To Love Is to Serve
First B Jackson
2021-11-23

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Good evening, everyone. How are you?

Doing well.

Any anything you wanna talk about? I like this topic. It is interesting. Welcome. Glad to have

you guys.

It's a little bit quieter in here because there's not there's not a wanna, but I'm glad you came. I'm really glad you came. How many are staying here this week over Thanksgiving? Oh, a few of you. Okay.

Alright. Well, know this that there is this right here. This Thanksgiving dinner at 04:00 here. Yeah. There's

four dinner at five.

Yeah. Yep.

So if you're looking for a place to have Thanksgiving, come here.

Bring some.

Yeah. Yeah. Bring a little something to share. Right? Mhmm.

Yep. Another out announcement that and I just noticed that as I walked in. Ray, do you wanna speak to the the board out there that has the tags on

it?

So Angel Tree, do y'all know how this works? Angel Tree, we have tags out there, and they're listed family number so and so and it just has an item usually on there and size and description. If so, Tanya and Aaron are working on the Angel Tree this year. So if you have any questions you can either ask me or Erin or Tanya, and we'll try to figure that out for you. But those are tags that you can take if you want to and get the item and bring it back, and we'll get them organized and get it to the families.

Generally speaking, it's for Christmas. Families in need that need presents for Christmas.

Yeah. Thank you.

Okay. Do you wrap it?

Yes. You can wrap the present

and bring it back with the tag

on the outside of it so we can see what, you know, what it is.

Yeah. It's absolutely wonderful, this thing. It is so amazing. And watching families come in and grab, it's like, wow.

There have been a couple of families recently too that the Blair apartment fire over there. A couple of those families are on on the list this year. And so we're helping with some immediate needs, but we're also putting them on an angel tree list. So yes. Cool.

Thank you. Yep.

Any other announcements there? There's some sign ups on the back there. If there's ever a Monday night where you can serve, we could even have food here. All you have to do is serve it. But please write down your name and and come see me, and I could always use help with that.

And here's another cool thing. The Operation Christmas Child boxes, you guys packed over a 110 boxes.

Yep.

So that was really, really fun to see. It was a it was a fun night. So anybody else have anything that they that that did I miss something? Okay. But welcome.

Welcome. On Monday nights, we've been going through the book of John. So you you can always jump right in, and it's been more conversation style. So after after I share the scripture and share some thoughts, I'd love to hear yours as well. So just think about that and just know that you do not have to share.

You don't have to say anything. It's some people's worst nightmare. But, it's the conversations have been really good. John thirteen one through 20 tonight. But let's sing first.

Would you stand with me, and we'll we'll praise here. God, thank you for this evening, truly. Thank you for the conversations around the table, for the food that we enjoy, God, your spirit that brings us together. Thank you, Jesus, for your life, your death, your resurrection, your ascension, sending the Holy Spirit, being with us every step of the way. Amen.

Amen. Yes. And as we sing that song and I think think about your interaction with that woman at the well. And she had a past, and her view of religion was probably she was probably just feeling absolutely just burnt on the whole thing. Just feeling like she could she could never measure up, that she could never know the true and living God.

And then and then you showed up there and you offered her living water that leads to eternal life. And that's what you're offering each one of us, God. Before we we we wanna check out, Lord, and just abandon faith altogether, would you lead us back to that place where we meet you Amen. Where we understand your love for us. Amen.

In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. There's a verse that says, perfect love casts out fear. Ain't that good?

Mhmm.

God that we would know that kind of love. Amen. You can have a have a seat here for a moment. How's everybody? You're good.

Yeah? I feel like this is one of those nights where I just get off choked up and I'm just gonna cry the whole time. I don't know why. Nothing's wrong. It's just this feeling stirred.

We're up to John 13. John 13. And we wanna cover I wanna cover verses one through 20 tonight. And the heading in in my Bible is Jesus washes his disciples' feet. And the context is this.

It's the Passover time, and Jesus is heading toward the cross. He's getting very, very close to finishing his work on earth. And last week, Jesus summarizes summarized his message by saying this. The father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. And catch this part.

And I know his commands lead to eternal life. That we would know that that is what Jesus is offering us. He is offering us eternal life. He's been carrying out the father's will. Everything he absolutely does and says, it's everything the father tells him.

He's from heaven. He's from above. He's the bread of life. He's the living water. He's the light of the world.

He's just going on and on and on about how great Jesus is. And then even after all of his miracles still, there were many who didn't believe. That's what we saw last week. But like Ray, you had said in in the last sermon that the miracles authenticate the message. That these miracles that Jesus are doing, they're just a proof that the message is true.

