Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20060326.htm

JOHN: TRUSTING JESUS AS MESSIAH AND GOD
Part XXXVII: The Fulfilling Vocation Of Meeting Each Other's Needs
(John 13:1-17)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

(1) Many people today stand in need of vocational fulfillment:

(a) Last Monday's USA Today newspaper, p. 4B ran Michelle Archer's article that reported on the book Working with You Is Killing Me (by Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster) that addresses "How to work with annoying people." Michelle claimed the work has a "potentially vast" readership as "There is always at least one person at work who rubs you the wrong way or, worse, seems out to get you."

(b) Several people in our Church face trials at work or school. What vocation to choose, hurtful acts by others at school or work or job conditions themselves are faced by some of us right now!

(2) Yet, different ideas exist on HOW to address these issues in order to gain vocational fulfillment:

(a) Michelle Archer's article tells us to release "negative energy by taking a deep breath, going for a walk or splashing water on your face" or to "depersonalize challenging situations" by writing up "job descriptions, contracts, memos and performance reviews." (Ibid.)

Though these action may calm us down, they don't make the job or school situation itself fulfilling -- just more tolerable!

(b) An ad came in the mail this week from Promise Keepers promoting fulfillment for men by involvement in their big PK rally, claiming: "It's in you. Just like the energy in a lightning bolt . . . your God-given potential is waiting to be unleashed . . . let it out."

However, Martin and Deidre Bobgan who wrote, Psychoheresy a work recommended by Thomas Szaz, M. D., Professor of Psychiatry at the State University of New York, have authored the pamphlet, "Promise Keepers and Psychoheresy" that would counter this ad's view. On p. 29, they assert: "If men are to come together as men, they would do well to follow what the Bible says rather than Freudian fables, Jungian myths, and other . . . man-made psychologies . . . they would do well to gather together . . . where they are meant to grow -- in the local church -- not in huge rallies with mob psychology' or in groups using encounter group techniques and undermining important doctrinal distinctives." (a citation from, "The Promise Keeper's Movement . . ," by M. H. Reynolds, Foundation, Vol. XVI, Issue 1).

Well, since we want our WORK in life to be fulfilling, HOW can we find REAL FULFILLMENT in our VOCATIONS?!

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "My vocational direction and efforts have NOT been all that fulfilling! Why, and what would God suggest?!"
  1. Jesus enjoyed the ULTIMATELY FULFILLING VOCATION of all men: He came as God Incarnate from heaven to create eternal salvation for man before returning to rule in heaven, John 13:1-3:
    1. Jesus knew He was about to leave the world and return to the Father, (John 13:1b) a step involving ascending into heaven (Acts 1:9-11) and being enthroned at the right hand of God the Father (Hebrews 1:3) in power and sovereignty over the entire universe (Ephesians 1:19-22).
    2. Christ also knew He would soon perform His infinitely great, loving work of providing salvation for man on the cross, John 13:1-3:
      1. John's reference to Jesus' knowing "his hour was come" in John 13:1a reveals He was aware of His impending death on the cross, an event that would occur out of His great love for His own, 13:1b.
      2. That work on the cross lovingly propitiated God's wrath against man's sin so that by faith in Christ's substitutionary death, people could have eternal life, John 13:1b with Romans 3:25-26!
  2. AWARE of this His ULTIMATELY FULFILLING VOCATION, Jesus taught his disciples that the KEY to BLESSING in THEIR vocations was for THEM just as LOVINGLY and SELFLESSLY to STOOP to meet EACH OTHER'S NEEDS as He was about to do in HIS VOCATION when He went to the CROSS, John 13:4-17:
    1. John 13:1-3 builds to the climax of what Jesus began to do in John 13:4-5 as those first three verses of John 13 highlight the fact that Jesus was aware of His divine identity and future work on the cross.
    2. What He then did in John 13:4-5 was ASTOUNDING: He started to play the role of an INFERIOR to His disciples by washing their feet , Leon Morris, John (NICNT), 1979, p. 617, ftn. 23. Thus, aware He was soon to rule the universe as GOD after His invaluable work of creating salvation for man on the cross, Jesus EXEMPLIFIED His work on that cross in LOVINGLY STOOPING to do a job as His disciples' INFERIOR to MEET their NEED for clean feet!
    3. Jesus' act was met by an objection, John 13:6: the pronoun "You" is in the emphatic position followed by "my", leaving these two words to contrast with each other and Peter saying: "Lord, do You my feet wash?" (U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1963 ed., p. 382; Ibid., Morris, p. 617)
    4. Sensitive to the cultural tension created by His act, Jesus replied His men did not understand what He did, but that they would, John 13:7.
    5. [An interchange between Peter and Jesus followed in John 13:8-11 that continued to display Peter's ignorance of the spiritual significance involved and Jesus' awareness of Judas' impending betrayal of Him.]
    6. After Jesus had ended His feet-washing activity, He explained He had exemplified how His disciples were to HEED GOD'S WILL in FULFILLING VOCATIONS that He had just exampled before them:
      1. Jesus returned to sit at the table and explain that He was truly Who His men called Him -- their Teacher and Lord, John 13:12-13.
      2. Thus, Jesus taught that if He, their SUPERIOR Teacher and GOD [Who was about to return to the Father and rule the universe] had just then humbly, lovingly stooped to address the need of their dirty feet by washing them as would an INFERIOR, they were obliged lovingly in self-sacrifice to do even the most menial tasks possible to meet the needs of each other! (John 13:14-15)
      3. The disciples were obliged to heed this order: Jesus as their Infinite Superior had set the example -- they MUST follow it, John 13:16!
      4. Yet, to encourage His disciples in this, Jesus promised they would be blessed were they to PERFORM this command, John 13:17:
        1. The word "happy" KJV or "blessed" NIV, ESV [makarioi] is the joy one receives in doing such acts, T.D.N.T., IV, p. 367.
        2. Thus, for such self-sacrificing service to meet the needs of other believers, God would reward them with great joy!
        3. [Jesus had also said God will honor any who serve Him, 12:26.]
    7. This teaching is mirrored to the full in Christ's work on the cross: He heeded the Father in lovingly stooping in self-sacrifice to bear the punishment of our sins on the cross that He might cleanse and save us from sin; thus, the Father rewarded Him with great joy and honor, 1 Peter 2:24-25; Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 2:5-11!
Application: (1) As Jesus affirmed His identity as God in John 13:13, may we TRUST in Him for eternal life, John 3:16. (2) May we then yield to God's call in the power of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16) to make as our lofty aim in life lovingly, selflessly to stoop to meet even the small needs of other believers. (3) God calls us to do so, but also (4) promises us fulfillment in the process!

