Our Lord Jesus said in the 13th
chapter of John's Gospel, what I do, thou knowest not now, but
thou shalt know hereafter. What I do, thou knowest not now,
but thou shalt know hereafter. That ought to be good enough
for it. That ought to be good enough for it. But how many times
we've seen or known some terribly painful traumatic, maybe something
we thought to be a devastating thing and thought to ourselves,
what good can come of this? How's this going to work for
good? How can this possibly benefit anybody? How will God be glorified
in it? Shelby and I had only been married
a few months. We got a call one night in November. Her brother closest to her had
been out with some friends and was murdered the night before.
What good's gonna come of that? How can this possibly be of any
benefit? I look in this congregation and
I have written down yesterday and today things I remember,
some things that you've experienced, men and women, your families.
What good could possibly? How can this glorify God? How can this benefit anyone? We know that our Heavenly Father
is too wise to err, too strong to fail, and too good to do wrong. And yet, we are so prone to horrid
unbelief that our immediate response to great trial is why did this
happen? God, what are you doing? Why
have you done this? I suppose we wouldn't say it
openly, but we think it. One of the reasons I'm sure you
go to any old saint's home and sit down and pick up their Bible
you will find the thickest pages in the Bible are the Psalms,
almost always. And I think there's a reason
for that. When we read the Psalms, we can go with the man after
God's own heart into his closet and hear a man speak what we
want to say, but don't have the honesty. Oh, Lord, are your mercies
clean gone? Have you forgotten to be gracious?
God, what are you doing? Open your Bibles with me, if
you will, to this 13th chapter of John's Gospel. And if God
the Spirit will enable me, I want to give you a message from our
Lord that will help prepare you for the dark providences we face
in this world, this world of sin and sorrow and disappointment
and darkness. Dark providences cleared in due
time. That's my subject. Dark providences
cleared in due time. This very familiar passage of
scripture, we have our Lord Jesus as he begins to wash his disciples
feet. And Peter was confused. Peter was confused. Often confused
by what God does, I am. Often confused by the way God
does things, I am. Often confused by the time God
does things, I am. I can identify with Peter. Peter
said, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Then in verse seven, Jesus
answered and said unto him, what I do, thou knowest not now, but
thou shalt know hereafter. The word from our Savior here
specifically refers to our Lord's act of washing his disciples'
feet, but the statement is clearly applicable to all God's providence. The fact is the design or intention
of God's works in providence are often, probably I should
say usually, hidden from his people. He rarely makes known
to us his reason for doing things. But they shall be revealed in
due time. Oh, my soul. Brother Bruce and
I were together a few days, a few weeks ago and chatting about
some of God's providence. I like to look back and see what
God's done. And all those things that as
you begin to experience them, you want to get out of it. I
want to figure a way out of this thing. And look back at it and
say, oh, how good God's been. How good God's been. In every
detail of everything I can see, how good he's been. William Cowper
put it this way. I love this hymn. God moves in
a mysterious way his wonders before him. He plants his footsteps
in the sea and rides upon the storm. Deep in unfathomable minds
of never failing skill, he treasures up his bright designs and works
his sovereign will. His purposes will ripen fast,
unfolding every hour. The bud may have a bitter taste,
but sweet will be the flower. Ye fearful saints, I wonder who
I'm talking to now who got reason to have some fear and apprehension
as you see things. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage
take. The clouds you so much dread
are being with mercy and shall break in blessing. Judge not
the Lord by feeble sense, but trust his grace, his unerring
Judge not the Lord, but trust him. Behind the frowning providence,
he hides a smiling face. God often appears to be angry,
but it's just the events. He's never angry, not with us.
He's got no reason to be, Christ told us. He often appears to
be, but behind the frowning providence, he hides a smiling face. Blind
unbelief is sure to err, and scanners work in vain. God is
his own interpreter. and He will make it play. Now,
let's look at this portion of Scripture here in John chapter
13, these first 20 verses, and let me show you a few things
that I believe the Lord's given me for you in this message. Here's
the first one. Good to begin here. Verse one.
