How Much Does Jesus Love Us?
The Gospel of John
John 13:1-17
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - June 28, 2017
(Revised December 21, 2019)
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to John 13. Here God's Word has moved forward to the night before the cross, and here the Lord gave His followers a new commandment. We see it first in John 13:34 where Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another."
*Loving one another like Jesus loves us? That means living with an overflow of the Lord's unselfish, sacrificial, agape love. The problem is that all of us have a streak of selfishness in our old sin nature. We were born with it, and it can be hard for us to overcome. But God wants to help us! And one way to overcome our selfishness is simply to turn our eyes on Jesus.
*The more we look at the Lord's unselfish, sacrificial, servant-hearted life, the more we will be transformed to be like Him. That's partly why 2 Corinthians 3:18 talks about Christians beholding the glory of the Lord and being transformed into His image from glory to glory, by the Spirit of the Lord.
*The more we look at the Lord's love for us, the more we will be able to love like Jesus loves us. So, how much does Jesus love us? Let's read vs. 1-17, and we will begin to see.
MESSAGE:
*Have you noticed yourself being selfish this week? You might have missed it. We often do. But I don't think you'll miss the selfishness in this poem:
"I had a little tea party
This afternoon at three.
'Twas very small –
Three guests in all –
Just I, Myself and Me
Myself ate all the sandwiches
While I drank up the tea;
'Twas also I who ate the pie
And passed the cake to me." (1)
*We live in a very selfish, self-centered world. But God doesn't want us to live like that! Jesus wants us to love other people the same way that He loves us. So, let's see how much the Lord loves us.
1. FIRST: JESUS LOVES US ENOUGH TO STAND BY US FOREVER.
*This is God's truth for us in vs. 1 where John wrote: "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."
*Verse 1 tells us that Jesus was getting ready to leave this world. And naturally, the Lord's disciples were disturbed about that. The Lord leaving them was the last thing His disciples wanted, but it was actually the thing they needed most of all. Jesus was leaving. He was leaving for love's sake, and He was about to give the greatest demonstration of love the world will ever see.
*Verse 1 tells us that Jesus "loved His own who were in the world." And He loves you so much that He wants also to have a close relationship with you. Think about knowing the God of the whole universe in a personal way and being part of His family. This is the kind of love we receive when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
*Jesus "loved His own who were in the world," and "He loved them to the end." Jesus Christ is faithful to the end. He will love you to the end. Jesus will never walk out on you in the middle of the night. And no matter what you are going through, the Lord will stand by you.
*Years ago, Ben E. King wrote a love song named "Stand By Me." It was a big hit back in 1961, and it's been a classic love song ever since. Listen to these great lyrics:
"When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see.
No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid.
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
And the mountains should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry,
No I won't shed a tear.
Just as long as you stand, stand by me" (2)
*The truth is that we will shed some tears in life. But God's Word promises us that Jesus will stand by us forever! In Hebrews 13:5, Jesus Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you.'' And nobody can stand by us like the Lord Jesus Christ!
*Now you may feel alone sometimes, but God surely is watching over you, and He always has been. In Jeremiah 1:5 the Lord spoke to Jeremiah and said, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. . ." Church: The same thing is true for us, and God has been watching over us in ways we can't imagine.
*Here's part of a testimony John Avant gave when he was Pastor of First Baptist Church in West Monroe: "Ninety-three years ago today, a teenage boy from Alabama lay dying in the snows of Siberia, blown up, stabbed and run over by a train. He was fighting for his country in a forgotten war in Siberia at the end of World War I. But God was looking down the hallway of history and had a plan for the future that required that young boy to live.
*The Lord miraculously saved him, raised him up and brought him home. That young man was my grandfather. On the anniversary of that terrible experience where he lost his leg and almost lost his life, I meditate with awe on the amazing sovereignty of God. Had he died there, I would not exist. My children would not exist. I would never have the joy of knowing you, loving you, pastoring you, sharing life with you."
*Then Pastor John asked, "Have you ever stopped to think about how amazing God's love for you is, that He has been planning, preparing and working for not just hundreds -- but for thousands of years -- to ensure that you were here, that you had a chance to live and to breathe, to love Him and to love others, and to make a difference in this world?" (3)
*We really have no idea of all God did to get us where we are today, but He has always been watching over us. And Jesus loves us enough to stand by us forever!
2. HE ALSO LOVED US ENOUGH TO SACRIFICE HIMSELF FOR US.
*Verse 1 points us to the Lord's sacrifice because it speaks of the Passover. Again, the Scripture says, "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."
