Sacrificial Living 3

A Short Series on Sacrificial Living for Life Church, part of our SERVE ethos.

So far in John 13 we have considered the concept of Living Sacrificially from the point of knowledge that is theoretical, emotional and experiential.  We have considered, based on Jesus’ knowledge outlined in John 13: 3 that we too are to 'Know Our Father', 'Know Our Purpose' and 'Know Our Destiny.'  The foundational thought is that if we do then Living Sacrificially will come naturally to us for we will be secure in our knowledge of who God is and who we are in Him.

However, there is still the problem we face of ‘us’ and our objections to serving in the way Jesus did.  To help us unpack these hurdles we’re going to focus a little on Peter’s reaction to Jesus washing his feet.  We might see something of ourselves in this!

John 13:6-9:  He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”  Jesus replied, “You do not realise now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”  “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”  “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

Sacrificial living is humiliating to those who look on from the outside.

1. Peter's Problem

Peter wants to honour Jesus.  Notice he says, Lord.  The word here is kyrios (kurios) meaning Lord.  This carried the meaning of master, owner, one who has complete possession of another, a king.  In the NT this is normally the equivalent of the OT Adonai when referring to Jesus.  In using it Peter, and when Jesus uses it of Himself (John 13:13-14), is noting the pre-existence of Jesus, His divinity!

This revelation was given to Peter.  His relationship with Jesus is very much governed by the revelation that Jesus is Messiah and his Lord.

Matthew 16:16: Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

So what?  Well to make sense of the sentence we have to understand why Peter did not call Jesus by one of His other titles.  Why did he not call Him Rabbi, teacher, master etc.?

Why Lord?  Because of the contrast between who Jesus is – the Lord of all things washing the disciples’ feet, and who Peter is, the sinner!

“Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”  There is an emphasis missed here if we do not understand why Lord is used.  The emphasis is this:

“Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” The contrast for Peter is astounding. 

Ø How could the Lord want to cleanse Him? 

Ø How can the Lord want to serve Him in the most menial of tasks? 

Ø How can the One who is clean want to get His hands dirty cleaning Peter?

My fiends we too should feel something of this when we come to Jesus.  Not in a condemning way (Rom. 8:1) but in a reverence that says: “I know how dirty I am yet I am going to submit to your cleansing even though I am unworthy of it!”

You see if you have the revelation of who Jesus is that is a great place to be.  But if that is all you have then you will never move forward.

What is required is the revelation of who Jesus is coupled the realisation that this revelation will transform your understanding of how to do life!

This is where to church today seems to miss it!  We have not fully engaged with the revelation of who He is.  How can I say this?  Because we are not displaying the distinctiveness of being born again, we’re too similar to the world around us; we have yet to be transformed.

You may feel this is harsh, but if Christianity is reduced to coming to church on Sunday – which is vital (Heb 10:25) – we have missed the point.

Would Jesus recognise the Church He died for if He were to measure simply by the behaviour of the Church? 

Holiness and sacrifice are commands, not suggestions!  They have to be energised by the Holy Spirit if they are to be real, but my friends, we’re called to be different!

When we act the same way the world does, we may well say that this is allowable because of the grace of God, but we must also acknowledged the transformational power of the very grace we plead!

Peter’s problem is our problem too – we cannot proclaim His as kyrios (Lord and Master) and then deny Him the right to command us and transform us as He pleases.

We are not different because of a religious piety, we are different because we are being transformed.  This happens in degrees!

2 Corinthians 3:18: And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Note this: ever-increasing glory speaks of a progression, not stagnation.  Friends if we are the same way we were when we met Jesus, or the same way we were 5,10, or twenty years ago, we’re not being transformed.

We’re to constantly renewed!  Romans 12:2: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Note this: the testing or knowing of God’s will come after the renewing of the mind in an area.

We cannot say things like, “If God doesn’t want me to do this then He will close the door,” or “God understands where I am and so is happy for me to commit this sin!”

The old truth is still the truth: God accepts us the way we are but loves us too much to leave us that way!

Peter was in the moment of tension and shame to have the Lord of the entire universe wash his feet but for the church today we demand this as a right!  My friends it’s time to get some awe back in our relationship with Jesus!

If we did we would let Him cleanse us and we’d be ashamed of getting dirty again.  If we did, then living sacrificially becomes an honour!

CT Studd: "If Jesus Christ is God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him."

2. Peter's Refusal

“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

Peter's refusal comes from seeing His master taking on the role of a servant.  The task that was being undertaken was that of the lowest servant - their feet would have been encrusted with the dirt and grime of the road.

You see there is something in Peter that does not want to see Jesus humiliated.  There is the cry that says, “You are Lord of all and Lord of me, so how can this be?”

Yet in Jesus’ humiliation and His sacrifice we are set free.  And this is something that the world doesn’t understand.

Jesus' humiliation on the cross.

Acts 8:32-33:

And as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.  In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.  Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” 

There is something in the cross that depicts an intentional humbling.  Jesus humbles Himself to death on a cross (Phil. 2:7-8).  But the humiliation He experienced is that done to Him by others. 

I am not going to go in to all the details of the crucifixion but there is one thing that we often miss due to painting of Jesus on the cross through the ages – the cloth that protected His dignity.  Well, I have to inform you, that those crucified were crucified naked – all vestiges of dignity were removed!

Jesus was humiliated on the cross because He humbled Himself. But here’s the interesting thing, Jesus is still being humiliated every day. 

Do you ever react when His name is taken in vain?  Does something tug in you when someone uses His name as a swearword?  Do you ever wonder why no one ever does this for Mohammad, Buddha, and Krishna? 

Let me share this revelation with you!  They only use the name of Jesus in vane because it is in His name that the humiliation of salvation took place, not in any other name.

Acts 4:12: Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

We know this, and we therefore know that this is why people use His name in vulgarity.  But did you know that every time they do they are actually proclaiming the salvation of God that came through Jesus Christ because Jesus still chooses to allow the humiliation of His name for the salvation of the world!

In other words, when they use His name they insulting Him, but in insulting Him that are agreeing with Scripture and reinforcing it!!

So Peter’s problem is our problem.  There is always going to be a tension in us that feels unworthy.  There will always be a sense in which we hurt when His name is used in vain.  But we have to move forward if we’re to live sacrificially as Jesus did!

We’ll return to this passage next time.