Foot Washing: Are You a Lowly Servant?”

I need to hear from our pastor, given the second message, Mr. Jim Tuck.

Happy Sabbath, everybody! Always good to see you, as you know, Mr. Knutson mentioned, on the Sabbath. It seems like we're so busy anymore, going here and there. I always tell people, even though I'm not here, please be aware I am somewhere. You know, we're always somewhere in the during the feast. You know, I've been in touch with different people. We'll be up in the Denver area on the last day of Unleavened Bread, making a sort of a church visit up there. And then we'll be up in over in Hawaii at Pentecost. So they're looking forward to that, by the way, to be able to to have the feast of Pentecost for them.

And when we're over there, we're going to be doing some work for the feast in Hawaii as well. So it's kind of hard when you coordinate a feast site that everybody comes into that feast site and you don't know who's coming. You know, you know how it is in the States.

You sort of know it like if you were in Bend or Oceanside, you sort of know who's going to be there from year to year. Hawaii, you have no idea who's going to be there. So anyway, this year I think we're going to have some really good speakers that will be there for the feast. I know at least two really individuals have been around for a long time are going to be in Hawaii, and we look forward to seeing them over there.

You know, we look at the world, the society that we live in, and have you ever been taken by the fact that the world is sold on itself? It's really sold on itself. You see that and what people do.

Sometimes leaders are so sold on themselves that vanity just seems to ooze out because of it. And because the world is sold on itself, it's full of pride and vanity all around us. You know, people want themselves above other people, and that's what I'm talking about in the world that is so prevalent out there. You know, there are a number of things that could cause a person to be vain and prideful.

You know, there's a number of things I'm sure you could think about and come to the same conclusion. If you are a very intelligent person, what people call an intellectual, you know, an intellectual person who has intellectual prowess, you know, where they're able to think at a very high level, at a very rapid rate, they could think that they have superior knowledge, you know, from some Joe Schmoe that may be a mechanic somewhere, you know, they may think they're smarter, you know, than someone like that.

And they make it very clear who's the superior one, you know, when it comes to intellect. It could be also physical ability. You know, some people get vain about their physical ability. You know, we see that in the world, don't we, with athletes. You know, whether you're talking about basketball players, you know, we had, of course, the Suns here, and you have some of them that they're boasting all the time.

It seems like they major in that, to boast about how great they are at being basketball players. And, of course, they make a little bit more than you and I do, don't they? You know, some of these people are signing contracts, $150-200 million. And I guess somebody could say it's not surprising that they get a little vain about the high wages that they make. It might be a business person that has a great deal of knowledge that way that's accumulated a great deal of wealth.

And it caused, you know, what happens when people begin to think of themselves higher than other people? It causes them to think that they're above the law, that they don't have to obey laws like you and I, who are here in this room today. And interestingly, the recent scandal that has been in the news—I don't know if you've been following this scandal about these movie stars—and some of them, you know, may be worth $40-50-100 million. You know, they're not above paying $500,000 to get their children into the higher-caliber colleges or universities. They're not above paying a lot of money to have somebody else sort of be a ghost and come and sit and take an exam, you know, in order to get their children who may just don't have the smarts to get in based on their academic ability.

But they'll have somebody come and take a test for them and they'll make a high grade on it so that they're able to get into some of the Ivy League schools. They've allowed some people to cheat on exams. They've allowed people to even fake documents.

They've paid people to do it so their children can get into these prestigious universities. You know, what's probably going to happen—and you're going to hear about it, I'm sure—that some of these people are going to end up serving some jail time. They're going to go to jail before, you know, it's all said and done.

What really got me to wondering is some of these movie stars are very apologetic.

But I was telling my wife the other day, but how do you know if their apology is sincere?

I mean, after all, they're good actors. They're even able to act and act like they're apologetic, so I don't know if you can even believe them. But you know, brethren, even poor people can be affected by pride and vanity. You wouldn't think it, would you? But people who are poor can be.

The poor can be vain, and you know, they can boast, I'm poor and I'm proud of it.

And not only are they poor, but they won't associate with anybody that has money. They're prejudiced toward people that have money. And usually the retort is with somebody that has money, oh, they probably got it dishonestly. You know, that's the thing. And of course, it possibly is true in some cases, but certainly not true in every case.