*It was almost time for the Feast of the Passover, the annual feast that religious Jews still observe today. The Passover was instituted by God 3,500 years ago on the night before the Children of Israel escaped from Egypt. The Lord told them to take a spotless lamb, kill it, and put the blood of that lamb on the doorposts of their houses.
*God explained why in Exodus 12:12-13:
12. 'For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
13. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.'
*Through the Passover, God saved the firstborn children of Israel from certain death. He also saved all of the Children of Israel from slavery in Egypt. But much more than that, God was pointing to the time when Jesus Christ would come into the world. God was pointing to the time in John 1:29, when John the Baptist would see Jesus and say, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!" And that's what Jesus did when He sacrificed His life on the cross for our sins.
*The blood on those Jewish doorposts every year pointed to the blood that Jesus would pour out on the cross for us. And now in John 13, the time had come. As vs. 1 says, "Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world." And He departed by the way of the cross, because He loved us enough to sacrifice Himself for us.
*Verse 2 also points us to the Lord's sacrifice because it talks about "the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him." Satan had already done his work in Judas' heart. The betrayal was at hand. And the Lord LET that betrayal take place because of His love for us! Jesus loved us enough to sacrifice Himself for us.
3. HE ALSO LOVED US ENOUGH TO BECOME A SERVANT FOR US.
*We see the Lord's servant-hearted leadership in vs. vs. 3-5:
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.
*The King of the universe stooped to wash His follower's feet! Eric Ritz set the scene for us when he said, "In the holy land, feet were coated with dust because of the dry environment. When it did rain, feet and toes were caked with mud. The Jews wore sandals not modern shoes. The streets were traveled by beasts of burden, not by cars, trucks and SUVs, so we can imagine the raw sewage lying in the roads. We can imagine the filth and dirt that covered their feet. That's why every house had a copper water-pot, washbowl and pitcher by the door to wash the feet of those who entered." (4)
*Angela Akers pointed out that in Jesus' day the washing of feet was a task reserved for the lowest servants of all. But he King of all creation stooped down that night to wash His follower's feet!
*Max Lucado explained, "Hands that shaped the stars now wash away filth. Fingers that formed mountains now massage toes. And the One before whom all people will kneel one day, now kneels before his disciples. Hours before His own death, Jesus' concern is singular: He wants His disciples to know how much He loves them. More than removing dirt, Jesus was removing doubt." Jesus loved us enough to become a servant for us. (5)
4. AND HE LOVED US ENOUGH TO SHOW US THE WAY.
[1] FIRST, JESUS SHOWED US THE WAY OF SALVATION.
*And He did this in vs. 5-11:
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?''
7. Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.''
8. Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!'' Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.''
9. Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!''
10. Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.''
11. For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean.''
*Peter didn't understand it. And sometimes we don't understand what God is doing in our lives. But one thing Peter did know for sure: He knew that without Jesus we have no hope. Peter knew that Jesus is the only one who can save us. Jesus Christ is the only one who can wash away our sins.
*And anything Jesus wants to do in our lives is exactly what we need. But more than anything else, Jesus wants to make us clean. And He can do it, because when Jesus died on the cross, He took on Himself the guilt and punishment for our sins. That's why Isaiah 53:6 says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." 2 Corinthians 5:21 also tells us that God made Jesus "who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Hallelujah!
*Through this foot-washing, Jesus pointed us to the much bigger truth that only the Lord can wash away our sins. But Jesus had to take the filth of our sins in order to make us clean. That's why Bob Hostetler asked this question, "Who washed Jesus' feet?" Verse 12 says that when Jesus had finished washing their feet, He put on his clothes and sat down again. Bob pointed out that 12 men got their feet washed that day. But there were 13 men in that room. Jesus returned to the table with unwashed feet. The disciples were washed clean, while the Holy Master was left with the dirt of the world clinging to Him." (6)
*Except for the unbelieving traitor Judas, Jesus made the disciples fully clean. And because of the cross, He can make you clean forever. But there is no salvation without Jesus Christ.
*You must not be like Judas who rejected and betrayed the Lord. There is no salvation without Jesus Christ. But Jesus will save you and wash your sins away, IF you will trust Him and receive Him as your Lord and Savior.
[2] HE LOVED US ENOUGH TO SHOW US THE WAY OF SALVATION. BUT JESUS ALSO SHOWS US THE WAY OF SERVICE.
*And we see the way of service in vs. 12-15:
12. So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?
13. You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.
14. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.
15. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you."
*Jesus showed us the way of service. There were 11 saved disciples in the room that night. But there was only one man there with a servant's heart, and it was Jesus Christ. Luke 22 helps us see this truth, because Luke tells us that even at this supper, the disciples were still arguing about who was the greatest.
