John 13:1-5 KJV 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. (2) And supper being ended, the devil having now
put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him; (3)
Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and
that he was come from God, and went to God;
(4) He riseth from supper, and
laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. (5)
After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the
disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was
girded.
The Kingdom of God works and operates
under a very important manner and principle that you have to be aware of if you
want to really advance in it.
- And the strange thing is that
advancement in the world is what we think about and apply to the Kingdom when
we think of advancement there.
Mat 20:20-28 KJV Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's
children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of
him. (21) And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She
saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right
hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. (22)
But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to
drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism
that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. (23)
And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized
with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on
my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it
is prepared of my Father. (24) And when the ten heard it, they were
moved with indignation against the two brethren. (25)
But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the
princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great
exercise authority upon them. (26) But it shall not be so among you: but
whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; (27)
And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: (28)
Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister,
and to give his life a ransom for many.
The world says hoard and skimp to get
rich.
The Kingdom says the more you give
the more you wil receive.
Climbing on top of another in order
to get a high position is not the way of the Kingdom of God.
- I know of one brother who had a
position in the music in his church.
- And when someone looked like they
were going to be used, his entire family, also involved in music, rose up and
did so many dirty things to this person, that the person ended up backlsiding
away from the Lord.
- The person never took their prized
positions, but they wil stand before God one day for thier vile and wicked
attitudes of self-promotion.
The world tells you to climb on top
of other people to get higher, but Jesus said to be servant of all and thereby
be greatest of all.
Mar 9:35-37 KJV And he sat down, and called the twelve, and
saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last
of all, and servant of all. (36) And he took a child, and set him in the midst
of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, (37)
Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me:
and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
The reason this is so important is
because of the way the Spirit of God uses us in the Kingdom.
You need tremendous confidence, and
great humility.
- You cannot have that in this world
and succeed.
- This world prizes pride and
loftiness.
- But God's Spirit cannot use us.
The greatest in the kingdom are the
ones who are used of the Spirit the most.
- But the way in which the Spirit works
and what it requires in us demands that we be the most humble and serving.
- That is because SELF must be out of
the way in order for Spirit to work through us.
Jesus was distinctly noted to be
fully aware of having all things given to Him of the Father, and that He came
from God and was going directly back to God.
- And with such powerful confidence, He
does the most opposite thing people would expect in the world where people have
huge confidence.
- He grabs a towel and does the most
humbling miniscule work of washing the disciples' feet!
- Who knows where their feet walked and
in what circumstances they took to arrive where they were?
- What humbling work Jesus did.
- The very Leader of the entire Kingdom
of God!
- The KING!
- Usually the world gets the rookie and
the new guy at the job to take out the trash and mop the floors and be the
gopher.
- But Jesus was doing the job of the
gopher!
How could he have so much confidence
and then do the very lowest of tasks?
-
He knew exactly how the Kingdom
operated.
- He knew what the Spirit required.
When we're too proud to so much as
wash someone's feet, we are too worldly.
- We are simply too proud to stoop to
such low levels.
- And it is because there's a strain of
self-pride in us that comes form a world around us that prides in itself.
- But every bit of the pride of self
inside people is that much more of what hinders the Spirit of God, if the
Spirit is even in them!
- The Spirit requires yielding.
- It requires selflessness.
- It needs a free course through lives,
and the more selfless we are, and dependent upon Him to have His way, the more
He can use us powerfully.
1Co 13:1-3 KJV Though I speak with the tongues of men and of
angels, and have not charity, I am become as
sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. (2) And though
I have the gift of prophecy, and
understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so
that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. (3) And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,
and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
1Co 13:13 KJV And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these
three; but the greatest of these is
charity.
The greatest people in the Kingdom
are not the ones using the most gifts of the Spirit, though.
- They're the ones who allow God's Love
to flow inside and out through them to the world.
- God is love.
- He does healing and He does miracles,
but HE IS LOVE.
