"Love one another"

So in John 13, we're gonna read 1 to 17, and then we're gonna skip on to verse 33, John 13. It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the had come for him to leave this world and go to the father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted due us, the son of Simon iscariot, 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 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'm doing, but later, you will understand.

No, said Peter. You shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered. Unless I wash you, you have no start with me. Then Lord, Simon Peter replied, not just my feet, but my hands on my head as well.

Jesus answered. Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet. Their body is clean, and you are clean, though not every 1 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 those and return 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 1 another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly, I tell you no servant is greater than his master nor is a messenger greater than the 1 who sent him.

Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them, and skipping over to 33. My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me. And just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now, where I am going, you cannot come. A new command I give you, love 1 another.

As I have loved you, so you must 1 another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love 1 another. Morning, everyone. Thank you. I'm Bart.

I'm pastor here at Hope Church. Great to be with you and to welcome you this morning. And if you're new, it's great to have you with us. Do open up your bibles, have it open at John chapter 13, because we're gonna be looking back at that passage. And let's pray together.

Heavenly father, we pray, please, that now as we come to your word, we'd be ready for you to teach us. Father, we praise you as we've already heard, that today is Pentecost Sunday that we celebrate the giving of your spirit. And we thank you that your word is spirit breathed. So help us as we come to your spirit breathed word to the Bible. Help us to be ready to listen, and we pray your spirit would work in all of our hearts this morning as we listen, amen.

If you were to walk past a football stadium after a match, you can normally pretty easily spot who supports which team, can't you? It might be the clothes that they're wearing. It might be the songs that they're singing. Or it might be their demeanor might just be the look of them because if they've won, they're up, if they've lost their down. You can tell, who supports which team.

Jesus is saying to us in the passage that we've just had read, that there is a way that the world will be able to spot who his followers are. And it isn't to do with our clothes. It's in to do with our songs. It isn't to do with our demeanor as we leave here this morning. What does Jesus say?

Have a look again. Chapter 13, verse 35, say the last first that was read for us. Jesus says, by this, everyone will know you are my disciples if you love 1 another. Here's the thing that the world is gonna see is the thing that will tell the world that we follow Jesus. Now, of course, this isn't a summary of all that it is to be a Christian.

That's not what Jesus is doing here. You do, of course, to become a Christian You've got to come to Jesus as your lord and your savior. You know, this isn't summarizing how to become a Christian, but it's saying how the world will recognize god's people. Jesus is saying if you believe the truths, at the heart of the gospel. If you are a Christian, if you've come to Jesus as your lord and savior, that will overflow in your relationship with other and therefore the love Christians will have for 1 another will be very different from the love that there is in the world, the way other people love 1 another.

Otherwise, we wouldn't stand out. Now, even just this means that the idea of people being lone Christians doesn't fit with Jesus' teaching, does it? Sure. There may be times when people will be, maybe in a country on their own as a as a Christian, maybe they've gone as a missionary, and they've gone on their own. And therefore, they can't relate to other Christians.

They just are on their own. But that is isn't it? Jesus is expecting Christians will be together, and we'll love 1 another, and this will shine out. It also goes against the idea that some people have, where where you could just be an attender at a church. You're you're part of a church, but you just come along on Sunday's to the service, and you really have nothing else to do with everyone else.

You come to church a bit like you might go to the cinema. Go to the cinema. You're not expecting to get to know everyone else in, in the screen. And if you try, people will frown on. So don't don't do that.

But maybe you come to church in that kind of way. You come along, you attend, and you think, well, I I don't really want to have anything to do with anyone else at any other time, and just come along, be here, be there for the service, absorb what I want, and then go. Clearly, what Jesus is saying here is that doesn't fit. If you're a Christian, you're gonna love other Christians, and that is gonna mark you out as different from the world. Now fact, we've started to get together in, what we're calling gospel communities, and most here will have been contacted about being in a gospel community.

And if you're new to hope to, I mean, we're all new. But if you're if you're newer, as in you've been coming along within the last few weeks, you you won't have been contacted about this. For you, we would love you to come along to a welcome tea, and we'd love you so this afternoon, if you're free, let us know, and, you can come along. And we'd love you to come on Hope explored starting next Sunday. So if you've not signed up for that, please do.

So if you've not been contacted about gospel communities, We'd love you to come along to Hope explored. And then we'll sort of take it from there, an Indian course workout, about joining gospel communities. But this is a significant moment for us as a church family. As we start to meet in these gospel communities. And even if you're not in a gospel community, even if you're doing hope to explore, the what we're gonna look at today still applies to you if you're a follower of Jesus.

