John 13 (1)
The spirit of a Servant
Yesterday was a full day. We spent a good portion of the day, fixing things for Christmas in the Country.
After slipping home for a late lunch, we retuned to the church and started working getting ready for last night. After we got back down here, Gladys told me, “We haven’t fixed the maze yet.” I said “fixed the maze? What’s the matter with the maze?” Well, we discovered when we went in there, that someone, or multiple someones had gone through the maze and torn holes in the walls so they could slip through, or they had torn down the tops of a number of the walls so they could see what was ahead.
I must admit, by the time we had finished repairing what other, ungrateful folks had torn up, I had lost my cherub like demeanor.
How does one keep serving, ministering, and working, when those you are serving often do not care, or even fight against you?
In the 13th chapter of John’s Gospel, we find the account of Jesus washing the disciples feet, washing the feet even, of the one who would betray Him that night. What did Jesus know that allowed Him to serve that way?
Open your Bibles this morning and turn with me please to the 13th chapter of the book of John. John chapter 13, as this morning we see together the spirit of a servant. John chapter 13 and beginning in verse 1.
- Read John 13:1-20
In 1904 the heir to the Borden Dairy Estate, William Borden, graduated from Chicago High School a millionaire. His parents gave him a trip around the world. During that trip he became burdened for all the hurting people he saw in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. He made a decision to prepare for the mission field. When he made that decision he wrote in his Bible the words, “No Reserve.”
When William Borden arrived at Yale University the next year as a freshman his passion for Christ was already kindled. He was disappointed to find the school morally bankrupt and the teaching filled with empty philosophy. So during his first semester, he asked a friend to begin praying with him before breakfast. As a result of his leadership other prayer groups began to spring up. And by his senior year, 1,000 of the 1,300 students were meeting in prayer groups. Many of those young leaders came to the Lord through that movement.
Upon graduation he was offered high paying jobs. But he turned those offers down and continued to pursue God’s call on his life. While making those decisions he wrote two more words in his Bible, the words “No Retreat”.
When he completed his studies at Princeton Seminary he sailed to China to work with the Muslims. On the way he stopped in Egypt to study Arabic. But there in Egypt he was stricken with spinal meningitis and within a month, at the age of 25 he died. What his friends and family found written in his Bible was a great source of comfort. Added to the words previously written, “No Reserve, No Retreat” were two more words, “No Regrets”.[2]
Wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing for you and me to arrive at the end of our earthly journey with those words written in our hearts, “No Reserve, No Retreat, No Regrets”?
William Borden is an example of a person who entered into his ministry and fulfilled God’s plan for his life and could come to the end with “No Regrets”.
This morning as we come to our text in John 13, we want to draw from Jesus’ example, insight on how we too can finish our course with no regrets. In this passage Jesus washes the disciples feet and in doing so teaches us a powerful lesson on servanthood.
The Apostle John has provided something for us in this text that is extremely helpful. By the revelation of the Holy Spirit he has shared with us what Jesus was thinking during those last hours in the upper room. Here is a precious treasure. Here is a key that unlocks the door of fruitful ministry and a fulfilling life.
What kind of thinking empowers you and me to serve with joy and not lose our passion for ministry? What do you need to know in order to take the place of a servant and follow the example Jesus gives us here?
First, I believe you need to know who you are in God.
I. Know who you are in God.
If we don’t know who we are in God we will spend most of our energy doing things to define our identity. And tragically nothing we can do—no attainment, no honor, no accomplishment, no amount of human recognition can adequately define our identity.
Why? Because your identity is not found in what you do but in whom you are by the grace of God. That’s why Paul spends so much time in the first half of Ephesians explaining to those believers who they are in Christ. That’s why we read in that epistle statements like
> Eph 1:4-5 “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.”
> And Eph 2:7-10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
We don’t minister in order to find out who we are. We minister out of who we are. The first thing you and I need to have as a foundation for effective ministry is a revelation of who we are in God.
There in that upper room is Jesus assuming the most humbling task in that culture. He bows before the disciples and washes their feet. Why hadn’t one of the disciples done that? We have a clue from Luke 22. There, Luke tells us about an argument the disciples had amongst themselves. They were arguing about which one of them was the greatest. I suspect that none of them wanted to assume the position of washing the other’s feet because that might have placed that one at the bottom of the pecking order. None of the disciples were secure enough in who they were to embrace the job of a servant.
But Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power. He was not insecure about his identity. Therefore, taking the lowly job was not threatening to that identity. When we can only define ourselves by what we do, we will be so busy trying to do something that will put us in a good light that we won’t do much service. But when we are firmly centered on who we are in Christ, we can take the lowly position without worrying about being marked as insignificant.
In the context of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, John makes this comment in verse 3,
“Jesus knew” – Knew what?
1. “that the Father had put all things under his power,
2. and that he had come from God
3. and was returning to God.”
In this chapter we find Jesus with his disciples in the upper room that probably belonged to a friend. We don’t know whose house this was, but we do know that it was not Jesus’ house. Jesus only owned the clothes on his back. He had no material wealth. He didn’t own any real estate. In fact, he told one potential disciple that he didn’t have a place to lay his head[6]. By the world’s standards he was a pauper. At this time he was being hunted like a common criminal. We look back on this with 2,000 years of hindsight. We know from history how impacting Jesus’ life has been, even from a secular standpoint. But think about the way things would seem to be at that time. From a natural point of view Jesus looked like a failure. He looked like he had nothing.
That’s what makes John’s comment so significant. Things are not always as they appear.
One day we might be surprised to find the first being last and the last being first[7]. We may one day find that what we thought was great success didn’t amount to much in God’s eyes. And what we thought was failure, did not come as short as we thought. Who can really judge a matter? That’s one reason comparisons can be a very unwise pass time. We are not to compare ourselves one with another[8]. We are to simply hear the Father and do His bidding[9].
But how can Jesus serve so honorably and graciously in such difficult circumstances? He knew something about himself that others could not see. He knew who he was and what authority the Father had actually given him.
1. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power...
It looked like thirteen helpless men hiding from the wrath and fury of the religious hierarchy and Roman might. But in reality, reclining in that tiny upper room was the power center of the universe. In reality all power in heaven and earth belonged to Jesus.
He was not the helpless victim of some sinister plot to kill him. He was the willing, voluntary Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.[10]
During the Cold War a Jewish Rabbi in Russia became very discouraged & disillusioned. In his despair one evening he took a long walk in the night. He was so engrossed in his thoughts as he walked that he did not notice that he was walking in to an area secured by the Russian authority. As he walked into that forbidden area, a soldier suddenly called out to him, “Who goes there?” The Rabbi was suddenly taken by what the guard had said. He walked up to the guard and asked him, “What did you say?” The guard said, “I asked you, who goes there?” The Rabbi then asked him, “How much do you make as a soldier here?” Taken back by such a question in those circumstances, the guard asked him why he wanted to know. Then the Rabbi said, “I will pay you that much to ask me that question every morning. You have just given me the answer I have so desperately needed. I was in despair wondering what I could do about the circumstances of my life. But I had forgotten the more important and more basic question that must first be answered, Who am I? Thank you for reminding me what is most important of all.[11]
Jesus knew his authority in God. What else did he know about himself?
2. He knew his commission.
He was not acting on his own initiative alone. He was sent by the Father with a specific mission to accomplish. Do you know why you are here? Not just why you are sitting here at this time in your life? But like William Borden do you have a sense of mission in your soul? God has a mission for every breathing human being here today. You will find no greater satisfaction in life than to discover that mission and pursue it with all your heart.
Being sent implies a backing. When you and I are operating in obedience to the Holy Spirit, I want to tell you you’ve got backing that is out of this world. An investor can speak with confidence when he has financial backing. And a child of God can operate with assurance and confidence when he understands how committed God is to His children when they are pursuing His bidding.
Jesus knew he had come from God. One of the great themes in the gospel of John is this sense of mission and commission in Jesus’ life. But here is some marvelous news; Jesus has now sent you and me with the same kind of backing. After his resurrection we will hear Jesus say to his disciples in John 20:21 “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
It is when you and I embrace a cause that is worthy of our very best, worth personal sacrifice, worth the investment of our personal time and energy—that we become a true servant. Without that sense of cause and mission anybody will regress to a selfish lifestyle.
> Prov 29:18 “Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint.”
Sometimes I have to go back and remind myself why I am doing what I do. Why in the world would you give your hard earned money to a church? Why would you volunteer to teach children or lead worship or clean the building, or narrate a hayride, or build a fire? You would only do it if you had a vision of what it means to your Lord. > Matt 25:40 "And the King will answer and say to them, ’Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” NKJV
3. Jesus also knew where he was going.
Look closely and you will find that in verse 3 of our text, “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.”
