An Ordinary Man: #9: You Will Be Blessed

This message highlights that true happiness and blessing come from selfless acts of service and humility, as demonstrated by Jesus Christ. By choosing to serve others out of love and not obligation, we can transform our hearts and experience genuine joy and fulfillment. 

Transcript

Welcome, friends. You're listening to the Ultimate Outcomes Sermon podcast. Here's Richard Elwell with today's sermon.

 Well, good morning. So, with all the diversity in the world, people of all kinds of different sorts and, and interests and religions and, and, ideas, what are some of the things that everyone has in common? what are some of the questions that everyone would answer the same way? Thinking about all these different people that are on the screen here, all these different types of people.

 What would one thing, what would one question be that they would all answer? Yes. To think of some of the questions, they would all say yes to every one of them universally would agree with. And, say yes to, one question. everyone would say yes to was would you want to be happy? Would you want to live a blessed life?

 Would you like your life to be a blessed life? Do you want, good fortune? do you want to be blessed? Everyone agrees that a happy, blessed life is preferable, to a cruel, harsh, and painful life. Wouldn't you think everyone would agree with that? That, all these people that you see here, and any others that you could imagine would all agree with this idea that, living a blessed life is preferable to being, experiencing harsh, cruel and a harsh, cruel and painful life.

 there would be great disagreement among these people, however, about the best way, pursuing, the happy life. Right? how would each one of them answer the question? How do I find happiness? How do I enter into blessing? How do I, find a fortunate good, condition? Now you think? Just think with me for a second here.

 We're intelligent. Right? People are smart. Right? Everyone on this, slide has been granted by God with  reason and able to evaluate things. How is it that over the centuries, given how intelligent people are, the answer to the question of how can I become happy? How can I experience a blessed life seems so elusive. you would think that given who we are, we would have by now discovered, a good answer to that question.

 We have a clear corporate idea to what brings the blessed. What blessed life. You know, you think that answering this question would be a mystery that we would have solved by now, since we've had centuries to do it? Why is it that that we haven't been able to. It's certainly not because of a lack of intelligence that we haven't been able to universally answer the question, how can I live a blast or happy life?

 you would think that considering all of the mysteries that mankind has solved, all of the things that we have, decoded and unwound, we would have been able to solve the mystery of happiness. Don't you think that that would be something that we would have solved since it's so important to everybody? Why is it the. The knowledge of the blessed life seems to be so elusive?

 Well, it turns out that it has more to do with the way we are than what we know. what is the way into blessed living? What are the barriers to God given happiness? Why are so many blind to the solution to how to be blessed and how to live a blessed life? Today's message is entitled you will be blessed and we're going to be looking at John chapter 13, verses one through 17.

 We're going to be looking at Christ's teaching on the matter of what brings blessing into our lives. And we're going to, ask the question, why is it that this, this answer of his, this simple teaching of his seems so, antithetical to the way most of us pursue, blessing. Heavenly father, Lord, we come before you today, and, we just humble ourselves before you.

 And we concede that you are smarter than we are. And we recognize that we do well to yield to you whether we understand or not. Lord, we understand that you are wiser than we are, that you're smarter than we are, and we desire to, submit to you, until we understand, Lord, we want to submit to you, so that we can come to understand the wisdom of your teachings.

 Lord, we see that in this passage, an example of you starting out telling your disciples, you're not going to understand why I'm doing this, but later you'll understand. And, we're going to see how Peter was not willing to go forward until he understood, or unless he understood for a time. And, Lord, we pray, father, that through this example that we would be willing to say yes to you, regardless of whether it makes sense to us or not, knowing that it will make sense to us because you are ultimately the author of reason.

 Father, we come before you and just submit to you and ask that the reading your word this morning would be a blessing to us. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Okay, John, chapter 13, beginning at verse one, says this. It was just before the Passover feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the father.

 Having loved his own, who are in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, 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 he got up from the meal and 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 a towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, Lord, are you going to wash my feet?

 Peter replied, I mean, Jesus replied, you do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand. No, Peter said. Said Peter, you shall never wash my feet, Jesus, you shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered, unless I wash you. You have no part with me. Then the Lord, then Lord, then Lord. Simon Peter replied, just not just my feet, but my hands and my head as well.

 Jesus answered, A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet. His whole body is clean and you are clean. Though not every one 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 clothes and returned 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 one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master. No, nor a master greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. Now, sometimes we need to put ourselves in the mind or the disciples to appreciate Jesus's teaching. So I want you to imagine what it would have been like to be there that day when they saw their Messiah, the one and whom they had recognized as divine coming from God.

