[Music] so Edith and June were two English ladies and they decided to go on holiday and they decided to go on holiday to New York thought Wow Let's go to New York but in between booking and going several people began to say oh New York is scary New York is dangerous and Edith and June were both little ladies and they thought everybody will look at us and and think we're targets we'll be vulnerable and then even worse than that a few days before suddenly June had to delay her flight for a day and so Edith was on her own and she thought I can't cancel I've got to go so Edith went to New York on her own waiting for June to come the next day but when she got there she thought I'm only little people might know I'm English and in New York everybody's going to hate me everybody's going to attack me they're going to rob me so she was really panicking and so when she came out the airport straight into a taxi taxi straight to the hotel hotel a reception looking around scared straight to the room but then she thought I've got to go down and eat something in the restaurant so she comes down in the lift and goes to the restaurant has something to eat she's got a handbag with she got all the possessions she don't want to leave them in the in the room if leave them in the room they're going to get robbed so she's got them safe and she comes back and she gets in the lift to go back up to her room does Edith little tiny white lady as she gets into the Loft as she gets into the into the lift and just before the lift doors are closing suddenly a hand comes through and opens and suddenly two big black guys and a little black guy they get into the lift with her and she's like oh no I'm going to get robbed I'm going to get because she was so worried what people thought of her and and how they were looking at her and as the lift doors closed suddenly in a deep voice one of these tall black guys says Hit the Floor lady and so she quick as she could she threw herself on the floor flew her hand bag across and says take whatever you want please don't hurt me don't kill me take everything you can have everything and there was a little chuckle and one of the guys got down as gently as he could and helped her up and he said no no hit the floor you're near the buttons Hit the Floor press the button to what floor you want to go to that floor oh she was so relieved and these three black guys tried to help her and when she got to her floor are you all right ma'am will you be okay do you want any help no I'm okay I'm okay and that was her experience of New York oh she was so bothered what people would be thinking of her but that's not the end of the story because her friend came the next day and they enjoyed their time in New York and neither of them got robbed but then when she came to the reception to leave after six days in New York she went to pay the bill at reception and when she went to pay the bill they said oh um actually your Bill's been paid it's just like what no it's not no no it is oh your Bill's been paid and there's a little card been left for you she got the card and it just said to the little English lady so she opened the card and says we were so thrilled to meet you but so disappointed that we may have caused you some concern so we paid your bill thank you for visiting my hometown my friends and I were privileged to meet you lots of love Eddie Murphy so I was told that was a true story told that a true story you see because we can so be worried what people think of us so here's my question graduates I put to all of us are you secure enough to serve are you secure enough to serve we'll come to how it fits in a moment Philippians chapter 2 is a very famous part of scripture Philippians chapter 2 and if you have your Bible with you it's always a good thing I know in contemporary churches we can put the words on the screen and whatever but I'm a fan of actually having a Bible a paper Bible digital Bible it's good to have your Bible and occasionally read it that's useful as well so Philippians chapter 2:3 very famous scripture Paul writes to the Christians in Philippi do nothing out of selfish ambition or Fain conceit but in humility that's where we're going in humility consider others better than yourselves each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus and here your M Bible might have it in a in a sort of different format because this was a a song this was a hymn in the early church that he now goes into who being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant and being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man he humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross I want us to think for a moment this evening about Jesus our example of how to live Jesus our example of how to live for those of us who are Evangelical charismatic Christians we often focus on Jesus being our atoning sacrifice the one who gave his life to take away that sin so that we could be reconciled to God the provider of forgiveness the cleanser of our souls the Victor over Satan over sin death and hell that's our Focus Jesus is our sacrifice on our behalf but you know what we're not very good sometimes at seeing Jesus as our example of how to live we sang a few minutes ago fill me with your heart I love what you said about heart and the the fact that you took a moment it's because of that heart but that song says fill me with your heart and help me to make the most of my life in self-fulfillment and flourishing no it doesn't we sang it fill me with your heart and Lead Me In Your Love to those around me how good are we at asking Jesus to fill us with his heart and lead us in his love to those around us Jesus our example you see even when I was reading it I struggled and I I've been a Pentecostal since I was minus n months old can work that out and and I struggle stopping there