That so when Jesus says, I have come as a light to the world, anybody who who believes in him would have the light that leads to eternal life. That is a promise that can be trusted. When you see his miracles, those miracles authenticate the message. I just think that's a that's a great saying. It's a great way to say it, and it's true.

Now this week, we get into chapter 13 where Jesus teaches his disciples privately. So it's just Jesus and his disciples before Jesus' arrest and his trial and the crucifixion and all that. It's pretty intimate, I would say. All the things that we're gonna be studying next in John are so good. It's the he and him and his disciples.

But here's where we see Jesus showing the disciples, but he's also showing us the full extent of his love. And if I could sum up this message in just five words, to love is to serve.

Amen.

That's the point I wanna make tonight. And I I feel like that's what just kept sticking out to me over and over and over again. To love is to serve. So let's go ahead and read it. I want you to know I'm not making this up.

And I'll share some comments, and then I'd love for you to share some share some too. But let's go ahead and read it. Jesus washes his disciples' feet. It'll be up here on the screen. And can we give Blake a hand for just being so consistent?

And he is always on top of it. Always has a sound. And, also, could could we also just thank this band too? I just love so much playing with these guys. And it just makes a world of difference to have a a full band on stage.

So love you guys. Appreciate you. Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on Earth, and now he loved them to the very end. Isn't that good?

That's so sweet. It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and that he would return to God. Okay? And so he got up from the table and he took off his robe and he wrapped a towel around his his waist and he poured water into a basin and then he began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with a towel he had around him.

When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, Lord, are you gonna wash my feet? Jesus replied, you don't understand what I'm doing, but someday you will. No, Peter protested. You will never ever wash my feet. Jesus replied, unless I wash you, you don't you won't belong to me.

Simon Peter exclaimed, well, then wash my hands and my head as well, not just my feet. Jesus replied, a person who is bathed all over does not need to wash except for the feet to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you. For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, not all of you are clean.

After washing their feet, he put on his robe again, and he sat down and he asked, do you understand what I was doing? You call me teacher and lord, and you are right because that's what I am. And since I, your lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. I've given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

I tell you the truth. Slaves are not greater than their master nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them. Verse 18. I'm not saying these things to all of you.

I know the ones I have chosen, but this fulfills the scriptures that say the one who eats my food has turned against me. I tell you this beforehand so that when it happens, you will believe that I am the Messiah. I tell you the truth. Anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the father who sent me. So that's the scripture for tonight.

Let's pray first. God, thank you for your word. Truly, thank you for it. Thank you that it was recorded. It was written down so that we might believe.

And I thank you for what's in it. And when you say you showed your disciples the full extent of your love, God, that's the kind of same love that you are extending toward us. Lord, that we would grasp it. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen. There is so much to say in these 20 verses. So let let me just start right out of the gate. Jesus knew his hour had come. We heard this before.

So earlier in John, my hour's not yet come. My hour's not yet come. Now the hour has come. It's it's game time. It's getting close to Jesus going to the cross, his death, his resurrection, his ascension.

Big, big stuff here. He knew he was gonna return to the father. Jesus came from heaven to earth. He's gonna return to heaven. His work on earth is almost complete.

That's what's happening here. John says, I love this right here. He loved his disciples during his earthly ministry and now he loved them to the very end. Here's a question. What did that love look like?

What did that love look like? So verses four and five. He got up from the table. He took off his robe. He wrapped a towel around his waist.

He poured water in a basin. And then one by one, he washed his disciples' feet. That's what that love looked like. Now just consider this for a second. Right?

Not to be too graphic here, but feet are gross. Like, seriously. I mean, would anybody agree?

Yeah.

If you've been hiking or working all day, you're like, I can't even stand the smell of my own feet. They get just they're they're nasty. They're grimy. They're smelly. Sometimes after my girls volleyball tournaments and they're in the car with me, I'm like, girls, would you put plastic bags around your your your your feet or something like that?

Because they're it is so bad. Oh, I love my girls though. I just want you to know that. That's why I take them to volleyball because I love them so much. Even with their stinky feet, I just ask them to throw their shoes in the far back.

Anyway but for real, to think that the God of the universe now think about this for a second. The God of the universe, creator of absolutely everything, would leave the glories of heaven and come down to earth and wash his disciples' dirty feet. How many of us would do that for somebody? And and then, like, what's more than this is they would deny him. These are the the same disciples.

Deny him, betray him, abandon him. It it really it's to me, I this is almost unthinkable that Jesus would do this. So why? Why does he do this? And the answer is he loves us.

