Living Beyond Myself
Part 1
The
Great Gamble
Ø Americans love to gamble.
Ø
The allurement is simple. If someday I were
dealt the right set of cards in
Ø That kind of thing happens.
Ø The odds of your winning big at gambling are really not very high mathematically.
Ø The stories of the relatively small number of people who win big at some form of gambling as not as pretty as you would think. . . .marital breakdown, family feuds, jealousy, mistrust, excess which can lead to self-destruction.
always deliver what they promise they will.”
“(v.4) So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe,
and put on an apron.
(v.5) Then he
poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples,
drying
them with his apron. (v.6) When he got to Simon Peter, Peter said, ‘Master,
you wash
my feet?’
(v.7) Jesus
answered, ‘You don’t understand now
what I’m doing, but it will be clear
enough to
you later.’ (v.8) Peter persisted, ‘You’re
not going to wash my feet—ever!’
Jesus said, ‘ If I don’t wash you, you can’t be part of what I’m doing.’ (v.9) ‘Master!’
said
Peter. ‘Not only my feet, then. Wash
my hands! Wash my head!’
(v.10) Jesus
said, ‘If you’ve had a bath in the morning, you
only need your feet washed now and you’re clean from head to toe.
My concern, you understand, is holiness, not hygiene.
So now you’re clean.
(v.12) After he
had finished washing their feet, he took his robe, put it back on, and went
back to his place at the table. (v.13) Then he said, ‘Do
you understand
what I
have done to you? (v.14) You address me as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master,’ and rightly so.
That is what I am. (v.15)
So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you
must now
wash each
other’s feet. (v.16) I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve done, you do.
(v.17) I’m only
pointing out the obvious. A servant is
not ranked above his master; an employee doesn’t give orders to the employer. (v.18) If you
understand what I’m telling you, act like it—and live a blessed life.”
Observations:
v Without apology or ambiguity Jesus calls every one of his followers to acts of kindness and servanthood like foot washing.
Jesus
says I expect my followers to live beyond themselves !
v
Again, without apology or ambiguity Jesus says
if we are towel bearers, we will be
blessed.
Jesus says I will bless those who live beyond themselves !
Question:
Do you really believe that?
Do you believe it enough that you would reorder the
value system of your life around the
promise
of Jesus that if you were to take up the towel, you would be blessed?
Decision
Do you think if you get more, more, more
of the all-American dream then you’re going to feel blessed and live in a
God-blessed way, and you’re going to feel inner satisfaction and peace?
OR
Is God’s blessing more likely to come to
you through towel bearing?
Other than Jesus, the
smartest man in the world was Solomon. “One
day he went on a pleasure-seeking binge—built houses for himself; planted
vineyards for himself; constructed gardens and parks for himself; bought
slaves, huge herds of livestock; amassed silver and gold; acquired men and
women singers; . . . I decided to deny
myself nothing that my eyes desired.”—Ecclesiastes
Next verse “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless,
a
chasing after wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”
The smartest guy in the world missed soul satisfaction by a mile! Surprised?
Observations:
v If you try to satify the self—gratification monster in you, it will eat you alive and spit you out at the end.
v What’s the alternative? It’s the towel.
Friends, it’s either the towel and the life and example of
Jesus Christ, or you are betting your fulfillment on money, fame, applause, whatever. LBM #1; 9.9.07; RJB