Blessed Are Those Who Serve

Amen. You may be seated.

Well, if you turn in your Bibles to John chapter 13, 1 through 20, it's on page 1069 of your pew Bible.

John 13 · chapter mention

That's where I'll be preaching from this morning.

A while back, we caught them in the act.

Right.

We had gotten home early from a trip.

And we had pulled up to our house.

And I recognized their cars.

And when I looked into the house, because it was evening, the lights were on.

I could see their heads.

And they were doing something that, well, that's not what we had agreed what they would do.

We had given them a key to the house because they were going to take care of our bunny, Rosie.

But they were doing something else.

The two are brother and sister in Christ.

They're members of the church.

They will remain anonymous.

We're in the same life group together.

I knew exactly what they were up to because I know them.

They were fixing a faucet in our first floor bathroom that hadn't worked since we had moved in.

And that's been 12 years at that point.

So they were not planning on being there when we had arrived.

They were serving in a clandestine fashion.

But they were caught in the act of conspicuous serving.

And it was endearing.

We felt loved.

We felt cared for.

We turned the water on and off in the faucet many a time.

Like, this is so good.

Have you ever been caught in a conspicuous act of service?

We've all been caught in sinning.

What have you ever been caught serving someone else?

As followers of Jesus, we are to be known for our serving, not for our sinning.

And this morning, we're going to come across a beatitude, a blessed.

And I have called it, blessed are those who serve.

We've reached a point in the Gospel of John that is called the farewell discourse.

It starts in chapter 13.

It goes through chapter 17.

And we're talking literally just hours leading up to the death of Jesus.

And so, if you look at 13.1, you can see now before the feast of the Passover.

The Passover has arrived.

The hour for which Jesus had come to die has now come.

And it's just a matter of hours and minutes before Jesus breathes his last.

And before Jesus dies, he's got some things he needs to say to his disciples.

In fact, he's got an object lesson to teach them.

And that's what we're going to be looking at this morning.

Notice in verse 1.

The 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.

So, the way that we're going to approach this object lesson

is understanding this is Jesus loving his disciples then and loving us, his disciples, now.

He loved his own to the end.

So, what follows in this passage is an example given.

This is verses 2 through 11.

And then the example is explained in 12 through 20.

It's an object lesson in servanthood.

When was the last time you were caught in a conspicuous act of service?

Let me read John 13, 1 through 20.

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.

During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot,

Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hand

and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper.

He laid aside his outer garments and, taking a towel, tied it around his waist.

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 came to Simon Peter, who said to him,

Lord, do you wash my feet?

Jesus answered him,

What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.

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.

Simon Peter said to him,

Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

Jesus said to him,

The one who's bathed does not need to wash except for his feet,

but is completely clean.

And you are clean, but not every one of you.

For he knew who was to betray him.

That was why he said,

Not all of you are clean.

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?

You call me teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.

If I then, 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 just as I have done to you.

Truly, truly, I say to you,

a servant is no greater than his master,

nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

If you know these things,

blessed are you if you do them.

I'm not speaking of all of you.

I know whom I have chosen,

but the scripture will be fulfilled.

He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.

I am telling you this now,

before it takes place,

that when it does take place,

you may believe that I am he.

Truly, truly, I say to you,

whoever receives the one I send receives me,

and whoever receives me

receives the one who sent me.

So let's look at this example given,

and then the example explained.

So verses 2 through 11,

the example given.

In verses 2 through 3,

we have a framing of this account.

John informs us

that what is about to take place

took place during the Passover supper.

John is the only gospel writer

who includes Jesus washing his disciples' feet.

All the other three other gospels don't include this.

And what he's doing is he's focusing

on something else about Jesus.

His example.

In verse 2, we learn that Judas has already,

that the devil has already put it in Judas' heart

to betray Jesus.

So Judas is present at the supper.

Jesus is going to wash his feet,

even though his heart is somewhere else.

