Ephesians 4 Part 3 (10-2-05)

Ephesians 4 Part 3
Bible Study Time 10-2-05

In Ephesians 4, the Holy Spirit used the Apostle Paul to reveal the heart of God in regard to the walk of the believer. God has saved us by His grace because of His great love for us. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but by His mercy He saved us. God has taken us from the depths of sin and depravity and has given us a high and noble calling in Jesus Christ. It gives Him great pleasure to see us live a life that is worthy of such a position. He has given us the power through the Holy Spirit to walk worthy of the calling with which we have been called.

Paul says that to walk worthy of our new position, we should walk with all humility, putting aside our own selfish ambition. We should look not only on our own situation, but we should consider the circumstances of others.

Anyone is a position of authority realizes very quickly that you can’t please everyone. We all want what is best for us, but what is best for us may not be the best for someone else. When people consider only their own interests, the result is a common but very unpleasant social phenomenon known as bickering and fighting.

In Galatians 5, Paul says that hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, and dissensions are all works of the flesh. According to Ephesians 2, we once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, and it came naturally to us to fulfill all of the desires of the flesh.

Ephesians 2:4-5 (NKJ)
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 . . . made us alive together with Christ

Paul says in Ephesians 4 that our worthy walk involves not only walking with all humility, but it also involves walking with longsuffering as we bear with one another in love.

Our great example in longsuffering is God, Himself. In the book of Exodus we see that the children of Israel grew restless as Moses was with the Lord on Mt. Sinai. They suspected that something dreadful had happened to him and that he simply was not going to come down from the mountain.

They had witnessed the lightning and the thunder at the mountaintop. They had felt the seizures of the earth beneath their feet. They, themselves, had trembled with fear as they heard the voice of the Lord and agreed to do all that He commanded them to do.

As Moses climbed up the side of the mountain and disappeared into the cloud, they waited. As they waited, minutes turned into hours, and the hours into days. After forty days they began to wonder if Moses would ever return. Maybe the consuming fire had claimed its first victim. Just how long were they suppose to wait for Moses?

The elders of the people finally came to Aaron and said, “We think that we’ve waited long enough. It appears that something has happened to Moses, and we can’t wait here forever. Let’s make some gods like we had back in Egypt, and then we can tell the people that these are the gods that brought us up out of the land of Egypt.”

Obviously, this was not only human nature at its worst, but it was a scheme which smelled like smoke and came straight from the pit of hell. There is nothing the devil likes more than manipulating people with religion. However, religious leaders should realize that a lie is a lie and nothing good can come from a lie. The devil is a liar and the father of lies.

The children of Israel had witnessed the mighty miracles which the Lord had done through Moses. After all, Moses had done miracles at his first meeting with the elders, and the Bible says that when the elders saw the miracles, they believed that the Lord had visited them and that He had taken notice of their affliction.

The children of Israel had also seen the plaques which God had done through Moses. They had seen the water turn to blood. They had seen the frogs, the gnats, the flies, the dying cattle and the festering boils. They had seen the hail, the locusts, the darkness and the death of Egypt’s firstborn sons, including the death of Pharaoh’s son.

God had protected them through all of these plagues, and He had delivered them from the Egyptian army as they crossed the Red Sea. But still the faith of Israel was weak. After 40 days of waiting for Moses at the foot of Mt. Sinai, they decided they needed a new god. The God who had proven Himself to them time and time again just wasn’t worth waiting for any longer.

When the elders came to Aaron with their concerns, he told them to gather up all of their gold jewelry. He took the gold, melted it down in a blazing furnace, and cast it in the shape of a giant calf.

The elders of Israel must have been very pleased with themselves for they had successfully created a god for the people to worship, and they were confident that this god would never forsake them like the God who had lured Moses up into the fiery mountain peak.

They were so excited that they threw a big party. They ate and drank and sang and danced. But little did they know that the God who they thought had forsaken them was looking down from that mountain and was observing all of their activities. When God saw the golden calf, He was so angry that He wanted to destroy the entire nation of Israel. Moses stepped up and begged for mercy on Israel’s behalf, saying:

Exodus 32:12-14 (NKJ)
12 "Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, 'He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people.
13 "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'"
14 So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.