because if you know your Bible you wanted to go into verse nine didn't you hands up if he wanted to go in why did he not going to verse n you were saying because therefore God exalted him to the highest Place see we want the Triumph and Glory of Jesus but what about Jesus our example of how to live many years ago my mom was a teacher and many years ago my mom said one of the young teachers came in and said um oh I've got this necklace somebody gave me this necklace and I want to get one of those Lucky Charms you know a cross I want to get one of those Lucky Charms to put on and I've been looking around one but I I want to get a plain one just I don't want one with that funny little man on and then she turned to my mom and says do you know do you know who that funny little man is she wasn't joking no conception the Lord Jesus Christ but you know if we're not careful we we want the empty cross because the empty cross beats of resurrection power and victory and Glory but actually that Resurrection was only possible because Jesus on the cross suffered and died and gave himself that was the ultimate that's why we could read found an appearance as a man he humbled himself became obedient to death even death on the cross Jesus our example Jesus our example and the ultimate if you want to flick over in your Bible to John Chapter 13 we're going to stay here now we're not going to go all over the place if you're still in the Bible John chapter 13 and if you know your Bible you know this is the place to go to for Jesus as our example the public Ministry of Jesus is over John 1 to12 has all been about the public Ministry of Jesus from the beginning of chapter 13 the rest of this gospel is all about Jesus ministry to his disciples and the first thing he does is going to be what we read here he does something very specific which becomes a massive example and tells us to follow his example John Chapter 13 it was just before the Passover feast Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the father having loved his own who were in The world he now showed them the full extent of his love the evening meal was being served and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot son of Simon to betray Jesus Jesus knew that the father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God so he got up from the meal took off his robe his outer clothing and wrapped a towel around his waist after that he poured water into a BAS and began to wash his disciples feet drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him then skip to verse 12 when he had finished washing their feet he put on his robe put on his clothes and returned to his place do you understand what I've done for you he asked them you call me teacher and Lord and rightly so for that is what I am now that I your lord and teacher have washed your feet you also should wash one another's feet I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you I tell you the truth no servant is greater than his master nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him now that you know these things you will be blessed if you do them Jesus knows he's got time just with his disciples and the first thing he wants to model is serving is serving in this way foot washing back in the day in ancient near East this would have been a hugely important practical task but it was a very menial task it was the lowest of the low in fact this whole thing of foot washing was so low that Jewish slaves were not required to do it only non-jews only Gentile slaves would do this it was a horrible task and obviously we have to think back to the day then 2,000 years ago they were walking the streets they had sandals on and there would be M mud and dust and dirt and there would be lots of animals up and down the streets and the roads as well so there would be yeah that stuff that you don't talk about in church so this wasn't a nice little this was a really practical menial horrible task and they're sitting around having their meal and they would have been in this trinium it's called like a like a three-sided sort servants could get in the middle and serve them and the way they would be sitting would mean that your feet are near somebody else's face so this was an important job just saying and they're all looking around and suddenly Jesus gets up I mean this must have been first four so he got up from the meal what's he doing James John what's he doing Thomas I don't know don't ask me I doubt everything um took off his robe what's he doing he's taking his robe off he's T what's he doing with that wrapped it around his waist poured water into a basin and began to wash his own disciples feet there were so many steps there that the disciples would have been horrified no no don't do that the bit we missed out is when Peter who always puts his foot in his mouth whenever there's opportunity he has a bit of a route with Jesus we missed that bit out we're doing edited highlights and in that he has a r oh it's going to be washed me all over oh you bozo you don't need that Jesus sort of says to him because this was a practical thing but when Jesus stands up what's he doing takes his robe off goes across gets the towel gets the water oh my goodness this was quite something he used a long towel called a lenum it was long enough to wrap right around yourself to tuck it in and then use the free end to dry people's feet one commentator says this there is no instance whatsoever in any Jewish All Greek Roman sources of a superior ever washing the feet of an inferior this was the Lord of Heaven and Earth washing his disciples feet and then saying I've given you an example for you to follow this is not a ritual to practice it's an example to follow and I've been in a few contexts down the years where this has been done literally as as a as a sign of serving and