CURING STUCKITITIS
Part 2 of Supernatural Transformation
John 13:1-17
Read at beginning of service:
Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)
32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
INTRODUCTION
Dr. Harry Ironside was a great Christian leader in the first half of this century. On one occasion, he was involved with a Salvation Army meeting in San Francisco. Dr. Ironside shared his testimony with the gathering then returned to his seat on the platform. Soon after sitting down, a note was handed to Dr. Ironside. A well-known agnostic (that is someone who doesn’t believe in God) was in the crowd and he had written a brief note on his business card, then had someone hand it to Ironside. The agnostic challenged Ironside to a public debate and offered to pay all expenses. Ironside then returned to the podium and publicly accepted the debate on the following conditions: that the agnostic would bring one man and one woman who had both fallen into some type of vice that had caused them to experience great loss and cost them favor within society, but who were now back in the graces of their respective families and society at large because of the positive changes and transformation caused by their newfound belief in agnosticism. Ironside then acknowledged that he would have 100 such people whose lives have been radically changed by their commitment to Jesus Christ. Upon hearing these conditions the agnostic waved his hand in polite surrender and exited the building. (Autoillustrator.com, APOLOGETICS. Quoted from "Preaching Today", James Boice, Bolume 168)A transformed life is one of the most indisputable pieces of evidence of the validity and reality of Christianity. As I have said before, Christianity is not a religion it is a relationship – and it is this relationship with Jesus Christ that transforms a person from who they were into a child of God which results in dramatic changes in the persons life. Or at least it should… A woman testified to the transformation in her life that had resulted through her experience in conversion. She declared, "I’m so glad I got religion. I have an uncle I used to hate so much I vowed I’d never go to his funeral. But now, why, I’d be happy to go to it any time." (Autoillustrator.com, A CURE FOR HATRED)The truth is that there are some Christians who feel left out of the loop – feel as though there has been no transformation in their lives. And then there are those who observe people who call themselves Christians and don’t notice any transformation and say to themselves, "Why should I want this – what difference does it make?" There are those who remember the transformation that happened in their lives and now feel as though they’ve reverted to what they were before but long for what they had gained. There are those who have been transformed so dramatically that it is obvious to all that it has taken place – then there are those who only have a private understanding of the transformation that has taken place in their life – maybe not everyone knows but they sure do.
Why such variety?
Last week in the first message of this series on Supernatural Transformation I shared with you what I believe the heart of God is – that everyone would be supernaturally transformed. I shared with you that three stages of transformation – there is the beginning, the process, and the finished product. The transformation process begins when a person declares their belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and confesses their sins to God and continues until the transformation is completed when we are given a glorified body by Jesus Christ in the day of the Lord.
However, I also shared with you that there are also two degrees of transformation that take place in a person’s life when they become a believer. There is a spiritual transformation that is instant and finished at the moment of sincere belief – where God makes our spirit, which once was dead because of sin, alive. This transformation results in the death of our old nature and the creation of our new nature. But there is also a physical transformation that God wants completed in our lives – it is one that is not instant and is not finished with salvation – it is the process where the new nature is "put on" replacing the corrupted leftovers of our old nature. And this process takes time.
There are many reasons why there is a variety of the degree of transformation in believer’s lives but one of the primary reasons is because the evidence of transformation is seen in our physical life and this transformation is a process. And it is a process that only goes as fast as YOU let it! Jesus Christ resides in the heart of every believer but He will only clean out the rooms of the heart that you give him the key to.Starting today, and continuing for the next few weeks, we’re going to be looking at some of the things that were so evident in Christ’s life that are what God would like to see in our life. These "things" are characteristics of Christ’s heart that we cannot reproduce on our own – but we can limit God from reproducing them in our life.
Remember, God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you there. He wants you to have a heart just like His, He wants you to be Supernaturally Transformed and be Just Like Jesus.
