Complete dependence upon the
Lord for all needed help this evening. Wish to direct your
very prayerful attention to the second portion that we read.
John's Gospel and chapter 13. For by way of text, the last
part of verse 7. I'll read verses 6 and 7, but
our text is the last part of verse 7. then cometh he to Simon
Peter and Peter saith unto him Lord does thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto
him what I do thou knowest not now but thou shalt know hereafter And cometh Peter, Simon Peter,
and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus
answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now, but
thou shalt know hereafter. Every one of us this week has
witnessed in Providence the power of God not any of us I suspect have
been able to go about our lives in quite the same way because
we've all witnessed the storms and the floods and the adverse
conditions of the last week or two and man is helpless to do
anything about it and if we notice the authorities
which most of the time talk as though they know everything and
have the answer to everything have been powerless to do anything
about it what is the purpose in all of this? well perhaps
at the moment we don't fully know but these things that will be made known but we
can say this that in all things the power of the Lord is known
I wish in the time that we've got to speak a little of this
matter of providence but also as it pertains and is intrinsically
linked to the doctrine of predestination you see there's no providence
without predestination and there's no predestination without providence
you and I had no say when we were born into this world where
we were born into this world how we came and in what circumstances and we have to remember that
as it's the Lord that brings these things about it is the
Lord who has the prerogative to end our days and that is why
the act of suicide is such a heinous crime none of us have the right
to take our own lives or anyone else's that is simply to illustrate
that our lives, whether we be believers or not, are at the
sovereign behest of a sovereign God. Now, what we have before us is
very profound. We'll look firstly at the context. At the beginning of the chapter John writing mentions the feast
of the Passover. Now the feast of the Passover
was a feast that was instituted after the children of Israel
had come through the Red Sea. It was a feast of celebration. It would be celebrated in the
traditional way of a meal which would be public or public to
the worshippers in Israel and this would be known the people would gather
together but the Lord Jesus we see knew
his hour was come he was contemplating something else and notice this doctrinal comment
I've preached from this before but I can't remember whether
I preached it here or not having loved his own which were in the
world he loved them to the end that is the very end the absolute
end and here of course there we have the proof of providence,
predestination and the absolute perseverance of the saints The supper being ended, the devil
having now put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son,
to betray him. We have to be reminded that at
this scene, Judas Iscariot was present through it all. Through
it all. The Lord rose from the supper,
laid aside his garb, he took a tower and girded himself he
poured forth this water into the basin and he began to wash,
we read, the disciples' feet he began to wash the disciples'
feet now here I would just bring your attention to verse 15 which
states, for I have given you an example that you should do
as I have done to you. The reason is simply this. Our,
what you may call, sister denomination or equivalent in the United States
is that of the primitive Baptists. They hold the same doctrine as
we do in respect of our High Calvinism. However, they hold
to this ordinance of feet washing. This, we believe, is not an ordinance
to be practiced in the modern church, but is to be understood
spiritually. And we shall see why. What the
Lord was teaching here was not a practical washing of feet,
but a spiritual thing, a spiritual work that is done in the soul. in the soul. We read he began to wash his
disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel wherein he was
girded. Now, Dr. Gill, who can always
be relied upon in these things, makes this statement. He says
that the washing of the disciples' feet represents the washing of
the blood of Christ upon his people and is made personally
known to the elect. She's absolutely true. And there's
a further spiritual significance in the wiping with the towel. You see, there's not only a washing with
the blood of Christ and that must be known. That must be known. But there's also a wiping away. of sin, of wiping away and expunging. You see this is the difference
between you and I. Sometimes we are given grace
to forgive. Sometimes we are given grace
to let go. Things no longer take hold upon
us or grieve us perhaps as they once did. I'm talking in respect of ways
you've perhaps been wronged. But we very seldom, if ever,
forget. Because that's our human nature. You see, this is the
difference with the Lord. Sin is not only washed, but removed. Removed. Cast away and forgotten. This could only be an attribute.
