What Are We Doing At Abundant Life? Serve Part 1

Romans 12:1-2; John 13:6-7, 12-17.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty on Sunday, May 24, 2020.

We have talked about connecting to Jesus and his people through whole-life worship, and also, growing spiritually to be like Jesus.  These are the first two purposes Christians should be fulfilling. 

Today, we are going to talk about serving.  Those who believe in Jesus are called to serve him. He is the Lord, the master, and we are his servants.  Let’s go to Romans 12 to explore this further.

We selflessly serve Jesus by presenting our lives as a living sacrifice

In verse 1, Paul is clearly using imagery from the temple sacrifices that would have been familiar to his Jewish audience.  Even the Gentile believers would have understood this imagery since their lands were filled with temples to false gods where people brought offerings and sacrifices to them.

Paul calls this a “living sacrifice.”  This is clearly an oxymoron and yet, it makes complete sense once it is explained.  Jesus is the only one who literally sacrificed his life so that our sins could be removed from us.  It has been said that, since he died for us, the least we can do is live for him.  This is simplistic and yet true.  Paul even refers to this as our “reasonable service,” which we will look at in a bit. 

So, what does it mean to be a living sacrifice?  It means that we are living for God’s purposes, and not our own.  It means that we sacrifice the desires of our flesh, and all the ways that we lived before we met Jesus, and pick up the desires and ways of Christ.  Of course, a person may lay down their life in martyrdom, but this is never seen as a means of removing sin.  Thus, even the martyr, who physically dies, goes to be with the Lord and is not really dead.  They are still living.

The word that is translated as “service,” at the end of verse 1, has a religious connection to the ceremonial duties Israel had in the temple.  For Christians, living for Jesus is presented as parallel to the work that priests did in the temple.  This connects to the New Testament concept that all believers are priests before God in the New Covenant.  What we do in this life and the purposes for which we do it requires sacrifice and serving the Lord Jesus.  I have added the adjective “selflessly” just in case a person doesn’t get what sacrificial living really means.

As a living sacrifice, it is important to present ourselves as a holy sacrifice.  This adjective ultimately means that we are declared as belonging to God, or set apart for Him and His purposes alone.  As believers in Jesus, we are to be following Jesus, not the culture of the world around us.  They continue to plunge into ever diverse ways of rebellion against God, but we are to restrain ourselves and live for Jesus.  Of course, this is easier said than done.

Thus, our holiness has two aspects to it.  Our identity as being holy is immediate upon our belief in Jesus and it is inseparable.  It is he who declares us to be one of his holy ones.  We live for him and not the world or ourselves.  In this sense, a person never becomes more holy.  You can’t be declared as holy to any higher degree.  It simply is what you are. 

However, the other aspect of holiness has to do with our practical holiness.  No one perfectly lives their life (both internally and externally) for Jesus and his purposes.  We call this discipleship and “sanctification,” (the process by which one better lives their lives for Christ alone).  In this sense, we can become more holy.  Yet, this should never be confused with salvation.  Our salvation gives us the identity of being holy and cannot be separated by the messy process of discipleship.  In fact, discipleship is a battle that we wage against our own flesh, and should be done in the power and with the help of the Holy Spirit.

May God help us to be secure in the knowledge that we are the saints (holy ones) of God, but may He also help us to be courageous in our battle against our sin and the pull of this world upon our hearts and minds.  Yes, we must keep our faith in Jesus for salvation, but we must also learn to trust in his commands and his example of how to live this life in order to please the Father.

Another concept that is added is that of being an acceptable sacrifice.  We should seek to live our lives as an acceptable sacrifice to Him.  This again relies upon the Old Testament sacrifice imagery.  A sacrificial animal had to fit all the requirements that God had placed upon it.  They were to be without blemish and in the way He commanded.  Without Jesus, none of us can be an acceptable sacrifice.  It can be easy to look at our discipleship performance and think that maybe we are not acceptable.  However, our acceptability comes directly from trusting Jesus for our salvation.  We are acceptable to God because we approach Him with a relationship of faith in His Son. 

This sets up a tension between knowing that we are acceptable because of our faith in Jesus, and the fact that true faith in Jesus will seek to be like him by cooperating with the discipleship process.  We should never deceive ourselves that we can be acceptable without both, and yet the foundation of our acceptance is Jesus, and not our ability to perform.