*Please listen to Luke 22:19-27:
19. And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.''
20. Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.
21. But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table.
22. And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!''
23. Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.
24. But there was also rivalry among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.
25. And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.'
26. But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.
27. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves."
*The disciples were still arguing about who was the greatest. But Jesus showed them the way of service. Max Lucado described the scene: "As they argued, the basin sits in the corner, untouched. The towel lies on the floor, unused. The servant's clothing hangs on the wall, unworn. Each disciple sees these things. Each disciple knows their purpose. But no one moves, except Jesus.
*As they bicker, He stands, but He doesn't speak. He removes His robe and takes the servant's wrap off of the wall. Taking the pitcher, He pours the water into the basin. He kneels before them with the basin and sponge and begins to wash. The towel that covers His waist is also the towel that dries their feet." (7)
*Jesus showed them how to serve. Then He began to teach them about serving others. Again in vs. 13-15, Jesus said:
13. "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.
14. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.
15. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you."
*Does this mean that we are supposed to wash each other's feet? -- Maybe. About 6 years ago, I had the sad duty of preaching the funeral for a young nurse. Her name was Heather Berry, and at the age of 34, she died in a tragic wreck. Heather's short life overflowed with goodness poured out on other people.
*She truly cared about other people. By God's grace, she and her mother spend an hour and a half on the phone just hours before the wreck. Some of Heather's last words were expressions of her love, admiration and appreciation for her family.
*She expressed her love with her words, and she backed it up with her actions. Heather cared about people's spiritual needs. When she was only 12 years old, she led another girl to the Lord, and Heather tried to witness every way that she could.
*Heather also cared about people's physical needs. One of the best examples was the way Heather helped take care of her grandfather in his final illness. She also sat with her grandmother when she was in the hospital.
*And Heather's servant heart went far beyond her family. Back when she was a student at ULM, Heather tutored for a couple of years at the Baptist Children's Home. Senior adults also had a special place in her heart. That started when Heather was just a little girl. She would go to the nursing home with her aunt because she loved to play the piano for the people there.
*Years later, when Heather worked as a nurse with the elderly, she went over and above what she had to do. One of the most servant-hearted things she did was give manicures and pedicures to those who needed them. The first thing Heather would do is wash their feet, and what a Christ-like thing to do!
*Well God may never ask you to wash a dirty foot, but He certainly wants us to have hearts to serve because it brings glory to God and it can help bring lost people to Jesus.
[3] JESUS LOVES US ENOUGH TO SHOW US THE WAY OF SERVICE. BUT HE ALSO SHOWS US THE WAY TO SUPREME HAPPINESS.
*The Lord does this in vs. 16-17. There Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, HAPPY are you if you do them."
*These verses remind me of something our preacher said in Warner Robins, Georgia 40 years ago. He said: "The most miserable people in this world are not the lost people. The most miserable people in the world are the Christians living like lost people."
*No true Christian can be happy living in disobedience, and Jesus wants our lives to overflow with His joy. So again, He said, "A servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, happy are you if you do them."
*There is a special satisfaction that comes from serving the Lord. It's better than anything the world has to offer. And God gives this satisfaction to His people, because He loves us.
CONCLUSION:
*Nobody could possibly love us more than Jesus Christ! How much does He love us? -- Enough to sacrifice Himself for us, enough to become a servant for us, enough to show us the way to go in life, and enough to stand by us forever.
*Thank God for His love! Our responsibility now is to love one another with the same kind of love that Jesus has for us. Let's ask the Lord to help us, as we go back to God in prayer.
(1) SermonCentral sermon "Commitment to the Lost" by Steve Shepherd - Matthew 18:12-14
(2) "Stand by me" - Song by Ben E. King
(3) From: dr.javant@gmail.com - 01/10/2012
(4) Adapted from Sermons.com sermon "The Messiah Who Cares About Feet" by Eric Ritz - John 13:1-17
(5) Max Lucado, JUST LIKE JESUS - Nashville: Word Publishing, 1998 - p. 18 - Source: Sermons.com sermon "The Servant-king" by Angela Akers - John 13:1-17
(6) Bob Hostetler insight adapted from online sermon "Jesus the Foot Washer" by Ken Gehrels John 13 1-17
(7) Max Lucado, A GENTLE THUNDER - Dallas, TX: Word Publishing, 1995 - pp. 33-34 - Source: Sermons.com sermon "The Messiah Who Cares About Feet" by Eric Ritz - John 13:1-17
