Take a towel and wash dirty feet? What's that all about?

[0:00] We're going to go to the Word now, to John chapter 13. I like to say at times I was in a church that practiced foot washing,! But we're not going to do that this morning.

[0:14] But we might take some lessons from the truth of foot washing today as we go to the Word of God. And really the title of this message is Wash Feet.

[0:28] Wash Feet. We're going to go to John 13 from verse 1. John 13 verse 1. Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come, that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

[0:49] And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he was come from God and went to God.

[1:04] And notice this here. He riseth from supper and laid aside his garments and took a towel and girded himself. He took a towel and girded himself.

[1:17] I know Julie and I were in a church one time and we were just holidaying somewhere and we popped into a church and it was one of those really hyped up churches. And there was a woman there and she had a towel around her neck like this because she was sweating with all the emotion of it.

[1:32] Now we're not going to do that this morning. Sorry to disappoint. But the Lord Jesus, the point is he took a towel and he girded himself. All right? I might not fully demonstrate it, but just to get a visual of this this morning, he took a towel and he girded himself.

[1:50] All right? And it reads on, After that he poureth water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

[2:09] Then cometh he to Simon Peter and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter.

[2:26] Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

[2:46] Jesus saith unto him, He that is washed needeth not to save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit. And ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him.

[2:59] Therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. So after he had washed their feet and had taken his garments and were set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?

[3:11] Ye call me Master and Lord, and ye say, Well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet.

[3:27] For I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord, neither is he that is sent greater than he that sent him.

[3:44] If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. Interesting, Verily, verily, our Lord only used that a small number of times.

[3:55] It's really stressing. This is very important. This is truly, truly. Amen, amen. Verily, verily, I say unto you. So, picture it if you can, if you can, with your mind's eye, picture the scene.

[4:08] The Lord's gathering his disciples here together. And the room was prepared. The meal was laid out. It was prepared. You could smell it. And the places were set.

[4:21] Now, of course, we sometimes imagine it in the Western context of sitting around a kitchen table kind of idea. But no, they were kind of reclining. They were reclining, as the custom was, around the, I guess, a lower table of sorts.

[4:36] But they were reclining on their sides. Everything was prepared, but something was missing.

[4:47] Something had been forgotten. No one had washed their feet. Now, the practice was, this hospitality was extended in the custom of the time.

[5:00] When a person entered a place, they would be given this customary washing of feet. And they had entered in, each one of them, possibly, they overlooked it. It was embarrassing.

[5:12] Oh, we forgot this. The disciples who had organised the setting, maybe they'd just got so busy, now they might have felt bad that, oops, we forgot to have someone come to wash the feet.

[5:27] but they did nothing. They did not volunteer. But one person did. One person did.

[5:38] He stooped down, he took the towel and he girded himself. This is the place of a lowly servant. This was a servant's job. And, what's more, I read, a non-Jewish servant.

[5:52] So, this was for outsiders, this was for someone really, a nobody. would do this job. And, you know, at times when I think, when I take a break, it's the hardest thing for me, at times, not to find a song leader or a preacher, but to find someone willing to do my other job, the vacuuming of the carpets after the service.

[6:20] It's overlooked. It's the job nobody else wants. This was the job that nobody wanted. Nobody wanted to gird themselves like a servant and take the lowest place.

[6:33] This was foot washing. The disciples must have thought somebody else will do it. Somebody else will do it. I know I've shared this before and these are not particularly spiritual verses but nevertheless they are true and we can apply them.

[6:50] everybody, somebody, anybody, and nobody. This is a little story about four people named everybody.

[7:02] Somebody, anybody, and nobody. An important job needed to be done and everybody was sure that somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it but nobody did it.

[7:19] Somebody got angry that, because that's everybody's job. Everybody thought that anybody could do it but nobody realised that everybody wouldn't do it.

