Happy
Are Ye If You Do Them
John 13:11 “For he knew who should betray
him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
12 So after he had washed their
feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down
again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done
to you?
13 Ye call me Master and
Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
14
If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your
feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.
15 For I have given you an example,
that ye should do as I have done to you.
16 Verily, verily, I say unto you,
The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he
that is sent greater than he that sent him.
17 If ye know these things, happy
are ye if ye do them.”
1. Friend or Foe?
2. The Servant
Master
3. It Is All About Others
4. The
Greater Is Greater
5. The Promise of Happiness
1. Friend or Foe?
Verse eleven: “For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.”
In the book of Proverbs there is a particular truth we all need to fasten onto in order to understand the betrayal that Jesus Christ experienced in verse eleven.
Are you ready? In Proverbs chapter eighteen, verse twenty-four we will find this: “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” [Proverbs 18:24]
Did you get that? There is a friend that “sticks closer” than a brother! This is a big lesson for us all to learn.
There are those who will be closer to you [a friend] than your own blood relations [mother, father, brothers and sisters].
Now, a man ought to make it a priority in life to recognize a true friend. A true friend is rare thing in our day. A true friend is in deed a wonderful find. I am sure you know this to be true if you have spent very much time on this earth. A true friend will stick with you “through thick or thin”.
These twelve disciples had “stuck it out” with Jesus for all these forty-two months of His ministry on this earth.
In the beginning of their journey [their discipleship] things had gone pretty well. These twelve disciples had seen things that no man had ever seen before. They had seen the LORD heal the sick, raise the dead, and feed the thousands with a few fishes and loaves of bread. They, indeed, had seen it all!
These twelve men were drawn to the Son of God and HE called them friends. [John 15:15] “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”
Imagine it brethren! GOD [Who came in flesh] called these men … FRIENDS!
Isn’t that something? But there it is … in your Bible. All you have to do is believe it!
Now, let’s go further here, by taking a look at verses thirteen and fourteen. Let me read them to you.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” [John 15:13-14]
God calls us [Christians] FRIENDS! Amen!
2. The Servant Master
Verses twelve and thirteen: “So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.”
It is time now for an observation to be made concerning the institution of human government.
In the first six thousand years of human history, the best form of human government that has ever been demonstrated on the face of this earth has been those governments that governed [or ruled] as a SERVANT-MASTER.
Now what do I mean by this term: servant-master? Let me explain.
Our beginning as a nation [The United States] was characterized with just such leadership [the servant-master leadership]. George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson were servant-masters. Amen! That was true then [when our leaders were servant-masters] in our beginning as a nation.
We began well. We are not ending well. We used to have public servants, but now, we have self-serving leaders who are "politicians", which is to our hurt and sadness as a people. But what is coming up next will be different.
Are you ready for this? In the seventh millennium the best form of government will not be of the servant-master form.
It will be the MASTER [The SON of GOD] ruling in an absolute monarchy over all the nations the earth from Mount Zion [Jerusalem, Israel].
While men are ruling [the times of the gentiles] the servant-master form of leadership is the best that man can hope to obtain in a government, but when Jesus Christ shows up [soon] to establish the Kingdom of Heaven here on this earth ... for a thousands years, the best form of government will finally be made known to men.
It will be a MONARCHY. The nations will SERVE the MASTER. Amen!
There is something else we need to see here. Until Jesus Christ shows up in the millennium, our present pattern of servant-master leadership, whether a monarchy, or it be a representative form of government, is under the authority of GOD.
These men who have been placed into positions of leadership by God will lead their nations best by SERVICE [by serving others].
We need to see GOD in our human governments!
Romans chapter thirteen is our primer from the Spirit of God on human government.
Let me read to verse one: “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.”
So here we are in summary. When Jesus Christ came to this earth the first time [The First Advent] HE came to serve [or minister] to men [to us].
When Jesus Christ comes to this earth SOON [the second time]
HE will rule in an absolute monarchy with the nations serving Him [in the Kingdom of Heaven]. Amen!
But, brethren, until the Church is translated out of the earth, we ought to serve one and another till He comes, just as HE showed us here in John thirteen.
3. It Is All About Others
Verses fourteen and fifteen: “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.”
Do you see that word? I am talking about that word: “example”. This means we need to repeat, literally and also figuratively, by following HIS example, the washing of one another’s feet in this age of GRACE till He comes for us.
Now, I have to admit I never have seen foot washing practiced in any modern day local independent Baptist church, and this may be to our own shame and hurt. Now there are those who do.
The Brethren for one [and other Anabaptists] have retained this practice within their local assemblies down through the years. That is why I have in the past washed your feet in order to provide for you this example “that ye should do as I have done to you.”
I want to serve you even though I am your leader. Leading is not about the leader. Leading is all about others [YOU]. Do you remember our study in John chapter three about John the Baptist?
Here is the spirit of John the Baptist. “He must increase, but I must decrease.” [John 3:30]
Now that ought to be “the bent” of the New Testament local independent Baptist church. It is all about preaching Christ to others, and ministering to them in this example. The New Testament Baptist church ought to be like a hospital where those in need are saved and built up in the faith. We can see this building up process going on in [Ephesians 4:12-13].
“For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.”
Do you see it? It is all about others!
If we have the same “spirit” that the John the Baptist had, we can serve one and another in this example that the SON of GOD has shown us here.
4. The Greater Is Greater
Verse sixteen: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.”
This verse shows the proper order in the matter of WHO is the GREATER.
Now the Jews failed to see this order. Therefore, it behooves us not fail in this same manner as the Jews did.
The GREATER does the sending. God, the Father, sent the Messiah to them [Israel], and they failed to see WHO HE really was.
The Messiah [Jesus Christ] came to save that which was lost. The Greater had sent HIS SERVANT. This SERVANT is revealed in Isaiah chapter forty-nine, verse five. [If only Israel believed what the BOOK had said about the SERVANT.]
Let us now read the verse. Are you ready? “And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.”
If the Jews knew THE GREATER then they would have recognized HIS SERVANT whom HE sent to them and would have RECEIVED HIM.
What about you? Have you received HIM?
5. The Promise of Happiness
Verse seventeen: “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”
This is a mighty big “IF” for us all to take notice. Jesus Christ has laid it out, in no uncertain terms, that this particular promise for happiness is a conditional promise.
This happiness is predicated on us DOING something first [or while we are in the act of DOING something]. Here it is.
The promise of happiness can come to those who:
1. “Know these things.”
[Condition No. 1]
2. Then “doing those
things.” [Condition No. 2]
3.
“Happy are ye.” [THE PROMISE]
This true happiness can only be realized by the
true believer in Jesus Christ [The Christian]. Amen!