He is not clean,

but he's there,

and he's fulfilling the purpose

for which God ordained him.

Verse 3,

we learn that everything is going according to plan.

Let me just read this for you.

We read this.

Jesus, knowing that the Father

had given all things into his hand,

even Simon's betrayal.

All things were going to plan.

All things were going according to the plan

God the Father had given his son to accomplish.

And so that includes God's sovereignty

over all things and this betrayer.

It's what we talked about last week,

this compatibilism,

where we have both God's sovereign

and people responsible

for real decisions they're making.

But it's in verse 4 through 5

that the story slows down.

And when you're reading something like this,

and the story slows down,

it's designed for your eyes to focus in.

And so what we see next

is designed to capture your imaginations.

And so let's look at 13.4.

Jesus rose from supper.

Back in the first century,

ancient Near East,

they didn't have chairs at tables.

They reclined at table.

And so when he rose,

he's getting up from eating.

And when he stands up,

all eyes follow Jesus.

But you notice no words are said.

And then he lays aside his outer garments.

He would have been essentially naked.

He would have had his kind of like underwear on.

But he would have been a lot of skin.

No words.

All eyes on Jesus.

And then he takes a towel.

And he wraps himself in that towel.

No words.

But everybody at that supper

is looking at him

and they're wondering,

what is he doing?

In verse 5,

these little action statements continue.

He poured water into a basin.

Can you imagine in your mind

the sound of water being poured

into a large basin?

That's what happened.

It goes on.

After pouring the water in the basin,

he began to wash the disciples' feet.

He's working his fingers between their toes.

And then he wipes them with a towel

that was wrapped around him.

He wipes them dry.

No words.

Just actions.

Your mind is to be imagining

our Lord Jesus doing this act.

And what we fail to fully comprehend

is the cultural significance

of Jesus

and this conspicuous act of servanthood.

Foot washing

in the first century household

was the most menial job

reserved for the lowliest of servants.

And Jesus intentionally picked it.

Even Jewish households,

this job was given to non-Jews,

Gentiles.

Why?

Well, we're used to wearing shoes

that cover our toes.

First century engineers' footwear

were sandals, open-toed.

And being a dry, dusty place,

no underground sewer systems,

it was agrarian animal refuse

strewn about.

First century,

ancient Near East feet

were gross.

Disgusting.

You got all kinds of stuff

working in between your toes.

And the reason why Gentiles

were given that job

in Jewish houses, presumably,

is that you could defile yourself

with what you touch.

So if you were a foot washer

of a first century household,

you were low man on the totem pole.

It would have been humiliating.

Has anybody walked into

a public restroom today

while someone's cleaning it?

And you try to make eye contact

with the person cleaning it?

And they look for you for a second

and then put their eyes down?

That's the vibe here.

There's nothing wrong

with cleaning toilets.

But it is humbling.

So Jesus has very intentionally

chosen this act

as an object lesson

at the supper.

He's doing what

only the lowliest of servants

would do.

It would have been humiliating

in the eyes of many.

And just think about

the kind of posture of heart

that fuels this kind of practice.

Check it out.

Here is the one

who just raised Lazarus

from the dead.

Lazarus, come forth.

This is the Christ.

This is the son of man.

The Daniel 7 king.

This is the son of God.

Totally God.

Totally man.

The word incarnate.

The king who has come.

And he's getting his fingers

in between his disciples' toes

to get the filth and squalor out.

When you start to understand

the significance

of what Jesus is doing,

this conspicuous act of service,

it verges on scandalous.

And that's why we see

Peter's strong reaction.

Peter,

when he came to be his turn,

he said,

Lord,

do you wash my feet?

You're going to actually

wash my feet?

You see,

you see,

Simon Peter has some sense

of who this is.

He would have been there

when he raised Lazarus

from the dead.

You're going to,

you're going to wash my feet?

And Jesus says,

you don't get it now,

but you're going to get it

in due time.