Now, before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that
His hour was come, that He should depart out of this world unto
the Father, having loved His own, which were in the world,
He loved them. Now hear me, hear me children
of God. The love of Christ for us is
immutable and incessant from everlasting. The love of Christ
for us is immutable and incessant from everlasting. The Lord Jesus
knew that the hour of his departure had come and he knew what his
disciples were about to experience and how each of them was about
to respond. But he loved them unto the end. Our Lord's love for his elect
is love surpassing thought. There's nothing in this world
below to compare with it. The narrow self-centered thoughts
and words and deeds of humanity simply can't comprehend it. I
don't pretend to. Our Savior knew that these disciples,
would everyone soon forsake him. Peter wasn't the only one. They
all forsook him. They all forsook him. and yet his love never varies. You can't say that about any
man's love for a woman or any woman's love for a man or any
mother's love for her child. His love for us never varies. We love Him. If we're His, we
do. If you've experienced His grace,
you do. You don't talk much about it,
and I don't recommend that you should. Our love for Him ain't
much to be talked about. But the reason we love Him is
this. We love Him because He first loved us. His love precedes
our love. His love is the cause of our
love. His love sustains our love, and
His love is infinitely beyond the imagination of our love.
He loved us from everlasting. His love for us will be unto
everlasting. He delights to receive sinners
because He loves us. And once He's received a sinner
into the arms of His grace, He'll never turn Him out at any time. is I will never cast them out. Never. Here's the second thing.
Learn this. Learn this about God who loves
us. God who loves us with everlasting. God who loves us in God whose
heart, Donny Bell, is fixed on you in all its fullness just
as much so as if you were the only thing in this world. But God who loves us holds dominion
over all things absolute. God who loves us is God who holds
dominion over all things absolutely. Right down to the thoughts of
the mind, the emotions of the heart, the deeds of the hand,
the movement of the foot, the words of the mouth. God who loves
us absolutely. rules the universe according
to his love. Even the most base, vile, despicable
acts of the most base, vile, reprobate men and women under
the sun are under the absolute rule of our heavenly father.
And the supper being ended, the devil now having put into the
heart of Judas Iscariot Simon's son to betray him, Jesus knowing
that the father had given all things into his hands, and that
he was come from God. and went to. Yes, even the work
of Satan is under the rule and control of our God. Satan is
not a rival to God. Satan is God's devil. He doesn't
wiggle or breathe except by God's decree, according to God's purpose,
his purpose of love and grace for his people. The devil put
it in the heart of Judas to betray the Savior because he hated Judas
and hated Savior and hated God. But God is still in control.
He arranged this by his decree, by his providence, for the deliverance
of our Redeemer, the curse for the saving of our soul. Our God
rules everywhere and rules everybody all the time. He employs the
wicked themselves, Ralph Erskine said, to carry on his work and
makes their wicked designs to contribute to the advancement
of his holy and glorious design, even as he made the treason of
Judas, the sentence of Pilate, the malice of the Jews, all to
contribute for the work of redemption. Surely, surely, surely the wrath
of man shall praise thee, and the remainder of wrath wilt thou
restrain. You see, the Lord hath made all
things for himself, yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. You belong to God. As fully as
all others belong to God, as fully as the redeemed belong
to God, no matter how much you hate him, you're still his. And
he rules you just as thoroughly as he rules his own. You too
are his servant, doing his bidding even when you spew out your venom
against him. You haven't hindered him, hurt
him, injured him, or his cause in any way. He's God. He's God. Yes, our Heavenly Father wisely,
sovereignly uses his enemies and ours contrary to their will,
but he uses them just as much as he uses willing servants. just as fully to do that which
is his purpose, to advance his cause, just as the Philistines
were constrained to send the ark of God back to the children
of Israel. When you have time, go home maybe
tonight or tomorrow, read 1 Samuel chapter 5 through chapter 7 and
read about the trouble the Philistines had with the ark of God. They
took the ark of God and they brought him into the house of
Dagon. Went in the next morning, Dagon
had fallen over. And they propped him up. And
he fell over again, broke his hands. They propped him up. He
fell over again, broke his feet. They propped him up. Said, we
got to do something with this ark. They thought the Ark was God. The Jews understood what the
Ark represented, those who believed God. But the Philistines, they
thought this is their God. And man, we gotta do something
with him. So the Lord calls them to have a bad problem with hemorrhoids.
