Like Christ (7)

In Service

Introduction

FCF: True service involves Humbleness, Holiness and Helpfulness which will result in Happiness

Read v.15-17

There is absolutely no way one could read this portion of scripture and not see what Christ is portraying.

Christ gives us one of the most vivid examples of humble service.

He even tells His disciples and us exactly what he ment by this in vs. 15-17.

The past two Saturday’s, I did not see one person looking for praise or a pat on the back.

I did not see one person stand out from everyone else. You know what I saw, I saw a group of believer unified with one goal in mind.

To serve others.

Im glad I dont have to stand up here this morning and preach this message with rebuke in mind.

I can stand up here this morning and preach this message with joy because this message can be used to encourage and edify by building on what we already have.

We still have a lot to learn and from these selection of verses I believe we can become even more like Christ in our service towards others.

So lets take few min. and lets learn from the example of Christ about serving others.

I. The Motive to Serve (v.1–3)

a. The End is approaching

Jesus knew “His hour had come.” This wasn’t a surprise to Him—He was fully aware that the cross was just ahead.

And yet… He chose to serve.

Most of us, when pressure increases, turn inward. We focus on ourselves, our problems, our stress.

But Jesus, knowing the greatest suffering of His life was hours away, turned outward.

— “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh…” John 9:4

— “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:16

— “Now it is high time to awake out of sleep…” Romans 13:11

Preaching thought: Jesus lived with urgency—and so should we. Time is not something we spend; it’s something we’re accountable for.

But Jesus shows us—the time to serve is now.

a. The End is approaching

b. The Endearment towards others

John 13:35 “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

— “Greater love hath no man than this…” John 15:13

Galatians 5:13 “…but by love serve one another.”

Preaching thought: We don’t generate love—we reflect it. The love we show others is a response to the love we’ve received.

Having loved His own

We have a responsibility to show kindness and the love of God to all those that would believe

We to need to show others the same kind of love.

“Having loved His own… He loved them unto the end.”

“Unto the end” means to the uttermost—completely, fully, without holding back.

Thank God, He loved me from the guttermost to the uttermost!

And think about who He was loving:

Peter, who would deny Him

Thomas, who would doubt Him

Judas, who would betray Him

Yet He loved them anyway.

That kind of love is not natural—it’s supernatural.

Truth: We don’t serve people because they deserve it—we serve them because of the love of Christ.

a. The End is approaching

b. The Endearment towards others

c. The Enemy is at the gate v.2

Preaching thought: Serving others is not just kindness—it’s spiritual warfare.

The devil having now put…

Friends the devil is at the gate, hes walking around seeking whom he may devour.

We are in the last days, if there is ever a day that we need to urge the lost to come to Christ, its today.

— “Your adversary the devil… walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

— “We wrestle not against flesh and blood…” Ephesians 6:12

— “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us…” 2 Corinthians 2:11

“The devil having now put into the heart of Judas…”

The enemy would love nothing more than:

For us to become distracted

For us to become discouraged

For us to become divided

Because if he can stop our service, he can weaken our witness.

And time is short and there are people who still need to come to Christ.

II. The Model of Service (v.4–5)

a. Service is Intentional

“He riseth from supper…”

Jesus didn’t stumble into service—He chose it.

Nobody asked Him.

Nobody assigned Him.

He saw the need—and He acted.

Truth: If we wait to be asked, many needs will go unmet.

Servants don’t wait for opportunity—they look for it.

— “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men…” Galatians 6:10

— “To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not…” James 4:17

Preaching thought: Seeing a need creates responsibility. What needs are you missing because you are not being intentional in service

a. Service is Intentional

b. Service is Selfless

“He laid aside His garments… took a towel…”

This is humility in action.

Jesus:

Laid aside His position

Took on the role of the lowest servant

and washed feet.

Foot washing was not a noble task—it was a dirty one.

— “Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor…” 2 Corinthians 8:9

But Jesus wasn’t concerned about His image—He was concerned about their need.

Truth: You cannot serve and protect your pride at the same time.

At some point, service will cost you:

But that’s where Christ is most clearly seen because — “The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister…” Mark 10:45

Preaching thought: Jesus didn’t lose anything by serving—He revealed everything about who He is.

a. Service is Intentional

b. Service is Selfless

c. Service is Visible

“He began to wash the disciples’ feet…”

Im not talking about the servant being visible, Im talking about the service performed.

This was a real, tangible act.

Not just words. Not just intentions.

Sometimes we say:

“if you need anything let me know”

But service often goes further:

Helping

Giving

Showing up

And while not everyone will see it—God does.

Truth: The value of service is not in who notices—but in who it reflects.

— “Let your light so shine before men…” Matthew 5:16

— Hebrews 6:10 “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”

— Colossians 3:23–24 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;…

Preaching thought: Even when people don’t see it, heaven records it.