of a perfect and a righteous God further then cometh he to Simon Peter
and Peter saith unto him Lord dost thou ask my feet? dost thou
ask my feet? you see Peter did feel his unworthiness
Peter did feel his sinnership and he was mindful that he was
coming before a righteous Christ, he knew who the Lord was he knew
who the Lord was and he was desirous to honour him this came from
a right motive as far as we can see came from a right motive and he couldn't understand of
what the Lord was doing he couldn't understand it and that's how you and I are
sometimes we don't really understand perhaps what the Lord is doing
with and to us but Simon Peter was a typical example and a typical
picture of the individual believer throughout this life made this
point here before we repeat it simply for emphasis all through
the New Testament we read of the disciples being corrected
corrected, corrected, corrected all the way through the epistles
the Apostle Paul is correcting the saints, you see the Lord
will use whatever means that he will and whatever providences
in life that come upon us to teach us things to teach us things And the disciples were all being
taught here. We have to remember that the
Lord washed all the disciples' feet here. We understand. And
that did include Judas Iscariot. Now, we're not saying in the
least that Judas Iscariot was saved. He certainly wasn't. He went out, when he realised
he was a sinner, he went out and hanged himself. it's a very
solemn case but you see we see the Lord Jesus
here in his humiliation we see him in his humanity and also
his deity here in this chapter that the Lord was working and
he was working according to how he would work what I do thou
knowest not now well is this not often the case? very rarely when we come into
circumstances of any source but particularly of an adverse nature
do we understand what is going on and at times we will prove the
reality of this text you see this is what experiential religion
is all about because sooner or later we have to come here that word which was in the beginning
the first verse having loved his own which were in the world
he loved them unto the end that is the very end and endurance
is a mark, is a real proof of true and living faith lots of
people start off well sometimes in a blaze of glory and in a
big profession and a few years down the line
they're nowhere to be found perhaps we see it in other circles
more than ours but we see it as well we've had people here
who have come and have gone not for any good reason but because
they went out from us because they were not of us and that's
a bad reason that's a bad reason but you see endurance endurance there are things in our lives
which we may think will destroy us but you know in the end they
only prove to do us good they do us good they do us good because
this is all part of the laws purpose to make us useful in
his service and you see if the Lord deals
with you in this way you won't fear man you won't fear man woe
unto you when all men speak well of you you see the Lord deals
with his people individually as individuals he brings us together
corporately but he deals with individuals. We read in Ephesians
chapter 1 that in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might
gather together in one all things in Christ both which are in heaven
and which are on the earth even in him in whom also we have obtained
an inheritance Now if we inherit something, that inheritance has
to be foreordained. The word providence in the original
Hebrew, I believe it is, is prōnēa, which means foresight and foreplanning. Foresight and foreplanning. There
is that order to things. order to things an inheritance
you can't inherit something that's not prepared there's no such
thing an inheritance being predestinated and this is the thing according
to the purpose of him who worketh all things not just some things
but all things after the counsel of his own will. Predestinated. Now I don't know about you but
I love this doctrine of predestination. It is intrinsically linked to
Providence. You cannot separate the two That's why I'm always suspicious
when people don't like to talk about predestination. We know
that the original symptom is marked out beforehand. That's
what it means. It has to mean the Lord working in and how he
wills. This is the element of it. You see these are not just Marxist
theology. They're not just points of doctrine
but they are lived out in exercise of faith. This is the mark. It's an exercise
of faith. According to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the cancel of his own will. Now the Lord's ways are not our
ways. and the Lord's thoughts are not
our thoughts and often what we think about things is the very
opposite to what comes to pass you see we think that we know
best but you see what the Lord does is always best and what
the Lord does is always right Now you say, you antinomians,
you are making God the author of sin. No. No, I'm not saying
that at all. I'm not saying that at all. If
we sin, we sin. We can't point the finger and
blame anybody else. That's human nature. That's what
Adam did in the garden. Blamed his spouse. We're just the same. We're just
the same. That's how we are. But we can't blame Anything to
blame God for sin is blasphemy. It's blasphemy. But the Lord rules and overrules. You see, you're in trouble if
you think that the devil is in control. And people do. They
think that the devil goes about as a roaring lion, therefore
he's in control. Well, friends, no. No. No. The devil cannot move
unless the Lord allows him. Cannot move. He is God's servant. And you know your worst enemy
in the end will prove to be God's servant. Just like Pharaoh. Just
like Pharaoh. That's how it is. But we don't
see it like that at the time. we don't see it like that at
the time and you know sometimes we might have to swallow some
bitter pills but you know it's always right it is always right
now what I'm saying is the events of life have to be sanctified
to us and that includes what we would
call the disappointments you say I've met people, I suspect
you have too and something happens to them
in their lives and they're full of bitterness or there's a bitterness
that is residual in their spirits somewhere and you can see it
you can see it and then there's others and perhaps
their lot has been a little bit like Job they've had many things taken from them but the Lord always gives twice
as much as he did before in this in this way the events of life have been
sanctified to them and that is a state of being it's a state
of being it's a condition in the heart what I do thou knowest
not now and you see at the time we don't see it we certainly
don't feel it you may cry in your heart to the Lord to deliver you to
make it plain and to ask him to bring you out
of this darkness and into light and into light and we see Peter
here in response he says thou shalt never wash my feet Jesus answered him if I wash
thee not thou hast no part with me now is that not proof of that
we now going back here to the context is that not proof that
this is a spiritual verse? very few Believers indeed had
their feet washed in that literal sense by the Lord Jesus and that
is what you would have to take this to mean if you were to set
forth the ordinance of foot washing This is the washing of the blood
of the Lamb In order to see the Lord work
in, for and through us, we have to know that we are His. Providence is that which worketh
in and for the believer. We have to remember that this
world only continues for the benefit of his elect we come
back to it time and time again I know but the word says I endure
all things all things all things for the elects sake for the elects
sake the continuance of this world we think we talk about
the wickedness that now abounds In all stations, in all places
of life, why does it abound? Why does it abound? It's the
wickedness of the human heart. But why does the Lord continue
with it? Does He allow it? It's for the
benefit of His elect. It's for the bringing in of His
people. I read very deliberately Proverbs
16. If you consider verse 4 for a
moment, it's in direct relation to our
text and to what I'm saying. The Lord hath made all things
for himself. For himself. For himself. Yea, even the wicked for the
day of evil. You see, God demands absolute
strict justice and he always deals in strict justice and that
is either met by the Saviour's imputation as our substitute
or it's met in righteous judgement. This is the difference between
proving to be vessels of honour and vessels of dishonour. vessels
of mercy and vessels of wrath. He's made all things for himself.