He really does. God loves us. He loves his creation. He loves you, every one of you. There's just a powerful message here.

He loves us, and to love is to serve. There it is. To love is to serve. Although he is lord and teacher and master, he also was a servant. In verses seven through nine, I I think this is is real good here.

This interaction with Peter. It's very interesting. He said, unless I wash you, you won't belong to me. Now some would say that unless Jesus washed Peter's sins away by his death on the cross, Peter couldn't have a relationship with Jesus. That's a good interpretation.

I think that's true. Others would say, well, unless Peter allowed Jesus to wash his feet, Peter wouldn't learn what it meant to be a servant. I think that's true too. But either way, Jesus was setting an example here. If his followers gonna take the good news of his love and forgiveness to the world, they would need to lead by serving.

They would need to lead by serving. If we, church, if we are to take the good news of God's love and forgiveness to the world, we need to lead by serving Amen. By being servants. Yes. To love is to serve.

To love is to serve. Matthew 20, Jesus spoke to this. He says, you know that rulers in this world, they lord it over their people. Have you I mean, how many of you in the real world have seen this? And officials flaunt their authority over those under them.

But among you, followers of Jesus, it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, And whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the son of man came not to be served, but to serve others and give his life as a ransom for many. Wow. Jesus is pretty clear here.

God's design for taking his message of love and forgiveness to the world is that we lead by serving. Amen. Mhmm. Because to love is to serve. Amen.

I just keep saying that over and over again in this this text. Looking ahead to the end of the chapter in verses thirty four and thirty five, Jesus says, love each other as I've loved you. You should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you're my disciples. And that word love in that that little what does that word love mean?

It means embracing God's will, choosing his choices, and obeying them through his power. Amen. That's what that word love means in that in that that verse. And that's the only way that we can do this well. We will burn out if we just, on our own steam, try to love people.

We're gonna burn out. But if we embrace his will and choose his choices and we obey them through his power, this will this will work. Amen. And it'll work well. But it's only through him.

Alright. Going back to verses 12 to 14. After he washed his their feet, he asked, do you understand what I'm doing? Do you get what I'm doing here? If we're to call him lord, if we're to call him teacher, if then then we do what the teacher does.

Anybody ever did, like, a apprenticeship program before in your I I did that when I was an electrician, and and I felt like it was so good. And I I looked at those teachers, and I I I learned as much as I possibly could. And I got to have a lot of different teachers, but I did as they did. If we call him lord, if we call him teacher, we do as Jesus did. You ever play Simon Says when you're a kid?

You remember the game Simon Says? Simon says touch your nose. Simon says stand on one foot. Whatever Simon says, you do the same. It's like that.

But really, with Jesus. And what I love about Jesus, he models this. He shows us how to do this. Jesus doesn't ask us to do something that he hasn't first done himself. Isn't that great?

Mhmm. You know, you might have had a boss that that didn't wasn't very credible because it was like they were maybe barking orders a lot, but they wouldn't be willing to do those things themselves. Jesus, whatever he asked us to do, he he did himself and more. But catch this. He gives us the power to do it.

I just want you to understand I want us to understand this. Jesus gives us the power to carry out this thing, to embrace his will and choose his choices and obeying through his power. He he gives us the power to do that. Look at that in in Philippians two thirteen. This is a great verse.

For God is working in you, and he's giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Amen. Would you

I knew that.

Would you receive that tonight that God is working in you? If you're a believer in Christ, a follower of Jesus, he is working in you, and he's giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Amen. We're not on our own here, and I want you to hear that. We're not on our own.

We have one another to build each other up, but we also have the power of God at work in us, giving us the desire and power to do as he's done for us. Even more than that, look at verse 17. It says, now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them. Look at that word blessed for a second. Blessed are you.

Happy are you. Fortunate are you. They even use the word enviable are you because you're in a position of receiving God's favor and his benefits. That's what makes you happy. That's what makes you fortunate.

That's what makes you enviable because you're in a position of receiving God's favor and his benefits because you've yielded your will to his.

Amen. Man,

your faith and obedience are working together, and that's what brings God's blessing. When your faith and obedience, when they work together, that brings God's blessing on you. That brings God's blessing to me. Not just knowing, but then doing too. It's pretty awesome.

Jesus gives us the model. We're his messengers, but we lead by serving. Amen. We lead by serving because the love is to serve. That's what Jesus shows us here.

To love is to serve. And this is cool too. When we act as messengers, if anyone welcomes us, they welcome Jesus. Ain't that cool? When they welcome us, they welcome the one who sent us.

They welcome Jesus. They welcome the father. I tell you the truth. Anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the father who sent me. Again, here it is, five words, to love is to serve.

