Ron Dunn Podcast - The Great Example

Episode Date: December 16, 2020

Ron Dunn speaks from the sermon series "Gathering Storm"

Thank you, Scott, for singing my song. Well, I want you to open your Bibles tonight to the book of John, the Gospel of John, chapter 13. Gospel of John, Chapter 13. The Gospel of John, Chapter 13. And as I said this morning, how many of you were not here this morning? You raise your hand and say, start over here and you tell us where you were. What you were doing.

But as I said this morning, during these sessions that I have with you, I'm going to be talking about the gathering storm of victory. Jesus' cross before and after. And in John chapter 13, we'll read verses 1 through 20. John chapter 13, verses 1 through 20. John chapter 13, verses 1 through 20. Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world

and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray him. And at supper time, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, that he had come from God and was going to God,

got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, Lord, are you going to wash my feet? Jesus answered, you do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.

Peter said to him, you will never wash my feet. Jesus answered, unless I wash you, you have no share with me. Simon Peter said to him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus said to him, one who is bathed does not need to wash except for the feet, but is entirely clean, and you are clean, though not all of you. For he knew who was to betray him. For this reason he said, Not all of you are clean.

After he had washed their feet and had put on his robe, he returned to the table and said to them, Do you know what I have done to you? You call me teacher and Lord, and you're right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you

know these things, you are blessed if you do them. I'm not speaking of all of you. I know whom I have chosen, but it is to fulfill the scripture. The one who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me. I tell you this now before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am him. Verily, truly, I say to you, whoever receives one whom I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. Verse 15, for I have set you an example. I have given you an example. My wife and I love to read mystery novels.

I know that she thought the only thing I ever read was the Bible and the Institutes of Calvin, but the way that we relax is going to bed and laying in bed and reading ourselves to sleep, and we love to read mystery novels, especially these legal thrillers. I've read so many of those legal thrillers, I believe I could practice a little bit of law myself. One thing that I have noticed as I read a lot of these was how important in a trial, when they were trying to get something done, how important to the lawyer was precedent. And if they wanted to put something before the judge or have him to rule in a certain way,

they would look through all the books and try to find some precedents for it. Somewhere where it had been done before. I guess you might say a lawyer might live by precedent, but it's just not the lawyers. We all like to have precedent in what we do. Very few of us are brave enough to be original and are courageous enough to do something that nobody's ever done before. And so if we're doing something and somebody says, well, that's crazy, it's always good to say, ah, you know, so-and-so, he did it first. You know, you know, it gives us sort of some reinforcement.

And if, you know, sometimes a preacher comes up with a crazy idea, he can go back and say, well, oh, Dr. So-and-so back, you know, a hundred years ago, he said it first. And so you're a little bit more comfortable and a little bit more confident in what you say if you have an example, if there is precedence before you. And so if anybody laughs at you or anybody argues with you, you can always say, oh, but there's precedence for this. And Jesus is saying to his disciples, I have given you a precedent. I've given you an example. You should wash one another's feet. Now, you have to understand how lowly a task that was. But always the slave's duty. And when you entered the house, that there would be a basin of water at the doorway

and a towel, and you would remove your sandals, and the slave would wash the dirt from off your feet. That was just a great courtesy. It was so important that you remember on one occasion when a Pharisee invited Jesus into his house, Jesus rebuked him because he did not have his feet washed, did not wash the feet of Jesus. It was an important custom.

But it was a lowly custom. It was something only that the servant would do. And if you had a Gentile servant and a Jewish servant, you would always give the Gentile servant that job to do because that was the lowest of the low and Gentiles were dogs. And she'd always give the dog servant the lowest task to do. And basically what Jesus is saying is that I want you to do the same thing. I want you to wash one another's feet. Now, it means much more than just washing one another's feet.

But he says, I want you to know, I've given you an example. And if you were ever caught in a humbling situation, you can always say that Jesus did it first. There's pressing. So he said, I have given you an example. Now, I want us to look at this familiar story of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. It's very important in not only what it teaches, but in where it comes. The passage opens saying that Jesus knew

that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. He said, and he knew that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going to God. And so here is a person in that exalted position, facing the cross and going back to God to whom he had come. And yet, he takes time. For what reason? To wash the feet of the disciples. Why is that so important that John records?

Jesus has left us an example. First of all, Jesus is telling us that greatness always expresses itself in service. Greatness always serves. Now, it's unmistakable that there's no one greater than Jesus. His hour had come. He was about to be glorified. He was about to return to God, and the Father had shown him all that was to come. All things had been delivered into his hands.

And yet, at that moment of his greatness, what did he do? He stooped and washed the feet of his disciples. Well, it's a good thing he did. Nobody else had. All the disciples entered into that room. And when they entered into that room, there was the basin there prepared and the towel.