You see, God is always just and He's always right. Always. Always. If the Lord sends a sinner
to hell, it's right. It's right. If He declares a
sinner righteous in the blood of Christ, it's right. It's always
right. and this is the truth as it is
in Jesus. This is the truth as it is in
the Word of God. You see, look at verse 9 in the
same chapter. Providence is mentioned a great
deal. A man's heart deviseth his way
but the Lord directeth his steps that's the truth of it you and
I set about the way we will go in our own minds, in our own
hearts and this is not just in the general issues of life every day we do exactly this
but how often? Are we brought in another direction?
How often does the Lord intervene? How often are our steps directed
in a different way? The Lord directs our steps. You see there's something about me that I suppose is probably
similar to you. when I want something, I want
something, I'm impatient that's my nature, that's how I am some people are naturally patient,
I'm not one of them but often when we want something, we want
it but the Lord doesn't give us
anything that way doesn't give us anything that way you see what he does what he
does we don't see before us but he teaches us every step and
the lessons that we learn in life as believing souls are to
make us fit and to prepare us for his service now this morning again we considered
the case of Joshua never preached from Joshua before actually the remarkable thing about him
was he learnt under Moses for all that time you see he was
taught in Christ's school But there was a time when the Lord
sent him forth. You see the preparation, all
that preparation, that hard way, we might say, through the wilderness
and through Egypt to be delivered as part of that people. And then
to lead them over and through Jordan. That was his preparation. That was his preparation. everything
we learn in this life is to make us servants unto the Lord and that
may be in various spheres and that may be in various ways but you know unless we have experienced
something of what is contained in this text questions that we may have that
exercise of heart in terms of our providential circumstances we won't know the truth of what
the Lord is saying but thou shalt know hereafter hereafter there
is a looking back there is a seeing the way the Lord has brought
us and it's virtually always very
different from the way we thought that things would be what we have before us is a precious
truth the Lord is continually teaching
his people now there's a teaching in our
souls and there's a teaching in his service but there is also an ultimate
teaching isn't there? you see the Lord has to make
his people fit for heaven fit for heaven made fit for heaven we are refined in the fire but we will always say this He
hath done all things well all things all things why? because we see the predestinating
and the providential hand of the Lord if you have ever read
a book by the Puritans or if you never have read a book by
the Puritans I recommend you this it's so easy to read and
you won't be able to put it down it's called the Mystery of Providence
by John Flavel it is excellent it will do your soul good you see the fictitious power
of chance and fortune I defy my life's minutest circumstances
subject to his eye you see the world talks about chance The
Philistines talked about chance. They even used that word in the
authorised version. We see by chance this thing has
come about us. No! No! No! It was all ordered in, through
and by the Lord. Just before I went to bed last
night I looked up the line-by-line index as I occasionally do. I'd already chosen the hymns
but I came across this hymn by Joseph Hart and it just expresses what we're
saying righteous are the works of God all his ways are holy
just his judgments fit his rod to correct our folly all his
dealings wise and good uniform though various though they seem
by reason viewed cross or quite contrarious these are truths
and happy he who can well receive them brethren though we cannot
see still we should believe them why through darks and paths we
go we may now know no reason yet we shall hereafter know each
in his due season. What I do thou knowest not now
but thou shalt know hereafter. Amen. Who do you pray, Mr. Siddhartha?