Worship 12/31/2023

Maybe just one more reminder that there is no Kingdom kids today. So we're all together this morning. So, thank you. Good morning. So grateful to be with you this morning. I'm always blessed to have Bruce call and let me know that I have an opportunity to be with you and it's been awhile since I've been here I knew because I there's something on the wall. I hadn't seen before this Christ is all and in all had not seen that I suppose that's been here for a while. But I really like that that's beautiful and a boy right to the point. We want Christ still am working with Pathways. I hope to be in Singapore in March we had opportunity this past year to start training with a group that prints 150 Noah Excuse me, one and a half million Bibles in a closed country. And this group wanted our training and they but they're not used to working with pastors. They do other kinds of trainings and churches are allowed to do that. But so we decided to work with them to see what would happen. Can we help them? And maybe they'll figure out a way to help pastors. They said their target audience had 200,000 Pastors in it. So it's worth investing something in this and we talked to him a couple of months ago and part of their Bible distribution is Bible translation and this month in December. They figured out a way they're training 18 Bible translators. In minority languages in this country there translating the Bible.

Whoever figure that one out. This is not something we ever plan to be a part of but we're thankful that we can have that and we're hoping to see that group in a couple months. So anyway, I'm so glad to be here and we began to think so, what do we do on the last day of the year? And of course, we've been celebrating the light of Glory of God in Jesus Christ is come to Earth and nothing can conquer that that light there is Darkness, but the darkness will not overcome it and we've just been celebrating the Majesty in the Beauty and the glory of of Christmas. How do you follow that and I've decided to go to John 13? John 13 through 17 the upper room is really a favorite section of the Bible for me and I'd like this to speak this morning on washing feet is a boy. That's a long way from the glory of God and the angels singing now we're talkin about washing feet. I like talked about serving this morning really to some extent. I'm preparing my own heart for 2024 and how I can serve the Lord and how we is a church Community can can be servants and how Jesus implored us to do this. So let me read John Chapter 13. We're going to begin with verse one.

Now before the Feast of the Passover when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the father having loved his own who were in the world. He loved them to the end. During supper when the devil that already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot Simon's son to betray him Jesus knowing that the father has given all things into his hands and said he had come from God and was going back to God. Rose from supper He laid aside his outer garments. Taking a towel tied around his waist then he poured water into a basin began to wash the disciples feet to wipe them with a towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter said to him Lord. Do you wash my feet Jesus answered him what I'm doing you do not understand now, but afterwards you will understand. Peter said to him you shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered him if I do not wash you you have no share with me. Simon Peter said to him Lord. Not my feet only but also my hands are my head. Jesus said to him the one who has bathed does not need to wash except for his feet, but it's completely clean and you are clean, but not everyone of you for he knew. Who was to betray him? That was why he said that all of you were clean. We need to wash their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place. He said to them. Do you understand? What I've done to you? You call me teacher and Lord and you are right for so I am if I then you are Lord and teacher have washed your feet. You also ought to wash one another's feet while I'm giving you an example that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly truly I say to you a servant is not greater than his master nor has a messenger greater than the one who sent him if you know these things blessed are you if you do them. And let's stop there. And father is we continue to worship you this morning. We open your word. And we long for all that you would want to teach us. and even as Bruce's pray this morning, we pray that perhaps you'd come to us in an unexpected way. We're open the doors of our hearts are wide open. Our Lord teacher Jesus we want you to teach us and help us in your way and we pray in Christ's name. Amen. Dale Dawson trotman the founder of The Navigators was in Taiwan. And he was with a pastor and they were walking into a mountainous area of Taiwan and his Reign is just poured and apparently when they got to the place they were staying they were wet. They were dirty mud and all the rest. And later for after this event. Someone asked his Pastor Dawson was with so what did you think about this American Christian leader and the man said He washed my shoes. Dawson is getting up early in the morning before this other pasture going outside. And scrubbed and brushed and clean the man shoes off. And he was shocked at this American leader. Which cleans your shoes are open all kinds of doors for Ministry. And I guess that's that was the nature of Gossip Dawson.

