The Humility of the King
Notes
Transcript
We are in the 13th Chapter of Johns Gospel.
The Humility of the King is the title of this message tonight. One of the last places that one would expect to find humility would be a king, however, this king is no ordinary King.
15 For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.
Of this King the prophet said in...
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.
Humility is a prominent Christian grace. It is a state of mind well pleasing to God. Humility preserves the soul in tranquility, and makes us patient under trials. Christ has set us an example of humility. Each one of us should be led to humility when we consider our own sins. It is a “great oddity or paradox in Christianity, that it makes humility the avenue to glory.”
Turn with me, in your Bible, to John Chapter 13. And our main text tonight will begin in verse 12.
12 And 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?13 “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.
14 “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.
16 “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master; neither is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.17 “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
As a reminder back in the 20th Chapter in the Book of John, the Apostle writes...
31 but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
John tells us why the Book of John was written.
It was written that you may “believe” that Jesus is the Christ
And that by “believing” you may have LIFE in His name.
The Book of John is the revelation, that Jesus is the One true Messiah!
For anyone to have eternal life, one must believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son God!
To “believe”, here, means more than to acknowledge something to be factual or truthful... but it means “to be persuaded of,” and hence, “to place confidence in, or to rely upon” the words of Christ.
It is revealed in the Gospel of John from Chapters 1-12, that Jesus, if I may mention a few, is in fact:
The “Son of God,”
The Messiah
The Bridegroom
He is From Above “He came from Heaven”
He posses all power and all authority of heaven.
He posses all power and all authority over life.
He alone determines man’s destiny
He is the “Bread of Life”
He is the “Living Water”
He is the “Light of Life”
He is the “ Good Shepherd”
He is the “Resurrection and the Life”
In the Gospel accounts, Jesus is often referred to as a Rabbi, a Teacher, or a Master. As such, in Jesus’ inner circle, He had twelve disciples.
What is a disciple? A disciple is a learner, or a student, or an apprentice.
It is the task and responsibility of the disciple to learn, study, and pass along the sayings and teachings of the teacher or rabbi.
If one is a true disciple, one will adhere to and follow after the teachings of the Master.
We have learned that there is one, by the name of Judas Iscariot, who is NOT a true disciple. He is an imposter or a counterfeit believer.
Judas would ultimately, for thirty pieces of silver, betray Son of God, for the devil had already put his wicked scheme into his heart.
By Chapter 13, during supper, Jesus took on the position of a slave, by removing His outer garments, wrapping a towel around His waist, with a basin of water in hand, He knelt down and washed the feet of each one of His disciples.
Peter, knowing his unworthiness, tried to resist the Lord from washing his feet. Jesus replied to Peter, “if I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
All twelve disciples, including Peter, thought their Messiah had come as the conquering King who would liberate them from Roman rule. Instead, His messianic mission was to come, not as a conqueror, but as a selfless sacrifice for the sins of His people. Jesus did not come to conquer the Romans, but He, in reality, humbled Himself in complete obedience to the point of death on the cross. And Peter needed to accept the reality of the Lord’s humiliation.
When Jesus says to Peter and to you and I, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me” He does not mention feet in the washing, He is talking about salvation. He is speaking metaphorically for spiritual cleansing. He is saying, if you place your faith in Me as Lord, and confess your sins and turn from them, I will cleans you and you will have fellowship with Me in eternity.
But Peter still thinking that Jesus is talking about the physical washing of his feet, Peter responds with these infamous words...
9 Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.”
Peter wanted to be sure, didn’t he?
He wanted to be clean!
Many today want forgiveness and grace and blessing, but they care little for being clean.
The only way for a person to ever be found justified before God, is by the cleansing power of the blood of the Lamb of God.
What is in view here is this...God has justified and imputed His Son’s righteousness to believers and the atonement or blood sacrifice, that came by way of the cross, gives complete forgiveness of all their sins. This is what justification is!
But this daily washing or daily cleansing for sanctification from what? The defilement of the sin that remains in them. You mean sin remains in me after salvation? As long as we remain in this body of flesh, we are still in a fallen state until we depart this world and lay hold of perfection in Heaven. We have not laid hold of perfection yet!
It reminds me of Paul’s words to the saints in Philippi...
12 Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
You see, Paul had not yet become perfect like Christ, but he so much desired it! He has his eyes fixed on the prize, which is Christlikeness, with its eternal benefits.
Paul said...
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
For every blood bought saint of God, we must press toward the goal of the heavenly call of God. To be in the likeness of our Savior.
We see the wonderful theological truths in the washing of the disciples feet, we see Jesus’ humiliation at His first coming and the once-for-all cleansing of justification versus the daily cleansing of sanctification.
However, there is more that our Lord wanted His disciples to learn here. He wanted the disciples to learn the importance of humility, loving service.
Looking into our main text, as the disciples sit there in shame, John explains....
12 And 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?13 “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.14 “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
The disciples had been arguing among themselves as to who was the greatest among them. Knowing this, the Lord of Glory humbled Himself and took on the role of the lowest among them. He took on the role of a slave to His disciples.
If they wanted to be great, then they must become the least or the lowest of slaves.
He asked, “Do you know what I have done to you?”
This is a question that every regenerated person has had to give consideration to.
He said to them, “You call Me Teacher and Lord;”
The recognized Him as great and worth honoring.
He said, “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.”
We call Him “Lord” today as well, don’t we? But is He your Lord? Is He, Lord and Master over your life? Like a slave to his master, do we seek the things of the master? Do we seek the will of the Master? Do we seek to do the things the Master would teach us to do?
Jesus says to you and I today, “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”
Jesus once asked...
46 “And why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
In other words, Don’t call Him, LORD, and not be doing as He says!
The word of God plainly teaches us to be a doer of the word and not a hearer only!
15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.
The message here is one that concerns the inner attitude.
He gave an example of humility. He says, “as you have done to the least of these, you have done unto me.”
You and I are unworthy to wash the feet of Jesus, if we are unwilling to wash the feet of others.
To refuse to hear, heed, and follow Jesus’ example of humble service, is to be prideful and to elevate oneself above his Lord and Master, since here it says in.....
16 “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master; neither is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.
What we see Jesus do, shouldn’t we do it? What our Master loves or hates, shouldn’t we also?
No obedient servant would consider any task beneath him, if his master has performed it, would he?
40 “A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.
Once Jesus demonstrated the kind of humility that He Himself had toward His disciples, He expected them to demonstrate humility of the same kind toward one another.
King Solomon declares in....
20 He who gives attention to the word shall find good, And blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
The blessings flow to those who are in obedience to God.
Jesus says here in...
17 “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
By following the example of Jesus, we obey the Father and receive His blessing.
If we abide in Christ, we must walk in the same manner as He did.
Serving others in the humility of love is imitating Jesus Christ.