But this is significant. This is why we're doing this sermon series. About gospel communities. Now we've said we want the gospel communities. The elders have said, we want our gospel communities to live out the 1 anothers.

There are lots of times in the new testament, in the Bible, where we are instructed to do things for 1 another, love 1 another, build 1 another up, teach 1 another. And we're saying we'd love the gospel communities to be places where we focus on doing these 1 anothers. Now already, you see, if we're gonna do the 1 anothers, that means gospel communities are gonna be places where we need everyone involved. Everyone who's part of a gospel community needs to go to it thinking, I wanna be involved. I wanna be active.

Because the very temp, 1 another means we need to be active in doing things for 1 another. So over 3 sermons today, next Sunday, the following Sunday, we're gonna look at 3 1 another's. And in the gospel communities, you're then gonna come back to these passages and look at them again. Alright? So the first 1 is love 1 another.

Now we need to know more about this than just the command. You might think, well, surely that's enough. Just love 1 another off you go. Let's go do it. But we need more than that.

Have a look again. Verse 34 and 35, where it says, a new command I give you, love 1 another. As I have loved you, so you must love 1 another. By this, everyone will know that you're my disciples if you love 1 another. Now the order of verse 34 is really important.

He says, a new command I give you, loved 1 another. As I have loved you, So you must love 1 another. Here is the example, the pattern. The thing that we are to follow thing, we're to copy is Jesus' love for us. And that order is really important.

We've got to know the love of Jesus, and then think about how do we live that out for 1 another. We see the example of Jesus, and we live it out. And we see that pattern in, the incident that that Jackie read for us earlier in John 13. So if you turn back a page to the beginning of John 13, this is where we're gonna spend most of our time. So we've seen in 34, verse 34, Jesus says, as I've loved you, so love 1 another.

And what you see in the opening incident where Jesus is washing the disciples' feet is the same pattern. Jesus washes their feet. In other words, this is about Jesus' love for his disciples, and then he instructs them now washed 1 another's feet. You've got Jesus's love first, and then the call to to love 1 another. In other words, you've got the gospel first, and then you've got community, gospel community, which is why I really like the name gospel community.

I didn't up with it, we were talking about it as Zelda's. I think of a Steve who came up with it. So if you don't like, you can blame him. But I really like sorry, sweet. But I really like it as a name.

I know other people have grumbled a little bit in a kind of where it's a bit long as a name. You know, home groups was so much quicker to say. But it says what we want to happen in the groups. What you call the groups is significant for what you're expecting in them. Yeah.

It can be can be significant. So what are you expecting if it's called a small group, or that it'll be small. What are you expecting if it's a home group? It would be in someone's home. But actually, the name I'm not dissing that.

At the manual, we had home groups in Cornerstone, you had group. But actually, their name is significant. We want them to be gospel communities where the gospel is central, and that forms the community that we're that we're making. Gospel communities. I think it's really good.

So we're gonna think about this passage in terms of the gospel, and then community Jesus' love, and then our love for 1 another. So first, gospel, Jesus' love for us. Now the opening verses of the chapter are really significant, and they give us lots of information. Thank you. Yeah.

They give us lots of information before Jesus does the foot washing. Did you notice? Have a look. Verse 1. It was just before the Passover Festival.

Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own, who were in the world, he loved them to the end. Okay. What do we see here? What does Jesus know already?

He knows and there's so much more that you could pick out of these opening verses, but he knows that he's gonna leave the world and go to his father. In other words, he knows what is just about to happen, that he is just about to suffer and die, rise to life again, and ascend to heaven. He knows all of that at this point. He knows his suffering is just hours away, and that is in his thinking. And it says, end of verse 1, that we are going to see the extent of his love.

He's already loved his followers, but we're gonna see the extent of his love. And that includes the foot washing that we're about to see, but it goes through that to the cross as well. And we're given that more information about what Jesus knew. First, 2, the evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judith, the son of Simon Escariot, to betray Jesus. And we know from later down, Jesus knew this.

He knew that Judith was gonna betray him, and Judith was in the room with him. He knows that. And and he knows more. First 3, Jesus knew that the father had put all things under his power and that he'd come from god and was returning to god. Which means Jesus knew his power and his authority.

