Washed by the Water of the Word

Good morning! We are so glad that you have joined us today.

Titus 3:4–7 ESV

4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Today we worship God our Savior for His loving kindness . (Grace)

We are not deserving of this grace, we cannot earn it through our own works or righteousness

God in HIS MERCY has washed us be pouring out HIS HOLY SPIRIT through Jesus Christ. We experience this in baptism and celebrate it each time we meet together for communion.

In the moment we were baptized we became HIS CHILDREN and HEIRS TO ETERNAL LIFE.

Be Ready For Every Good Work

Titus 3:1–3 ESV

1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

A Reminder of How to Live

Submissive to rulers and authorities

Be obedient

Speak evil of no one

Avoid quarreling

Be gentle

Show perfect courtesy toward all people

A Reminder of How We Once Lived

Foolish

Disobedient

Led Astray

Slaves to Passions and Pleasures

Passing our days in malice and envy

hated by others and hating one another

My prayer is that as a church we are a people who ready for good works… That’s what we are talking about this year, BEING LIVING WATER FOR CENTRAL FLORIDA! Jesus redeemed us and purified us as His possession so that we might be zealous to continue His work!

This morning I would like to study out a well known passage together... I hope we can pull some insight from the word pictures that are present. OPEN YOUR BIBLES TO JOHN 13.

John 13:1 ESV

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.

“to the end” here is not a measure of time, it’s a measure of extent

He loved them completely

John 13:2–4 (ESV)

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...

Jesus rose from the supper, the supper that was a memorial of His death… He rose from His death… This is an incredible picture of the resurrection.

We should pay attention to what the Lord does after resurrecting.

John 13:4–5 (ESV)

4 ....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.

He laid his garments aside and took up a towel and girded himself. He took on the garb of his servant.

Do we understand what He was doing? We know that this was more than just the act of physically washing their feet because in the next verse Jesus explains this to Peter.

John 13:6–7 ESV

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.”

Peter did not understand, obviously there’s a deeper meaning to the feet washing.

He rose from supper, took a towel and girded himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciple’s feet and to wipe them with the towel that he had girded around His waist.

Let’s think about this for a moment, the group had been walking the streets of Jerusalem and by the time they made it to the house, their feet were dusty.

The lowest slave of the house is the one that does the most menial task of washing your feet before entering. As they approach the house they may have started to wonder, who’s going to wash the feet? Peter may have thought, I know its not me, I was just with Jesus at the transfiguration… Thomas “doubted” that it was him. While they were thinking this, Jesus, takes the basin and the towel and washes and wipes their feet.

What is the towel?

Washing the disciple’s feet was a form of preaching.

In the morning when you expose yourself to the Word of God, you are exposing yourself to the basin of water.

The water is what washes your feet, but afterwards, He dries them with the towel that was girded like a belt.

The greek word for towel is “lention”. “Lention” means linen cloth and linen in the Bible is a picture of righteousness.

Isaiah 11:5 ESV

5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

We need to wash ourselves in the water of the word

The applied Word is lived out as righteousness

Acts 3:19–20 (ESV)

19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord...

If we decide not to expose ourselves to the water, we will become dusty.

Dust is the food of the devil

Genesis 3:14 ESV

14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.

If we do not expose ourselves to the consistent cleansing from the Word of God, the devil will eat us alive.

John 13:8–11 ESV

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.”

We are like Peter, either too courageous or too cowardly.

“I’ll follow you to death”

“You will deny me three times”

“You shall never wash my feet”

“Not only my feet, but also my hands and my head”

Our goal is to walk in step with God, not ahead or behind

This is not the spiritual bath, that was at baptism

1 Peter 3:20–22 (ESV)

20 ....God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

We are saved/bathed at baptism, but we are constantly stepping in mud and we need to wash our feet in the Word, Wipe them with righteousness and then go and do the same to others!

John 13:12–15 ESV

12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand 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, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

Our teacher and Lord is sending us to pronounce His gospel to those around us

Titus 2:11–14 ESV

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Jesus gave Himself on the cross so that we might be zealous for Him!