I remember one day when I was a child, I was laying on the floor in our recreation room watching TV and I heard my Dad come home. There was the usual noises that announced he was home and then I remember hearing him come down the stairs. Since there was a good program on the TV, I didn’t look up to see what he was doing. To this day, I don’t remember what the program was that was so important at that time but I do remember what my Dad dropped on my stomach! It was a tiny, cute little baby raccoon. Boy was I ever shocked!
My dad worked with the Ministry for Natural Resources and that day a Conservation Officer had come across a litter of baby raccoons who were clinging to their dead mother from an automobile. The officer had brought the raccoon’s to the office to see if some of the people working there would take one home and take care of it until it could be released back into the wild. My dad explained to me that this is a big responsibility but wondered if I wanted to take care of the one he had grabbed. How could I say no!I quickly fell in love with Rocket. I took him with me everywhere I could – He went on my paper routes with me – I remember how I loved the attention I received as people realized that the head peeking out of my paper bag was not a dog or a cat’s head but a raccoon!
Everything about Rocket intrigued me, sure He smelled a bit, and yes I did have to get up in the middle of the night in response to his screeching so I could feed Him. Sure Rocket was not the easiest to toilet train and I often found myself cleaning up His messes in my bedroom – can’t say that it was nice smelling, but I didn’t mind.
Dad had made it clear from the beginning that I was to be Rocket’s caretaker and it was only on my adamant agreeing to the conditions that Mom allowed the raccoon to stay in the house. I took Rocket for walks – I gave Him baths, I kept him fed, I kept Him neat and kept Him purring.
Within a few days, however, my feelings changed a bit. Rocket was still my raccoon, and I was still his friend, but I grew weary of His screeching in the middle of the night – and having to get up and prepare a bottle of condensed milk to feed Him. More than once my Mom and Dad had to remind me, "Take care of Rocket, he’s your raccoon, he’s your responsibility"
I didn’t like hearing those words – your responsibility. I wouldn’t have minded the phrase "your raccoon to play with" or "your raccoon when you want him" or even "your raccoon when he’s not screeching" But those weren’t my parent’s words. They said, "Rocket is your raccoon – he is your responsibility". In sickness and in health. For richer, for poorer. In dryness and wetness. Screeching or not.
That’s when it occurred to me. I am stuck with Rocket. The courtship was over, and the honeymoon had ended – we were mutually leashed. Rocket went from being a novelty to a nuisance, an option to an obligation, from a pet to a chore, from someone to play with to someone to care for.
Perhaps there are some of you who can relate. Chances are there are some of you who know the claustrophobia that comes with commitment. Only instead of being reminded, "He is your raccoon," you’re told, "He is your husband." Or, "She is your wife." Or, "He is your child, parent, employee or boss or roommate" or any other relationship that requires loyalty for survival.
Such permanence can lead to panic—at least it did in me. I had to answer some tough questions. Can I tolerate the same pointy-nosed, hairy, hungry face every morning? (You wives know the feeling?) Am I going to be screeched at until the day I die? (Any kids connecting here?) Will he ever learn to clean up his own mess? (Did I hear an "amen" from some parents?)
These are the questions we ask when we feel stuck with someone. Max Lucado, in his book Just Like Jesus coined a word for this condition – stuckititus (Stuck meaning "trapped". Ititis begin the six letters you tag on to any word you want to sound impressive.)
Attacks of stuckititus are limited to people who breathe and typically occur somewhere between birth and death. Stuckititis manifests itself in irritability, short fuses, and a mountain range of molehills. The common symptom of stuckititis victims is the repetition of questions beginning with who, what, and why. Who is this person? What was I thinking? Why didn’t I listen to my mother? (Just Like Jesus, Max Lucado p. 15)There are three ways that this condition can be coped with.
flee
Some people decide to flee – to get out of the relationship and start again elsewhere. They decide that the way to solve this feeling of being trapped is to run away.
This is a condition that is often used. When you’ve been hurt by someone you "never want to see them again". It leads to an oppressive silence and unresolved conflict.
