Hello COTR- third week- series about being a disciple
Talk this morning about Smelly Feet.
In our culture we identify ourselves as Christians, Jesus calls us to be His disciples.
Disciple- Gk- learner, pupil, follower, student.
He is Lord- we follow, pursue Him, do what He did.
In reality we are disciples of some philosophy- either one we pursue intentionally or unintentionally.
Jn 14:26 If you want to be my follower you must … NLT
it goes on- Jesus tells us what we must do.
We have seen that disciples …
touch lepers,
befriend prostitutes,
offend Pharisees.
Last week we looked at how disciples …
fish for men, and- follow Jesus with-
unquestioning obedience and
absolute abandonment.
This morning begin with …
Mtt 23:11-12
The greatest among you shall be your what?
What does Jesus mean by this?
(solicit two/three answers from the church)
This type of attitude is in direct contradiction to the spirit of the age in which we live.
Success is climbing to the top of the corporate ladder or whatever arena you are in.
If we want to be great you seek glory, fame, recognition, position, power, money.
You lift yourself up and rise to greatness.
But the path to greatness in the Kingdom of God is upside down from that of the world.
In the world you …
rise to greatness- in the Kingdom of God you
descend to greatness.
Look with me at a story about Jesus and His disciples-
Jn 13:1-4
(Walk over to table, begin to set the table)
Jesus/disciples- having supper together, a very important supper- Passover meal.
What was the significance of the Passover meal?
(solicit two/three answers from the church)
This happens to be the last supper the disciples will eat with Jesus before He dies- about to be arrested.
If look at the account in Luke- begin to learn a little about the disciples and what was important to them
Lk 22:14-24
(put out wine, break bread, pass cup around)
The disciples end up arguing over who is the greatest.
Matthew- tax collector- had money- guys, I have money, I help fund this ministry- I am important.
John- remember, up on the mountain, Jesus started glowing- Moses, Elijah appeared- I was there.
Peter- think about this- Jesus came walking across the water- who walked on the water w/Jesus- I did.
Jn 13:2-4
Jesus knew Judas was about to betray Him.
He knew He is about to be arrested, beaten, and crucified- nails driven through his hands/feet.
He also knew that He was the Son of God, that all power had been given into His hands by God.
Yet He did not stand up and try to prove His greatness to the disciples- hey I am the Son of God!
He was secure in who He was, not threatened by the disciples petty argument over who was the greatest
He could have said …
“Guys, do you know what I am about to go through? Perhaps you could serve me? Perhaps you could wash my feet?
Instead, what did Jesus do?
Jn 13:4
He did what He had been sent to do, SERVE!
(tie a towel around my waist)
Only a slave/servant- tie a towel around their waist.
The disciples were wondering- what is He doing?
We need to ask ourselves the question …
Why are we here?
Are we here to serve or to be served?
Are we part of what God is doing in the lives of others, serving them, helping them?
Or, are we just a consumer- here for what we can get?
God wants to give us a servants heart.
When- come together w/church- do you come looking for a way to give back what God has given you.
God is calling us to be spiritual contributors, servants.
Jn 13:5 (pour water into the foot washing basin)
Remember this basin- come back to it in a minute.
We must understand what it meant for Jesus, a Rabbi, a prophet, the Son of God, to wash feet.
Roads in those days- dirt- dust if dry, mud if wet.
The roads were traveled by animals- donkey dung!
They wore open sandals, leather bottom, upper straps.
In that culture only servants would wash feet- bad job.
Jn 13:6-8
Peter is just beginning to grasp the enormity of what Jesus is about to do.
The Rabbi, the teacher is kneeling before him.
Imagine what Peter might be thinking …
Why did we not get a servant to wash our feet before sitting down to eat supper with the Rabbi?
(tables low, not much higher than your feet)
Why did we not get someone to wash His feet? Maybe we should have washed His feet?
It would never of crossed his mind however to wash someone’s feet- but a disciple of Jesus washes feet.
Look at this in the context of our own lives.
How is God asking us to serve others?
Not what others think you should do, what is God asking you to do?
Do we have the same heart Jesus had that night before His death?
Three questions that might help us determine the condition of our own heart?
1. What is my motivation?
Why am I serving? So others will see me and think more highly of me? Look- he is like Jesus!
Lk 18:10-14
Jesus served, not for recognition, but because He loved the people.
He served them because He knew their spiritual condition and that they needed help.
Disciples touch lepers, befriend prostitutes.
2. What is the need in front of me?
Not what am I planning to do next week or the mission trip I signed up for next month.
Jesus had an intense schedule ahead of Him.
His beating/crucifixion were already penciled in on His daytimer- He served the need in front of Him.
What is the need in front of you?
Someone with a flat tire?
A child falls on his bicycle?
Serving your wife/husband/children?
Going- 2nd mile on- job- make it easy for others
3. What do you have to give?
Peter goes through …
the embarrassment of Jesus washing his feet,
denying the Lord three times, and
then you find him on the streets of Jerusalem preaching the Gospel.
Acts 3:6 But Peter said, "I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene — walk!" NASU
What I have … what I have learned … what I have seen … what I have believed … I give it to you.
This was not Peter’s normal personality- he was a fishermen- but God had given him new grace.
God gives us new grace as well when we …
humble ourselves before Him and
make ourselves available to Him.
What do you have to give?
If we have God, we all have something to give.
Conclusion
Remember the basin that Jesus used to wash the disciples feet?
There is another basin we read about in the Bible.
Mtt 27:17, 20-24
The crowd is screaming crucify Him, crucify Him.
Pontius could find no fault in Jesus, certainly nothing deserving of death.
However, instead of doing something about it, he does nothing … takes basin of water, washes his hands.
Each of us has a basin of water before us and we have two choices.
One, we can say, I do not want to do anything- I do not want to be a disciple- and wash our hands of it.
I am comfortable where I am- after all I am a Christian and I love God.
OR- we can take the basin of water, kneel down before someone, and serve them as Christ did.
Mk 10:45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." NASU
(Material for this sermon comes from Pastor Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.tv)
John 13:1-8
1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
2 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him,
3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God,
4 got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself.
5 Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
6 So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, "Lord, do You wash my feet?"
7 Jesus answered and said to him, "What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter."
8 Peter said to Him, "Never shall You wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, " If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." NASU