III. The Meekness in Service

(v.6–11)

John:

- Possiblly the first one served.

The disciple Jesus loved.

Easy to serve those that love you back

I can just picture John….

Thaddeus :

- Unseen, quiet.

Easy to serve becasue they are just thankful they get to be in that number

Matthew:

- tax collector,

knew what he was,

knew he was hated by his own people

(Humble probably tried to tell Jesus he was unworthy but gave in) Matthews are easy to serve because they will want to serve you back

Thomas:

The doubter.

A little more difficult to serve but still not a problem

Peter:

The loud mouth

The prideful one

Now these begin to test your service

Paul says: Romans 12:10 “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;”

Then there is…

Judas:

Its easy to serve those that love you and those that will serve you back, but what about those that hate you.

Those that want to see your demise

That is when service is really put to the test.

Matthew 5:44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”

All different, some easier then others to serve, but serving is not always easy.

Preaching thought: The true test of a servant is not how they treat friends—but how they treat difficult people.

IV. The Mandate to Serve

vs.12-15

After washing their feet, Jesus makes it clear:

“Ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.”

This is not symbolic language—it’s a clear command.

He’s saying:

“What I just did—now you do.”

Not occasionally. Not when it’s easy.

But as a way of life.

Truth: Service is not an optional part of Christianity—it is essential.

Christ gave a pattern to follow

— “He that is greatest… let him be as the younger… I am among you as he that serveth.” Luke 22:26-27

Preaching thought: Obedience is the evidence that we truly understand Christ.

Truth: We are not called to admire His humility—we are commanded to apply it.

V. The Mindset of a Servant (v.16)

No one is above serving

“The servant is not greater than his lord…”

If Jesus, the Son of God:

Stooped down

Took a towel

Washed feet

Then nothing should be “beneath” us.

Pride says:

“That’s not my job”

“Someone else can do that”

But a servant says:

“If there’s a need, I’ll meet it.”

Truth: The moment we think we’re above serving is the moment we’ve forgotten who we follow.

Philippians 2:3–8 “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves… Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:…

— “Not to think of himself more highly than he ought…” Romans 12:3

— “Pride goeth before destruction…” Proverbs 16:18

VI. The Manna for a Servant

a. The promise of blessing Jesus promises happiness—but not the world’s version.

This is joy rooted in obedience. — “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

— “Blessed is the man…” Psalm 1:1-3

b. The principle of doing

“Happy are ye… if ye do them.”

Not if you:

Understand it

Agree with it

Talk about it

But if you do it.

Truth: Spiritual growth happens through obedience, not just knowledge.

c. The picture of daily provision

Like manna in Exodus:

It had to be gathered daily

It couldn’t be stored up

In the same way:

Service is daily

Obedience is daily

And as we walk in that obedience—God provides:

Strength

Joy

Purpose

God feeds those who walk in daily obedience

Truth: The deepest joy in the Christian life is found in serving, not being served.

Conclusion

As we come to a close this morning, we’ve seen the heart of our Savior on full display - not demanding to be served, but choosing to serve.

Jesus didn’t just teach humility or speak about love—He lived it.

And He didn’t just stoop down to wash feet—He was lifted up on an old rugged cross

You see, the greatest act of service was not in that upper room… it was on Calvary.

The same Savior who stooped low in service went even lower in sacrifice—so that sinners like you and me could be saved.

Because the same hands that washed the disciples’ feet were the hands that were nailed to a cross.

And here’s the truth we cannot ignore:

Before we can serve like Christ, we must first be saved by Christ.

You can admire His humility…

You can be moved by His example…

You can even try to imitate His service…

But if you’ve never come to Him by faith, if you’ve never trusted Him as your personal Savior—then you’re missing the greatest need of your life.

The question this morning is not: “Are you serving?” The question is: “Do you know Him?”

Because service doesn’t save you—Jesus does.

The Bible makes it clear:

We are sinners, separated from God. There’s nothing we can do to earn our way to heaven. But Jesus Christ came, lived a perfect life, died in our place, and rose again—so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

And just like He knelt before His disciples, today He is reaching out to you.

Not to wash your feet—but to cleanse your soul.

So I ask you: Have you ever come to Him? Have you ever repented of your sin and trusted Him alone for salvation?

If not—why wait?

The same urgency we talked about is real. The time is now. The opportunity is now.

You may not have another moment like this.

Today, you can be saved.

And for those of us who do know Him— Let’s not leave here unchanged.

Let’s pick up the towel. Let’s live with urgency. Let’s love without limits. Let’s serve—just like He did.

Because one day, we’ll stand before Him.

And oh, what a day it will be to hear: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

But it starts today.

Will you come?