I don’t think we talk enough about heaven anymore. The cares of life tend to occupy our minds. We can so easily get caught up in the daily activities of life that we forget not only who we are but also where we are going. Soon and very Soon We are Going to See the King. Does that truth grip your heart and fortify your integrity? Does the fact that this life is but a vapor[12] compared to eternity keep problems in perspective?
I think about the possibility of being among that number who one day stand upon the glassy sea of heaven and cast their crown at the feet of Jesus[13] and I’m motivated to do something that makes an eternal difference. After a lengthy discussion of the resurrection, Paul concludes I Corinthians 15 with these words, “
>1 Cor 15:58 “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
We have many servants of the Lord in this room. But how many have discovered that it is a lot easier to start out being a servant than to continue as a servant? I have found that being a servant gets to be work real fast. If I serve just when I’m excited I won’t serve very long. If I don’t learn how to nurture a servant’s heart, I will get tired of doing things for other people while expecting nothing in return[14].
But when I think about that great day when I stand before God and give an account for every moment, every idle word, every bit of my life—something rises up in my heart and says, “I want that to be a good day, not a bad day. I don’t want to be ashamed when I stand before the Lord who loved me and gave himself for me. I want to put some joy in his heart and hear him say, ‘Well done good and faithful servant’.”
Paul reminds the Christians at Corinth of something that we all need reminded of—your labor in the Lord is not in vain. Turn to the person next to you and just remind that person of that truth—tell him or her, “Your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
So, Know who you are in God.
II. Know who you are serving.
In verse 1 of our text John makes it very clear that Jesus knew that the time for him to lay down his life for you and me was very near. But in that verse John also makes this comment about Jesus and it is related to this issue of servanthood,
John 13:1 “Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.”
Love is one of the most amazing dynamics there is. In a way it defies explanation. I can talk about self-preservation and the survival of the fittest and I can develop theories of evolution and other theories based upon the biology of all that and make a little sense of it. But when I’m confronted with the reality of love, I am looking at something that biology alone cannot explain. “God is love.”[15] And outside of God there is no reasonable explanation of real love.
Love will cause a person to sacrifice personal comfort and gain for the well-being of another. Love caused William Borden to forsake a life of comfort and ease in pursuit of lost souls. Love motivated Jesus to pay the ultimate price for our redemption. What the world needs now is love—not a Hollywood distortion of love, not lust and selfish desire—but love. Love will win the lost sinner.
But how can I love stinky, selfish, rebellious people enough to serve them[16]? By the way, that pretty well describes every one of us if we walk in the flesh. “God so loved the world that He gave...”[17] That is the motive for service. But how do I get motivated that way? First, I need the influence of the Holy Spirit shedding God’s love abroad in my heart.[18] Without God I cannot truly love other people.
But how can I nurture that love for people? I must go back to the word of God and remember how God looks at people. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
God sees something in people that is so precious to Him that He would send His Son to suffer and die for their salvation. I’m convinced that His love is so personal that were you the only person on the face of the earth Jesus would have paid that same price for you.
Jesus looked at his disciples and said in his heart, “You are why I will pay this price.”[19]
He looked down the ages and saw you and me and said in his heart, “You are why I will pay this price.” He looks down in Deltona, in Sanford, and there sitting in a bar is a man who has left his wife, forsaken his children, and makes his living selling drugs to teenagers. You and I look at that person and if we’re not careful we don’t see what Jesus sees. He looks at that person and says in his heart once again, “You are why I paid the price.” If I can look at that person I’m about to serve and realize how precious that soul is to Jesus, I can be encouraged to continue serving.
In Hebrews 12 we are told that Jesus endured the cross—there is no greater example of personal sacrifice and service than that—Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before him. Here is the amazing thing. You are that joy. I am that joy. And so is that sinner that Jesus wants to reach through your testimony. Listen to the instruction given in
> Heb 12:1-3 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Are you weary? Are you losing heart in your service to others? Consider him. Consider the joy that he was looking to as he endured the cross. Consider what that person means to him. I’m talking about attitudes nurtured in our hearts that will cause us to serve others. I’m talking about a way of thinking that naturally leads to effective ministry. May we all have the mind of Christ in these matters?
I invite you this morning to pray a bold prayer—to ask God to let you see yourself as He sees you and see others as He sees them—to ask Him to give you a servant’s heart like Jesus.
No reserve, No retreat, No regret.