And they decide, we're gonna send the Ark back. But we don't
wanna send this thing back empty. So they made golden hemorrhoids. made of some hemorrhoids of gold,
and some mice of gold, and sent the ark back to the children
of Israel, and enriched them by sending the ark back. God
rules, and the children of Israel repented. Those 50,000 men of
Beshemesh were slain, and Israel turned from the strange gods
they'd embraced, Balaam and Ashtoreth, and Samuel offered a suckling
lamb. He offered Christ to the Lord
and said, God, thank you for your mercy, and the Philistines
were conquered. Israel was delivered. And an
altar was built to God. Our God. Number three. Nothing
in all the world is more corrupt or callous than the heart of
nothing. Not the heart of a murderer,
not the heart of a rapist, not the heart of the most vile human
being. Nothing in the world is harder, more vile, more corrupt,
more callous than the heart of a hypocrite. We just read verses
two and three. Judas has just been across town
and said, I'm here to give you holy given. Here he is sitting
at the table with the son of God and his disciples. Sitting
at the table. The supper being ended, the devil had it now put
into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him. He
sat here at the table with the disciples, though he'd already
struck a deal to betray the Savior. And he sits here in brazen hypocrisy. What a beacon to warn us. what
deep corruption is found in the hearts of very religious people
who don't know God. Judas shows us how far a man
may go in religion and yet be rotten at heart. Judas shows
us how much a person may know about the things of God and yet
not know God. He shows us how high a man may
rise in the opinions of men and in religious office and still
be unconverted. Judas shows us how confident
a person may be. that he's saved when he's about
to breathe in the fire of hate. Lord, reckon I could be the one.
Reckon I could be the one. We shouldn't be surprised, overwhelmed,
or overly disturbed when hypocrites are discovered among God's saints.
Not all who are washed in the waters of baptism have been washed
in the blood of Christ. They are not all Israel which
are of Israel. Jesus saith to him, verse 10,
he that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is
clean every wit. And you're clean. That's what
he said. That's what Bruce just got through preaching to you.
You're clean, but not all of you. Not all of you. For the
days over you may fall into hell. You're clean, but not all of
you. Examine yourself on one point, whether you be in the
faith. Dost thou believe the Son of Man? Examine yourself.
Make your calling and election sure. Number four, I must again
declare to you, you eternity-bound soul, that we must be washed
in the blood of Christ. The only way we can be saved
is by being washed in the blood of the Lamb. The only saved sinner
is the blood-washed sinner. Look at verse eight. Peter said
unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet, Jesus answered, if I
wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto
him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
Jesus saith to him, he that is washed need not say to wash his
feet, but is clean every whit, and ye are clean, but not all.
What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again? That's all. That's all. Not your
knowledge, not your experience, not your works, just the blood.
That's all. That's all. When God comes by
his grace and gives sinners life, in that day there should be a
fountain open to the house of David. and to the inhabitants
of Jerusalem for sin and uncleansing, and the sinner plunges." Now,
this washing, I could say much about it, but let me just say
this. There are three things involved in it. It must certainly
be a judicial washing. We must be washed in Christ's
blood before the law and justice of God. That took place at Calvary.