And there was the custom that the feet were to be washed. If you were going to be comfortable and proper in eating at that meal, you had to have your feet washed. But none of the disciples would do it, as was the custom if there was no servant, if there were no servant present, then you wash one another's feet. I would wash yours and you would wash mine. But the disciples walked in as though they were not conscious that such a custom existed.

And they didn't offer to wash anybody's feet. Why didn't the disciples offer to wash the feet of one another? Why did it fall to Jesus to do this? Well, if you remember in Luke chapter 22, he tells us that there had arisen a great rivalry between the disciples as to which one of them should be the greatest. Now here was Jesus facing the cross. The most terrible moment of his existence.

And these disciples who should have been comforting him. And encouraging them. They were over here fighting about who was going to get the silverware when grandma died. Which one of us is the greatest? Basically they were saying. Which one of us is going to take over when Jesus is gone? Which one of us is the greatest? Basically, they were saying, which one of us is going to take over when Jesus is gone? Which one of us is the greatest? And they were angry because the mother of James and John

had already come to Jesus and said, let one son sit on your right hand and the other sit on your left. And they were angry. They were angry because they didn't think of that first. So they were upset with the sons of Zebedee, and they were sulking. There was a rivalry, an intense competition between them,

which one of them should be the greatest. So they walked into that room with that contention in their hearts, each one of them saying, I am the greatest. Oh, there's that bowl of water. Custom says that we ought to wash. One of us feet. I'm not going to do that. Or if I.

Pick up the towel and the basin. And start washing. The feet of these disciples. That'll make me a servant. And I am the greatest. That will kick me out of the race. For first place. And so none of the disciples.

Would take it upon themselves. To wash the feet of each other. Because they were resolved. One thing they were resolved to do. And that was to maintain their greatness, that they would be no man's slave. And so they sat down, and they looked around, looked at the ceiling,

stared at the floor, adjusted their garments, ignoring the basin of water, acting as though they were not there. Yet they were. Why, they were guarding their greatness. Now, how is the Lord going to speak to such a group that are torn apart by strife and competition? How is he going to speak to such a group that are torn apart by strife and competition? How is he going to speak to them? How are they going to be able to receive the words of the Lord as long as there's this strife among them?

And so Jesus does what has to be done and what only Jesus would do. He himself, he himself to the embarrassment and the shame and the consternation of those disciples, he himself took the basin of water and the towel and to begin to wash the others' feet. He did what none of them would dare to do. They were too proud. Oh, they weren't anybody's servant. And yet here is their Lord, their Master, the greatest one of all.

And he has become their servant. My dear friends, oh, it's easy to criticize the disciples. Oh, but before we do that, all of us want to be great. All of us want to be great. All of us want to be great. All of us want to be great. All of us want to be honored. And we'll we'll we'll do just about anything

rather than put ourselves in the position of a slave. And I'll tell you something. Jesus is teaching us that greatness I want to tell you something Jesus is teaching us that greatness always expresses itself in service

lowly service greatness oh there are many great men among us today now Stuart sort of you you know, cast a stone at the good old days this morning.

But I want to go back to the good old days, if that's all right. When I was growing up, there were giants in the land. There were tall, conspicuous men of God, and they were the leaders of evangelicalism. And they were leaders because they were recognized for their theological convictions, and their preaching of the Word of God, and their displaying of the word of God and their displaying of the spirit of the master. They were great because they exhibited the character of Jesus.

But in our day, no, that's not the criterion for greatness. The leaders today are the entrepreneurs, the market-wise people, considered great not because of their character, not because of their prayer life, not because of their godliness and their holiness, but because they had built a mega church. Nothing wrong with that.

But that's their only qualification. You see, we, as I said this morning, we have gone from character to personality. And from heroes to celebrities. And a person is great, not because he is like his master, but because he's been successful in his endeavors. Greatness always expresses itself in service. Now, there are a couple of things I want to say about that.

First of all, you need to be careful of the spirit of this service. You know, it's easy, it would have been easy for Jesus to have said, well, I tell you what, fellas, none of you here are humble enough to wash each other's feet.

You are so stinking proud and arrogant. I ought not to have to do this. I'm the King of kings and Lord of lords. I'm your master. I ought not to have to do this, but somebody has to do it, so I'll do it. You see the spirit in which that could be done? Don't you just hate it when

somebody serves you in that kind of spirit? Well, I've got more important things to do, but I, well, okay, if you can't help yourself, I'll help you, you know, okay, you know. And, I mean, that kind of help you just soon not have.

