The Beauty and Blessing of Service

singing bunch tonight. Bless your heart. Maybe

you left it in the truck. John chapter 13. John

John 13 · chapter mention John 13 · chapter mention

chapter 13. I expect you guys probably could

know that. There's a couple things you can probably

count on. And that is, the Wednesday before Christmas,

we're probably going to do Linus and Charlie

Brown. And the Wednesday before Easter, we're

probably going to do Jesus Washes the Disciples'

Feet. This event would have actually happened

on a Thursday, is when Jesus washed the disciples'

feet. And I guess really... This message will

be quite similar to the one we had last Wednesday

night. Just coincidentally, last Wednesday night

we were in Psalm 100 and we really focused on

the idea of serving the Lord. We talked about

the verse that said, serve the Lord with gladness.

We even sung the hymn that we are familiar with,

serve the Lord with gladness. And that's really

the point of this passage tonight is following

Jesus' example of service. really say much. There's

not much I don't think I can add to this passage.

It's pretty self -explanatory and it's quite

beautiful and a beautiful example for us to reflect

on even if we look at it every year and usually

multiple times a year because I think this is

just a powerful passage. So we'll pray and then

we'll jump in. God, we come to you. We thank

you for a good day. We thank you for this beautiful

weather you've given us, and we thank you for

the freedom we have to be able to come and to

look at these words. And I pray, dear Lord, that

your Holy Spirit would help us to be focused

on you in these few minutes, that we've got distractions

and worries and just things of the world, dear

Lord, that compete for our minds and our hearts.

But I pray that in these few minutes, dear Lord,

that our heart would tune in to your word, that

our hearts would be hearts that are willing and

ready to serve, dear Lord. Not just at Easter,

but every day of our life that we seek and we

see opportunities and we take part in those opportunities

you give us to be able to serve. So help us to

see the heart of Jesus in this scripture. And

God, I pray that we would learn from this. And

follow his example. In Jesus' name I pray it.

Amen. John chapter 13, verse 1. Before the Passover

John 13:1

festival, Jesus knew that his hour had come to

depart from this world to the Father. He loved

his own who were in the world. He loved them

to the end. Now Jesus knew exactly what was about

to take place. He knew that his hour had come.

that there was coming a point in his life that

he would depart from this world. Jesus knew what

his mission was, and each of us, while we may

not know our mission maybe in the same way that

Jesus did, nonetheless, God puts us here, and

he desires for us to serve him and be obedient

to him, and there's coming an hour when we will

depart from this world. And sometimes we don't

know, but... But many times, I believe people

know. They have a pretty good idea, especially

as people begin to get sick. You kind of can

sense, I think. I don't know. I've never been

there before. But in visiting a lot of people

at the end of their life, I think there's a sense

and a feeling when you know that that time is

drawing near. And Jesus... knew his time was

drawing near, and he was getting ready to depart

from this world, but he had done everything he

had come to do from beginning to end. He had

loved those that God had put in his care. He

loved the people that he had come to minister

to. He loved the people that he had come to save,

and Jesus carried out his mission to the end.

He did not give up. He continued to love those

that God had put into his path. And that's a

good thing for us to think about today. There's

coming a day when we will depart from this world.

We don't know when it's going to be. For some,

maybe it's tomorrow. Maybe it's next week. Maybe

it's next year. Maybe it's 50 years. We don't

know when our time will come. But when our time

comes that we realize that we are drawing near

to the end and our time to depart is close, Can

it be said of us that we have loved to the end,

that we have done God's will to the end, that

those that we have encountered, that those that

God has put into our path, that our children

that God has given us to raise and our grandchildren

and our parents and all of those around us, can

we be able to say at the end of our life that

my time to depart is drawing near, but I have

loved and served God and those around me. Till

the very end. That's a good goal for us to shoot

for. Verse 2. Now by the time of supper, the

devil had already put it into the heart of Judas,

Simon Iscariot's son, to betray him. Jesus knew

that the Father had given everything into his

hands, that he had come from God, and that he

was going back to God. Now this is important.

Jesus knew that his time was drawing close. Jesus

also knew that the devil was doing a work here

in Judas. But Jesus was not going to let the

work of the devil stop him. Why? He says because

he had come from God and he knew he was going

back to God. Jesus was not concerned about the

attacks of the devil because he knew... God,

the Father that he had come to serve, was stronger

than the devil. And that's important for us to

remember, too, because the devil is at work.