In verse 2, Paul moves away from the sacrifice imagery and speaks to our lives.  The life of a Christian is not to be conformity, but rather a transformational relationship.  Paul is talking about conforming to this world, but part of that world is the religious pretenders who only conform to an outward veneer of righteousness, and are inwardly one with the world system.  Church cannot become a machine that forces everyone to look, speak, and act like the pastor or the elders.  Jesus is our template, but also the inner source of our transformation.  The world teaches people to conform to the system in order to get ahead.  Many who are nonconformists may make a different way for themselves, but even this is part of the world system.  They have conformed to the world in a nonconformist way.  When we come to Christ, the Father will not accept an outward conformance to Jesus.  If the Church merely duplicates the conforming method of the world and simply uses it for its own purposes then it is not what Christ desires.  We would be relying upon the flesh rather than the Spirit of God.  People do not necessarily need to look a certain way.  There is no power in that.  What we really need is the Holy Spirit within us fueling and directing a change that is more than surface.  It is a complete transformation that is related to the word that we use today, “metamorphosis.”

Don’t settle for a life that isn’t changing to become more like Jesus, but neither settle for a life that only looks enough like Jesus on the surface to get you by.  Paul states that this transformation takes place as our minds are renewed.  The world has taught us all manner of things that are completely hostile towards the things of God.  We don’t often know all the ways that our mindset is actually antichrist, like Judas was.  God’s Word, His Holy Spirit, and the community of mature believers, surround us with the power to change our minds and thus to transform our lives.  This is not merely a power of the mind, but is a mind renewed by the working of God’s Spirit.

Ultimately, Paul says that we will end up proving that God’s will is perfect.  This is one of the ways that we serve Him.  We serve as His proof to the world and to the devil and his angels.  Satan has rebelled against God because he thinks his way is better.  May we live in such a way- you know, like Jesus- so as to prove the Father’s way right.  In fact, our transformation doesn’t stop in this life.  On the day of Resurrection, our transformation will be completed and we will stand beside our Lord Jesus as completed, adult Sons of God.  We will be a myriad of proofs against the will of Satan and those who follow him.

Now, let’s look at one more passage to talk about another side of our service to Jesus.

We selflessly serve Jesus by serving one another

In John 13, Jesus is interacting with his disciples in the last hours before he is arrested and crucified.  There is a duality throughout the first three purposes in which Jesus and his people are inseparable.  I can’t only connect to Jesus.  I also need to connect to his people.  I can’t only grow spiritually as an individual.  I also need to grow as a part of a group of people that are becoming more like Jesus corporately.  So, it is here.  We must serve Jesus, but part of that service is to serve one another with a selfless attitude. 

Jesus employs the washing of feet as a powerful picture to prove to us that he means business in this area of service. He took up a basin of water and a towel, and washed each one of their feet.  Think of it.  They had gone through dinner lying next to each other’s dirty feet.  Not one of them was willing to take the lowest place and wash each other’s feet.  In fact, they hadn’t even taken the time to wash their own feet.  This is important because Jesus did not rebuke them and tell them to wash their own feet.  Instead, he gets up and focuses their attention on serving one another.

Peter is surprised at what Jesus is doing.  Of all of the people there, he was the last one that should do such a menial task.  Peter protests, and, in so doing, becomes a picture of how our flesh protests learning to selfless serve others.  What Jesus was doing was so across the grain of Peter’s own mentality (if we are honest, ours too) that he doesn’t want to accept it.  Humility is not something that our flesh immediately embraces.  Humility simply means that there is nothing that is “beneath me,” when it comes to serving Jesus and serving each other.  When love sees that something lowly must be done, it rises up and goes to work without pride or arrogance.  Our flesh doesn’t like this.  We can only do it if a true transformation is happening in our hearts, minds, and lives.  You could say that it is a test to see if we will follow over the top of the protests of our flesh.

The noble motivation for serving one another is to have our hearts so transformed by the love of God that we now serve each other out of that same love.  However, love is not just a feeling.  It is a decision for a beneficial course of action that is mixed with the understanding that we are obligated by Jesus to serve each other.  Once Jesus took the lowest place, none of his disciples could ever again pretend that service of others was beneath them.  To refuse to serve each other is to demonstrate that we think we are above Christ.  In question form, it is this way.  If taking the lowest place to serve us was not beneath Jesus then how could it be beneath me?  It isn’t.  We either cling to our pride, and then perish, or we surrender it and follow Jesus.  Just like the cross is a hideous image to our flesh, so the basin and the towel are another image that causes our flesh to shrink back. 

