Behold His Beauty - Pastor Daniel Batarseh

John chapter 13 beginning in verse one. Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to the part out of this world to the father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus knowing that the father had given all things into his hands, they had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin, began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with a towel that was wrapped around him.

Pray with me. Father, we ask one simple thing to show us Christ. Help us see Christ. Help us behold him and to perceive him the way he deserves to be. And we just ask that you would grant us the spirit of wisdom and revelation, and the knowledge of Jesus.

And Lord, for those who know him, may we love him all the more. For those who do not know him, may they, by understanding who Jesus is, allow him to wash them. And, Lord, we just give you all the glory as we acknowledge you this week in a special way, and we pray, Lord, that you would receive from us the appropriate acts of worship, not just in lip service, Lord, but in our lives and through our actions. Help us. May your word sanctify us and speak for your servants are listening.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. You may be seated. At this time of the year, we give greater attention to the greatest news that could ever be told about the greatest person who ever lived and who forever lives, the person of Jesus Christ. And this particular day is known as Palm Sunday, and it focuses on Jesus' entry into Jerusalem a week before his resurrection.

And many dedicate this day in the household of God to focus on the humble act of Jesus coming in on a colt, being acknowledged as the Messiah with a limited revelation of what that meant. Yet, we unpack what he did and what it means for us in that moment. Yet we have to understand that between Palm Sunday and Good Friday, so many glorious events took place. So many things, so many rich revelations are given to us. And every parable, and every utterance of wisdom, and every act of mercy should cause us all the more to stand in awe of him, especially as it comes to the point where he dies on the cross for our sins.

And so in this moment, I want us to behold the savior. I want us to behold the savior in a specific way in this chapter. I want us to behold his love. I I want us to behold his humility, and I I would love for us to behold the grace that he shows in these few verses. And so we dedicate this week for these specific scriptures and it should cause us again to just fall in love with the lover of our souls.

So we see here in verse one, few moments before Jesus is about to go on trial. And there's something about his love that we can spend weeks on with this simple verse. It says here, 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. He loved them to the end. The Holy Spirit wants to highlight to us of the intensity of the love of Jesus Christ, that it is unchanging.

It is unending. It is indescribable. He loved them to the end. Who are these men? Who are these ones that he claimed to be his own?

The disciples. And if you're familiar with the disciples, you're familiar with their failures. The same disciples that have seen so much, yet have been rebuked on the same level for their lack of faith. The same disciples who missed so many important truths that Jesus was trying to deliver to them. The same disciples who were discussing amongst themselves who was to be the greatest when Christ's goal for them was to reach the lowest in humility.

The same disciples that criticize what Christ commended through Mary's active devotion. I mean, up to this point, it says that Jesus loved them, but it says he loved them to the end. And so he even loved them after this moment where they would make such boast of allegiance to Jesus. And in a few hours, they would all flee and leave him to himself. And one would follow him at a distance and eventually deny him three times, and another would not even believe in his resurrection.

And he states, if I just put my finger in his wounds, then I'll believe. Those disciples he loved to the end. What kind of love is this? What kind of love is this? That's a love that doesn't give us give us up when we fail.

It's a love that invites us back into fellowship, even through our selfishness, we are the ones who broke that fellowship. It's a love that offers a heart of security that extinguishes all fears. Another way of saying he loved them to the end is he loved them through it all. He loved them to the uttermost. And this is important for us because it says here, he loved his own.

Are you his? Do you belong to him? If you belong to him, you're not exempted from this kind of love. In fact, this love is yours. This love is for you to experience.

This love is for you to rest in. It's seen all over the bible. It's seen even in the priestly garments in Exodus 28 when God instructs Moses of how to prepare the garments for the priest. And one of the most glorious pieces of those garments for that high priest was the breastplate. Was that breastpiece.

And the instructions were given that you are to take the names of the tribes of Israel on precious stones, and place them on that breastpiece. And look what it says in Exodus 28, 29. It says here, Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart. On his heart. When he goes into the holy place to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord.

Aaron, the high priest, was supposed to take these names, put them on this breast piece, and they were supposed to be on his heart. It's a it's an act of love for the people that God has called to himself. And he was to come into this presence, the holy presence of God, and God would recognize the love that this high priest has for these names. But what's so amazing about this breast piece is that in order for it to be steady, in order for it to be firm in that position, there is two golden cords that were attached to the shoulder pieces. And so God in that same chapter says, take that breast piece with the names of those that I've called to myself, and make sure that that piece is firm by taking those cords and attaching them to the shoulders.