[7:34] It ended up that everybody blamed somebody when nobody did what anybody could have done. It's sometimes the way, isn't it? Yeah.

[7:48] I know we've got someone in our church who calls himself a general dog's body so I salute you sir. The point is that anybody could have washed their feet that day. Anybody could have done it.

[7:58] Any one of those twelve. But nobody did. And this was a problem. There was a problem in that room. I wonder if you could smell it even. Bear with me being a bit graphic this morning.

[8:11] As well as the smell of the food cooking. Maybe there's the crudity of the example. But honestly maybe there was some smelly feet there that night. Some dirty feet.

[8:22] Maybe everybody turned a blind eye to the need. Really it was pride. It was pride wasn't it? When no one wanted to humble themselves and actually do what needed to be done.

[8:35] Somebody has expressed it like this the difference between Jesus and religion. Religion shames people for having dirty feet. Jesus kneels down to wash them. Who will serve?

[8:47] Who will I delegate to? Who will take on the task that no one else really wants to do? Who will be faithful in the little things? And I know people are in this church.

[8:59] We've got people that look after the kitchen. I don't roster them to do it. They're not necessarily. I didn't lay hands on them and impart the gift of kitchen service and kitchen ministry to them.

[9:12] But they willingly, gladly, I trust gladly, did take on that work that needed to be done. That's the point isn't it? Really? And who will take on the task that no one wants to do?

[9:25] The little things and be reliable such that they keep on doing it. And you can count on them to show up and to work. How easy it is to overlook needs, isn't it?

[9:37] Anybody could have done it, but nobody wanted to do it. Will we see the need and then meet the need? When they saw, the Lord Jesus saw some feet needed washing, he was the one who did it.

[9:53] He was the Lord of glory in a room full of disciples. They were ordinary men, just ordinary common men, farmers, lower class men, you could call them, many of them fishermen.

[10:04] Notice what happened here. Our Lord eyeballed each one of them as he went about this work of washing their feet. He went down the line, person by person, one by one, and he looked upon them with love.

[10:21] And he sees their future, their hope, their martyrdom even. And one thing that's true about every one of them, the feet that our Lord washed, all took off, running away from the Saviour.

[10:36] He looked into the eyes of each one of them as he took their feet and he washed them. Can you picture it? Our Lord took individual time with each individual.

[10:47] It was a very much one-to-one time, a close moment between each person and the Saviour. Imagine what it would have felt like. It's about relationship with the Saviour, isn't it?

[11:02] Fundamentally. How about us? How is that relationship going? And can I encourage you that you can take heart? He knows your name.

[11:13] He knows your name. He knows your need. He knows your bunion. He knows that funny toenail of yours, of mine.

[11:23] And he looks at you and he says, I love you. He says, I love you. And I can remember speaking to someone and asking, really, a well-meaning question, how are you going, spiritually?

[11:39] And they reacted badly to that. They thought I was being condemnatory. But really, this is a vital question, isn't it? A caring question. How are we with our relationship with the Lord?

[11:53] Are we growing? Are we nurturing that? Hey, if we haven't been for a while, we can get back to it. That's spiritual life. There are some who search for counselling. And here at times, they want counsel.

[12:08] And they express things such as, I want to find my life purpose. Really, our whole life purpose, our whole purpose is this. It could boil down to this, to know him and to make him known.

[12:23] To know him and to make him known. Look at the words of Paul. Philippians 3, verse 8, Yea, doubtless, and I count all things, but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them, but dung that I may win Christ, that I may know him, the excellency of the knowledge, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, that I may know him, know him, and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death.

[13:09] Notice there, verse 10, that I may know him. Amen. It's not about knowing necessarily the deeper things of theology as much as that's important, but that I may know him, that I may know him, truly know him.

[13:28] And notice as we could consider, as we could maybe use a little creative thinking as you might imagine being there that night as the Lord stepped down and took a towel and girded himself and we might be there amongst that number that night.