Jesus drives the point home in verse 16.  The servant is not greater than the master.  None of us are greater than him, and he took the lowest place.  We can’t out do Jesus, but we can surrender and seek to become like him.

Jesus also calls this an example.  His intention is not to set up a ritual of foot-washing services, although they can serve the purpose of shocking us out of lethargy.  This was just one small area that was relevant to those 12 men in that moment.  Elsewhere in the New Testament, we see Tabitha making clothes for the poor, and others selling some of their possessions in order that widows could receive the care that they needed.  The key is not conforming to a particular act, but rather being transformed into a servant that sees the needs of people and serve them.

In the moment, Jesus washed their feet because his love for them compelled him to do it.  He knew that they would need this lesson in the trying times ahead.  May God help us to see each other enough to know how to use the gifts that He has given us in order to serve one another with humility.

Jesus ends the portion by telling us that we will be blessed by God if we do this.  This blessing is both as an individual and as a group.  Our families will be blessed when we serve one another, and our church will be blessed when we serve one another.

The blessing of God should not be seen as some kind of lucky rabbit’s foot that makes everything go well.  Instead, the blessing is the pleasure of God who walks before you, behind you and at your side.  Lord, we bless you today because you are the source of all blessings.  Help us to learn how to serve like you did.

Serve I audio

A Blessing to Children

Mark 10:13-16.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, February 16, 2020.

Am I a blessing to the children in my life?  Children are easily overlooked because they seem to have little value nor can they offer much help.  However, they will be the ones who care for you when you are old…, or not.

As we approach our passage today, I want us to think about the way that we impact the young people in our life.  It is not just the physically young, but also those who are young in experience.  A new guy on the job may not be a child, but they are not experienced in the profession.  A new woman in the church may not be a child, but she may be a child when it comes to the things of God. 

How do we impact such people?  Do we give them the attitude that they should be seen and not heard?  Do we see them as our personal servants?  Perhaps, we may see them as our competitors.  If we are going to be like Jesus then we are going to have to open our hearts to the way that he received children.  He was a blessing to them and he wants us to be a blessing to them as well.  Let’s look at our passage.

They brought the little children to Jesus (vs. 13-14a)

In this passage, people are bringing little children to Jesus in order for him to touch them.  This term for touch can mean a lot of things, but it always implies more than just a surface touch.  Matthew 19:13 specifically states that they wanted Jesus to lay his hands upon them and pray over them.  This is exactly what we see at the end of this passage in Mark.  Jesus prays a blessing over the children.

We have talked before about how the laying on of hands while praying for someone is actually an aid to our faith rather than a necessary component.  Whether for healing or blessing, as is the case here, Jesus doesn’t need to touch them to bless them. 

That said, it is a component that has a rich history throughout the Bible, and not just for good things.  We see it prominently in the case of Jacob praying a blessing upon the children of Joseph in Genesis 48.  He puts his hands upon their heads and prays a blessing over them.  Thus, the image is one who has walked with God praying a blessing over those who are young in the experience of this world and walking with God.  It is a powerful image that manifests the way that our lives impact those who are coming behind us.  We will talk about this more, but it is good to pause and recognize that we will touch the lives of children both literally and spiritually.  Will that touch be a blessing or a curse, help or hurt?  May God help us to be like Jesus because they clearly see him as a source of good for these children.

We are told next that the disciples rebuked their efforts.  It would be interesting to have the actual words of the rebuke, but we do not have them.  Clearly, they didn’t thing that Jesus should be bothered by little children on the one hand, and those who are not sick on the other hand.

We should also pay attention to the fact that little children were mentioned several times, and it seems to be triggered by the arguing over which of them is the greatest disciple.  In Mark 9:37, Jesus had stood a child in their midst and warned them how they received such little children.  In Mark 9:42, Jesus had warned those who would cause a little child to stumble.  It would be better for them if a millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.

Once again, we find that the problem is not in the children, but in the disciples themselves.  They are still too proud and they do not understand the heart of Jesus for even little children, or better yet, “the least of these.”  They believe that they are doing a good thing, serving as gate keepers to the master.  “Don’t bother Jesus with such trifles.  He is resting!”  Yet, Jesus wants to be bothered with these things, especially when little children and new faith are involved.

We are told that Jesus is greatly displeased with his disciples.  He had been dealing with them about their pride, and so he is indignant when it rears its ugly head again.  It is even more important that Jesus is indignant on behalf of the children and those who brought them.  This is not a self-serving thing in which he is trying to keep them in their places beneath him.  He is rising to the defense of those who are helpless in the face of his own disciples.  Let us never forget that God’s heart is in defending the helpless even though it be his own people who abuse them.  It may appear that he is silent now that we are not physically walking with Jesus on this earth, but his rebuke will come.  It may be in the moment, or it may come down the road, but come it will.