Why? Why why did he do that? Why did he ask for that? He asked for that so that the breastpiece would not move. It'd be firm.

It would be steady. It would be immovable. It would not leave the place of the heart of that high priest. And so we looked at Jesus, the greater Aaron. We looked at Jesus, our great high priest, who goes further than what Aaron did.

He doesn't just take the names of the tribes of your, he takes the name of every single person who has put their trust in his mediating work, and he places your name on his heart, and he keeps his love for you on the cords of his love, so that your name on his heart would not move. It would not shift. It would stay in place for eternity because he's an eternal high priest. And the question you have to ask yourself concerning this high priest is, are you resting in his love the same way that those stones rested on the breastpiece of Aaron. Are you resting in that love?

Are you secure in that love? Do you sense how firm it is for you? Do you know that he's gone to great lengths with the cords of his love to keep you in place? Or do you doubt it? He loved them to the end.

But look what it says here in the same verse. To depart out of this world to the father. Now we have to realize that his love, his love was the very thing that allowed him and moved him to depart from heaven to this world in the first place. And we think about Jesus and what he's done on this world, but do we realize and have we really meditated on what Christ turned away from so that he could turn towards us? What did Christ move away from to come here?

An atmosphere of heavenly holiness where the scent of sin was not even there. Angelic worship that echoed throughout the corridors of eternity that proclaimed the greatness of the Holy One without end. He stepped off a throne that would make any man made palace, no matter how much effort or money was put into it, look like nothing. He left a place in which Paul himself testified, my ears heard things that I can't even describe to you. To do what?

To do what? To be brought into a place where he was in the womb of a virgin girl. To do what? To to experience hunger for the first time. To experience fatigue, weariness, pain.

To do what? To come out of a place that was not bound by time, and to enter into a realm that was dictated by it by it. To do what? What else? Think about all the things that he put upon himself because of love.

And he comes to the point where he's about to go back to the world that he left in the first place for you and me. He loved them to the end. The eternal love of Christ. So great, so deep, that we can spend prayer for the rest of our lives, for us to understand it. As Paul says in Ephesians.

Right? That you may pray to receive the strength to even understand this kind of love. And we see here Jesus showing his love in a very specific way. And his humility in the next verse, during supper when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him. Look what it says here.

It highlights who's on the scene. It highlights that there is Judas, a man who has opened himself to the work of Satan. But Judas is not the main focus here. Jesus is. Verse three tells us, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper.

And so it's describing Jesus here. He knew that all things were given to him. All authority, all power, all glory. The Holy Spirit says he has come from God and he's going back to God. We're not talking about a mere prophet.

We're not talking about a philosopher who carries moral excellence. We are talking about the Son of the living God. And Jesus is fully aware of it. And in verse four, it tells us, he rose from supper. And from the natural reading of this verse, you would think that the next thing that Jesus would do, the appropriate thing that Jesus would do was get up, look at his disciples, and say, worship me.

Acknowledge the unmatchable holiness that I carry. Comfort me for I'm about to suffer for the rest of humanity in a few moments. You would think all of those things are are are totally appropriate concerning who the bible describes him to be. But what does he do? He gets up only to get down.

He gets up. He removes his garments and he places a towel around his waist, which is a picture of the gospel itself. That one phrase right there is a picture of the gospel itself. That he removes his glory, he puts on flesh. He removes comfort, he puts on pain.

He what? Did not come to be served, but to give his life as a ransom for many. That one act right there, that one physical transition is a picture of the glorious gospel itself. And what does he do? He gets down, He gets down and he washes the feet of these disciples one by one.

What a scene. The chapter right before this, we see Mary of Bethany getting down on her knees and anointing his feet with oil, and wiping his feet with her hair. Now that makes sense concerning who Jesus is. That we can understand. That, yes, the King of Glory receiving this type of worship, I'm I'm comfortable with that.

That makes sense. But here he is, the one the one who commanded water to turn into wine, the one who rebuked the seas to be still, the one who doesn't need a boat to travel from land to land, but walks on the waves, is the same one who takes water and puts it in a basin, and he washes the feet of grown men. That one is the King of glory. When you think of Jesus, what comes to your mind? Authority, Power?

Majesty? Rightfully so. But does your heart ever travel down to this path of humility that he takes? He washes their feet. Picture it.

