To Love Like Jesus

Opener:

Welcome and good morning everyone ! So blessed to see everyone here today!

By the way, Happy Valentine’s day! Today is the day that is observed for the memory of Saint Valentine who is said to have been martyred on this date in the year 470 A.D while performing a wedding for a Roman soldier which was a violation of roman law.

There is a story in the Old Testament that really talks about the love that God has for his people. It is found in the book of Hosea. So Hosea was a prophet of the Lord and was instructed to go out and marry a prostitute name Gomer. And you thought that the bible was boring? So Hosea does this and we learn that over time, Gomer goes back into her old trade. Gomer then gets herself into financial trouble and is being sold on the open market like some kind of common live stock. Hosea becomes aware of this and God commands Hosea to buy her freedom back and to take her back as his wife. After all that she had done. This entire story is really an illustration on how the children of Israel would leave God and be unfaithful to Him and Yet He loved them so much to take them back anyway.

This morning our text comes from the book of John chapter 13. To give you a bit of a background before we hop right into our text. Jesus had been with his disciples for over three years and showed and taught them many wonderful things. Jesus earthly ministry was wrapping up and he called all his disciples to one final meal together. Jesus had one more valuable lesson to share with these disciples. Let’s pick up our story in John 13:1-6 – NKJV-13 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”

It is important to note that during Jesus time, there were no paved roads, instead the roads were dusty and dirty. The people did not have cool Nike shoes there like Johnny or Caleb. No They had open toed sandals and the feet would get really dirty. So when you went to a wealthy person’s home during this time, there would be a water filled basin and the servant of that home would come and wash the feet for the guests. The house that Jesus went to did not have servants to wash their feet.

I. Selfless love

A. Laying down garments

a. There in verse four we see Jesus lay down His garments, got down and washed the disciples feet. This really speaks to the humility and servant heart of Jesus.

b. This was symbolic in a lot of ways. It was symbolic in a sense that Jesus stepped out of Heaven and all it’s glory to come to earth.

c. It was symbolic in that Jesus was laying down his reputation of being a respected teacher, authority figure, and put that aside to show the disciples that to be great, you need to humble yourself.

d. I love the verse found in James 4:10 – NKJV-10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

B. Lowly thinking?

a. Humility is not lowly thinking of ourselves. Rather, humility is when we lay down pride and our own interest and we consider others.

b. The picture of humility is a strong person that loves others not someone that is a pushover.

c. Humility is not just putting on an act to impress others, it is a sincere care.

C. Progress

a. This humility leads us to understand the progression of what selfless love is.

b. It is an understanding that God had extended His grace to each of us and accepts us.

c. This understanding of grace moves us to accept God’s love in our lives and causes us to experience a newfound Peace which leads us to love and accept others.

d. This progress teaches us that selfless love is really valuing others in our lives.