01:04.760 --> 00:01:09.170 may get wet. Before we continue our sermon series 00:01:09.170 --> 00:01:11.150 Living Hope, there's a few things I want you 00:01:11.150 --> 00:01:14.230 to know. First of all, we're going to have baptism. 00:01:15.129 --> 00:01:18.030 My clicker is not working yet. Yes, there we 00:01:18.030 --> 00:01:21.269 go. We're going to have baptism on May the 18th. 00:01:21.290 --> 00:01:24.950 It's the third Sunday of May. And already a number 00:01:24.950 --> 00:01:27.230 of you have signed up. But if you want to be 00:01:27.230 --> 00:01:31.670 baptized in May, obeying Jesus' instruction and 00:01:31.670 --> 00:01:34.030 command, I invite you to join the baptism class 00:01:34.030 --> 00:01:36.849 that we will have. on April the 26th, that's 00:01:36.849 --> 00:01:39.609 yesterday in two weeks here on the campus. So 00:01:39.609 --> 00:01:42.730 sign up. And even if you don't want to be baptized 00:01:42.730 --> 00:01:46.010 yet, but you're just curious about what is baptism 00:01:46.010 --> 00:01:48.590 all about, why don't you join the class, and 00:01:48.590 --> 00:01:51.370 you can always say no to baptism for the moment. 00:01:51.450 --> 00:01:55.230 That is all fine. So April 26th class, May the 00:01:55.230 --> 00:01:59.340 18th, we're going to baptize. Also, next weekend 00:01:59.340 --> 00:02:03.420 is Easter weekend. I mean, if there is highlights 00:02:03.420 --> 00:02:06.459 during the year, there are many, but Easter is 00:02:06.459 --> 00:02:09.000 certainly one of those highlights. We're celebrating 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:13.439 the death, yes, on Friday of Jesus, our Savior, 00:02:13.639 --> 00:02:16.599 but then his resurrection on Saturday. We're 00:02:16.599 --> 00:02:19.139 doing that in a number of ways, and for that, 00:02:19.159 --> 00:02:22.000 we need still volunteers. Thank you for those 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:25.050 who have signed up to join us. to serve in either 00:02:25.050 --> 00:02:29.030 of those events, but we need a couple of dozens 00:02:29.030 --> 00:02:33.629 more. So if you have time, would you scan the 00:02:33.629 --> 00:02:36.969 QR code, sign up to serve us in the coming week 00:02:36.969 --> 00:02:40.909 to help people come to know Jesus as their Savior. 00:02:41.009 --> 00:02:43.889 Here's the QR code. I think we have a table downstairs 00:02:43.889 --> 00:02:47.439 as well after this service. Lastly, about next 00:02:47.439 --> 00:02:50.539 Sunday as we gather here for Resurrection Sunday, 00:02:50.759 --> 00:02:53.379 just for you to know, there will be a number 00:02:53.379 --> 00:02:58.099 of ways for people to engage with Jesus. There 00:02:58.099 --> 00:03:00.479 will be a prayer room downstairs in the Connection 00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:03.120 Center. There will be a gospel explanation room 00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:06.479 in room 1101. And there is a room for those who 00:03:06.479 --> 00:03:10.780 know Jesus, but who kind of need renewal in 1204. 00:03:10.819 --> 00:03:14.340 So this picture is all to say, get ready. Bring 00:03:14.340 --> 00:03:18.159 your friends. Jesus, our living hope, will reveal 00:03:18.159 --> 00:03:20.900 himself. And there's a number of ways that he 00:03:20.900 --> 00:03:28.139 will minister to us. Got it? Wonderful. Well, 00:03:28.259 --> 00:03:31.400 today is Palm Sunday. But you kind of figured 00:03:31.400 --> 00:03:33.599 that, right? On the basis of the songs that we 00:03:33.599 --> 00:03:37.340 were singing and the kids that came in with the 00:03:37.340 --> 00:03:40.789 palm branches. Palm Sunday. We celebrate today 00:03:40.789 --> 00:03:44.330 the day that Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem 00:03:44.330 --> 00:03:47.689 about 2 ,000 years ago. And the people back then 00:03:47.689 --> 00:03:52.449 were ready for King Jesus. They were fed up with 00:03:52.449 --> 00:03:55.830 the oppression by the Roman Empire, so they were 00:03:55.830 --> 00:03:58.430 excited that the King was finally there. Thank 00:03:58.430 --> 00:04:02.090 you for coming, Jesus. Now, Hosanna. Save us. 00:04:03.050 --> 00:04:07.000 But as we will see today, The picture that they 00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:10.939 had in their minds of the king, King Jesus, didn't 00:04:10.939 --> 00:04:14.099 quite align with the kind of king that Jesus 00:04:14.099 --> 00:04:18.759 really was. Oh yeah, he would save them, but 00:04:18.759 --> 00:04:22.439 not by fighting. He would save them by serving. 00:04:23.399 --> 00:04:27.120 Indeed, a couple of days after Palm Sunday, Jesus 00:04:27.120 --> 00:04:29.639 would free the people from their oppression, 00:04:29.660 --> 00:04:32.720 but a much larger scale oppression than just 00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:35.819 the Romans. He would free them from their oppression 00:04:35.819 --> 00:04:42.060 and our oppression of sin and death. The God 00:04:42.060 --> 00:04:45.860 who serves, that is part two of our sermon series, 00:04:46.060 --> 00:04:49.079 Living Hope, that we will look at today. A portrait 00:04:49.079 --> 00:04:53.259 of Jesus. as our servant king. And we will do 00:04:53.259 --> 00:04:56.000 that by delving into a story, a well -known story, 00:04:56.240 --> 00:04:59.860 that we find in the Gospel of John, chapter 13. 00:05:01.120 --> 00:05:03.759 But before I read the story for you, I want to 00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:06.199 give you some context, which I believe is very 00:05:06.199 --> 00:05:11.259 helpful for us to understand. John 13 marks a 00:05:11.259 --> 00:05:15.970 shift in Jesus' ministry. In the first 12 chapters 00:05:15.970 --> 00:05:18.829 of the Gospel of John, John covers three and 00:05:18.829 --> 00:05:23.629 a half years of Jesus' ministry. But from John 00:05:23.629 --> 00:05:28.850 13, Jesus' public ministry is over. It's finished. 00:05:29.490 --> 00:05:32.209 He's done with his traveling. He's done with 00:05:32.209 --> 00:05:35.230 his preaching. He's done with his miracle doing. 00:05:35.310 --> 00:05:38.870 And now he is getting ready for the final climax 00:05:38.870 --> 00:05:43.100 of his ministry on earth. His death. And his 00:05:43.100 --> 00:05:45.899 resurrection that would follow a few days after. 