Do for Others What Has Been Done for You

Jesus says was important thing Jesus comes to us.

But what are some things and what Jesus's key indicators are particularly important in John's Gospel Lisa prefaced by the once man man truly, truly, I say to you multiple times Jesus uses those words was with his disciples in the upper room. He knew the time was fast approaching porn to depart this world as they sat there with her master unaware what would soon take place. Jesus serve. He taught the and pray for them today on Renewing Your Mind, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson paints a vivid picture of the disciples final moments with her Savior. Nowhere coming to our second study and the farewell discourse will follow Jesus on the passage on chapter 13 verses 12 through 20 on.

I think I want to call this study.

The movement from understanding to experiencing blessing. Most of your promising but optical illusion where you hold a picture up on day. Some people see an ugly hag old ugly women on other people see a beautiful princess on their some people never quite able to do whatever it is you need to do in order to combat ugly women into the beautiful princess or for that matter, vice versa.

Think actually if you experiment you'll notice that there's a particular point in the optical illusion which, if you if you look onto if you can actually see the picture changing from the ugly hag to the beautiful princess it's it's a picture that is showing us. Apparently, two very different things. In some ways this section of John's Gospel is like not when you look onto it from one point of view that you see Jesus portraying himself as our Savior. Within a few. If you look at the right point. The key point. You also notice that actually at one in the same time Jesus is portraying himself as example is our Savior, he brings is the blessing of salvation as out example he brings is the blessing of a transformed life. Look at the picture from one point of view. Jesus is stepping down from glory. Jesus, who is the Lord of all, is becoming the solvent of sinners in order to save sinners and having accomplished his work of redemption.

He is exalted again right hand of the father and Jesus has portrayed this to his disciples, but now he wants them to see something different in this picture he wants them to see how this picture applies to their lives. And if you're going to be able to see the transition from Jesus as Redeemer to Jesus as example for Christians there's a particular point in the passage that you just need to focus your attention on you find it. Actually, in chapter 15. Here and in Jesus words to Simon Peter.

Peter he says in verse seven.

What I'm doing.

You do not understand but afterward you will understand. Interesting isn't it the same to Peter. Peter you you can't fully understand the meaning of this dramatic parable, but later on, you'll look back to see all now I see what Jesus was showing us he was showing us how he became our Savior and fascinatingly just a little later on in the passage, Jesus says to the disciples. Once he's back at his seat.

Does the host off the Passover meal.

He says recorded in verse 12. Do you understand what I've done. In the first use of the word understand, he assumes that they can't yet understand. In the second use of the word understand, he assumes they ought to be able to understand the significance of what he's doing on Twitter so that he is doing he is giving them. He says an example that they are to follow someone to suggest seriously look at these verses together this form understand can be a real key to the significance of Jesus teaching on a real key to Isaac grasping what it means ourselves to see Jesus as example. First of all, Jesus wants them to understand the significance of what he himself has done for them. He wants them to be able to make the connections between what they've seen him do what he wants to see them do honey says no. The key here lies in the understanding some very important principle of the Christian life isn't up, but the key to transformed Christian living does not lie primarily in our emotions and feelings in our instincts. The gospel will change all these, but the key to the transformed Christian life lies primarily in our understanding of the gospel understand understanding impacts the way we think, the way we feel. Then of course inevitably the way we live for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, the gospel transforms the way we think and then it fuels gives energy to the way in which we speak and live. It's the principle of Romans 12 one and two is where Paul says that we are to give ourselves to the Lord and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds that emphasis on the mind on the understanding is not an invention of the apostle Paul. It is something that our Lord Jesus emphasizes here what are we to understand we are to understand that this picture of Jesus rising from supper, washing the feet of his proud disciples on then entering into glory is also a model for the way in which you and I and these disciples are called to live the Christian life sometimes we live thoughtfully as we say by the golden rule. It's a great central part of the teaching of the law doesn't we should do to others what we would want others to do to ourselves.

We should love our neighbors as ourselves. But the golden rule has a center on the core. It isn't just doing to others for we would like others to do two hours is doing to others what the Lord Jesus has done to us, so the picture in my mind is a Christian is not like her to treat me to treat me the picture in my mind is how was the Lord Jesus treated me and that treatment is the treatment.