Jesus Christ, by the sacrifice of himself, when he who knew
no sin was made sin for us, when he bare our sin in his body on
the tree, when he was made a curse for us, justice was satisfied
and our sins were put away. They were put away. God Almighty
does not, cannot, will not ever Look to you for satisfaction
if Christ died for you. He washed away your sin. Oh,
precious fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel. Christ
washed my sin. Did you hear what Jesus said
to me? They're all taken away. Your sins are pardoned and you're
free. They're all taken away. But there's
something about this washing that involves experience as well.
This experimental washing takes place in regeneration and effectual
calling. When God the Holy Ghost, as we're
told in Hebrews 9, takes the blood of Christ and sprinkles
the conscience from dead worms to serve the living and true
God. This is called the washing of
regeneration, the renewing of the Holy Ghost. You are washed,
you're sanctified, you're justified. This, in the experience of God's
grace, as soon as you believe. Christ took my sins away before
the world began. His Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world. We've been forgiven forever, but we were born with
a sense of God's wrath upon us. A sense of justice, a sense of
guilt, a sense of condemnation that nobody can escape. I don't
care what you smoke, drink, or pop. It can't be done. You hold
the truth in unrighteousness. You push it down. You just keep
pushing it down. But you can't hold it down. You
can't hold it down. Men and women live with a God
consciousness. from which there's no escape.
And then God comes and makes you to taste the guilt, the oozing
corruption of your heart, the justice of eternal damnation.
You're terrified until he sprinkles. That's what the priest did. Sprinkled
blood on the mercy street. Sprinkled blood toward the veil.
There's one coming who's going to take this veil down and open
a way to God. God the Spirit comes and applies
the blood shed at Calvary to the believing conscience and
the sinner is free. He goes down to his house just
to claim for God. I well remember the first time
I had some sense of that because I remember the fear and the sense
of guilt and terror. Oh, the terror. And as soon as
Christ was revealed, I lift my eyes to heaven and said, have
a father. Call God my father. Call God my father! and didn't
have any fear, no fear of judgment, because there's therefore now
no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. And thank
God, oh thank God, he fixed it so that while we walk through,
I'll tell you, I'll tell you, because you see, by leaving us
here in this body of flesh in this warfare with sin and self
and ungodliness in us, let alone what's around us. He has fixed
it, so we must continually come again to the fountain of Christ
Jesus. I recall, Moose, we were down
in Tortola years ago. I was visiting you, and I don't
know whether we were walking or snorkeling or whatever it
was, but one of the times we went out, and there was some folks out
there in the sea. And of course, you know, being a Southern boy,
kind of sheltered and all, I never had seen many folks get plum
naked and get in the sea and go, get in the water. Kind of
caught my attention. Moose said they bathed it. You
remember that? They like to bathe in the sea.
Bathe in that salt water. I thought, well, teacher's old.
But you know what they'd do when they got out of the water? They'd
walk up on the beach and get sand off and put it in their
shoe. Because as soon as you get out of the water and touch
the dirt again, you're dirty. We've had a good time here tonight,
haven't we? Oh, what a blessing. Sing God's praise. Meet with
God's people around God's throne with God's son. Hear his word. And before you get out the door,
you're going to dirty yourself. And you'll go home and think,
oh, God. Come again to the fountain. Plunge
in and wash. if we confess our sin and just
to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He forgiveth our iniquities. Isn't that a wonderful word?
Forgiveth. But it was done from eternity. I believe it was done
from eternity. I do too. I think you know that. It was
done at Calvary. I believe it was done at Calvary
one time. Well, me too. I think you know that. But this
was taken care of when I first believed. I don't have to deal
with my sin anymore. I understand that. I understand
that. but he forgiveth our iniquity. Present, continual, always. He cleanseth us from all sin. As long as we need cleansing. This fountain is open. As long
as we need forgiving, he is a forgiver. This is what he said. He delighteth
in mercy. He delighteth in mercy. Imagine
God being happy about something. He delighteth in mercy. Number
five, in this passage of scripture, the Lord Jesus gives us a blessed
example of genuine humility and love displayed. Verses five through
17, I won't read them all. He took a towel and a bowl of
water and he knelt down and began to wash his disciples' feet and
wipe them with the towel wherewith he had girded himself. True humility,
true love, willingly seeks the opportunity, gladly seeks the
opportunity. to do for its object what's needed
at the time. That's what it's all about. He
wasn't establishing an ordinance for foot washing so everybody
can be sure to take a good bath on Sunday mornings before they
go to church to pull the shoes off and wash the feet. Now, I
know we've got friends who do that. That's all right, but that's
not what this is talking about. I know what it's talking about.