00:05:45.959 --> 00:05:48.100 And John covers that, death and resurrection, 00:05:48.519 --> 00:05:51.360 in his last four chapters of his gospel. But 00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:54.800 right in the middle, in chapters 13 through 17, 00:05:55.060 --> 00:05:58.660 John describes the things that took place on 00:05:58.660 --> 00:06:02.939 the final evening before Jesus' death. As he 00:06:02.939 --> 00:06:06.860 was having dinner with his 12 disciples. Not 00:06:06.860 --> 00:06:09.120 just dinner, of course. It's never just dinner 00:06:09.120 --> 00:06:13.779 with Jesus. Okay? He still had some important 00:06:13.779 --> 00:06:17.379 things to tell to his disciples. His public ministry 00:06:17.379 --> 00:06:21.759 was over, but he had a lot to say still to his 00:06:21.759 --> 00:06:24.660 men. It's like a coach calling his team together 00:06:24.660 --> 00:06:30.220 for one final talk about the game plan. Jesus 00:06:30.220 --> 00:06:33.980 chose to spend the last evening before his death 00:06:33.980 --> 00:06:37.459 privately. with his closest friends to teach 00:06:37.459 --> 00:06:39.600 them the last things they needed to know about 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:43.220 him, about Jesus, as well as about their future 00:06:43.220 --> 00:06:47.019 ministry before all the craziness of Jesus' arrest 00:06:47.019 --> 00:06:50.699 and crucifixion would happen. We know this part 00:06:50.699 --> 00:06:54.660 of scripture, John 13 through 17, as the upper 00:06:54.660 --> 00:07:00.819 room discourse. And we get a lot of amazing nudges 00:07:00.819 --> 00:07:04.620 from Jesus' teaching. from just these couple 00:07:04.620 --> 00:07:09.220 of hours of Jesus' ministry. You remember where 00:07:09.220 --> 00:07:12.319 Jesus was saying, I am the way, the truth, and 00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:14.480 the life. You can only come to the Father, but 00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:18.439 through me, this is where he said it. Remember 00:07:18.439 --> 00:07:21.339 where Jesus was speaking about divine himself, 00:07:21.519 --> 00:07:24.500 as divine us as the branches, to remain in him 00:07:24.500 --> 00:07:27.459 and his Father as the gardener? It was here at 00:07:27.459 --> 00:07:31.069 this dinner table where Jesus taught it. Remember 00:07:31.069 --> 00:07:33.490 when Jesus was sharing about the Holy Spirit 00:07:33.490 --> 00:07:36.769 who would come? It was here at this table. Remember 00:07:36.769 --> 00:07:40.290 about Jesus instituting the Lord's Supper, breaking 00:07:40.290 --> 00:07:43.709 bread and wine, and for us to remember him? It 00:07:43.709 --> 00:07:46.449 was here at this dinner table where it happened. 00:07:46.509 --> 00:07:48.990 Remember Jesus praying this heartfelt prayer 00:07:48.990 --> 00:07:52.569 over his disciples? It was in these couple of 00:07:52.569 --> 00:07:56.350 hours of Jesus' life and ministry where all of 00:07:56.350 --> 00:08:02.170 that happened. deep stuff happened at this dining 00:08:02.170 --> 00:08:06.730 table. This was not a fast food dinner. This 00:08:06.730 --> 00:08:10.350 was a slow food and long food dinner because 00:08:10.350 --> 00:08:14.670 Jesus still had a lot of profound things to tell 00:08:14.670 --> 00:08:19.350 to his disciples. And even before Jesus began 00:08:19.350 --> 00:08:24.250 to speak, it already was a special evening. It 00:08:24.250 --> 00:08:26.750 was the evening of the Passover. It was the evening 00:08:26.750 --> 00:08:30.490 on which the Jews would eat the Passover meal. 00:08:31.089 --> 00:08:34.250 It was for them to remember and to celebrate 00:08:34.250 --> 00:08:38.370 their freedom from slavery in Egypt many years 00:08:38.370 --> 00:08:43.129 before. It was a custom on those evenings in 00:08:43.129 --> 00:08:46.230 Jewish families that the youngest child would 00:08:46.230 --> 00:08:50.309 ask his or her dad, Dad, what is it that makes 00:08:50.309 --> 00:08:53.570 this night... So different than any other night. 00:08:53.649 --> 00:08:56.950 And it was for those children to engage and understand 00:08:56.950 --> 00:08:59.970 the significance of what they were doing on that 00:08:59.970 --> 00:09:02.909 evening. And I wonder, I just wonder if one of 00:09:02.909 --> 00:09:05.309 the disciples was wondering this on that evening. 00:09:05.389 --> 00:09:09.309 What is it that makes this night so different 00:09:09.309 --> 00:09:12.649 than any other night? Something is up. I can 00:09:12.649 --> 00:09:17.070 feel it. I can tell. But what is it? Well, we 00:09:17.070 --> 00:09:19.970 will learn from today's story in John 13 that 00:09:19.970 --> 00:09:22.809 what made this night different than any other 00:09:22.809 --> 00:09:26.710 nights is that it would change the meaning of 00:09:26.710 --> 00:09:31.110 Passover for good. That's what made this night 00:09:31.110 --> 00:09:35.190 so special. So let me read the story for you 00:09:35.190 --> 00:09:38.750 as we find it recorded by John in chapter 13 00:09:38.750 --> 00:09:42.009 of his gospel. By the way, John, one of Jesus' 00:09:42.250 --> 00:09:46.259 disciples, he was there. At the table, he was 00:09:46.259 --> 00:09:51.080 an eyewitness to all that happened. It was just 00:09:51.080 --> 00:09:54.840 before the Passover festival, and Jesus knew 00:09:54.840 --> 00:09:57.940 that the hour had come for him to leave this 00:09:57.940 --> 00:10:02.039 world and go to the Father. Having loved his 00:10:02.039 --> 00:10:05.360 own who were in the world, he loved them to the 00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:09.700 end. The evening meal was in progress, and the 00:10:09.700 --> 00:10:11.820 devil had already prompted Judas, the son of 00:10:11.820 --> 00:10:16.070 Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. And Jesus knew 00:10:16.070 --> 00:10:18.649 that the Father had put all things under his 00:10:18.649 --> 00:10:22.870 power and that he had come from God and was returning 00:10:22.870 --> 00:10:27.830 to God. So he got up from the meal, took off 00:10:27.830 --> 00:10:30.210 his outer clothing and wrapped a towel around 00:10:30.210 --> 00:10:33.429 his waist. And after that, he poured water into 00:10:33.429 --> 00:10:36.149 a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, 00:10:36.269 --> 00:10:39.789 drying them with the towel that was wrapped around 00:10:39.789 --> 00:10:45.330 him. He came to Simon Peter. who said to Jesus, 00:10:45.629 --> 00:10:50.809 Lord, are you going to wash my feet? Jesus replied, 00:10:51.129 --> 00:10:53.789 you don't realize now what I'm doing, Peter, 00:10:53.929 --> 00:10:56.950 but later you will understand. No, no, no, no, 00:10:57.009 --> 00:11:00.210 no, said Peter. You shall never wash my feet. 00:11:00.950 --> 00:11:04.230 But Jesus answered, unless I wash you, you have 00:11:04.230 --> 00:11:07.330 no part with me. Well, then, Lord, Simon Peter 00:11:07.330 --> 00:11:10.330 replied, not just my feet, but my hands and my 00:11:10.330 --> 00:11:14.059 head as well. Jesus answered, those who have 00:11:14.059 --> 00:11:17.639 had a bath need only to wash their feet because 00:11:17.639 --> 00:11:20.299 their whole body is already clean and you are 00:11:20.299 --> 00:11:23.980 clean. Though not everyone of you, for he knew 00:11:23.980 --> 00:11:27.440 who was going to betray him. And that was why 00:11:27.440 --> 00:11:31.799 he said not everyone was clean. When he had finished 00:11:31.799 --> 00:11:34.919 washing their feet, he put on his clothes and 00:11:34.919 --> 00:11:38.860 returned to his place. Do you understand what 00:11:38.860 --> 00:11:41.820 I have done for you? He asked them. You call 00:11:41.820 --> 00:11:45.559 me teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that 00:11:45.559 --> 00:11:49.620 is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and teacher, 00:11:49.779 --> 00:11:53.320 have washed your feet, you should also wash one 00:11:53.320 --> 00:11:56.759 another's feet. I have set you an example that 00:11:56.759 --> 00:12:02.960 you should do as I have done for you. Very truly 00:12:02.960 --> 00:12:19.840 I tell you, Before we take a look at what Jesus 00:12:19.840 --> 00:12:23.600 is saying through the foot washing of his disciples, 00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:26.580 let's first look at what Jesus is not saying. 