The display of bracelet I am to show to others. One of the marvelous things about seeing this passage in the light of the rest of the New Testament is that you can see the impact that it made particularly on Simon Peter felt interesting. Peter is at the forefront. He is the one who protests about foot washing and is clear in Peter's first letter, but it was this foot washing that made such a powerful impact on Peter. He says to his fellow Christians ureter cloth yourself with humility and clearly the picture in his mind that lies behind these words is the picture of Jesus clothing himself with humility. It's Peter who says that Jesus has sent us an example actually want. He uses this letter is the word that would be used for the writing of teacher showing pupils how you would write it in the Greek language or any language for that matter actually how I learned to write and join the operating costs of scrap actually takes time and skills any longer.

The teacher would come and sit down beside you in my case I would be almost asphyxiated by her heavy perfume and she would show me how to write that would be a light stroke, and then a heavy stroke and she would write on one line on then I would imitate all of poorly although I did once win a prize for handwriting. When I was seven and I wish I'd Took to prove I once was able to write properly and then you would land slowly how to light. That's the picture Simon Peter is giving us he saying now Jesus has written in large letters what it means to live for the glory of God, and know the spirit wants to write those same lancers that same disposition of being a sound of it into your life and into your lifestyle. So in the first place, you and I need to understand the significance of what Jesus has done becomes all the more important because there's a second element in understanding but Jesus is teaching us here not only understanding the significance of what Jesus has done, but understanding the significance of who Jesus is who has done this is a huge emphasis here isn't this isn't just one of these Galilean fisherman deciding that he's going to be the one who will greatly embarrassed silence of pride that no one will wash the other disciples feet. The significance of this foot washing is that it is the Lord of glory, the kingdom of heaven. The word of the father, the son of the living God, the one whom John has introduced in the first verse of the gospel as the word who was with God in the beginning, the preposition uses Hazlitt's suggestion of horse face-to-face with God. You know how the non-Western world that are only certain people with whom your etiquette allows you to lock eyes no one but my children may lock eyes with my wife, apart from myself.

That's an intimacy that stretches beyond proper barbers to lock eyes with some on in a sense what John is saying is the one about whom I'm writing my gospel is the only one who in all eternity was able to lock eyes with her heavenly father. He was in the beginning with God and he was able to lock eyes gaze into the eyes of the heavenly father because he was God know what this passage is emphasizing right from the beginning is that it's when we understand not only the significance of what Jesus is done, but the significance of who Jesus is. Who hasn't done that letter begins to impact my life so that I come to understand because of the deep instincts of the gospel created inmate that if the Lord of glory did this for his disciples should not follow his example on the land from my master. How proud I must be if the Lord Jesus the King of glory wash the dirty feet of these disciples. If I am not willing and indeed eager to wash the dirty feet of other disciples whom I know actually I find one of the most moving features of this particular chapter is less.

But Jesus actually knelt down on wash the dirty feet of the man he knew would deny him three times before. The next day God. There was no holding back with Jesus. All I want wash his feet because he bowed denying me and perhaps even more remarkable is less that we learned in this passage that he knew who was going to betray him, and he knelt down, apparently, and washed his deputy feet as well.

This is surely what we mean when we speak about unconditional love for others. But Jesus washes the feet of the one who will deny him and washes the feet of the one who will betray him on the impact of that on me is surely to be less if he is willing to do that should not. I also willing to follow his example. You know that beautiful lion in charge, but spoil the elixir, part of which we sometimes singers let him teach me my God and King. Nothing he says nothing can be to mean which with this picture for the lysate will not little bright and clean you is a very simple thing is into nothing complex or complicated about this what Jesus did this described in simple sentences.

He got up from supper, he took off his outer clothes.

He put on the sentence tell he got the basin of water. He kneeled down, wash the dirty feet of his disciples, he put on his clothes and went back to the central place in the table is not rocket science as a matter of law is a matter of following the example of the Lord Jesus, and will help to do this not only because we understand the significance of what he has done but because we are overwhelmed by the knowledge that he's done this for us who would this not also be true, who have denied him, and also perhaps in the past betrayed him and trodden him under feet and despised the blunt of his covenant and if Jesus has done this for me is reasoning is should I not do this from others, so will help here by understanding the significance of what Jesus is done. What helped our lives begin to be transformed.

