The Glad Surrender
The Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 3 viewsNotes
Transcript
The Glad Surrender
The Glad Surrender
Hopewell Baptist Church
March 1, 2020
On January 8th, 1956, Jim Elliot, Nathan Saint, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, and Pete Fleming were killed by Waodoni tribesmen in the Ecuadorian Rainforest. They had been working on communicating with them so they could reach them with the Gospel. Many years later after reaching the Waodoni tribe for Christ, Elisabeth Elliot, Jim’s wife, wrote these following words in her book Discipline: The Glad Surrender:
“Does God ask us to do what is beneath us? This question will never trouble us again if we consider the Lord of heaven taking a towel and washing feet.”
As we go through this morning, we are going to look at exactly what is beneath us and we will see that the combination of Christ-like humility and Christ-like service to others is the best way to live out your faith as a follower of Christ.
Pray
I. The Supper –
I. The Supper –
a. The Passover - v.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.
i. This, along with all of Chapters 13 through 17, occurs the night before the crucifixion. (The Upper Room Discourses)
ii. Jesus knew that in just mere hours, that His hour would be at hand, as it was so imminently there.
iii. “to depart out of this world to the Father” – here, He speaks of not just His death and return to Heaven, but to the glorification of the God-man Jesus Christ.
1. Hypostatic Union – 100% man and 100% God. This is significant because Jesus didn’t have a human body (as we know them)
iv. “having loved his own…he loved them to the end.”
1. “Jesus had loved his own all along; he now showed them the full extent of his love.” (PNTC John).
b. The Plan - v.2 – During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,
i. The devil – Satan, the tempter (), the Father of Lies ()
ii. Put into the heart of Judas Iscariot – Satan tempted Judas’s desires for selfish gain (, etc.), which ultimately conceived the sin. ().
1. This is a purely satanic plot, Satan hatched it and conspired with Judas Iscariot to carry it out. Satan and Judas worked together in a way.
c. The Peace - v.3 – Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands…
i. Given all things into his hands –
1.
2.
ii. Had come from God and was going back to God”
1. Jesus has intimate knowledge of the will of God for His life, and that it was playing out here in this time.
a. He knew what was going on, and that His purpose was soon to be fulfilled.
II. The Savior – – This is where we see our Savior, Jesus Christ, serving in humility, playing out , “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
II. The Savior – – This is where we see our Savior, Jesus Christ, serving in humility, playing out , “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
a. Personality - v.4-5 – rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a tower, tied it around his waist...
i. Humble Service
1. Jesus was meticulous in the car, washing the feet and then taking the time to dry them off with the towel.
2. Washing someone’s feet was, to the Jews, a degrading act that not even Jewish slaves were allowed to do. It was an act saved for Gentile slaves to perform, as it was seen as something to be done by someone of a much lower status.
3. This act is an act of humility shown in service, a service that no one else would have ever even considered doing in such a setting.
b. Puzzle and Partakers – v.6-9 –
i. v. 6- He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?”
1. Peter felt he has genuine concern for why Jesus was doing something only a Gentile slave would normally do. He’s taken aback. Chances are, all 12 of the disciples are wondering.
2. This is not the first misunderstanding regarding Jesus’ public ministry
a. , ; -> all things they understood AFTER the resurrection
ii. v.7 – Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”
1. Jesus tells them that they are misunderstanding in verse 7.
2. Jesus moves to tell them that they WILL understand…after the resurrection and subsequent glorification.
iii. v.8 – Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”
1. Peter rejects, or tries to, the washing of his feet because he feels that such an act is beneath the Lord Jesus.
a. Rejection is a two-way street
2. Unless the Lamb of God has taken away a person’s sin, i.e. washed them clean, then that person can have no part with Jesus.
iv. v.9 – Simon Peter said to him, “Lord not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”
1. Peter is still not understanding what is going on.
a. The cleaning of the feet is the ultimate show of humility, of service
2. At this point, it’s likely that Peter is saying what the entire group is thinking, as they probably don’t know what’s going on either.
III. The Symbolism –
III. The Symbolism –
a. Purity – v.10 – Jesus said to him, “The one who has been bathed dow not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.”
i. Jesus explains that the cleaning of the feet is the equivalent of a full bath.
1. They would have been through the rights of purification for the Passover Feast
ii. The cleaning of the feet is also symbolic of the greater cleansing that is going to happen in a few hours upon the cross.
1. However, not everyone is cleansed…
b. Prediction – v.11 – For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
i. Real cleansing from sin does not just come from the washing by Jesus, but also through the revelatory Words of Christ (, ).
c. Practice – v.12-14 – Now Jesus wants to see His disciples follow His example…
i. v.12 – 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?”
1. Here, he begins to make known that the meaning of the washing of the feet was by far more than a hygiene issue, the meaning is much deeper than that.
2. At this point, this is rhetorical question, as they don’t understand what Jesus did to them, because it’s something that is so degrading and far beneath a Jewish person to ever do…
ii. v.13-14 – 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.
1. Jesus isn’t just telling them to wash one another’s feet, it is an example, a pattern if you will, of humility in service to one another.
2. Christ wants us to practice the same thing He did: Humility! Don’t allow pride to destroy you.
IV. The Practicality – (APPLICATION)
IV. The Practicality – (APPLICATION)
a. As we look at this section of the passage, we must keep Elisabeth Elliot’s words in mind: “Does God ask us to do what is beneath us? This question will never trouble us again if we consider the Lord of heaven taking a towel and washing feet.”
b. Practice! – v.15 – For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.
i. We must live our lives according to the teachings of Christ.
ii. As we read the Bible, we, Christians, will know and recognize Christ’s teachings.
iii. And, as such, when faced with a fork in the road, we must make the Christ-like choice, however painstaking it might be.
c. Personality – v.16 – 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.
i. Jesus is not above God. He is equal with God, but not greater.
ii. We are not above Jesus. We aren’t even equal with Jesus, however we are chosen by Jesus to be His instruments, His vessels in fulfilling The Great Commission ().
iii. Therefore, we must be humble. We must humble serve Jesus and we must humbly serve those around us. How do we do this? We do this by following Christ’s example.
d. Promise – v.17 – “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”
i. God blesses obedience.
ii. As we read the Word of God and we learn and know the Word of God, we must obey the Word of God. We must live it out in every aspect of our lives, no matter the difficulty, no matter the cost.
V. Invitation
V. Invitation
a. Repent and Believe
b. Be Baptized
c. Surrender to the Call of Ministry