It betrays the supernatural knowledge.

Peter doubled down

in verse 8,

and in the original language,

there is a pileup

of strong no's.

it would go something like this.

No,

never.

Absolutely not forever

will you do that.

It's,

it's,

it's a strong,

like,

no way

are you going to touch

the gook

between my toes.

He has a sense

of his own unworthiness

and the worthiness

of Jesus.

And then in the verse

part of 9,

Jesus says,

if you don't let me do this,

Peter,

you have no share with me.

So,

so what's going on here

is this.

What Jesus is showing

Peter and his disciples

is how his kingdom

rolls.

This is kingdom ethic.

This is a kingdom way.

This is a kingdom way

of being and interacting

with different people.

And so,

essentially,

Jesus is saying is,

hey,

if you're not going to let me,

the king,

serve you this way,

you're not going to be able

to serve other people

this way.

You'll have no share

of my kingdom.

Peter,

being Peter,

swings the other way.

Because he's missing

the point.

He doesn't understand

what Jesus is doing

to him.

But he will.

And so,

Peter,

in Peter dramatic

style,

says,

not just my feet,

but yea,

also my hands

and head.

Kind of like all of me.

If you're going to go

wash something,

wash it all.

I can just imagine

Jesus kind of like,

oh,

Peter.

Peter,

Peter,

Peter.

And in verse 10,

we read this.

the one who has bathed

does not need to wash

except for his feet,

but is completely clean.

And you are clean.

What Jesus is saying here

is,

Peter,

you've already been

forgiven of your sin

based on what I'm going to do

in just hours.

You're already clean.

So,

Jesus is saying to Peter,

Peter,

you've already been forgiven

based upon

what I will do

at the cross

in just moments from now.

For us,

living on the other side

of the cross,

we are forgiven

based on what Jesus

has done

millennia ago.

What Peter is missing

is what Jesus is doing.

It's like Jesus is saying,

would you just let me finish

with the object lesson?

I'm just trying to

wash your feet.

I'm trying to make a point.

And at the end of verse 10,

Jesus says something

a little ominous.

And you are clean,

but not every one of you.

He's referring to Judas.

He knows who will betray him.

Again,

divine knowledge.

And what's interesting here

is that Jesus must have

washed Judas' feet too.

Judas is not completely

clean like Peter.

He's got,

his heart is far from Jesus.

But Jesus has washed his feet.

But there's something

going on here

that you need to see.

This section begins

in verse 2

with a reference

to the betrayer,

Judas.

And verse 11

ends with a reference

to Judas.

And so what bookends

the actual example

Jesus gives

is an example

of betrayal.

This example

is bookended

by betrayal.

Why?

Well,

it happened.

But it's the very

opposite

example

of what Jesus

is modeling.

Judas

models for us here

selfishness.

serving himself.

Jesus

is modeling

selflessness.

Serving

others.

Considering

others

better than himself.

A humble

posture of heart

that is serving

people very

practically.

In this moment,

we get a line

of sight

on our

creator,

on our

sustainer,

our savior

and our

judge

and he

is kneeled

down at his

disciples' feet

and he is

getting the

gook out

between their

toes.

It's extraordinary.

He has

purposefully

selected

and

taken part

in this,

the most

menial job

of a

household

at this

time.

And you

know,

he has

served you

as well.

You know,

he hasn't

put his

fingers

between my

toes.

No,

he hasn't.

But in

Philippians

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2,

we learn

that in

an act

of humility,

Jesus,

the second

person of

the Trinity

took on

human flesh.

He took

the form

of a

servant.

just by

becoming a

man,

a human

being,

it was an

act of

service.

That's

conspicuous

and he

did that

for you.

But even

more so,

in Mark

10,

45,

Jesus

says,

I came

not to

be served,

but to

serve and

to give

my life

as a

ransom for

many.

You have

been served

by this

man in

the most

conspicuous

act of

servanthood

of all,

and that

his work

on the

cross.

