Re: WHO JESUS TRULY IS
Posted by: g.afariayisi <g.afariayisi@...>
On Thursday, September 29, 2016, Jimmy Chapman <preacher30673@nu-z.net> wrote:
WHO JESUS TRULY IS
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 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; 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).
A. We ought to live like Jesus
B. We ought to love like Jesus
C. We ought to labor like Jesus
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 9servantsare 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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