He is at work with our temptations. He may be

at work in the lives of those around us to just

give us a hard time, to get us off track, but

we have to realize that even when the tactics

of the devil are working against us, that we

are of God, and when this old world is over,

we will return to God. So whatever we go through,

we can rejoice and we can stand firm knowing

the end. And the end is possible through what

Jesus is about to do. And the end for us who

have trusted in Jesus Christ is we, when we leave

this world, when we go away, when we depart,

we will go to the presence of God. Verse 4. So

he got up from supper, laid aside his robe, took

a towel, and tied it around himself. Next, he

poured water into a basin and began to wash his

disciples' feet and to dry them with the towel

tied around him. Jesus, knowing that his time

was short, Jesus, knowing that the devil was

at work, Jesus, knowing that he would soon go

back to be with the Father, Jesus says, my time

is short, so I must make the most of these last

few hours I have, and here is what I'm going

to do. And Jesus proceeded to do something that

even now, as many times as I've read it or preached

this passage, it is just phenomenal to me. that

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, got a bowl with

some water, got a towel, and Jesus began to wash

the nasty, dirty feet. Of his followers. Of all

the things that Jesus could do. He imparted all

kind of wisdom. They had seen miracles. And this

last lesson right here at the end that he really

wanted them to grasp was so powerful. He said,

I know my time is short. What is there left for

me to pour into my disciples? What can I do in

these last few hours? What can I impart on them?

And Jesus chooses something that we probably

would never even imagine or think about. But

that's the beauty of Jesus. Jesus gets the towel

and he gets the water and he begins to do the

job of a servant. He begins to do a job that

is a nasty and a dirty job. People's feet today

are relatively clean, maybe a little stinky,

but relatively clean. We wear socks and we wear

shoes. Our feet are pretty clean compared to

those days. Now, you know what it's like even

now when you wear flip -flops and sandals. Your

feet are pretty dirty at the end of those days.

Or you walk around barefoot. And these people

that were walking around in those days, they

were walking around through all kind of junk.

And here Jesus, at the end of the day, when everybody's

feet was absolutely nasty, Jesus himself does

the job of a lowly... servant. Continuing on

in verse 6, he came to Simon Peter who asked

him, Lord, are you going to wash my feet? Jesus

answered him, what I'm doing you don't understand

now, but afterward you will know. You will never

wash my feet ever, Peter said. Jesus replied,

if I don't wash you, you have no part with me.

Simon Peter said to him, Lord, not only my feet,

but also my hands and my head. One who is bathed,

Jesus told him, doesn't need to wash anything

except his feet. But he is completely clean.

You are clean, but not all of you. For he knew

who would betray him. That is why he said, you

are not. all clean. Now, Peter speaks up here

pretty boldly as he usually does. And obviously

he takes some issue to this, recognizing who

Jesus is and knowing that this is not the job

for the Messiah, for the son of God. Peter says,

no, you're not going to wash my feet. But Jesus

was using this illustration, not just from a

physical standpoint of, oh, you need to be clean.

Your feet stink, Peter. Come on, you got to let

me do it. But Jesus is making a bigger point.

He's saying, look, you have to be washed. Now,

throughout these few verses I've read, You see

the word wash a lot, and some of your translation

uses wash all the way through, but my translation

in verse 10 says, one who has bathed. Now, it's

important to notice that there's a distinction

there, that not all of the washing that's taking

place is the same. If you look in the Greek,

there's different words there from where it says

wash earlier in those verses and where it says

bathed in my translation, and yours may still

stay wash there, but it's a different word. When

it's talking about wash, Washing is talking about

a basic wash, like you wash your hands, okay?

So we get ready to eat. When we go home to eat

tonight, we're going to wash our hands. That's

the kind of washing that's implied with the first

Greek word when we talk about washing. But Jesus

changes to a different Greek word here in verse

10. One who has washed, that is to say, one who

has bathed is fully clean. Now, you know as well

as I do, there's a difference between washing

our hands or washing our face and bathing. When

we bathe, we are completely clean. Now, once

we are completely clean, at night, maybe you

get out of the shower, you walk back in the kitchen,

you get your little ice cream before bed, you're

barefoot, and your feet may get dirty, and you

may even wipe your feet off where you get in

the bed because they're dirty again. But your

whole self is not dirty. Just a part of you is

dirty. And Jesus is making an illustration here.