00:12:26.980 --> 00:12:31.340 Jesus is not asking us to incorporate foot washing. 00:12:32.139 --> 00:12:34.879 as one of the principles in our weekly worship 00:12:34.879 --> 00:12:37.559 gatherings. That's good news if you have hammer 00:12:37.559 --> 00:12:40.960 toes or fungus nails. Don't worry, I'm not going 00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:43.919 to do that. That's not what Jesus meant. If that 00:12:43.919 --> 00:12:46.919 was the case, then we would have read about this 00:12:46.919 --> 00:12:49.440 in the book of Acts or in the letters of Paul 00:12:49.440 --> 00:12:52.720 as one of the ordinances like baptism or like 00:12:52.720 --> 00:12:56.259 the Lord's Supper. That's not the case. That's 00:12:56.259 --> 00:12:59.059 not the point that Jesus wants to make here. 00:12:59.580 --> 00:13:02.440 But what Jesus is illustrating through the foot 00:13:02.440 --> 00:13:06.919 washing of his disciples is the essence of his 00:13:06.919 --> 00:13:09.919 ministry, as we will see in a couple of moments. 00:13:09.980 --> 00:13:14.159 Not only the essence of his ministry, also the 00:13:14.159 --> 00:13:19.419 essence of our ministry. So what is that? What 00:13:19.419 --> 00:13:22.340 is the essence of Jesus' ministry that we learn 00:13:22.340 --> 00:13:25.480 today from John chapter 13? Well, there is five 00:13:25.480 --> 00:13:28.490 things. I want to highlight with you today that 00:13:28.490 --> 00:13:32.370 explain to us, that illustrate to us the essence 00:13:32.370 --> 00:13:37.070 of what Jesus came to do. This is what we read 00:13:37.070 --> 00:13:38.870 at the beginning of the passage that we just 00:13:38.870 --> 00:13:42.769 read. Having loved his own who were in the world, 00:13:42.850 --> 00:13:47.289 he loved them to the end. I hope you know that 00:13:47.289 --> 00:13:50.750 Jesus loves all people. Did you know that? He 00:13:50.750 --> 00:13:53.629 loves all people irrespective if they love him 00:13:53.629 --> 00:13:58.899 back. But Jesus has a special love for those 00:13:58.899 --> 00:14:02.299 who he calls his own. Those who have come to 00:14:02.299 --> 00:14:07.220 him in faith, who have chosen to trust him. And 00:14:07.220 --> 00:14:10.759 it's this own, his own, as John says, that he 00:14:10.759 --> 00:14:14.720 has loved to the end. Now, to the end, if you 00:14:14.720 --> 00:14:18.000 go to the Greek translation, to the end is not 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:20.559 so much an indication of a timeline as, okay, 00:14:20.600 --> 00:14:23.509 Jesus loved them all the way until... The end 00:14:23.509 --> 00:14:25.389 of his life. That's not what it means. What it 00:14:25.389 --> 00:14:30.509 means is he loved them to the full. To the limit. 00:14:30.529 --> 00:14:33.110 To its fullest extent. That's what the Greek 00:14:33.110 --> 00:14:36.830 translation means. And Jesus would show them 00:14:36.830 --> 00:14:42.070 at this dinner what it meant to love them to 00:14:42.070 --> 00:14:46.389 the full. He got up from the table. Took off 00:14:46.389 --> 00:14:49.519 his outer clothing. Wrapped a towel around his 00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:52.259 waist, and after that, he poured water into a 00:14:52.259 --> 00:14:54.720 basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, 00:14:54.879 --> 00:14:59.299 drying them with the towel that was wrapped around 00:14:59.299 --> 00:15:02.340 him. To see the profoundness of what Jesus is 00:15:02.340 --> 00:15:05.259 doing here, you need to understand some of the 00:15:05.259 --> 00:15:08.259 common practices of the Middle East in the first 00:15:08.259 --> 00:15:12.190 century. When people would move from place to 00:15:12.190 --> 00:15:15.629 place, they would walk, okay? No cars, no bicycles, 00:15:15.769 --> 00:15:18.389 sometimes a horse, but they would walk on roads 00:15:18.389 --> 00:15:21.590 that were dusty and dirty. And as they were wearing 00:15:21.590 --> 00:15:25.350 open shoes, sandals, their feet would get dirty, 00:15:25.549 --> 00:15:28.870 really dirty. Even the animals walked on the 00:15:28.870 --> 00:15:30.730 same roads and they would leave their pee and 00:15:30.730 --> 00:15:33.649 their poo everywhere. So you would pick up a 00:15:33.649 --> 00:15:35.769 fair share of that as well as you were walking 00:15:35.769 --> 00:15:39.679 from A to B. And nobody wants dirty feet in the 00:15:39.679 --> 00:15:41.879 house, right? Especially not where you're going 00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:45.740 to have dinner together. I mean, it's a matter 00:15:45.740 --> 00:15:48.600 of hygiene. You're unclean. It's disgusting when 00:15:48.600 --> 00:15:51.279 you eat dinner with dirty feet. That's why today 00:15:51.279 --> 00:15:53.820 we still ask our children, maybe even adults, 00:15:53.980 --> 00:15:56.259 to wash their hands before going to dinner because 00:15:56.259 --> 00:15:59.120 you never know where these hands were stuck in 00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:03.340 right before dinner, right? So here's the deal. 00:16:03.360 --> 00:16:06.129 When guests would arrive at the place, where 00:16:06.129 --> 00:16:09.009 the dinner was, the host of that place would 00:16:09.009 --> 00:16:15.710 have someone on staff, a servant, a slave, someone 00:16:15.710 --> 00:16:19.909 who held the lowest position on staff to do the 00:16:19.909 --> 00:16:23.350 dirty job of cleaning those feet from dirt, from 00:16:23.350 --> 00:16:26.470 dust, from pee, from poo, from everything. And 00:16:26.470 --> 00:16:29.870 that slave would have a towel wrapped around 00:16:29.870 --> 00:16:33.529 his or her waist and then would dry it off. And 00:16:33.529 --> 00:16:38.950 then the guests... could go to dinner. It's this 00:16:38.950 --> 00:16:44.370 dirty job that Jesus took on on this evening. 00:16:44.669 --> 00:16:48.129 He got up from the table, took his clothes off, 00:16:48.289 --> 00:16:53.330 put the towel on, stooped down, washed the dirt 00:16:53.330 --> 00:16:55.970 of the feet of their disciples. And in so doing, 00:16:56.049 --> 00:17:00.330 Jesus demonstrated the full extent of his love 00:17:00.330 --> 00:17:05.420 to his friends by becoming a servant. As we will 00:17:05.420 --> 00:17:09.460 see in today's story, he demonstrated, he illustrated 00:17:09.460 --> 00:17:12.759 in this a much greater service that he would 00:17:12.759 --> 00:17:16.160 do less than 24 hours later, where he would wash 00:17:16.160 --> 00:17:21.380 us with his blood from our unrighteousness. That's 00:17:21.380 --> 00:17:24.819 how Jesus demonstrates his love to its fullest 00:17:24.819 --> 00:17:32.000 extent to us by becoming a servant to us. And 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:35.009 that preview that I just mentioned, That preview 00:17:35.009 --> 00:17:37.430 of the things that would happen less than 24 00:17:37.430 --> 00:17:40.809 hours later gets an even more profound meaning 00:17:40.809 --> 00:17:44.470 when you consider what John says next in verse 00:17:44.470 --> 00:17:49.650 3. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things 00:17:49.650 --> 00:17:53.069 under his power and that he had come from God 00:17:53.069 --> 00:17:56.309 and was returning to God. Do you see that? God 00:17:56.309 --> 00:18:00.950 had given Jesus all power, all the authority 00:18:00.950 --> 00:18:05.009 over everything. Well, Jesus, now you have all 00:18:05.009 --> 00:18:07.769 that power. What are you going to do with all 00:18:07.769 --> 00:18:11.009 that power? You know what Jesus could have done 00:18:11.009 --> 00:18:14.809 with all that power? Jesus could have stopped 00:18:14.809 --> 00:18:18.390 the whole thing that was waiting for him. Jesus 00:18:18.390 --> 00:18:20.650 could have used his power to stop his arrest, 00:18:20.890 --> 00:18:23.589 stop the humiliation, stop the false accusations, 00:18:23.930 --> 00:18:27.109 stop the suffering, stop the torture, stop the 00:18:27.109 --> 00:18:30.029 nails through his hands, stop this painful suffocation 00:18:30.029 --> 00:18:34.019 that he suffered for us on the cross. He could 00:18:34.019 --> 00:18:37.000 have said, I'm out. I'm not going to bother about 00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:38.720 these people. I'm not going to save them. I'm 00:18:38.720 --> 00:18:42.559 going to use my power to save myself instead 00:18:42.559 --> 00:18:46.779 of them. That's what Jesus could have done with 00:18:46.779 --> 00:18:50.839 all that power that had been given to him. It's 00:18:50.839 --> 00:18:54.920 not what he did. As Paul reminds us in Philippians 00:18:54.920 --> 00:18:59.359 2, Jesus, being in very nature God, didn't consider 00:18:59.359 --> 00:19:01.940 equality with God something to be used to his 00:19:01.940 --> 00:19:07.369 own advantage. Rather, he made himself nothing 00:19:07.369 --> 00:19:11.349 by taking the very nature of a servant, being 00:19:11.349 --> 00:19:15.289 made in human likeness, and being found in appearance 00:19:15.289 --> 00:19:18.890 as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient 00:19:18.890 --> 00:19:26.430 to death, even death on a cross. Do you see the 00:19:26.430 --> 00:19:29.690 impressive reality of the sacrifice that Jesus 00:19:29.690 --> 00:19:35.099 took for us? Do you see the profoundness of the 00:19:35.099 --> 00:19:38.279 love, the ultimate love that he revealed to us? 00:19:38.339 --> 00:19:43.099 He could have used his power to stop it all and 00:19:43.099 --> 00:19:47.460 to save himself. But instead he chose to lay 00:19:47.460 --> 00:19:52.119 down his glory, to lay down his power, to lay 00:19:52.119 --> 00:19:59.380 down his life to save you and me instead. That's 00:19:59.380 --> 00:20:03.759 Jesus, our servant king. That is Jesus, our living 00:20:03.759 --> 00:20:09.180 hope. The third aspect of the essence of Jesus' 00:20:09.319 --> 00:20:12.559 ministry that we find in today's story is this. 00:20:12.559 --> 00:20:17.019 We're never too far off to be washed by Jesus. 00:20:18.500 --> 00:20:21.319 If you look at the men who were there, these 00:20:21.319 --> 00:20:25.960 12 guys at the dining table, you wonder why on 00:20:25.960 --> 00:20:30.230 earth. Would Jesus serve these men? Why would 00:20:30.230 --> 00:20:35.990 he become a servant and wash their feet? We get 00:20:35.990 --> 00:20:38.809 some more intel from other gospel writers of 00:20:38.809 --> 00:20:41.329 some other things that happened at that dining 00:20:41.329 --> 00:20:44.410 table. Luke, for example, he describes the same 00:20:44.410 --> 00:20:46.990 events, the same couple of hours, but he uses 00:20:46.990 --> 00:20:50.339 a somewhat different angle. And also in Luke's 00:20:50.339 --> 00:20:53.059 story, things started off pretty well. The time 00:20:53.059 --> 00:20:55.599 had come that Jesus and the apostles sat down 00:20:55.599 --> 00:20:58.680 together at the table. And Jesus said, I've been 00:20:58.680 --> 00:21:02.059 very eager to eat this Passover meal with you 00:21:02.059 --> 00:21:06.119 before my suffering begins. For I tell you now 00:21:06.119 --> 00:21:09.180 that I won't eat this meal again until its meaning 00:21:09.180 --> 00:21:13.539 is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. What a precious 00:21:13.539 --> 00:21:16.960 setting. Do you see it? Jesus at the dining table 00:21:16.960 --> 00:21:19.980 with his friends. pouring out his heart and said, 00:21:20.119 --> 00:21:23.519 oh, guys, I've so longed for these couple of 00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:25.420 hours with you. It's going to be the last time 00:21:25.420 --> 00:21:27.440 that we're going to eat together until we're 00:21:27.440 --> 00:21:29.079 going to see each other or be with each other 00:21:29.079 --> 00:21:31.759 again. And the kingdom of God has been fulfilled. 00:21:32.359 --> 00:21:35.500 Beautiful setting. And after this, Jesus breaks 00:21:35.500 --> 00:21:38.819 the bread and the wine and he institutes the 00:21:38.819 --> 00:21:41.660 Lord's Supper, precious time, intimate time with 00:21:41.660 --> 00:21:46.329 his friends. And then this. Then they, the disciples, 00:21:46.630 --> 00:21:50.150 began to argue among themselves about who would 00:21:50.150 --> 00:21:57.750 be the greatest among them. Really? Really? Your 00:21:57.750 --> 00:22:00.349 Savior is pouring out His heart. Your teacher 00:22:00.349 --> 00:22:02.410 and friend is explaining, guys, I'm going to 00:22:02.410 --> 00:22:05.150 die. They're going to torture me. They're going 00:22:05.150 --> 00:22:07.390 to accuse me of things that I have not done, 00:22:07.430 --> 00:22:10.769 but I have to die. And all they care about is, 00:22:10.890 --> 00:22:15.779 hey, is it me? I think it is, right? I'm going 00:22:15.779 --> 00:22:18.460 to be the gracious. All they care for is their 00:22:18.460 --> 00:22:23.079 own ambition for greatness, while their dearest 00:22:23.079 --> 00:22:28.359 friend will be suffering and dying. Well, if 00:22:28.359 --> 00:22:32.039 you're like that, certainly Jesus will not serve 00:22:32.039 --> 00:22:36.099 you, and he will not wash your feet, right? And 00:22:36.099 --> 00:22:41.140 yet, it was these men whose feet Jesus washed. 00:22:42.640 --> 00:22:46.720 You know who else was there? A guy named Judas 00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:52.299 Iscariot. He was the guy who would betray Jesus. 00:22:52.500 --> 00:22:56.859 In a couple of hours, a bunch of soldiers led 00:22:56.859 --> 00:22:59.380 by Judas would go to the Garden of Gethsemane 00:22:59.380 --> 00:23:01.799 to arrest Jesus from where he would be tortured, 00:23:02.039 --> 00:23:05.140 from where he would be murdered. He had already 00:23:05.140 --> 00:23:08.319 received his rewards, 30 pieces of silver from 00:23:08.319 --> 00:23:12.039 the Jewish leaders. And he was... at that table, 00:23:12.200 --> 00:23:19.299 ready to betray Jesus. And Jesus knew it. Jesus 00:23:19.299 --> 00:23:23.799 knew that Judas was the guy who would soon betray 00:23:23.799 --> 00:23:27.220 him. You're not going to wash the feet of a guy 00:23:27.220 --> 00:23:32.920 like that, will you? And yet, Jesus washed the 00:23:32.920 --> 00:23:39.579 feet of the guy who would betray him. What a 00:23:39.579 --> 00:23:43.880 picture of Jesus, our living hope. You're never 00:23:43.880 --> 00:23:51.680 too far off to be washed by Jesus. Some of you 00:23:51.680 --> 00:23:54.099 can identify with the disciples, some of you 00:23:54.099 --> 00:23:57.119 here today. You care more about your ambition 00:23:57.119 --> 00:24:01.299 for greatness, your podium, power, and influence 00:24:01.299 --> 00:24:05.859 to be used to your own advantage, applause, audience, 00:24:06.220 --> 00:24:11.180 recognition. Some of you may identify with Judas. 