Let your mind freeze on that frame, would you today? On the sight of this. Jesus Christ getting down to these men. Remember who's there, Judas as well. He didn't do it to everybody except Judas.

He included Judas. Now how would you react to the one that were to betray you with a kiss a few moments after this? How would you treat them? What would the vibes be in that room? You know what Jesus does?

Washes his feet. And if we're honest with ourselves, if we're really honest with ourselves, if if we were in this room at this time, if we were in this scene in John chapter 13, how would you react? How would you respond to this site? I mean, I believe the disciples were so taken back that they couldn't say anything, but Peter, Peter had the audacity to say something. And if we're honest with ourselves, perhaps we would be like Peter too.

What does Peter do in verse six? He came to Simon Peter, perhaps he was the last one. Who knows? He came to Simon Peter who said to him, Lord, do you wash my feet? Do you wash my feet?

I know who you are. I received revelation of who you are, and you're gonna wash my feet. It can't be. Look what he says in verse eight. Peter said to him, you shall never wash my feet.

No way. There there just This this does not make sense in light of who you are and who I am. For you to wash my feet, I cannot let happen. But we have to understand that though this is a physical picture, yes. Though in the immediate understanding, this is a beautiful display of the humility of the person of Jesus Christ.

There is a spiritual meaning that Peter failed to realize and Christ is so patient to unpack for him. And so we beheld the love of Christ, in verse one. And now we are beholding the humility of Jesus Christ. And now we are about to behold the grace of Jesus Christ. The grace of Jesus Christ.

What does he do here? Verse seven, Jesus answered him, what I am doing, you do not understand. You do not understand now, but afterward you will understand. Side note, how true is that in our lives with Christ in general? That he does something in our lives and we have no idea what why he's doing it or why he's allowing it to happen.

He says, you don't understand now, but later you understand. Just remember that if you're going through something today. You might not get it now, but embrace it. You'll know why later. Besides the point, very shortly, there's a reveal why he's doing this.

Why does he do it? Peter says, you shall never wash my feet, and Jesus sharply answers, if I don't wash you, you have no share with me. This foot washing scene has three principles to teach us, and we're gonna touch on the first two. He says, unless you let me wash you, you have no part with me. No communion, no union, no relationship apart from my act of washing you.

So what is he saying there? What what's being said here? This is talking about his cleansing work and salvation. This is about him washing us from our sins. And Jesus Christ, not just to the disciples, but to every man and woman in this room, to every man and woman throughout history, offers the same request.

He comes with a basin, and he says, Unless you let me wash you, you cannot have any part with me. And so many answer like how Peter answers. You shall never wash my feet. Now, Peter answers out of ignorance, but Peter, people say that and give that answer for different reasons. Here here are some here are some main reasons why Jesus offers to wash, and people say, you shall never wash my feet.

Number one, people don't want him to wash because the concept seems so absurd to those who profess to be wise. The concept of Christ washing someone from their sin is an offense to those who profess to be wise. God coming down and dying for humanity. God coming down and taking the punishment upon himself for my own sin. It makes sense for me to live up to my own mistakes.

And so the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God unto salvation for those who are saved. It doesn't make sense to some people. Those who hold to another faith. God paying the price? I'm supposed to pay the price.

How do we how do we relate Jesus's blood to my sin being atoned for? How do those things link? And so, in their professed wisdom, they reject the washing that Jesus wants to give. And there is such a clear picture of this in second Kings chapter five, and I would encourage you to turn your bibles to second Kings chapter five. Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria was a great man with his master in high favor because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria.

He was a mighty man of valor. Stop. So we we receive a description of this man. Mighty man of valor. A man of prestige.

A man of position. A man of popularity. A man who had a high standing, but you know what? He was also a man who had a problem. What was his problem?

He was a leper. I just wanna say this to you, I don't care who you are, and neither does the Bible concerning what you do for a living, who knows you, or what you've done. There is one condition that every person carries, and it's a sin, a sin problem, a sin nature. Leprosy is often a picture of the sin nature, And Naaman carried that sin nature, and Naaman had to make a choice. Either he was going to live in that condition or he was going to take an opportunity that was offered by a little servant girl.

What happens next? Now, the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, Would that my lord, were with the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his leprosy. And so you have to realize how desperate are you to be set free from your sin. How desperate are you?

