We have been considering in our second service the subject of reciprocal Christianity in light of what the Belgian Confession teaches in the second question on the front of the bulletin. That is our obligation and duty towards Christ Church is to serve to build up one another according to the gifts God has given them as members of each other in the same body. There are a variety of passages in the New Testament which contain the phrase, one and other. And those are the reciprocal passages in the New Testament where it spells out our duties towards each other as members of the same church. And ordinarily, we would do that in the Second Service when we consider the Belgic Confession. But we have been, due to concluding the Book of Judges, We have a little bit of a gap, so a change in program. And just to let you know what's coming, I had planned to preach on the Book of Daniel, and we have about seven weeks to get to Thanksgiving and then Advent in December, which I will be preaching on. And I did not want to start the Book of Daniel and then stop for five weeks in November and December. So what I've done instead is switch these reciprocal passages and preaching on them to the morning and continue to study the Belgian Confession in the evening. And then I also will be gone a Sunday in October and a Sunday in November. So this gives us enough time to deal with some internal matters. in the hope that the preaching of God's word would strengthen us as a congregation and deal with some things that need emphasis amongst us. So a bit of an explanation for the switch here and also a preview of where we're going. But before we read the scriptures, let's pray. Father, we would ask that as we come to this portion of your word, as Jesus spends his last night with his disciples, we pray that we might learn from it and that we might take away from it that which is necessary to glorify and enjoy you as our God and as our Redeemer. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. John chapter 13, then, verse 17 verses. It was just before the Passover feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God. So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, Lord, are you going to wash my feet? Jesus replied, you do not realize 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. And Jesus answered, a person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet. His whole body is clean and you are clean, though not every one of you. For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean. When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. Do you understand what I have done for you? He asked them. You call me teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth. No servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. and thus far the reading of God's Word. Three points to the sermon this morning. First of all, the model of servanthood. Secondly, the means of servanthood. And thirdly, the benefit of servanthood. So the model, the means, and the benefit. Just before getting to those particular points on this text, allow me briefly to review where we have been for the benefit of those of you who have not been here. We began by looking at reciprocal Christianity and explaining that by looking at this text, as a matter of fact, and the command a little bit further down in verses 34 and 35 to love one another, and that this was the foundation and the basis for all the reciprocal passages that we will examine. And if you look at verses 34, Jesus says, if I have loved you, so you must love one another. The basis for this is not just a matter of being good people or being nice people or being nice Christians or even nice church members. Rather, it's because of one's relationship to Jesus Christ. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. That is, we are to love our brothers and sisters precisely because how Christ has loved us, but also because Christ has loved them. that they are our brothers and sisters. We have an obligation to love one another in that particular way. You notice that Jesus says it's a new command. If you're a good Bible student, you'll know that the command to love one another wasn't something new in John chapter 13. It was already present in the Old Testament. What's new about this is that we are to love one another as Jesus has loved us. That is, sacrificing himself for us. And therefore, that is the kind of love that we ought to have, and we ought to exhibit to one another. We also looked that day at accepting one another. That is, as Christ has accepted us, or as Christ has accepted you, if Christ has accepted you, then I must accept you. And that obligation is there. We went on just last week to consider the command in Ephesians chapter 4 to edify one another, that is to build one another up in the faith, the act of one who promotes another's growth in Christian wisdom, piety, happiness, and holiness. And we looked at what that involves and encouraged. Today, we want to look at this idea of serving one another that Jesus spells out for us in light of his service exemplified here. So first of all, then, the model of servanthood. In biblical times, if you went to a feast such as this one that Jesus went to, it was the last Passover. When you arrived, your feet would be dirty and in need of washing. Why? Because they didn't have nice paved sidewalks with concrete and tar. Rather, they had dirt roads and dusty roads, and people wore sandals. When you walked on those roads, you would obviously get your feet dirty, just as if during the summer when you wear sandals, your feet get dirtier than during the winter or other months when you have socks and shoes on. And that was a sign and an indication of hospitality. Usually, it was a task done by servants in the household. Here there are no servants and none of Jesus' disciples thought to do it, so Jesus takes the occasion to instruct His disciples about who He is, about what He came to do, and what they were to do in light of that. Jesus gets up from the table in chapter 13 and assumes the servant's role, and He performs the servant's task. Look at verse 4. He got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." Now, some have misunderstood this passage, and I hasten to correct that misunderstanding, to teach that Jesus teaches there's only servanthood. That is, that there's no authority anymore. And this is consistent with the egalitarian age in which we live. That is, that there is no hierarchy of authority. There is no one person over another or above another or beneath another or below another. But everybody is the same. And we're just to be servants. And we see that in Jesus. He serves. He's a servant. There's no indication that he is an authority or above anybody. But that completely misses the point. Look at verse 3. