Living Clean In A Dirty World Part 1

Most athletes need to clean your shoes before race believers in life's race need daily cleansing to please Jesus. That's the goal of everything we do. It's a lesson Peter learned long ago when his master approached him with a towel from the Moody Church in Chicago this morning with Dr. Erwin Sir, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line after Luther. In a series on the life of Peter, a man chiseled by the Masters and today we hear the well-known story of Christ, washing his disciples feet. A lesson on living clean and a dirty world you know Dave, I think that in our very hurried world we don't spend enough time meditating on an incident like this in the life of Jesus Christ. Imagine how those disciples felt. Of course they knew that they should've been the one on their knees and here it's Jesus, and he does it for a very specific purpose. There's a spiritual lesson.

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If this world is a rather dirty place dirty place moral and the spiritual pollution is everywhere. Just not on television or also in business today where you have a lot of corruption and a lot of temptation to corruption. I don't need to detail for you.

All of the disintegration of the moral values of our country and what is being taught in the schools and what is not being taught in the school and you know all of these pressures in all of these things that insight us to sin would be quite manageable work not the fact that there is something within me that corresponds to the stimuli that is without by naturist sinners, we gravitate toward certain sins so you have the enemy without end that corresponds with the enemy within. And so that's what sets up conflict and we all like to live better lives than were living. And sometimes we followed distantly when it comes to Christ and what we don't really like to do is to draw near and to be exposed to the light because there's too much dirt hidden there that we have successfully covered will like to be exposed. One day Jesus wanted to give his disciples a lesson on cleansing and a lesson on humility, on the to do go hand in hand. I ask you to take your Bibles and turn to the 13th chapter of the Gospel of John. John 13.

If you been with us, you know that this is number eight in a series of messages on the life of Peter and this passage of Scripture though deals with all the disciples particularly focuses in on that apostle whom we have come to love Peter before the 13th chapter opens, according to the gospel of Luke. The disciples were having an argument as to which of them might be the greatest. You see, they believe that Jesus was going to establish the kingdom and because he would establish that kingdom.

They all were thinking that they would have positions of responsibility in this earthly kingdom.

So they were arguing as to who was going to be the prime minister who was gonna be the ambassador to Rome and who is indeed the greatest, so they needed a lesson in humility, but they also needed one on cleansing. I want you to notice the Jesus Christ teaches the disciples three powerful lessons in this 13th chapter 3 powerful lessons so that if you're taking notes it's less than one, two and three and if you're not taking notes. You will just remember them want you of course all good sermons are remembered and paid all right number one a lesson in the servant hood a lesson in the servant and what a lesson this was in those days it was customary to walk with open sandals. We call them phone today and of course the feet of those who so walked along the paths became dirty, dusty inevitabilities besmirched with mud and it was also very customary that when you came into a home, someone would have a servant, wash your feet. It was a nice custom. I'm sure which was always carried out and became actually part of Middle East etiquette.

Jesus had asked the disciples to prepare a place where they would be able to eat the Passover. It's called the upper room and so the upper room is prepared and that, lo and behold, is the disciples are sitting in a circle, wondering who will do the job of a servant we read in verse five. Verse four he rose up from supper and laid aside his garments, that is his outer garment and taking a towel and girded himself about and he poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with that towel with which he was girded. This is absolutely awesome take enough time to think about what's happening. This is God on his hands and knees, if you please. This is God humbling himself and serving those who were decidedly lesser than he in the eternal schemes of God and Jesus dollars what they were too proud and too self-willed and independent to do.

We look at the passage and we think this is unbelievable. How can God do this.

It says, for example, in verse three Jesus, knowing the father had given all things into his hands, hands that the word I want you to see these were the hands that created the heavens by the word of the Lord were the heavens made in the host of them by the breath of his mouth and these hands that created the universe become the hands that wash dirty, dusty heat. How could Jesus do that. I want you to notice how he internally had a good sense of destiny and that really helped him and enabled him to do it. For example, it says in verse one.

Now before the feast of the Passover Jesus, knowing that his hour was calm. He had a good sense of his mission. He knew that he could not die until his hour was calm and by the way, if you're walking in faith and in the spirit. Neither can you. But Jesus knew that Internet hour would be compressed Gethsemane on the cross and the very purpose for which he came, and therefore he knew that this was part of the will of God and had a good sense of what he was about in the world.

Notice he knew his mission. He knew his resources. It says in verse three Jesus, knowing that the father had given all things into his hands.

Nothing was happening. That was beyond the strength and the permission of God and Christ. The second member of the Trinity. Even though Satan was involved in, says in verse two during the supper, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray him parentheses.