He's saying, look. Peter, you're clean, but maybe

there's a little part of you that's dirty. Even

when we are clean through Jesus Christ, that's

not to say that there is not some sin there that

does not need to be cleaned up or washed from

time to time. But once our sins are forgiven

in Jesus Christ, we are bathed, so to speak.

Sometimes we need those little spot washes here

and there. There's a little spot here and there

of sin, and we need those continual cleanings.

But what Jesus says here is he says, Jesus told

him, one who has bathed doesn't need to wash

anything except his feet, but he is completely

clean. You are clean, but not all of you. So

there was one there that had not bathed, so to

speak. There was one there that had not been

washed. Judas' feet were soon to be cleaned by

Jesus, but it was not going to be sufficient.

It doesn't have the same meaning as what it does

for the rest of the apostles, because the rest

of the apostles have been bathed. That is, they

have trusted Jesus Christ, and Jesus is saying,

you guys have nothing to worry about. Because

you have put your faith and your trust in me.

And you don't understand these things. You don't

understand necessarily everything I've said and

done. But soon you're going to know what's going

on. And you're going to be okay because you've

been bathed. And for those of you who have been

bathed, this act of washing your feet is going

to prove to be a great example for you moving

forward. But, Jesus says, I'm washing all of

your feet, but not all of you are clean. Not

all of you have been bathed. There is one who

is not, and that one was Judas, who the devil

had already began to work in his heart. I said

I wasn't going to talk long tonight. I apologize.

I lied. We're going all in tonight. I thought

this was going to be brief, but it's okay. We

don't have nothing but time. When Jesus had washed

their feet and put on his robe, he reclined again

and said to them, Do you know what I have done

for you? You call me teacher and Lord, this is

well said, for I am. So if I, your Lord and teacher,

have washed your feet, you also ought to wash

one another's feet. For I have given you an example

that you also should do this just as I have done

for you. I assure you, a slave is not greater

than his master, and a messenger is not greater

than the one who sent him. If you know these

things, you are blessed. If you do them. So when

Jesus completes this beautiful act, Jesus says,

and here is why I have done this. I have done

this to be an example for you. You guys have.

been chosen by me to follow me. And all of you

but one have followed me and have been obedient

to me and have listened to me and are prepared

to do the work for me. But here is this one thing

that as my life will soon draw to a close and

I will soon depart from this world and go to

the Father, I leave you with this one important

thing, and that is humility. That you always

remember that you come to serve the Lord. That

you remember the humility that I, the Son of

God, have shown you by washing your feet. And

know that you are not better than anyone else.

You are not too good to do the work of the Lord.

You are never too good even to do the most dirty

jobs. That when God has called you to follow

me and when you have chosen to serve me, you

must serve me in humility. I have shown you through

this example and soon will show through this

example on the cross what it means to be a servant

of God and what it means to be humble. Therefore,

what you have seen me do, go and do it yourself.

Now that is a powerful command to the apostles

and to you and I because that is the same heart

of service that God desires for us to have today.

That we never consider ourselves Higher than

we are. Jesus Christ is the highest that has

ever walked this earth, and yet he was not too

high to do the lowliest job. Jesus was the highest

to ever walk on this earth, and he was not too

high as to not give his life for those whom he

loved. And Jesus says, here is the example of

what it means to serve. And so what is our excuse?

Surely we probably have made some excuses. Maybe

not. Maybe we've all been perfectly obedient.

And every opportunity that God has given us to

serve, we have said, yes, Lord, send me. Or maybe

we have not. Maybe we have come up with some

excuses as to why things are too dangerous or

too painful or too scary or too dirty as to why

we are not to do that, as to why that job needs

to fall to somebody else when Jesus says those

jobs fall to you. Who? Those who follow Jesus

Christ. What a beautiful command and what a difficult

command. But Jesus never just tells us what to

do. That's the sign of a good leader, by the

way. They don't just tell you what to do. They

show you what to do. They don't tell you what

to do. They do what they're calling you to do.