That he was a servant of men of people and he served and in fact, I think he died trying to save someone else's life. You know, he caught the vision for John 13. He knew what it was. To wash feet or the care for people and do the humble thing, even though he would have thought he would have been more like the leader. Well this morning we want to think about these things and we want to start with simply believing in Christ. And there's a flow to the Book of John. There's a flow. I think that gets us to John 13 that we want to take note off and it really begins in the chapter before and if you would turn your Bible back to verse 44 of John chapter 12, because Jesus Apostle John, Is recording this book in a way that leads us up to John Chapter 13 and John 1:12. He says but to all who did receive him who believed in his name he gave the right to become children of God. So right off the top in the Book of John we find out believing is important and this gets reiterated over and over in the book now and John 12:44. He says whoever believes in me. Believe not in me, but in him you sent me. Whoever sees me sees him who sent me I have come to the world as light so that whoever believes in me might not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them. I do not judge him for I did not come to judge the world. But to save the world the one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. I have spoken out on my own authority, but the father who sent me as himself giving me a commandment. What to say and what to speak I know that his commandment is eternal life would I say therefore therefore I say as the father has told me. It speaks about believing right before the Last Supper. John chapter 3 the Baptist said whoever believes the sun has eternal life. Whoever does not obey the son shall not see life for the wrath of God remains on him. It was believing was of supreme importance to John the Baptist the one of them to believe John chapter 4 the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus said the water I give you becomes to a spring of Living Water woman. Believe me.

Woman believe me that's of supreme importance John chapter 11, the death of Nazareth Nazareth has died and for your sake. I'm glad that I was not there so that you may believe mature and verse 28 and everyone who lives and Believes In Me shall never die. And this is what he says then do you believe this believe is of supreme importance to the Lord Jesus? And then we get to chapter 12 as what we just rather in 44 and following. I think that Jesus and some cents draws a Line in the Sand. And says look. Whoever believes in me. Here's a line. Are you going to believe or not? believe in me as Supreme importance to him No, this prepares then the heart to hear watching John 13. I think there's more there too. But we can preach a whole sermon. They're okay, but we see the importance and the these people want to be believing upon the Lord Jesus Christ. So we will start with believing in Christ. Let me add to that believing in Christ brings life and go to John 20:31 these things I've written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the son of God and that believing you may have life in his name. And that's the feverish we think of John of the Book of John the Supreme importance of believing because that's how Christ will lead us and give us and creating us a whole new way in order of life. It's a beautiful thing. So they're rooted in this great love and in this great life. I was in a small town in Illinois some time ago. And I don't remember why I stopped but it's little town but I was walking down the sidewalk. There's one other person on the sidewalk walking towards me. I thought I think I know him. I think I've seen him and you know, he's looking back at me and I'm thinking he's thinking the same thing and you know, we had met as college students had seen each other for ten years.

And Mark someone it comes to me and said, you know, I want you to talk to Mark about Christ. That's all why don't you talk to him about Christ. And this is why I haven't talked to him. He's really depressed. I think it just helped if someone else talked to him to his. Okay, so I'm at Markin. And I found out that what it happened is that it had an accident with a gun in action with a train.

And his fiancee was in the car. He walked away. She didn't she was dead.

Of course, it's his fault. And he had good reason to be depressed. Right? So I'm talking to Mark and and I'm sure I don't know what to do. I was a college guy. I'm just about Christ and what kind of walking through it? I still Mark and Mark wouldn't talk. So what do you want me to keep talking or do you want to stop or no? Is it wrong? You just gotta just have to keep going. So I kept talking about Christ and my testimony and how a person could know Christ and and it stops will Mark you mean. Do you want me to keep going or what? So I keep talking and finally I get down there, you know, you can trust Christ. You can receive Christ and help me Lord and Savior and reorder your life and Mark, would you like to do that? You finally said something. Yes, I would know it wasn't a great presentation. It was God was working in his life and he came to Christ that day and he and his friend are going to Bible study with his friend you went on from there and I talked to him a few more times when we were still students. And as I talk to him on that sidewalk, he was his heart was to help a special need children. And that he was moving in fact, Wisconsin to do a Ministry and I thought God. Changed his wife. He has a whole new order of life because Jesus changed him and came into his life and changed his hardness hold this position. Believing in Christ does bring life and those disciples are hearing about this and they're going to hear more. So he lets go back to versus chapter 13 first verse again before the Feast of the Passover when Jesus knew that is our come to depart out of the world to the father having loved his own. We're in the world. He loved them to the end. so we have believing in Christ and we have a lot of and this is what the Apostle John Eckhardt that's where his heart goes when he recalls. What's happening at this at this Passover feast. Jesus is love happiness and he's loving us till the very end and at this is not some kind of ethereal strategic plan. It's real. It's person-to-person love and Jesus loves them and John knows it and he feels the power of that love it that supper you record this now. This is not a group of people that's going to do well over the next 24 hours. Right? I mean, they're about to walk into a storm of fear and shame and And violence towards Christ and then there's going to be feelings of Devastation. They're not going to walk around feeling the love of God while that's going on there to be feared full of fear and anguish. But when I look back on it, there were remember he's in he loved us till the very end. They likely didn't feel that love when Christ was arrested and perhaps when he hung on the cross. We love them to the to the end and then John rights and 1st John 4 verse 9. In this in this the love of God has been manifested Among Us that God has sent his only son of the world so that we might live through him. And there it is and that's how they're prepared. Then to enter into a whole new order of life. Well, let's look at the next couple of verses here because John is recorded the beginning that there. There's going to be dark and supposed to not going to overcome the light and here we have another stration of that. It's very real. Verse 3 Jesus to anoint during the supper when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot Simon's son to betray him. Jesus knowing that the father has given all things new his hands the head and I had come from God and was going back to God. I'll go on to the next thermometer cuz that Deniro's to do this. So here's believing Here's the love of God. And here's Darkness. Here's the betrayer right in the midst of this.