So there can be prejudice caused by vanity and pride, even by people that don't have a lot. Even religious people can get vain. They can be vain and prideful, filled with with vanity.

So, brethren, what I'm saying to you is we've seen modeled for us in just about every arena in this world, vanity and pride. Just out there. Is it any surprise that we fight that same thing in our own life? Let's go over to Isaiah 65 here to begin with the scriptures here.

But in Isaiah chapter 65, let's notice this. And I mentioned in the letter I sent to you yesterday that, you know, no one is righteous, you know, like it says over in Romans 3 verse 23, that none seek after God. You know, even if you go back to to Abraham or Moses or or Noah, none sought after God. The only way they sought God is when God called them.

He had to call people. But notice what he says over here. He says, I was sought by those who did not ask for me. He says, I was found by those who did not seek me. Frankly, there's nobody that among us right here in this room that truly sought God. God called you. You didn't find God, brethren. He called you and he found you. That's what he says right here in verse one.

But it says, I said, here I am. Here I am. In other words, God is saying, look, I'm over here. I'm over here. Listen to what I have to say. You know, God could say that about the church. He could say, you know, that the church is the pillar and stay of truth. The truth is over here, folks.

This is where it is. Here. It's not out there. It's not in the world. And the church is the world. It's here. You know, God could do that. He says to a nation that was not called by my name.

I've stretched out my hands all day long, he says, to a rebellious people. That's the typical nature of human beings who walk in a way that is not good. Now, let's drop down here to verse five, who say, keep to yourself. Do not come near me, for I am holier than you are.

I'm holier than you are. Stay away from me. Don't touch me. Don't get near me. I'm better than you are. Holier than you, as it says here. And notice it says that these are a smoke in my nostrils. What happens when you get smoke in your nostrils? Don't you want to sneeze? Don't you want to blow it out? In other words, God is saying it's an offense to me when people have this holier than thou attitude. A fire that burns all the day, it says. You know, never look down your nose, brethren, at anyone. I know my parents, by the way, were not in the church, and they taught me that.

They taught me when I was a little boy, you don't ever make fun of anybody that has a handicap.

That's what they taught me, and I've always tried to follow that.

But never look down your nose at anyone. If they're poor, never look down your nose. I don't care if they're the richest people in the world. You don't look down your nose at people. But you have a certain attitude about yourself. You know, God's not impressed, brethren, with someone who thinks of better than other people. He doesn't want us to be that way at all. He doesn't want us to be that way. Jesus, in fact, instituted a ceremony associated with a Passover to teach humility, to teach that fact of what God wants us to be. Let's go to John 13. We're going to be reading this, in fact, on Thursday night. But I want you to think about this a bit more deeply and not just go through the motions, you know, take for granted what we have, what we know.

But understand in a deeper way what this is about. John 13 in verse 1, we'll just begin here. It might, if you have a Bible, please read along. But it says, now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come, that he should depart from the world to his father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the very end, it says.

And supper being ended, I think Moffat actually says, during the supper. So this happened during what was the typical supper that the Jews would have had, you know, in the first century.

And by the way, don't mistake the idea that somehow this supper should be done in the New Testament church today. And don't mistake and think that somehow that we're not doing what God instructs us to do when we meet on Thursday evening, you know, to observe the Passover. Christ instituted the emblems in lieu of this supper. But it says in the supper being ended, the devil having already put it in the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him. And Jesus, knowing that the father had given all things into his hands, and he should come from that he had come from God and was going to God, rose from the supper and laid aside his garments, and he took a towel and girded himself. And after that he poured water with a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with a towel with which he was girded.

And then he came to Simon Peter, and Peter said, Lord, are you washing my feet?

And Jesus said to him, what I am doing you do not understand. You don't know what this is about, Peter, but you will know after this. And Peter said to him, you will never wash my feet. You are not going to do that. And Jesus answered, if I do not wash you, you have no part with me.

