Re: TRUTHS SEEN ABOUT JESUS IN THE WASHING OF THE DISCIPLES FEET
Posted by: jre <jre@...>
This is a good message Bro Jimmy
>
> TRUTHS Seen ABOUT JESUS IN the WASHING OF THE DISCIPLES FEET
>
>
>
> John 13: 1-17
>
>
>
> In our text we have the record of one of the events, which
> took
> place at the Last Supper. Jesus and his disciples had gathered together in
> a
> borrowed room. These men had been together for approximately three years.
> Together they had walked the dusty roads of Galilee. Together they had
> faced
> the winds of a storm-tossed sea. Together they had experienced the miracle
> of the feeding of the 4,000 and the 5,000. Together they had faced the
> opposition of the religious leaders and the threats of those who had set
> themselves against Jesus Christ.
>
>
>
> Jesus had gathered together these men to be his disciples.
> Most
> of them were unlearned and uneducated men. Among them was Peter, the
> impetuous, impulsive disciple, who was always saying something. There was
> James and John, the sons of thunder. There was Matthew, the despised tax
> collector, who was a part of this group.
>
>
>
> In our text we see Jesus rising from that Last Supper, and
> laying aside his garments, and taking a towel, and filling a basin with
> water, and then washing the feet of the disciples. But there are actually
> four things that I want us to see about Jesus in this passage of
> Scripture.
>
>
>
> I. What Jesus DEVOTED Himself To Be - THE SAVIOUR
>
>
>
> In the first verse of our text, the Bible says that "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."
>
>
>
> This verse speaks of the death that Jesus was about to die on
> the cross of Calvary. You know, men are sinful and men need a Savior. In
> fact, the only answer out of man's dilemma is Jesus Christ. Man needs a
> Saviour, and Jesus devoted Himself to be exactly just that.
>
>
>
> Jesus Christ devoted himself to be our Savior. The shadow of
> the cross always loomed before Him. Jesus knew that if He were to fulfill
> the Father's purpose for His life, He would have to die on the cross.
>
>
>
> Jesus had spoken of His death on the cross many times during
> the
> course of His ministry. Finally, there came that day when He turned toward
> Jerusalem for the last time and the Bible says in Luke 9:51 "And it came
> to
> pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly
> set his face to go to Jerusalem. " The words convey a fixed purpose in
> spite
> of great cost and intense suffering.
>
>
>
> Jesus was devoted and determined to do the Father's will, even
> though that involved a cross. Jesus knew full well what awaited Him in
> Jerusalem, but yet He determined to face Jerusalem and the cross for our
> sakes. He devoted himself to be our Savior.
>
>
>
> A. Firmly determined
>
>
>
> The expression "stedfastly set" means that
> Jesus resolved to go, and it implies that he was not appalled by
> the
> dangers--that He was determined to brave all, and go up into the
> midst of his enemies-- to die.
>
>
>
> The readiness and resolution of our Lord Jesus
> is seen in his determination to go to Jerusalem to secure our
> redemption and salvation.
>
>
>
> B. Fearlessly determined
>
>
>
> He was fully and fearlessly determined to go,
> and would not be detracted from His mission.
>
>
>
> He went cheerfully and courageously thither,
> though He knew fully the things that should befall Him there.
>
> What the Lord Jesus refers to as "his hour" had
> been present in His thoughts from the beginning. He had said to His
> mother,
> at the outset of his public ministry, "Mine hour is not yet come"
> (2:4).
> When the Jews tried to arrest Him on previous occasions they
> could not, because His hour was not yet come (7:30; 8:20). The coming
> of
> the Greeks precipitated a prayer by Jesus: "Now is my soul
> troubled;
> and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this
> cause came I unto this hour" (12:27).
>
>
>
> The dreadful hour had now come. But instead
> of thinking of Himself, Jesus thought of others.
>
>
>
> I. What Jesus DEVOTED Himself To Be - THE SAVIOUR
>
>
>
> II. What Jesus downgradeD Himself To Be - THE SERVANT
>
>
>
> Throughout the course of his earthly ministry, the disciples
> thought that Jesus would establish some kind of an earthly kingdom. They
> envisioned Jesus as becoming an earthly king. In fact, on one occasion the
> Bible says in John 6:15, "When Jesus therefore perceived that they would
> come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a
> mountain himself alone."
>
> To understand this incident, you need to know that washing
> someone's feet was the task for the lowest servants. Friends did not wash
> their friends' feet. If you had any money at all, you never washed feet.
> You
> paid somebody to do that for you. There are no examples in ancient
> literature of a superior washing the feet of an inferior. And so the
> disciples would have been shocked to have their Teacher and Lord wash
> their
> feet! Apparently, they were so shocked that they sat in stunned silence,
> until Jesus came to Peter.
>
>
>
> However, Jesus assumed the role of a servant and began to
> wash
> the feet of the disciples and when he came to Peter, her protested and
> said,
> "Thou shalt never wash my feet." In essence Peter was saying, "No, Lord,
> this is too debasing for you. This is not the work of a king. This is the
> work of a servant."
>
>
>
> But I want you to understand something. Jesus did not gird
> himself with a towel in order to wash feet because it was His unfortunate
> lot to do that, but because it was His willful, deliberate choice to do
> that.
>
>
>
> I read about this fellow who was always getting the short end
> of
> the deal. Everything that happened turned out bad for him. His friend
> said,
> "You know what he needs? He needs a successful experience. He has never
> been
> successful at anything. Let's rig a winning experience for him. We could
> put
> a bunch of numbers in a hat and every number in that hat will be 'four.'
> Let's assign him the number 'four.' Then when he picks the number out of
> the
> hat, it will have to be 'four.'"
