Father, Thank you for birthing this nation which we call home. You give us liberties and freedoms to worship you freely on a Sunday and every other day of the week. On this Independence Day, I ask that you remind us of our complete dependence on you. Keep this nation, and all nations for that matter, under your care. Lord, we want to be a people full of peace and a blessing to those who feel cursed. Grant us the strength to stand up boldly and speak the truth of your love on our society. We need you to manifest your love through us because God, there are so many who grieve, carry anxiety, and are wounded, but you give us hope. You are the reason we move forward.

Today, I ask that you open our hearts, minds, and souls to your methods, to your postures, and to your movements so that we can experience your rest. We know that resting in you has more fruit than any toil we can do on our own. Call us, and the people around us into your infinite grace. We pray these things in Jesus name. Amen.

We’ll be in John 13:1-17. Before we go there, a little introduction about this series.

Today, we’re starting a short little series titled, “Habits: Ancient Practices for Today’s World.” In this series we’re going to talk about three spiritual disciplines that will give us rest and increase our enjoyment of and communion with God. The spiritual discipline I’m talking about and want to encourage all of us to practice is: service. Some of you didn’t even know serving a was spiritual discipline. But it is.

Service as a spiritual discipline provides blessings for both the person exercising it and the person receiving it. In fact, I believe if all of us in this church, from the youngest to the oldest, as we are able, were to practice this spiritual discipline regularly, our society would manifest heaven on earth. There would be a revival unlike any we’ve seen in our lifetimes. John 13:1-17.

¹ Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. ² During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, ³ Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, ⁴ rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. ⁵ Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. ⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” ⁷ Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” ⁸ Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” ⁹ Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” ¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” ¹¹ For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

¹² When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? ¹³ You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. ¹⁴ If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. ¹⁶ Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

(John 13:1-17 ESV)

There’s so much to explore in this passage, but we’ll start with the context. Go to verse 1 again because we’re going to have to keep them in mind as we progress through the rest of this passage.

¹ Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. (John 13:1 ESV)

Context tells us that this is the final meal, the final night, the final time Jesus will spend with his 12 closest friends before Jesus is crucified. This is important because from the context, we find that everything else described by John in this passage is a function of love. Jesus knew his time of ministry was coming to an end. But his love was so great for the disciples that he paused, when it seems to be most inconvenient, and when his needs, anxieties, and stress were at the highest to serve people who were supposed to be serving him. He knew that when he would serve his disciples, that they would not serve him back. There would be no opportunity to do so.

So from the context, what is serving? It’s the intentional act of meeting the needs of others over our own. Serving is what you do because the power, depth, and length of love is so great within you, that your own needs are tossed aside for the sake of pouring out that love to others know well that your love will not be reciprocated.

If you’re a parent, then you’re like, woah—wait, that’s every single minute of every single hour of every single day. You’ve intentionally met the needs of other human beings over your own since your children came into your lives. Like showers, makeup, bathroom breaks, you don’t remember the last time you were able to do something for yourself. Everything you do is for the children and for their benefit. Now, that’s a good thing, that’s service. I want to keep encouraging you to be awesome, sacrificial parents and spouses that demonstrate the love of service. But don’t think all of it is biblical serving.

Some of that stuff you do for the family, that can also be self-serving, and it’s a fine line. Like I signed up my two year old for soccer camp later this summer and I did it in the guise of meeting friends, and becoming sociable and gaining more coordination. The tangential service I provide by serving my daughter is that I serve my wife by giving her a break. I know, smart move.

Come-on be real! Soccer camp for a two year old?! It’s not service, it’s self-service! I get to live vicariously through her by doing things I was never able to do and it gives me an excuse for not mowing the lawn! Sure, I’m taking her to soccer camp when it’s a million degrees outside, and standing on a treeless field during camp, but is it really a service? If anything, it’s an investment. Really, when she becomes a soccer star that’s how I will be repaid. Haha. I’m just kidding. She doesn’t have to repay me.