When I think of this event, I can not help but think of the number of people who think that the God of the Bible has gone away and left us here to follow our own devices. They have forgotten all of the things that God has done in the past to prove that He is alive and well. They have forgotten all of the mighty works of God which are recorded in the scriptures, and they have forgotten that God is the source of the freedom and prosperity which we enjoy and so often take for granted.

We live in a time when people scoff at the word of God and openly deride the name of Jesus. They think that the religion of the Bible is a thing of the past and that the God of the Bible is no longer a viable force.

The truth of the matter is, however, that the God of the Bible is very much alive, and He is paying close attention to all of the events that take place upon this earth. Today, we live in an age of grace, but there is coming a time when God will no longer remain silent in the heavens. Someday He will speak and all of the world will become aware of His mighty power.

There are those who think that we are doing a great job of solving the world’s problems without God. There are those who think that we can just replace God with a god of our own choosing. But God will someday set the record straight just like He did when He saw the golden calf.

As angry as God was when He saw the calf, He heeded Moses’ plea and agreed not to destroy the children of Israel. At first He told Moses to go on to the promised land with the children of Israel. He said that He would send His Angel before them, but that He would not be going with them.

When the people heard this bad news, they mourned and stripped themselves of their jewelry. After Moses went before the Lord again to plead their case, God agreed to go with them and lead them to the promised land. Then God revealed Himself to Moses in a way that revealed all of the goodness of the Lord. As the Lord passed before Moses, the Lord said:

Exodus 34:6-8 (NKJ)
6 . . . "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,
7 "keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation."
8 So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped.

The Lord God is gracious and longsuffering, and as the sons of God, we should be gracious and longsuffering too. In Luke, Chapter 6, Jesus said:

Luke 6:35-36 (NKJ)
35 " . . . love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
36 "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

If this is true, that we should love our enemies, then certainly we should be longsuffering with one another as well. We should bear with one another in love.

Have you ever thought about the fact that we are so much more vulnerable to being hurt by those we love than we are to being hurt by a stranger? Someone we don’t know can hardly hurt us. Oh, a stranger may attack us and leave us with physical wounds, but physical wounds heal so much faster and so much better than the emotional wounds which are caused by the personal betrayal of someone we love.

Emotional wounds take a long time to heal and often leave permanent scars. We become vulnerable to this kind of pain whenever we chose to love. This deep, heartfelt pain is the kind of pain that God suffered when He looked down from Mt. Sinai and saw His chosen people worshipping a god which they had fashioned with their own hands. Not only had they failed to love and honor Him as they had promised to do, but they had rejected Him. They did not want Him as their god.

God knows the pain of rejection, and He can empathize with us when our pain is deep and personal. He knows our pain, and He also knows what is best for us. He does not tell us to strike back or hold a grudge. He does not say that there are some circumstances in which hatred is justified. No, He says just the opposite. He told the Apostle Paul to tell us that we should be longsuffering with one another, and we should bear with one another in love.

Isn’t it good that the children of Israel had a mediator who could plead their case before God when they messed up. When Moses finally did come down from that mountain, can you just imagine the look on their faces. All of a sudden, they knew not only that Moses was alive, but they knew that God too was alive, and that judgment was coming. But Exodus 32 says that Moses went before the Lord again to plead for the children of Israel.

Moses was called to represent God to the children of Israel, but because Moses loved the children of Israel, he ended up representing the children of Israel before God. Jesus Christ was called to represent God to us, and He did that very well. The Apostle John said that no one has seen God at any time, but that Jesus Christ has declared Him.

However, Jesus Christ not only represents the Father to us, but because of His love for us, He represents us to the Father. Again, it was the Apostle John who said that if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous. Today, there is one mediator between God and man, and that mediator is the Man Christ Jesus.

If you do not know the Lord today, you can call upon the Lord Jesus Christ. If you believe that He died for your sins, He will represent you before the Father. He will plead your case, and God will accept you as one of his children. You will become a member of the household of God.

We have this confidence because we know that Jesus Christ will make His plea not on the basis of our good deeds, but on the basis of His shed blood. God’s word declares that God is satisfied with the shed blood of Jesus Christ as the full payment for our sins.

