The Simplicity of Christ
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Introduction
Introduction
2 Corinthians 11:3–4 (NKJV)
3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!
Jesus doesn’t just get us …
I. He Lavishes Love on Us (vv. 1-2)
I. He Lavishes Love on Us (vv. 1-2)
A. “Love” according to He Gets Us
According to He Gets Us, the love Jesus demonstrated was simply seen through His acts of “selflessness and kindness.” But even in the dark world around us, don’t we see many other examples of selflessness and kindness?
So why should we care about the love of Jesus?
If Jesus is simply another man who showed “selflessness and kindness,” we shouldn’t. But if Jesus is the Son of God, then His demonstration of love is unparalleled in all of history, because it is the undeserved love of the all-powerful Creator toward His sinful creation.
B. Understanding the situation
Knowing His hour had come — Jesus was not confused. He was not tricked. He knew from the beginning, from the moment He breathed the universe into existence, that He would be sent to die for His creation.
Here Jesus sits surrounded by His disciples. Are they His disciples whom He has chosen? No doubt about it! Are they His disciples whom He loves? Absolutely! Yet, these disciples are but a fraction of sinful humanity, of His image-bearers, whom He will die for. Here Jesus sits surrounded by sinners.
Here Jesus sits in the presence of one who will betray Him. Here Jesus sits in the presence of a man whom He has loved, cared for, fed, counseled, discipled. Here Jesus sits in the presence of a man who walked with Him, witnessed His miracles, heard the most powerful sermons ever preached, and experienced perfect love. Here Jesus sits in the presence of Judas Iscariot.
Here Jesus sits, just a few short hours away from more pain, and suffering, and anguish than you or I could possibly imagine. Here Jesus sits among just a portion of the very people who sent Him to the cross. Here Jesus sits, and He loves them to the end.
C. Love according to the Bible
All of Jesus’ earthly ministry lead to His death on the cross and ultimate resurrection
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Total forgiveness, for all your sin, forever.
God made Jesus sin — He treated Jesus as if He had committed every sin by every person who would ever live though in fact He had committed none of them. In other words, God is treating Jesus as though He lived my life.
So that we might become the righteousness of God in Him — That if we accept this freely given gift, under the blood of Jesus Christ, God treats me as if I had lived Jesus’ life. In other words, by His grace I am justified — just as if I’d never sinned.
24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Jesus stands in eternity as the perfect substitutionary sacrifice. And for those who confess Christ as Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead, under the precious blood of Jesus, when God looks at the cross, He sees you. When God looks at you, He sees Jesus. That’s the gospel. That is the lavishing of God’s incredible love on sinful humanity.
Jesus doesn’t just get us …
II. He Totally Transcends Us (vv. 3-4)
II. He Totally Transcends Us (vv. 3-4)
A. “Jesus” according to He Gets Us
If you knew nothing about this campaign, who would you think they are talking about? This statement could be speaking about many historical individuals (e.g., Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., Buddha, and if it didn’t say man, Mother Teresa).
He Gets Us focuses on the humanity of Jesus. But His humanity is meaningless if He is not also the incarnation of God in the flesh. If Jesus wasn’t God, who cares if He gets humanity? Every other person in the world understands what it means to be human.
But if Jesus is God, His humanity takes on a different meaning, because it means the God of the universe experienced humanity just as we do.
B. Jesus according to the Bible
Jesus is the One and Only
Jesus is not just some great moral example that we should model our lives after.
His is a good moral example, but why should that matter to us?
If Jesus is simply a man, it shouldn’t. But He is a good example — the ultimate example — because He is the Son of God. That’s why His example matters.
The Father had given all things into His hands — everything in this world is under the authority of Jesus Christ.
Jesus breathed into existence the very world we inhabit:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
Jesus possess unrivaled authority:
51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. 53 “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
Jesus humbled Himself to the lowly state of humanity:
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus does not merely get our humanity, He transcends it entirely:
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
And what does this transcendent God do? Demonstrate His full power? Demand allegiance? Show His glory? No.
C. He girded Himself with a towel and began to wash the disciples’ feet. He humbles Himself to the position of a servant.
Jesus doesn’t just get us …
III. He Facilitates Fellowship With Us (vv. 5-8)
III. He Facilitates Fellowship With Us (vv. 5-8)
A. Setting the stage:
“Foot washing” is a foreign concept to us. In the ancient world people traveled everywhere by foot, with either no shoes or sandals. You can only imagine the state of some people’s feet when they entered a house. Typically, a slave would perform this task, but Jesus takes it upon Himself.
B. What “foot washing” demonstrates according to He Gets Us
It is simply an act of service, an act of humility, a shedding of any rank or hierarchy
C. What foot washing represents according to the Bible
The transcendent God of the universe begins washing the disciples’ feet.
Can you just imagine what was going through His mind?
Andrew, what did you step in?!
Bartholomew, do you ever cut your toenails?!
Simon, what is wrong with your toes?!
That’s what some of you would think! I imagine Jesus’ thoughts like this:
Andrew, if you only knew where these feet will take you. If only you could see how far you will journey to spread My gospel.
Bartholomew, if only you knew that these feet will take you to see countries and peoples you never imagined. How beautiful are your feet which will bring the Good News!
Simon, if only you knew that on these feet you will stand, refusing to kneel to any other god but Me.
Jesus gets to Peter’s feet and what does he say?
You’re going to wash my feet?
Every word here is emphatic. It’s like if we read Peter’s words in all italics.
I imagine Peter watching Jesus wash the feet of the other disciples when he recalls a question Jesus asked Him:
Matthew 16:13–16 (NASB95)
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
It’s as if Peter is saying, “You, the Son of the living God, are going to wash my feet, the feet of a sinner?! Absolutely not!”