This is talking about doing for one you love what's needed at
the time with humility. What's that mean? It means you
take your place. Look for opportunity to refresh
one another. Look for opportunity to comfort
one another. Look for opportunity to minister
to one another. Look for opportunity to care
for and to show that you do. Show that you do. I have a reputation. I've worked hard to get it. Folks
just presume that I like to be hugged. I do. I do. I do. Man, when you see me hug
my neck, now, you know, some of you fellas don't have to hug
too long or too tight, but you just go ahead and hug me all
you want to. If I don't get 50 hugs a day, I get paranoid. Just
hug away. That's the way we commonly express
a warm greeting to someone we haven't seen in a while. Everybody
I saw in here tonight I hadn't seen for, some of it for years.
Every last one of them walked up and hugged. That's pretty
good, isn't it? That's pretty good. Look for opportunity to hug folks,
to wash their feet. Let them know their love, cared
for, appreciated. Look for opportunity to do what
you can to help them, to do for them what's needed at the time. There's a monkey ranch in this
thing. Judas was there. And you know what he did, Todd?
The Lord washed his feet. The Lord washed his feet. When
they broke bad, the Lord passed him a piece of bread. He said,
here, drink this. Well, didn't he know who he was?
I think he had a suspicion. Well, how could he do that? How
could he sit at the Lord's table on that beginning of this ordinance
and serve the bread and wine to a man he knows is reprobate?
How could the Son of God kneel down and wash feet of a man he
knows has already made a deal to me? It's called Doing what
you can for your neighbor as you have opportunity as need
arises. Do what you can, do what you
can. But we won't have a pure church. Well, you'll need to
leave. First to go. We don't want anybody, unbelievers
to be in our church. Well, we'd have a lot of room. It's funny, it's sad, but that's
fact. That's just fact. Wherever there's wheat, there
are tares. And if you try to jerk up the
tares, you'll hold the wheat, hold the tares and throw the
wheat away. You try to get rid of the goats,
you'll hug the goats and run the sheep off. That's our nature,
because we don't know who's who. So what you do is you do good
to all men. as you have opportunity, especially
they who are the household of faith. And even if a fellow's
mean as hell, and there are some who are just mean as hell, even
if they are, try to be nice to him. He might be your brother.