Are you humble enough to even respond to it on a day like this in a random house on University Street? Are are you are you so desperate enough that you don't you don't care if it's delivered by a eloquent man with PhDs and all these letters or a little servant girl? No matter who delivers it, the power is in the message, not in the messenger. And this little girl had hope, and he had the ears to hear to say, you know, if I can get cured, I'm willing to do it. What do I need to do?

What do I need to do to come to that place? And so we fast forward. He comes to Israel. Verse nine. So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house.

And Elisha sent a messenger to him saying, go and wash in the Jordan seven times and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean. So here's Naaman. What does he do? He comes with a show. He comes to make sure that people know who he is.

And he has this expectation in his mind. Here's my disease. Here's my condition. And surely, this man is gonna give me something wonderful to do to overcome this disease. And to his surprise, the prophet doesn't even meet with him.

He sends a messenger. Christ sends messengers and says, if you want to be clean, go to the River Jordan, dip yourself seven times a picture of completion, and you'll be cured. Seems simple enough. That that seems pretty clear. There's there's nothing confusing about it.

But here's the thing, it required two things from Naaman, humility and faith. And he couldn't even give those things. What happens? How does he respond? Verse 11, but Naaman was angry and went away saying, behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.

I was expecting something else for this cure. How degrading. Does this prophet know that I'm the commander of the army of Syria? And verse 13 is so amazing. The servants that followed him come along and say, you know, Naaman, if the prophet had asked you to do something extravagant, you would have done it.

If he had told you something complicated to do, you would have performed it. But he's saying just go and get washed, and you'll be cured. And see, today the gospel is offensive in this, that it seems too simple and it requires too much humility. How do I get rid of this sin nature? Perform these acts.

Keep these rituals. Offer these sacrifices. Okay. That that seems understandable. Sure.

Live a lifelong of purity. Don't sin. Make your good works outweigh your bad. Keep your attendants clean. Okay.

That that makes sense. Yes. I have to I have to do something for this nature to be taken care of. I have to do something to overcome this disease. But then the gospel comes.

Then the gospel comes and says, you do nothing. You believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. You repent. You turn from your sins, and you turn towards his grace, and you shall be saved, and it is an offense to the flesh. Seems too simple.

What is it of me? What what does it require of me? What's my participation? Your sin is your participation. And you allow his grace to wash you.

And you come under the cleansing flow of the crimson blood of Jesus Christ. And you let him flow through your life, and flow through your record of sin, and you will be cured. You will be cured. But to some, they want some part in it. To some, they want some marvelous act that they can attach their name to it.

But in this gospel, there is no boasting in the flesh. People people think it's absurd, so they reject this washing. You shall never wash my feet. The second reason is that people desire to cleanse themselves. And so Jesus offers to cleanse.

In his humility, he comes and he says, I've stooped down. I've come to this point so that you can receive cleansing. But it requires humility on your part to respond to his humility. But for many people, again, this concept does not make sense, and so they reject the idea of Jesus doing it, and they say, you know, Lord, I have my own water, and I recognize my own problems, and so I'll just wash myself. But notice what Jesus said.

He didn't say, if you are washed, you'll have part with me. He says, if I don't wash you, I'm not looking for you to figure out a way that you can get clean. Hear me very clearly, the gospel is not about you cleaning yourself up so that you can get right with God. The gospel is not about you changing the way you behave so that you can have a right standing with God. The gospel is you surrendering to what Christ already has done and allowing himself to wash you because only he holds the power to change you.

It goes beyond the surface. It's something internal, and only he has the power to get into the heart of man and to uproot those things that were there from the beginning with Adam and Eve. I'll wash myself. Don't wash my feet. But if he doesn't wash you, no matter how much you think you've cleansed yourself, you're in for a rude awakening at that day because you refused those wounded hands to scrub sin out of your life.

It's not just a desire to cleanse oneself. It goes beyond that as well for some people. It goes to the place where there's a denial of being washed. There's a denial of the need of being washed. And so, people don't see the need of Jesus saying, let me wash you.

They look at themselves, they look at their lives, they're probably accustomed to the dirt that they've lived with. They look at themselves, they're like, well, this is just normal. This is just the way I am. I I have dirty feet. This is the way I grew up.

I surround myself with people with dirt. So this is just the norm, and then Jesus comes along and says, you need to be cleansed. And you go, cleansed of what? I'm not that bad of a person. It's amazing how many times you present the gospel of grace to people and they look at you and says, but I'm fine.