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power. This is an indication of His authority, that everything had been placed under His power, His authority. Look at verse 13. Jesus says, you call me teacher and Lord. And Jesus doesn't reject that. Jesus doesn't shun that designation. He doesn't say, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. We're all equal. I'm just a servant. No, he says, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you should also wash one another's feet. You see, the shock value comes from the fact that Jesus is Lord. That He knows He is Lord. And He still performs the role of a servant. Verse 15, I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Jesus is modeling servanthood for them so that they should think nothing is too low or humble or menial to undertake, if they can show love, kindness, and condescension to one another. We were in Sunday school talking about, we were considering books for the next session of Sunday school, and somebody suggested a book, Humility, to which I added a subtitle, and how I attained it. Humility is the only virtue you can't be proud of. But humility, you see, is what it takes to be a servant. How do you know when you're humble enough? How do you know when you've actually attained humility? Well, I'd submit to you, how do you feel? How do you react? How do you behave? How do you respond? when you're treated like a servant. I'll never forget somebody in a specific setting had told me to go and get water for people. My initial reaction was, I'm a minister. I graduated seminary. I've been ordained. Do you know how much time and effort I put into this? Let somebody else get water. I immediately caught myself and said, that's not humble, is it? That's not humility. I'm called to be a servant. Act like one. You see, Jesus is modeling servanthood so that you should think nothing is too low, or humble, or menial. If by doing it, you can show love, kindness, and condescension to one another. If Jesus, the King of Kings, condescended to leave heaven to save souls and dwell 33 years in this sin-defiled world, then there's nothing that you should think is too lonely to undertake. But there's still a deeper and more profound lesson here. Jesus actions here in this first half of John chapter 13 visually demonstrate his selfless sacrificial act at Calvary. This is, as verse one says, it shows the full extent of his love for sinners. He showed them the full extent of his love. This is parallel to what we see in Philippians 2. Turn there with me if you would. Philippians 2. Verse 6, who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man." What did Jesus do at the last Passover? He got up, He took off His robes as He did in His incarnation, His robes of glory, if you will, and made Himself nothing, took on the nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. Jesus here is giving them a visual picture of what He had come to do, of what He had done in leaving heaven and not considering equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing and He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even the death of a cross. Jesus said, I did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many. And that's what He did on the cross of Calvary. He became obedient even to the point of death on a cross. And how does Jesus say you should respond? What does He want you to do? Well, look at verses 14 and 15. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." Which brings us to the means of servanthood. Today, except for those of us who like to pretend to be hippie-dippies in the summertime, There are no sandals and there are no dirty roads, except maybe some parts of Central Park or Prospect Park. So how do you obey? How do you obey this command of the Lord? Well, serving each other means freely and voluntarily obligating oneself to undertake for fellow Christians any work or task which may be necessary, helpful, or advantageous to their spiritual or physical welfare." Let me say that again. Freely and voluntarily, that is without compulsion, without needing to be asked, alright? And certainly if you are asked, you should respond, but you shouldn't even have to be asked, alright? freely and voluntarily obligating yourself to undertake for fellow Christians any work or task which may be necessary, helpful, or advantageous to their spiritual or physical welfare. One of the most natural ways to express brotherly affection and love is to serve one another, is to do this for one another. It is in serving that love is made visible. It's easy to say, oh, I love my brothers and sisters. But do you show it? This is what is meant in the epistles later on when John says, let's not love with words, but with deeds. Show it. Demonstrate it. Act on it. Demonstrate it. A few examples here. Look at 1 Peter chapter 4. The end of all things is near. Therefore, be clear-minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. Hospitality, all right, is a very important thing. There are people in this congregation that have the gift of hospitality, and I'm sure that after hearing this sermon, they're going to say, I need to do more, all right? I commend those of you who practice hospitality. And I would commend those of you that need to practice hospitality to do it. To serve one another in this way. To receive people into your homes. To provide for them. To entertain them. Look at Hebrews chapter 13. Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Entertain strangers. This was, some of you know, this was very instrumental in my own conversion. I was living here in New York working in construction on the World Financial Center and had been witnessed to by a number of Christians, and I guess they thought they were banging their head up against the wall. They weren't, but they didn't know that from me. And this couple in Baltimore, Doug and Elaine Shock, heard about me and thought that they could perhaps answer some of my questions or objections or one thing or the other, and they invited me to come down to Baltimore and spend the weekend with them. This couple didn't know me from a hole in the wall. They didn't know the first thing about me except that I needed Christ, except that I was lost and needed to be saved. They invited me into their home to spend the weekend with them, and they hammered me with the gospel all weekend long. But you know what was very obvious? Along with that hammering of my stiff neck, was their genuine and sincere love and concern for me. All weekend, they practiced hospitality and opened their home to me and telling me, we want you to be saved. We want you to become a Christian. And as they got to know me a little bit, they said, we think you're a good guy. We think you're great and began dealing with me. That was very instrumental in my Later, when I was itinerating in seminary, going around to different churches and pulpits, as a matter of fact, that's when Julie and I were seeing each other, I was speaking in a church in New Jersey for the evening service, and a couple there saw that we were together, and it was Sunday night, and in keeping with Christian hospitality and also honoring the Sabbath, they thought that I would need something to eat after service, and they invited us over to their home for coffee, right? Wasn't that what they? For lunch. Lunch. They call it lunch. We got over to the house, sat down, we're talking, and they had just a spread over that whole passage. Man, this is lunch. Here was a couple that we became very close to and dear with and continue down to this day. When I was in Michigan, I was contacted by that wife. Her husband is now gone to be with the Lord and friends with a a brother to that man and his wife, and they're up in the church in Hudson Valley, in Goshen. But just opening their doors to people, entertaining. It's a great opportunity. You know, in Matthew chapter 25, when Jesus is separating the sheep from the goats, this is one of the criteria of judgment, is whether you practice hospitality. You realize that it's a qualification for office in the church. You say, oh, officers, particularly in reform circles, oh, they have to know their doctrine, they have to get the confessions right, church order, BOCA, all this stuff, you know, doctrine, doctrine, knowledge, knowledge, knowledge. Well, when you look at the qualifications for office, overwhelmingly they have to do not with doctrine, but with character, with character. We'll be talking more about this, but it has to do with character. Only one qualification, apt to teach, has to do with knowledge. And one of those things is practicing hospitality. Same thing with diaconal ministry in the church, is that Paul says to Timothy, nobody should be put on the widow's list. Apparently there was a list of women, remember there was no social security or life insurance, so if you lost your husband, you lost your head, you lost the provider. You didn't have any means for provision, alright? And the church, first line was the family, first line of social welfare was the family. If you don't take care of a member of your own family, you're worse than your unbeliever, Paul says, worse than an unbeliever. But then the church had a widow's list, people that were in need, that needed to be taken care of and provided for. But you couldn't be put on that list if you didn't like the hospitality. They said, whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm the one in need. The widows are the ones in need. No, no, no, you've got to demonstrate, you see, something first. Demonstrate your generosity. And then you receive. So very important, all right? Look at Galatians chapter 6. Galatians chapter 6. Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently, but watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Carry each other's burdens. Now, a lot of people here are commended for hospitality. Many are commended for this as well. But you see, we need to get beyond, and we talked about this somewhat last week in edifying one another, we need to get beyond in our congregation Just superficial and shallow relationships. I realize that some of that is difficult because we only see each other, most of us, on Sundays. So we're up against obstacles, I acknowledge that. But when we're together, we're here for seven hours on a Sunday. Many of us see each other during the week or talk to each other. Yolanda and Julio fight with each other on email. They really love each other. But you see, we need to get beyond the shallow and the superficial in any way that we can, all right, to strengthen those ties between us. Because we are only together on Sunday. So we have to overcome those things. We have to develop those relationships. We have to break down those burdens. We have to get to know one another. We have to spend time with each other. It doesn't mean you have the same relationship or the same depth or degree of relationship with everybody in the congregation. That's silly. There are people that you're going to be closer to. There are people that you're going to be in a deeper relationship and you spend more time with. that we should all get beyond just superficial and shallow relationships and knowledge of one another is very important if we're to strengthen the bonds of Messiah's Reformed fellowship. Okay? And that means we can't afford not to bear one another's burdens. What does this mean? It means taking upon yourself a fellow Christian's difficulty, problem, or oppressive circumstance as if it were your own. and taking any possible action to alleviate it. Listen, can I be very honest with you? This is very important for me as your pastor, all right? I can't be the only one in this congregation that's bearing everybody's burdens. It's not right. It's not what Scripture teaches. Now, there's a role for a pastor to be shepherding the flock, be involved in the lives of the people of the congregation, to know them and to bear those burdens, all right? But it's not solely my responsibility. You have to do that as well. And by doing that, you could be of great help to me. I'm very thankful for the prayers, for my health, and for my longevity, and the concern that's expressed for a number of other things that I'd be around for a while. I hope I am, alright? You want me around for a while? Shoulder some of these burdens. Don't let me be the only one who's bearing somebody's particular problem or dealing with