When we understand the significance of who Jesus is who has done this, but it also helped. I think in the first place. When we understand the significance of who we are in Jesus points this out to us in verses 15 and 16,000 I have given you an example that you also should do just as I have done to you doesn't mean that the only thing we do is wash other people started feet. He saying this is an example that transforms the whole of your life but were going to be helped. He says, verse 16. When we understand this, truly I say to you, a solvent is not greater than his master. Notice on messenger greater from the one who sent him. You notice this is one of the sayings of Jesus that begins with the man man and you probably also know about in this world of antiquity. They didn't have red letters. We didn't have on the lightning. They didn't have italics script if you wanted to emphasize something you said that twice solvers were brought up that way want a mother says to his. I've said this twice to you so you thought it's really important that she said it twice everything Jesus says is important. Everything Jesus says comes to us as the blood of God, but that are some things and what Jesus says that he indicates are particularly important in John's Gospel Lisa prefaced by the words man man truly, truly, I say to you know what's so significant here and what Jesus says is this.

First of all, I am a solvent and I'm not greater than my master. Second of all, I am a messenger and I'm sent to represent my master receive and understand these things begins to change the way I think about living the Christian life. I am a bondslave of the Lord Jesus. My will is to do the will of my master this pulses I've been bought with a price.

I am no longer my own know if you grasp that principal really does change the way you think about being a Christian doesn't actually Jesus come to talk popular life or to reorganize your life so that you will have a better life is, in order that you may become his bondslave in the most gloriously free service of the most loving of masters and King but my will is not my will and my will is not his and his will is that if my master has stooped to wash others directly feet, then who admires his solvent, his bondslave to think about doing anything else member on one occasion being at a wedding reception sitting with one of my longest standing and closest friends and one of the waitresses.

As you can by dropped an entire play fool of fairly decent crockery that fell all over the place and I in a moment of fall. He turned to my friend and said to him, somebody should help the general and he turned to me in a moment of seriousness and said well and I got the point and I rose from the banquet today try to help the general under it was it was a moment of self revelation so characteristic of all of us wasn't without its government saw churches are clearly what somebody should do something about somebody should humble themselves and do something about them.

Jesus says watching and listening. And I think you say well when the front conjures up life situations or people you know that are some people who are just so difficult. Such a pain in the neck, but of course you shouldn't kneel down before them and help them.

They don't is the yes like Simon Peter didn't deserve like Judas Iscariot didn't deserve. When we understand who we are and this seems to be so difficult for us in the contemporary Christian bottle doesn't build a sacrifice some of this big wax.

None of the big works of all to do with self and how our lives are rearranged and we need those lives to be rearranged on Jesus because were not only servants but also messenger every breath we believe every step we take says something about on master member reading as a youngster because in those days. Every morning we would dilute another pint of milk in the postwar era because apparently children are being deprived of Milton. So much so that probably Japanese people said Scottish people smell of milk. I suppose if you're not a milk drink: people are drinking gallons of milk that seemed every week that it would affect your breath on Jesus is saying people smell you give off on the rule of law. When you leave the room you've left an atmosphere behind is that atmosphere the atmosphere of the messenger of the Lord Jesus Christ and the mother's thing. And of course this is where Jesus leads us in verses 17 through 20. The place where this leaves us is that we receive the most unusual blessing when this takes place in our lives. Verse 17 if you know these things. Blessed are you, if you do them. That's not rocket science. Islanders that is a blessing, but I will never experience so long as I'm standing on my feet, but I will experience it when I'm kneeling before even doors who don't. This the grace of Jesus Christ's. But here's the question which would finish before whom did you last meal is a Christian when a bold and profound description of what it means to serve even those who don't deserve it referred an encouraging message today here on Renewing Your Mind, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson's joy just curing portions of his series lessons from the upper room in 12 messages.

We hear the important instructions, Jesus passed on to his disciples.

We like for you to have this series we will send them to you in a two DVD set for your donation of any amount of regular ministries you can make your request online@renewingyourmind.org or you can call us with your gift at 800-435-4343.

Dr. Ferguson wrote a book by the same title lessons from the upper room and in it he provides a good synopsis of Jesus time with his disciples it entered really the take away for us.

He writes this. The key to transform Christian living lies primarily in our understanding of the gospel as its truth affects the way we think it begins to change the way we feel that in turn affects what we want in the way we behave again. We invite you to request this series from Dr. Ferguson. There are 12 messages onto DVDs and you can request it with your gift of any amount.

Our phone number again is 800-435-4343 and her web address is Renewing Your Mind.org tomorrow. Dr. Ferguson will show us the personal nature of Jesus time with his disciples in the upper room. We hope you'll join us for that Friday here on Renewing Your Mind