It's amazing how you can talk to some people and they say, you know, Christ has a standard, and you you you bring the law to them, and you show them that even if you lied, you do not enter the kingdom of heaven. They go, well, Christ Christ doesn't expect perfection from me to enter into his presence. Listen, you might live differently with your rules in your house, but Christ's kingdom has his own set of rules. And his rule says, if he does not wash you, you can't come in. You can't enter into his house with dirty feet.

You can't enter into his house with dirty garments. And only he possesses the cleansing power and the righteous clothing for you to come in and to eat. To come in and to abide, to come in for eternity. Do not fall for the trap of making up your own rules of how Christ determines his kingdom. Jesus said, you need to be washed.

Are you willing to acknowledge it? Well, all these other guys are dirty too. That doesn't matter. Well, everybody's dirty. That doesn't matter.

Well, I'm gonna get dirty again. That doesn't matter. You need to let them wash you. Titus three three and five is powerful. For we ourselves were once disobedient, foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hating by others and hating one another.

But when the goodness and love and kindness of God our savior appeared, he saved us. He saved us. Not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he has poured out richly on us through Jesus Christ. Salvation is linked to cleansing. Salvation is linked to washing.

And Jesus says, I'm here to wash you. Today, do not be like Peter and say, you shall not wash my feet. Whatever reason you fit with that. But Peter kind of understood where he was coming from. And Peter, like he is, responds in the other extreme, says, wash all of me.

If that's the case, cleanse me through and through, hands and head. And we see that, we say, okay, Peter, we understand where you're coming from, and people would criticize what he's saying, but I understand where he's coming from. When you have the revelation that you can only have your share, your inheritance with Christ, would you not respond in like manner? If that's the case, take care of me all, Take every part of me. Let every fraction of my being be covered by your blood.

Cleanse me through and through. It baffles my mind and it just shows more and more the depravity of man's heart when they hear the glorious gospel of grace and still hesitate to allow themselves to be cleansed through that fountain. Isn't it fascinating when grace is presented, so many things are brought up to reject it? Peter says, do it. I I want it all.

And his answer opens up the next reason why Jesus is doing this, the second point to why he's washing. Verse 10, Jesus said to him, the one who has bathed does not need to wash. I like how the ESV puts it, Because in the Greek, bathe and wash are two different words. He's introducing another word for cleansing with bathe. Bathe gives the idea of being completely washed.

Washed, in the second part here, is a localized cleansing. He's talking about a body part. And what he's telling Peter is, I'm glad you brought that up, the idea of being cleansed from top to bottom. Because those who are bathed don't need to be cleansed again, except for their feet. So what does that have to do with the gospel?

This, that when you do say yes, when you do get into the River Jordan and you dip yourself seven times, when you do respond to this gospel of grace, it has a permanent cleansing effect on your life. Meaning, when you come into that place and you acknowledge him, when you come into that place where you receive him, you in that moment are justified before God Almighty. You in that moment, here's the gospel of grace, every sin that you've ever committed is erased from your record, And there is no need to reapply that bathing process in your life again, because when he washes you, your record is clean. And it doesn't matter if you destroy the lives of 10,000 bulls and goats, and the blood comes to your kneecaps. It is only the blood of Jesus that appeases and atones and redeems mankind.

That's why in Hebrews 10, there's something so marvelous. 10 verse 14 says, for by a single offering he has perfected for all time. For by a single offering, he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. One offering. And we were discussing this in class just last week, actually.

How could a few hours of suffering How could a few hours of suffering atone for the lives of million of people who would not go to eternity in hell? How could it How could you equate a few hours of that to atone for an eternity spent away from the presence of God, experiencing his wrath for all time. How does that level up? You have to understand what he suffered first because the question itself is self defeating when you realize that it's not just some suffering that he experienced. It goes beyond just a physical, torturous experience on a cross.

It goes beyond that. And you think about Christ in the garden. You think about Him in that moment, and He was talking about and seeking the Lord about that that cup. I mean, what was causing him to tremble in that moment? Was it the the Romans beating him?

Was it the scourging? Was it the nails? Was it the crown of thorns? You look at church history and you see that there are many martyrs who were crucified, not only upright, but upside down, who were lit a flame and were doing so while singing hymns. So what brought Christ to the place where he was sweating drips of blood?