somebody's particular problem, you see. These are responsibilities you're called to carry out as well, to bear each other's burdens, to take upon yourself a fellow Christian's difficulty, problem, or oppressive circumstances, if it were your own, and take any possible action to alleviate it. Maybe it's something as simple as praying for somebody. You get to know somebody, you break out of your little group, and at once you go to sit with somebody maybe that you've never sat with before, that you don't know very well. You spend some time, you get to a little openness, and you find out they're dealing with a particular thing in their life. And you say, wow, I never knew about that. What can I do? Well, maybe the only thing you can do is pray. Maybe God's given you the gift of encouragement. Maybe God's given you the gift of prayer. Maybe God's given you the gift of wisdom. You have something to say, something you've been through a similar experience that you can identify with that person. You can help relate. You can help them with that. Here's how the Lord helped me deal with that. You know, whatever it is, bear one another's burdens in that way. All right. No, for those of you that have burdens, all right, it's not God's intention that you bear that burden alone. How many times in my 20 years of pastoral ministry have I had people come to me and tell me about some particular problem they're dealing with as if nobody, thinking as if nobody else in the world has ever dealt with that. Right? Paul in 1 Corinthians 10, 13 says, no temptation has occurred to you except that which is common to man. All right? You're not the only person to have to deal with problems like this. Other people go through it. And you shouldn't be ashamed and you shouldn't be afraid. to be candid with a brother or a sister. Now, of course, you don't want to do that with everybody. You want to remain somewhat guarded, make sure that somebody's not going to walk all over your heart or you're going to bare your heart to somebody and they're going to reject you or something like that. All those qualifications are understood. But you don't have to bear that alone. This is part of what it means to be a member of the church, you see. You belong. You belong. You belong here. You're not going through life like a leaf on the wind being blown hither and thither. You belong to a body of Christ. You have brothers and sisters to whom you're related, that God expects and intends and has designed for you to bear your burdens with you. You're not alone. You're not alone. Don't be afraid. Don't be ashamed. to go through life alone. We are social creatures. No man is an island. We can't go through life alone. We bear one another's burdens. When one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers. Well, we need to serve one another in this congregation. all right, to be servants, to, let me be a little bit more specific, not, don't wait to be asked, all right? Keep an eye out. Keep an eye out. This is something I think people like, there are some people that actually have a gift to this, all right? But even if you don't have the gift, it's your responsibility. Keep an eye out for where there's a need. As you spend time here with your brothers and sisters, or as you interact with them, whether it's bowling or whether it's email or whatever it is, keep an eye out, keep an ear open, be attentive, look for an opportunity to serve one another. Where's a need? How can I help? What needs to be done? See? I told you many times, I think I told you last week, I mentioned it here again. It's very important that we as a congregation get to the point where if I were to drop dead tomorrow, this congregation would go on. It can't be dependent on me. It can't be dependent on a few people. All right? We all have a role to play in this church. We all have responsibilities. We all have a part in what goes on here on Sunday, whether it's setting up, whether it's cleaning up, whether it's putting out food, whether it's putting away food, whether it's just help, whatever. The most frequent words that should be heard in this congregation are, how can I help? And even then, you shouldn't even have to ask. You should just see it and do it. Just do it. Go ahead. All right, what's the benefit of this? Verse 17. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. You know, I just love Jesus. He's just sometimes just shocking. A number of times I've mentioned to you that Jesus as Lord is the fundamental assertion of the Christian life. And of course, Jesus as Lord would have the right, the prerogative to say, just do it. Get it done, right? A little Nike theology. Just do it, right? But over and over again, what you see him do is he sweetens the pie. He says, I'm going to bless you if you do this. He doesn't just exercise his raw assertion of power as Lord. He's a loving Lord. And he sweetens the pop verse. He says, now you know these things. You'll be blessed if you do them. You'll be blessed if you do them. Jesus says, allow me to woo you with a benefit. The blessing of a living, loving Lord. He'll bless you individually. He'll bless us corporately as a body if we do these things. Church membership, you see, being a part of the body of Christ is more than just being here for worship. It's more than just being here for worship and lunch. It's more than being here for worship, lunch, and worship again. You see? serving one another, loving one another, deepening, strengthening these ties between us. So that not only do we draw closer to the Lord, but as Eddie draws closer to the Lord, and Sam draws closer to the Lord, what happens? They draw closer to each other. And that's the way it should be. Now that you know these things, you'll be blessed if you do that. Let's pray. Lord God and Heavenly Father, we do thank You for Jesus. We thank You for His loving Lordship. We thank You for His humility. We thank You for His sacrifice on the cross for our sins. We thank You that He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. We pray, Father, that You would help us, that You would grant us grace, and that You would grant us Your Holy Spirit to see in others one for whom Christ died, and that we might serve them, that we might love them. We pray for our congregation, that you might strengthen and that you might deepen the bonds of fellowship between us. For we ask it in Jesus name and for his sake. Amen.