Mars Hill Fellowship

MESSAGE |

Follow His Example

SERIES |

One Another

SCRIPTURE |

John 13:1-17; 1 Peter 4:8-11

SPEAKER |

Pastor Joseph Ardayfio

KEY THEME |

Jesus expects us to follow His example of servanthood as part of our debt of love to God. Jesus willfully took off his robe and served his disciples by washing their feet and instructs us to do the same to others.

I.         We model what we celebrate. The Scriptures reveal that Jesus didn’t celebrate the outward things that most people were focused on such as position and prestige. Rather, Jesus celebrated a lifestyle of servanthood.

II.        The classic example of servanthood can be found in the example of Jesus washing the disciples feet. Through this humble act, Jesus was showing the disciples “the full extent of his love.” (John 13:1)

III.       We learn from Jesus’ example that no one is above serving others. (John 13:16) No servant (us) is greater than his master (Jesus), nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

IV.       How do we wash one another’s feet?

1. Recognize that for each and every gift, there is a requirement from God. As the church, we have rightfully talked about all of the blessings that God gives us, but we have forgotten that every blessing comes with responsibility. We have a responsibility to use whatever gift that we have received from God to serve others. (1 Peter 4:10)
    
2. True Servanthood requires total submission. Submission requires us to know who we are in Christ – but we must be willing to lay down earthly position and authority for the glory of God. This posture doesn’t change who we are in God’s eyes, but it humbles us before others. Jesus identity wasn’t based on what His enemies said about Him but his identity was based on His call from God. (Php 2:4-8)
    
3. Be careful what we put in the water while washing other’s feet. For some of us, we need to focus on HOW do we serve? We have to examine whether our service is rooted out of a loving heart for God or out of compulsion. We hinder God’s grace if we wash other's feet with boiling or ice cold water.
   
   

   i.     We must ask ourselves: do we serve only when it is convenient? Do we serve only when it doesn’t require sacrifice? Do we serve so that others won’t bother us about giving more? Do we serve only to be recognized?
   
   ii.     Instead, we should serve like Jesus served. As God gives us grace, we are to faithfully administer God’s grace to others by our servanthood. (1 Peter 4:10)

    
4. A Servant must accept their call to be accountable to a higher standard. Humility always brings elevation, although not always in the timing that we would like. When Jesus humbled himself, God, the Father, gave him the name that is above every name (Php 2:9-11). God’s system is that whoever wants to be great must be a servant and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all (Mark 10:43-45) 

V.       The greatest posture of Christians is not parading around in the royal robes, but willingly laying down our robes and serve one another.

Scripture Index:

John 13:1-17
1 Peter 4:8-11
Colossians 3:17; 3:23-24
Philippians 2:4-8; 9-11
Mark 10:43-45

thoughts for further study

View Let's Talk Notes for this Week's Message