People who flee a relationship and start again elsewhere often are surprised when stuckititus surfaces on the other side of the fence as well. Then the cycle repeats itself.
This way of coping often happens in marriages – the husband or wife decide they can’t handle the other person any more – at first the fleeing starts with silence towards each other and then it leads to actually running away from the marriage and each other.
This way of coping often happens between children and their parents – "My parents don’t understand me, so I’ll run away"
This way of coping takes place in work situations – "My boss is so unfair" "Or that co-worker just rubs me the wrong way" So the person "resigns" in pursuit of a "better" job.
This way of coping takes place in the church – "I don’t like the Pastor" or "someone hurt me emotionally" and so the person "moves on" to another place of worship in pursuit of the "perfect" church.
fight
Others fight. Houses become combat zones, and offices become boxing rings, and tension becomes a way of life. The slogan, "Don’t worry, I’ll get my revenge" becomes an active force in such a persons life and they live by the philosophy of, "Me against them" or "Me against the world"!
People who cope with stuckititus this way become almost proud of their battle scars. They’ll tell anyone within earshot and who gives them the slightest opening of the "wrong" that has been committed against them. They’ll actively recruit people who sympathize with them to "be on my side". And they’ll go on the offense viciously in the name of "it’s only right – considering what that person did to me!"
forgive
A few, however, discover another treatment: forgiveness. The greatest example for how forgiveness occurs is found in the Bible and it is to God’s word that we look at today for the cure for stuckititis.
Jesus knew the feeling of being stuck with someone. For three years he mentored the same motley bunch of people. At mealtimes he saw the same dozen or so faces around the table. Around the campfire he heard the same voices. They rode in the same boats and walked the same roads and visited the same houses. I wonder, how did Jesus stay so devoted to his men?
Not only did he have to put up with their visible oddities, he had to endure their invisible follies. Think about it. Because Jesus was not only fully man – but also fully God – He could hear their unspoken thoughts. He knew their private doubts both present and future. What if you knew every mistake your loved ones had ever made and every mistake they would ever make? What if you knew every thought they would have about you, every irritation, every dislike, every betrayal?
Ask these questions.. Was it hard for Jesus to love Peter, knowing Peter would someday curse him? Was it tough to trust Thomas, knowing Thomas would one day question Jesus’ resurrection? How did Jesus resist the urge to recruit a new batch of followers? John wanted to destroy one enemy. Peter sliced off the ear of another. Just days before Jesus’ death, his disciples were arguing about which of them was the best! How was he able to love people who were hard to like? (Just like Jesus, Max Lucado, p. 16)How was Jesus able to love his disciples? How did He cure with stuckititis? The answer is Jesus’ had a heart of forgiveness and we see this demonstrated in a powerful way in the thirteenth chapter of John.
the towel and basin
Of all the times we see the bowing knees of Jesus, none is so precious as when he kneels before his disciples and washes their feet.
The Passover feast was approaching and Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father – that his mission on earth was drawing to an end. In this passage he showed the full extent of His love to His disciples.
John 13:1-5 (NIV)
1 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. 2 The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
It had been a long day. Jerusalem is packed with people seeking to observe Passover in the Holy City and most of them are clamoring to see this great Teacher. The disciples are a long way from home, are hungry, are thirsty and are looking for a place to rest. They file into the room that has been found and one by one hang up their coats and take their places around the table. As they enter the room every single one of them passes a pitcher filled with water with a basin beside it and a towel hanging on a hook by the door. They all know that these are for the cleansing of their feet and as they settle into their seats each one of them waits expectantly for someone to pick up the towel and basin.
The custom of Jesus’ day was that the task of washing feet was reserved not just for servants but for the lowest of servants. In the pecking order of household workers the servant at the bottom of the totem pole was expected to be the one on his knees with the towel and basin.
I’m sure each disciple was eyeing each other and thinking to themselves, "Don’t look at me, It’s not my job…" In other words, "I’m more important than you!"