[13:45] Think about that fateful night. Think about the people that he's speaking to, the people that he's eyeballing one by one. Matthew. Matthew, he was the one who was willing to drop absolutely everything to follow Christ.

[14:00] He could have stayed in that comfortable position, but he left it to follow. He dropped absolutely everything. We could learn the truth as he records it in Matthew's gospel account, seeking first, the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

[14:18] All these things should be added unto you. Matthew was thought to have been a knowledgeable and intelligent man. He had been a tax collector, but he left it all behind. Some of the disciples may have gotten the idea, after these three years of intensive following the saviour, that now they were qualified.

[14:38] they may have boasted, I have been to Bible school. I know this and I know that.

[14:51] I know it all. These ones have been through the very best of Bible training, the very best possible Bible school, with the Lord himself as their teacher, yet they had to learn the most fundamental lesson of humility.

[15:06] truth is they were still in the kindergarten. They may have thought they had arrived, but they were still in kindy. No one had thought to take on the lowly task of washing feet.

[15:21] Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth, love builds up. Fundamentally, this was our Lord teaching them this fundamental truth of humility, of love.

[15:35] He came to John. John, the disciple John, he's considered to be the disciple who the Lord loved, especially loved. And he was known to be faithful.

[15:47] You wonder whether the Lord commended him for his faithfulness as they had their interaction one to one. And the Lord tenderly, we know, is going to give him an important mission.

[16:00] Behold, well he couldn't point at the time, but behold thy mother on the cross. Our Lord knew the sword piercing Mary's heart and he wanted to make sure someone, somebody, would take on that role of being a son and a help to her.

[16:22] He thought of her and he gave John that special privilege, that mission, and he washes John's feet and shows his love. love. Our Lord knows what our love is like, what we love, what we love, who we love, and what our love level, our love level towards our Lord is.

[16:43] Yeah? He knows our fears, our failings, our faults, and as you look, as he looked around that setting, as he looked at the twelve, as he looked eyeball by eyeball, looked into their faces, their eyes.

[17:04] What was he thinking? Each of the disciples had their own shortcomings, doubt, fear, ambition, pride, unbelief, and what does it tell us about all of them?

[17:20] And they all forsook him and fled. Those feet that he washed, they all took those feet and ran and forsook the saviour and fled.

[17:31] The Lord knew they would face intense persecution yet ahead of them, that each of these men would face huge testing, even suffering and death for their faith.

[17:43] Think of it. As he stoops down and girds himself and he washes your feet, your feet, he knows your life path, your life purpose, your life choices, where you have walked, he's seen where you've been, and he also knows where you're going to go, doesn't he?

[18:07] And he comes to James, and some say that James was a disciple with a temper. I wonder whether the Lord urged him to patience and perseverance. As you can see, as he looks at each one, he might see the fault, he sees their need, not just the fact that their feet need washing, but he sees the deeper heart, doesn't he?

[18:27] James, the son of Zebedee, he was a man who had some zeal, he was a man who sought after position, he said I want to be next to you, you know, he wanted to have position, and he was fervent and passionate, but he had to learn to manage that, and the Lord called James and John the sons of Zebedee, Mark 3, 17, he calls them the sons of thunder, maybe they were prone to blowing the fuse and the steam coming out the ears and just going to explosive, sons of thunder, they wanted to call fire down from heaven on this other group, this other gathering, this other ministry, they wanted to call fire down from heaven on them, because they weren't part of their outfit, some people are like that, aren't they?

[19:17] I've been a bit like that sometimes, but really it's a misdirected zeal, isn't it? And our Lord rebuked them for that, of course we need to be careful who we line up with, there's need for separation from extreme groups and there's a load of them out there, but we have to watch over ourselves, is the first thing, don't we?

[19:35] And our own pride, and our own proneness to error. I wonder if our Lord, as he washed those feet, he might have recollected some of the events, some of those times in those last three years that had just gone by, maybe he revisited some of those things, and again, he taught his disciples their own personal lessons.

