INTRO:
How do people know that you are a Christian? Is it by the way you live? Is it because you don’t do certain things that they do? You don’t say the same words that they do or watch the same filth or hang out with the same people? Is it because they know that you go to church on Sundays? Is it because they’ve seen you pray or read a Bible? Or maybe you’ve preached to them a few times about your feelings on a subject.
Well what about how you treat others? Do you treat everyone with respect or do you tend to judge others and talk about them with your friends? Do you show sincere concern when someone is going through difficulty and offer to lend a helping hand? Or do you say, “What a shame. Somebody really should do something.” and go about your day?
When people see you, do they see Christ through you? That’s a tall order isn’t it? But there never was a truer saying than, “You may be the only Bible that some may ever read.” You may be the only example of God’s love that some will ever experience. You may be the testimony of what Christianity is all about to many out there who watch you every day.
We’ve begun a Sermon Series for February entitled “God so loved that He gave.” And today I want to ask the question, “How will they know?”
How will they know that God loves them?
BODY:
Please Turn in your Bibles to... John chapter 13
John has been called the Apostle of Love. He uses that word a lot in his writings. In fact, John mentions love more times in his Gospel than all of the other Gospels combined. 1 John, one of John’s letters, is only 5 chapters long and yet it says the word love in some form at total of 75 times.
John’s Gospel was written for a specific purpose, not just to present a record of Jesus’ life and ministry, but to show that Jesus was in fact the Messiah. In fact, John is the only Gospel that records Jesus washing the disciples feet.
The story begins this way…
John 13:1 New International Version (NIV)
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the [very] end. [to the utmost]
This was one of the last lessons that Jesus would teach them. This was the night before Jesus was crucified. Jesus was always using object lessons or Parables, things from real life to teach a spiritual truth. What truth would Jesus leave with them before going to His Father. Well how about a message of love?
The evening meal was being served and they are all sitting around the table or eating area getting ready to dig in, maybe waiting for the blessing. Judas Iscariot is there too and he has already made a deal with the devil. The devil had already prompted him to betray Jesus.
And Jesus? Jesus knew that His Father had given Him power and authority over all things. Think about that. Because He also knew that one of His own disciples would betray Him.
Here’s what Jesus does with His power. He gets up from the meal, takes off his outer garment, and wraps a towel around His waist. Then He proceeds to pour water into a basin and to each of His disciples (even the one who would betray Him) He stoops down on His knees and washes their feet, drying them with His towel wrapped around His waist.
You see, the people in Jesus’ time walked the dusty roads with only sandals on the feet or even barefoot. We wear shoes and socks and apart from our feet being a little sweaty, most of us probably don’t have filthy, dirt encrusted feet. Though I can’t speak for all of us. There’s some of you all, I wouldn’t touch your feet with a ten-foot-pole. Just kidding. I really don’t know that.
But back then there were no nicely paved roads or sidewalks; just dusty, dirty paths. Walking those paths in just sandals, or worse, barefoot, isn’t going to leave you particularly clean at the end of the day. Or even healthy – how many times did the disciples get blisters, cut their heels on stones, or stub their toes?
It was proper etiquette for the host to provide a traveler who entered their home a way to clean their feet. But the most important person in the room would never assume this job.
No, this chore was left to the lowliest servant in the household.
Jesus was the guest of honor, the Rabbi, the teacher, the master, the one they followed and believed in. So while the meal is being served by the other servants, Jesus takes on the role of the lowest servant and begins to do what no one else was willing to do.
Wash the disciples feet!
Can you imagine being one of those disciples and here the one you believe to be the Messiah sent from God, Jesus, is washing your smelly, filthy, yucky feet! Would you let Him?
Would this be difficult for you to accept? And how would this demonstrate God’s love for you?
He came around the table to Simon Peter. Peter was next. Peter said, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet? Are you really going to wash my feet?” Remember this is Simon Peter who told Jesus in the beginning to go away from him for he was a sinful man; he didn’t even feel worthy to be in the presence of Jesus. And later Peter announced that he believed Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God! Now Jesus is going to wash his dirty feet?
Jesus replied, “You don’t realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
But Peter protests, “No, you shall never wash my feet.” Basically, that’s not your job, Jesus. Please don’t do this! I don’t want you to have to clean my dirty feet!
Then Jesus says, “Peter, unless I wash you, you will not belong to me.”
Then Peter exclaims, “Then, Lord, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well.”
I imagine Jesus chuckling a bit at Peter as He says, “A person who has bad a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.”
Because He knew who was going to betray Him.
When Jesus finished, He put on His outer garments again and returned to His seat around the table. And then He asked them, “Do you understand what I have done for you?
13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” - John 13:13-14 (NIV)
What was Jesus meaning? Did Jesus want His disciples to become professional feet washers? No. But I think it does have something to do with how we show God’s love to one another.
Jesus said in…
Matthew 20:26-28 New International Version (NIV)
26 “...whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
And in Philippians 2:5-8 New Living Translation (NLT) it says…
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges [He emptied Himself]; he took the humble position of a [servant or] slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Jesus is saying that we must serve one another; that this is how we show God’s love to one another. That we must be willing to humble ourselves and give when there’s a need. We must be willing to do what others would not and put the other person first and let go of our pride. We must see other people’s dirt as opportunities to serve and show God’s love.
Later in this chapter, after Judas leaves to betray Jesus and just before Jesus predicts Peter’s denial, Jesus gives a final command for His disciples to follow.
It goes like this…
John 13:34-35 New International Version (NIV)
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
So I come back to my first question: How do people know that you are a Christian?
How do people know that you follow Christ?
The Bible says that by this everyone will know that we belong to Jesus. By this everyone will see that we follow Him. By this all those around us will witness Christ’s love in action.
By this everyone will know that you are His disciples, if you love one another.
BY OUR LOVE.
So, how will they see this love displayed among us? How will this community come to know Christ’s love through us? How will we serve? How will we love?
CONCLUSION:
A medical student was in the operating room waiting to watch a great surgeon's work. The surgeon's assistant failed to come and the surgeon called this student to help him. "How proud I was," he said, "to help this great man save a life." Jesus has called us to help Him save others, and we should be proud of the honor, glad that we can help to save others to everlasting life. A great minister said that he praised God for the honor and privilege of helping to save the world. We have only to obey His command and trust Him to help us do this work for Him.—Gospel Herald.
Invitation- Please stand