Of course, washing having to do with baptism and being forgiven of sin. But it says, Simon Peter said, Lord, not holding my feet, but my hands and my head. Peter was the kind of guy that was a foot-mouth guy. He always had his foot in his mouth. And he always spoke up, and that's one of the dangers when you're the one that always speaks up. You know, he probably engaged his mouth before his brain got informed of what he was going to say. But then Jesus said to him, he who is bathed needs only to be washed his feet, but is completely clean. But you are clean, but not all of you. For he knew who was going to betray him. Therefore, he said, you are not all clean. He's talking about, of course, Judas Iscariot. So when he had washed their feet, taken his garments, and sat down again, he said, do you know what I've done to you? Do you even understand what I've done to you? He said to his disciples, you call me teacher and Lord, and you are right, because that's what I am. If I then your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you ought to also wash one another's feet. For I've given you an example that you should do as I've done to you. And most assuredly I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you, if you do them. So Christ left this example. And Jesus instituted this foot washing ceremony prior to the giving of the actual emblems, by the way. So Judas was here for the foot washing, and experienced that. Now what's the purpose, brethren, of foot washing before we eat the emblems? You think about it, you know, why do we do it before we eat the emblems?

It would seem more sanitary to do it after we eat the emblems. Would you agree with that?

Do you ever think about the fact that here you wash feet and then you eat something? Or you drink something? I'm sure you have thought about it. So what is the purpose of foot washing?

And the question I have for you today is, do you get the message? Do you get the message of foot washing? There's a lot to it, a lot to this message that God has given us here through foot washing. You know, this was about being humble. It's about being humble. So let me tell you why. Because this is why Peter was taken aback by what happened here.

Because foot washing was done by a slave, it was done by a slave in the house.

Or the lowliest servant that was available to do it, you know. Interestingly, in looking up this thing of foot washing, Jewish servants, by the way, were never required to wash feet.

You know, you imagine this was a pretty dirty job. People walking the streets of Jerusalem, and I've done it myself, by the way. I was at the dig in 1973, as was my wife. We wore sandals, and your feet get as nasty as can be. And you come in and you wash your feet. I mean, you've got a puddle of mud, basically, after you wash your feet. So this was done by the very lowest servant that someone had in the house. The Jews did not use their servants for that menial job, but they did use gentile slaves who they considered to be dogs. And this was, again, a very degrading, a very demeaning task. So why did Jesus Christ, the creator of all mankind, all humankind, and all things that were created, why did he give us foot washing, of all things? You know, why does the Bible talk about us being royalty and how we're going to be kings and priests in the world tomorrow? And here Jesus is saying, okay, I'm going to give you foot washing. Do kings wash feet? No, they don't, do they? They don't typically do that. In fact, in the world, the kings tend to lord over people. They hire people to do things for them.

I understand that Queen Elizabeth, by the way, has a person designated to wear her shoes. You know how you buy shoes and you have to break them in and you get those blisters? She doesn't go through that. She has somebody that's designated to wear her new shoes and break them in before she wears them. See, this is what kings do and queens do, and I could get a little more graphic about it, but I won't. The things that kings and queens do that are incredible.

So why did Jesus Christ institute this thing of foot washing?

You know, as was talked about in the first message, a little leavens the whole lump.

You know, what God does is He teaches us things that prevent us from getting attitudes that I described at the very beginning of this message. The vanity that seems to affect all of us.

You know, if you begin to get a little power, you know, all of a sudden you're scratching your head and it's out here, right? You've got a big head. Well, Jesus wants His disciples, brethren, and He was teaching His apostles this so that they wouldn't get that big head.

That they would always remember who they were and what they were.

You know, like was said, little leaven leavens the whole lump. If you don't stop some things, and nip it in the bud, it becomes a problem later on down the way, and it could be very costly.

You'll think about the fact that we may not even have had a tribe of Benjamin.

Had it not been for God's mercy. Norway would not exist.

You know, the Benjaminites, and by the way, I've met a few Benjimites, and they've got a little vanity sometimes about them, as everybody does. But I think the Benjimites, especially, they pride themselves on being tough people. And the Benjimites were willing to die and hang on, you know, to that pride that they had until the very end, so that everybody would have been wiped out because of pride and because of vanity. You know, Nebuchadnezzar is a perfect example of why future kings need to have foot wash. Let's go over here to Daniel, the book of Daniel. We'll just touch on this particular example here. I could give you many in the Bible.