The physical pain, though as gruesome as it is, it was the wrath of almighty God. It was to take upon himself the sin of the world, and for God to zoom in on him, all that wrath that belong to all of humanity upon his shoulders in that moment. Few hours of suffering? Part of the torture of the crucifixion is the fact that you suffocate. It's not about the wounds necessarily.

It's not about losing blood, though all those things play into it. It's about the fact that you're positioned in a way in which you cannot breathe, and so you have to push your feet up so that you can get your air in, and that your lungs are expanded a little bit. So, this understanding brings the suffering of Christ to a whole new light because it says that he cried out with a loud voice, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? The pain of that sense of separation was so great that it exerted all his energy to cry out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? That's the cup.

That's the suffering. Eternal harmony with the Godhead. And for a sliver of a moment even, that sense of separation was beyond anything else. This cleansing, this initial cleansing is first John one seven. The blood of Jesus, his son, cleanses us from all sin.

But there's a second cleansing that takes place in the believer's life. It's a second washing that is subsequent and continuous. That's why he says, accept his feet. So he is washed, he is washed, he is washed. Once and for all, when you say yes to Christ, you are once and for all clean before the eyes of the father.

You are once and for all justified. You are once and for all known as his known as his son and daughter, but there is another washing that takes place. The washing of the feet. Meaning what? That you and I in this world will walk, and as we walk, we're gonna pick up some dirt in our lives.

And so there is a second type of cleansing that is needed. It is a daily cleansing from the same blood. The first one, the first type of cleansing deals with our position with Christ. The second type of cleansing deals with how we relate to him in this life concerning communion and fellowship. And the second type of washing secures that fellowship with him, that experiential knowledge of the person of Jesus Christ.

And we need it, which tells me something so glorious about the gospel. In light of this, that though Jesus, yes, cleanses us once and for all, he had it in mind that we would walk through this life and that we would fall. And knowing that in mind, his blood goes beyond just the once and for all, his blood even cleanses us through and through. And he has enough of it to do it every single day. And this type of cleansing is not first John one seven, it's first John one nine.

For if we confess our sin, he's talking to believers. It's amazing, people debate today, believers don't need to confess their sin because they're justified, so no need of confession. Explain first John one nine then, brother. First John one nine, if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us of all our sin and to cleanse us from unrighteousness. All unrighteousness.

And so to the carnal minded, this is exciting. To the carnal minded, you hear this and you go, I'm justified. I can live how I want. I have the supply of the eternal blood of the lamb of God to cover me in my debauchery and my sin. That's the carnal minded.

And you have a whole another set of questions to ask yourself, but that's how you interpret these verses. But for the one who's truly regenerated, there is a comfort in this. There is such a comfort in this truth, because you can meet believers who are genuinely pursuing Christ. You can meet genuine believers who have been truly born again, and somewhere along this walk, some dirt gets on their feet. They get distracted and they step into a puddle of mud, and all these doubts come to mind about their salvation.

And all this condemnation comes upon themselves, and all this fear about even entering into the presence of God, cripples them again. And Jesus says in this moment, listen, as eager as I am to wash you initially so that you are cleansed forever, I am just as much eager to wash you when you get dirty again. I wanna wash your feet. So even when, this morning, if you're living with a sense of guilt or a sense of condemnation because you've allowed dirt to get into your life, know this, that Christ wants to cleanse you and wash you and send you off again so that you can pursue a life that reflects him. And that grace, as we know and I hope that we've never twisted, enables us to live holy.

I could tell you when I was a teenager in high school and I bought my first pair of brand new shoes, especially if they were white, there was no way you could not pay me to wear those shoes, and to see a puddle of mud, and to jump in it, and to just dance in the mud. And some people would do that because that was a gift to them. You know what I'm saying? When you pay for something, you treat a lot differently than if it's given to you. Right?

I didn't pay for it, so I can live how I want. I can do what I want with it. But you realize that you've been given a gift. I could tell you, there was no way I was going and kicking around, and you know this if you bought something new. You take care of it.

You watch over it. It's not legalism, it's because you love the thing. It's because you care for the thing. It's because you want to represent it well. So this gift of salvation, we don't just take it and just throw it in the mud because we know it's grace.

No. We take care of it. We watch it. We're surveilling. We're aware we're aware, and it's not legalism.

It's because you love the gift. And sometimes you get distracted and something comes on it. But here it is, Jesus comes and says, let me wash it. Let me cleanse you. Let me sanctify you.