Lesson: Jesus exampled the path of blessing in one's vocation by lovingly and selflessly meeting the needs of other believers! If we follow His example in the power of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16), GOD will supply us fulfillment as He has for His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, John 12:24-26!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 God bountifully illustrated this message this past week:

(1) Last Monday, I received a letter from Bob Anderson who lives with his wife, Joyce in Aiken, South Carolina. Those who were here then may recall that Bob, Joyce and their children attended our Church from September of 1984 to June of 1986!

Bob explained: "So -- why is this guy writing you? FIRST -- to say a belated thanks for your spiritual oversight 20+ years ago . . . I still remember your lessons . . . SECONDLY I was surfing the internet late one p.m. -- and decided to look up Nepaug -- . . . I . . . was pleasantly surprised at how good the site was . . . I checked out your sermon notes. Again to my surprise I discovered you had notes on the Psalms . . . all 150! This was an answer to prayer! About of the year I teach an adult Bible Class -- and I stated that I would teach Psalms in the fall for 13 weeks . . . but I have never found a good reference/commentary which covers the body on an individual psalm basis. So -- I am going to use your notes as a start. Thanks again . . ."

I was blessed by Bob's letter for two major reasons:

(a) First, it was a joy to learn our teaching had helped him so long ago though he had been here for only 21 months. (b) Then, the fact that Bob would want the Psalms lessons is a special joy. Many of them were forged out of trials for which the Psalms had supplied God's edifying balm and solutions! For staying at God's will in FACING those trials and writing down and posting their solutions from His Word on the web, Bob's class can be helped in the trials they face!

(2) Then, late Tuesday night, my Mother in California woke us up with her phone call to ask for our Church's web site address. A Mandarin Chinese widow named Wan who lives near San Francisco was avidly seeking assurance of her salvation in Christ; Mom had wanted her to read applicable material we have posted on our web site! I gave her the address, and went back to sleep amazed and fulfilled!

Bob's Class in South Carolina and a Chinese widow near San Francisco will be edified due to lessons we have written over the past 24 years and posted on the web to MEET the NEEDS of FELLOW BELIEVERS -- "It doesn't get any better than that!"

Do we want to be fulfilled in our vocations? The solution is to make it our priority in our life's efforts to stoop sacrificially if need be to meet the needs of fellow believers!