I think just two would be enough. But in the book of Daniel in chapter 4, you know this great king, this great monarch, who was in fact the only world-ruling empire that existed at the time. His name was Nebuchadnezzar. But here in verse 29—I'm going to break into the thought here—Daniel had been talking to him, but had not gotten through to King Nebuchadnezzar. He was trying to forewarn Nebuchadnezzar about his vanity, about his pride. What was going to happen if he did not get a handle on his pride and his vanity? So notice here in verse 29, at the end of it says the 12 months, he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon, which was probably pretty spectacular. You know, history talks about the hanging gardens of Babylon being one of the seventh wonders of the world.

But going on, the king spoke saying, is not this great Babylon that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty? Isn't this a perfect place to show just how great I am, how wonderful I am? And it says, while the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice fell from heaven. King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken, the kingdom has departed from you.

You see, God took it all away. You know, all these things that he thought he built himself, God just snatched it away from him. And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And they will make you eat grass like oxen, and seven times are going to pass over you until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever he desires, whoever he chooses. Now, you think you make it as a difference, by the way, by voting, you know, in the elections? What is it? Read the book! What it says, God appoints leaders. He gives it to whoever he chooses. Not done by votes, it's done by God's choice. But it says, that very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar, and he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hair had grown like eagle's feathers, and his nails like bird's claws. Can you imagine this? You know, he's got these claws, and he's a filthy looking creature. Can you imagine? He went off this rock, or he went mad. He became an animal. Maybe as an outward demonstration of what was going on in his mind, you know, that he was a beast from within, and God said, oh, you're gonna act like a beast. You're gonna be a beast. You're gonna be an animal. On down here, verse 34, pass over some of this here, but down in verse 34, at the end of the time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, this is after seven years had gone by, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me. And I blessed the Most High and praised and honored him who lives forever. On down here, verse 37, now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and his ways justice, and those who walk and pride, Nebuchadnezzar learned, he is able to put down. God can put them down. And that applies, brethren, to you and me as well. We get too cocky with God. God can say, okay, well, you've done pulled a Nebuchadnezzar. I'm going to teach you something here of who's in charge, who has the responsibility.

Nebuchadnezzar learned a lesson he would not forget. The Bible says, pride goes before a fall.

If you get that pride or that vanity, it goes before a fall, every time, brethren. There's no exception to it. If you ever think there's an exception, that's your first mistake.

Pride goes before a fall, no matter how powerful a person is, and Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful man in the entire world. There was nobody else. God brought him down. Let me show you another example over here. Now, somebody has started out okay, but they allowed the power to go to their heads. Some of you that are younger should listen up to this particular example here.

You know, we should listen to all examples, but let's go to 2 Chronicles. I think you'll find this quite interesting if you are nearing teenage years. Better to listen up, to learn the lesson of life. You know, people go through life and, you know, like the average Tom, Dick, or Harry, walk in the street. They're oblivious to what the realities are and what God does with human beings. But here in 2 Chronicles chapter 26, let's notice here, it says, all the days... it says all the people of Judah took Uzziah. Uzziah was a son, you know, of Amaziah, and he was 16 years old. 16 years old. I don't know if we have any 16-year-old kids here, or children here, but imagine if you became a king when you were 16. Think about that.

It'd be hard to keep yourself humble, wouldn't it, if you were young, very young? And it says, and he made him king instead of his father Amaziah. And it says he built Eloth and restored it to Judah after the king rested with his fathers. Uzziah was 16 years old when he became king, and he ruled for 52 years. That's a long time to be in royalty. And his mother, it says, her name was Jekylliah of Jerusalem, and he did what was right. This is a great story about Uzziah. He did what was right in the sight of the eternal according to all that his father Amaziah had done.

He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understand the visions of God as long as he sought God that God made him prosper. Mark this down, brethren. All of us need to mark this down.

As long as we seek God, as long as we obey God, we will prosper. You want to go down?

The fact of the matter is, if we want to go down, just turn your back on God, and you will go down.