And what really caught my attention this week is to know that it is an attainable thing. This really can happen. We're not acting alone. Jesus has shown us how to do this. He's modeled how to do this.

And then he gives us the desire and the power to do as he's done for us. So those are just a few of my thoughts from John thirteen one through 20. And I would love to hear yours. If there was something that just jumped out and grabbed you tonight, if you'd be willing to share whatever that that that is, would anybody like to to get the conversation started here just a little Yep. Very love is also an action.

Yep. Not just a feeling. Yep. It's powerful. I mean, it it's really powerful, especially when you see somebody that's more like a in a position of authority and who had more authority than anyone else, John says, Jesus knew all authority had been given to him, and he's still getting to the back of the line.

It is so powerful. It is such a powerful witness and a testimony of the God we serve to serve serve other people. Yeah. Thank you for sharing that.

The section about teacher and in here where it says teacher and his servant, teacher and his student, is gonna come up again on Sunday. This next part is right after the judge not, lest you be judged and condemn not. You know? But down below that, Jesus asked a question and says well, he says flatly, no student is greater than his teacher. But when the student is fully trained, he will be like his teacher.

And this is you know, Peter, bold as he is all the rest of the time after he's restored on the beach, right, by the resurrected Jesus. After that, he becomes the rock. He he gets to know this, and he is constantly in the book of Acts, they're constantly serving. It's not just a you know, it's not a it's not an authority position that he holds. It's like, I'm the leader, and the rest of you can just listen to me or pound sand.

He's he's acting like Jesus. Mhmm.

My lesson or takeaway from it is about humility. Like, didn't wash their feet when they first got there, which I think typically is what you would do before you eat dinner. When you go into the house, you wash your feet. To add emphasis, you did it in the middle of it, in the middle of dinner. And so it's about a servant.

But I think it's about humility. And you think about what would Jesus do. He's serving a lesson in humility for people to follow. Yes. It's true what you said, almighty God, to come down, be a human, and be act as a servant, a lonely servant who would normally wash feet.

But even if he's not that, it's an act of humility to go wash someone's feet, and that's the example that he's setting for us. And I think so much, like, they'll know they're Christians by our love. Like, love is winsome, and humility is winsome. Like, that's how you win some like, you don't even need to get theology into it. Somebody that's outside of Christianity or outside of our school of thought or whatever, like, be humble.

Be willing to be wrong. Like, that is winsome. That is loving. If you're not willing to be wrong, then you're not willing to learn. Because if you got everything figured out, then you then you're never wrong.

But and I think that's the example that Jesus is setting for us is be humble, and that's wisdom. Amen. That's love. That's what Jesus would do. And you can see also sun on Sunday, Ray talked about in the in our culture now, people that are on this side and people that are on that side, and they're so dug in, and they're feeling like they're convicted by the spirit that's leading them.

But if people were just willing to be wrong and willing to wash the other people's feet Mhmm. Metaphorically, this is literally in this story, then that would change everything, and that would be winsome on both sides. And I feel like for me, when I hear it and I read it well, when I first read it, I think it's weird because I don't wanna wash your feet. I don't

want you to wash my feet.

But, you know, I would I

you would to watch my dog during spring break. Would you do that?

But but when I think about it, that's that's the the lesson that he is setting, and it's outside of theology. It's just this is how this is how to be winsome loving. Like you say, to love is to serve. It's like, to love is to be humble and be willing to be wrong and Yeah. Let the other person be right sort

of thing. That's a good point. I think those two go in the same vein too. Service and humility. Amen.

Yeah. Yeah. Any other thoughts from John 13?

I have one last thing. Sorry. I'm hogging here. But Silent, like, in his hubris is not willing to have that humility. Like, it would take some sort of, like, taking the backseat to let Jesus wash his feet.

And then Jesus is like, well, you're not rolling with me. If you're not letting me do it, he's like, okay. Wash all of me. And it's like, that's sort of a a hubris and sort of it's almost the opposite of humility that Simon Simon sometimes displays throughout it. And he turns around.

You know? We all we all do that. Yep. Yep. Just think also in this context of our world now, you can see people that are like Simon that just wanna jump and be like, no.

No. No. It's my way. Well, then people that what would Jesus do? And have humility and let the other person be right.

Let the other person wash my Yeah.

That's that's what stood out to me is because on the surface, Blake was saying, Peter's refusal to have his feet washed. Because at first glance, you're like, oh, well, he's just being he's being humble because he doesn't want the God of the universe to wash his feet because he's, you know, oh, woe is mean. But in in a way, it's actually prideful. And he he probably doesn't even know that, but he's just thinking, can't let this guy because you see, you know, you see in the Bible, he loves he loves Jesus. He's a little, you know, you know well, he's Peter.