In fact, much of the judgment of God that hangs over this world can be seen as being against all the ways that parents and authority figures of all stations have improperly touched the next generation.  How horrible it is that the impact of our lives would be to mislead the little children into paths of wickedness.  The hand of physical abuse, sexual abuse, even leading little children into changing their genders, such things should not be so.  You were placed in their life not to harm, but to help, not to debase, but to bless.

Jesus corrects his disciples (vs. 14b-16)

Jesus proceeds to teach them why what they are doing is totally wrong.  He commands them in a positive and negative form.  Let the children come to me, and don’t actively forbid them.  Instead of being a formidable wall between them and Jesus, we must become a welcoming door that draws them in so that they can be touched and blessed by Jesus.

In fact, the same world that is working overtime to twist the children of this age into all manner of perversions, will, at the same time, increase its hostility towards believers who try to help kids come to Jesus.  They already accuse parents and churches of harming children.  Yes, many have harmed children in the name of religion, but this is the work of the enemy of Jesus, not Jesus himself.  How important it is for us as followers of Christ to be above board in this area and to be a bulwark of defense to the children from wolves without and wolves within.  Yet, the hostility will be mostly against the audacity that you would lead a child to embrace Jesus and to become a follower of him.  We must stay the course that our Lord has given us, and wisely continue the work of blessing young children through the help of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus again reminds them that they will not enter into the kingdom of God unless they become like little children.  A child needs to physically, mentally, and emotionally mature in this life.  Yet, as these things happen, their hearts become hurt with wounds and scars of this life.  We become something that is no longer innocent, trusting, and believing as a means of protecting ourselves.  This may serve us well in relation to people, but it does not serve us well in relation to our Father in heaven.

The challenge is to be wise as serpents, but harmless as doves, that is without becoming a serpent ourselves.  In fact, it is clear that Jesus is not just going for neutrality, i.e. not causing harm.  He wants us to become more than just a dove, but all that a dove symbolizes.  We can be a peaceful place, a shelter in the middle of the storm of this life where people can come into and be safe, learn of Christ, be strengthened, and outfitted in order to face the storm well.  In short, we are to be a blessing.  We can become hard, bitter, and a bruiser, instead of remaining soft, sweet, and one who blesses, like a child.  The first heart will get in the way of following Christ, even making heaven.  The other heart will open the door before us.  Jesus is giving a strong warning to those who would follow him, and we should heed it!

The scene ends with Jesus taking the children in his arms, laying his hands upon them, and praying a blessing over them.  How we need to do this today.  Instead of cursing coming out of our mouths, we must choose to be a source of blessing.  This is as easy as yielding to the Spirit of God, and allowing Him to flow through our lives.  Yet, it is as hard as saying, “No,” to the spirit of this world, and removing those things in our lives that keep us bound in a life of cursing and harming others, or at the very least out of the game and focused only on self.

If we are not a blessing to the next generation then this world’s curse will be the main influence upon them.  May God help us to rise up and go to war against the constant onslaught of evil that is happening to children all across this world.

A Blessing to Children audio

Jesus Feeds 4,000 People

Mark 8:1-10.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, December 01, 2019.

In our story today, we are going to see another miraculous feeding of thousands of people with only a small amount of food.  Back in Mark 6, we saw the feeding of the 5,000 and now it happens again. 

The stories both follow the same pattern and emphasize the same points.  Thus, we will be revisiting them.  However, the second occurrence of this miracle serves to underline its importance to us.  God wants us to understand, to apprehend, that He really does have compassion on the multitudes of people who are on this planet, and even more so, for those who come to Him seeking help.

Jesus has compassion on the multitude

The story starts with Jesus explaining to his disciples that he has compassion for the crowd.  They had come out to a place in the country far from any close town.  They had also been there for three days listening to Jesus and seeing him heal many.

Now, when we think about Jesus having compassion upon the crowd, we should also make the connection that Jesus is the perfect representation of our Father in heaven.  His compassion is the compassion of the Father.  In fact, his very presence is part of the compassion of God.  It is easy to think of God as being distant and uncaring because He is not physically with us, but the Scriptures reveal that He is compassionate at the core of His being.