You bring yourself down. And so he went out and made war against Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath, the wall of Zabner, the wall of Ashdod, and he built cities around Ashdod and among the Philistines. And so he did all these things, and he did a lot of wonderful things. In verse 10, and he built towers in the desert, he dug many wells, and he had much livestock, both in the lowlands of the plains. He also had farmers and vine dressers in the mountains, and in Carmel, for he loved the soil. So he was a farmer, a kind of a mentality, agrarian. And it says, Moreover, you saw, you had an army of fighting men who went out to war by company. So he had a great army, and the total number of chief officers of the mighty men of valor were 2,600. So he had a really well-staffed military. And under their authority was an army of 307,500. That's a big army, isn't it, even by today's standards. Pretty big army. That made war with mighty power to help the king against the enemy. But notice here, verse 14, then Uzziah prepared for them and for the entire army shields and all the war materiel. He made devices, as it says in Jerusalem, verse 15, invented by skillful men to be on the towers. And so he was quite inventive. You know, as a young man, very industrious.

You know, he invented new methods of warfare.

But notice going on down here in this story, but when he was strong, his heart was lifted up.

You remember what God said to Nebuchadnezzar? What Nebuchadnezzar realized is that, you know, if you lift yourself up, God can bring you down. So when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction, to his downfall. For he transgressed against the Lord his God by entering the temple of the eternal to burn incense on the altar of incense. So that's what happens. See, people get this vanity about themselves, and allowing that vanity to enter in is that little leaven that leavens the whole lump. And one thing leads to another. And here he thought he had the authority to go in and do the job of a priest.

You know what happened in this story? Is God smote him with leprosy. And they called him the leper king. And from that day forward until the day of his death, he was a leper. And God brought him down. He took him out of the picture, out of sight of people, in the sense he remained king, but obviously God brought him down. His pride, brethren, his vanity made him think again that he was above the law. It's the priests that do the duties of the temple, not the king. That's not their role. That's not their responsibility. But because Uzziah had prospered so much, he began to go in his head, well, maybe I should do everything.

I could do anything. I'm better than a priest. Well, God didn't agree with that.

And he dealt in an area, a territory that was not his domain.

So, brethren, it's important for us to learn that if we are lifted up with pride, we begin to think that we're greater than everybody else, that God can bring us down.

When I was a kid growing up, we used to have a saying, the bigger they are, the harder they are, the harder they fall. I guess some of you are about like me, huh?

The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Remember this, brethren, and I was thinking about this last night as something that is a true statement. Vanity and pride is a lie.

If people have vanity and pride, it's a lie. It's fake.

But true humility, brethren, is the truth. True humility is the truth.

If you say, you know, this is above my pay grade, you know, that I'm a worm.

If you say, I am the lowly servant of the house, that's the truth. To say we're greater than everybody else, that is a lie.

So remember this, brethren, vanity and pride is a lie. And true humility is the truth.

And that's what God wants us to learn, brethren. It's the truth about who we are. So Christ, brethren, gave foot washing to the disciples to teach them about what true humility really was. Now, what did Jesus Christ teach by setting them in the example we read about there in John 13? We read it. We read the scriptures. There are four points I want to give you here that Christ was teaching his disciples. Number one thing he was trying to teach them, since they were apostles that were going to promulgate the gospel to the world, number one is the master is not greater than the servant, a servant. Master is not greater than the servant. Remember, what did Jesus himself say? He said, I didn't come to be served, I came to serve. And remember, he told his disciples, you say I'm your master and that's what I am. But the master, brethren, is not greater than the servant is what Christ taught by foot washing. Number two, let's go to Luke 22, number two is Jesus had to rebuke the disciples for their selfish mindset.

They were selfish in their thinking. But you know, that's the natural mind. That's the carnal mind. It is selfish. It's always thinking about the self. I remember when I was at Ambassador College, I had a friend of mine that, you know, you remember the song that was, I think, sung by Dionne Warwick, What the World Needs Now is Love, Sweet Love. How many of you are old enough to know that song? Okay, so I'm not among people that don't know about that. Well, he changed it.

He changed the song, and he said, What the World Needs Now is Me, Me, Me.

And of course, he was just joking, but that's the way the world sings out there, right? That's the what they really do sing. What the world needs now is Me, Me, Me. It doesn't need anybody else. It needs Me, because vanity reigns supreme. Well, Jesus rebid the disciples for their selfish mindset. But here in chapter 22 and verse 24, it says, And there was a dispute among them as a which of them would be considered the greatest. You remember the story about how the mother came to Jesus and said that she wanted to that Christ would grant that that John and James would be on his right hand and left hand in the kingdom. It was who's going to be the greatest in the kingdom.

He taught them that true greatness, brethren, involves humility.