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:14.480 On the outside, you look as one of Jesus' intimate 00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:16.619 friends, but when you're honest with yourself, 00:24:16.900 --> 00:24:22.240 you're living a life of betrayal. You're living 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:26.259 a double life. Your thoughts, your actions, of 00:24:26.259 --> 00:24:29.519 course, all done in secret, reveal that your 00:24:29.519 --> 00:24:33.420 heart is not in it. And in so doing, you're betraying 00:24:33.420 --> 00:24:36.460 Jesus and probably you're betraying some other 00:24:36.460 --> 00:24:41.230 people as well. And yet you're never too far 00:24:41.230 --> 00:24:45.549 off to be washed by Jesus. Whether it's your 00:24:45.549 --> 00:24:48.509 ambition for greatness or recognition or power 00:24:48.509 --> 00:24:52.349 or wealth or glory. Or whether it's your life 00:24:52.349 --> 00:24:57.490 of betrayal and secrecy, the double life. It's 00:24:57.490 --> 00:25:00.109 no reason for Jesus to turn his back on you. 00:25:00.210 --> 00:25:02.549 As a matter of fact, he says, let me serve you. 00:25:03.809 --> 00:25:08.210 I want to show you my love. I want to wash you. 00:25:09.200 --> 00:25:13.539 I just need you to want me to be your servant. 00:25:13.579 --> 00:25:16.819 I need you to turn to me so that I can serve 00:25:16.819 --> 00:25:24.140 you and wash you clean. And turning to Jesus, 00:25:24.160 --> 00:25:28.619 as we also learn from today's story, it requires 00:25:28.619 --> 00:25:35.880 humility. As Jesus is making his round, To wash 00:25:35.880 --> 00:25:38.660 the feet of his disciples, he arrives at Peter. 00:25:39.920 --> 00:25:44.559 And as you may know, with Peter, things are often 00:25:44.559 --> 00:25:47.920 a bit more complicated. He came to Simon Peter, 00:25:48.160 --> 00:25:50.680 who said to him, Lord, are you going to wash 00:25:50.680 --> 00:25:54.740 my feet? Jesus replied, you don't realize now 00:25:54.740 --> 00:25:57.119 what I'm doing, but later you will understand. 00:25:57.779 --> 00:25:59.759 No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, said 00:25:59.759 --> 00:26:04.970 Peter. You will never, ever, ever wash. my feet 00:26:04.970 --> 00:26:10.890 peter resists being served by jesus peter feels 00:26:10.890 --> 00:26:14.390 uncomfortable with the idea that his messiah 00:26:14.390 --> 00:26:17.289 would would stoop down kneel down for him and 00:26:17.289 --> 00:26:22.509 do the dirty job of cleaning his feet maybe peter 00:26:22.509 --> 00:26:25.650 caught himself at a moment wondering ah i should 00:26:25.650 --> 00:26:28.269 have been that guy who had asked a slave to do 00:26:28.269 --> 00:26:31.069 this job and we don't know what peter was thinking 00:26:31.069 --> 00:26:36.980 but peter resists being served By Jesus. And 00:26:36.980 --> 00:26:42.059 in response, Peter does what he always did. He 00:26:42.059 --> 00:26:46.039 takes things in his own control to manage the 00:26:46.039 --> 00:26:50.460 situation. He always did that. Remember the time 00:26:50.460 --> 00:26:52.359 when Jesus told his disciples, I'm going to be 00:26:52.359 --> 00:26:54.500 arrested. They're going to accuse me. They're 00:26:54.500 --> 00:26:55.900 going to kill me. What is it that Peter said? 00:26:56.019 --> 00:26:59.160 Oh, no way, Lord. I'm not going to let that happen 00:26:59.160 --> 00:27:02.460 to you. Remember that moment when Jesus was arrested 00:27:02.460 --> 00:27:04.579 in the Garden of Gethsemane and Peter pulled 00:27:04.579 --> 00:27:07.900 his sword, chopped off an ear. I think he went 00:27:07.900 --> 00:27:11.259 for the head, but it was an ear eventually where 00:27:11.259 --> 00:27:14.240 Jesus had to stop them. Peter wanted to reveal 00:27:14.240 --> 00:27:16.720 to Jesus, I've got it all covered, Lord. I'm 00:27:16.720 --> 00:27:19.680 going to save you. It seemed that Peter had a 00:27:19.680 --> 00:27:23.240 pattern in his life of always knowing better 00:27:23.240 --> 00:27:25.980 than Jesus did. I wonder if there ever was a 00:27:25.980 --> 00:27:27.839 moment in Jesus' life where he thought, Peter, 00:27:27.960 --> 00:27:31.210 would you just stop? telling me what I should 00:27:31.210 --> 00:27:35.029 do and should not do, and just listen to me and 00:27:35.029 --> 00:27:38.730 do it? It's not what Jesus said that evening. 00:27:38.769 --> 00:27:44.269 He said it more gentle. Peter, unless I wash 00:27:44.269 --> 00:27:50.069 you, you have no part with me. Peter, it's time 00:27:50.069 --> 00:27:52.269 to let go of thinking that you know better than 00:27:52.269 --> 00:27:56.329 I do. Peter, it's time to stop your resistance. 00:27:56.589 --> 00:28:00.500 You can't be mine. If you don't allow me to serve 00:28:00.500 --> 00:28:04.539 you, if you don't allow me to wash your feet, 00:28:04.740 --> 00:28:08.980 you can't be mine if you don't let me do what 00:28:08.980 --> 00:28:12.680 you cannot do for yourself. It were these words 00:28:12.680 --> 00:28:18.839 of Jesus that broke Peter's resistance. And the 00:28:18.839 --> 00:28:21.940 pendulum shifted from one extreme all the way 00:28:21.940 --> 00:28:24.279 to the others. Well, if that's the case, Lord, 00:28:24.440 --> 00:28:27.509 not just my feet, please. Do it all. Complete 00:28:27.509 --> 00:28:31.470 me entirely. My hands, my head, everything, Lord. 00:28:31.569 --> 00:28:37.130 I want to be cleansed by you. Peter's resistance 00:28:37.130 --> 00:28:40.089 broke. Uncomfortable as he had been at first 00:28:40.089 --> 00:28:43.529 with the idea of Jesus washing his feet, he now 00:28:43.529 --> 00:28:48.130 sees that it has to be this way for him to belong 00:28:48.130 --> 00:28:52.009 to Jesus. And he went from, I've got it all covered, 00:28:52.130 --> 00:28:57.859 to Jesus. I'm yours completely. Wash me. Wash 00:28:57.859 --> 00:29:03.240 me. The realization that you need to be served 00:29:03.240 --> 00:29:08.220 and washed by Jesus begins with a humble recognition 00:29:08.220 --> 00:29:14.299 that we are dirty and that we need to be washed. 00:29:15.059 --> 00:29:17.839 That's where it starts. I've got it all covered. 