sometimes it's a bit twe it's a bit new but sometimes it's been a genuine but you see we don't often walk the dusty roads of the ancient near East in fact I was in a conference many years ago and a guy who was there who I know a little bit who was a pastor of a church and somebody was speaking from this passage and talking about foot washing said we don't really do this today you know I mean hopefully you wash your own anyway um but we don't really do this today what would be the modern equivalent and he said you know what people travel many people travel by car obviously not in London because you don't want to do anyway but many people travel by car so a modern equivalent of this might be foot washing might be sorry car washing might be washing your car and wash and so therefore the pastor who was there came back to the church and he got the interns in the church to wash the pastor's cars and when you think about that that is the exact opposite of what Jesus is saying it's Lost in Translation to the nth degree and all these interns well it says in John 13 washing okay car washing washing cars would be okay but not the interns washing the pastor's cars it's the reverse it's the opposite of the point that Jesus is making he's the Lord of Heaven and Earth and he models servanthood and you know when we follow Jesus we lose this I've been in church for a long time I've been in Christian Ministry for I realized it's 41 years since I became a Pentecostal Minister that seems wrong to have somebody who's eight become a Pentecostal Minister um but I've seen so many Christians full of self and sadly so many pastors full of self we have to get empty of self it says in here in Philippians Jesus emptied himself the biggest problem you have with yourself is your self and what you've got to do is get over yourself because we make it all about me what do people think of me how do they look at me there's a turning point in this passage and this is where I want to focus for the next hour or so what's the turning point in this account what's the key moment of the story it's verse four when it says so he got up from the meal took off his robe I was tempted to to actually do that to model it but I might break the microphone so he took off his robe now you see we have to ask ourselves what was significant and it's very clear this is what opens everything up verse four jesus takes off his robe takes off his outer clothing and then in verse 12 when he finished washing their feet he put his robe back back on he takes the robe off he washes feet he puts the robe back on you see your robe is how you appear to others and I want to argue in our 21st century Global culture that can dominate our thinking all the time how do I appear to others your robe was how you appeared to others you see back in the day in Jesus day they would have worn an inner garment made of linen it was tight fitting it was KNE length and that was the inner garment and then on top of that would be the outer garment the robe made of cloth and ankle length and much bigger and loose and so when you went out you put your robe on because when you leave your home you go to present yourself to the world around you and your robe is how you present yourself to others the the robe would speak of your position in life the type of toga or robe warn reflected a citizen's rank in the Civil hierarchy W that's an important person look at that robe wow that's an even more important person look at that robe now I hope I don't offend anybody from South Korea but it's so funny anybody South I I don't think I'll offend but I remember many years ago I was a student in a theological College in Manchester and um I learned and there was some some South South Korean guys there and they had a real Instinct of you would defer to somebody who's older than you so it took me a while to realize that I you have to work out the pecking order if you think somebody's older than you then you defer to them if you're if if if you're they're younger than them they so you had to work this out and so there were some guys who clearly were older than me so I expected me so I'd have gone up to the door they'd expect but then they found out that was a pastor then they started deferring to me even though I was older because I was a pastor and pastors Trump everything apparently I mean what is all that about I don't mean South Koreans I mean for all of us the the the robe signified Rank and hierarchy it's how you appear to others the image you portray or the mask you wear whoa have you ever been in a plastic pretend church I call them plastic pretend church when you're not you're not allowed to say how you're really feeling because people will start praying for you or casting demons out of you how you how are you feeling to oh I've had a really rough week oh Shing you know and naming it and throwing it out and whatever oh i' really does my head in plastic pretend churches we've got to be real we got to be be honest we've got to be able to sometimes take our robe off and some people struggle Jesus must have looked so vulnerable the Lord of Heaven and Earth takes his robe off what the heck is he do he gets the long towel and Tucks it around his linen we can see Jesus in his unies that's just wrong and he gets the water and oh my life you see this is lost on us how huge this would have been but it all depends on Jesus taking off his robe which is how he put betrays himself to others what gives you your identity before others finding that identity is such a massive issue your appearance is is is is your identity built on your appearance obviously mine's not but yours may be what about your social media feed whoa some people spend so much energy making sure they look good on Facebook but what about the gap between Facebook and reality about Facebook Facebook's the robe it's how