That all things were under his power. And to say that he'd come from god and was going back to god is to say his authority. His status. And in John's gospel, that is very significant that Jesus came from the father. So he knows a lot to put it mildly.

He knows a lot He's gonna suffer in a few hours time. His betrayer is in the room. He's got all power, all authority. And in the light of all that, in fact, verse force is is saying because he knew all that, first of all, so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he pulled a water into a base and began to wash his disciples feet, drying them with a towel that was wrapped around him.

Knowing all that, he takes off his outer garments, wraps the towel around him. In other words, he's dressed as a servant, as a slave, and he pours water in the basin and goes around the disciples. Now they would have been they wouldn't sit at a dining table like we would. They would be reclining, and they would recline with their feet pointing out away from the table. And their feet are disgusting and dirty.

This is a grim job that Jesus is doing. In a hot dusty climate, with all kinds of things on the streets. As you're walking around, it would have been grim. Their feet would been pretty horrible. And it was a lowly job.

It was a servant's task to wash people's feet. I've read I gather some some Jews would say Jewish servants should not have to do that role. It is so menial. It is so degrading to have to wash people's feet. And yet at the start of the meal, this task hasn't been done.

And Jesus takes it upon himself to go around the outside of the group with the bowl and wash people's feet. And remember, John is saying Jesus has all those things in mind that in a few hours time he's gonna suffer. Jesus could have thought, you know what? I've got a busy day tomorrow. I can't be bothered doing this.

Washing feet think this is not my job, but he does it in anyway. He knew Judith would betray him. He could have thought I'm not doing this for him, but he did it anyway. He knew he all power and authority. He could have said, I this is beneath me because power and authority gives you privilege, gives you luxury means you don't have to do these things.

So my son Ollie and I, last week, we, through 1 of his friends, we were given staff passes to go to the Oval cricket ground, to watch a 20 20 match, which means that we have the privilege. I mean, normal people don't get this privilege. They, they just get the normal seats, but we could go into the pavilion, and there were various points where they would, they asked us, you know, could you show us your passes, or they showed the party? Ah, do you come in? We're like, this is great.

This is brilliant. Because normal people can't do that. But we could. But even we couldn't go in the committee area or the area where the players go, I tried. And they I I just started with, are we allowed to no.

Oh, okay. But the committee, the really, really, really nice bit with it, you know, you're not allowed in there because that's what privilege. That's what authority does for you. Get to go into those bits. Another people serve you.

Jesus has all power, all authority, and so served as a servant. That's what he chose to do. And Peter can't have this. Verse 6. He came to Simon Peter who said, Lord, are you going to wash my feet?

Jesus replied, you do not realize now what I'm doing, but later you'll understand. No, said Peter. You work shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered unless I wash you, you have no with me. Now Jesus is saying that there's more to this foot washing than, than just, you know, going around and being a servant and getting rid of the dirt, which is why he says, look, Peter, you don't get it at the moment.

You will, but you don't now, that the washing is symbolic of something deeper. But Peter says, no, no. You're not gonna do this. In fact, the way he says it is absolutely emphatic. There are ways of expressing it in Greek of saying, you know, I never, never, never.

You are never doing this for me. And that is what Peter is saying. It never gonna happen Jesus. You are not doing this. And Jesus replies, let if you don't let me do this, you have no part with me.

His significant his reply is significantly saying, look, if I don't wash you if you don't let me wash you, Peter, if you don't let me serve you in this way, you have no part with me. You're not my cycle. And Peter's reply as typical Peter, isn't it? It's all or nothing. Well, in that case, wash everything, hands, heads, washed a lot.

And Jesus' reply is, slightly tricky to understand verse 10. Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet. Their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though, not every 1 of you. Different people debate what exactly Jesus is getting at there.

Is he making a new point along the lines of, if you're a Christian, if you've come to me and you've been washed, yes, you you get sin, you keep sinning, and you need to keep coming back to me to be mating, but you don't need that initial washing all over again. Is he making that point? I'm not convinced about that. I wonder whether Jesus is just getting sort of almost getting on Peter's level of saying that you don't need me to wash your hands and head your feet, you know, you've had a bath, Peter. You don't you don't need that.

But anyway, this is symbolic. This is about a symbolic washing. This is symbolic for the real washing, which is much deeper, which is why then talks about Judith as 1 who is not clean, even though his feet are gonna be washed. He's not really clean. You see, we need to see that Jesus is saying here that to be his people, we need to have ourselves washed.