Okay, but for real, if I wanted to serve my daughter and my wife, would it be by playing tea party while cleaning up the mess my two year old makes running around with crumbs, liquids, and toys? Doesn’t that sound more like serving, to be a playdate and the clean up crew. But that’s the fine line between self-serving and biblical serving.

How then do we ensure we are exercising biblical service? That’s a service for others that is sacrificial. We:

Serve others as Jesus served

Go to verses 2-5.

² During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him. ³Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God  ⁴rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. ⁵Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

(John 13:2-5 ESV)

This part is beautiful because Jesus systematizes biblical serving so that we can practice serving as a discipline. A system is a method, or very simply, the answer to who does it, how its done, and what is done. So how do we serve like Jesus?

Let’s start with who we serve: serve everyone. John shows us that Jesus loved and even served the traitor that would hand him over to be crucified. You see that in verse 2? Just because we know the intention of others are evil, that doesn’t stop our love from being manifested in service. Meaning, we can’t pick and choose who to serve based on our feelings about a person or people group. Otherwise, what we do becomes self-serving.

How do we serve everyone, especially people who we have no affinity with or people who are even potentially against us? In verse 3 John says Jesus had a knowledge about his identity and his final destination. He was confident in who he was and where he was going, and so he was even able to serve his betrayer. Serving can only be done selflessly when we are confident in who we are and where we’re going.

Some of you practice the discipline of service well, just like Jesus, because you know exactly who you are and you know where you’re going. You allow the love of Jesus manifest itself through your acts of tangibly meeting needs of others at your cost. You do this because you know who you are and where you’re going.

If you don’t know who you are or where you’re going, you’re not going to be able to serve like Jesus because you’re too busy trying to protect whatever you think you are or wherever you think you’re going. You become afraid of losing something you’ll never recoup.

You all know the 80-20 rule? 80 percent of the work is done by 20 percent of the people. That’s what the serving is like at churches. Yes, including our church. Only 20 percent of you, 1 in 5 actually serves people other than themselves on a regular basis. Don’t act surprised people. It’s like 80% of you aren’t confident in who you are to God and are unsure of where you’re going.

Let’s change the 80-20 rule. The rule should be 20-80. Only 20 percent of you should be on the sidelines, not serving at any given time and that’s for two reason, first, because life happens – birth, death, loss, sickness, setback, etc. So you’re not able to serve; and second, you’re on the sidelines because you’re not confident in who you are or where you’re going.

The rest of us, the remaining 80 percent—we need serve others the way Jesus served: by meeting the needs of other people ahead of our own. So I’m going to ask you, are you confident in who you are and where you’re going? If yes, then serve like Jesus.

I told you that Jesus gives us a system so we can make serving a discipline in our lives. Here’s the what we do to serve the needs of others: we manifest love through unspectacular, and ordinary ways. Jesus demonstrates this manifestation of love through unspectacular and ordinary ways in verses 4 and 5. He washed the feet of people who came to his party.

Sandals don’t do much to keep your feet clean especially if you’ve just been on dusty, muddy, or damp, dirt roads all day, and Jesus just washes feet. Serving is that simple. You can do things that others can’t and I’m not talking about in terms of spectacular and extraordinary giftings. I’m talking about practical and tangible things. The disciples could have washed their own feet, they’re all grown men. But Jesus served by doing what was most practical and tangible at the time, to wash his disciples feet so when they reclined at the table, their dirty, dusty, muddy feet wouldn’t be in each others faces. It’s so simple.

What’s so amazing about Jesus serving is just how natural it was for him. He got up and started to wash his disciples feet, no hoopla, no show—just meeting needs tangibly. Serving becomes a spiritual discipline when it looks like a regular part of our lives. No going out of his way, no miracle, no right moment. Just like any other evening.

Can you imagine what would happen around us if 80 percent of the church would serve like Jesus served? That thought alone should convince you to serve, let alone, make it a spiritual discipline you practice regularly. People, the world changed because Jesus served this way! Just imagine if Jesus’ people would serve this way! The world as we know it would give way to heaven.

