The Possession of Purpose
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Every week my wife and I engage in the same argument that, over the course of almost five years of marriage, seems will be lingering for the rest of our life.
Argument is a strong word to use, but it has gotten there at some points.
One of our favorite moments in the week is when Anne Collins goes down at 7pm and we have a moment to sit down, take a breath, catch up on each others day, and then start a movie.
For those of you in the room who have taken us to dinner and spent time with us in the evenings, there is a reason we eat at 5:30pm- because 7 is coming!
Now this sounds like its all good, right? We love each other. We love living life with each other. There is no one on earth I could imagine doing life with other than Caroline.
The closer we grow the more I learn about her.
But there is one thing I learned early in our marriage that I just couldn’t get past…
Caroline does not like watching new movies.
In fact, it ruins her evening
So what is the argument that still circles around to this day?
What movie are we going to watch tonight.
And let me confess, in the beginning of our marriage this was not good.
Because every movie that was suggested fell in her “I only watch these 8 movies” category…
And every one of them were filled with unashamedly romantic narratives that would make every man roll their eyes in the room.
I have learned a major lesson over these five years…
The first is that for a marriage to be healthy in the eyes of Jesus, we must live to out-serve one another.
When you live to out serve each other, not only is your marriage transformed, but so are you.
The hills you used to die on are not that important anymore… Why?
Because you want to see your spouse be content, happy, and satisfied.
So here I am, standing before you today. A changed man.
Hi, my name is Seth King and I am obsessed with watching RomComs!
From When Harry Met Sally to Princess Diaries, I have laid my pride, what some of you might call a man card, aside and have embraced this new way of life- nightly romcoms with my beautiful bride…
All jokes aside, sometimes our pride has to take a hit in order for us to accomplish what we really want to see happen…
That is when we begin to uncover our purpose in life…
Picking up our purpose requires laying aside our pride.
Picking up our purpose requires laying aside our pride.
But don’t we tend grip our pride tighter than anything else?
16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
This idea that we boast in our possessions, status, and self-sufficiency is a worldly posture.
In a culture that says,
“You do you. You live your truth.”
“I have to put myself first.”
“I don’t owe anybody anything.”
“If you want it done right, do it yourself.”
“Never let anyone tell you what to do.”
What we will find is that these offered mindsets lead to destructive self-serving actions that result in a continual loss and pursuit of purpose and identity.
You will quickly find out that we were not created to isolate ourselves and do what we want with our lives- to climb the ladders of success and build our own kingdoms.
This leads to more sorrow, more frustration, and more destruction.
The Apostle Paul acknowledges this when he wrote…
5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,
An awareness of the proverb-
18 Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Instead, Jesus offers us a way of life that is not only righteous in His sight, but was the intended way for us to live.
This way of life redeems, restores, and brings peace. But we have to let go of our pride…
Picking up your purpose requires laying aside your pride.
Picking up your purpose requires laying aside your pride.
Before reading our passage in John 13, turn your attention to the screen as we see this passage played out from one of our favorite TV series called, “The Chosen.”
1 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. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” 8 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.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
Like we discussed last week, the Passover is a yearly celebration that functions as a week to remember the work God did for the nation of Israel when rescued from the Egyptians during their great Exodus.
The disciples, assuming they were going to celebrate passover as they always had…
A sacrifice at the temple with a lamb without blemish,
And a table full of food and wine with family and friends,
were actually about to witness Jesus’ body be broken and His blood poured out as a sacrifice for all mankind- now serving as the lamb of God.
Jesus always has a way of teaching that has captivated the world.
It seems, even though He has the weight of the world on His shoulders, He uses moments with illustrations to function as core milestones for His followers.
Here, Jesus presents us with a picture of what pure love and service looks like…
Servant leadership is a type of leadership based upon the life and teachings of Jesus.
It isn’t a leadership that leads front the top or the front…
It is a type of leadership that serves from the back or leads from the bottom.
Here, Jesus shows us what this type of leadership looks like…
Remember who is at the table...
His disciples… including the one who will betray Him, Judas, from last week.
Jesus knows that his time is coming.
The day is near where He will be arrested, tortured, and killed.
So what is His inclination? to take the moment captive by investing in whom He loves.
To teach what it means to live out the purpose God intended for His people to live for.
"Let us be servants in all things, and then we shall be leaders indeed. He who would be great must be the servant of all." (Charles Spurgeon)
Jesus’ new kingdom is an upside down kingdom.
To be rich you must be poor…
To gain life, you must die to yourself…
To treat your enemies right you must love them…
To be first, you must be last.
