[0:00] If you will join me in John chapter number 13 for a moment. And as it's been said, you follow the Lord. I love that as Brother Robert highlighted, as unto the Lord, that is what your ministry is to be.
[0:13] As unto the Lord, that makes what every moment of our day meaningful because it's as unto the Lord. Some people see it, other people don't. It won't matter because it's as unto the Lord.
[0:23] And that's a great thing that we can live in His presence and knowing that. But as it was seen in the passage, that He would want us to pray unto people. Or as it was said unto Peter, lovest thou me, feed my sheep.
[0:36] If you want to pour your life out for Christ, you do it by pouring your life into other people. Alright? If you want to pour your life out for Christ, you do it by pouring it into other people.
[0:47] That's one of my favorite quotes because it's mine. I don't know who else said it. I'm just kidding. I don't know where I read it. But I love that quote. I love this idea. Man, it's not that funny, is it? And it is a, I don't know where I read it, but I just loved it when I saw it and I wrote it down on my board.
[1:00] It's that. Because I do. You have this expression, this desire to pour your life out for Christ. And you think, how do I go about doing that? And then you realize that you can make His Word manifest, known, that God can be known through the preaching of His Word.
[1:13] And that's a wonderful way to serve people. So I want to look at John chapter number 13. And Greg went and helped me get something real quick. Because I decided I wanted to show it to you. If you'll hand me that, Greg.
[1:24] And this is a water basin, or at least the only option that we had. And it's, oh, well, you went the extra mile with the towel there. And so we know with John chapter number 13, we're going to see it's the washing of Jesus of the disciples' feet.
[1:37] And you can see naturally why we'd want to come to a time like this, that Jesus Christ being our Master and that we would never be greater than Him. We follow in His example. Not just in His example of service, but even in His teaching ministry.
[1:49] You're going to see that Jesus is teaching here in John chapter number 13 while taking on the service of the place of a servant. I'm sure Allie has these, as my wife do.
[2:00] Does she have any towels you're not allowed to use? They're decorative towels. They come out this time of year. They have pumpkins on them. Later they come around. You're not supposed to use them. Do you know about these towels? Do you have? I'm sure they're hypoallergenic and gluten-free or whatever Allie has.
[2:14] Same thing. You could probably eat the towels in her house. That'd be safe for you. But we have these decorative towels and we're not supposed to use them. And I asked Stephanie, I said, where's the towel? And she's like, I think you used it.
[2:24] All right. And if I see a decorative towel, I'm going to use it. I'm sorry, Miss Sandy. I've used yours. Miss Betty. Different people. I use decorative towels in the bathroom. I'm just like, that's not their God-given purpose. All right. Let's use these towels.
[2:36] All right. And let's make them used. So in your wife's kitchen, there can be decorative towels. But in your life, in your study, in your office, there's no decorative towels. Everything that God gives us is for his service in the hymn.
[2:49] It's not just for looks. It's not just to be shown there. And Jesus shows us so clearly in John 13. I really don't need to do much more than read the passage. But for the sake of job security, I will add commentary to the reading of the passage here.
[3:03] John chapter number 13. And now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come, that he would depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
[3:16] So we're talking about an expression of love. We're getting towards the end of his life here on earth. And he is not stopping. He is not pulling up. He is not making this only about his own comfort.
[3:27] But he is teaching and ministering to these people to the end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put in the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him. Verse 3.
[3:38] Jesus, knowing that the Father hath given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God and went to God. And then from that knowledge, he rises up from supper, laid aside his garments, and took a towel and girded himself.
[3:55] After that, he poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and wiped them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter, and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
[4:05] Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter. First thing I'd like for you to see in that verse number 4 is that, And knowing that the Father hath given all things unto him, he immediately stands up and he goes and he takes the lowest form of a servant.
[4:25] There's a direct connection between knowing who you are in Christ and being able to serve other people. Not recognizing your completeness and your wholeness in Christ. It means that you've got to get it from other people.
[4:37] And when you have to get things from other people, then you're never in a position to bow down and to serve them. But Jesus, knowing that all things have been given to him, all authority of the highest rank, as he says in the Great Commission, all authority is given unto me.