If that isn’t convincing or your imaginations can’t fathom the world where 80% of the people are serving each other, then, let me share why we serve. We

Serve others because Jesus cleansed you

Go to verses 6-9.

⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” ⁷ Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” ⁸ Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” ⁹ Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”

(John 13:6-9 ESV)

The Apostle Peter didn’t realize what Jesus was talking about at first, acting like he doesn’t need to be served by Jesus. But in the end he comes to realize that the only way to God is by allowing Jesus to serve him by cleansing him of his sin. Peter realizing how much cleansing he needs says, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Peter only understood what Jesus was talking about after he witnessed Jesus serve people by hanging from the cross on Good Friday. He finally understood how he would have a share with Jesus when he found the tomb empty three days later.

Our becoming children of God, accepted and received by an all holy God came as a result of Jesus serving us. The act of service cost Jesus his blood, his life, and communion with God. We don’t deserve to be cleansed by Jesus. We didn’t earn it, we can’t repay it. But Jesus served us by receiving punishment for our sins on a cross – that’s how we were cleansed. Jesus’ greatest act of service to us was to willingly die for us. We were made sons and daughters of God because Jesus chose to pay the most exorbitant cost, a cost that can never be repaid. So in our new found freedom, and new life in Christ we serve others.

Earlier this week I was chatting with Pastor Jon about a serving opportunity that our missions department circulated and I was writing this sermon about serving and I had written that serving is an act love. Well, what I said to him next was not an act of love. I said, “we’ll do the serving opportunity if we HAVE to.” Not full of love at all, just obligation, compulsion and guilt. I said it like we were going to lose something if we didn’t act on the opportunity. You better believe God kicked my butt the rest of the week because of it.

Yes, I was hypocritical! I saw an opportunity to serve as a burden instead of a privilege. A lot of us think of serving that way. The opportunity Jesus seized with his disciples was to wash their dirty feet as an act of love. Go to verses 12-16.

¹² When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? ¹³ You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. ¹⁴ If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. ¹⁶ Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

(John 13:12-16 ESV)

God doesn’t need us to serve; but we are given the privilege of participating in the work of God here on earth through serving. Serving is a privilege for those of us who received cleansing from Jesus because we get to participate in God’s tangible act of love to world because we are of God and are going back to God. So we regularly choose to serve because we are servants and Jesus is our master. Jesus is who we called Lord and Teacher, and he generously served us by ransoming his life to clean us.

I love what the Apostle Paul writes in Galatians 5:13-14. He says, “¹³ For you were called to freedom…. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴ For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

If these reasons don’t compel you to practice service as a discipline, then:

Serve others and experience blessing

Go to verse 17.

¹⁷ If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

(John 13:17 ESV)

We serve because our savior serves us first and when we serve we receive blessings. Let me share 7 blessings that come as a result of serving:

1. We experience Christ’s presence in new ways (1 Corinthians 12:11)
2. We have spiritual growth that comes from obedience (2 Corinthians 3:18)
3. We discover and exercise our spiritual giftings (Romans 12:6),
4. We will experience mutual encouragement (Hebrews 10:24-25)
5. We will be honored by Jesus (Colossians 3:23-24)
6. The needs of people will be met (2 Corinthians 9:12)
7. Jesus will be glorified (1 Peter 4:11)

This is why we want to serve and make it a regular part of our faith rhythms!

Not sure on where or how to start making this a regular practiced habit? Start by dedicating one hour a week to serving somebody in the church or out of church by meeting a tangible need. Do it every week you’re not on vacation or sick. Then serving will become a part of your regular life. That will change how you see life and change somebody else’s life as you participate in the work of God to love people.

I know you are all eager to start, so in your bulletins, you should have gotten two cards. One says, “Build Your Church,” the other says “Summer Serve.”