You know, he gets he's a little crazy sometimes, but, like Yeah. But you tell he loves Jesus. But, you know, he he has his moments where he he has his Peter ways, and he he was like, I can't let this guy wash my feet. He's the God of the universe, but in a way, that's that's that's that's pride. And and and oh, because at at first read, it's kinda weird how Jesus is saying, hey.

If you don't let me do this, you got no part of me. And, you know, because you're at first Matthew, you're saying, yeah. He's being Peter's being humble, but, actually, it it takes humility. Sometimes it also takes humility to let someone serve you as well. Yeah.

And, you know, Jesus says that, you know, if you don't let me do this, you know, you have no part of me, which is Yeah. Pretty big word. Like, it you can be like, oh, he's not, like, in his club. But, actually, that has pretty severe repercussions. Mhmm.

And, of course, that not extensive to Peter, but but I don't know. I thought, what shoot. Is it going away? Yeah. I just think that you know, and then that's oh, I know it's going away.

That humility that Jesus is calling calling us to is, you know, humility to serve, to love, and service. But, also, I think it's a reminder that it's like it also does take humility to To be served. To be served and ultimately to to we have to swallow our pride and realize we are in need of our feet being washed. We are we need our feet washed,

and that's, you know, kind of

if you can compare that to we need our sins forgiven.

Yeah. We need our feet washed.

Good point. Good point. If we don't let Jesus wash our feet, if we don't accept that gift of the salvation on the cross, which is a free gift, but nonetheless, you know, I guess we actually accept humbly, not rightfully.

You know? We don't have a don't have a part with him. Yeah.

So That's a very good point. Yeah.

You know, he can he can knock him adore, but we have

to eliminate. Mhmm. Yeah. Yeah. So that that whole interaction between Peter and Jesus like that, it's just it's very fascinating.

I think it it I don't know. It's it's it's There's a lot there. There's lot going on there.

It's it's cool. I really like that. I needed to hear that humility to be served. I need I never looked at that that way, but thank you. Yeah.

Sometimes I'm like, oh, I can't let you do that. You know? It's like like, why why am I saying that? You know? Like, I mean, sometimes, yeah, maybe, you know, there there are there are times where maybe you should if you you know, maybe there are times you should refuse, though.

But, I mean, you know, sometimes sometimes when I'm doing that, it's probably coming from more of a place of pride and actual, like, humility. You know? So I do that too. You know? It's like, yeah.

That person wants to lather me on that in that moment. Let them love

you. Thank you.

That's right. I really like those conversations because that my mind wasn't making that connection Mhmm. This week. Thank you. Thanks for these these are good.

They're really good. Yeah. Why don't you what do you say we'll we'll wrap up the conversation here by by singing? But would you stand with me? And while you're standing, I'd I'd love to pray to you.

There's another area that lines up with Sunday big time too that and I think it's verse 17. Jesus says, if you've heard these things from me, blessed are you if you do them. You do them. You know, he's like, you you heard all this. I think you're getting it.

You're in on the conversation. You got the whole thing from me direct from the source. Now blessed are you if you do it.

Happy are you. Yeah. Happy. Exactly. Fortunate are you.

Envy

are you.

I like also, I mean, there's no he says, do you understand what I'm doing? Mhmm. Yeah. Like Yeah. The text doesn't really say what and maybe it's more rhetorical.

He didn't wait for a response, but maybe the response wasn't wasn't written down. I mean, like, maybe he got blank stares. I mean, sometimes sometimes the disciple was like he could he just is like, hello? Like, did he get it? You know?

So He did it.

And what's cool is this. At the time, they didn't.

Yeah.

But they later would. Mhmm. They later would. And sometimes these things, they don't sink in right away. Mhmm.

They just we it just doesn't happen right away. But later we do. And God is patient with

us. Mhmm.

And I love that about it. God, I thank you for this scripture tonight. I thank you for that this powerful, powerful message of service, of humility, Lord, that we would do as you do. You say we are blessed for it, fortunate, enviable even. Lord, that we would serve one another, but also have the humility to be served as well.

In Jesus' name. Amen. How about this one for a benediction? Leave us with this throughout the week. Jesus is saying, so now I'm giving you a new command, love one another just as I've loved you.

You should love one another. To love is to serve. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you're my disciples. Amen. Amen.

Hey. Have a great Thanksgiving break, everybody, and we'll be here next Monday too.

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thinking or