The Blessings of Serving
Notes
Transcript
Praise and Prayer
Praise and Prayer
John 13:6-17
Introduction
When you think of God’s blessings in your life, what do you think of? We typically think of the material blessings of the world, our homes, our cars, or our careers and we should think of those as blessings, after all, the bible says, every good and perfect gift comes from above.
When you become a Christian it doesn’t take long to realize the teachings of the Bible stand in stark contrast from the world.
Jesus flips the value system of the world upside down and shows us the things we think are important; Things like wealth, success, and prestige are not important to God at all. But rather virtues like faithfulness, humility, honor, respect, and reverence are things that matter to God.
That is what Jesus is teaching us in this passage. Remember, The disciples were arguing on the way to the Passover feast about who would be the greatest in the kingdom of God.
So, to teach them a lesson about what is truly important to God and what a true blessing in life is, the King of Kings and the Lord of the universe, gets up from the table, wraps Himself in a towel and takes on the duties of a servant.
Jesus began washing the feet of the disciples.
So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.”
Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.”
Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”
For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”
So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?
“You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.
“If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
“For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.
“If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
In our passage tonight we have what is famously known as the upper room discourse. This is an important time of teaching for Jesus that will cover the next several chapters in the gospel of John.
These teachings are so important because in 24 hours Jesus will be arrested and crucified.
Sometimes when we read through the gospels we become like the disciples. We get caught up in the miracles Jesus is performing and we miss out on the lessons He is teaching.
In this passage Jesus teaches us the blessings of serving. It is a blessing to God when we are a blessing to others.
This is a powerful principle taught throughout the Bible. For example,
Acts 20:35 ““In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ””
Proverbs 11:25 “The generous man will be prosperous, And he who waters will himself be watered.”
Luke 6:38 ““Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. “
This is the principle Jesus is teaching us in this passage, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
The first thing I want you to show you in this passage is Jesus and Peter Vs. 6-10
The picture we are given of Peter in the gospels is an example of someone who is always trying to take control of the situation.
He is always reacting without understanding, or speaking up without listening, and I am so glad he was that way. Because we learn so much from Peter and his interactions with Christ, and this is another one of those times.
A. What I want you to see here is; the requirement for serving the Lord. Notice what Jesus does here. It was critical for every person who claimed to be a follower and a servant of the Lord.
Look at Vs. 8 “Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.””
There is a deeper more spiritual meaning to what Jesus is doing here. A person has to be washed clean by Jesus before they can be a part of His ministry and His mission in the world.
Another way to say this is, people can serve the world, in many ways that are very beneficial and benevolent but without Christ they are not serving the Lord.
So there is a lesson here for us about salvation. It is crucial that we are first cleansed by Jesus. It is crucial our sins are forgiven and we are saved other wise our works in the world have no spiritual significance.
It can be confusing to some people. When we say, we don’t serve the Lord to be saved, we serve the Lord because we are saved. We do things for others because God has done so much for us.
B. Notice Peter misunderstood what Jesus was doing. Jesus came to Peter to wash his feet. In other words, He wanted to clean the dirt from the lowest part of his body.
And Peter objected, because he thought it was embarrassing for the Lord to wash his feet. But that’s because Peter only saw the physical act of Jesus serving him. He didn’t see the spiritual nature of it.
In the same way most people misunderstand and object to being washed by the blood of Jesus. They don’t see the need in having their sins forgiven. They don’t see a need to be saved.
They misunderstand the cross and the mission of Christ in the world. They don’t understand that He came to save us from condemnation and deliver us from hell and death.
They don’t understand He came to make us right with God for all eternity. They don’t understand that being acceptable to God is what makes us fit for service.
So, we see the washing of the disciples feet had a deeper more spiritual meaning. Peter didn’t understand what Jesus was doing but after the death and resurrection he understood. Today, there is no excuse for us not understanding.
For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.
But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,
He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
A person will not understand the things of God, have any part of Jesus, or be able to serve Him in any significant way, until they have recieved the gift of God, the forgiveness of their sin and the salvation of their souls.
Notice Vs. 9, “Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.””
When Peter learned he had to be washed by Jesus he wanted more of it. He wanted to be washed all over. In other words, he wanted to be cleansed from head to toe.
And that should be our response to Jesus as well. There shouldn’t be anything in our life that we want to keep dirty. Our language, our thoughts, our heart and our hands, everything we look at and touch should be offered to Christ to be cleansed. We should want to be clean from head to toe.
David would cry out in Psalm 51:2 “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin.”
Was that the way you felt when you first came to know the Lord? Did you want to be clean completely?
Notice the good news of Vs. 10, He teaches us that when you and I are washed by Jesus, we are cleansed thoroughly and permanently.
John 13:10 “Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.””
Peter didn’t need another bath, He had already been cleaned, and again this is an example of our salvation. Once you have been washed by the blood of Jesus you are cleaned thoroughly and permanently.
But notice what Peter did need; he needed his feet cleaned. Why? Because he had been walking through the dirt of the world. So, Jesus had to cleanse him from the dirt he picked up along the way.