And you are, after that moment, aware and more diligent to say, Lord, help me stay my track. Help me avoid the things that would come and contaminate what is so holy. You think about the gospel. You you think about the gospel. I love what Paul Washer says.

It would have been enough if he saved us and put us in some neutral place. It would be an astounding understanding of grace if he allowed us to be in his courts in heaven to serve him for all eternity. It's enough the fact that he makes us sons and daughters, we are identified in the family of God, but he goes beyond that. He makes us ambassadors of Christ. Representatives of him in this world.

And as we learn Friday, talking about bearing false witness, we we long to. We long to represent him well. We long to display this gospel well. What happens? You are clean, but not every one of you.

For he knew who was to betray him, and that's why he said, not all of you are clean. Now Peter, perhaps understood what he was talking about here. But this same Peter is gonna experience the same truth in a very very real way, because he gets some dirt on his feet. We go to John chapter 21 as we close. What happens here?

Post cross, post resurrection, verse three of John 21. Simon Peter said to them, I'm going fishing. I'm going back to what I used to do before I met Christ. I'm going back to my first occupation. How easily do we forget?

How easily do we surrender to the temptation of just going back to normal in our biggest failures? He goes, and this is the power of persuasion, especially if you have a leadership personality. He takes along with him some of the boys. This is post cross, post resurrection, post Jesus has met with them already a couple of times before this. Think about that.

What does Jesus do? Verse four, just as day was breaking. You know what that means? It's a new day. And who shows up on shore?

Jesus. Why? Because his mercies are new everyday. Just as day was breaking, who shows up? Jesus.

Why? Because every morning when you wake up, Jesus is there ready to give you new mercy. He comes and he's there. And verse five, Jesus said to them, Children, do you have any fish? They answered him, No.

And he said to them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some. People say, Well, why did Jesus do that? I believe because when you go to Luke five, this is how Jesus initially called Peter. He says, let down your nets and catch some fish. So that would have went right to their minds, and it does.

What is he doing there? He's calling Peter the same way he called him the first time. Says, Peter, do you remember when I called you at first? I'm calling you again. But I denied I'm calling you again.

How does Peter respond? Like how he always does in extremes. Jumps in the water. Comes towards Jesus. Look what happens in verse nine.

When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place with fish laid out on it. That's that's important. Because the place where Peter denied Jesus in John eighteen eighteen was right by a charcoal fire. He was warming himself, and that is the same place where he denied Jesus. And so when Jesus calls him, when Jesus longs to restore him, when Jesus wants to reconnect and recommission him, Jesus in his restoration process with you or with Peter or with anybody else, he does not take your sin and swipe it under the rug.

He takes us in such gentle manner, in such compassion, and he lets us face our sin in light of his grace. Peter is right there. Could you imagine what memories came to him as he smelt that charcoal fire? Can you imagine what came to mind when he saw that charcoal fire? John eighteen eighteen, that's the same thing I saw when I denied him.

That's the same thing I comforted myself with. It says they comforted themselves around that fire, they were warming themselves up with that fire. That's the same position I was in when I denied him, and Jesus says, Come, let's eat. Think the bible is highlighting this for no reason, and he gently confronts him. And verse 19, what does he say?

And after saying this in the second part, he said to him, follow me. Peter, let me wash you. We're gonna sing in a moment, and I want us to sing in light of his love that it perseveres until the end. I want us to sing in light of his humility. He washes our feet, and I want us to sing in light of his grace the grace that saves us and keeps us and the grace that washes us throughout the process.

If you need any cleansing today, realize that this day, Jesus is on the shore. And what he was really saying through all those things was, Peter, let me wash you again. Peter, let me cleanse you again, and let me set you back on the track that you were called to be on. What kind of love is this? I pray that it would be a love that would cause you not just to sing with joy, but to live with obedience.

Father, thank you for the love of Jesus Christ. Wash us. Wash us in the blood. Cleanse us, Lord. Lord, we don't trample on the blood this morning.

But at the same time, when we find ourselves dirty, filthy, We know that you bid us to come and to be washed again. Thank you that when you bathe us, it's a done deal. May our hearts rest secure. May our hearts be like those precious jewels that were on that breast piece of Aaron, resting on the heart and love of Jesus Christ, our great high priest. We thank you Lord for your love.

It is the theme of our song. It's the motivation for our obedience. It is the reason why we live. Help us spread that love. In your name we pray.

Amen.