The word for “compassion” is meant to speak of a very deep-seated emotion of concern for the situation of another.  It is an aspect of the love of God.  God’s compassion, or concern for our situation, is demonstrated at first in a general way.  John 3:16 tells us that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (ESV).  God’s love sees mankind in its dire straits of sin and inability to fix things.  He is moved to do something about it and so, He sends His only son to save us.  Those who are against God and are enemies towards His purposes also benefit from His loving provision of resources both in material matters (sun, earth, matter, etc.) and His offer of spiritual forgiveness.

Yet, in our story, we have a very specific compassion of God upon a very specific group of people, upon those who were hungry for him and what he was doing.  Jesus was a novelty, but he also spoke and acted on behalf of God.  The people knew this and were drawn to him.  On the other hand, the religious authorities were already rejecting Jesus.  Many times, the common people have far more sense (common sense) than the educated elite.  Yet, their common sense is not without error, and it is not enough to save them.  They must learn to put their faith in Jesus regardless of what happens.

Perhaps you are reading this today, a recipient of the general love, grace, and compassion of God, and yet you have a very specific need.  Can you believe that Jesus sees your need and looks upon you with compassion?  Even when we are wrestling with our faith and our ability to follow him, even then, he has compassion upon us.  Remember the disciple Peter.  Don’t fall into the trap of cynically believing that he loves the world, but doesn’t care at all about you specifically.  The truth is that God loves you and has compassion on your situation.

It is one thing to be moved by the plight of the people, and quite another to have the wherewithal to do something about it.  In this story we see the limitations of the compassion of people.  The disciples of Jesus do not borrow the lunch of a little boy this time.  They have 7 loaves of bread and two small fish.  This is not enough to feed the disciples, much less thousands of people.  They are also in a remote place in which there is no food to buy.  Lastly, it is highly unlikely that they have enough dough to buy bread even if they could.  As humans, we are often bumping up against our limitations, and it is easy to see the limitations themselves as a kind of evil.  "I could do something for God if only I had more of (fill in the blank here)!"  God is constantly calling us to things that are more than we can do in and of ourselves.  This is not a bad thing.  The whole transhumanist movement is built off of the idea that our limitations are inherently bad.  Yet, there is a wisdom of God in our weakness.  It is a sad and lonely road that we head down when we try to make ourselves gods through technology.  It is a never-ending sacrifice of your true self for the want of something that you can never be. 

Our limitations teach us to trust and look to God to provide what we lack.  It is not a cop-out where we fail to use our gifts and work hard.  Rather, it is a strong confidence that, if I do my best with what I have, I can trust God to supply what I lack.  It gives us peace to know that God does not expect us to take His place.

God’s compassion and provision is unlimited, but ours is not.  Yet, God has a way of blessing us when we step out and do what He has told us to do.  It doesn’t always come in a way that looks supernatural, but it truly does come from a supernatural source.  Our church has had an example of this during the fundraising of our Thanksgiving Compassion Ministry.  Every year, we try to bless as many families as we can with the ability to have a full Thanksgiving meal as well as extra groceries on top of that.  We are totally dependent upon people donating each year.  This year we had several behind the scenes donations that were quite large and had not happened in the past.  We also had a church member who pulled together a Singspiration night that raised about $600 for the ministry and also had not happened in the past.  When you step out and do what you can, God’s help comes to us through whatever means He chooses to use.  We can take peace in knowing this truth. 

If you remember the famous Serenity Prayer, you see the same wisdom behind it.  May God give us the courage to change or do the things that we can, be at peace with the things that we can’t do or change, and have the wisdom to know that He knows what we lack.

Before we look at the miracle, we are told that Jesus gives thanks for the bread (vs. 6) and blesses it (vs. 7).  Here our Lord models the proper attitude for us.  We too easily fall into the habit of despising the smallness of what we have, instead of being thankful for it.  This despising has a way of bringing a kind of curse upon the little that we do have.  It will never be enough because my heart is “two sizes too small.”  Jesus does not look down on the 7 loaves and complain against God that they are in a deserted place without very much food.  Instead, Jesus sees the bread for what it is.  It is a good thing and something for which they should be thankful to God.  Thankfulness is about recognizing good, regardless the size, and being grateful to God for it.