He taught them that men never earn respect of others by being forced to obey.

But they have to learn respect from others by the example that they set.

They are example of service to other people.

True humility, brethren, is not about you thinking less of yourself.

That's not what true humility is about. It's thinking less about yourself is what true humility is about. So I'll repeat that for you. True humility is not so much thinking less of yourself as it is thinking of yourself less. That's from C.S. Lewis, if you wonder where that quote comes from. Let's go to Mark chapter 10 over here. Mark chapter 10. Mark chapter 10 over here. In verse 42, we have each of the writers that noted Christ's comments to his disciples. Again, we're going to be future apostles and with much power dealing with millions of people over their lifetime, perhaps. Maybe at least thousands of people. But in Mark chapter 10, and down in verse 42, certainly their example would impact millions, probably, before it was all said and done. But in verse 42, let's notice here, of Mark chapter 10.

And Jesus called them to himself, talking about the disciples, you know that those who were considered rulers among the Gentiles, or over the Gentiles, lord it over them. And, brethren, this is what happens in reality, even in non-Gentile countries, but more prevalent in Gentile countries about that, if you think about that in terms of places like Uganda and other places where you have a more dictatorial approach toward authoritative approach toward governance. But it says, and their great ones exercise authority over them, yet it shall not be so among you. But whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of everybody, slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give himself as a ransom for many. So Christ not only came to serve, but he came to give his life. And, brethren, if we are following in his footsteps, we are willing to give our life in service to God. That's our means of sacrifice to God. So Jesus rebuked the disciples, brethren, for their selfish mindset, and he wanted them to overcome that attitude. Number three point that Jesus taught is through his example. He set the example that we should follow. Now, when Christ got up and he washed everybody's feet, is that what he wants you to do and what he wants me to do? Should I take a pan and some water and a towel and kneel down and wash all of your feet here today?

Is that what Jesus Christ wanted? There'd be nothing wrong with that, by the way, if I washed all of your feet. If you let me do that, wash your feet. But that isn't what Jesus Christ wanted to convey. He wanted to convey much more than that of what it means to be a foot-washing, do a foot-washing. He wants us to have, brethren, a foot-washing attitude toward all human beings.

God wants us to change our hearts, to change our minds so that we're really true servants, so we are humble before others, and then we're not lifting ourselves up above others.

Now, how do we become true servants to other people?

Well, how do we do it? By helping others with their burdens in life. By helping others with their burdens in life. Sometimes life can be pretty heavy, can it? Well, we sometimes are there to lend a helping hand. Sometimes we can't do it all, but at least our shoulder to the will makes it a little easier for someone. And the Bible says in Galatians 6 in verse 2, bear you one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. You want to fulfill God's laws?

Christ's law is to help each other. You know, where you can add that helping hand, well, do it, brethren. We can help one another, brethren, and have a foot-washing attitude by forgiving one another. Are we willing to forgive one another? You know, the apostle Paul wrote to the brethren in Ephesus and in Ephesians 4 verse 32, this is what he said. He said, be you kind one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another. Why? Why forgiving one another?

Even as God forgave us because of what Christ did. No, even as he forgave us, we should forgive one another, Paul was telling people. How else do we serve others, brethren? By not being ashamed of what we know, of what we understand as Christians. To be willing to share the truth with others as they ask us what our hope is of salvation. To not be afraid to share it with people.

To talk to people about God's way of life. Now, I think about this. This morning I was watching a program, an old world of our program, where Mr. Armstrong was over in Japan. And he was talking to, I think, a group of two or three thousand employees of a Japanese corporation. The chairman had asked him to give a speech to his employees, who were the senior salesmen and workers in the corporation. But Mr. Armstrong gave a sermon or message called, The Seven Laws of Success. You may be familiar with a booklet. If you aren't familiar with it, I hope you will read it. If you are, maybe review it. But the man who introduced him, the corporation chairman, introduced him, had been to a meeting the day before. And you know, Mr. Armstrong, during those days, was talking about the way of give and get. And that's what the corporation leader told his employees. He said, I was sitting and I was listening to Mr. Armstrong, and he was talking about the way of get and the way of give. And he says, he talked about how the give way leads to success.

