The Discipline of Service
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations (5645 Ironside’s Shoes in Heaven)
When he was a boy, Dr. Harry Ironside, a Canadian Bible teacher, used to help his “widowed mother by working during vacations, Saturdays, and [after school] for a Scottish shoe-worker [or Cobbler] who was a Christian. [The Cobbler] posted Bible verses all over the shop so that everywhere one looked, he would see the Word of God. No package went out to a customer without a tract or a word of testimony, and many came back for salvation.
Dr. Ironside’s job was to pound leather for shoe soles. A piece of cowhide was cut to size, soaked in water, and pounded until it was hard and dry. After endless poundings, he was weary. One day, he noticed that another … cobbler [who was not a Christian] was not pounding, but was nailing the soles while still wet. [When asked why he was assembling the shoes that way, the man replied] “So they come back quicker.” [In response] the Christian owner explained to Ironside: “I do not cobble just for 50¢ or 75¢ from customers. I do it for the glory of God. In heaven, I expect every shoe returned to me in a pile, and I do not want the Lord to say, “Dan, that was a poor job. You did not do your best.”
This Christian’s service was an act of worship, an act of delight for the glory of God.
As we continue looking at how we can have a Disciplined Delight in the Trinity, we are considering the discipline of service. Now, like these cobblers, we all have different motivations for serving. It may be notoriety, it may be rewards, it may simply be out of the joy of serving for God’s glory.
As we consider this today, we are going to look at John 13, a passage where Jesus broke all sorts of cultural norms in order to provide an example for his disciples to follow in their own service.
In coming to this passage, we have to recognize that Jesus is moving toward the cross, toward his “hour” as John refers to it. Jesus sits down with his disciples for a passover meal. During the meal, he does something unexpected and surprising.
Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.
When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”
“No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!”
Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”
Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”
Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.
This passage reveals some things about Jesus’ service - that His heart, head, and hands are engaged in this service.
First of all, we see that..
Love fueled Jesus’ heart to serve(1)
Love fueled Jesus’ heart to serve(1)
Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
This theme of love is something we find in the next several chapters as Jesus gives His disciples final instructions before he goes to the cross.
John clearly notes that Jesus loved his disciples. His ministry among them was fueled by love. His love for them didn’t stop until “the end” of his earthly life - and truly beyond.
When we think through the guys that he had around him, he had quite a mixture of disciples. Some were ambitious, some were violent, others were quiet, some were detail oriented, some were selfish. All of them were unique. All of them were called. All of them were loved.
Imagine being some of these guys, knowing that you were called out by Jesus, living in the realization of his love for you - in all of your strengths and weaknesses - warts and flaws and all.
He loved them.
But not only these 12, but he loved “his own who were in the world.” It seems like “his own” refers to those who are called out of the world to a life of faith and belief in him. By the time Jesus ascended, there were at least 120 dedicated men and women who were following him (Acts 1). Today, roughly one-third of the population of the planet calls Jesus their Lord.
Jesus served these men and women out of love.
He served you and me out of love when he went to the cross. He took our shame and humiliation because he loved us.
O how he loves you and me
He gave his life, what more could he give
O how he loves you
O how he loves me
O how he loves you and me.
I hope that you can grasp the depth of Jesus’ love for you. His unconditional love cost him dearly and yet benefits you and me immensely.
Turn to the person on your right and left and tell them, “Jesus loves you, He served you on the cross.”
Let that sink in for a moment. He loved you and me so much that in His service to us for the glory of God, died on the cross and took our shame.
But if we were to turn this around and look at the ways we serve, do we serve because of unconditional love? Do we serve with no strings attached? Do we serve generously?
There are people that are easy to love. There are people that are difficult to love. Do we serve them joyfully, willingly, lovingly?
So Jesus shows us that service comes from a heart of love. Secondly we see that...
Truth informed Jesus’ head in service (1, 3)
Truth informed Jesus’ head in service (1, 3)
Let’s look again back at verse one of this chapter:
Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
Jesus seemed to have a knowledge of the time. This was not just any passover. This was THE passover - the one that would become the culmination of his ministry. Jesus knew that the time was ripe.
Look down at verse three.
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God,
Jesus’ acts of service that we will see in a few moments were established in certain truths - in certain knowledge.
