Sermon Tone Analysis

I. Introduction

- Scripture

a. Scripture:

And as always, I’m going to ask you to stand with me, if you are able, as we read from God’s Holy, Perfect, Sufficient and inerrant Word.

<Pray.>

John 13:1

Thank you and you may be seated.

<Pray>

Thank you, and you may be seated.

II.

Contextualization

II.

Contextualization

III.

Major Points

a. Jesus knows it is His time (12:20-23)

1.

continued...

John 12:

b.He has been in Jerusalem for Passover, He is still there (13:1)

C.

So we find Jesus still there from Passover, and it is now time for the Passover meal…leading to what we now know as the Lord’s Supper.

Remember: Passover goes back to Exodus…when the final of the ten plagues of Egypt came and the death angel “passed over” all homes with the blood of the lamb on the door post.

This was a special time to the Jews.

2.

III.

Major Points

The Foundations Were Laid

3.

The Dirt Represents Sin

IV.

Point #1:

We Must Have a Right View of Ourselves

A. Explanation

IV.

Point #1: The Foundations Were Laid

B. Illustration

C. Application

Explanation

Jesus knows His time is near, He loves until the end (v. 1)

The Devil lays his own foundations…happens at the moment of the supper (v. 2)

Jesus knew that the Father had put him in complete charge of everything, that he came from God and was on his way back to God.

God lays foundations...Jesus knew that the Father had put him in complete charge of everything, that he came from God and was on his way back to God. (v.

3)....God has been laying foundations from the very beginning.

What enabled Him to

Jesus gets ready to assume the role of a servant…(v.s

4)...

Jesus IS Almighty God....what enabled Him to do this act of service?

In the ancient world, slaves did this kind of job…Jesus appearance…His approach....His attitude…all that of a servant or slave

Looking back at vs. 3, Jesus knew who He was, where He had come from and where He was going....

Illustration

V. Point #2:

Jesus made Himself like a slave…slaves are the most inefficient form of labor ever devised by man.

Slaves only work because they are forced to.

They have no motivation to do good work or to go beyond the minimum other than the threat of bodily harm.

If a leader wants to have a far-reaching influence, he must make his followers feel powerful and able to accomplish things on their own.

So slavery is really a bad situation…a painful situation.

Yet in this situation, Jesus seems to have CHOSEN to be like a slave....a servant to HIS servants....why?

A. Explanation

Application

He was displaying humility…Vs.

3 shows us that Jesus was keenly aware of who HE was…it says He knew who HE was, WHERE he had come from, WHY He had come and where He was headed....Church: humility results when we have a balanced understanding of Who WE are.

Jesus knew who He was…and He knew lowering Himself as a servant was what was necessary for us to be saved from sin, AND to show us how to serve others and serve God..

If Jesus, Lord and Teacher, washes our feet, how much more should we wash one another’s feet

As vs. 14 says, if Jesus the Lord and teacher washes our feet....if HE shows humility, why shouldn’t WE?

Why shouldn’t WE serve others?

Why shouldn’t WE serve the Lord....it may make us uncomfortable to lower ourselves and do what is hard....and do what we are uncomfortable with some times…but if Jesus can do it and show us how, who are WE to ignore it?

The foundations were laid....and part of that was Jesus making Himself like a slave for us....that we might know what service is.

The Most important thing: Church, God has laid the foundations for what will happen in ALL our lives....despite what the devil may do....and remember he laid foundations in Judas’s heart....despite all of that: God works through that.

He works through OUR free will and even Satan’s to accomplish His Will.

So no matter what YOU are going through....God is in control.

B. Illustration

V. Point #2: The Dirt Represents Sin

Explanation

C. Application

So Jesus prepares to wash the disciples’ feet…and the very towel He is using is the same one He uses as covering for Himself…(v.

5)

And then Peter sees what is about to happen and He is righteously DISGUSTED!

Jesus!

What are you doing?

(v.

6)…and Jesus responds “Peter calm down....I’m trying to teach you a lesson…you won’t get it now, but it’ll make sense later....jesus is suggesting that there is a bigger picture here....a larger lesson to be learned.

(v.

6-7)

And Peter is in utter disbelief....”You can’t wash my feet…come on!

YOU’RE the teacher!” Jesus says: No…you MUST be cleansed by me to be with me.

(v.

8) - much like we have to be cleansed from our sin by Him in order to be with Him in eternity as well…to be with Him as part of His Kingdom…This is the lesson He wanted to show them later from v. 7.

Then Peter realizes what Jesus is trying to tell Him…and He goes in the complete other direction and says “Oh! Well in THAT case Jesus, wash ALL of me! Wash my hands and head!

(v.

9)

Then Jesus does something remarkable here…he uses this situation where Peter is overreacting in order to point out to Judas that He actually KNEW that He was the one who was going to betray Him (v.

10-11)

And through this process, the dirt will be cleansed from their feet, the same way sin will be cleansed from their souls....the same way OUR sin is cleansed from our souls by Jesus.

VI.

Point #3:

b.

Illustration

b.

Illustration

Illustration

My Great Grandmother Mary Beth was a remarkable woman.

She lived to be 98 years old and her funeral was the first one I ever preached.

She told me that her daddy, my Great Great Grandfather Thomas Woodcock, owned a lumber mill over in Hopeulikeit.

As a teenager she would work there when he was shorthanded.

She would talk about how, in the early mornings, streams of horizontal sunlight would expose the huge amounts of fine, otherwise invisible, sawdust floating in the air.

It made her wonder why everybody didn't all cough and sneeze more often.

But as fine as that dust was, by the end of each week there would be an inch or more of it on all the equipment.