[19:56] Simon the zealot was another one there at the supper. Simon the zealot, we could expect that he was maybe a fiery agitator, a militant, fanatical extremist.

[20:12] Maybe that was his past, I guess just a degree of conjecture here, but just his very name, that he had some zeal. He was a zealot. And maybe we also can have zeal, and that is often a good thing, and yet our zeal can be suspect.

[20:31] Our Lord wants our zeal to be rightfully directed. Are we zealous for the truth of the gospel? Have we a zeal that is according to knowledge, according to scriptural knowledge?

[20:43] Is it a zeal that is biblical, it's rightful? Have we a zeal that is in accord with his word? Our Lord looked at them.

[20:54] As he stepped down, he took a towel, and he girded himself, and he looked at them, and he saw where they were outside in the zeal. Another disciple was Philip, and we're not going to give all of their names here this morning as an aside.

[21:08] You could think, well, there's numbers of these disciples we know is really next to nothing about, but our Lord knew them. Our Lord knew them. He knew their journey. He knew where they'd been, and he knew where they were going to go.

[21:21] And as we know, history records the likelihood that all of them were martyred. All of them took their feet and went to their deaths for the faith of Christ.

[21:34] And we think now of Philip, another disciple, Philip. He was known to be perhaps hesitant. He had to learn about faith.

[21:45] There was a time when Philip said to the Lord, look, Lord, I've done the math, and this does not compute. We just can't feed these people. It's too many.

[21:55] I've seen what's in the bank account. And look, I've done the math, and there's just no way this is just not going to work. And forget the idea. Send them home. We just can't feed the people.

[22:09] But our Lord proved him wrong. Our Lord's above mathematics, isn't he? He's above the accountants. Philip said to the Lord, show us the father.

[22:21] And the Lord replied, Philip, he that hath seen me hath seen the father. Lessons to learn.

[22:33] Some of the disciples we don't really know much about. One of them, James the Less. James the Less. It could be that James the Less was smaller in stature or station.

[22:44] So if you're a short person this morning, maybe you could kind of fill yourself in James the Less's shoes and know that God's got a place for you. James the Less.

[22:57] A low profile type of person. We can be that, can't we, for our saviour? A low profile, kind of a behind the scenes one. Maybe the hidden heroes.

[23:07] Maybe the ones in the kitchen. We don't even know that they're there. And they're just quietly washing the dishes and just joyfully serving in their own quiet way.

[23:21] James the Less. We don't know much about Nathaniel. It could be that he was prejudiced, some would say. In John 1.46 he says, can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?

[23:33] Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?

[23:46] Of course something did come out of Nazareth. He came out of Nazareth, didn't he? And time came that he learnt that he was wrong on that idea. Another disciple, Andrew, was known for friendliness and faithfulness.

[23:58] And he just quietly went about the work of bringing others to the saviour. Bringing others to the saviour. That's a good work, isn't it? We can all do that, can't we?

[24:10] In our own way. It seems like a lot of the disciples struggled with faith. Think of Thomas. Of course, often he's called doubting Thomas. It kind of goes together.

[24:22] Doubting Thomas. We know that Thomas had to learn to trust the Lord. And he did. In time, you might say, I'm feeling a bit like a Thomas.

[24:35] Lord, I believe, help them on unbelief. Thomas did come to stronger faith. And so can you, if you're struggling with faith today. The Lord met with all of them.

[24:46] One by one, think of it. Peter, a bold, charismatic leader, emotional, a braggart, arrogant. And he even went back to fishing for a time.

[24:58] He'd left that. But he went back for a time. And there was a time when Peter, he fell asleep spiritually. There was a time when Peter's feet stepped out and walked on water.

[25:13] Those feet that our Lord took a towel and he girded himself and he washed Peter's feet. Those feet that have done what no other human feet have done to walk on water.