It's not

his fingers

getting the

grit out

between your

toes.

It's the

blood of

the cross

making you

white as

snow.

This is

the one

who is

giving us

an example.

I hope you

feel the

love.

Remember,

he loved

his own

to the

end.

So,

example

given.

Now,

let's look

at the

example

explained.

This is

verses

12-20.

So,

following

this

conspicuous,

even

scandalous

act of

service,

verse 12,

Jesus puts

back on

his outer

garments,

resumes

his place

at the

table,

and then

he asks

his disciples

a question.

He asks

them,

do you

understand

what I

just did?

In other

words,

do you

get it?

Do you

get the

object

lesson?

Do you

understand

what I

just did

to you?

Because

this

object

lesson

is a

gospel

kingdom

lesson.

You know,

when I

was a

young

football

player,

which was

a long

time ago,

my coaches

would show

me how

to tackle

and how

to block.

And they

would show

me how

to tackle

and how

to block,

not so

that I

could just

get head

knowledge and

like,

oh,

exceptional

form,

coach.

No,

they

wanted

me to

do it

myself.

And they

would ask,

do you

get it?

After they

would show

me.

And then

they'd be

like,

do it.

Practice

it.

What Jesus

is asking

here is,

do you

understand

what I've

just done

to you?

He's not

asking if

they get

it conceptually.

He's asking

if they get

it conceptually

so they

can do

it

themselves.

Do you

understand

what I've

done to

you?

He's not

asking about

foot washing

technique.

What he's

asking is

more about

heart

posture.

A heart

posture of

a citizen

of his

kingdom.

He's like,

do you

have the

same kind

of heart

towards one

another as

I have to

you?

Are you

a servant?

We're going

to see

in just

a second.

He's

going to

tell us

blessed

are those

who

serve.

What we

have here

in verses

13 through

17 in

particular

is he

gives an

explanation

for his

example.

And he

uses what's

called an

if-then

argument.

He says,

if this

is true,

then this

is true.

And in

verse 13

he starts

setting it

up.

Look how

he sets

it up.

Jesus

says,

you call

me teacher

and Lord

and you

are right

for so

I am.

Do you

know what

he's saying?

He's saying

I'm greater

than you.

He's saying

you call

me teacher,

it's a

position of

authority,

you call

me Lord,

master,

and it's

true,

it's good

and right

you're saying

that because

I am.

And what

we know

is Jesus

has more

authority

than just

by way

of role.

He has

authority over

all people

because he

is God

incarnate,

the Christ,

son of

man,

the son

of God.

So then

he goes

from 13,

he's established

that he

has greater

authority,

greater nature

than them,

and then

14 is the

actual argument.

He says,

if I

then,

your Lord

and teacher,

have washed

your feet,

then you

also ought

to wash

one another's

feet.

That's the

if-then

argument.

If it's

true of

me that

I'm washing

your feet

and I'm

greater than

you,

then you,

my disciples

who are

less than

me,

then you

must wash

other people's

feet as well.

See the

argument?

In verse

15,

Jesus says,

for I have

given you an

example that

you also

should do

just as I

have done

to you.

There's the

explanation.

This

example,

this object

lesson,

is an

object

lesson in

how his

kingdom,

how it

rolls.

Kingdom

ethics,

how we

relate to

one another.

Verse

16,

he drops

a truly,

truly,

he's like

saying,

let me

give it to

you straight.

This is

how it

really is.

I say

to you,

a servant

is no

greater than

his master,

they're the

servants,

he's the

master,

nor is a

messenger

greater than

the one

who sent

them.

In this

case,

they're the

messengers,

he's the

one who

sent them,

and he's

saying,

because of

this,

because I'm

greater than

you,

you're going

to follow

me,

because I'm

your king,

into serving

one another,

being a

servant.

And then in

verse 17,

what we see

is the

beatitude.