What does Satan do Satan puts thoughts into our minds that we think are our own and that's what were not afraid of those thoughts. If we knew that these thoughts came from Satan would be terrified. But as long as these thoughts seem to give us no fear, and we think that they are self generated, were even unaware of it. Same thing happened to Ananias and Sapphire at where the thought of lying was put into their mind by Satan, but I want you to notice all things were given into the hands of Christ and even the betrayal of Christ which was so imminent through the life of Judas, inspired by the devil back to was part of the total picture of the hour that I want you to notice. Also, he knew his origin.

I love this.

He knew that he had come forth from God and that he was going back to God I tell you something. Anybody who knows those four things. If you know your mission and your resources where you've come from and where you are going, you will be 10 to take the role of a servant. If that's what God wills for you.

We still look at the passage though and say it still unthinkable. How could it happen. How could Jesus do something that was beneath his dignity. We have people today lose their jobs and then they don't find another job because they want something that is in keeping with their education, their skill level and all the rest and that Jesus had all that and more, and he does something that does not fit exactly with that job description.

Talk about someone who is overqualified for washing feet. Now how could Christ do it will Jesus and you that it's not what you do.

That is important but who you are doing it for that gives dignity to the lowest menial task, although I wish that I had the opportunity of preaching a series of messages on that and someday I will. In America we are obsessed with finding a job that you love books have been written about it and I'm not objecting to that. I hope you can find a job you love. I happen to have one that I love.

Some things I have to do that are part of my job description that I don't exactly enjoy doing, but that's the nature of life. But not everyone is that fortunate slaves in the Roman Empire could not find a job. They loved and what did the apostle Paul say to them.

Paul says in Ephesians, he says do not serve your masters accept that. See in your service of them. Christ doing this for him. So you say to Jesus. It didn't really matter whether he was preaching the sermon on the mount or whether he was washing the disciples feet. The only thing that mattered is that he was doing the will of God, which had been worked out from eternity past in which he was now implementing and to him of whatever he did was done with a sense of purpose and fulfillment because it was being done. God, by the way, I don't think that he did this just because he wanted to give them a good lesson in humility and says what you guys really need this lesson in humility Simon to show you what I'm I don't think that is the case at all. I think Jesus did this because he really did love those disciples. It was done out of a heart of affection, a lesson in servant.

But secondly, there's a lesson in submission a lesson in submission as he makes the rounds and I assume that he did wash Judas his feet as well is making the rounds he comes to Simon Peter, verse six Simon Peter said to him in the Greek text here emphasizes every single word Lord, do you wash my Jesus answered and said to him what I do, you do not realize now, but you shall know afterwords there's more going on here than simply the washing of feet. There's a symbolism that were gonna unpack in just a moment and then Peter makes a profound statement given to excesses as Peter was. He said never shall you wash my feet never to all of eternity. I wouldn't let you do it a superficial reading of the text might lead us to believe that Peter was just so humble just so humble that he didn't want to have his master wash his feet while he was so humble, why wasn't he washing the feet of the disciples. I don't think that this is a lot of humility going on here. I think first of all, he felt very sheepish and very provoked and very uncomfortable knowing that Jesus was doing what, indeed, he should have been doing and so much of his response may have to do with his uncomfortableness rather than genuine humility. You know there's some churches and I highly respect them. By the way, who believe that the washing of feet is an ordinance because Jesus later says that we should do to one another as he did to the disciples, and so a couple of times a year.

They have a foot washing ordinance women wash the feet of the women and men wash the feet of the men and everyone get their feet washed. I know what I would do before I attended a service like that. So you would to when you are as we all wash our feet, something that I it's humiliating that some of the elves wash your feet especially if it is someone with dignity and in this case talk about dignity were talking about God and so I'm not sure that this is humility. But there's another reason why I know for sure it isn't humility and that is Peter is contradicting Jesus.

Jesus as I want to wash your feet and he says never even unto eternity, you will not you will not Peter is in the strange position of disagreeing with his master three times Peter disagreed with Christ. Few weeks ago we notice when Jesus said I'm going to the cross. Peter said all not so Lord, that'll never happen to you cheap.

Peter took him aside and we noticed at that time that Peter in saying that was actually jeopardizing his own salvation. Because if Jesus had not gone to the cross.

Peter himself would've been lost forever. He disagreed with Christ on that point in Christ said to Satan, recognizing that behind Peter's words were the devil get behind me. Here he disagrees with Christ and then in the cutting off of the servants here the night of the betrayal. Peter again disagrees with Christ. Pride really have you wash my feet like somebody told me one time you said you know I don't need God's forgiveness. I'm just gonna stand before him on the basis of my own record.

