Sermon notes - John 13:1-20 - Serving Others - Littleby Baptist Church - August 13, 2023

1.     With the eleventh chapter we saw the seventh and final sign in John’s gospel.

2.     Chapter twelve started the final week of Jesus ministry.

3.     Chapter thirteen starts a focus on Jesus’ teaching His disciples.

a.      It is His last night before He is arrested.

b.     He spends it pouring into His disciples, preparing them for what is to come.

4.     John 13:1

a.      Jesus as God knew.

b.     We saw in chapter twelve that it was troubling Him, but He knew that the Father’s will was to be done.

c.      He knew that Judas was going to betray Him in a matter of hours.

d.     He knew that as He was sitting with His closest friends and followers.

e.      That He was about to accomplish the reason He came to earth, to provide eternal hope for all who believe.

f.      He came out of love, a love for His own.

g.     That was not a love limited to those sitting in the room with Him.

h.     It was not limited to those who He had met.

i.       The love that drove Jesus to the events that will be unfolding, is a love for all of His sheep.

j.       A love that includes each of us.

5.     John 13:2-3

a.      It was all known to Jesus.

b.     Nothing that happened in His final hours surprised Him.

c.      Nothing that has happened since has caught Him off guard.

d.     Jesus knew it all.

e.      Even all that Judas was going to do.

f.      Which emphasizes how amazing His love is as we look at these verses today.

6.     John 13:4-5

a.      The King of all kings.

b.     The creator of the universe.

c.      The one who sustains our breath.

d.     Took the place of the lowest of slaves.

e.      His actions here are symbolic of His ministry.

f.      Philippians 2:5-8

g.     He took the place of a slave to wash feet.

h.     He took the place of a sacrificial lamb to wipe away our sin.

7.     John 13:6

a.      It is likely Peter understood that Jesus, the master, was taking the place of the servant.

b.     He was questioning why Jesus was washing his feet when it should be the other way around.

c.      He could not comprehend why Jesus should lower Himself so.

8.     John 13:7

a.      You may not understand today, but when the time is right, you will.

b.     We may not understand why things happen.

c.      But in hindsight we can normally see God use those situations to touch the lives of others.

9.     John 13:8

a.      Peter still did not want Jesus to lower Himself.

b.     He could not comprehend it.

c.      But Jesus corrected Him once again.

d.     Jesus was using foot washing to teach a valuable lesson.

e.      If Jesus does not wash a person, they have no part of Him.

f.      Unless the blood of Christ washes away our sins, we have no relationship with Him.

g.     We need to be washed in the blood to be made as white as snow.

h.     We cannot be a follower of Jesus unless we have repented of our sins and believe in Jesus.

i.       The label of Christian means absolutely nothing without faith in Christ.

j.       If we don’t believe that Jesus as God died to pay for our sins, coming to church is just something we do and has no value.  

k.     Doing good is just an action on our part, if we are not loving God with all that we are.

l.       We must be washed with Jesus’ gift to us.

10.  John 13:9-10

a.      Once corrected, Peter jumped all in.

b.     He was not going to miss out being with His Lord and Savior.

c.      I can imagine Jesus chuckling a bit, when He corrected Peter this time.

d.     Jesus was letting Peter know that as one who was already saved, he did not need to be fully cleansed.

e.      Once saved, we don’t lose our salvation because we sin.

f.      But we do still sin.

g.     When we do, we are to repent of that sin and ask our Lord to help us.

h.     Not because our salvation is at risk.

i.       1 John 2:1-2

j.       Through the work of Christ, we are saved.

k.     Yet, we are all still sinners.

l.       Our advocate is not making a case for us to still be saved.

m.   He is helping our faith grow.

n.     Helping us to stand strong even when we falter.

o.     To turn our repentance into victory.

11.  John 13:11

a.      Judas’ feet were washed.

b.     He learned from Jesus.

c.      But, He never accepted the gospel.

d.     He never put his faith in Jesus.

e.      He was lost.

f.      He was never clean.