If you already know the Lord, then you share with all believers the obligation and privilege of walking with longsuffering toward others and bearing one another in love. Later in Ephesians 4, Paul says:

Ephesians 4:32 (KJV)
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

I see our time is gone for this morning. Thank for listening to Bible Study Time. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:
http://www.peacechurch_ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch_fw.com/

Ephesians 4 Part 2 (9-25-05)

Ephesians 4 Part 2
Bible Study Time 9-25-05

In Ephesians, Chapter 4, Paul says:

Ephesians 4:1-3 (NKJ)
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Where the New King James version of the Bible says that we should walk with lowliness and gentleness, the King James Version says lowliness and meekness. The New American Standard version says with humility and gentleness. The words for lowliness, gentleness, meekness and humility are all translated in an interchangeable fashion. Therefore, it would be difficult to make a clear cut distinction between one or the other.

By using these two similar words one after the other, Paul was able to magnify the point that humility is of utmost importance in a walk that is worthy of the Lord. We often do the same thing in our descriptions. We may say that someone is honest and forthright. Or when we say that someone is faithful and true. Paul was emphasizing the importance of humility when he said that we should walk with all lowliness and gentleness.

Although these Greek words are essentially synonymous, they probably mean something a little different to each one of us. As we read these words, the Holy Spirit is able to communicate with us in a personal way. The Holy Spirit knows our personal history as well as our personality. As a result, He is able to establish a spiritual connection with us and communicate with us in a way that goes beyond words. He is able to make this unique spiritual connection with each and every believer.

This was graphically illustrated for us on the day of Pentecost when the apostles were gathered together in a small house. All of a sudden a deafening sound came out of heaven. It sounded like a mighty rushing wind, and it was so loud that all of the neighborhood scurried to investigate. The apostles then saw tongues of fire which separated and came to rest upon each one of the them. At that point the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages.

Many of the Jews who gathered outside the house had come to Jerusalem from far away to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. Naturally, they spoke a variety of languages, but that was not a problem on this occasion.

As the Holy Spirit spoke through the apostles, each person could hear the words in his own language, as if each person had his own individual interpreter. In a sense, all of us speak different languages because words mean different things to different people. However, that poses no problem for God. There is no communication barrier that God is not able to overcome. God is able and willing to speak to us in our own language, in our own personal dialect. He knows exactly what words to say to open our hearts with surgical precision.

When Peter declared in Acts, Chapter 2, that Jesus Christ had returned from the dead, the Jews who were present were pierced to the heart for it became apparent to them that they had crucified the Messiah. The one for whom the nation of Israel had waited for so long had been wrongfully accused and murdered with malice.

Prompted by the Holy Spirit, they asked, “What shall we do?”

Acts 2:38-39 (NKJ)
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."

Of coarse, the promise of which Peter spoke was the promise of the earthly kingdom. All of the prophets had steadfastly maintained that the Messiah would come to establish a glorious earthly kingdom. Isaiah said:

Isaiah 9:6-7 (NKJ)
6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Later Isaiah said:

Isaiah 55:1-3 (NKJ)
1 "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.
3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you-- the sure mercies of David.

The time for the New Covenant had finally arrived, but the New Covenant was dependent upon Israel’s willingness to accept it by faith. The Holy Spirit spoke through Peter and said that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah, but He was killed by wicked hands and then raised from the dead. All the nation of Israel had to do was repent and be baptized for the remission of sins and the promise of the kingdom would be fulfilled.

The Bible says that 3000 Jews put their faith in Jesus Christ that day, and that largely a result of the fact that each person heard the word of the Lord in his own language.

God continued to offer the kingdom to the nation of Israel throughout the Acts period, but they refused to believe. When God set Israel’s kingdom program aside at the end of the Acts period, He began to reveal the Church which is the Body of Christ which has no expectation of the earthly kingdom.

Even though the Holy Spirit no longer works through sign gifts such as speaking in tongues, the Holy Spirit still acts as the interpreter of the word of God. When we open the word of God and begin to read, the Holy Spirit speaks to us in our own personal dialect.