And the get way leads ultimately to destruction. And I was amazed here that this corporation leader had gotten the message. But one thing he also said is that Mr. Armstrong was 92 years old.

Anybody here 92? Raise your hand. Nobody. None of us. He was doing the work when he was 92.

He had enthusiasm with it. He wasn't afraid to share the truth.

And you know, he continued to do it until he died in 1986, January 16, when he was 94 years old.

So there are many ways, brethren, that we can serve. One way is don't be ashamed of the truth that you know. Leaders of the world were amazed by the things that Mr. Armstrong said, and they'll be amazed by us, our friends, our neighbors, if we speak the same truth.

You know, Jesus was wanting to convey the idea that there's many ways for us to serve.

But God expects us to be about the business of serving in our lives.

You know, imagine this. When Jesus knelt down and he started to wash feet, I thought about this many times because he saw the future. He knew what was going to happen.

He knew what Peter was going to do. He knew what probably every disciple there was going to do in the future. Don't you think Christ probably found it pretty easy to wash John's feet?

Why? Why would that be? They were friends.

You know, how about, by the way, James? Probably the same thing. John and James were very close friends of Jesus Christ. And yet Christ could have thought, too, well, you know, these guys, these boys are vying who's going to be the greatest disciple.

Well, what about Simon Peter? When Christ knelt down and here he grabbed the foot of Simon Peter, and, you know, Simon was the one who, remember, drew back. But Jesus, when he took his foot in his hand and began to wash it with water, knew that Simon Peter was going to deny him three times.

Before that night was gone, he was going to deny him three times. How about Thomas?

Doubting Thomas as he came to be known. He wasn't even convinced until he could stick his hand inside the wounds of Christ. And what about Judas? He knelt down and he took Judas's foot, and he washed it. He knew that that very night that Judas was going to betray him for 30 pieces of silver. You know, did all these things that he knew, did it affect what he did?

Jesus Christ didn't allow one of those incidents, brethren, to cloud his service and his purpose. And you know what? He set an example, brethren, for every one of us here. He set the example for us. No matter who it is, whether you think somebody betrayed you, whether it's somebody that will say negative things about you, are we going to be like Jesus Christ and do as he did, or are we going to take the carnal approach?

It's pretty easy, again, to wash the feet of somebody that you like, but how about the feet of someone who did you wrong? It would be natural and carnal to not want to wash their feet.

Oh, it might even be natural and carnal to go to another church area, so you could avoid to do that, right? I suppose it would be, brethren, but we wouldn't be Christian either, would we?

We wouldn't be Christian if we avoided doing what Jesus Christ set the very example for us to do.

Remember, who did? Jesus did what the lowliest member of the household did. He washed feet.

Let's go to Matthew 5 in conclusion here. Matthew 5.

Sometimes I've got to watch myself here because you get to start talking and you lose all track of time. But Matthew 5 and down there, verse 43, let's notice this. Jesus said, you have heard that it's been said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

You see, that's carnal. That's natural. Again, if we do what it says here, if we go contrary to what God instructs, then we wouldn't be Christian. But it said, I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. That you, why? So that you could be the sons of your Father in heaven. For he makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good and sins rain on the just and on the unjust.

For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?

If you only wash the feet of people that you like, what do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you have more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do that? And tax collectors were considered to be the peons of society. Therefore, you become perfect. You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. That's what you ought to do. So, brethren, at the Passover, when we come to the foot washing, can we put away grudges and leave them behind?

You know, it's not our job to correct everybody, to get everybody straightened up who does wrong.

God says, vengeance is mine, I will repay. So we don't have to do that.

God can take care of that. He doesn't need our help, does he?

If he can bring down Nebuchadnezzar, I don't think he has any problem with you and me, right?

And after all, don't we want people to repent? What is our job? Our job, brethren, is to become like Christ and perfect like our Father in heaven. The lowliest servant in the house washed the feet of the guests, brethren, that came in from the dirt outside. And, brethren, let's face the reality, that's who we are, the lowest member of the household. So keep that in mind. When you kneel down and you take a foot to wash, think of how important this is to you as a future king, that you never forget, you never ever forget, that you are the lowliest member of the household.

That's what the example Jesus Christ set for us, brethren. And when you kneel down and you take that foot to wash, it signifies you acknowledge that you are a mere, lowly servant in the house of God.