[4:51] There's nothing that's withheld from him. With that knowledge, he goes low and he serves and he wipes the feet of the disciples that are there. You know, it would be hard today to write a modern day leadership book about Jesus.
[5:06] Because as soon as Jesus draws a large crowd, what does he do? He separates himself among a small group of people. When he thinks about the Father had given him, he immediately goes and served.
[5:18] We have a high calling as the children of God. We have a high calling as a person that's been called to preach. And I would encourage you with that, go low and take on the role of a servant.
[5:28] Jesus has the highest rank possible, but takes on the lowest form of being a servant. You've traveled and seen things in many parts of the world. There would be servants that would be in a home, but even those servants wouldn't do certain jobs.
[5:41] They would outsource those lowest jobs to another group. So Christians of high standing should give themselves gladly to lowly serving. It is our joy and honor.
[5:53] It's only in knowing Christ and knowing our identity in him and that it's sufficient just to serve him. Whatever God, Josh and Allie, whatever loving Jesus and loving people produces in your life and prune wherever he takes you, just say praise the God.
[6:07] That's the life that he has for you. And it will be wonderful because it's as unto the Lord. And so he could have set out a picture for everyone who would have been sufficient. Jesus could have just set it out and that would have been a common practice, that it would have been made available.
[6:20] That would have been considered hospitality to have that available to people. But that isn't what Jesus does. He washes all of their feet, every one of them. And so there's a lesson for us to learn here.
[6:32] And there was a lesson for each one of them to learn in doing that. Jesus was teaching them a lesson that was far bigger than that day. If they would listen, they would learn it. John 13, 7, it says, Jesus is taking time and he's explaining wonderful truths to them.
[6:55] So we know what Peter learns. But what was it Judas was learning? What was it learning that the other disciples were learning as they were watching them? Every one of them were learning biblical truths from Jesus by watching him serve.
[7:11] And I would dare say lessons that can't be learned by any other way. That moment where Jesus is there with Simon Peter and he washes his feet. And Peter is speaking for the rest of us typically.
[7:22] And he says, Wash all my body, not just my feet. And he says, Or he first says, I can't have you washing my feet. And Jesus said, If I don't, then you're not part of me. You're not one of me.
[7:33] Then he says, Well, if you're going to wash my feet, all of me. And Jesus says, That isn't what you need, Peter. You see the washing of your feet. And a few days later, Peter is going to deny Christ. And what is going to be in his heart?
[7:45] Is that I'm not unclean. I'm not unloved. I just need to repent. I need to wash my feet. I need to go back to the Father. And this lesson that Peter is going to need in life, where did he learn it?
[7:57] He learned it when his master, when his teacher was serving him at the lowest point. He learned a lesson from Jesus that may not have been able to have been taught from a pulpit, but it was learned with a water basin and a towel.
[8:13] There's people in Peru and other places. And I say in other places because right now God leads you to Peru. And I pray he gives you a lifetime there. But we're ordaining you to gospel work, wherever it is that God takes you. And there's lessons that God has for you to teach.
[8:25] And many times it's going to be behind the pulpit. But other times it's going to be right beside them serving in the work, teaching them the truth of God's Word. And that's such a wonderful blessing that we could do that.
[8:36] And then Jesus Christ is our example. John 13, 15, For I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you. That he says, as I have just done in that example, I want you to do that.
[8:49] I want you to serve other people. And a simple question. Do you and I believe that we're of greater importance than our master? Verse 16, Verily, verily, I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord, neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
[9:06] Know that your teaching ministry cannot be Christ-like if you do not often find yourself holding a basin for those that you have called to teach. God has lessons for you to teach, sermons to preach, lessons in a college to teach, many things.
[9:21] He also has some feet for you to wash. He also has a water basin for you to carry. And if you're not willing to carry one, then your hands are not going to be able to carry another one. And it's the greatest honor that God would minister through us, the people that he loves.
[9:37] He loves this. Brother in Love presence. And if you have a job that I know does not respond to, I really hope it's pasting.
[9:47] He loves you to have introduced us, see you. And if we do not Demand, So to project my mind is not going to. One of the greatest knowledge that he does not stay in a fire, he has done with fights.
[9:57] And if you have no longer do not have such a habit for you to Panin, so there's going to be some people thatлично.