When I think of someone who walks with all lowliness and gentleness, I think of someone who does not think of himself more highly than he ought to think. The letter I is at the center of the word pride, even as self is at the core of those who are full of pride. Pride is selfish. It’s self centered, self absorbed, and self seeking. The Bible says that we should humble ourselves and give our self to God.

1 Corinthians 6:20 (NKJ)
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

Jesus Christ gave Himself so that we could know the joy of giving ourselves to God through faith in Him.

Pride superficially inflates the value of self so that it becomes vainly puffed up. Pride wants to lavishly decorate the external self, and put it on display before the world. On the other hand, if we give our hearts to God, He beautifully decorates the internal self with the joy that comes with true peace and love. God created us with a God-size hole in our hearts, and only God can fill that hole.

When we learn to crucify self and learn the meaning of humility, only then can we truly give to one another. Philippians 2 says:

Philippians 2:3-4 (NKJ)
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

This is not a license to become a busy body, minding everybody else’s business. Neither is it a green light to become the town gossip. On the contrary, it means that we should be genuinely concerned about one another.

When someone is sick, we should make it a point to care for them. When someone is suffering, we should make it a point to bring them comfort. When someone is needy, we should do our best to supply that need.

Becoming self absorbed guarantees a seat at the table where misery is the main course, but when we who believe learn to look out for the interests of others and dedicate ourselves to meeting the needs of others, we find the joy of the Lord.

It is such a paradox that we can find joy in giving. The fact that we do find joy in giving is one of the greatest evidences that we are a creation of God and not the product of natural selection. According to natural selection, only the strong survive, and if this were the case there could be no room for the joy of giving. The truth is that we were created by God with a need for giving, first to God and then to one another.

Satan, himself, is the author of pride. Isaiah says that there was a time when Satan was known as Lucifer, and he was in a position of authority over all of the angels of God. But there came a time when he was no longer satisfied with his position. He became envious of God and said:

Isaiah 14:13-14 (NKJ)
13 . . . 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; . . .
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'

Lucifer became self absorbed, saying, I will, I will, I will. He was filled with selfish ambition, saying, “I will be like the Most High.” As a result Satan was cast out of heaven and would later dedicate himself to man’s destruction.

Revelation, Chapter 12, calls Satan the accuser of the brethren, and as we guard against the sin of pride, it is important that we be aware of the fact that Satan often falsely accuses faithful believers of being full of pride. How ironic. The author of pride accuses the brethren of pride.

Joseph was one of the 12 sons of Jacob. God had great things planned for Joseph, and this became evident when he had a dream indicating that all of this brothers would someday bow before him. Naturally, this did not set well with Joseph’s brothers. They derided him, saying:

Gen 37:8 (NKJ)
8 . . . "Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?"

Obviously, the brothers thought Joseph was full of pride, but they revealed their own pride by rejecting the truth which was revealed through Joseph. Joseph had to learn that when you speak the truth, those who are offended by the truth may accuse you of arrogance and pride.

Truth must stand on its own merit. God’s word is true even if every man is a liar. Joseph learned his lesson well, and he never stopped believing that his brothers would someday bow before him.

On another occasion, David was sent by his father, Jesse, to look after his brothers who were fighting against the Philistines. When David arrived on the battlefield, he saw the giant named Goliath taunting the nation of Israel. David asked why this heathen was allowed to defy the armies of God, and David’s brother, Eliab, asked:

1 Samuel 17:28 (NKJ)
28 "Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, …"

Eliab thought he saw pride, but what he really saw was faith in the true and the living God. It had been so long sense Eliab had seen real faith that he didn’t even recognize it. Praise the Lord, David knew the difference, and he kept right on trusting the Lord and gained a spectacular victory over Goliath.

If we reject the truth of God’s word, we may perceive the messenger of God as being full of pride because our hearts are susceptible to the schemes of the devil. On the other hand, believing the truth is our greatest weapon against the devil because he has no power in the face of truth.

Proverbs 16 says:

Proverbs 16:18-20 (NKJ)
18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:
http://www.peacechurch_ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch_fw.com/

Ephesians 4 Part 1 (9-18-05)

Ephesians 4 Part 1
Bible Study Time 9-18-05

In the first three chapters of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul reveals the position of the believer who is a member of the Church which is the Body of Christ. We were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world and called to be the Sons of God.

