Washing Feet Like Jesus - Examine Yourself #communionmessage #communionsermon #examineyourself

[0:00] I'm going to go to John 13. Along the theme of examine yourself,! 1 Corinthians 11.28 tells us this,! But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup.

[0:21] Really every communion time is an opportunity for self-examination. So look at ourselves, examine yourself. Let's go back to that room, the upper room, the room where our Lord met his own, his disciples.

[0:36] And there's three things I put to you that the Lord called attention to at the time immediately prior to the Lord's Supper. Three things to examine ourselves.

[0:48] Three things we can examine. Your humility, your service, and your love. Firstly, how's your humility? How is your humility today? Our Lord says, learn of me.

[1:00] I am meek and lowly in heart. John 13, verse 4. It tells us, He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments, and took a towel and girded himself.

[1:13] After that he poureth water into a basin, began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

[1:25] What humility our Lord displayed. How is our humility? Are we bowed down in reverence and fear and honour before him today?

[1:36] Or do we come casually and carelessly? Look at how he came to this earth. He came in such humility. So lowly was he.

[1:48] It reads of him, Philippians 2, of our Lord, but he made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, was made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

[2:09] What humility he showed. And he took on the role of this slowest servant of all. What an expression of love as he came there, as the custom was to show hospitality, to wash the feet of those who came to a house, and no one had noticed, but our Lord noticed it hadn't been done.

[2:30] And he took that place, the humble place, the most humble place. What an expression of love, and of care for others, of the practical needs. Practical needs are smelly feet.

[2:41] Really, very practical, isn't it? And he left the tremendous glory of heaven, of heaven's throne, clothed himself like a lowly servant, a common servant. What about us?

[2:52] What do we do? Are we vain and conceited? Are we, oh, that's beneath me, to come down and to wash those smelly feet? I'm sure there's a few smelly feet here today. No, probably mine.

[3:06] But honestly, that's a kind of lowly thing to do, isn't it? That I would stoop down and take those feet that need washing. Are we so proud and self-important that we wouldn't have such a heart, that we would be so high and mighty and prideful in our knowledge or attitude?

[3:24] Or do we come before our Lord in this kind of repentance, this trembling, this lowliness, this humbling of ourselves, this coming unto him, recognising our weakness, our lack, our need of him, our corruption, our need of his cleansing, of his grace, of his forgiveness, to extend to us.

[3:44] And we think of this celebration meal. It's about God humbling himself to the very lowest point you could come to, of death itself, lowering himself to our level, to the place of humility.

[3:58] I know, I heard lately the Sunday school did some practical demonstration of foot washing and it's a very graphic picture, isn't it? Of humility, of stooping down.

[4:10] And sometimes we're so high and mighty, I can be, that we might look down on others, we might have a selfish or carnal, careless way, a prideful way, a vain way, a fleshly way, a self-centred way, such that why should I care for about someone else's feet?

[4:28] Why should I stoop down and take that very humble place? And when you think of it, the table brings us all together, doesn't it? As brothers and sisters in our Lord together.

[4:38] And look at our Lord as it reads further of him, it tells of his attitude to look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

[4:49] He was not caring of himself as he took his garment and then he girded himself with a towel as he stooped down on his knees and stooped down to wash feet.

[5:04] Look how he looked after the interests of others, not his own self-interest. And it's the same for us, that we have this treasure in earthen vessels, there's nothing of ourselves, of merit, but the excellency of the power is of God, it's not of us, it's as we stoop down, he fills us with his grace and his glory, his power.

[5:26] It works in us when we come to the end of our own strength as we trust in his, rest on his enabling as we surrender to our Lord.

[5:38] We know the song goes, I surrender all. But sometimes if we're singing it honestly, we might say, I surrender some. I surrender what's convenient to me.

[5:52] I surrender most. Or do we say, I surrender all. Do we have that heart, that all of our being is laid on the altar, that we lay all of our self at his disposal to come to that self-surrender.

[6:09] And God wants us to serve, to be servants too. Think of the picture as we examine ourselves, how's our service? How's our service? And John 13, 12, it reads further, so after he had washed their feet and had taken his garments and have sat down again, he said unto them, know ye what I have done to you?

[6:32] You call me Master and Lord and you say, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet.

[6:49] Now we've got some bowls out in the kitchen, we're going to get them, no, no. Obviously it's a symbolic thing, but we can think of that, hey, what if that was actually, yeah, some churches do have foot washing services, but it's not so much the physical act, it's more, do we have that heart that we should wash one another's, one another's feet?