00:29:17.900 --> 00:29:20.319 Doesn't cut it when you're under the power of 00:29:20.319 --> 00:29:24.369 sin, you know. And neither does downplaying the 00:29:24.369 --> 00:29:26.829 influence of sin in your life by making promises 00:29:26.829 --> 00:29:29.970 to yourself and to others that you will never 00:29:29.970 --> 00:29:33.910 be able to keep. The proper response to Jesus' 00:29:34.109 --> 00:29:37.890 offer to serve you and to wash you is, Oh, Lord, 00:29:38.009 --> 00:29:44.230 I need you. Lord, I need you to wash me, not 00:29:44.230 --> 00:29:47.890 just my feet, please. Do the whole thing. Wash 00:29:47.890 --> 00:29:52.230 me completely. What it takes on our end to allow 00:29:52.230 --> 00:29:56.930 Jesus to serve us is humility. Acknowledging 00:29:56.930 --> 00:30:01.390 that we don't have it covered. But trusting that 00:30:01.390 --> 00:30:07.589 Jesus has got it covered on our behalf. One more 00:30:07.589 --> 00:30:09.990 thing we learn about the essence of Jesus' ministry 00:30:09.990 --> 00:30:14.029 in John 13. In response to Peter's desire to 00:30:14.029 --> 00:30:17.569 have everything cleansed, this is what Jesus 00:30:17.569 --> 00:30:21.160 says. Those who have had a bath need only to 00:30:21.160 --> 00:30:24.220 wash their feet because their whole body is clean. 00:30:24.660 --> 00:30:28.740 And you are clean, though not every one of you. 00:30:28.799 --> 00:30:31.039 And he was referring to Judas in saying the letter. 00:30:32.460 --> 00:30:36.720 In this verse, Jesus gives us the full picture 00:30:36.720 --> 00:30:41.130 of what he was illustrating by... The washing 00:30:41.130 --> 00:30:44.069 the feet of his disciples. He is speaking about 00:30:44.069 --> 00:30:47.509 the greater reality of his cleansing work. Soon 00:30:47.509 --> 00:30:49.849 after this evening as I already told you. A couple 00:30:49.849 --> 00:30:53.049 of hours after. Jesus would do a much bigger 00:30:53.049 --> 00:30:57.750 cleansing work. Not with water. With blood. With 00:30:57.750 --> 00:31:00.390 blood he would cleanse us from our dirt. Our 00:31:00.390 --> 00:31:04.869 dust. Our dung. All of our unrighteousness on 00:31:04.869 --> 00:31:08.490 the cross. And here Jesus tells us in this verse. 00:31:09.079 --> 00:31:12.160 that Jesus' cleansing work involves an initial 00:31:12.160 --> 00:31:17.559 bathing as well as an ongoing washing. An initial 00:31:17.559 --> 00:31:22.039 bath and an ongoing washing. When you believe 00:31:22.039 --> 00:31:24.880 and trust in Jesus as the Savior for your sin, 00:31:25.039 --> 00:31:29.420 you've had a bath. You may even have experienced 00:31:29.420 --> 00:31:35.019 it as a bath. You felt washed clean entirely. 00:31:35.619 --> 00:31:38.859 And when that has happened to you, You don't 00:31:38.859 --> 00:31:40.819 have to wake up in the morning wondering, hey, 00:31:40.940 --> 00:31:44.799 am I still saved? I was saved yesterday, but 00:31:44.799 --> 00:31:47.460 did I get unsaved between yesterday and today? 00:31:47.579 --> 00:31:51.019 No, no, no. You did not get unsaved, okay? You've 00:31:51.019 --> 00:31:57.460 had your bath. But you do get dirty feet. As 00:31:57.460 --> 00:32:01.299 we walk through this world, We pick up dirt through 00:32:01.299 --> 00:32:03.319 the conversations we have, from the things we 00:32:03.319 --> 00:32:05.660 are exposing ourselves to, the things we think 00:32:05.660 --> 00:32:09.339 and do, the desires that we let, you know, rise 00:32:09.339 --> 00:32:11.880 up every once in a while and give into. We pick 00:32:11.880 --> 00:32:14.579 up dirt and we get dirty feet that need to be 00:32:14.579 --> 00:32:17.920 washed by Jesus, which is an ongoing washing. 00:32:18.799 --> 00:32:20.720 You know what we need to do when our feet get 00:32:20.720 --> 00:32:23.039 dirty in walking through this world? We go to 00:32:23.039 --> 00:32:25.960 Jesus, we say, Jesus, I have to be honest, look 00:32:25.960 --> 00:32:28.420 at my feet, they're dirty. They're full of dirt, 00:32:28.480 --> 00:32:32.220 dust, and dung again. I need you to clean my 00:32:32.220 --> 00:32:35.880 feet. Would you serve me? And that's when Jesus 00:32:35.880 --> 00:32:42.240 says, Dear son, dear daughter, I'm faithful and 00:32:42.240 --> 00:32:47.359 just. I clean your feet. I forgive you all of 00:32:47.359 --> 00:32:51.339 your sin. I purify you from all your unrighteousness. 00:32:51.819 --> 00:32:54.900 That's the ongoing washing, even after having 00:32:54.900 --> 00:32:59.240 the initial bath. that Jesus serves us with. 00:33:00.759 --> 00:33:04.720 That's the essence of Jesus' ministry. Serving 00:33:04.720 --> 00:33:08.359 us feels a bit uncomfortable, does it? Jesus 00:33:08.359 --> 00:33:14.160 serving us? Yes, it's the essence of his ministry. 00:33:14.240 --> 00:33:16.839 He is our living hope. He is our servant king 00:33:16.839 --> 00:33:22.819 who stooped down to wash you and to wash me clean. 00:33:23.660 --> 00:33:25.940 But it's not the end of the story in John 13. 00:33:26.019 --> 00:33:30.500 Jesus has more to say. It's in verse 14 where 00:33:30.500 --> 00:33:46.740 he says, Jesus was done illustrating the essence 00:33:46.740 --> 00:33:51.099 of his ministry. And now he turns to us and he 00:33:51.099 --> 00:33:55.000 says, you're my own. I want you to follow my 00:33:55.000 --> 00:33:59.819 example and to serve each other. Jesus' desire, 00:34:00.019 --> 00:34:04.559 no, not just desire, Jesus' calling for us is 00:34:04.559 --> 00:34:08.440 to serve each other, to serve people, encourage 00:34:08.440 --> 00:34:10.760 people, love people, forgive people, talk to 00:34:10.760 --> 00:34:13.280 people, pray with people, support people. We're 00:34:13.280 --> 00:34:17.219 called to have the mindset of Jesus, says Philippians 00:34:17.219 --> 00:34:23.099 2, in our relationships with each other. The 00:34:23.099 --> 00:34:25.719 essence of our ministry. There's four things. 00:34:25.820 --> 00:34:27.219 I'm going to be quick in these. Don't worry. 00:34:27.300 --> 00:34:29.000 I'm not going to be as long as I was for those 00:34:29.000 --> 00:34:31.539 who say, it's already half an hour. Four things 00:34:31.539 --> 00:34:35.300 that I want us to know about what it is to be 00:34:35.300 --> 00:34:39.039 a servant of each other. That we learn from John 00:34:39.039 --> 00:34:42.679 13. Here's the first thing. Serving others is 00:34:42.679 --> 00:34:46.280 never beneath any of us. No matter how important 00:34:46.280 --> 00:34:50.119 you are, wealthy you are, powerful you are. Serving 00:34:50.119 --> 00:34:53.960 other people is never. Beneath you. Remember? 00:34:54.619 --> 00:35:01.380 Jesus. The God of the universe. Who has all power. 00:35:01.400 --> 00:35:08.039 All glory. All authority. Kneel down. To wash 00:35:08.039 --> 00:35:12.260 the dirty feet. Of sinners. He laid down his 00:35:12.260 --> 00:35:16.340 glory. He laid down his power. He laid down his 00:35:16.340 --> 00:35:23.320 life. To wash dirty sinners. So if any of us 00:35:23.320 --> 00:35:27.320 thinks that serving each other is beneath us, 00:35:27.360 --> 00:35:30.519 somehow we think that we're better than Jesus. 