And then, after a few moments in the midst of the meal being served, Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords – the man at the top of the totem pole of totem poles, stands and removes his outer garment. He wraps a servant’s girdle around his waist, takes the basin, and kneels before one of the disciples. He unlaces a sandal and gently lifts the foot and places it in the basin, covers it with water, and begins to bathe it. One by one, one grimy foot after another, Jesus works His way around the table kneeling at the feet of each disciple.
This is a significant event here folks! Hours before his own death, Jesus’ concern is singular. He wants his disciples to know how much he loved them. More than removing dirt, Jesus is removing doubt.As Jesus was washing their feet He knew that they would not spend the next day following their master, defending his (and so they claimed, their) cause. Christ knew that their feet would dash from the flash of a Roman sword. He knew that their was only one person who wouldn’t abandon Him at the garden – only because He was going to abandon Jesus that very night at the table!
You won’t find a Bible translation that reads, "Jesus washed all the disciples’ feet except the feet of Judas,". And yet, the way many people act it seems that it should be there. This truly was a tremendous moment when Jesus lifted the very feet of the one who would betray Him and washes them in the basin. Within hours these cleansed feet will stand in Caiaphas’s court ready to sell out on His master for thirty pieces of silver.
Do you recognize the awesome gift Jesus gives his followers! He knew that these men are about to perform the vilest acts of their lives. He knew that by morning they would bury their heads in shame and look down at their feet in disgust. But when they did, Jesus wanted them to remember how he knelt before them and washed those same feet and that they’ll realize that those feet are still clean.
John 13:7 (NIV)
7 Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
Isn’t this amazing? Jesus forgave their sin before they even committed it. He offered mercy before they even sought it.
I hear your thoughts – some of you saying, "Oh, I could never do that, the hurt is so deep. The wounds are so numerous. Just seeing the person causes me to cringe" Stuckititis rages deep within you friend. What is the solution? Maybe you’re looking at the wrong person – remember the secret of being just like Jesus is "fixing our eyes" on him. You’re right – you could never do that – but Jesus could, and WILL! Remember He resides in the hearts of those who believe in Him. But you are still holding the key to the locked door – the door that He will only enter in if you give Him the key. Try shifting your eyes away from the one who hurt you and set your eyes on the one who has saved you.
1 John 1:7 (NIV)
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
Aside from place and time, we share the same story as the disciples. What Jesus has done for them He has done for us. He has cleansed us. He has cleansed our hearts from sin.
The Rhone River begins its journey in the Switzerland Alps, some 5000 feet above sea level. It is one of the most important commercial waterways in France, stretching more than 500 miles in length. The river that glistens and sparkles through France, however, is much different than it was at its origin. At the first of its voyage, glacial clay is picked up from the Rhone Glacier in the Alps making the Rhone River very milky and murky and dirty in appearance. Just before it enters France, the Rhone River empties into Lake Geneva, and a wonderful transformation occurs, a wonder of nature, picturing to us a transformation of souls in the spiritual realm. Most of the clay sinks to the bottom of the lake, and the Rhone River emerges clear and blue! It is so clear and blue that Lord Byron, the English poet, was inspired to describe it as the "blue rushing of the arrowy Rhone." Our lives are much like that river. Shortly after we begin our journey in life we find ourselves corrupted and polluted by the sins of the flesh. If the Lord hadn’t intervened in His mercy, we would’ve been destined to live out our sojourn unclean. But thanks be to God, when we come to the Lord Jesus Christ, He washes us and leans us and throws our "sins into the depths of the sea." (Micah 7:19). The blood of the Lamb is much more effective in its working than Lake Geneva is with the Rhone River! Our sins are completely blotted out, forgiven, forgotten; and no sign of them ever emerges again! (Autoillustrator.com, THE RHONE RIVER)Let a speck of dust fall on the soul of a saint, and it is washed away. Let a spot of filth land on the heart of God’s child, and the filth is wiped away. Jesus still cleans his disciples’ feet. Jesus still washes away stains. Jesus still purifies his people.