Remember where you were? He might be your sister. It won't
hurt to be nice to him. Won't cost you anything. Not
worth keeping. Our Lord Jesus did the same thing
outward for Judah as he did for me. I reckon it'd be all right
if we follow his example. Follow his example. And when
he enables us with tears of repentance, we come and wash and kiss his
feet. Ezekiel 16, the Lord describes
that picture of us polluted, cast out, and aborted infant
thrown in a field, rotting in his own blood, dirty, stinking,
dead. And he passed by and spread his
skirt over. It's a time of love. And I said, Liam, you became
mine. And I made you beautiful. I caused
you to grow. Oh, you were the prettiest thing
that was walking. And you from your turn. And I've
dealt with it like I have in what appeared to be bitterness,
that thou mayest remember. and be confounded and never open
thy mouth anymore because of thy shame, when I am pacified
for all that thou hast done. O God, turn us. by whatever way
needful, that we may bow and wash your feet with a tear when
you've been pacified. This is our privilege. This is our responsibility to
follow his example and wash one another's feet. Number six, in
verse seven, Jesus said, what I do thou knowest not now, but
thou shalt know hereafter. All the dark mystery and painful
experiences of God's providence will be cleared up for God's
saints in God's time. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary,
thy way is in the seas, thy paths in the great waters, and thy
footsteps are not known. Thy judgments are a great, the
works of the Lord are great. sought out of all them that have
pleasure there. Sometimes God's providence appeared
to contradict his promise. He sent Moses to deliver the
children of Israel. He said, Moses, you go down and
you tell Pharaoh and my people that I sent you. Moses said,
all right, Lord. He walked in and said, Lord sent me to tell
you we're going out of this place. First thing you know, they said,
Moses, get out of here. What are you doing? He says,
hang on. God's providence often appears to contradict his promise,
but only appears, never does. Sometimes God's acts of mercy
and grace, acts of great goodness, look, feel like acts of horrible
judgment. Ask Brother Job. In all Job's
adversity, God was blessing him. In all his trouble, he was caring
for him. Turn to Isaiah chapter 54, Isaiah
54. Look at verse seven. For a small
moment have I forsaken thee. But with mercy will I gather
thee in a little wrath." It's almost as if he's saying, what
you thought was wrath, a little wrath. It sure looked like I'd
managed a little wrath. I hid my face from thee for a
moment. But with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on
thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. For this, this is as the waters
of Noah unto me. For I have sworn that the waters
of Noah should no more go over the earth. So have I sworn that
I would not be wroth with thee. nor rebuke them, for the mountains
shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall
not depart from me. Neither shall the covenant of
my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on me. I've
often thought about Brother Noah. out of the ark. He'd been out
for a while, and he saw that cloud fall. And he's all, well,
Lord said he wasn't going to flood the earth again. And he got big.
Man, the sky got dark. Started to hear rumbles of thunder.
The sky was covered. And he done burned that ark up,
used it for kindling firewood, and it's gone. And he's terrified.
And it comes a little burst of rain. We had one last Tuesday
night, about an hour, about two hours. We got three inches of
rain. flooded the place. And first that'll burst the rains
over and it's all bowed. You promised and it doesn't matter
how your providence may appear to contradict your promise. My
God is faithful and true. Who is a God like us? Well there's none like him. Sometimes
God appears to be favorable to the wicked and at best indifferent
to his people. But I went into the sanctuary
of God and then I understood their end. God's just fattening
that fellow. Who would envy a stalled calf? He's just fattening him for the
slaughter. Many things in this world we recognize painful and
confusing. God gave Abraham a son, that
old man, and then he said, Abraham, come kill your son. When the
time came to build the temple, David had it in his heart, but
he died before. Sometimes we have responsibilities,
duties, and one responsibility sets itself over against another,
one duty over against another. You men who are pastors, you
have a responsibility to be husbands and fathers, but you've got a
greater one called being God's servant, God's messenger, God's
pastor. You don't dare allow one to interfere with the greater.
You just don't do it. You just don't do it. God often
lifts up with one hand and casts down with the other. He wounds
with one hand and heals with the other. There was a man who
brought his demon-possessed son. Can't you imagine how hopeful?
He brought him to the Savior as he was bringing him. But never
did a man bring his neediest child to the Lord Jesus and seek
mercy who didn't get it. Find me an example. Jairus came
to tell the master about his daughter. She's at the point
of death. And while they're walking back,
The master could have spoken the word right where he was,
but while they're walking back to Jesus' house, his daughter
died. Judas, I mean, Lazarus was sick,
and the Lord Jesus stayed right where he was in Terry until he
died. Children of God, when we think
the Lord is doing nothing, he's at work, and he's working for
us. And he promises no weapon formed
against thee shall prosper. When we think he's forsaken us,
read the song of Solomon chapter five, he's with the steel, he
just had in his face. When we think everything's against
us, everything, everything is loaded, loaded, merciful. And
soon our God will make it plain. What I do now. Thou knowest not,
but thou shalt know hereafter. God, teach us. Oh, God, teach
us to walk with you by faith for the glory of your name.