THEME: "MY GOD IS GREATER THAN I”-I Got It All With The Lord Jesus. Colossians 2:9, "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." One moment with the Master and darkness flees in the presence of His light. The soul longing for a fresh air of truth will always react to truth in the flesh.
LESSON-3: CHRIST AND THE LAST SUPPER - Be The Servant Of All. Foot washing is a kind of an act of service that the Lord Jesus Christ has taught His disciple & as an acceptance within the body. KEY VERSE: Jhn 13:15, “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
I. INTRODUCTION:
Under the extreme pressure at the Last Supper, the Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated by example the roles His disciples were to play in matters of service, acceptance within the body, and humility. He con- ded with the new commandment of Christian identification - love toward one another.
II. TOPIC TO BE DISCUSS:
A. The Last Supper. Now the end was near, and the adoring crowd that applauded the Lord Jesus' re- turn to Jerusalem had dissolved. Only the chosen twelve remained as they gathered around the Lord to eat the Last Supper.
1. The final Passover.
a) It is difficult to comprehend the pressure that the Lord Jesus felt as His earthly ministry neared to its conclusion.
b) Not only was He facing a torturous death by crucifixion, but He also bore the responsibility of providing for Mary His mother, His extended family, and the leaders of the church that He had come to establish.
c) As the Passover neared, He pushed aside the horrible thoughts of the cross & focused on teach- ing His disciples the principles upon which He would build His church.
2. Final hours of togetherness. Just hours from facing rejection, humiliation, and torture, the Lord Jesus demonstrated His love for His disciples by focusing the events of this last Passover around them instead of Himself.
a) The Lord Jesus Christ truly loved His disciple to the end. Despite all that lay before Him, His love prevailed over fear, dread, and anxiety.
b) That same love later prevailed as He endured the ugliness of Calvary.
b-1) While hanging in the cross, He gave instructions for the care of His dear mother. "When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!” (Jhn 19:26).
b-2) While the soldiers mocked Him and gambled for His only valuable belongings, He used His last few breaths to pray for their forgiveness (Lke 23:34), “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment & cast lots."
c) Certainly, nothing was stronger than His love!
3. Final acts & words of significance. The Lord Jesus did not spend the last hours before His death discussing His ability to perform superhuman acts. Instead, He used that time to demonstrate as even greater force that He had given to mankind - His perfect love.
a) Love never fails - never quits.
b) His greater law of love surpasses any miracle that demonstrates His supernatural ability.
c) The works of His love, including our salvation, will extend far beyond this life & the universe, for they are eternal!
B. The washing of His disciples' feet.
1. An act of service to Christ. As the disciples finished eating, the Lord wrapped towel around His waist and poured water into a basin. He then began washing the feet of His astonished friends.
a) The status conscious disciples, some of whom had already asked the Lord Jesus Christ on how they fit into His kingdom hierarchy, as they were stunned. (Mrk 10:37), "They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory."b) Peter voiced their surprise, as he at first refused to let the Lord Jesus wash his feet.
c) By washing their feet, the Lord also was introducing His disciples to the primary role that they would assume as His ambassadors.
d) The task that the Lord Jesus set before His disciples was to serve people in His place.
e) Their hands of service would become, in essence, the hands of the Lord Jesus Himself.
2. An act of acceptance in the Body of Christ. The Lord Jesus explained that Peter could not have a relationship with Him without washing his feet. Peter quickly relented.
a) God washing is not a literal washing of hands and feet but a cleansing of heart and spirit. b) The washing of regeneration is a prerequisite to becoming the Lord Christ's ambassadors. c) The washed church, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle.
3. The act of humility exemplified by Christ. Since God humbled Himself, we could never justify clinging to our own pride.
a) The Lord Jesus was unconcerned about His own reputation, and we should likewise submit our lives to His will without regards to other's thought.
b) Like Peter, we should swallow our pride and say, in Jhn 13:9, “..., Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head." Only then we can qualify to be His ambassadors.
4. An act that disciples should do. When the Lord Jesus instructed His disciple to follow His exam- ple, He was not speaking exclusively of the act of washing their feet.
a) The purpose of His discussion was to encourage them to be willing to serve one another at the lowest station of service.
b) He proved His willingness to do so by washing their feet.
c) Many churches symbolically obey His command by conducting congregational foot-washing service.
d) While this exercise is humility is beneficial, it does not embody the entire obligation that the Lord Jesus' lesson offers the twenty-first century church.
e) When the ceremonial washing concludes, all Christian enters the real world to serve wherever God's touch is needed.
C. The new commandment.
1. The Lord Jesus loved Judas. Judas will stand in judgment as a witness to anyone who claimed that God's love does not extend to him.
a) He was included when the Lord Jesus said that He would love them unto the end (Jhn 13:1), "Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end."
b) Judas was welcome at the table during the Last Supper, and he was one of the disciples whose feet the Lord Jesus washed.
c) Yhe Lord Jesus had even chosen Judas to be the group's treasurer.
d) As the ultimate example of deceit, he nevertheless testifies that God's love extend to everyone. e) Millions of sinners will enter hell have never repented of their sins. However, the love of God paid the price for their redemption in full before they ever were born.
2. The Lord Jesus loved John. While Judas enjoyed the benefits of God's love, it was only after his departure that the Lord Jesus Christ revealed His new commandment, the second half of the new paradigm (pattern or example).
a) John recorded the Lord Jesus' words that established this new command: In Jhn 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
b) The disciples who remained with the Lord Jesus received this final lesson from Him.
c) They had observed His miracles, and many of them would perform miracles by the power of the Holy Ghost in the future.
d) However, the Lord Jesus made it plain that the hallmark of a follower of Christ would not be the miracles that He performed but the love that He showed to others.e) Power would not distinguished people from the crowd, but foot-washing servant's compassion toward others would certainly set him apart.
f) God did not withdraw His love from the other disciples when Judas rejected Him. Indeed, He freely extends His love so that every disciple can find that place of companionship with Him. 3. The Lord Jesus loved the Father. The Lord love for the Father was evident in His commitment to do His will.
a) He subjugated His human will to the heavenly purpose for which He was born.
b) His love was not simply an emotional expression, but it was a lifestyle of deliberate choices.
c) Certainly, the Lord Jesus lived up to the standard that He set.
d) If the ultimate standard of His discipleship is love we find our perfect example of such in Him.
4. The Lord Jesus commanded the disciples to love one another. According to Paul, all Christian services, if not done in love, ends in no gain for the servant, its nothing (1Cor 13).
a) God designed mankind with some divine features, among which is the ability to love. "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male & female created he them" (Gen 1:27).
b) We are to love one another, not with cute & trite phrases tossed about casually, but in true and sincere service to each other.
III. CONCLUSION: The power of love is the greatest virtue of life. One can't simply voice his love, how- ever; he must show it. Love is the essence of God, therefore, when we act upon His love, we are acces- sing the greatest concentration of what God really is. The greatest miracle of all, God can transform a human life by His love.
THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY - TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY