The Road Less Traveled: Service John 13:1-17 Englewood Baptist Church Sunday Morning, Oct. 3, 2010

Transcription

1 The Road Less Traveled: Service John 13:1-17 Englewood Baptist Church Sunday Morning, Oct. 3, 2010 The year was 1860, long before you and I were living. A San Francisco newspaper printed the following advertisement: Wanted: Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over 18. Must be expert riders willing to risk daily. Orphans preferred. That was the plea of the Pony Express organizers. The Pony Express existed just 17 months for the telegraph soon came along and ushered in a faster way to communicate over long distance. The Express stretched from Missouri to California and when Abraham Lincoln sent his Inaugural Address, it took about 10 days to travel the two thousand mile journey. To serve as a rider of the Pony Express, you had to be committed. These young men would ride miles a day, changing horses every 25 miles. They carried very few provisions a few snacks and a small medical pack in case of injury. Since they had to travel light to speed up the horse, they could not wear heavy garments so the winter time was brutal as they traveled in nothing more than long sleeves. If the weather and the horses held out, and the Indians held off, the rider would deliver his mail and receive a small, modest paycheck. It makes us wonder today, how in the world did they ever find enough volunteers?!? In the same way, as a pastor and leader of a church, I have discovered that few challenges are more fierce or more exhausting than the endless search for willing volunteers. Serving God is costly, and not for the casually interested. And yet, God is looking for those who would lay down their lives for him servants who would make service a priority, not a pastime. God is not searching for those who offer leftovers after all of life s commitments. He is not searching for those who want short-term responsibilities. In his book, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Don Whitney says: The ministry of serving may be as public as preaching or teaching, but more often it will be as sequestered as nursery duty. It may be as visible as singing a solo, but usually it will be as unnoticed as operating the sound equipment to amplify the solo. Serving may be as appreciated as a good testimony in a worship service, but typically it s as thankless as washing the dishes after a church social. Most service, even that which seems the most glamorous, is like an iceberg. Only the eye of God ever sees the larger, hidden part of it. --Don Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life 1

2 I agree with Whitney here. There are few things more challenging than the discipline of service. We have to force ourselves to do things for others that will never come back to benefit us. Serving behind the scenes is a sign of Christlikeness. Look with me at John 13:, a text that you have no doubt heard preached before, and yet it one that we need to hear often as followers of Jesus Christ. Read with me, the account of the first footwashing service. Read John 13:1-17. As a preacher of the Bible, I have to admit: there are some sections of Scripture that are hard to apply? We read certain Old Testament verses and we say, what in the world does that have to do with me today? I give you that. John 13, though, is not to be included in that category. Which of us reads this chapter and remains unchallenged? Which father reads John 13 and thinks, I have overserved my wife. I m changing too many diapers and scrubbing far too many toilets. If I keep this up, she s gonna feel like Aunt Bee in Andy Griffith. She s gonna feel unneeded.?? Which mother reads John 13 and says to herself, I have taken too much time to enjoy the lowly tasks of childrearing. I am over-serving my kids and spending way too much coloring pages and painting with them. If I keep this up, they are going to feel far too loved.? Which employee reads this chapter and says, My boss is going to fire me for certainly I am swallowing up all the stinky tasks at the office. I m not leaving enough dirty work for my peers. I m being unfair.? Who says that? Nobody! John 13 is one of those in-your-face texts with obvious applications. Jesus not only takes the form of a common slave; he even provides a full discourse in case you missed the clear meaning. I don t care who you are or where you are as a Christian, the challenge of being a servant is always before us. We need to be reminded constantly as Christians that Jesus left the cross as the symbol of salvation and the towel as the symbol of service. And he wanted us to apply both. John begins chapter 13 by signaling a new section of the story. The first 12 chapters of John are a collection of testimonies about the signs and miracles of the Messiah. Jesus proved his identity by making wine from water, by multiplying loaves and fish, by making sick people well. Thousands of people were privileged to see the signs of his power. Jesus had gone public. But beginning in chapter 13, Jesus goes private. He changes his focus and pays greater attention to the lives of his 12 chosen men. 13:1 says that the hour had come, and his eyes were now fixed on the hill called Calvary. It was time to show off his love. This divine demonstration over supper. V.2 tells us that the evening meal was being served, that Satan was already at work in the dark heart of Judas, and Jesus was keenly aware of his destiny. V. 3 says 2