[7:11] And he says, for I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done to you. How's our service for God? Have we got that heart to serve, to serve one another?

[7:21] That's church, isn't it? Is our faith working such that we'll have that servant heart to be activated, to be a servant, to be a servant. And being a servant of God means giving, serving, your brothers and sisters, look out for one another, not being selfish, but looking out for each other.

[7:42] And it tells us, Galatians 6, 2, bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ. Let's look out for the heart of others. Notice if others are downcast and give them a faith boost.

[7:57] Share your faith that they can be built up in their faith. Care for one another. Edify one another. The Lord's table reminds us of his great love. We see, it tells of our Lord, but God, who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he has loved us.

[8:16] And it tells us that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. God in Christ, this man, God made flesh, God manifest in the flesh, coming amongst us and taking this servant heart, this humble service.

[8:33] And we should likewise want to examine ourselves. How can I be more like my Lord? Ministry is about letting God work in us and through us. And that we can be a church of ministers, a church where everyone is ministering, encouraging that.

[8:49] Will we take the lowest seat as our master and serve as our master as a humble servant? Will we just think of ourselves or of others?

[9:02] And we think, of course, we want to reach out to those who have yet to trust him because his great love motivates us. The love of Christ constrains us. So that's a third point too as we think of this examination.

[9:17] How's our love today? How's our love? Our Lord tells us more, a new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

[9:31] By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another. Look at his tenderness and love. To care for such a practical thing of feet that need washing, do we have that same love to care?

[9:47] I see my brother and my sister needs their feet washed. Will I love them so? How is our love for God? That he would love us so. And how is our love for one another?

[9:59] Has our love grown dear? Let's love one another. And we can gloss over that part, as I have loved you. How did he love us? Greater love hath no man. That he lay down his life.

[10:11] Our Lord did so for us. And, oh that's the next one there. This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

[10:24] Think of it, friends, do we have that heart to sow love? Romans 12.10 says, be kindly affection one to another, with brotherly love, in honour preferring one another. He says, what we do to the least of these are brethren, we do it unto him.

[10:39] Have that heart, that when you love one another, that it's your expression of love towards him. We're commanded to love each other. And we show that we as disciples, his disciples, by our love for each other.

[10:55] Examine yourselves this morning. Think of our Lord, that great display of love, just prior to the cross, was just hours ahead. If God's love touches our hearts, let's start to find ways that we can have that same humble heart, that spirit, to serve, to show his love, even to others, how we care for others.

[11:18] Galatians 5.6 it says, for in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love. Faith which worketh by love.

[11:30] They go together. And it's about loving others as yourself. There's ten verses in the New Testament that say love, love your neighbour, love others as yourself.

[11:44] And let's face it, this is a world full of self-love, isn't it? Self-love. How much do you love yourself? How much do I love myself? We should love others to the same degree.

[11:56] The things that we want to please ourselves with, we should want to have that love, to extend that to others, to love one another with a pure heart, fervently.

[12:09] And Ephesians 5 says, walk in love. Make it your day by day living. That love is your way of living, your way of walking. Walk in love.

[12:19] Also, as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.

[12:30] Make love your lifestyle to consider others, to be a people who show God's love. There's so many scriptures we could talk about, these themes, and the Lord make you to increase and abound in love toward one another and toward all men, even as we do toward you.

[12:51] By love, serve one another. Beloved, if God so love us, we ought also to love one another. This theme, this morning, is examine yourself.

[13:04] Examine yourself. To be that church that serves, that loves, that has a humility to love, to love the downtrodden, to love the hurting, to love the Christless, the lost.

[13:19] There's so many that need Christ's love today, isn't there? And the table is open for those that would just come unto him, come unto him and believe.

[13:33] God loves, so loves the lost, the dysfunctional families, the lost, the sinners, the hurting, the rejected, and so should we.

[13:46] So friends, this morning, examine yourself. We should examine ourselves. How is our state? How is our relationship with our Lord? Is it right?

[13:56] Are we right with God? I pray that you trust him. Of course, this is a table for those who believe and you can believe in an eye blink of faith. You can say, Lord, I'm a sinner.

[14:07] I need your salvation. I need your forgiveness. I come. I come. In contrition, in faith, in belief, in reception of your gift.

[14:18] Knowing my unworthiness, my lack, my need, my state of sin. And only Christ can save. Only Christ can forgive. And for you this morning, if you would just believe, only believe, only believe that Jesus saves.

[14:35] Trust him to pay for your sin, to pay in full that penalty on your part and know his saving this morning. Let's just meditate personally.

[14:46] Examine yourself this morning. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of man.

[15:08] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.