And that is who Jesus is. That is who Jesus was.

Jesus did the work. Jesus showed us humility.

And service. And Jesus says not just to these

11. But to every one of us that are sitting here.

Or listening online tonight. Who have put our

faith and trust in Jesus Christ. And claim to

be his follower. Jesus says this is your command.

To do as I have done. And he closes in verse

12. Or excuse me 17 that we looked at tonight.

He says. If you know these things, you are blessed

if you do them. Now, perhaps we are guilty sometimes

of knowing the things of God's Word, of knowing

the commands of God, but it's not just enough

to know them. There is not blessing in knowing

them. I guess on some level there is. But ultimately,

true blessing comes not just from knowing what

God calls us to, but doing what God calls us

to. There's no blessing in knowing that we should

serve others. There's no blessing in knowing

that God has given us an opportunity or put somebody

or something in our path, a way for us to serve,

and we say no. There's no blessing in that. We

may know it's what God calls us to, but Jesus

says you are blessed if you do these things.

If you do these things. So the question that

we must answer today, maybe every day, is are

we serving the Lord? We know that Jesus calls

us to serve. Are we seeking opportunities to

serve? Sometimes those opportunities are right

in front of us. And sometimes we know they're

right in front of us, and sometimes we just say

no. We know the things, but we don't do the things.

And we don't receive the blessings of God that

He may want to pour out on us because we know

and don't do. So what Jesus says is you must

know and you must do and you'll experience the

blessing of God. So maybe there are things that

we know, and maybe today it's time for us to

do. And maybe there are opportunities and maybe

we don't see them. Sometimes we just kind of

miss them. We're just, you know, we got our mind

on things of the world and other stuff. And it's

not that we're intentionally saying no to God.

We just maybe don't realize an opportunity to

serve. And maybe our prayer today needs to be,

Lord Jesus, would you help me to see opportunities

to serve like you? Would you open my eyes and

my ears and my heart? To people that are around

me. Would you help me to see opportunities to

serve? Maybe that's a good prayer for us every

morning. God, give me an opportunity to serve

you today. God, put somebody in my path that

I can serve you today. And God will do that.

I believe he hears those prayers. And I believe

there's probably more opportunities to serve

than we see. And when we pray, if we pray, and

ask God for opportunities to serve, then we need

to be ready. Because God's going to open our

eyes and He's going to give us opportunities

to serve and then we have a choice to make. Are

we going to be those who just know the Word of

God? That's a good place to start, knowing the

Word of God. But Jesus calls us to take it one

step further. To not just know the Word of God,

but to do the Word of God. And in that, there

is great blessing. What a beautiful, beautiful

passage. What a beautiful example we have in

Jesus Christ tonight. Let's pray. God, we thank

you for these good words. God, perhaps for some,

this is the first time they've ever heard this

passage. Maybe for others, we have heard it and

read it and even preached it, dear Lord, more

times than we could possibly count. But God,

it is just as beautiful today as it was the day

that it was penned. It was the moment that Jesus

carried out this act of service. So God, I pray

that we would follow this example, that we would

find encouragement, dear Lord, that we would

be those that would live our life like Jesus

did, so that when our time to depart comes, we'll

know that we have loved to the end like Jesus

did. God, that whatever tactics of the devil

may come our way, that we would not be... Dismay,

dear Lord, but that we would trust in you, knowing

that the devil's tactics will never stand. God,

let us never think too highly of ourselves, dear

Lord. Let us never seek to be those who are served,

but those who seek to serve. And the most basic

things to even the dirtiest things, dear Lord,

Jesus has showed us what it means to serve. So

God, I pray that we follow this example of humility

tonight. I pray, God, that we would be those

who are bathed, that we would not be like Judas,

but that we would be those who, through Jesus

Christ, God, our sins have been forgiven and

we have been cleaned. God, maybe there's a little

sin in our life today that doesn't need to be

there. I pray that you wash us of that, that

we would repent, that we would seek you, that

we would ask forgiveness tonight. And I pray,

dear Lord, that we would hear your word, that

we would know your word, and more than anything,

God, I pray that we would do your word. I pray

that we would experience your blessing, dear

Lord. I pray that you give us opportunities to

serve. I pray that you help us to see those opportunities.

And I ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.