3 In this passage of Scripture, Jesus teaches us where we must begin as Christ-followers. Out of this text comes three convicting questions: Three Convicting Questions 1. Do I have the heart of a servant? The end of verse 1 reveals the motivation for the footwashing event. Look at it again: Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. Jesus was motivated not by guilt, not by peer pressure, and certainly not by a need to feel needed. Jesus served out of a deep well of love. The more you love God, the more you will be motivated to serve him. This is not to say that service is more important than solitude. For Martha learned that sometimes sitting with Jesus trumps the service. There is a time to stop the taskmaster in us and to still our hearts before God. Having said that, serving is one of the most clear way to channel our love for Lord. Jesus loved, and so he served. A few weeks ago, my wife was frustrated with me for good reason. I had done some ridiculous thing that deserved rebuke. But when she confronted me, I became immediately defensive and I said, You have been sick for the last two weeks. And husbands, let me spare you the pain of such foolish words. And I have done this, this, this, and this for you. I took the time to pat myself on the back for all my unselfish acts. And when I finished my self-righteous sermon, Lynley didn t even have to tell me. The Holy Spirit did. You aren t a servant. You are a scorekeeper. You want to be glorified for your good works. You and I have to be vigilant in the war against pride. Even as we serve people, we can become self-righteous. We begin to think that we deserve some special recognition, or special favor, because we have been a model servant. Our good deeds can puff us up and create a judgmental spirit of those who serve less often or less enthusiastically. We put ourselves on a pedestal because we have gone the extra mile for others. Richard Foster says it this way: Self-righteous service requires external rewards. It needs to know that people see and appreciate the effort. It needs to know that people see and appreciate the effort. It seeks human applause with proper religious modesty of course Self-righteous service is highly concerned about results. It eagerly wants to see if the person served will reciprocate in kind The flesh whines against service but screams against hidden service. It strains and pulls for honor and recognition. It will devise subtle, religiously acceptable means to call attention to the service rendered. Richard Foster, The Celebration of Discipline 3

4 once again what it means to be a living sacrifice. When you look at John 13, you see that Jesus was motivated by love. He cared about people, and so it was fitting for him to footwash. In Mark 12, we encounter an old woman with a withering body but a young heart for God. This elderly widow gives an offering worth just a fraction of a penny. Before she approached the money-receiving receptacle, though, many wealthy men rushed in front of her and threw in full bags of clanging coins. They gave away gobs of money and the sound of their silver that day surely moved the heads of many onlookers. And yet the text says that Jesus remained in his seat, unimpressed by their service. These people were public in their sacrifice, proud of themselves, no doubt, but their hearts were warped as they worshipped. It was only the widow, who shuffled her old feet across the temple floor, in her spirit of humility, she moved Jesus to stand up and say, This woman, this woman, is unique. She has a servant s heart! The Psalmist says this: Serve the Lord with gladness. Psalm 100:2 That a simple verse to memorize; a demanding verse to live out. Something is wrong with us when we serve grudgingly and resentfully, and without gladness. It is the attitude that says: Nobody else is doing it so I guess I will. No one else has signed up, so here I go again. It s so easy to fall into that state of mind. Serve the Lord. But even more, serve him with a smile on your face. Jesus knew it was time to share his heart, the hour had come, for humiliating service. It s the only way to God. Do you have the heart of a servant? That is a tough question. A second question we must ask ourselves: 2. Do I set an example of service for my family and friends? There is certainly a call for Christians to serve strangers as the parable of the Good Samaritan suggests, but Jesus is serving his inner circle here: the people who knew him best. The world was locked out of the Upper Room, and this act was invisible to the masses. Jesus served his friends, in secrecy. Luke s account sheds a little more light on the moment. In Luke, we learn that the disciples had been involved in a heated debate about who would be the greatest in the kingdom. They were jockeying for pole position, as Jesus was in the corner taking off his his outer clothing. V.5 says that he made no grand announcement to break up the family feud. He paid no attention as he picked up a basin, he poured water, and began to scrub the dirt-caked feet of his followers. He didn t preach a sermon, he practiced service. Talk is cheap. We all know that. It s one thing to talk about evangelizing; its quite another to ask a neighbor if she s saved. It s one thing to talk about the need for prayer; it s another thing to cut out an hour of your day to pray. We can talk all day about 4