12.  John 13:12

a.      Jesus asks them if they understand what He did for them.

b.     The dialogue between Jesus and Peter gives us part of the answer.

c.      Jesus told Peter that we needed to be washed by Jesus in order to be saved.

d.     We needed His sacrifice to cover our sins.

e.      But Jesus adds to it.

13.  John 13:13-14

a.      The disciples recognize that Jesus is their Teacher and Lord.

b.     They understand, like Peter did, that Jesus washing their feet was not the way things were done.

c.      Yet, He did it anyways.

d.     Jesus humbled Himself to serve others.

e.      To meet a need.

f.      Jesus told the disciples, that they too should humble themselves in service to others.

g.     We should humble ourselves in service to others.

h.     If there is a need we can meet, we are to do it.

i.       We are to sacrifice our honor, our position, our time, our resources, if we are able to help others.

j.       That is what Jesus did for them.

k.     That is what we are to do for others, as we follow Him.

14.  John 13:15

a.      As we follow the example given to us by Jesus, we are to serve others.

b.     We are to be there for fellow believers.

c.      We are to help them stand strong when needed.

d.     Help them in any way we can.

15.  John 13:16

a.      Ok, that makes perfect sense.

b.     A master is over his servant and the messenger is simply carrying the message from the one who sent him.

c.      What Jesus is emphasizing here is that if our Master, Jesus, willingly humbled Himself to serve His disciples.

d.     If He willingly sacrificed Himself for us.

e.      We are too humble ourselves to serve others.

f.      Our Lord, Creator, and Savior is greater than us.

g.     If He did it, we should do it.

h.     Not a literal foot washing and in most cases not dying for others.

i.       But to serve others.

j.       To put the needs of others before our own.

k.     Service is to be a way of life for those who follow Christ.

16.  John 13:17

a.      If we follow the leading of our Lord, we are blessed.

b.     Listening to His words, memorizing scripture, all good.

c.      But, our faith cannot stop with knowledge.

d.     James 4:17

e.      It is wrong to know we are to carry out God’s will and to do nothing.

f.      In the context of what Jesus is saying in these verses in John, it is a sin to know that we are to humbly serve others and to turn away.

g.     On the flip side, it is a blessing to do the work of our God.

h.     Psalms 103:17-18

i.       If we follow our God.

j.       If we serve as He served.

k.     If we humble ourselves as needed.

l.       Our Lord’s faithful love is upon us.

m.   I cannot think of anything better than God’s faithful love.

n.     A love that offers salvation.

o.     A love that has no limits.

p.     If we follow our Savior’s lead, we will know His faithful love.

q.     We will be blessed beyond measure.

r.      We will be blessed by spending forever with God.

17.  John 13:18-19

a.      Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray Him.

b.     All this talk about betrayal from Jesus, was so that those left behind would see that Jesus knew this was going to happen.

c.      This would help strengthen their faith in the trying days ahead.

18.  John 13:20

a.      Anyone who listens to the Disciples, listens to the Son, and ultimately is listening to the Father.

b.     Matthew 10:40-42

c.      As we walk this earth and live our lives, do all that we do in service to Jesus, we are honored and blessed.

d.     We may think our role is small, but you never know who it touches.

e.      Our meeting a simple need today, may be the catalyst of someone being saved years from now.

f.      Matthew 25:34-40

g.     The sheep lived their faith.

h.     As we serve our Lord, our faith is seen in how we live our lives.

i.       In how we care for others.

19.  If we are following our Lord and Savior Jesus.

a.      We will humbly serve others.

b.     Ephesians 2:10

c.      We were created to carry out God’s will, to do good works.

d.     The question before us today, is what works are we to carry out?

e.      How are we to touch the lives of others?

f.      What can we do this week, or even yet today… in service to others?

g.     Follow Jesus and let Him change the way you live!