[25:24] Yet Peter succumbed to his fears. And Peter resisted the foot washing. No! I can't let you do that. You know, it can be uncomfortable when someone takes a towel and girds himself and stoops down and starts to touch your feet.

[25:41] It's embarrassing. That's out of my comfort zone. Don't! Are you resisting the saviour like Peter? Put your feet in his hands.

[25:56] Your life. Know his touch. Our Lord knew as he washed Peter's feet of his denial soon to come. As he glanced at him right after the fact and the cock crew and Peter's face fell ashamed of what he had done.

[26:18] our Lord knew as he washed those feet Peter's denial to come. Yet he also knew that Peter would walk his own journey to his own cross one day.

[26:35] To think that our Lord washed the feet also of Judas. Judas. He was known as a lover of money, a betrayer. Really we know Judas was a fake.

[26:48] It was all a pretense. He was a pretender. Yet God in his mercy extended hands towards him and washed his feet. Our Lord stoops down as he washes our feet.

[27:01] It's a humbling experience when you think of it, isn't it? If we were to actually do that now, that would be a humbling thing, wouldn't it? I haven't washed my feet today.

[27:15] They're probably not the most hygienic. And a humbling experience for our feet to be before him, stained, soiled. He knows where those feet have walked.

[27:28] He knows you through and through, doesn't he? And he sees your heart. He sees what you can do, what you can be, and he wants that for you. He sees your sin, yes, he knows that only too well, but he also sees your potential.

[27:42] He sees what you can become. And I can imagine that he prays for you as he washes your feet. Can't you picture that? I'd imagine as he stepped down and took a towel and girded himself, that he would have prayed for each one as he washed their feet.

[28:00] This was something spiritual. He wants for you to walk in his ways. He wants those feet of yours to be walking in his ways, to be treading his paths, to walk in the spirit, to walk in the truth.

[28:18] God orders and directs the steps of his people. There's many scriptures that we could point out that speak about walking and of a pathway. Proverbs 3, verse 6, in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.

[28:36] He's got a path for you that he's directing you to walk in. Listen to his voice. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and the Lord delighteth in his way.

[28:48] He delighteth in his way. That the Lord would direct your steps. What a wonderful joy to know yes my steps are ordered by the Lord.

[29:01] I'm walking in his way. I'm walking humbly with my God. The Lord wants you to know he's uplifting. To think of it he maketh my feet like hind's feet like the feet of some deer on the rock face and he setteth me upon the high places that he wants your feet to be such that you'll be lifted up to higher ground as it were.

[29:30] And our Lord directs us to take our feet as he exhorted the disciples of course in the commission go ye take your feet go ye with those feet into all the world preach the gospel how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things.

[29:52] You might think my feet are a bit I don't really like to show them off to people they're not the best looking part of me but the Bible says if you're taking those feet and taking the gospel to someone then your feet are beautiful this morning your feet are beautiful the Bible says a lot about feet about walking in the light about walking in his truth and here's a good thing too you might!

[30:19] my feet I been in that miry clay I know where my feet have been I know the places I've been the things I've done but thank God my testimony is this he brought me up also out of a horrible pit out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings that's where he wants our feet isn't it take your feet out of the miry clay he'll pull you out of it and he'll set you set your feet on the rock amen and proverbs 4 talks about ponder the path of thy feet and let all thy ways be established turn not to the right hand not to the left remove thy foot from evil decide where you're going to plant your feet it's not in evil but it's in righteousness and we think feet there's so many more scriptures you could take your concordance and have a look at the many examples feet are a metaphor of our spiritual journey it speaks of the believer's walk with