Not from mud and dirt, but from sin, from our guilt. From actions and words we've spoken that we regret and that we can't get rid of ourselves. And we need Jesus to wash us clean. We need his death for us. That's what this is pointing to.

It's pointing to the cross to say, there, you can be washed clean. But notice, this is saying more than just you need Jesus to wash you. It's saying that for you to be washed, Jesus must serve you in the most menial of ways. Jesus went from the throne of glory to this earth, took on the role of a servant, and took on an undignified, menial position, went further than just washing feet, but was nailed to a cross, stripped bare, beaten, hung on across to die. And Jesus is saying, I have to do that.

For you. You must let me do that for you. And if you don't let me serve you, you have no part with me. And we need to know Jesus did this out of love. He went through it all out of love for you and me.

Don't skip over. That. It's quite possible to serve others. And to be quite sacrificial in a very unloving way, you know that if you've had a bad waiter or a bad nurse in hospital. They can serve in very unloving ways, in judgmental ways in ways with where they disdain those who who they are serving, not so with Jesus.

He went the cross to show the full extent of his love. Do you know that love? The love of priced. Have you let him serve you? Have you recognized that he needs to die for you and to go through all that?

And he does it willingly lovingly. So the you can be washed clean. Have you accepted that? You need to do so. And then and only then can we turn to community?

Love 1 another as Jesus has loved us. First 12, when he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. Do you understand what I've 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 1 another's feet. I've set you an example that you should do as I have done for you very truly, I tell you no servant is greater than his master nor is a messenger greater than the 1 who sent him. Now that you know these things, you'll be blessed. If you do them. So he now gives them the command, how they're to relay to 1 another.

He says, I've washed your feet. Now you wash 1 another's feet. Do the same. And he reminds some of his position. He says, you call me teacher and lord.

And he says, that's right. It's right that you do that. And you've experience me as your teacher and lord washing your feet. So wash 1 another. And he says a servant isn't greater than his master.

Now that's an interesting thought, isn't it? If we're gonna say this is beneath me to do this for others. What we're really saying is we must be greater than Jesus. We must be superior to Jesus. Because as he served.

So if we're saying this is beneath us, we must be above Jesus. Now we need to see this is a huge call, isn't it? Jesus says. As I have loved you, you must love 1 another. Now this isn't because and I hate this expression.

This isn't Jesus Jesus saying be Jesus for 1 another. He's not saying that because you can't be Jesus for someone else. You need every 1 of us needs Jesus directly to die for them. You can't die for the sins of others. So you you can't take Jesus.

You can't substitute yourself in for Jesus, but he is saying imitate me for 1 another. Serv 1 another. Love 1 another the way I have loved you. Take the lowest position. Be willing to take the worst, the lowest, the menial jobs, and serve.

Look for ways to serve, not just the easy ways, but the hard ways, the costly way is, and do it out of love for 1 another. Not out of duty, not grudgingly, but willingly with the desire to do whatever is bet in the best interest of others. For those who are easy to love, and those who are difficult to love. That's what will mark us out from the world. Love those who will love you back and love those who can't.

Jesus loved his disciples washed their feet just before they were going to desert him, and he knew they were gonna do it. And love them anyway. So we need to love 1 another. And gospel communities are a good place to do this. They're a great place to do this.

Because we'll struggle to do it even on a Sunday morning. I mean, we're not a huge judge, but but it's it's difficult just on a Sunday morning to do this for 1 another, but it's much easier in a small group. It's interesting that Jesus did this foot washing when it was just the 12. He didn't do it when he had 5000 people in front of him, and he when he fed them. He didn't begin by saying, right?

Now let's do the foot washing thing. No. Cause it would have taken forever. But he could do it with the smaller group. So too for us.

Yes. We need to love 1 another. And I don't want you to restrict your loving 1 another to your gospel community. You can't get how that person's in need, but they're not in my gospel community, so I'm alright. No.

No. We've gotta love 1 another anyway. Look for ways to love 1 another, but gospel communities are a really good opportunity, good venue where we can do this. So as we start gospel communities, we've gotta go into them thinking, we need to do the 1 anothers, and that includes loving 1 another. Now that's gonna shape the way we view the grid.

Now there are lots of applications in this. And this week, if you're in the gospel community, you have an opportunity to talk about some of them. Let me just flag up oh, yeah. Okay. Time's going on.