00:35:31.920 --> 00:35:37.420 Let me tell you, we're not. Jesus calls us to 00:35:37.420 --> 00:35:42.679 serve each other, and none of us is able to rise 00:35:42.679 --> 00:35:46.619 above that calling. Second thing, serving others 00:35:46.619 --> 00:35:51.179 is not about who they are, it's about... who 00:35:51.179 --> 00:35:54.199 Jesus is and what he calls us to do. If Jesus 00:35:54.199 --> 00:35:57.159 would leave it up to you and me who to serve, 00:35:57.380 --> 00:36:05.840 we would be very selective in who to serve. Those 00:36:05.840 --> 00:36:10.940 who have been kind to us, of course, check. Those 00:36:10.940 --> 00:36:17.280 who honor us, check. Those who have been kind 00:36:17.280 --> 00:36:19.579 to my family, oh, check. Those who have helped 00:36:19.579 --> 00:36:22.119 me when things were really hard, definitely going 00:36:22.119 --> 00:36:26.260 to serve them. Those who have hurt me, what do 00:36:26.260 --> 00:36:29.920 you think? Those who talk bad about me behind 00:36:29.920 --> 00:36:36.619 my back, go figure, no way. Those who mistreat 00:36:36.619 --> 00:36:44.199 me or my family, forget about it. I want to remind 00:36:44.199 --> 00:36:48.360 us, Who were the people that Jesus served on 00:36:48.360 --> 00:36:52.300 that evening? People who were more occupied with 00:36:52.300 --> 00:36:55.599 their own greatness and who would soon desert 00:36:55.599 --> 00:36:58.699 him at the most difficult hour of his life. Those 00:36:58.699 --> 00:37:02.320 were the people that Jesus washed the feet of. 00:37:03.000 --> 00:37:08.059 A guy who pretended to be a friend but who would 00:37:08.059 --> 00:37:11.320 cause Jesus to be arrested leading to his torture 00:37:11.320 --> 00:37:17.190 and death. Judas and Jesus. Served him. And Jesus 00:37:17.190 --> 00:37:22.570 washed his feet. We don't serve others for who 00:37:22.570 --> 00:37:27.929 they are. I know. It's hard. We don't serve others 00:37:27.929 --> 00:37:32.909 because they treat as well. We serve others because 00:37:32.909 --> 00:37:36.269 of Jesus and what he has done. And what he is 00:37:36.269 --> 00:37:40.409 calling you and me to do. That's why we serve 00:37:40.409 --> 00:37:43.329 others. Third thing. Serving others requires. 00:37:44.369 --> 00:37:46.789 Humility, yes, it's a humbling thing, right, 00:37:46.869 --> 00:37:50.909 to get on your knees and to wash the dirty feet 00:37:50.909 --> 00:37:54.389 of someone else or whatever shape your sacrificial 00:37:54.389 --> 00:37:57.170 service to somebody else looks like, to your 00:37:57.170 --> 00:38:00.469 friend, your spouse, or even a stranger. It's 00:38:00.469 --> 00:38:04.329 a humbling thing to serve each other. And it's 00:38:04.329 --> 00:38:08.090 also a humbling thing to be served by others. 00:38:08.940 --> 00:38:12.239 For some reason, many of us get all awkward when 00:38:12.239 --> 00:38:14.559 people want to serve you. There's a friend who 00:38:14.559 --> 00:38:17.179 wants to pay for dinner that you just had, and 00:38:17.179 --> 00:38:19.360 you say, oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. I will only 00:38:19.360 --> 00:38:21.360 allow you to pay for my dinner when you promise 00:38:21.360 --> 00:38:26.800 that I get to pay next time. Right? Or someone 00:38:26.800 --> 00:38:29.000 who has helped you in a really hard time, a time 00:38:29.000 --> 00:38:31.719 when you could not make ends meet, and you say, 00:38:31.780 --> 00:38:34.539 I'm going to pay you back until the last bat 00:38:34.539 --> 00:38:40.300 in Satan. Many of us, when we could really need 00:38:40.300 --> 00:38:43.719 help, and being served by other people, go even 00:38:43.719 --> 00:38:48.280 as far as to isolate ourselves. Because we don't 00:38:48.280 --> 00:38:52.980 want to ask for help. We don't want to receive 00:38:52.980 --> 00:38:55.719 service by anyone else, because they may think 00:38:55.719 --> 00:38:59.199 that we're weak, that we don't have it together, 00:38:59.519 --> 00:39:03.380 and that we have failed. And many times, especially 00:39:03.380 --> 00:39:07.699 to us guys, it's just pride outright. that we 00:39:07.699 --> 00:39:09.820 don't want to receive service by Allah. This 00:39:09.820 --> 00:39:12.139 is why in the days before GPS, we would never 00:39:12.139 --> 00:39:15.980 stop our cars to ask for directions and rather 00:39:15.980 --> 00:39:18.199 figure things out ourselves, even if that meant 00:39:18.199 --> 00:39:20.719 that we would get lost and it would take an hour 00:39:20.719 --> 00:39:24.360 more to get to our destination. Whatever it is, 00:39:24.539 --> 00:39:29.360 it takes humility, yes, to serve someone else 00:39:29.360 --> 00:39:33.909 as well as to be served. By someone else. And 00:39:33.909 --> 00:39:36.789 there is this beautiful model. A godly principle 00:39:36.789 --> 00:39:39.909 that Paul speaks about in Philippians 2. Which 00:39:39.909 --> 00:39:43.630 says don't be selfish. There we have it. Don't 00:39:43.630 --> 00:39:50.530 try to impress others. But be humble. Be humble. 00:39:51.010 --> 00:39:53.309 Thinking of others as better than yourselves. 00:39:53.730 --> 00:39:56.969 Don't look out only for your own interests. But 00:39:56.969 --> 00:40:00.929 take an interest in others. Have you ever wondered 00:40:00.929 --> 00:40:03.750 what would happen to the quality of your life 00:40:03.750 --> 00:40:07.650 if we were to decide to collectively apply this? 00:40:09.750 --> 00:40:12.969 Imagine, picture, that from today, all of us 00:40:12.969 --> 00:40:16.230 here at ECB would apply this godly principle 00:40:16.230 --> 00:40:19.530 to our life and our community life. I guarantee 00:40:19.530 --> 00:40:22.670 what would happen is that your life would get 00:40:22.670 --> 00:40:26.030 much easier and significantly less stressful. 00:40:26.449 --> 00:40:29.710 Why? Because you're no longer the only one who 00:40:29.710 --> 00:40:33.090 is looking after your interests. All of us will 00:40:33.090 --> 00:40:36.449 be looking with you after your interests. Wow. 00:40:37.170 --> 00:40:39.530 That's a relief. And by the way, you will be 00:40:39.530 --> 00:40:42.469 doing that to me and to others as well. So all 00:40:42.469 --> 00:40:45.769 of us get to experience that easier life, much 00:40:45.769 --> 00:40:48.150 less stress, because we're applying one of those 00:40:48.150 --> 00:40:51.809 beautiful principles of Scripture. Makes sense, 00:40:51.969 --> 00:40:57.539 doesn't it? What it requires is humility. Humility 00:40:57.539 --> 00:41:01.800 for us to serve each other as well as humility 00:41:01.800 --> 00:41:07.780 to be served by each other. I will ask Pastor 00:41:07.780 --> 00:41:10.099 Pablo, maybe he wants to launch a project like 00:41:10.099 --> 00:41:13.940 this here at ECB so we just, you know, can begin 00:41:13.940 --> 00:41:17.559 doing this. Okay, one more thing for us to learn 00:41:17.559 --> 00:41:21.099 about serving. Especially for those who wonder, 00:41:21.159 --> 00:41:24.519 is there something in for me in this whole serving 00:41:24.519 --> 00:41:28.510 others thing? Actually, There is. The person 00:41:28.510 --> 00:41:31.409 you serve is not the only one who is blessed 00:41:31.409 --> 00:41:36.590 by your service. In serving others, we also bless 00:41:36.590 --> 00:41:39.969 ourselves. Look at what Jesus says at the end 00:41:39.969 --> 00:41:42.889 of today's passage. Now that you know these things, 00:41:43.150 --> 00:41:47.949 you will be blessed if you do them. This is scripture, 00:41:48.170 --> 00:41:50.369 right? We're not just listeners of the word. 00:41:50.469 --> 00:41:52.869 We're doers of the word. And here Jesus says, 00:41:52.969 --> 00:41:55.769 hey. I've now told you what this serving each 00:41:55.769 --> 00:41:59.210 other is about. You know it now. But if you do 00:41:59.210 --> 00:42:04.269 it, you will be blessed by doing it. And no, 00:42:04.349 --> 00:42:07.690 this is not Jesus' promotional campaign to get 00:42:07.690 --> 00:42:10.269 us to serve, okay? Saying, hey, hey, there is 00:42:10.269 --> 00:42:13.190 a benefit. Just go do it and you will receive 00:42:13.190 --> 00:42:15.309 it. That's not what Jesus is telling us here. 00:42:15.369 --> 00:42:19.030 The blessing that Jesus speaks of here is that 00:42:19.030 --> 00:42:22.110 when you align yourself with the purposes of 00:42:22.110 --> 00:42:25.570 Jesus, you live a life of alignment with the 00:42:25.570 --> 00:42:28.690 purpose you have been created for, and that alignment 00:42:28.690 --> 00:42:33.380 brings deep satisfaction. Deep joy, deep blessing 00:42:33.380 --> 00:42:36.840 to your soul and therefore your entire life. 00:42:38.139 --> 00:42:42.039 Jesus gives the recipe to us here for leading 00:42:42.039 --> 00:42:48.099 a happy life. How? Serve each other. Crazy, right? 