[31:24] God and our Lord prays for us doesn't he to plant our feet in his path to not stumble or falter and there's a promise here in Psalm 121 verse 3 he will not suffer thy foot to be moved he that keepeth thee will not slumber to Samuel 22 37 thou hast enlarged my steps under me so that my feet did not slip humanly our feet can slip can't they humanly our foot can be moved to places where the feet shouldn't be we can by God's grace know he brings us back on his pathway and he'll help you not fall and falter I like this thought in this one as Paul exhorts the Romans Romans 16 20 and the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet under your feet shortly the grace of our

[32:32] Lord Jesus Christ be with you amen imagine being there as we think of these words that God's going to crush Satan as some could put it that way God's going to crush Satan and it's under your feet it's kind of mind blowing isn't it imagine being there these are the last tender moments the moments that the last tender moments that you will have before cruel hands take his hands and pierce them and those hands are touching your feet your feet and their dirty feet our Lord takes hold of your feet in his hands and he prays for you that you'll know his guidance for that pathway ahead where you will walk that you'll walk rightly and believers here this morning we may face our

[33:34] Lord and feel unworthy inadequate my feet we may compare ourselves to others and feel like we don't deserve his grace well their feet are okay but my feet I know where my feet have been I know my feet fall and slip I stumble I don't deserve the grace of God we may compare ourselves to others and feel like we don't deserve his grace one of the followers of Christ was not yet one follower at this time he came later the apostle Paul what did he call himself the chief of sinners and I think this was not just poetic language he really meant it I actually am the chief of sinners he actually meant it wasn't poetic I'm a sinful man I'm the worst

[34:34] I'm the meanest I'm the baddest I'm the foulest the dirtiest sinner dirty rotten sinner the chief of sinners that's what he called himself he meant it every word he felt totally unworthy unfit he'd been a Christian killer effectively yet the Lord received him and he received such as we though we might feel just as guilty and failing we may feel like glum Elijah downcast under the juniper tree feel totally and absolutely downhearted the one who is grace is here for you and Jesus stoops down he takes a towel and he girds himself he stoops down and he comes to where you are at where we are at in our discouragement in our doubt in our time of despair the master teacher is here and he washes our feet think of it this is your bible school this is ministry 101 this is how it's done he took a towel and he girded himself and he looks at you he looks at you with the eyes of love and grace the one who spoke the stars into space with the breath of his mouth the one who upholds all things by the word of his power the one before whom angels prostrate fall and he comes to you to you and he says give me your dirty feet and I will fix it give me your dirty heart and I will make it clean give me your dirty lips your dirty mind your unclean hands and life and I will make you clean give me your life and I will fix it

[36:28] I wonder as our Lord went down the line with each one of his disciples the kind of conversations that he may have had we can only imagine perhaps our Lord recounted some of the events they'd been through where he had to rebuke them oh ye of little faith perhaps they recounted the failures the disappointments the trials the sins perhaps the wonders and the praises and the rejoicing the places they'd walked together and our Lord washed feet the Lord of glory washed feet willingly personally thoroughly I would think that if the Lord Jesus washed your feet then that would have been the very best foot wash that you could ever have don't you think I can't imagine the Lord doing it half heartedly I wonder how long it took it took the time to wash 24 feet the one who designed the butterfly's wings the one who set the solar system into its orbit the one who knows you by name the one who loves you with an everlasting love he knows everything about you and he says before I formed you in the womb

[37:47] I knew you before the first cell of your embryo was formed I knew you this God we talk about he is knowable and he's not too busy for you he'll take the time to wash your feet he had some busy things coming up he had some pressing things so here he is the Lord of glory think of him the Alpha and the Omega and the 22 letters in between here he is the one who was and is and is to come the almighty the glorious redeemer crowned with many crowns worthy of all worship and honour and glory and praise the author and the finisher of our faith the bread of life who feeds the hungry soul the king of kings and the lord of lords before him every knee shall bow and every some confess that he is lord the lamb of god spotless pure holy the head of the church the creator of all things by whom all things were made everything the one who walked upon the waves commanding the winds and the seas the one who is the healer of the wounded heart the one who grants his access to the holiest to the throne of grace by his blood behold the works of his hands he brings beauty from ashes joy from mourning he gives his garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness the fullness of the godhead bodily this one who stepped down from heaven's glory veiling divine majesty and human flesh to come and walk the dusty roads of earth this one he is the friend of sinners still who dined with the despised and brought hope to the hopeless