I'll take my own consequence out not only pride but foolish pride, arrogant pride, damning pride or the pride of a person who says you know, I've committed a sin that is so great that God could never forgive it. They think it's humility, pride pride pride pride pride pride to me to tell me that God says that Jesus Christ death on the cross was a satisfaction for sin and it was wholly and totally received by God the father and Jesus said it is finished and now you have the on gall to say that you have done something which Christ's death is unable to cover who are you anyway well.

When Jesus said to Peter, if Anna wash you, you don't have any part with me, Peter, again, a man of extremes. Says all Lord he's is not my feet only verse nine but also my hands in my head Jesus if it means that I'm not that I have any part with you pour the bucket over my head. Do the whole thing. Don't you just love it.

He was finally brought to the point of submission, but there's 1/3 lesson there is a lesson of servant hood.

There is the lesson of submission. And thirdly, there is a lesson on salvation.

Salvation that word salvation means that we are saved from something we are saved from the wrath to come.

We are we are truly saved.

That is a good word to use its biblical all throughout Paul's writings, he talks about those that are saved. It means saved forever from God's wrath and the saved for heaven and notice how Jesus now takes this as an illustration of salvation. Peter says not my hands only but also my hands in my head. Verse 10 Jesus said, he who has David needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean and you are clean, but not all of you, for he knew the one who was betraying him for this reason, he said, not all of you are clean now. Jesus indicates here that there are two different washings and I hope that you've experienced both of them. The complete bath. First of all, the complete bath is the washing of regeneration that is getting saved is regeneration because God is a miracle in the heart. It is the new birth you become a child of God that is a bath that does not have to be repeated again ever new Christian. Sometimes I will you know I received Christ as my Savior. But now I have sinned it. Do I have to be saved again, the answer is no, you don't have to be saved again once is sufficient. But you do need your feet washed, you do need your heart cleansed, as we shall see in a moment, and of course the cleansing of the heart takes place through can session I'm thinking for example of first John 19 if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. What marvelous salvation we have. I want to emphasize that because of people like you. The ministry of running to win. Ghost of different countries in four different languages.

For example, we are heard in Spanish and about 100 stations all throughout Central and South America Arabic throughout the Middle East. I remember being in Romania many years ago and being interviewed at a radio station that carries our broadcast and so it is because of you that this ministry is able to expand and this is a very exciting time because we have some friends who say that they are willing to match whatever is contributed to the ministry of running to win up to $90,000 would you help us your $10 becomes 20, of course, 25 becomes 50 you can do the math. What a way to maximize your gift in helping us get the gospel to thousands upon thousands that here's what you do you go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com and I'm going to be giving you that contact info again or if you prefer you can call us at 1-888-218-9337. As you give think about making an investment in eternity and investment in lives who listen to the gospel of Jesus Christ and so many different ways through the ministry of running to win. Go to RT W offer.com. Of course, RTW offers all one word RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 it's time now for another chance for you to ask Pastor lutes or a question you may have about the Bible or the Christian life. Sue is a faithful running to win listener. She has this question about financial giving. I've not been able to find a good church in my area so I give my tithe to support other ministries or to people in need instead, Pastor lutes or is that okay will soon first of all I want to thank you for being sensitive regarding the question most people wouldn't worry about where their money goes, or even if they give any money couple of comments. First of all, yes of course it's fine for you to get that money to other ministries but I hope that you don't do that permanently, because you say that there isn't a good church in your area. I hope that you find one. And even if it isn't a good church if it believes the Bible, despite its limitations or its disappointments. We all need other believers to connect with and so there's a part of me that says yes it's fine for you to continue to give your gifts elsewhere.

But there's another part of me that says all Christians should be connected to a body of believers and I'm just hoping and praying that God will lead you to a church that will be good and then you can support that church, but I hope that even after you support the church that you continue to support other ministries. My wife and I do that and I'm sure that thousands and thousands of Christians really do both as well. We contribute to the church regularly at the same time we are blessing other missionaries and other people. So keep up your generosity and keep praying and God may lead you to the church that you can fully support thank you Sue and thank you Dr. lutes or if you'd like to hear your question answered. Go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask Pastor lutes or or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us at running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 when Jesus washing Peter's feet. The conflict within Peter was palpable.

He had a visceral reaction as his master knelt before him.

Servant leadership was on display and next time will see why we too must heed this stark lesson in how to serve.

Thanks for listening to our series on the life of Peter or Dr. Erwin lutes or this is Dave McAllister going to win is sponsored by the teacher