00:42:49.219 --> 00:42:53.119 Doesn't make sense in our world, right? But with 00:42:53.119 --> 00:42:57.119 Jesus, it does. It's better to give than to receive, 00:42:57.260 --> 00:43:01.719 is what he says. He calls us. to serve each other 00:43:01.719 --> 00:43:06.840 and promises us that we will be blessed by doing 00:43:06.840 --> 00:43:17.480 that. It's what I call living hope. Jesus came 00:43:17.480 --> 00:43:24.380 to serve us, to wash us clean of the dirt and 00:43:24.380 --> 00:43:29.400 dung of our unrighteousness. What a living hope 00:43:29.400 --> 00:43:34.860 we have. And Jesus calls us to imitate him by 00:43:34.860 --> 00:43:38.539 doing the same to each other, serving each other. 00:43:40.519 --> 00:43:43.059 And in closing, I want to ask you two questions. 00:43:44.039 --> 00:43:46.920 First question is this, have you recognized your 00:43:46.920 --> 00:43:52.239 need for Jesus to serve you? Your need for Jesus 00:43:52.239 --> 00:43:57.960 to bathe you in his love? to wash you clean of 00:43:57.960 --> 00:44:03.340 your sin. Whoever you are and whatever your story 00:44:03.340 --> 00:44:08.099 has been up to today, you're never too far off 00:44:08.099 --> 00:44:14.800 for Jesus. Jesus came to serve you and it's his 00:44:14.800 --> 00:44:17.940 desire to save you and to welcome you as one 00:44:17.940 --> 00:44:21.420 of his own. If that's your desire, I welcome 00:44:21.420 --> 00:44:23.760 you. A couple of moments after this service. 00:44:24.489 --> 00:44:26.730 to come to one of us here at the front of the 00:44:26.730 --> 00:44:30.949 worship center so that we can pray together for 00:44:30.949 --> 00:44:35.550 you to welcome Jesus, living hope into your life. 00:44:37.289 --> 00:44:40.110 Maybe it's not a bath that you need. Maybe you've 00:44:40.110 --> 00:44:43.210 had your initial bath already a while ago. Jesus 00:44:43.210 --> 00:44:46.070 saved you years ago, but your feet got dirty. 00:44:46.150 --> 00:44:50.409 You have picked up stuff on the way that you 00:44:50.409 --> 00:44:54.139 know to be cleansed of. confess your sins to 00:44:54.139 --> 00:44:58.400 Jesus, he will turn to say, dear son, dear daughter, 00:44:58.559 --> 00:45:03.639 I forgive you of all your sin. I purify you of 00:45:03.639 --> 00:45:05.860 all your unrighteousness. And if you need help 00:45:05.860 --> 00:45:08.440 in praying these things, come, come after the 00:45:08.440 --> 00:45:13.360 service. We're here for you. Here's my second 00:45:13.360 --> 00:45:17.780 question. Are you imitating Jesus' example by 00:45:17.780 --> 00:45:24.179 serving others? If this is a convicting question 00:45:24.179 --> 00:45:33.119 to you, because your answer is, no, not really. 00:45:34.159 --> 00:45:37.239 I'm glad you're here, and probably God wanted 00:45:37.239 --> 00:45:41.420 you here to hear what he had to say to you today. 00:45:43.500 --> 00:45:46.800 Although as God's people, we have been set apart. 00:45:46.900 --> 00:45:50.329 We're a holy nation, you know. We're heavily 00:45:50.329 --> 00:45:52.929 influenced by a culture that surrounds us, a 00:45:52.929 --> 00:45:57.610 culture that encourages you and me to serve nobody 00:45:57.610 --> 00:46:02.489 else but ourselves. And it takes a firm stance 00:46:02.489 --> 00:46:07.530 for followers of Jesus, each of us, not to allow 00:46:07.530 --> 00:46:13.110 that propaganda to overtake our lives. So whatever 00:46:13.110 --> 00:46:16.510 has caused it, if you sense, if you notice in 00:46:16.510 --> 00:46:22.090 yourself this, this hesitation, even unwillingness 00:46:22.090 --> 00:46:25.510 to serve each other because you rather serve 00:46:25.510 --> 00:46:30.110 yourself, that I encourage you to make this your 00:46:30.110 --> 00:46:35.409 daily prayer. Lord, break my heart for what breaks 00:46:35.409 --> 00:46:39.570 yours and give me the capacity to love people 00:46:39.570 --> 00:46:43.329 and serve people the way you love people and 00:46:43.329 --> 00:46:46.409 serve people. It's a prayer that God can work 00:46:46.409 --> 00:46:51.159 with really well. to change your heart and to 00:46:51.159 --> 00:46:55.239 shape you, to form you into becoming more like 00:46:55.239 --> 00:47:00.300 Jesus. I want to ask us to bow your heads and 00:47:00.300 --> 00:47:05.480 take a few moments in quiet to think about the 00:47:05.480 --> 00:47:12.880 things that you've heard this morning. Lord, 00:47:12.980 --> 00:47:18.150 you've come to seek and save those Who are lost. 00:47:21.530 --> 00:47:25.610 Hallelujah Jesus. We praise you. For you are 00:47:25.610 --> 00:47:32.750 the one who has set us free. And as we will be 00:47:32.750 --> 00:47:35.070 proclaiming those words Jesus. I want to ask 00:47:35.070 --> 00:47:40.409 you. Would you be near. Not just near. Would 00:47:40.409 --> 00:47:45.929 you continue to speak. Truth. in the lives of 00:47:45.929 --> 00:47:49.090 those who are here in my life, the lives of my 00:47:49.090 --> 00:47:51.110 brothers, my sisters, my friends who are here. 00:47:51.230 --> 00:47:54.110 Lord, and if the truth involves a moment today 00:47:54.110 --> 00:47:57.530 where it involves saying yes to you, Lord, wash 00:47:57.530 --> 00:48:03.670 me, wash me entirely. Lord, extend your invitation. 00:48:05.949 --> 00:48:09.170 Lord, if the truth involves speaking to one of 00:48:09.170 --> 00:48:13.050 us about dirty feet, Holy Spirit, I ask you that 00:48:13.050 --> 00:48:17.230 you will Not let us go from this place. Let us 00:48:17.230 --> 00:48:20.789 leave this place before we have come before you 00:48:20.789 --> 00:48:26.230 and ask you to wash our dirty feet. Thank you, 00:48:26.230 --> 00:48:30.929 Jesus, our living hope. Thank you for kneeling 00:48:30.929 --> 00:48:35.550 down, stooping down for us to serve us, to wash 00:48:35.550 --> 00:48:41.750 us clean, and to give us new life. We love you, 00:48:41.849 --> 00:49:10.639 Jesus. And we praise your great name. Amen. If 00:49:10.639 --> 00:49:13.079 God is calling you to support our ministries, 00:49:13.079 --> 00:49:15.780 you will find giving options on our website. 00:49:16.619 --> 00:49:20.039 And remember to join us next week. God bless 00:49:20.039 --> 00:49:20.260 you.