But he says they're Jesus new. we was Where you come from and where he's going you see this Jesus knowing that the father has given him all things into his hands and that he had come from God. I was going back to God Rose from supper. It's interesting to me that it's written that way. There's this deep sense of of Jesus still is in complete confidence. Knowing what he's facing knowing that there's a betrayer in his midst still is going to rise and serve. Darkness is not going to overcome. This is not going to hinder. Jesus is not going to stop he's going to fulfill his ultimate Destiny deep confidence of what he's doing the paragraph paragraphs here in Chapter 13 speak about the betrayer more than once. But that betrayal does not hinder the work of Christ. I'm going to do this a little differently now and slip down to verses 13 and 14. I'm going to come back to some of the details of this text but down in 13 or 14. He says it was 12 to you understand what I've done 13 you call me teacher and Lord.

And you are right. Prince William Pause for a moment. Can we ask that question? Does it beg the question do I call him teacher? Do I call him Lord? 14 if I if I then your lord and teacher have washed your feet. You also ought to wash one another's feet. believing in Christ brings life with our Lord teacher What is it mean for Jesus to love them to the end? It means that the Lord and teacher. Will serve them. And so he gets up in first for you Rose from supper. Now look at all the intentionality in this we don't need all this detail Dewey but this is what we get Rose from supper late aside. His outer garments took a towel tied around his waist poured water into a basin and then he began to wash their feet. There actually is quite a bit of flow of detail there. Jesus is not going to be hindered by the darkness of a betrayer with great intention. We see he he does what he needs to do to show them.

how to surf And how loved serves them. She tells him if I then your lord and teacher washed your feet. You also ought to wash one another's feet.

What a beautiful lesson. To love love his love screws up this dinner. This is not the expectation. You don't have the Messiah, you know. The Messiah was going to sit on the throne and Rule all the nations. He's going to wash our feet. This is not what a messiah supposed to do.

But this is what I'm a loving Messiah. Das if I then your lord and teacher washed your feet you also ought to wash one another's feet and he screws up our own sense of Order of Things. He pours water into a basin and washes their feet and wipes them with a towel. No in chapter 12, he has said he uses me as she's the one who sent me which is an incredible claim for Authority you look at me. You see the one who sent me. It was a claim of absolute Authority.

he said he's the one who came to save the world rather High claim. It doesn't yet. I'm the one who's come to save the world.

And I'm going to wash your feet.

the highest in the room take the lowest place as a servant. This is not the natural Order of Things.

What he loves them, you know, we're actually having a special speaker at our church in Maywood in he's the guy worth of Love Languages. But you know, there's this thing about Love Languages summary. You probably heard of this.

And I think it's a good idea and it's a good thing.

But this isn't love language. I'm going to draw contrast, okay?

It's not like Jesus is Love language is serving so he needs to do this. No, it's not that.

He's just upset the whole natural order of hierarchical things and how we think about power.

Hey, I'm with Peter. I would sit there thinking that you're not washing my feet. You're the king. You're the Messiah.