[39:53] Jesus the fountain of living waters think of it he called forth Lazarus from the tomb and death itself fled at his voice he is the way the truth and the life the only mediator between god and man this one the light of the world who dispels the darkness and he speaks and mountains tremble and he whispers and the weary find rest and he rules over nations setting up kings and deposing them yet he bends low to lift the broken hearted think of it this one who!

[40:33] stoops before us and he takes a hold of my feet he washes your feet again I believe he would have done it wholeheartedly I wonder whether he would I don't mean to be crass here but the fact that he would have made sure those feet were very clean in between every toe wouldn't he he would have made sure that they were scrubbed and clean as clean could be that's Jesus that's our Jesus isn't it what about us how do we serve give of your best to the!

[41:19] your best don't give second rate don't give half heartedly serve and serve willingly there's no shortcuts there's no half measures we must spend and be spent our Lord says what I have done you are to do whose feet will we wash who me wash feet whose feet do I have to wash will we care for one another or will we say oh no that's beneath me will we humble our own selves or is pride stopping us the wrong spirit our own vanity what was our Lord's motive think of it friends today John 13 1 now before the feast of the Passover Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the father having loved his own which were in the world he loved them unto the end love love this was the whole point of the exercise wasn't it this is the most important lesson in your

[42:30] Bible school says the Lord this is the pinnacle of my teaching for you love this is where your learning starts love he says without me you can do nothing we can find a fulfillment in obedience today friends we see that he says if you know these things happy are you if you do them there's a big two letter word here do there's joy in serving Jesus some of you have been on the shelf way too long and you can change that today at the end of the day as we leave this scene I can't help but wonder did anyone actually wash the feet of Jesus that's a question I would ponder and I think nobody actually did did anybody care to stop and think he washed my feet but did I not stop to care that no one washed my saviour's feet those feet that tried the pathway to calvary those feet that wore the spike no one cared enough to wash your saviour's feet actually there was a time it records that his feet were washed by the tears of a repentant sinner woman

[43:53] Luke 7 44 as he was in the house of Simon and he says see this woman I entered into thine house and thou gavest me no water for my feet but she hath washed my feet with tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head so his feet did get washed sometime before that night but think of the love that the woman showed the despised woman really and of the saviour he was despised and rejected of men and we esteemed him not we didn't wash his feet he stooped down and took a towel and girded himself to wash my feet but I did not care to wash his as some of the words of this song we sang give of your best to the master give him your loyal devotion give him the best that you have you might say the best

[44:58] I have is scarcely anything at all you can still give him that you can give him your best it's up to you what you give him you can give him your best don't compare yourself with others give him your best amen give of your best to the master give him your loyal devotion give him the best that you have give of your best to the master give him first place in your heart give him first place in your service consecrate every part give of your best to the master not else is worthy of his love he gave himself for your ransom gave up his glory above laid down his life without murmur you from sins ruined to save give him your hearts adoration give him the best that you have our Lord says if I then your Lord and master have washed your feet you also ought to wash one another's feet for

[46:01] I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done to you do we get to pick and choose well okay we're going to have the full washing service now do I get to choose whose feet do I wash I don't mind washing that one's feet but don't ask me to wash that one's feet I want to pick and choose whose feet I get to wash yeah are there some people here that you would rather not wash their feet maybe they're the ones the Lord would have you to go to and show the love of God to it's a challenge isn't it so friends when the disciples walked into that room they maybe took it for granted about the foot washing person oh that's just someone who's in the background sort of in the outside of the limelight someone on the in the back rooms that just pops out and washes feet it was a humble role when you think about it it's like and I know