5 washing another person s feet, but taking up the posture of a slave is a totally different thing. And of course, leave it up to Peter to take his foot away from Jesus and place it in his own mouth. Peter speaks foolishly when prevents Christ from washing his crusty feet. V.6, the Greek reads like this, Lord, You, my feet do you wash! No, never shall you wash my feet. Extrabiblical sources, that is ancient Jewish books, tell us that footwashing was so demeaning that Jewish servants would never be asked to perform such a despicable role. Only the Gentile slaves could be recruited for foot bathing. What Jesus was doing here was abolishing the pecking order that people love to protect. And Peter was not a fan of his decision. And Jesus says in v.8, Peter, you don t get it. If I don t do this, then you have no part of me. Humility is the narrow gate, which leads to life. If you want to follow me, it s all about the towel. Would the people who know you best accuse you of being a servant? Is that a label that fits on your back? If this is an area that you feel convicted about, then let me suggest quickly 3 Ways To Serve Your Inner Circle Try your best to outserve your spouse this week. For a week, commit yourself fully to making your spouse s day and meeting his/her unspoken needs. The keyword there is unspoken. A servant is a person who looks for holes in another person s life and seeks to fill the hole with love. The greatest marriages on earth are between two people who are constantly seeking to outserve one another. Die to self and serve your spouse in a focused way. See how God blesses that. Identify a person who needs a lift, and make a significant investment in their life. It might be a close friend, a family member, or a close co-worker. Go above and beyond to make them feel important. What can I do to make this person feel like a priority, to make them feel almost uncomfortable with my level of sacrifice. Without question, Peter said, Too much, Jesus! I don t deserve this kind of care. What could you do in someone s life to serve them in a significant way? Search for several menial tasks to take care of at home or at work. Teenagers, give your parents a heart attack this week by not only cleaning your room, but several other rooms in the house. Without being told, do yard work, or vacuuming, or if you re really feeling risky, soft scrub a toilet. Follow the example of Jesus and 5

6 take care of the things that no one else is signing up to do. I ll never forget one time as a boy, my two brothers and I shoveled a foot of snow of the driveway for my Dad before he got home from work. I ll never forget the look on his face when he realized that a one-hour project has been marked off the list. Search for ways to be a servant to your inner circle. Look at the challenge that Jesus offers to his followers now in vv Here is the question: are you an example of service to those who know you best? Or are you a person that focuses mostly on yourself? Now, there is one last question I have to ask you today, and believe me this one hurts. I would prefer that Jesus leave this one out as he steps on my toes so severely, but here it is. Number three 3. Do I have the will to serve those who hurt me? I don t know if you realized it or not, but Judas is sitting at the table. He is dirty. Jesus makes this clear in v.10+. But even though Jesus knew that Judas was out to hurt him, this information did not prevent a thorough footwashing. And don t you think, that Jesus could have easily come to Judas s feet and skipped over to the next guy. That would make sense. No one would fault Jesus for refusing to wash his worst enemy. And yet, Jesus treats him with the same level of love as he does those other men who would later be burned at the stake or beheaded for their loyalty. Here is the greatest challenge in following Christ s example: we are not allowed to pick our favorite people in the service assignment. We are called to serve those who talk behind our back, those who publicly criticize us, those who give the cold shoulder or spread the worst gossip. When it s their feet that lie before us, we are not given permission to skip over. So here comes the real challenge. If Christ is your master, then no servant is greater than his master. What does this mean? It means that you need to do nice things for people who do mean things? That s crazy. I don t love the expression, killing people with kindness. That phrase is problematic for me, but I understand it. Can you just imagine how Judas felt as Jesus sat beneath him and showed him such love? It s no wonder that Judas, in v.30, goes running out the door and into the night. Nothing could have made him more uncomfortable than the undeserved expression of love. You think about that person or persons that have hurt you in the past. Do you have him in your mind? Do you have her in your mind? Who is a person that has disappointed you? Now, with that face in mind, read v.17, Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. 6

7 Why does he say that? Because it takes discipline to be a servant. Do you have the desire and the discipline to follow Jesus lead? Is God calling you to the discipline of service? I hope you feel challenged as I have to be a laborer for my family, and even my foes. But what about the local church? Without question, the Bible says that each one of us is gifted and called for service in the Kingdom. Here is what Jesus is looking for inside his church. He goes a little further than the Pony Express: Wanted: Gifted volunteers for difficult service in the local expression of the Kingdom of God. Must have a loving and gracious heart. Service will rarely be glorious. Temptation to quit place of service will sometimes be strong. Volunteers must be faithful in spite of long hours, little or no visible results, and possibly no recognition except for God in eternity. That s what Jesus wants out of you and me. Inside your bulletin today, you have an opportunity to say, Yes, I feel prompted to serve. If you would like to have more information, one of our staff members will call you this week. 7