He says,

if you

know these

things,

blessed are

you if you

do them.

Do you

know where

the blessing

is found?

Not in

the knowing,

in the

doing.

The blessing

that he's

speaking of

is not

in the

knowledge,

in the

theory of

being a

servant,

servant,

the blessing

is in the

practice of

being a

servant.

It's

posture of

heart lived

out in

practice.

When you

think of

beatitudes,

maybe you

think of the

beatitudes in

the Sermon on

the Mount,

that's in

Matthew chapter

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

5.

Do you

remember what

the first

beatitude

is?

Blessed are

the poor

in spirit,

for theirs

is the

kingdom of

heaven.

Poor in

spirit is

just talking

about another

way of

humility,

talking about

servanthood.

It's a

posture of

heart that

is true

of those

who belong

to Christ's

kingdom.

It's the

beginning of

servanthood.

At the

very heart

of servanthood

is humility,

being poor

in spirit.

That word

blessed

carries the

sense of

joy and

happiness.

What Jesus

is getting

at is this,

it's the

good life.

The good

life in

God's

kingdom is

not being

served by

others,

it's serving

others.

There's joy

in that.

I define

humility as

simply this,

living in

reality.

Humility is

living in the

reality of who

Jesus is and

who you are

and who other

people are.

And when

you're living

in the truth

and reality

of all that,

you're living

humbly.

You've got the

right posture

towards God,

yourself,

and others.

That's

humility.

It's the

Copernican

revolution of

the soul.

Remember

Copernicus?

He's the guy

that discovered

that the sun

doesn't orbit

the earth,

but the earth

orbits the sun.

And similarly,

when we have

our eyes open

to Jesus,

Jesus brings

us into the

reality that

Jesus doesn't

exist for me.

I'm not the

sun of my

solar system,

and Jesus

orbits me.

No, I orbit

him.

He's at the

center of all

things.

I don't live

for myself.

I live for

Christ,

and he says

serve others.

And so when

you come into

Jesus' orbit,

you're going to

become like him.

in serving

other people,

and doing

that in

maybe menial

ways.

What we have

here is an

explanation that

has now moved

into exhortation.

You're being

urged by

Jesus.

It's like,

this is who

you are.

Now live it

out.

I'm not telling

you these things

or showing you

these things so

you can be

like, oh,

that's interesting.

No, he's

telling us these

things for us

to do them,

to live them

out as he

himself has.

He's like,

go be blessed.

Serve others

as I have

served you.

It's,

another way to

talk about it

is Philippians,

the way Paul

talks about it

in Philippians

too.

He says,

so if there's

any encouragement

in Christ,

any comfort

from love,

any participation

in the spirit,

any affection

and sympathy,

complete my joy

by being of the

same mind,

having the same

love,

being in full

accord and of

one mind,

what does that

look like?

He says,

do nothing from

selfish ambition

or conceit,

but in humility

count others

more significant

than yourselves.

Let each of you

look not only to

his own interests,

but also to the

interests of others,

having this mind

among yourselves,

which is yours

and Jesus,

and then he

talks about how

Jesus humbled

himself by

taking on flesh

the form of a

servant.

It's normal

Christian living.

Humility is

the essential

posture of heart

for every Christian

who follows

Jesus.

This beatitude

in verse 17

Jesus is speaking

of a joy

that he knows

personally.

For the joy set

before him,

he endured the

cross,

scorning its

shame.

He knows this

joy,

and he wants

us to personally

experience the

good life of the

kingdom,

the joy of

serving others,

but he does touch

on an exception

at the end

here.

He says in

verse 18,

I'm not speaking

of all of you.

I know who I've

chosen,

but the scripture

will be fulfilled.

And then he quotes

Psalm 41.9

in reference

to Judas.

He who ate

my bread

at the supper

has lifted

his heel against

me.

He's going to

betray me.