We are seated in Christ in the heavenly places where we are seen as holy and without blame. As a result, we have continuous access to the Father with confidence.

We were at one time dead in trespasses and sins, but now we have been made alive in Jesus Christ so that in the ages to come God may bestow upon us the exceeding riches of His grace.

When the Lord Jesus ascended into heaven, He placed His blood upon the mercy seat in the temple of heaven. By His sacrifice, the Lord Jesus Christ satisfied all of the righteous requirements of the Law. The rituals of the Law were abolished, and God created one new man from believing Jews and believing Gentiles. This new man is the Church which is the Body of Christ.

In Romans 11, Paul said that God committed Jews and Gentiles alike to disobedience so that He might have mercy on all. Then in Romans 12, Paul said:

Romans 12:1 (NKJ)
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

But how can we live a life that is holy and acceptable in the sight of God? We were born in sin, and God’s ways are not our ways. What seems good to us is often disgusting to God.

First of all, we have been redeemed from the curse by the blood of Christ, and God has given us the Holy Spirit. Jesus told his disciples:

John 16:12-13 (NKJ)
12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; . . .

Secondly, God has given us His word. Paul told Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:14-17 (NKJ)
14 . . . you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Indeed, all scripture is God-breathed and was given that we might be thoroughly equipped for every good work. It is with this hope that we turn our attention to the last three chapters of Ephesians for these chapters serve as a guide for those who seek to live a life that is worthy of our calling in Jesus Christ. Paul begins Chapter 4 with these words:

Ephesians 4:1-3 (NKJ)
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Paul says that if we want to live a life that is consistent with our position in Christ, we must walk with all lowliness. The word for lowliness simply means with humility. This word is translated humility in several places including Acts, Chapter 20, where the Ephesian elders met with Paul in Miletus. Acts 20 says:

Acts 20:18-19 (NKJ)
18 And when they had come to (Paul), he said to them: "You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you,
19 "serving the Lord with all humility . . .

Later, Paul reminded the Philippians that they should let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind they should each esteem others better than themselves. And then to the Colossians, he said that they should put on tender mercies, kindness and humility.

The Apostle John wrote his account of the life of Jesus some 30 years after the other books of the New Testament had already been written. In his gospel account, he brings to our attention several events and discourses which were not revealed by the other historians. In one such event, John reveals the lowliness, or the humility, of Jesus. In John 13, Jesus proved that He did not come to be served but that He had come to serve.

According to John, Jesus and His disciples had traveled from Bethany to Jerusalem. In Bethany, Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem were already plotting to kill Jesus, and this display of divine power made them even more determined to do so.

When Jesus and his disciples got to Jerusalem, the disciples were pleasantly surprised to find the crowds rejoicing at the sight of Jesus. As Jesus entered the city the people:

John 12:13 (NKJ)
13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' The King of Israel!"

Now Jesus had sent two of His disciples in advance to Jerusalem to make ready a place for them to obverse the Passover. After all of the excited of His triumphal entry into the city, Jesus and His disciples finally settled into the large upper room which had been prepared.

As they entered the room, they probably removed their sandals according to the custom of the day, but there was no servant to wash their feet, and not one of the disciples volunteered to do so. After all, that was a task which was reserved for the lowest of all servants.

With the Passover meal already prepared, Jesus and His disciples offered a prayer of thanksgiving and started the meal with a glass of wine mingled with water. If all went as expected, they would wash their hands and pray. They would give thanks again and eat the Passover salad. Then they would say another prayer, drink another glass of wine, wash their hands again and finish the meal.

They all knew the routine, but at some point during the meal Jesus got up from the table, wrapped a towel around His waist and walked over to the area where they would normally wash their hands.

Jesus took a basin and filled it with water. The disciples exchanged nervous glances for this was not a part of the usual routine. As they watched, Jesus went to the first disciple and to their amazement, He began to wash his feet.