Let me just flag up 1 or 2, okay, which you're not gonna talk about this week. Okay. 1 or 2. First, this feels too much maybe you feel that. It feels like a lot.

How am I gonna do this for everyone in the group? Well, first thing to do is to come back to Jesus and go, well, how might how did he deal with me? What was he prepared to do? How far was he prepared to go for me and revel in that love? And then think, well, that's what I've gotta do for others.

That's how far I've gotta go. That's how far I want to go as a reflection of what Jesus did for me. So we're looking for ways to serve 1 another and go, yeah, it does feel like a lot, but it felt like a lot for Jesus, and he did it for you. Next 1. 0, hang on.

These are these are these are all. Okay. Let me let me, sorry. Forget about what's on the screen. Let me give you the other ones.

Okay. Yes. So not the consumer mindset. Okay. Easy to go to gospel communities or be part of a church and have consumer mindset, which is, I I want what I can get out of it.

And if I'm getting something out of it, this is great. I'm really enthusiastic. If I'm not getting anything out of it, well, maybe I won't go along to gospel community so much, and maybe I won't, maybe I'll ask to see if I can change group. Don't have consumer mindset. That is so easily our way of thinking.

Do that when you're coming into gospel community. Rather, we need to be thinking, how can I love those in my group? And if as you come away from a group, you're thinking, well, I've got something that I can pray for that person, something I can follow-up with that person to see how they're doing, and I can do that, you know, after the after the session that is a good session. I hope you'll get loads from the bible studies as well. But actually, the key thing is to be going along thinking, how can I do this?

How can I love others? Where are the opportunities for that? So not consumer mindset, but serving minds set. Another 1. Allow others to serve you.

Allow others to serve you. Sometimes we can be willing to serve others, but we don't wanna let others serve us. You know, the the I've had lots of people say this kind of thing, so it's good to head this off the ride at the start, where people will go, oh, I wouldn't want to burden others. I don't want to trouble others with my with my needs. I just wouldn't want to do that.

You know, wanna be a hassle to them. Now sometimes that's out of pride. We go, I I, you know, I don't wanna be look seem to be someone who needs others. But don't forget, this is the way that Jesus has set up the church. We're to be a body.

Paul talks about us being a body with different parts each person is a different part of the body. Therefore, we need 1 another. Jesus has set us up to need 1 another. That's the way we are. We all need 1 another.

But also, if we go into it thinking, oh, I don't want to disturb it. I don't wanna bother others. What are you actually saying about the attitude that other people have? You're assuming that they're not gonna be loving, that they're not gonna want to do what Jesus tells us to do here. Aren't you?

Kind of going, I presume if I say some something, everyone's gonna go, oh, I'm gonna have to help them there. Rather than assuming, why not assume that the rest of the people in the group are gonna go great. And opportunity to love that person. And therefore, actually, in a way, you're doing them a favor because you're saying this is how you can love me. And I and the group members should be going great.

We want to love you. Thank you for that opportunity. If none of us let anyone else service, if no 1 lets anyone else wash their feet, it's just not gonna happen, is it? We've gotta do it. I There's plenty more applications that you're gonna think about in groups this week.

The call is to love 1 another. It is to take the gospel, what Jesus did for us, and turn it into community, loving 1 another in the way he loved us. It's a huge call, and some of us are gonna be feeling overwhelmed by it. It is a big call, and we might look at group members and think, really, them? And the answer is, so sake yourself in Jesus' love.

Know again the depths of his love that he poured it out for you. When by rights, he could have stayed in heaven in glory, but he poured it all out, came down live died as a servant, washed disciples feet, died on the cross, and did it all out of love for you, soak in it, and let it be your motivation. As we come to communion, rejoice in Jesus is love for you, soak in it. I mean, don't soak in it, but soak in Jesus' love for you. His being gospel communities is not about ticking a box.

It's not about an enforced morality. You are love in this way, gospel communities about knowing the gospel and letting the gospel melt our hearts, change our lives, and for the gospel to shape our relationships. Let's pray. Heavenly father, thank you that we see in this passage, the gospel of the lord Jesus that he became and was prepared to suffer and die for us to take on the most menial of roles, to be a servant, father help us to know that love more deeply. Help us to know Jesus' service of us and father if there are those here who have not yet let Jesus serve them.

Father, please help humbly to say, to let Jesus be that servant for them, to wash them. And those who have, father, please help us to remember that, to rejoice in it, to soak in Jesus' love, and then to love 1 another as Jesus has loved us.