Jesus washes our feet for two reasons – The first is to give us mercy; the second is to give us a message, Jesus offers unconditional grace; we are to offer unconditional grace.
John 13:14-15 (NIV)
14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
The mercy of Christ preceded our mistakes; our mercy must precede the mistakes of others. Those in the circle of Christ had no doubt of his love; those in our circles should have no doubts about ours. (Just Like Jesus, Max Lucado, p. 21)How does this happen? It happens when we give Jesus the key to the locked room in our heart – when we say to Him – "Okay Lord, go in and rearrange this room and make it like your heart". It means that we will kneel as Jesus knelt, touching the grimy parts of the people we are stuck with and washing away their unkindnesses with kindness.
Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)
32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
It means even if you are the innocent party you do it. Jesus wasn’t guilty, Jesus wasn’t the betrayer, Jesus didn’t cheat, Jesus didn’t run away. Of all the men in that room – He was the only one truly worthy to have His feet washed and yet He was the one who washed the feet.
The genius of Jesus’ example is that the burden of bridge-building falls on the strong one, not on the weak one. The one who is innocent is the one who makes the guesture. (Just Like Jesus, Max Lucado, p. 21)Guess what? You’ll find it surprising that usually, if the one in the right volunteers to wash the feet of the one in the wrong, both parties get on their knees… Relationships don’t thrive because the guilty are punished but because the innocent are merciful. (Just Like Jesus, Max Lucado, p. 22)CONCLUSION
Max Lucado includes the following story in his book Just Like Jesus that illustrates the power of forgiveness.
Recently I shared a meal with some friends. A husband and wife wanted to tell me about a storm they were weathering. Through a series of events, she learned of an act of infidelity that had occurred over a decade ago. He had made the mistake of thinking it’d be better not to tell her, so he didn’t. But she found out. And as you can imagine, she was deeply hurt.Through the advice of a counselor, the couple dropped everything and went away for several days. A decision had to be made. Would they flee, fight, or forgive? So they prayed. They talked. They walked. They reflected. In this case the wife was clearly in the right. She could have left. Women have done so for lesser reasons. Or she could have stayed and made his life a living hell. Other women have done that. But she chose a different response.
On the tenth night of their trip, my friend found a card on his pillow. On the card was a printed verse: "I’d rather do nothing with you than something without you." Beneath the verse she had written these words: I forgive you. I love you. Let’s move on.The card might as well have been a basin. And the pen might as well have been a pitcher of water, for out of it poured pure mercy, and with it she washed her husband’s feet. (Just Like Jesus, Max Lucado, p. 22)Sometimes conflicts can only be resolved with a water-filled basin. Do you know of any relationships in your life that are thirsty for mercy? Is their anyone you know who need to find your grace? Jesus made sure that His disciples would have no doubt of His love – how about you?
I believe that there are people here this morning who find themselves sometimes living in agony because of what has been done to them by someone else. You feel trapped. You feel betrayed. You feel angry.
Maybe you’ve tried to cope with this by fleeing, And yet you find that no matter where you flee to – that person, that event still haunts you.
Maybe you’ve tried to cope with this by fighting. And yet, you find that in the fight your reserves are weakened, those around you are affected, and the hurt only seems to be amplified.
Friends, there is only one way out of the trap of stuckititis – it is to forgive. No matter how hard, or how undeserving, or how painful. You MUST forgive! Jesus knows the hurt that you live with, He knows the suffering you’ve gone through, He sees the event playing over and over in your mind, He knows the injustice of it and in the midst of all this He is whispering to you, "Give me the key, give me the key, let me into this room, let me fill that room with my heart and through you I will pick up the basin and the towel and wash…
This sermon was preached by Darren Ethier at Hanover Pentecostal Church on January 14, 2001. This message is Part 2 of the sermon series: Supernatural Transformation. It is recommended that the book, Just Like Jesus by Max Lucado be read as it served as the inspiration for much of this series. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, Copyright © 1873, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.