But no one wants to be last. When we are last, when we are at the bottom, when we are not standing on the podium of our jobs, our community, our teams, and lives, there is something that takes a hit…
Our pride.
Pride is an interesting word in our culture.
Growing up on competitive teams, we were taught to embrace our pride!
In fact, we were often punished for not having enough pride!
But the scriptures are clear about pride.
18 Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
The way scripture talks about pride is defined like this….
Pride: an attitude of self-exaltation, arrogance, or independence from God. It puts self above others and above God, leading to boasting, selfishness, and a refusal to submit to God’s authority.
So is there a type of pride that is acceptable in the eyes of God?
Sure! The opposite per say-
God-honoring pride: God-centered joy or satisfaction, humble gratitude that always gives all glory to God.
So here is our road map for identifying and living according to the purpose God has for our lives…
In all things, are we keeping God at the center and attributing all glory, not to ourselves, but to God?
If we are, we will have two regular rhythms in our life..
If God is at the center of our lives, we will seek to follow His teachings.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
We learn God’s design and purpose for our lives by trusting in His ways/design for our lives.
Jesus is often called the “living word” in the Bible.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The greek word for “word” in this passage is “logos” which means “reason” or “account, computation”
In other words, Jesus’ life and teachings are the reason and remedy for all things!
2. A life dependent upon the Holy Spirit.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
So what is Jesus defining as our purpose in this passage? To serve. What keeps us from serving? Pride.
Picking up your purpose requires laying aside your pride.
Picking up your purpose requires laying aside your pride.
Look at verse 4 with me in our passage again…
4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
Jesus lays aside His garment and picks up a towel…
What a moment of teaching here by the master teacher Himself.
The garment or cloak during this time represented the individuals status and authority while also playing an extremely functional role of warmth and protection.
Here Jesus is, laying aside His status as rabbi, master, influencer, and comfort..
And He then takes the towel around His waist, the attire of a household servant, kneels down with the basin of water, and begins to SERVE from the lowly position…
Picking up your purpose requires laying aside your pride.
Picking up your purpose requires laying aside your pride.
Jesus has now just painted the greatest picture of our life’s purpose on earth.
Service.
And it takes them by surprise.
Even sop much that Peter can;’t help but to reject the notion that their “King” would take this position before men!
But look at Jesus’ response…
8 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.”
Is Jesus saying that if Peter’s feet aren’t washed then He can’t follow Jesus?
Does this mean that if our feet aren’t washed we can’t follow Jesus?
This would be problematic for some of us in the room this morning…
He is… but it means more than our physical feet.
Jesus is metaphorically referring to the fact that we must be continually cleansed as we seek to follow Jesus…
Hygiene back then was a bit different back then.
Although they would take a bath, whether it be in rivers, pools, or bath houses, they would still have to walk home where just their feet needed to be cleaned…
This was the role of the lowest ranking person in the household… (The servant, youngest family member, host, or peer traveler).
*I would NEVER visit my friends if this were the case!
The one who was at the bottom of the podium… the last pick. The least of these…
So what Jesus is essentially teaching is this…
You have been cleansed all over based on your faith. Your faith has made you clean and pure…
But in this world, as you walk through life, and as sin remains your constant battle until the day it is ultimately defeated, you will need to regularly be cleansed…
Once this clicks in Peter’s mind, Peter is like, “Give me all of it!”
9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean…
Our truth today may be…
Picking up your purpose requires laying aside your pride.
Picking up your purpose requires laying aside your pride.
But maybe some of us in the room today are too ashamed to pick up our purpose out of an embarrassment for how dirty we are…
“How could I ever fulfill God’s call on my life…”
“My reputation can’t be restored…”
“People have seen me at my worst!”
Let’s think about this for a second…
Maybe your embarrassment is a product of your pride…
Lay it aside… If you have been saved by your faith in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, then trust that His sacrifice was
This morning, Jesus is offering a new life for us as believers…
A life of service that does more than just transforms the world… it transforms YOU.
This is how God will use you and me to redeem the world of what is broken.
This is how God works through us to reach people, to experience the life in a posture of dependency upon Him- to lean into God as our creator, sustainer, and provider of all things…
To bring people back to Him to experience what true life is together…
Paul says,
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
So this morning…
Pick up your purpose. Lay your pride aside.
Pick up your purpose. Lay your pride aside.
Seek to serve.
Why?
Because following that night, later in that week…
Christ served us by giving His life.
45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
We love because He loved us first.
We serve because He served us first.
We pick up our purpose to serve Him first…
Because His purpose on earth was not just to serve us… but to save us.
*Pray