Jesus says, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
Peter, who cast out demons in the name of Jesus, still needed his feet washed.
Peter, who walked on water in act of incredible faith, still needed his feet washed.
Peter, who saw Jesus transfigured in His glory, still needed his feet washed.
Jesus’ example of foot washing was absolutely a powerful example of service and humility, but it is far deeper than that. It demonstrates Jesus has no fellowship, no deep connection, with those who have not been cleansed by Him.
How is Peter, and how are we, washed by Jesus?
By the Word
9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
3 “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
D. In essence, Jesus is not just telling a parable, He is living it out before the disciples’ very eyes.
Jesus rose from supper, a place of rest and comfort — Jesus rose from His throne in heaven, a place of rest and comfort.
Jesus laid aside His garments, taking off His covering — Jesus laid aside His glory, taking off His heavenly covering.
Jesus took a towel and girded Himself — Jesus took the form of a servant.
Jesus poured water into a basin to clean — Jesus poured out His blood to cleanse us from the guilt and penalty of sin.
Jesus sat down again after washing their feet — Jesus sat down at the right hand of God the Father after cleansing us.
Taken from David Guzik’s Study Guide for John 13.
But how are we able to be cleansed by Jesus?
Jesus doesn’t just get us …
IV. He Perfectly Purifies Us (vv. 9-11)
IV. He Perfectly Purifies Us (vv. 9-11)
A. The heart of a genuine Christian is evidenced by the desire for regeneration
Peter, upon hearing this, tells Jesus to wash every part of him. Clean it all, Lord!
Jesus tells him, “You are already clean.”
In the example Jesus gives, the word bathe is in the perfect tense in the Greek. It means something that has been completed once and for all.
Yes, the act of washing the disciples feet demonstrates service and humility, but it represents a far deeper spiritual reality. Jesus is telling the disciples that by placing their faith in Him, by surrendering to Him, by repenting of their sins against Him, they have been perfectly purified in His sight. They have fellowship with Him and are recognized by God as His children.
By submitting to Jesus as Lord and Savior, we have been purified once and for all:
26 He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven. 27 Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins.
Yet, we must continue to be washed by Him. Just as in those days a person was cleaned when they took a bath, their feet would continue to get dirty. In our journey through this life, we are purified by the blood of Jesus Christ and treated as sons and daughters of the Most High; yet, every Christian continues to be stained by sin while here in this world.
So what are we to do?
Acknowledge our sins, confess them before Jesus, and accept the service that He offers to us through the regenerating work of His Holy Spirit:
6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
B. You are clean, but not all of you
Jesus, seeing their hearts, declares them all clean, except one.
This is how we know the foot washing is much more than a physical act. Just like the others, Jesus washed Judas’ feet as well. His physical feet were clean, but his spiritual feet were stained with sin, because he has no personal walk with Jesus.
Was Judas never a Christian, or did Judas lose his salvation?
I think Judas was at one point a Christian, but Judas forfeited his salvation.
Christian, rest assured, you cannot lose your salvation like you might lose your car keys. You won’t wake up one morning to just find it missing.
6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Judas did not lose his salvation, he forfeited it.
We know this because of the parable of the sower in Matthew 13.
The Farmer is Jesus
The seed is the Gospel message
Birds — those who hear the Word and refuse to accept it
Rocks — those who accept the Word and then forfeit it when they face struggles
Weeds — those who accept the Word and then forfeit it for the treasures of this world
Good soil — those who hear the Word, understand it, and bring forth fruit in their lives
But didn’t Judas walk with Jesus?
Judas was now going through all the motions. If he was a modern day Christian he would have:
Went to church
Learned the Bible
Surrounded himself with godly people
Some of you are like this. You go through all the motions. You say all the right things. You check all the right boxes. But you have no relationship with Christ and therefore you are not clean.
My job is not to judge you. That’s God’s business. Only you know where you stand with Him. My job is simply to ask:
Where are you in your walk with Christ? Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you committed your life to Him? Or are you faking it like Judas?
Jesus doesn’t just get us …
V. He Teaches and Transforms Us (vv. 12-17)
V. He Teaches and Transforms Us (vv. 12-17)
A. Do as I say, and as I do
Through a beautiful example of humble service, Jesus dug deeper to the heart of the matter.
If Jesus, our Savior and our King, humbled Himself to the point of death, even death on a cross, that He might cleanse us of all unrighteousness, then we also are called to humbly “wash the feet” of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
All throughout the Gospels we see the disciples constantly plagued with a question of which of them is the greatest? Which of them will sit next to Jesus? Jesus gently tells them, each of you must daily be cleansed by me. In the same way, Jesus says, seek the restoration and spiritual well-being of your brothers and sisters in Christ.
B. Transforming work
By humbly submitting ourselves daily to the cleansing work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus transforms us.
The message of Jesus is this: Come to Me! Come in your filth! Come in your fear! Come in your sin! You can come no matter your condition. But here is the kicker: once you have encountered Jesus, you can never be the same. You either encounter Jesus and reject His freely given blood, because you want to live your life your way. Or you encounter Jesus, you fall down into His loving arms, you throw your sin at His feet, and He creates in you a clean heart.
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Then, for those of you who have been changed by the life-saving work of Jesus Christ, your life becomes a living testimony to those around you. You have been transformed by the King. You have been purified by His blood. You walk in fellowship with Him. And you bask in the love He lavishes upon you. And when you realize just how much He loves you, you in turn learn to deeply love those around you, both those who know Christ and those who don’t.
16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Conclusion
Conclusion