But the spiritual order of the universe is upset by this. God In the Flesh, you know, it was a CS Lewis who said if you can believe in the Incarnation God comes in the flesh all the rest of Miracles are easy got to come in the flesh if Jesus is God in the flesh. All the Miracles you guys are easy then after that I can believe in that and here he is. with all this ultimate Authority and Power he's going to wash my feet.

It's the most unexpected thing that they would they would experience.

Loving like Christ means done serving like Christ. Everyone appreciates being served to some extent. Jesus no wraps his tail around himself. and cleans their feet looks so he says to Peter if I do not wash you you have no part in me. Was a stunning statement. No, we know too that there's some referral here to that goes on the one who's bathe does not need to wash except for his feet, but it is completely clean and you are clean, but not everyone of you. And there's a shade there that Christ cleanses us from sin believe it's in there. I don't think that's the only thing that's in there. Peter needed to realize

Jesus was going to be His companion that Jesus is going to be as Lord then Jesus would also serve him.

Let me say it again if Jesus is going to be my companion. The Jesus is going to be my Lord. The Jesus will also serve me.

I need to think about that when you read through that text, but I think it's there. Pewter needs to come to grips with he had a whole different kind of Messiah here. a whole different kind of Lord teacher And this teaching Lord this Lord teacher is going to show him all the great Powers had he has to Miracles and all the rest. He's also going to enter into his life and changing. I work with him in a way. The Peter would understand. And he would learn to serve and would change his heart in his life. That's what he's doing for all of us. If he's walking with you and he's your companion. He will serve you in a way to change your life. It's got to be listening and you got to be willing. the work with him Now it's interesting to me that he used this these words and verse 13 teacher and Lord and then the next versed Lord teacher.

So we want to think about him as our Lord teacher and that's not usually the title that I give to him perhaps it would be a good exercises week in prayer to call him Lord teacher cuz that's what it is is my Lord teacher, you know Jonathan panties and help me with this. He wrote a couple of books and one of them he talks about a city that was found in Syria. During your office. And I think I'm I'm not sure I'm pronouncing it right but something like that during your office. This is a shame that been buried in sand. And it was a pretty significant City and the Romans have had it others have conquered it. And up and finally somebody else Concord it and basically killed everybody in or took him away in slavery. And then the city was forgotten and snow blue snow and blew over it and it disappeared. They found it in the 1920s if it's thought of as like a Pompeii because when they found it, they realized that they were their rooms in this city there were untouched. They just been buried. And so was an archaeologist archaeologist dream to find this thing. And what are the things they found is that the rooms are some of the rooms are built into the city walls and they would throw everything they had in these in these rooms or these houses to help strengthen the wall when somebody was trying to conquer him. It didn't work the last time but they were in one of these rooms. They found a church if I'm a hostage. And so they found they know this because they find these are all over the Mediterranean area. The people would paint images of Jesus on the walls. So you'd have Jesus walking on water. You have Jesus with a bread and the fish you're doing a miracle you have Jesus as a savior in one of the pictures they have Jesus as a teacher. And he's got short hair and he's got basically the robe of a philosopher on. And you're like what what what is this? But these were all over the minute they found these in a number of places and Jesus is depicted this way. Why? Because he's the teacher. He's teaching he's the teacher of wisdom. He's giving the church the people wisdom and that's what Jesus is doing here as Lord teacher. He's the teacher of wisdom and he's giving them now this way of wisdom in life as a servant that this is how you live as a servant. There was a man by the name of Justin who lives not too far from the truth about hero. Was in the stoic philosophy and then he went to Aristotle and some other things but they're part of his testimony and this is what rhymes with 180. He was next to a sea speaking to an older man who turned out to be a Christian. and the man gave him ideas about wisdom coming from God and Christ. So I began reading the Bible and I'm coming to Christ ends up in Rome and he had and he's a known Christian there. But he was known as Justin the philosopher it was the philosophy of Christ. But then they killed him and so then you became known as Justin the Martyr and that's how he's more come down to us, but I'm talking about this because the idea was that he went to the teachings of Christ and said this is the way we are meant to live. And he's our teacher. He gives us a whole order of life. That's what he does and he changes our heart and our life this past year or this year still they had a movie that came out on Jesus Revolution. And I got together with my brother and my wife and his wife and we went saw this movie. And it's about how the late 1960s and starts out in California and you have that whole Jesus revolution in Jesus people thing.

