Living an Authentic Life: John 13
The last few weeks we have been talking about what the signs are that you and I have spiritual life in us
We have talked about how you and I should be representatives of God on this earth: we are the salt and the light of Jesus
We spoke last Sunday about how we can have peace in this turbulent world that we live in by prayerful trust in Jesus
But being representatives of God on this earth as salt and light and living a peaceful life in a turbulent world: we have to be committed to Christ
When we are committed to Christ, we will have spiritual life in us that shows
(by the way, all these messages are on the website fbclex.com)
Today, let’s consider another sign of spiritual life: serving God
Living a real life for Jesus
John 13:1–8 (ESV)
13 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. 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. 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. 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.” 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.”
First, what should be our:
- Motivation for Serving
Love was at the center of Jesus’ serving His disciples
Love was at the center of everything Jesus did
And as v1 said, “he loved them to the end”
The phrase, “loving them to the end” isn’t speaking about time; it speaks about the extent of Jesus love
Jesus loved his disciples with the full extent of his love
And he loves you that way
Loving one another is not an easy thing to do; some have said that it is the hardest thing in life to do
But we as Jesus’ disciples are to love them anyway with a Christ-like love
Jesus demonstrated that love in our passage today
He washed feet and 2 of those men in which he washed their feet were ones who weren’t easy to love
You have Peter who would deny later that he even knew Jesus
You have Judas who would betray Jesus into the hands of those who would crucify Him
Jesus said in v11 that he knew the one who betray him
Jesus already knew this when he washed the feet of these men
The easiest thing we could do is just ignore people who aren’t very loveable
Just love the people who love you
But Jesus gave us the model here that we can and we must love and serve others as his disciples
Now notice the:
- Benefits of Serving
Not only will service to others benefit the person served, but will also benefit you
- Serving others will test the authenticity of our faith
Are you a real Christian?
Notice Jesus washed the disciple’s feet in the seclusion of the upper room…he did it privately
He didn’t seek kudos for himself
He didn’t blow trumpets or put it on Facebook
Our service to others isn’t motivated by fanfare; it is motivated by love
Our service tests the realness of our faith
- Serving others teaches us humility
V3 told us that Jesus had come from God and was going back to God…yet He was the one who stooped down to wash the disciples’ feet
What a contrast with the way his disciples acted at the Passover meal that they had just observed
We are told in Luke 22 that at the Passover meal, the disciples were arguing over who was the greatest among them!
I got news for you this morning: you’re not the greatest and I’m not either
If we think we are, we need to consider Jesus washing feet.
That should humble us.
Service to others will humble you if you think you’re the greatest
Jesus is the greatest
I want you to think about what Jesus did
The disciples are around a low table in which they were seated around it on the floor
Sometimes the table wasn’t a table at all. They would just spread the bowls of food on the floor and sit around on the floor
Jesus rose from the floor, removed his outer garment, took a bowl of water and a towel…and he began to wash the rough, dirty feet of fishermen
Jesus did something for them, that they had never done for each other nor would have ever done
When He was finished, He put his outer garment back on and sat back down among them and asked them a question: “Do you understand what I have done to you?”
So, we too should:
- Understanding about Serving
There are some insights we must understand if we are going to be servants in our world as Jesus demonstrated to His disciples
John 13:12–14 (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.
(Ronnie go forward to next slide “Understanding About Serving”)
If Jesus served, then we should serve
V12-14 teach us, that the things of the Bible we have knowledge about, produces accountability
I want you to realize the gap between who Jesus was and who the disciples were
Jesus was God and these men were sinners
Jesus the Son of God stooped to wash the dirty feet of sinners
In so doing, Jesus taught the disciples and us about serving others
How are people ever going to know the love of Jesus if all his people do is turn up their noses?
Notice again v14: Jesus said, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet”
“Ought” is the key word here. If Jesus, the Lord of the universe would serve you in such a way, then you should do the same for one another
If serving in this way wasn’t beneath Jesus, it sure isn’t beneath us
John 13:15–16 (ESV)
15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
(Ronnie go forward to next slide “Understanding About Serving”)
We are not greater than Jesus
And we are not literally talking about washing feet here
What we are talking about here is humble service
We must understand that what Jesus did was what the lowliest servant of a household in that time would do
Jesus is teaching us humility
The disciples had seen the ultimate example of humility before their very eyes and were therefore responsible to do the same
And so are we
Unselfish acts of humble service to others, so they may see and know our Savior
John 13:17 (ESV)
17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
Talking about the things Jesus just taught us: serving
Listen: The story of Jesus’ washing the disciples’ feet can get under our skin…and it should
It is contrary to our nature to serve people in such a humbling way
There is nothing in this world that would motivate us to serve in such a manner
But if we’re going to follow Jesus, then we need to be challenged and made uncomfortable sometimes
We’re going to have deny ourselves, like Jesus did, and experience the discomfort that comes when Jesus does things through us that we would not normally do ourselves
We can start by caring
Care about others and not just ourselves
A neighbor or someone you know in the community could be going through a hard time right now
They need Jesus. How will they know about Jesus unless we demonstrate to them what Jesus taught us?
We must get past our fears and reach out to find ourselves representing Jesus to the world
And while you’re there checking on that person who is going through a hard time…be sure to tell them about your Jesus