[47:14] I can be guilty of this when you go into a shop and you might discount a cleaner a shop assistant we may look down on them and disregard people in some humble station of life I think of for example the trolley collectors who would stop and say hi good job thanks for helping you might think I'm a bit weird but sometimes I like to do that to acknowledge them they're doing a job for you it's a humble job it's a demeaning menial job you might think oh I wouldn't even I wouldn't even look at them and say hi good morning oughtn't we to acknowledge them it's another human soul that needs the saviour I think we ought to I think it's good to value people and what they do thank them don't take them for granted

[48:17] I mean sometimes I miss it but I do like to say thank you thank you for playing thank you thank you for helping in the kitchen thank you for bringing the communion thank you for spreading it out and sharing it thank you for opening the door early and thank you for setting up the chairs thank you for noticing that piece of paper on the floor and picking it up thank you for noticing when the paper towels need replenishing thank you for noticing when the toilet rolls need replenishing and there's cupboards there anybody could do it anybody that means you and me doesn't it I know you're all going to be rushing for the I'll tell you where the vacuum cleaner is and you can it's in the pantry cupboard it's very easy you don't need any special training and I know some of you do take the vacuum cleaner I know some of you have done you do do thank you you take the initiative but we can take things for granted hey that you know somebody's going to do it that the foot washing person's going to come out of thin air and come and wash our feet nobody noticed the job that needed doing or maybe they did notice but they were thinking don't pick me for that job don't pick me for that duty

[49:42] I don't want to do that kind of work I don't want to do that menial task that's beneath me I'm above that and so he could think I'm just putting it out there volunteer volunteer see the need meet the need take the humble task don't wait for the pastor to tell you he probably won't tell you we've just got to open our eyes and see what needs to be done don't we and take the humble task think of it Francis our Lord he demonstrated love he was the living example of love his grace personified grace incarnate and he takes a towel and he stoops down he takes a towel and he girds himself and he he comes to your feet one by one and he washes in between the toes and he makes sure those feet are clean as clean can be doesn't he praise him friends today let's be encouraged to think this is the saviour the Lord of glory stoops down and humbles himself to such as we let us pray our Lord God we thank you that you would take such a humble place to come and even wash the feet of your betrayer to come and to wash our feet even when we protest or we think we're embarrassed

[51:11] Lord you'd see where our feet have walked you see where they will walk Lord you want our steps to be directed in your paths to walk in your ways to walk humbly with our God that's what you want us to be doing Lord help us to have a heart for that pray that you'd be encouraged this morning to think about how can we yield our feet into your hands as it were that those feet would be touched by your hand Lord we thank you that that fateful night your feet took that pathway to the cross Lord we thank you that those hands that touched those feet were nailed at the cross for us Lord we thank you pray each one might know this morning what it is to know that you are the Lord of glory the King of kings the Saviour that we can know that you would you would stoop down to come to us to our level that you would eyeball us each one of us and your searching eyes would penetrate to the depths of our soul and Lord we know where we've walked hasn't always been the right pathway but yet Lord you've taken our feet into your hands

[52:26] Lord we thank you for that that we can rest in your touch and your ministry to our hearts and souls today we pray if there's any yet to trust you that I say Lord Jesus take my feet take my soul take my life take my body take my spirit have all of me I surrender all Lord I give it all into your hands Lord help me to be one that will walk in your ways and Lord help me also to have a heart that we might think about others how it was at times a ministry that they washed the saints feet and Lord help us to love one another that example that you set that love that humility that took you to the extremity of of kneeling down for an extended time washing foot after foot and you did it in love and you did it graciously and you did it thoroughly

[53:31] Lord we pray that we know that kind of love for one another that we look out for one another we'll see that a brother a sister here needs our love a brother a sister here needs us to actually take some time pay some attention and reach out to them to love as you have loved us we praise you Lord in Jesus name amen amen Amen.