 And coming to save them, taking on the form of a servant, performing the most lowly task available to anyone in that era, and to try to help you imagine that. Imagine for a moment that you were on the board of a, of a, of of a very prosperous, fortune 500 company, and you were, on that board selecting a new CEO, and you had just selected a new CEO for your company.

 And, he after he is selected, the first thing he does is he takes you down to the bathroom, and with a snake, he starts to unclog the, sewer line in the bathroom. What would you think about, what he was doing? Wouldn't you say? This isn't right? This is not your job. This isn't what we hired you to do.

 Stop that. It's beneath you. Now, notice again in verse three what Jesus knew about himself. It says in verse three that Jesus knew that the father had put all things under his power. Imagine what a heady realization that would be. Realizing that you have been promoted to the highest, of high that you were in a place, of honor, that there was no one higher than you.

 And in that knowledge of himself, that he had come from God and that he was going back to God, what does he do? He takes on the lowest form of servitude, washing people's feet in the context of their culture. There is nothing lower that he could have been doing. And in verse seven, Jesus replied, you do not realize now what I am doing, but later you'll understand.

 Yeah, that's right. We don't understand what you're doing. This doesn't make sense to us. It didn't make sense to Peter. Peter was the only one that said no, but it didn't make sense to him. Here you go. What it do is blowing all of his circuits. You are not, acting right. Jesus, when you're washing my feet, I don't understand.

 In fact, I am going to say no to that. Peter says to Jesus. But Jesus did this radical thing, this this mind blowing thing, because he really wanted to get through to them. He really wanted them to understand something. Sometimes a shocking illustration can be a great way to convey a truth that you're trying to teach and this was a shocking act that Christ was doing in front of them.

 Imagine again what you would think, you know, as the head of the company was there cleaning out the sewer lines. You would not understand that either. Jesus was far higher than the highest CEO. He was the Lord God Almighty, and there was no lower job for him to take on than the job of a servant washing the feet of those who had just come in on traveling on a dirt road.

 Peter wasn't having any of it. You know, he was not having any of it. He didn't understand it. It violated his idea about the nature of things. And he was going to have no part in his master demeaning himself that way. Of course, until Peter got an ultimatum from, from Christ, he got the ultimate ultimatum. When, when he said, okay, Peter.

 Well, if you're not going to let me do this, if you're not going to let me wash your feet, then you have no part of me. Well, at that, Peter set aside his lack of understanding, and he said, well, if that's the case, then wash all of me. You know, Peter is who?

 Peter had 180 degree turn when, Christ, gave him this ultimate ultimatum. you know, think about it from Peter's perspective. On the one hand, Jesus was violating everything he knew about his sense of order and the way things ought to be year round, counter to his understanding of how the world works. Yet, when confronted with the prospect of not being with his master, confronted with the prospect of losing his connection to Christ, he said, forget my understanding.

 I'll go with you, Lord, if that's the price I'd have to pay. Not going with you. He became willing to let go of his understanding and yield to Jesus his will, without understanding why. So what's more important for us to hold on to our understanding of how things work are to be with Christ? Or do we want to hold on to what we think is right, or do we want to hold on to the one who is right?

 The one who is the author of all that is right? The theme of this morning's message is this Jesus's example reveals the key to a blessed life. Jesus's example, the example Jesus gave and the foot washing was, an example leading us to understand the keys of how to lead a happy and blessed life. Look at verses 13 through 17.

 Verse 13 says, 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 one another feet, one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

 Now that, now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. What things? Look at verse 17 again. now that you know these things. What things? Now that you know these things, you will be blessed. You'll be happy. You'll you'll be live a fortunate, life, a life of, of my favor.

 Jesus says to them, look, guys, here's his reasoning. As he gives this example. He says to him, look, I'm greater than you are, right? Well, yeah. That's right. And he says to them, I'm your master and you're my servant, right? Yeah. That's right, that's right. Lord, I am the one who sends you. And you're my messenger, right?

 Right. That's right. now that we got that straight, that I am greater than you are. consider how I. Who am greater than you are, have treated you I treat. How did I who I'm greater than you are. Treat who you who are lesser than I am. Well, I acted in a way that was beneath you. I am greater than you.

 But I acted in a way that is beneath you to serve you, even as I remain superior to you. I acted less than you. I have done this as an example for you to follow, an example for you to follow, and how you treat one another. Verse 17 again is if you know these things. And before, he washed their feet, they didn't understand and know these things.