What I'm saying is that when you wash somebody's feet, be careful of the temperature of the water. But it also has to do with the kind of service. The kind of service that we render. What kind was it? It was the lowest. According to Jewish custom,

you couldn't get any lower than to watch somebody speak. Now, I know people in the church who are ready to be elected as chairman of the deacons. But if you ask them, would you turn out the lights and lock the doors?

Would that be your job? No, I'm, you know, that's a waste of talent. That's a waste of ability. I was born for greater things. You understand what I'm saying? There are some of us who are willing to do great things in the church, but there are just some things, you know, you can get somebody else to do that.

I mean, that, you know, that's not making the best use of my talents and my gifts. Jesus is demonstrating the kind of service that we give. And there is no service so low that you and I cannot render to one another. Well, we have to hurry on. That's just the first point. The second thing Jesus is teaching us is this. God's will, not understanding, is the motive for obedience.

Now, Jesus picks up the towel, begins to wash the feet of the disciples, and he comes to Peter, and Peter said, Lord, do you want to wash my feet? And Jesus said, you do not now know what I am doing, but later you will understand. He said, you will never wash my feet. Why? Because Peter didn't understand. He said, you will never wash my feet. Why? Because Peter didn't understand.

He didn't understand what Jesus was doing. Peter was so insensitive to the deeper things of God that he couldn't see beyond the present act. He couldn't see beyond the present event. All he could see is that his Lord was doing this lowly slave service of washing his feet. He couldn't see anything beyond that. And Jesus said, you don't have to understand it. You just have to let me do it. And I have felt that many a time in my life. Jesus has said to me, you do not now know what I am doing,

but you will later. You will later. And many of us stumble over the fact that we do not understand. Why has God brought this into our lives? Why has God allowed this to erupt into our quiet solitude we cannot see beyond the events

we cannot see beyond the disaster we cannot see beyond what has actually happened we can't look beyond that and see that perhaps Jesus has something far greater in mind than this this is just a means to accomplish it. And so just the fact that it is God's will, I need to submit to it, doesn't require my understanding it.

I don't have to understand things in order to be obedient to God. And God may be saying to some of you tonight, in your own circumstance right now, you do not know what I am doing. No, of course not. You can't see beyond what's actually happening. You can't see the divine purpose behind it all.

All you can see is this thing that's happening, and Jesus said, you don't know really what I'm doing. And even after he was finished, he said to his disciples, do you know what I've done to you? He didn't give them a chance to answer, but they would have all said no. They had not the slightest idea.

Oh, they knew what he had done. You've washed our feet. No, that's not what I've done. I've given you precedent. I've given you an example. I've shown you the kind of Lord've shown you the kind of Lord I am and the kind of person I am and the kind of person, people, I want you to be.

This is what I came to do and this is what I'm going to send you out to do. Well, there's one last word. Jesus gave us an example, teaching us one great thing. An example is a lot better than a lecture. Now, you know the Lord could have approached this in a

different way. He could have said, hey guys, I just can't believe that you're so obtuse that you don't know what you're supposed to do. Now, get out your paper and take notes. And I want to tell you what you're supposed to do. And he gives a lecture on foot washing. You think that would have helped them? You think they would have jumped up and said oh I'm going to go wash feet

no Jesus didn't just lecture them Jesus didn't just preach to them teach them he behaved what he believed sample it's worth more than a lecture. Oh, Jesus said, I've given you precedent.

You say, oh, I think God is calling me to the mission field. And as one mother said to one young man, oh, you can't throw your life away over there on the mission field. Oh, you can't throw your life away over there on a mission field. Oh, yes I can. Jesus did it first. I have precedent.

Do you need to tell me you're going to let people curse you and you're going to let people criticize you and you're not going to strike back at them? That's stupid. Well, I've got precedence. Jesus did it first. Do you mean to tell me you're going to sit down and eat with sinners? Well,

I've got precedence. Jesus did it first. That's what Jesus is trying to say to us is. When we go out to serve him, which really means serving others, no matter how lowly it may seem to us, we have precedence. Isn't that nice? The devil says to me, oh, that's a waste of your talent. Oh, Jesus did it first.

Have precedence. You'll notice that Peter protested Jesus washing his feet. He said, you'll never wash my feet. But you'll notice that Peter did not offer to wash Jesus' feet. And as far as I know, as far as the scripture tells us, the only one who left

that room that night with unwashed feet was our Lord. We are stubborn disciples. It hurts us to stoop to be a slave. but we've got precedent. Jesus did it first. sold without prior written consent. It is managed and operated by Sherwood Baptist Church. If you would like to listen to additional Ron Dunn messages, visit sherwoodbaptist.net slash bookstore and search Ron Dunn. For more Ron Dunn materials, including sermon outlines,

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