you present to others it's not the reality ity instagrammy Ticky tocky all that stuff if we're not careful that becomes our 21st century robe it's how we present our and some of our students at Region some of the young ones it takes them a while before they realize as a 19-year-old 18-y old they're comparing their real life with the pretend lives of everybody else they see on social media no wonder they Struggle No wonder they oh my my life's really horrible and boring yeah but those are not the real lives that's just people's Ro boobs take that there's a bit left don't worry what about your career oh your career especially for blokes although ladies are catching up quickly hi what's your name oh I'm Fred oh what' you do I'm a as soon as we say that word we pigeon all them as soon as we say that oh I'm a oh I'm a brain surgeon I I had a friend who an elder with me in a church I was pastoring many years ago he thought this was hilarious especially for BLS and he alternated when people said oh what' you do he'd alternate between um I'm a bin man who empties people's Refuge bins he'd say that once the next time you say oh my brain surgeon and he would just say I mean he was neither he worked in a factory um but he just cuz people Pidgey know you it's the robe it's how we present to others oh my goodness and some people finding their identity in their gender and having to so they think that the choice voice of gender what it's choosing my robe what about your past success what about your ministry oh my goodness I get concerned I get a little bit bothered when pastors talk about my church now I'm a bit older and grayer I can sometimes feel like just smacking him it's not your church it's Jesus's church it's Jesus's church we need to be so clear on that he loves his church [Applause] what about your need to be needed oh that's difficult I was chatting with a A young friend of mine he's a young pastor and uh oh was chatting and he's such an honest guy and he was talking about and beginning to learn how to care for people in church he's only in his 20s and pastoring people and caring for people but then he was so honest and I give it a challenge I do challenge a little bit don't know occasionally and I said Ju Just for interest is it really about about meeting the need of the people you care for or is it about your need to be needed as the pastor and he says I don't want you to ask me that we had a brilliant conversation because it's very easy to flip things around and when we're following Jesus and we think we're serving him we we actually can rationalize in our mind I'm helping that person but no you're not you're actually satisfying your need to be needed and that's the primary focus it's your robe it's what gives you your identity what about your reputation your reputation you know Philippians 2:7 we read before in verse 7 the NIV says he he made himself nothing literally he emptied himself if some of you are clever theologians you know there's a whole big theological debate about what that means he emptied himself the Amplified version says he stripped himself of his Privileges and rightful dignity the cev version says he gave up everything when Jesus came down not only into Humanity but also to be a servant to wash his disciples feet and a few chapters later go to the cross and die for them but the King James version and it's not often I go back to the King James version but you know what it says Philippians 2:7 he made himself of no reputation he made himself so because Jesus Christ had made himself of no reputation he was able to take his robe off because he was the same Jesus whether he had robe on robe off it made no difference to him he made himself a of no reputation so often I've heard people talk about you got to make sure you build a reputation build a reputation build a brand I remember somebody trying to help me you need to build a brand of pet readed Ministries I'm like no no Lord Jesus I want to serve you but Pete read Ministries in lights looks really good have you got a book have you what's all that about it is the reverse of what Jesus does here he takes his robe off what he shows himself the reality he takes the robe off and only when he takes the robe off can he wash his disciples feet let me read this this is from an american guy called John orberg there's a story making the email rounds these days about a pastor driving home from church tailgating the car in front of him really really close at an amber light the car in front of him hits The Brak suddenly he he almost crashes into it he goes ballistic he hits the horn and he's hooting and hooting and he's shouting and making various non-faith-based gestures while he's in mid rant someone Taps on the window he looks up and sees a policeman the pastor is invited out of his car to this police station where he searched fingerprinted and put in a Cell but after a couple of hours they let him out the arresting officer gives him his personal belongings and apologizes I'm very sorry for the mistake I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your home your horn using dare I say quite foul language speaking some bad words and using some inappropriate gestures I noticed at the back of the car there was a a fish symbol and a what would Jesus do sticker and various other signs saying follow me to church so naturally I assumed that you must have stolen the car then he says this you see I can if I get good at it plaster the outside of my life with programs and messages and vision casts and mission statements that all say the right thing but what drives my life is my character sooner or later the lights will change and your character will be revealed oh my plea tonight is that I want you and me to become secure enough to serve you see we spend so much energy on how we appear to others we don't often focus on