So, what does it mean to bless the food?  There are two aspects to this.  On one hand we are asking God to help the food to meet the need within us, to strengthen, and to nurture us.  However, we are also blessing God for providing it.  It is just another form of being thankful.  I am thankful for this food and I bless you, Father God, for being the kind of God who would provide such things for His children!  We focus too much of our time on trying to get God to bless us and not enough on trying to bless Him.  Yes, you can bless the Creator of the universe.  Let’s resist the tendency to have a grinchy heart. Let's ask the Lord to increase our ability to be thankful, and bless Him for His provision, even in the face of apparent lack.  I can be at peace because He has promised to take care of me.

Another miraculous feeding happens

Jesus has the people sit down in groups and then has the disciples serve the food to them.  How the miracle occurs is not explained exactly.  There just continues to be more to pass on to the next person until we are told that the people ate and were filled.  This is an important theme within the gospels.  Those that come to God will be filled.  He is the source of all satisfaction and fulfillment in this life.  Any other source will leave us hungry and empty, but only God can truly satisfy.

In this story, the miracle is in the need for natural food in order to deal with natural hunger.  However, Jesus continually tells us that there is a more important hunger and a more important bread that we need, that is the hunger for the righteousness of God.  Matthew 5:6 says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.” (NKJV).  I have asked this before and I will ask it again.  What am I hungry for?  Our flesh hungers for all manner of things that can never truly satisfy us.  Many pursue the tastes, sights, sounds, pleasures, and the experiences of this life, but they always leave you needing more.  There is not anything necesarily wrong with them.  They were created to be limited just as you are limited.  However, humans were not designed to be ultimately fulfilled by the limited things of this world.  We were designed to be filled with God Himself.  We are made to be a person that He can dwell within and satisfy the very depths of our heart and soul.  May God help us to hunger for things that are greater than the newest trinkets of this age.  May God help us to hunger for Him and for His righteousness.  I do not say this as if God could care less about our material needs.  This story begs to differ.  He does!  Yet, we must never be content for the natural bread and not use the strength from it to pursue the Bread from Heaven.

We are told that there are 7 baskets leftover.  The word for basket in this account is different from the one in Mark 6.  This is a larger basket that a person could sit in.  What is the significance?  Clearly, God can supply more than we need.  Yet, 7 is a number that connotes complete and full provision.  It emphasizes that God’s provision is a complete provision that often overflows.  In this case, the number of the crowd is 4,000 men.  Matthew’s account tells us that there were also some women and children there.  Jesus sends them all home with full bellies, but hopefully with hearts that are full of the Spirit of God also.

Let me end with noting that there is some skepticism concerning this account.  Some think that it is just a retelling of the same event of Mark 6, but with the details wrong.  That could be plausible if the Gospels did not agree about the story.  However, the Gospels are very clear.  All of them have the feeding of the 5,000 and the number is the same in each.  Mark and Matthew both agree that there was a second event, but with 4,000 men.  Their timelines leading up to the event agree, and the details that differ from the feeding of the 5,000 also agree.  These facts make it highly unlikely that both Matthew and Mark accidentally record a second erroneous telling of the event (especially since Matthew would have been an eye-witness).

The best argument of the skeptics is that the disciples seem to have no clue that Jesus could do the same thing again.  Surely, if Jesus had done this before then they would mention it this time.  Right?  The problem with this argument is that in the text itself (see verses 17 and 18), Jesus himself berates them for being slow of understanding and not remembering what he had done before.  The clincher, though, would be what Jesus says next in verses (19-20).  Jesus mentions the feeding of the 5,000 and the feeding of the 4,000 as two distinct events, exactly as they are recorded in Matthew and Mark.

You could say that such skepticism comes from the same difficulty the disciples had.  It comes from a heart that is having trouble accepting the power of God.  This second event serves to remind the people that God is still their provider, just as He provided Manna in the desert with Moses.  Yet, it also serves to highlight and stress God’s intention towards us.  He not only intends to provide for us, He already has provided all that we could ever need.  We simply need to trust Him and step forth in faith!

Jesus Feeds 4,000 audio

Serving Selflessly

John 13:1-17.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on March 5, 2017. 

As we continue talking about the purpose that Jesus has for His people and His Church, we have adopted the phrase, “Connecting people to the Abundant Life found in Jesus.”  So our purpose begins with connecting to Jesus and His people, and then moves to growing spiritually to be like Jesus.  Part of spiritual growth is being used by God to serve other believers and in a manner that is not for selfish reasons.  One thing you may notice is that each of these is simply an extension of the initial connection to Jesus.  So it may be better to think of them as facets of the main purpose of coming into relationship with God. 