Some of the disciples may have been embarrassed that they did not offer to perform this humiliating task. Others may have been embarrassed for Jesus. After all, the crowd had just recognized Him as the King of Israel. Was this something that the King of Israel should be doing? Doesn’t a king need to maintain a certain presence. Some sort of stately demeanor?

Unlike the politicians of our day, Jesus was not concerned about His public image. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, I have read articles which tout the importance of having political leaders who have a confident public presence. Leaders who give the appearance of being strong, authoritative and decisive.

Jesus knew that He was the anointed King of Israel, and yet here He was, kneeling before His disciples washing their feet. When Jesus came to Peter, Peter questioned Jesus, asking, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?” But Jesus said, “Unless I wash you, Peter, you will have no part with me.”

We too must remember that there is nothing we can do to clean up our own act. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. Unless we have been washed by Jesus, we are not clean, and we have no hope of eternal life.

There is nothing we can do for God to gain His favor because He doesn’t need anything that we have to offer. Unless we have been washed by Jesus, we will have no part with Him.

In this regard, we have to rejoice as members of the Church which is the Body of Christ. Ephesians 5 says that:

Ephesians 5:25-27 (NKJ)
25 . . . Christ . . . loved the church and gave Himself for (us),
26 that He might sanctify and cleanse (us) with the washing of water by the word,
27 that He might present (us) to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that (we) should be holy and without blemish.

We have already been washed with a washing which left us without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.

Many of the Jews of Jesus’ day thought they could be saved by the Law, but Jesus came to fulfill the Law. The Law was glorious. So glorious, in fact, that Moses’ face was shining when he came down from the mountain. But the glory of the Law pales in comparison to the glory of Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews said:

Hebrews 9:13-14 (paraphrase)
13 . . . if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer serve to purify the flesh,
14 how much more shall the blood of Christ cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

As Jesus was washing feet that night in the upper room, we can only guess what was really going through the minds of the disciples. It must have been a very moving scene. Such grace. Such humility. Such dedication to the Father.

This was the one who spoke the word and the seas were calmed, the demons were silenced, and Lazarus came forth from the grave. This was, indeed, the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Jesus knew that all of these things were true, but here, the very night before His crucifixion, He was not focusing on who He was. He was focusing on his disciples. There was one thing that He wanted them to know. He wanted them to have no doubt about this. He wanted them to be assured that he loved them.

John certainly got the point. As John introduced this event, he said:

John 13:1 (NIV)
1 . . . Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.

Jesus wanted them to know first and foremost that He loved them, and by washing their feet He was showing them the full extent of His love. He didn’t even care how dirty those feet were. It made no difference to Him. He was able and willing to clean the dirtiest of them all. Just like He is today.

Those who have ears to hear can hear Him calling:

Isaiah 1:18 (NKJ)
18 "Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

As Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, what a moment that must have been when Jesus came to Judas Iscariot. As Judas looked into Jesus’ eyes, I’m sure Judas could see the sorrow in Jesus’ heart. Jesus knew that Judas was lost, but Jesus loved him anyway and washed his feet.

Jesus did not come to provide salvation for only a few. His blood provided the payment for all sin. He died not for our sins only but for the sins of the whole world. By this He revealed the full extent of His love.

Jesus offered Judas the cleansing of the heart that comes through faith, but Judas was willing to settle for clean feet. I’m afraid that too often we are willing to settle for less than what God has for us. If we fully open our hearts to Jesus, He will fill our hearts with every blessing of heaven. I’m afraid that Judas never came close to the blessings of heaven. He refused to believe in Jesus, and when he realized his mistake, he could not even bear to live with himself.

It is sad to think that there are many like Judas who refuse to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like Judas, they come face to face with Jesus. They see the love and the sorrow in His eyes, but they turn away. They love the things of this world, and they refuse to accept the salvation of God. But God proves His love for them by providing a means by which they could be saved.

After Jesus washed His disciples feet, He told them that they should follow His example. He said, “You call me Lord and teacher, and so I am. But since no servant is greater than his master, you should humble yourselves to serve one another even as I have served you.”

Philippians 2:5-8 (NKJ)
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

I think this is exactly what Paul was getting at in Ephesians 4 when he said, “Walk worthy of your calling with all lowliness.”

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:
http://www.peacechurch_ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch_fw.com/