putting robes on physically but what about metaphorically we can work so hard to build a reputation to build a a brand to present ourselves to others to do something on social media but you know what it's we're putting energy into presenting to others Jesus took off his robe my plea this evening is if you're putting a lot of energy into presenting an image Let Jesus work on the reality because we have a a humble Lord Jesus Christ who gave himself what last question why could Jesus do it do you know why he could do it because his identity was not in his robe his identity was not in his robe I said before that verse four is the Tipping Point verse four says so he got up and took off his robe but when you see a word like so you need to look at what's before it and the verses before it are so profound in verse one it says Jesus knew the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the father Jesus knew his mission and knew his purpose if you're a follower of Jesus I ask you please to seek God with all your heart and he will tell you his mission for your life too many of us think oh I'm just an ordinary run-ofthe-mill Christian I'll cheer on other people as they fulfill their calling God you have a unique calling God and Jesus knew and you and I can know our mission and purpose but then verse three verse three says Jesus knew know that again he knew that the father had poured all things under his power and that he'd come from God and was returning to God he knew his authority you're a child of God God you're a daughter of the Living God you're a son of the Lord God Almighty we are not hirs of Christ I hope you know that the Bible is very clear we are hires with Christ we've been invited into the family of God that's the miracle of what Jesus did and so we too can be secure in the authority we have as children of God but also Jesus knew where he came from he knew where he came from so clear he' come from God and was returning to God he knew where he came from and he knew where he was going that's about Origins and Destiny Origins and Destiny and this morning I was just praying a little bit about this and there was something I need to say there is somebody here and your father many years ago told you you were an accident and because of that you've thought your life was unintended and meaningless you need to hear loud and clear that is a lie you have always been intended you have somebody needs to hide that in your heart and read Psalm 139 as homework tonight you see some people put powerful words on us and it messes with our Origins Jesus knew he was from God if you are here your life is ordained by God even though there might be human Origins God put you on this planet you are unique be sec pure in your own unique Origins but also Jesus knew where he was going you have a Destiny and the trou is if not Destiny oh yes I'm going to be in heaven floating on the cloud forever no no no we live our destiny now as children of God and so I want to encourage you to be secure in knowing God's Mission and purpose for your life being secure in the authority you have as a child of God being secure in your Origins God intended you even if humans didn't God intended you be secure in your Origins and be secure in your destiny you have a god ordained future because Jesus was secure enough to be able to serve and what throws us sometimes is that we have an inability to serve because in all our interactions with other people out of our insecurity we're trying to feed off other people to overcome our insecurities but when we are securing enough in Christ we can serve one last Quick verse Luke 3:22 I love this Luke 3:22 Jesus is being baptized in the River Jordan and as Jesus is baptized a voice comes from Heaven you are my son whom I love with you I am well chuffed because it's an intimacy the voice comes from heaven and says to Jesus you are my son with you I'm well pleased I love you do you know what fascinates me the next verse verse 23 Jesus begins his ministry so the affirmation of heavenly father comes before Jesus does his ministry because if we're not careful we have people in Christian Ministry trying to win the affirmation of heavenly father and we end up on the the hamster wheel you ever seen hamsters it's really I think it's horrible poor old hamsters going nowhere and you just and we end up on the hamster wheel of Christian Ministry working so hard to try to get God to love us working so hard to get the affirmation of the father no no no we need to see the order in which it happened for Jesus the father affirmed him and then he did his ministry we must never ever do Christian Ministry of any form to try to win the affirmation of the father we do Christian Ministry we serve because the father has affirmed us so I pray that you and I would be secure enough to serve what's your robe how much energy do you put into presenting an image to others do you put a mask on sometimes do you pretend do you work hard to build a reputation and to impress people that don't impress me much she sang last weekend Oh My see be secure be secure Sam and the team would you like to come up and rescue these people I'm going to talk for another 20 minutes but it'll give people hope no no I'm joking I'm joking be secure in your identity as a child of God be propelled by the affirmation of your heavenly father and be secure enough to serve others in humility and Grace Jesus is our example you are probably not called to physically wash people's feet but you and I are called to serve to follow his example and if we're not careful we plaster the outside of our lives with all sorts of things to present that image but whatever that means to you and me let us take off that robe take off that outer presenting to the world and inv vulnerability recognize we are securing God we are secure enough to serve [Music]