On the “Build Your Church” card, you’ll find 9 ministry opportunities where you have the privilege of meeting the needs of people. By the way, the word “ministry” actually comes from the French meaning, “the activities of a person who serves.” When you are serving people, you are actually ministering to them. These ministry opportunities only require you to loving want to meet needs.

• If you love serving kids and teenagers because adults are boring and are horrible, serve regularly with kids and teenagers.
• If you love welcoming people and answering questions, serve with our greeting and connect ministries.
• If you love curating and designing things for people, join our worship and production ministries.
• If you love keeping people safe, join our safety or medical ministries.
• If you love building or fixing things for people join our facilities ministry.

Now, the Summer Serve card. On July 31 we are working with three of our non-profit community partners to meet the needs of people in our community. It’s a Saturday, it’s in the morning, and it’s only the beginning.

• At Shiloh, a Detroit based youth ministry focused on at risk youth experience a transforming relationship with Jesus.
• At Community Housing Network, non-profit developer of affordable homes for the working poor, formerly homeless, domestically abused, and those aging out of foster care.
• At Angel’s Place, a faith based organization providing Christ-centered services and homes to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

For all these ministry opportunities, inside or outside of the church, all you have to do is scan the QR code on the card and enter your information and then come prepared to love.

I got one more opportunity for you. We’ve identified about 200 households in Dearborn and Detroit that need help recovering from the flooding last week. This is a very physical type of serving and yet super tangible. If this is something you’re interested in, then email ROinfo@woodsidebible.org, or message us online.

I got four more ways you can regularly practice the discipline of service:

1. Do something for a neighbor, seriously, don’t just cuss them out for their eye sore bringing down your property value.
2. Stop complaining about your neighbors’, co-worker’s, cousins’, or pastor’s kids and instead serve them. Love them in a way only you can.
3. Love the sick, and weary, don’t just feel pity: bring them food, do their laundry, restock household supplies, help change a tire, oil, lights, fender. Fix a car. Or call for help.
4. Serve your coworkers—bring donuts, lunch, or stop for 15 minutes to listen to them.

Big idea: Serving is the way of abundant living

Serving may seem ordinary and unspectacular if it’s simply meeting tangible needs; but when we serve, we will experience blessings beyond our imagination. Those we serve may never pay us back, but we will be blessed by God through it and our lives abundantly richer for it.

If you want an abundant life, a life where serving comes from confidence in knowing where you’re from and where you’re going, then ask Jesus to be your Lord, your savior, your teacher right now. Ask him to cleanse you of your sins right now. He will do it. His love was so great that he served us by dying on the cross for our sins. On the third day, he was raised from the dead to show that sin and death have no hold over him and no hold over any who believe in him. Receive Jesus today.

Let’s pray.

Father in heaven, thank you for serving us. We didn’t deserve to be served, but you chose to serve us. You laid down your life for us. We can’t thank you enough. You called sinners like us to be your children. We remember how you served for us.

Lord, I pray that we can serve with that same mindset you had while traveling toward calvary. That we lay ourselves down even when it’s inconvenient and painful. Let us be reminded and confident that darkness pervading this world would flee as a result. Help us make this discipline of service a habit and routine for our entire lives. Do not let us become weary from serving in your name God because we know who we are in you and where we are going—to be with you.

For those of us who have never received you as Lord and Teacher, allow us to embrace your love for us wholeheartedly. Let us know that you come to seek us out, and meet the most tangible need – to give us life. Give those of us who receive you for the first time ever to be confident like never before because we are now heirs to your kingdom.

Now for those of us who haven’t served yet, allow us to commit boldly to action. Help us know that there is no futility in serving others, whether they deserve it or have bad intentions, or simply because we don’t get along, to meet their needs. That every act of love we commit to will be anointed by your Spirit and soaked with your power, grace, and mercy. Help us live blessed lives full of service, with eagerness and expectancy to see you glorified through us. We pray these things in Jesus name. Amen.