Authority and Responsibility - the Father had given all things into his hands. His assignment here on earth, his ministry among his disciples, his responsibility to steward that authority was all given by God - and Jesus knew that full well. But he also had knowledge of his...
Origin and Destination - Even though he took on human flesh, John helps us understand that Jesus knew that He was no mere human - that he had come from God and would return to God. He laid aside the glory of heaven, and would pick it back up again.
We we can see this a bit in Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17.
And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
Origin and destination.
Jesus’ actions weren’t rooted in speculation or some political manipulation - it was rooted in the confidence of who he is, what he came to do, and where he would be going.
Here are some truths that you and I need to keep in mind when we serve.
Origin
We have been created in God’s image. (Gen. 1:27) There is something about how God made each of us that is unique from the other creatures on the planet. We resemble Him. I don’t think it’s in our appearance - after all, God is Spirit and we are flesh. Beyond that, we are all unique in how we look. I do think it has something to do with our will and our intellect.
different giftings,
different abilities
different strengths and weaknesses
different tendencies
same origin
Destination
While we have been born in sin, we have been redeemed (if you’ve trusted Christ as your savior). Jesus purchased us out of our sinful origins and invited us into His family, His Body for eternity. We are sealed. We have no reason to be ashamed of our past - it’s been redeemed. We have no fear of the future - it’s been sealed up and confirmed. As a result, we get to serve without regret or fear.
Authority and Responsibility
We have been gifted for service. We looked briefly last week how God grants to each of us gifts for service in His body. 1 Peter 4:10-11
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Our service is an act of stewardship of that which God has entrusted us.
Each of us make up a part of His body in this local assembly. 1 Corinthians 12:27 “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” Each of us serving and using our gifts and design edifies the body as a whole.
So, let’s put our heads to use and think about service for a moment:
In our service, what is going through our minds? Are we trying to get something in return? Are we attempting to get people to think about us a certain way? Are we wrapping up our identity in our service - or in the knowledge of the One who called us to serve?
So we see that Jesus heart and head were truly prepared for service. In his example, we get to see that...
Humility marked Jesus’ hands in service (4-5)
Humility marked Jesus’ hands in service (4-5)
This seems rather odd to think of it this way, but Jesus does one of the most surprising things here. John tells us in verses 4-5 that Jesus...
rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
The significance of this action is often lost on us as westerners.
People in Jesus day didn’t walk around with shoes like we do. Even today, many people in eastern cultures wear sandals, which means their feet would get dirty.
Jesus goes against all of their cultural norms and does the unthinkable. He takes the posture of a slave in this act of service. He willingly lays aside his dignity and honor in order to wash the disciples feet.
This act of service creates a picture for us of what he would do in a matter of hours as he, the God of the universe and second person of the trinity, humbled himself to die a criminal’s death - taking the cross that we deserve.
Paul reflects on his action this way:
Philippians 2:6–8 (NLT)
Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
In coming to earth - Jesus willingly served humanity through humiliation. Then, as a human, he willingly humiliated himself in service to others.
Which brings us to our final consideration from this passage. Jesus, in response to his actions, communicates to his disciples and to us that...
We should serve others as Jesus served (12-17)
We should serve others as Jesus served (12-17)
When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
Jesus demonstrated that as a teacher He would have been elevated socially - and yet he was willing to wash their feet. As Lord, He demonstrates that He is more than that - he is master - and yet was still willing to be humiliated before them. In Greek, “Lord” or “kyrios” refers to someone who has “supreme authority” (Milne 199). And yet he was willing to serve. No level of service was beneath him.
To some degree, it’s difficult to grasp the gravity of this.
As I have been thinking about this some this week, President Jimmy Carter came to mind. Being president of the United States in the late 70s, he held one of the most powerful offices in the world. He is not remembered as being a great president - as he served during time in history that was mired in global conflicts, energy crises, and fuel shortages. He was president nonetheless. The reason he came to mind is not so much his time in office, but his service after being in office. He is noted world-wide for his service with Habitat for Humanity - a ministry that makes homes for people in need. But on a more local level, he is known as being a devout follower of Christ with a gift of teaching. In his church in Georgia, he continued to teach on a regular basis until his health prevented him from continuing to do so. Now, I don’t know his motives, but from what I can see from a distance, it seems his motives were pure. He served because he had been called to do so. He served in spite of being protected by Secret Service. He sought to serve as Jesus served. He did not have to serve in those ways, but he wanted to. He did not try to hide behind the veil of political prestige, but served humbly.