Again this same thing is true in our life. That’s why we continue to confess our sin. We are forgiven the moment we are saved but as we go through this world we inevitably pick up the dirt that’s all around us.
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
So, what we learn from this dialogue between Jesus and Peter is a lesson in salvation. The requirement for serving the Lord is we must first be washed clean of our sin. Then and only then do we have a part of Jesus ministry and mission in the world.
The next thing I want you to see in this passage is Jesus and the Betrayer Vs. 11.
Judas was just another problem to add to the occasion. Jesus is on His way to the cross, facing separation from the Father for the first time in all eternity, trying to teach the disciples important lessons before He departs the world and He has a betrayer at the table. A disciple masking himself as a faithful follower when in reality he is a deceiver!!
Notice Vs. 11 “For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”
What we learn from Jesus and Judas in this passage is that our cleansing is not automatic. It doesn’t come by just associating yourself with Jesus. You are not born again by sitting in a church pew.
For example, Judas was one of twelve men that walked closer to the Lord than anyone in the world. He was a disciple who was sent out with the other disciples to serve the Lord, and as far as we know there was no openly public sin in his life. Yet, he never allowed himself to be thoroughly cleansed by Jesus.
In other words, He never surrendered his life and was saved. And his life teaches us just how important it is to make sure of our salvation.
Acts 22:16 “‘Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.’”
There is a deadly disease in the world and in the church. It’s a cancer of believing we have something when we don’t. The world has convinced itself that everyone is gong to heaven because we are all good people.
And the church convinces itself it has all of Jesus that it needs. Most Christians are satisfied just getting their foot in the doorway of salvation and they never fully commit their lives to Christ.
The words of Joshua 24:14-15 stand out to me because its a call to commitment.
“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
“If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Today we need to choose who we are commited to serve, the world and all of its idols, that are fading away, or the Lord, the God of heaven who lasts forever!!
What we learn from Judas in this story is tragic. We are not clean by association but we need to make sure of our commitment to Christ!!
The Final thing I want to show you in this passage is Jesus and the Explanation Vs. 12-17
Here Jesus teaches His disciple and us today, that what He has done is an example for us to follow. But, the example is greater than just washing one another’s feet. It’s about living a life of service, and being a blessing to God by being a blessing to others!!
Notice Jesus begins by asking a question, Vs. 12, “Do you know what I have done to you?” Then He demands two things from those who follow Him.
He demands we serve Him as Master and Lord. Notice Vs. 13, “You call Me Master and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.
Jesus claims Himself to be the Master and Lord. What this means is a servant of Christ is not just someone who follows Jesus and professes faith. But someone who has given their life to serving Him. He is our Master and Lord!!
In other words, we are no longer people seeking positions of power and recognition from the world, but we have laid the world aside to seek the glory of God. WE are serving Him in a way that is a Master slave relationship!!
Col. 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,
knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
Our relationship with Christ has to be based on something more than going to church on Sunday morning. It should have an impact on the way we live. It should impact our relationships with our family, neighbors and friends. It should impact the way we work and do our job. If I am a follower of Christ than Christ exudes for every pore of my body. Everything I do is seasoned by Jesus Christ.
2. He demands we serve other believers.
Notice Vs. 14, “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
In other words, serving Christ is about helping others serve Christ. It is about Leading others to be washed and cleansed from the dirt of the world. It’s about Leading others to a deeper commitment to God.
Notice as His servants we are to serve others in the same way Jesus served us.
Look at Vs 15, “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.
It is easy for us as believers to think of serving the Lord and giving our life to Him. After all He is worthy, He is the Lord we should serve Him.
What is difficult for us, is to think of serving each other this way. Let me ask you this, is there someone’s feet in the church you would not be willing to wash? Is there anyone here you refuse to accept or care for?
Remember Jesus washed the feet of Judas!! Judas was not treated any different even though Jesus knew he was a deceiver. That is a lesson for us in spiritual maturity. 1 John 3:14 “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren.”
A sacrificial love for your brothers and sisters in the church is one of the most reliable signs of our salvation. (You can be a believer and not go to church)
Notice Vs. 16, “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.
As believers we are to serve one another because we are not above Jesus. Jesus is greater than all, yet serving others is not beneath Him. He is greater than we are in every way, yet He was the ultimate servant. He gave His life to save the world!!
The Final lesson we learn her is that serving the Lord results in great joy!!
Notice Vs. 17 “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”
The Greek verb tense in this verse is continuous. In other words, this could say, “Happy are you if you keep doing this.” Happy is what you will be if you keep serving the way I am telling you to serve.
And again what we learn here is it is not enough to know the truth we have to do the truth and keep on doing the truth. And when we do we are promised blessings!!
John 15:11 ““These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”
It is for our good that we do what Jesus says!!
Conclusion
The lesson of Jesus for the disciples is a lesson that is true for us today. The blessings of God are on those who surrender their life to service.
Now that does not mean the people who are not as commited to serving God are not blessed. The blessings of Christ flow out to the world. Every man, woman, and child experience God’s general grace in this world.
But what this means is the greatest blessings of all, come to those who are a blessing to others. Those who serve the Lord the way the Lord served us!!