Everybody know about this. Okay. Well, you're not looking like you know what I'm talking about here. But but his Revolution happened and my brother never kind of a part of that in some ways. We were like in the early 1970s as it we would have this movie and wait we saw this and we got to talk about it. I remember my brother who made a commitment to Christ after I did and we're growing and we're learning about this and my brother got a hold of some Christian newspapers. And there were small or papers and I don't remember what they had inside there is all about Christ and he went down by the head shops in Peoria and he was handing out these papers on the street to people so they can hear about Christ and his we talked about that was he know that something completely different happened. We were going One Direction in life and Rick and I are out on the street handing out Jesus newspapers. We changed his life his whole order of how he thought about things and they even had businesses set up. It would put the paper out by their cash registers that he was delivering them papers in the whole thing. It was fun to think about that. but I bring it up because when we believe in Jesus, he does bring new life. He becomes a lord teacher who escorts us and nurtures us then into a whole new order of life and hearing John 13. The emphasis is on serving. We're not. Want to be one above the other we want to get down and serve people.

I met a couple of my church when we had our new church in Sycamore D Calvin and was an older couple in as I got to know him.

I just kept I enjoy them the more the more I was around in the more I enjoy them. Wendell his wife Huber and

I learned that they were old enough and I had they had been in church life before and in fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find something in the local church. They had not. They just serve the whole lot. And they ran Sunday schools. They ran Deacon boards they did. They ran the the grounds that you could name something there and Emissions program over their lifetime that done everything it seems to me. and when I looked at him I thought I wish I was more like them.

No matter what happened. There was always the sense of stability about them. and patience and you could Rock them. I thought man. I need him more like that.

And there was just there was a strong Christian sense of them. Eventually, she had a fall and then she started losing mental competency. She was in a care Institute and he would go in there. Everyday and feed her lunch. and many days, you know he was That went on for 10 years. Then he got ill he went in. And the he lasted six weeks and died. She had after she actually outlived him. I am I was talking to one of their daughters one day. and you know, they said we're Brett we're so glad that you know this church and started and they got involved in your church because and giving up on Church and in church for 2 years, I never knew this part of the story. Remember to church for 2 years. And you know, I knew him as those people who are just constantly faithful and met him later in life. You know. disappointing hard things do happen to people That's why I bring this up and sometimes it's disappointing hard things in Church Life 2. But I'm going to pray that you recover. And you learn to serve again? Cuz that's what Jesus wants to nurturing you the heart of a servant and you can stay with it and keep on no.

We serve. Bill bright taught me this back when I was a college did he had a talk and I was listening to this talk. He was there. I was in a big convention. He was talking about how to Love by faith. and I thought, this is pretty simplistic. Until I listen for about 45 minutes and realized I don't know how to do this. I do love people like he does. But the point of that was it. For the Bible it says it costs just as he received Christ Jesus so walk in him. I did you receive him by faith. So How Do You Love by faith use the same faith that you have that trust Christ. to love and serve people and you know, I started to learn that that you can love and you can serve people. A by applying your faith and stepping out. It's the same faith that you receive Christ as Lord and Savior with you just say Lord teacher teach me how to serve I'm willing. And you take another step. It's the same stuff that you took. From the very beginning of Life you think you know, what's what's the resistance point? It could be Pride.

Could be a lack of Love which I've experienced a few times in my life. It could be simply a lack of faith. And we need to step back and say Lord. I want to trust you and in 2024. I want to step out and serve. It might be in some area of the church life that I would have thought about serving before the Lord. I'm Available. I want to be your person and I want to serve I want to step up or I'm needed and I want to walk in a manner worthy of the calling of Jesus Christ. Who would Rise Up from the floor? remove garments at a towel And wipe Dirty Feet, I want that same kind of heart to be true of me. Richard Halverson was a a chaplain for the US Senate and had a prayer that went like this. Let me close with this and I'll close in a prayer to wherever you go. God is sending you. Wherever you are. God has put you there. God has a purpose in your being Right Where You Are. Christ's wounds Wells you by the power of His Spirit wants to do something in and through you. Believe this and going Grace is love his power the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit and father if I can I piggyback on Richard Halverson sprayer. and a firm that you set a very high standard for being low. For doing that which is the most humble. And I don't know actually go there. Father would pray that we is your people in your church. We will continue to call you Lord teacher. And we would serve others like you taught us and showed us how to serve. And we love and would serve that your kingdom might expand in our own hearts that your rule and Reign would be free and clear and our hearts. But also on Mount Morris and throughout the world and we pray in Christ's name. Amen.