Don Carson noted -
One of the ways human pride manifests itself in a stratified society is in refusing to take the lower role.
He goes on to note that since the greatest being in the universe was willing to take the humblest role of service, so should we. There is no reason we for us not to serve. Jesus has given us a great example. Charles Spurgeon has said…
The best service you can render to Christ is to imitate Him. If you want to do what will please Him—do as He did!
Christ’s Death And Ours, Volume 53, Sermon #3024 - John 12:23-24
Charles Spurgeon
So, in response to Jesus’ example here, let’s consider a few...
Points of application:
Points of application:
In some ways the application is not difficult to reach, but remember - Jesus did more than just serve - he used his whole being - heart, head, and hands.
So...
Check your heart -
What is your heart attitude toward others or toward service? Do you truly love those around you?
When you serve, is your service out of duty, obligation, or a guilt trip?
Do you see your service as an act of worship or delight?
Is your service fueled by love?
Is there someone that you would not want to serve?
Is any measure of serving “beneath you?” (assuming it’s ethical and biblical)
Oh that God would give us his heart for others.
Remember what is true about you from God
Just as Jesus understood his origin and destination - remember what is true from God about you -
if you are a follower of Christ, your sinful origin has been redeemed. Your destination of eternal life is sure.
If you’re not yet a follower of Christ, be reminded that your sinfulness marks you. We all stand condemned in our sin - and yet as Jesus served, he took our condemnation. We simply need to repent of our sin and receive his free gift of eternal life.
Remember where you stand with him - you are fully loved and eternally secure.
Your service does not need to gain acclaim - God knows, God sees, find your confidence in Him. As we have seen over the last month, Jesus reminded us that in our giving, praying and fasting that… Matthew 6:4
Matthew 6:4 (ESV)
...your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Finally,
Get your hands dirty
We can’t let position, pride, or preference get in the way of our service to God and others.
Whether it’s
Helping with the youth group on Sunday afternoons or on special youth events. - there is a need right now. We have several kids from the neighborhood who have been popping in on Sundays. Many of them are girls - many are middle schoolers. Armal needs people to step up to assist, to invest, to serve alongside him.
volunteering for Kids Connection
joining the deacon team or helping as a greeter or on a security team - In the coming weeks we’re likely going to revamp how we do some of our Sunday morning teams and may add a few other folks who can step up in some other ways.
helping in the thrift shop, distributing or picking up food Tuesdays or Saturdays, volunteering with WUMCO or
leading worship - whether through singing, playing an instrument, reading scripture, pushing buttons - there are plenty of opportunities.
opening your home for a Community Group gathering.
there are so many ways that service can happen in our community and in our church.
Getting dirty might even mean spending time with your neighbor (even that one that you’ve had a conflict with for years) - or doing yard work for someone who simply can’t.
There are so many ways that we can serve. It’s important to serve out of love and firmly founded in the confidence that we have through Jesus Christ.
Let’s pray.
Benediction:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Questions for discussion and reflection:
Questions for discussion and reflection:
Read John 13:1-17
What stood out to you in what we considered from this passage?
What surprises you about Jesus’ act of service?
Heart:
What is your heart attitude toward others or toward service? Do you truly love those around you?
When you serve, is your service out of duty, obligation, or a guilt trip? Do you see your service as an act of worship or delight?
Is your service fueled by love?
Is there someone that you would not want to serve?
Is any measure of serving “beneath you” (assuming it’s ethical and biblical)?
Head:
What did Jesus know as He served His disciples?
What is true about you from God?
How does that inform your service?
Hands
What needs in the church or community is God laying on your heart?
What needs do you see that may need to be addressed?
Sources:
Burge, Gary M. The NIV Application Commentary: John. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000.
Carson, D. A. The Gospel according to John. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991.
Crossway Bibles. The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008.
Gangel, Kenneth O. John. Vol. 4. Holman New Testament Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000.
Milne, Bruce. The Message of John (The Bible Speaks Today). Downers Grove, IL. Inter-Varsity Press, 1993
MacArthur, John. Twelve Ordinary Men. Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group, 2002.
Neusner, Jacob. The Mishnah : A New Translation. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1988.
Tan, Paul Lee. Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times. Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996.