And then he

says,

I'm telling you

this now,

before it takes

place regarding

Judas' betrayal,

that when it

does take

place,

you may

believe that

I am he.

And that

little I am

he is the

Greek phrase

ego emi,

I am.

In other

words,

even in my

betrayal,

it will be

made known

to you that

I'm God in

the flesh.

the point

of all this

is that

because Jesus

has served

us,

we serve

one another.

Blessed

are those

who serve

because he

served us

with a

humble posture

in very

practical

service.

We serve

one another

both in

posture and

practice.

because of

Jesus,

we no longer

serve

ourselves

and we

no longer

see other

people as

serving us.

Because of

Jesus,

now we

serve

others.

So let's

apply this

for the time

that's remaining

in two general

categories,

posture of

heart,

day-to-day

practice.

So let's

talk about

posture of

heart.

the way

to leave

this building

is sensing

a call

to humility

that leave

this building

this morning

saying,

it is good

for me to

humble myself

because Jesus

humbled himself.

Remember,

humility is just

living in reality

of who Jesus

is and who

you are.

So let me do

some math

and you answer

the question,

is Jesus

greater than,

less than,

or equal to

you,

greater than.

He's greater

than me,

he's greater

than all.

And if he

humbled himself,

if he became

a man,

washed grimy

feet,

gave himself

his life

as a ransom

for many,

we must

humble

ourselves

too.

So humility

is to

characterize

all of us.

It's Philippians

2.

It's the

principal

posture of

heart.

So when you

leave here,

you might want

to leave here

saying,

oh God,

would you

help me

to humble

myself?

The second

heart posture

is joy.

It's joy

to serve

others.

So if you

are grumbling,

complaining,

whining

about helping

others,

that should

be an indicator

that your

heart is not

postured right.

Maybe it's

the result

from being

overextended,

there are

realities there,

but sometimes

it's because

you're insisting

on your own

way.

You're

actually

wanting to

serve in

practice

without having

the right

posture of

heart.

And the

way that

we go

about getting

the right

posture of

heart,

a humble

posture of

heart,

when we're

in the

midst of

serving,

is fixing

our eyes

on Jesus,

the author

and perfecter

of our

faith,

who for

the joy

set before

him endured

the cross.

Joy is

to be

fought for

in the

Christian

faith.

We can

descend

quickly just

into the

nuts and

bolts of

serving

practicalities

and not

tend to

our hearts.

Humble

yourself,

experiencing

the joy

of the

Savior.

Fix

your eyes

on him.

Blessed

are those

who humble

themselves.

I just

want to

say one

more thing

before I

get some

more

practicalities.

This has

to do with

posture of

heart.

What Jesus

is telling

us here

is not

a matter

of gifting.

All of

us are

called to

serve.

All of

us are

called to

have a

humble

posture of

heart.

it's

not a

matter of

how gifted

you are.

It's a

matter of

posturing

yourselves

under the

glorious

kingship of

Jesus and

serving from

that.

What we

have here

is a

normal

kingdom

way of

building

being for

all citizens

of Jesus

kingdom.

So if

you're to

be a

follower of

Jesus

Christ,

you're

being called

into

humble

service

of

others.

No

exceptions.

No

exceptions in

the room.

We're all

called to

serve.

So the

question that

you could ask

right now

yourself is

this.

How am I

serving

others?

In what

practical

real ways

can I

point to

that

demonstrate

me serving

other

people?

And if

you find

yourself

coming up

short of

examples,

bring it

to the

Lord Jesus.

Lord Jesus,

would you

help me to

serve others

as you've

served me?

Okay.

You ready

for some

practical

steps?

First one,

I'm going

to isolate

a group in

the room,

husbands and

fathers.

fathers.

Husbands and

fathers,

whether you

are acknowledging

it or not,

you control

the thermostat

of your

home.

You're

setting the

tone.

Whether you

are stepping

into responsibility

or avoiding

it, you are

setting the

tone of your

home.