In our passage today, we will look at a very critical act that Jesus did on the night that he was going to be betrayed.  In this act of service, Jesus removes all doubt as to what God is saying to those who want to be his disciples.  In essence God is asking us to prove our love for Him by serving His people, our brothers and sisters.  Because of our Christian background, Americans often speak of politicians and social leaders as public servants.  However, it is clear that most are not serving for the sake of the public.  They are more concerned with their own station in life and honor among men, than they are about what will really serve the people.  Today’s passage will show the heart of service.  Next week we will look at the practical side of what it means to serve.

The love of Jesus caused him to serve

This story of how Jesus washed the feet of his disciples is a powerful one that is intended to challenge those who would want to follow him.  But, before we look at the act itself, let’s look at the context in which this service takes place.  Verse 1 emphasizes that Jesus knew it was his time.  He was about to leave the disciples, and they would have to go on without his physical presence.  This makes his action here critical because it represents what is most important to him.  Verse 2 also tells us that Jesus knew that the betrayal was already in motion.  His arrest was only hours away and by noon the next day he would be executed.  These were his last moments of physical freedom.  Lastly, verse 3 points out that Jesus knew that everything was in his hands.  Now in Matthew 28:18 Jesus says, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.”  This means that Jesus was not a victim as he went to the cross, but a victor.  Not only did he have authority over those who thought they had authority over him, but it was in his hands what to do.  Yes, Jesus came for the purpose of dying on the cross, being resurrected and leading many sons to righteousness.  However, his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, just moments after this event, makes it clear that he had a choice.  Jesus asks for the cup to be taken from him and yet, surrenders to the will of the Father.  What we see here is that though the Spirit of Christ was unified with the will of the Father, the flesh body was shrinking back from the cross.  The Father would not force His Son to do this.  It had to be the choice of Jesus and not just in his invulnerable, past existence.  In the moment of weak flesh he had to choose freely to save mankind.  Imagine if all authority and choice was given to you today.  What would your choice be?  In this situation Jesus chose to wash his disciple’s feet and to go to the cross for mankind.  This is a powerful statement.

When we look at the descriptions regarding this service, two poignant phrases stick out.  The first is at the end of verse 1, “He loved them to the end.”  This was an act of teaching, but it was also an act of love.  It was a divine, supreme act of love that would help them to better understand the cross and God’s will for them in the months and years ahead.  Service cannot be just an act.  It truly must be fueled by and informed by the love of God.  Too often we allow our service to become an identifying thing that we do, and lose sight of love for the people we are serving.  Another aspect to recognize is how John builds up to this act.  He stipulates all the things Jesus knew and how it was all in his hands, which lead up to the climax of “then he arose from supper, laid aside his garments, took a towel and girded himself.”  The statement itself would be anticlimactic to anyone who was looking to Jesus as Messiah.  I believe John intends this statement and the actions of Jesus to be shocking.  It is easy for us to miss this because we have grown up in a society that takes this for granted.    We must understand that the love of God is far more radical and shocking than we can ever completely understand.  Jesus hanging on the cross was the exact opposite picture anyone expected to see of the savior of the world.  Let’s face it; even now we do not completely understand the love of God and the depths to which it leads him to go in order to serve mankind.  So, when I try to follow Jesus and serve others, I will find myself needing to grow in the ability to love at such a shocking level.

We are challenged by the service of Jesus

Peter often becomes the vehicle through which we get to see ourselves.  So in verses 6-8, the shocking actions of Jesus bother Peter.  He balks at what Jesus is doing and had earlier rebuked Jesus for saying that he would be executed.  This is the very nature of even the most loyal disciple.  Our hearts are challenged and even made afraid by what Jesus does and calls us to do.

So what is at the heart of this issue?  Perhaps it is our pride.  Peter’s pride in his station as a close disciple to the Messiah of Israel (maybe even #1 disciple), shrinks back from this menial service that Jesus does.  Jesus is supposed to be the greatest and highest person in all of Israel.  But here he takes on a task that only the lowest servant would perform.  This is unthinkable to him because of his pride.  Leaders, beware of followers who tell you that certain things are beneath you.  They are not being led by the wisdom of God, but the fear of prideful flesh.  Peter was so proud of being there that he forgot to wash his own feet.  His joy of being in the presence of Jesus had overwhelmed his self-awareness that his feet were filthy.  This is such a powerful picture of our desire to follow Jesus.  We get so caught up in the wonder of it all that we can miss areas of our life that need cleaned up.  Even so, if Jesus wanted their feet cleaned, he should command one of them to do it, right?  In Peter’s mind the lowest of them all should be the one washing feet, not Jesus (and most likely not him).  This is precisely why Jesus had to wash their feet.  He had to break their pride.  But he doesn’t do it like the leaders of this world do it.  The leaders of this world command you to do the most menial tasks until your pride is wore down.  But Jesus does the menial task himself and then asks them to love one another as he has loved them.  He leads the way, and not as one who does so once and never humbles himself again.  The cross shows us that all of the life of Jesus was one long humbling of the highest being in the universe.  Can we not see that God has no pride?  We must see our own shrinkage from service and its foreign mindset in Peter’s actions.  We must also ask the Lord to transform our mind and heart in this area.