 He hadn't explained it to them yet. It was a complete confusion to them. They didn't understand why he was taking on the form of, a servant. But now that he's explained it, now that you know that I am the master and I put myself beneath you in this act of volitional service to you. Now that you understand, this is what I want you to do to each other.

now that you know that, now that you know that now that you have an example to follow, you'll be happy. You'll be blessed. The word here is, is translated sometimes in English is happy or blessed. You'll you'll have, the fortunate sense of well-being in you. If you do what I show you to do, you'll be blessed.

You'll be made happy by God. If you imitate my example. Now think about this for a second. Here's Jesus's example. His example was an example of, washing. the feet of his disciples, an act of, lowly service. How does that compare with all the other ways in which people believe they'll become happy in life? Think of all the ways that people believe that they'll gain happiness.

And how does that contrast with this, with this example of Peter, of Jesus washing Peter's feet? Well, let's take the first one. people. one of the most common views of how to become happy is through, the acquisition of wealth. how do those two contrast with each other? Aren't those, can you, can you see that those don't really have a real strong compatibility one to the other.

 If you choose one path or the other, they don't seem to be compatible. What about this idea that I'll be happy if I, find the most idyllic, peaceful, and environment. If I can find the environmental solution. If I can be in a happy place, then I'll be happy. As compared to this notion that if I subordinate myself to the people around me and serve them volitional, I'll be happy.

 there's the another idea that, is very common among men, which is, if I'm in the right relationships, I'll be happy if I find the right, friends or the right mate or the right people, then I'll be happy. That's a very common notion. Or if, if I am become popular and well known and everyone loves and adores me, then I'll be happy.

 Or, another one is, if I'm in perfect health, and good health, then I'll be happy. this is the one that I love. this is definitely the one that I am most persuaded by. if I have a lot of fun in life and adventure, then I'll be happy. Now I want to. I don't I don't want to denigrate any of these ideas because they're all good.

They're all things that are good things, but they aren't the key to happiness. there's nothing wrong with, prosperity. There's nothing wrong with good health. And not only isn't there anything wrong. there. It's something good to have. It's good to have good health. It's good to have prosperity. It's good to have good friends. It's good to have fun and adventure.

All these things are good, but you could never find, a model where those who have the most adventure in the world are the happiest. In fact, you know, in terms of my own, free, disposition, it's, this one would be it. And, I remember when we were down in Costa Rica meeting a guy who, lived the life I would have loved to have lived if I wasn't a Christian.

He, he was, he was, a guy who went to different spots all over the remote beaches and different spots all over the world. we met him down, and, a little fishing village in Costa Rica. He was waiting tables to try to get enough money to go somewhere else. And, you know, he had lived, a life of world adventure.

Thing is, why he wasn't happy. He was a he was a sad, lonely guy. now, I wouldn't denigrate the idea of having fun, but, I think it's clear, like, with every other one of these competing ideas, it isn't the key to happiness. It isn't the key to happiness. They are good things with great benefits. But they're not the key to the happy life.

if the key to what everyone wants is so simple and so easy to understand, if this picture of Jesus washing the disciples feet is, the key to happiness and it's easy to get after Jesus explains it. Look, if you if you give yourself in volitional service to one another, you'll be happy. That's not a hard concept to understand.

If it's so simple, why is it that so few people make his example as their primary pursuit for happiness? Well, as it turns out, what causes, so much trouble and following Jesus Christ example has more to do with who we are than what we know. Again, the theme this morning is Jesus example reveals the key to a blessed life.

And point number one is Jesus's example is counter to our nature. One of the things we need to reconcile here is that even though Jesus is an example and his teachings are simple to understand, they go counter to our fallen nature. They go counter to, our sinful nature. We don't, we don't do these things, by nature, Jesus example is counter to our nature.

Let's take a look at verses six through eight again. verse six says, here he came to Simon Peter, who said to him, Lord, are you going to wash my feet? And Jesus replied, you do not realize now what I'm doing, but later you will understand. No, said Peter, you will. You shall never wash my feet, Jesus answered, unless I wash you.

You have no part with me. Peter was offended by Jesus acting in the most menial way possible, because it violated his view of the world. It violated his hopes for the future. Look, I'm not following you, Jesus, because I'm interested in becoming the lowest of the low. He and the disciples had argued about this. They were thinking, this guy is the ticket to, to a good future.

Because, man, he is. He is the Messiah. He's going to be the highest of the high. He's going to knock out those Romans, and we're going to be a stablished with him and in his kingdom. And they were looking forward to high positions with him, and they're looking forward to the benefits of associating with this great man. And, suddenly now he's acting in this.

What he must, Peter, must have thought would be, anti intuitive, foolish way, like a servant. You know, Peter doesn't want to see his great master doing this stuff, partly because he doesn't want to do this stuff. He doesn't want, like that picture, here, the one in whom he had placed his hopes and dreams, the one in whom he hoped to follow up the escalator.

Success was on his knees, washing feet. It didn't fit with Peter's worldview. It seems the opposite of all our hopes and aspirations as human beings, and it seems contrary to everything that we seek in terms of a happy life. By nature, men are sold out to the idea that our happiness is connected with our being lifted up in some way, not being brought low.

It doesn't. It isn't connected with our elevating our are helping others. It is connected with how somehow others could elevate us. We are so covetous by nature that it bugs us, even if we stay at the same level and somebody else goes higher. we are so covetous by nature that often we respond, joyfully, seeing the downfall of another, even if it doesn't elevate us at all.

That's what our nature is like. And so when with that fallen nature, we look at Christ lowering himself and thinking about that as a way to happiness. it doesn't fit with our, our, our inclinations. The idea of serving others as God's way of bringing blessing into our lives is not hard for us to understand, but it runs counter to our self promoting natures.

Yet think about it this way even though it runs counter to our nature, all of the empirical data that we can look at yell out that it is true. If we think about people that are happy, we see that, this, teaching of Christ is established over and over again and experience loving and helping others is the most elevating thing we can do for ourselves.

let me try to illustrate it to you in a simple way. You know what it's like being in traffic. Frustrating, right? So imagine you're in traffic and you're trying to switch lanes. And, two scenarios occur while you're trying to switch lanes. The first scenario occurs where you turn on your blinker, and all of a sudden you see the person behind you take up the room where you are going to switch lanes.

And because they didn't want to lose the advantage of one car length and you have to delay your lane change because they were unwilling to let you in. Now the second scenario is you turn on your blinker and there's somebody close to you, and they slow down and let you in, or they don't speed up, they let you in.

They obviously are deferential to you and they allow you to come in. Now you think about those two people. Now, let me ask you this question. Which of those two people do you think are happy?

Yeah, the one that lets you know, I mean, you don't even know them. They're total strangers. But if you were going to guess which one of those two people, are happier, would you ever think the person that was pushing their way forward is happier than the person that is letting you in? Now, let me get a little more direct because.

I failed this on the way home from Oceanside the other day.

when we get pushy in traffic, as opposed to being deferential, which do you think causes us to be more happy when we are gracious and let somebody in our when we want that car length? All the empirical data shows that Jesus Christ is right, that what brings blessing is to be a blessing. What is true, in the little things in life, is true of the much bigger things in life.

Will we test Jesus example, or will we continue with the rest of humanity in a futile pursuit for happiness based on our own self assertions? Again, Jesus is an example. reveals the key to a blessed life. And point number one is Jesus's example is counter to our nature. And point number two is.

I never really could phrase this in a way that I liked it, but, I came as close to it as I can, and hopefully my explanation will bring it home. But authority, clothed in humility leads to happiness. Well, I'll try to explain it. Authority clothed in humility leads to happiness. Let's take a look at verses three through five.

Now, here we have Jesus. he says, Jesus knew that the father had put all things under his power and that he came from God and was returning to God. So he got up from the meal and took off his outer clothing, and he wrapped his towel around his waist. And after that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped, wrapped around him.

Now there never has been, nor there, nor will there ever be any greater contrast between, who a person was and what he did. The contrast between the height of his authority and the depths to which he, bowed down to serve, here, washing his disciples feet and, again, moments later on the cross. They'll never be a greater contrast between, an act of humility done by such a powerful almighty, a sovereign one.

They'll never be, one so high that has come so low. The King of Kings, assuming the lowest role of human servitude. A voluntary humbling of himself. he didn't dismiss his authority. He didn't take off his authority. He didn't stop being who he was, but he clothed his authority in humility. to demonstrate a universal truth. Now, I want to make it clear that slavery is not the way to happiness, but the difference between what Jesus did and slavery is he did it volitional.

He had the power not to do it. A slave is not happy because a slave is forced to do service. But that doesn't mean happiness isn't found in service. The difference between what Jesus did and what a slave does is that the service that Jesus did was not compulsory. It was completely voluntary. No one could have forced the King of king to the King of kings to do anything.

This was a total act of his own will. It's the kind of service that brings blessing. Service that is born out of love is the kind of service that is, brings blessing. So service that we do that is voluntary is the kind of service that is blessing, that brings blessing. if we don't have the power to say no, then our service will not be a key to our happiness.