Mat 7:21-23 KJV Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father
which is in heaven. (22) Many will
say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in
thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never
knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
I always think of Matt 7 when I read
1 Cor 13.
- Miracle workers were left out due to
the lack of knowing Jesus, or LOVING Him.
And if we love Jesus....
1Jo 4:20 KJV If a man say, I love God, and hateth his
brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen,
how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
Letting God's love flow through you
requires you to cast aside all personal self-exalting pride.
- God loves every soul.
- He respects none above another.
- Do we?
Jam 2:1-9 KJV My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with
respect of persons. (2) For if
there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and
there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
(3)
And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto
him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or
sit here under my footstool: (4) Are ye not
then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? (5) Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God
chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he
hath promised to them that love him? (6) But ye
have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the
judgment seats? (7) Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the
which ye are called? (8) If ye
fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour
as thyself, ye do well: (9) But if ye
have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as
transgressors.
John 13:6-9 KJV Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter
saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
(7)
Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but
thou shalt know hereafter. (8) Peter
saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash
thee not, thou hast no part with me. (9) Simon
Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my
head.
Peter was too proud.
- He could not think of Jesus as King
and stooping down to wash feet!
- He had the wrong concept.
- Had not God got hold of Peter about
this, Peter would never have been able to be used of God.
Jesus was ready to leave and be
crucified.
- He had to leave the Kingdom in the
hands of men who knew how the Spirit works, requiring their confidence in all
God can do in them and who He made them, but with incredible humility in
knowing THEY must be out of the way for Him to greatly use them.
So He tells Peter to not hinder Him.
- He must let JESUS WASH HIM.
- Washing is the entire salvation
process!
- So Jesus is dealing with Peter's
pride in being washed, as well as Peter's thoughts that the KING should not
wash feet.
- Pride works in both these sides of
the issue.
- Allowing one to wash your feet, or
being great and washing feet.
John 13:10-20 KJV Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth
not save to wash his feet, but is clean
every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
(11)
For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all
clean. (12) So after he had washed their feet, and had
taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I
have done to you? (13) Ye call
me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so
I am. (14) If I then, your
Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's
feet. (15) For I have given you an example, that ye
should do as I have done to you. (16) Verily,
verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he
that is sent greater than he that sent him.
(17)
If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. (18) I speak not of you all: I know whom I have
chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me
hath lifted up his heel against me. (19) Now I
tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I
am he.
(20)
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send
receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
Jesus told them that He is sending
them to the world.
- Those whom He sends are just like
Himself going.
- Therefore they had to understand this
principle of the Kingdom.
- BE CONFIDENT in God's power all over
you, but also know it can only be powerful through you when YOU get out of the
way.
Care for people others are too proud
to care for.
- God will highly exalt you in the
kingdom.
- And in this world, those who cannot
see your greatness are BLIND.
- God shall show your greatness before
all one day.
We are not above our Master.
- If He had to be humble to wash feet,
and He is greatest, how much more do we have to be humble.
- He demands it of us.
- You will indeed be happy if you follow
this!
- Eternally happy!
- Oh, the rewards and exaltation HE
will give you!
Bro Bustard is passed away, but I
recall the criticism he got from so many people for lending a helping hand and
doing what he could for some people others would not waste their time with.
We must get out of the way in order
for the Spirit to use us!
We need great confidence as well as
strong humility.
And such a person can only be like
that due to properly understanding the Kingdom.
Rom 6:13 KJV Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but
yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your
members as instruments of righteousness
unto God.
Notice we simply are to be alive from
the dead and yield ourselves to God as such, in order for Him to use us.
- That means He can use you as soon as
you are saved!
- You had no chance to do any great
works of goodness.
- You earned nothing!
- God simply did all the work when He
raised you from the dead, and you simply proceed from that point and say HERE I
AM WORTHY TO BE USED.
- Not worthy because you earned some
score marks from God or did some great feats.
- Just because you stand in the
confidence that God's work in resurrecting you with Jesus Christ is all God
needs to use you powerfully.
- Just keep self out of the picture and
never think highly of yourself, because the Spirit is the Worker, and you're
just the vessel.