And we,

in light of

Jesus'

example here,

are called

to be

servants of

our wives

and children.

We lay

our lives

down for

them.

We do

good to

them, even

sacrificially.

So, husbands

and fathers,

serve your

wives and

children.

Don't whine

and complain.

Don't grumble

underneath that.

There's joy

in that.

That's God's

good design.

Now, I have a

caution, and I

caution you because

I know myself,

and this is what

I do.

after a long

day of serving

my family,

you're

legitimately

washing dishes,

mowing the

lawn, cleaning

out the

garage.

Do you

know what I

do?

Jenny, did

you see my

Christ-like

service today?

Guys, don't

do that.

Don't

Christ-like

serve your

wife and

children, and

you're like,

what do you

think about

that Christ-like

service?

That's not

Christ-like

service.

Christ-like

service, generally

speaking, likes

to go under

the radar.

Learn from

me, brothers.

One of the

things you need

to understand

about helping

people and

serving people,

we need to

help people in

a way that

doesn't hurt

them.

So just

because someone

says, you

need to serve

me this way,

doesn't mean you

should serve

them that

way.

What you

want to do

is you

want to

dignify

them in

the way

that you

serve them.

So

husbands,

fathers,

serve your

wives and

children in

the best way

possible according

to God's

word.

That's going

to mean some

hard conversations,

but they're

good conversations.

It's called

servant

leadership.

Here's some

other ways you

can care for

one another in

the church.

Childcare,

a.k.a.

wild care.

Find and

initiate a

young couple

with young

children, a

single mom,

families with

challenging

situations in the

children they're

raising, and you

go to them and

say, hey, can we

watch the kids for

a night?

Get you and your

lady out.

Get the two of you

out to refresh.

We'd love to do

that for you.

And you can

just pay us

$400.

That's all.

We bear one

another's burdens.

This is big,

folks.

And we have

young families

all around us

that you will be

called blessed

by them if you're

like, we'll give

you a night out.

Meals.

Blessed are those

who watch

children.

Meals.

We can serve

one another by

preparing meals for

one another when

crisis hits.

But even better

than that, you

invite people over

to your house when

they hit a crisis,

and you share a

meal together.

You do this

together.

You minister to

them not with just

a meal, but with

your presence.

Blessed are those

who serve up a

meal.

You give rides.

Some people among

us don't have cars,

and so we can use

our cars to serve

other people by

getting them places,

grocery stores.

The downtown area

has a bit of a food

desert.

We can get them to

and from appointments.

We can gather

them, get them,

and bring them to

our Sunday gathering,

get them home from

our Sunday gathering,

and as they're in

the car with you,

you're not an Uber

driver, a Lyft

driver.

You're a brother and

sister in the Lord,

so you get to know

them in the car.

Rides.

Blessed are those

who give rides.

friends.

The last one I want

to share with you is

probably the hardest.

It's not getting

grime out of people's

toes, though.

It's harder.

I titled it a

listening presence.

We live in a high-paced,

individualistic culture.

People often feel

left out and

isolated, and so we

can serve one another

by just showing up

and listening.

You show up and

listen.

You hear people.

People.

I regularly ask God

when I meet with

people, oh God, give

me an instructed ear

and an instructed

tongue.

So you listen.

You listen for where

people are, and when

they know that you're

listening, do you know

what happens?

You get to serve

them.

Get to love them.

Blessed are those

who show up and

listen.

There's other kinds

of serving.

Sunday morning

breakfast, the

Tuesday night

shalom meal,

king's place.

Oh, that's a great

place to serve.

King's kids.

Do you know what?

We also serve our

enemies.

Jesus washed the

feet of his

betrayer.

Do you know what

you do when you

don't feel like

serving?

Fix your eyes on

Jesus.

In verse 20, we

have another

truly, truly,

I say to you,

whoever receives

the one I send

receives me, and

whoever receives me

receives the one who

sent me.

Up until this point,