If we feel any coercion to do something, and we do it because we've been intimidated to doing it, or because somebody else is putting pressure on us to do it, it won't lead to happiness. The kind of service that leads to happiness is where we can say no, where we know it's a complete act of our will, where we are at complete liberty not to do it, but we do it because we, are expressing love.

If our service is born out of anything but love, then blessing is not likely to be the result. Making someone serve won't make them happy. I don't like this idea. When kids come to us from high school saying I have to do community service before I get graduate, well, what good is that? You have to do community service then it isn't service.

It's a requirement. It's not doing what the school hopes it will do if the schools made community service optional, with no pressure, then it would be a beautiful thing. But any time, service becomes compulsory, it isn't. Doesn't have the power to, accomplish what Jesus is talking about here. No one could make Jesus do anything. His example was the highest authority, clothing himself in humility.

And of course, there is no greater example of this than the cross where he takes on our sin. He becomes our atoning sacrifice. No one made him do it. he did it on his own volition. Now, think about it this way. If there's a needy gunman on the street pointing a gun at you, asking you for charity, that is not going to be, something that you're going to feel good about.

It's not going to make you happy to give, them help. It's only when we give volitional to our voluntarily that we are blessed. I saw a couple stories this this week in the news. Some had a woman, some had a man, some had different stories about it. But there was somebody going around, you know, as a secret Santa in the Kmart.

who was paying people's, layaway, plans off so that they could have their toys for Christmas and go home. And there they were. They were doing, this and several Kmart. And in fact, one story had, a woman getting kicked out of, out of all out of a Walmart because they thought she was crazy.

She must be crazy for doing this. You get this crazy woman out of here. but that is an example of volitional service where no one compelled her to do anything. She wasn't doing it for her own aggrandizement. And, I can, I can I can safely say that this woman was made happy by her volitional service.

Jesus is the highest of the high. No one could have made this woman do it. No one could have compelled her. It was her money. No one could, could, could have twisted her arm. No one did twist her arm. No one even expected her to do it. She did it out of complete, self-motivation. Jesus is the highest of all.

And whatever our standing is, whether our standing as high as we imagine it, or medium or low, we can always go down lower. We can always bend down lower to voluntarily serve another person. There is no condition in which we can't, bend down and serve another bend down and wash the feet of another. We are blessed to be a blessing, and we are blessed by God as we bless others.

Again this morning, our theme is that Jesus's example reveals the key to a blessed life. And point number one is Jesus's example is counter to our nature, and point number two is authority. Clothed in humility leads to happiness. So by that, what I mean is it is only to the degree that you have the authority to say no, and you clothe yourself in humility and you say, yes, that, that, that that leads to happiness.

If we work without any authority at all, if we were slaves, our service wouldn't be the kind of service that would lead to happiness. But whatever free will you have, whatever volition you have, whatever power you have, if you clothe that power in humility and say yes to serving beneath you, it will make you happy. It will lead to God's blessing.

This morning, I'd like to conclude with, Romans chapter 12, verses one and two. It says here, therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, what's in view of God's mercy and view of the mercy of God, which is Christ volition, serving us on the cross, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.

Since Christ gave himself up for us, it is only reasonable that we would give ourselves up in service to him which is pleasing to God. This is your, spiritual act of worship. And it says here, do not be conformed. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Then you'll be able to test and approve what God's will is. His good, pleasing, and perfect will. if we allow our minds to be renewed by Christ teachings, if we say yes, I understand, I agree, I'm going to apply. I'm going to let my mind be transformed by what you teach is true. Then what happens is we are transformed, our heart is changed, and once our heart is changed, we're able to test to see that God's will is good, pleasing and perfect.

Until we're transformed, we can't test it. We can't taste it. We can't know it. But when our hearts are transformed by his truth, when our minds are transformed by his truth, when we are renewed, then we're able to test how good God's ways are. Let's pray. Heavenly father, Lord, your ways are often counter and contrary to our inclinations.

But since you have, yielded yourself to us, it is reasonable for us to yield ourselves to you and ask you to change us from the inside out, to change us and transform us, so that we can both know your truth and be able to live in it and test it and see how good it is. I pray this Christmas season that we would each look to others as opportunities to be happy, not by getting them to do what we want, but by yielding ourselves to thinking about ways in which we can be a blessing to them.

Father, we just pray that you would inspire each of us to bless a stranger during this season. But more than that, I pray that you would inspire us to bless those that we know, especially close at home. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

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