Another point I would like to make about Peter’s refusal is that it is God who defines how we need to be served.  Peter does not want to let Jesus feet.  When others serve us we are often uncomfortable.  We tend to want to control how it is done.  We can be guilty of trying to tell God exactly how He should do things.  But the reality is that we don’t have a clue what we need and what He should be doing.  The Church has struggled over this question, “What do people really need.”  Especially in America, we have developed two different approaches over the years.  The first is called the “Pie in the Sky” Gospel.  This approach says that people really only need their spirit’s saved and the flesh is immaterial.  Thus, people who preached to the homeless would promise that in heaven you will have all the things you didn’t on earth.  Instead of helping materially they only helped spiritually.  The cynicism of the people being served led to some Christians then going to the other extreme.  This led to what is called the “Social Gospel.”  They tended to focus so much on the physical needs of the poor at the expense of the spiritual message of Jesus.  It almost becomes a badge of nobility to feed a poor man and not tell him the gospel, so that you are not manipulating them.  Yet, Jesus does both within hours.  He washes their feet, a very physical service, and then dies on the cross for their sins, a very spiritual service.  In truth we need both.  Yes, we could accuse Jesus of trying to manipulate us by dying on a cross.  But in the end it is a reality that we have to deal with.  Was Jesus manipulating or loving?  When we serve, we must be aware of the physical nature of those we serve and yet the spiritual side.  Not all will receive what you do and may even cast aspersions on your motives.  Nevertheless, it is not wise to let those being served to dictate how we serve them.  We serve people because God loves them and it is He who directs us on how they need served.

In verse 9 and following the scene comes to a conclusion with Jesus explaining why he did what he did.  In verse 14 the word “ought” should slam into the pit of our stomach like a ton of bricks.  It comes from a word that has the idea of owing a debt that you are obligated to pay back.  Thus, it came to be used for social and moral obligations.  If the master did this lowly service, then by definition his disciples are obligated to keep themselves beneath him in station.  To not lower myself is more than an act of rebellion, but even an act of rejection.   In this act of service and the cross that follows, Jesus forever undercuts the protest, “You couldn’t expect me to do that!”  No, such a statement is hollow when you recognize the wisdom of Jesus.  We are precisely obligated to serve one another because our Lord and master served us.  But our obligation is not just on a moral level.  We say that we love God, but in this moment God shows the very depths of his heart.  He is not trying to be on top, and is not filled with pride.  He is willing to lower himself to the lowest place and serve.  So, the question then is, “Having received such a glimpse into the depths of His heart, do you still love Him?”  Christians are those who have discovered the shocking truth about the God who created all things and have chosen to follow him.  How can we not but serve?

Then in verse 17 Jesus slams the point home.  Blessed are you if you know these things and do them.  Today you have been made aware of these things.  Now, what are you going to do with them?  This is not just about washing feet.  It was a need within their immediate context.  What are the needs in our context?  What ways can I serve others for God?  In fact, it would be good for me to spend some time in prayer asking the Lord to give me His thinking on this subject.  Service is the key to blessing.

One of our problems in the Western world is that we make service sound noble.  I am not saying that it isn’t noble in some ways.  However, it is also humiliating and hard on our flesh in other ways.  Service by its very nature is not a noble thing, but it is a God thing.  Jesus washing the dirty, stinky feet of his disciples was not fun.  But it was necessary for them.  Similarly, trying to love another person and serve them can be some of the most difficult times of your life, and yet God asks us to do it.  Yes, it is noble, but the nobility is not what we feel when we truly start serving others.  We can tell young men of the noble act of dying so that other may be free.  But, when they are in the trenches and their friends are dying around them, it will feel like anything but nobility.  No, service that is not self-serving (a.k.a. I am getting noticed and good press) will try your soul like a furnace.  But in the end you will come forth like pure gold refined in the fire seven times.

Serving Selflessly audio