>
>
>
> Everyone agreed that this was the thing to do. He was sure to
> win. Finally, he would have at least one success. The poor guy reached
> into
> the hat and pulled out a number, and it was 6-7/8.
>
>
>
> Jesus did not wash feet because He got the short straw. He
> wanted to do it. He chose to do it. He chose to be a servant. In fact, the
> Bible says that 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 men." You
> see, Jesus willfully demotes himself to be our servant. That is called
> condescension.
>
>
>
> Dwight L. Moody said, "The measure of a man is not how many
> servants he has, but how many he serves."
>
>
>
> A reporter was once interviewing a successful job counselor
> who
> had placed thousands of workers in their vocation quite happily. When
> asked
> the secret of his success, the man replied, "If you want to find out what
> a
> man is like, don't give him responsibilities - give him privileges."
>
>
>
> You may be too big for God to use, but you will never be too
> small for God to use. In fact, the branch that bears the most fruit is
> bent
> lowest to the ground.
>
>
>
> A. Notice the LIKENESS JESUS ASSUMED
>
>
>
> The eternal Son became the earthly servant.
> He who was in the "form of God" took upon Himself the "form of
> a
> servant."
>
>
>
> B. Notice the LIFE JESUS ABANDONED
>
>
>
> True greatness comes about when we get our
> eyes off of ourselves, when we prefer others before ourselves.
>
>
>
> Mark 10:45 - "For even the Son of man came
> not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his
> life
> a ransom for many."
>
>
>
> WHEN WE REFUSE THE POSITION OF A SERVANT WE ARE LABORING FORM THE PREMISE
> THAT WE ARE BETTER THAN CHRIST.
>
>
>
>
>
> I. What Jesus DEVOTED Himself To Be - THE SAVIOUR
>
> II. What Jesus downgradeD Himself To Be - THE SERVANT
>
>
>
> III. What Jesus DEMONSTRATED Himself To Be - THE STANDARD
>
>
>
> If you'll notice in verse 15, Jesus said, "For I have given
> you
> an example, that ye should do as I have done to you."
>
> Jesus is our example. He is our pattern. He is our standard.
>
>
>
> Don't measure your life by the lives of others. 2
> Corinthians
> 10:12 - "For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare
> ourselves
> with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by
> themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise."
>
>
>
> To compare yourself to someone else is a false standard - the
> standard is Jesus.
>
>
>
> Jesus is to be our standard. He is to our example. See I
> Peter
> 2:21- "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for
> us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps."
>
>
>
> Sinners need a Savior; and saints need an example; WE HAVE
> BOTH
> IN JESUS!
>
>
>
> Jesus left behind an example for us to follow. Jesus is
> the
> model or pattern to be copied. Jesus is a model given for our imitation.
> He is the pattern we are to copy our lives after. Here the Lord
> acknowledged
> that He was giving them a demonstration, an example, in order that His
> disciples should follow Him; He knew that they were sadly lacking in this
> respect. Other examples are: "Christ also suffered ... that ye should
> follow
> his steps" (1 Pet 2:21); the believer should walk "even as he walked" (1
> John 2:6); "Be ye followers (imitators) of me, even as I also am of
> Christ"
> (1 Cor. 11:1).
>
>
>
>
>
> I. What Jesus DEVOTED Himself To Be - THE SAVIOUR
>
> II. What Jesus downgradeD Himself To Be - THE SERVANT
>
> III. What Jesus DEMONSTRATED Himself To Be - THE STANDARD
>
>
>
> IV. What Jesus DECLARED Himself To Be - THE SOVEREIGN
>
>
>
> As you follow the narrative in our text, you will find that
> Peter argued with Jesus and said, "Thou shalt never wash my feet." This
> made it necessary for Jesus to answer Peter by saying, "If I wash thee
> not,
> thou hast no part with me." At that point Simon Peter said to Jesus,
> "Lord,
> not my feet only, but also my hands and my head." Peter submitted to the
> authority of Jesus.
>
>
>
> And then Jesus said to the disciples generally, and I believe
> to
> Peter particularly, "Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I
> am." At this point Jesus acknowledged His sovereignty. He admitted to
> being
> the Master and Lord of those disciples.
>
>
>
> John 13:16 - 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. In each of these two contrasts, the disciples (servants) are in
> status
> far below the Lord Jesus as the One who sent them.
>
>
>
> Now, I want you to understand the situation. The cross was
> just
> hours away. He was about to suffer a wicked death at the hands of cruel
> men.
> Yet here Jesus is asserting His sovereignty. Later in this same discourse
> Jesus said to the disciples, "Be of good cheer -- I have overcome the
> world." You see, beyond the cross Jesus saw a crown. Jesus knew that the
> day
> was coming after the cross when He would be highly exalted. He knew not
> many days from thence after His death and resurrection that He would
> return
> to the father (1).
>
>
>
> Jesus did not have an identity crisis.
>
>
>
> A. He knew exactly WHo He was.
>
>
>
> B. He knew exactly where He was going.
>
>
>
> He knew the cross would come before the crown.
>
>
>
> His death was not going to be the end. The final
> chapter in the book is not one of defeat, but of victory. In
> Revelation 11:15 the Bible says, "The kingdoms of this world are
> become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he
> shall
> reign for ever and ever."
>
>
>
> Since God has destined Jesus Christ to be the
> undisputed Lord and Master of this universe, we need to go ahead and
> make
> sure that we have submitted to His sovereignty in the here and now.
>
>
>
> Conclusion
>
>
>
> May we all come face to face with the reality of who Jesus is
> and see him as the Savior, the servant, the standard, and the sovereign.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> IN HIS ETERNAL GRIP,
>
> Pastor Jimmy Chapman
>
> Victory Baptist Church
>
> 706-678-1855
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>